Sermanni pinching himself after 'phenomenal' privilege
When Tom Sermanni first took charge of the Australian women's national football team, they weren't playing in front of sell-out crowds.
They weren't even called the Matildas.
Sermanni's first home game as coach of the Female Socceroos, as they were still known back in 1995, was played in front of a handful of spectators at a training ground at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra.
His last was in front of a capacity crowd of 25,125 next door at GIO Stadium on Monday night.
That's a record not just for a women's football game in the ACT but any football game played in the nation's capital.
It's the highest attendance of any sport at GIO Stadium in almost six years.
"It's bizarre," Sermanni reflected, following his final match as interim coach before Joe Montemurro steps into the role.
"It's just been a phenomenal experience. I've never witnessed a crowd such as the Matildas crowd.
"I kind of pinch myself when I go out and stand in front of it before the game starts.
"I just can't believe I'm back and had the privilege to be back in this environment."
As he ends his third, and probably final, stint at the helm of the Matildas, the landscape of women's football in Australia is unrecognisable from when he first encountered it.
That's largely down to Sermanni, 70, himself.
In his first tenure, from 1994 to 1997, the charismatic Caledonian led the Matildas to their first World Cup.
But it was his contribution off the field that had the biggest impact.
From a small office in the Canberra suburb of Hackett, Sermanni and a team of two or three running the entire women's program established the foundations for the National Training Centres that would incubate the golden generation of Australian women's football.
"I think that was one of the things, if I look back, that we created that I feel was really beneficial," he said
"And the second thing was the W-League. I think the W-League has been really instrumental in giving opportunities to domestic players that might not have had opportunities if we didn't have that league."
In his second stint, from 2004 to 2012, Sermanni handed debuts to a crop of young players - including the likes of Sam Kerr, Steph Catley and Caitlin Foord - who took the Matildas to another level and nearly a home World Cup final in 2023.
But the decision to can the National Training Centres program in 2014 set back the development of new talent and left a shortage of new players coming through to replace them, Sermanni lamented.
"We need to put resources into development," he said.
"You don't notice your development collapsing overnight. It takes time, and then all of a sudden, we turn around and say, we've got all these great players, but they're 30-plus."
Now unemployed, the longest-serving coach of the Matildas doesn't know what his future holds, but he left the door open to continuing his relationship with Football Australia.
"We've had some chats, but there's been no particular concrete role. So I think everybody will just wait to see what happens when things change and things start to happen again," he said.
"If there's something there, fantastic. If there's not, I'll be quite happy to leave the building and relax."
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Brumbies into Super Rugby semi-final with 'Canes win
The ACT Brumbies have booked a Super Rugby Pacific semi-final berth with a gutsy 35-28 playoffs win over the Hurricanes at GIO Stadium. The home side's forward pack were prolific, with hooker Billy Pollard scoring a double, in the Brumbies' five-tries-to-four victory over the Wellingtonians on Saturday night. The Brumbies will now need to make history by beating the ladder-topping Chiefs in Hamilton next weekend to avoid a fourth straight semi-final exit against a New Zealand club. No Australian side has won a knock-out game in New Zealand in the almost 30-year history of the competition. The tried-and-tested methods of rolling mauls and pick-and-drives paid dividends for the Brumbies. After the Hurricanes opened the scoring through fullback Ruben Love, a Brumbies maul from a lineout in opposition territory slowly but surely rolled over the tryline, with Pollard the man to dot down through a sea of bodies. Fatafehi Fineanganofo hit back for the visitors before Brumbies captain Allan Alaalatoa burrowed over after a succession of pick-and-drives on the Hurricanes' line. With three minutes left in the first half, the Brumbies opted not to take a penalty goal from right in front, instead chancing their arms again with another lineout. Their gamble paid off with Pollard managing to break off the blindside and dive onto the tryline to give the Brumbies a seven-point lead at the break. The sides traded seven-pointers in the second half, with a try to Brumbies fullback Tom Wright cancelled out by one from Bailyn Sullivan. Veteran Brumbies prop James Slipper scored with another pick-and-drive before Hurricanes substitute Pasilio Tosi narrowed the gap to one try to ramp up the tension in the dying minutes. The Hurricanes burst into the Brumbies half through a Callum Harkin linebreak in the final minute but Luke Reimer stepped up for the home side to steal the pill and settle the victory. The defending champion Blues' last-gasp win over the Chiefs earlier in the night heaped the pressure on the third-placed Brumbies, who knew a loss would consign them to bowing out before the semi-finals for the first time since 2018. Instead it was the fourth-placed Hurricanes who reached the end of the road in their season. The ACT Brumbies have booked a Super Rugby Pacific semi-final berth with a gutsy 35-28 playoffs win over the Hurricanes at GIO Stadium. The home side's forward pack were prolific, with hooker Billy Pollard scoring a double, in the Brumbies' five-tries-to-four victory over the Wellingtonians on Saturday night. The Brumbies will now need to make history by beating the ladder-topping Chiefs in Hamilton next weekend to avoid a fourth straight semi-final exit against a New Zealand club. No Australian side has won a knock-out game in New Zealand in the almost 30-year history of the competition. The tried-and-tested methods of rolling mauls and pick-and-drives paid dividends for the Brumbies. After the Hurricanes opened the scoring through fullback Ruben Love, a Brumbies maul from a lineout in opposition territory slowly but surely rolled over the tryline, with Pollard the man to dot down through a sea of bodies. Fatafehi Fineanganofo hit back for the visitors before Brumbies captain Allan Alaalatoa burrowed over after a succession of pick-and-drives on the Hurricanes' line. With three minutes left in the first half, the Brumbies opted not to take a penalty goal from right in front, instead chancing their arms again with another lineout. Their gamble paid off with Pollard managing to break off the blindside and dive onto the tryline to give the Brumbies a seven-point lead at the break. The sides traded seven-pointers in the second half, with a try to Brumbies fullback Tom Wright cancelled out by one from Bailyn Sullivan. Veteran Brumbies prop James Slipper scored with another pick-and-drive before Hurricanes substitute Pasilio Tosi narrowed the gap to one try to ramp up the tension in the dying minutes. The Hurricanes burst into the Brumbies half through a Callum Harkin linebreak in the final minute but Luke Reimer stepped up for the home side to steal the pill and settle the victory. The defending champion Blues' last-gasp win over the Chiefs earlier in the night heaped the pressure on the third-placed Brumbies, who knew a loss would consign them to bowing out before the semi-finals for the first time since 2018. Instead it was the fourth-placed Hurricanes who reached the end of the road in their season. The ACT Brumbies have booked a Super Rugby Pacific semi-final berth with a gutsy 35-28 playoffs win over the Hurricanes at GIO Stadium. The home side's forward pack were prolific, with hooker Billy Pollard scoring a double, in the Brumbies' five-tries-to-four victory over the Wellingtonians on Saturday night. The Brumbies will now need to make history by beating the ladder-topping Chiefs in Hamilton next weekend to avoid a fourth straight semi-final exit against a New Zealand club. No Australian side has won a knock-out game in New Zealand in the almost 30-year history of the competition. The tried-and-tested methods of rolling mauls and pick-and-drives paid dividends for the Brumbies. After the Hurricanes opened the scoring through fullback Ruben Love, a Brumbies maul from a lineout in opposition territory slowly but surely rolled over the tryline, with Pollard the man to dot down through a sea of bodies. Fatafehi Fineanganofo hit back for the visitors before Brumbies captain Allan Alaalatoa burrowed over after a succession of pick-and-drives on the Hurricanes' line. With three minutes left in the first half, the Brumbies opted not to take a penalty goal from right in front, instead chancing their arms again with another lineout. Their gamble paid off with Pollard managing to break off the blindside and dive onto the tryline to give the Brumbies a seven-point lead at the break. The sides traded seven-pointers in the second half, with a try to Brumbies fullback Tom Wright cancelled out by one from Bailyn Sullivan. Veteran Brumbies prop James Slipper scored with another pick-and-drive before Hurricanes substitute Pasilio Tosi narrowed the gap to one try to ramp up the tension in the dying minutes. The Hurricanes burst into the Brumbies half through a Callum Harkin linebreak in the final minute but Luke Reimer stepped up for the home side to steal the pill and settle the victory. The defending champion Blues' last-gasp win over the Chiefs earlier in the night heaped the pressure on the third-placed Brumbies, who knew a loss would consign them to bowing out before the semi-finals for the first time since 2018. Instead it was the fourth-placed Hurricanes who reached the end of the road in their season.
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Cats back Stewart after bump sends Anderson to hospital
Geelong coach Chris Scott has launched an impassioned defence of Tom Stewart as the star utility faces AFL scrutiny over the bump that landed Gold Coast's Noah Anderson in hospital. Stewart crunched Anderson in a heavy collision during the fourth quarter of the Cats' dour 9.7 (61) to 5.7 (37) victory at a rain-soaked GMHBA Stadium on Saturday. Play was held up while Anderson was assessed by medical staff, before he jogged slowly off the ground. He was eventually taken to the Suns' change-room. The Gold Coast captain was cleared of concussion after his head hit the ground following the body contact from Stewart, but was later taken to hospital for scans on his chest region. Scott insisted Stewart showed the appropriate duty of care to Anderson and was adamant there would have to be a fundamental shift in rules for the five-time All-Australian to face sanction over the bump. "If it's a protective action where contact's unavoidable and you don't get them in the head, then you've done everything you can," Scott said after the match. "I sort of feel for Noah. Everyone loves him, he's a gun player and it was pretty heavy contact to the ribs, but it was to the body. "Stewy, I thought his duty of care to Noah was as good as it could have been, and he was good enough to hit him in the body." Gold Coast coach Damien Hardwick didn't feel there was anything untoward in the bump from Stewart, who was given a four-match ban in 2022 for a nasty hit on Richmond's Dion Prestia. "The game's combative, accidents happen on the footy field. It's one of those things," Hardwick said of Saturday's incident. "We'd love Noah to keep playing (but it's) within the rules, still allowed to bump. "It was a reasonable hit, a solid hit. He's a big boy, Tom Stewart. "But once again, we'll make it very clear, it was chest. It wasn't head or anything like that - no concussion. "From our point of view he'll just go there (hospital) and see what that comes back at." Hardwick was more concerned with his team failing what he had termed a "litmus test" before the match, and ceding their top-four spot to Geelong in the process. The Cats never trailed and pulled clear after halftime to improve their record to 9-4 with a fourth straight win, while Gold Coast slipped to 8-4 with a second successive defeat. It was also the Suns' ninth loss in as many visits to Geelong's Kardinia Park base - eight of those against the Cats - since their AFL inception in 2011. Tyson Stengle (four goals) and Max Holmes (40 disposals, 10 clearances) starred for Geelong, while Tom Atkins (23, eight) and Mark O'Connor (21, seven) were also important. AFL great Gary Ablett Jr was among the 29,502 fans on hand to watch his two former clubs do battle, and witnessed a scrappy, stoppage-heavy encounter in wet conditions. Hardwick felt Geelong were better around the contest, conceding they were "too good, too clean and too strong" for the Suns. "We've got some work to do and I was really pissed off, to be perfectly honest," he said. "We knew the game that we needed to have, and we unfortunately failed the test." Geelong lost Shannon Neale to an ankle injury before halftime, and Gold Coast's Jed Walter could face scrutiny for late and high contact on O'Connor with a swinging arm. Geelong coach Chris Scott has launched an impassioned defence of Tom Stewart as the star utility faces AFL scrutiny over the bump that landed Gold Coast's Noah Anderson in hospital. Stewart crunched Anderson in a heavy collision during the fourth quarter of the Cats' dour 9.7 (61) to 5.7 (37) victory at a rain-soaked GMHBA Stadium on Saturday. Play was held up while Anderson was assessed by medical staff, before he jogged slowly off the ground. He was eventually taken to the Suns' change-room. The Gold Coast captain was cleared of concussion after his head hit the ground following the body contact from Stewart, but was later taken to hospital for scans on his chest region. Scott insisted Stewart showed the appropriate duty of care to Anderson and was adamant there would have to be a fundamental shift in rules for the five-time All-Australian to face sanction over the bump. "If it's a protective action where contact's unavoidable and you don't get them in the head, then you've done everything you can," Scott said after the match. "I sort of feel for Noah. Everyone loves him, he's a gun player and it was pretty heavy contact to the ribs, but it was to the body. "Stewy, I thought his duty of care to Noah was as good as it could have been, and he was good enough to hit him in the body." Gold Coast coach Damien Hardwick didn't feel there was anything untoward in the bump from Stewart, who was given a four-match ban in 2022 for a nasty hit on Richmond's Dion Prestia. "The game's combative, accidents happen on the footy field. It's one of those things," Hardwick said of Saturday's incident. "We'd love Noah to keep playing (but it's) within the rules, still allowed to bump. "It was a reasonable hit, a solid hit. He's a big boy, Tom Stewart. "But once again, we'll make it very clear, it was chest. It wasn't head or anything like that - no concussion. "From our point of view he'll just go there (hospital) and see what that comes back at." Hardwick was more concerned with his team failing what he had termed a "litmus test" before the match, and ceding their top-four spot to Geelong in the process. The Cats never trailed and pulled clear after halftime to improve their record to 9-4 with a fourth straight win, while Gold Coast slipped to 8-4 with a second successive defeat. It was also the Suns' ninth loss in as many visits to Geelong's Kardinia Park base - eight of those against the Cats - since their AFL inception in 2011. Tyson Stengle (four goals) and Max Holmes (40 disposals, 10 clearances) starred for Geelong, while Tom Atkins (23, eight) and Mark O'Connor (21, seven) were also important. AFL great Gary Ablett Jr was among the 29,502 fans on hand to watch his two former clubs do battle, and witnessed a scrappy, stoppage-heavy encounter in wet conditions. Hardwick felt Geelong were better around the contest, conceding they were "too good, too clean and too strong" for the Suns. "We've got some work to do and I was really pissed off, to be perfectly honest," he said. "We knew the game that we needed to have, and we unfortunately failed the test." Geelong lost Shannon Neale to an ankle injury before halftime, and Gold Coast's Jed Walter could face scrutiny for late and high contact on O'Connor with a swinging arm. Geelong coach Chris Scott has launched an impassioned defence of Tom Stewart as the star utility faces AFL scrutiny over the bump that landed Gold Coast's Noah Anderson in hospital. Stewart crunched Anderson in a heavy collision during the fourth quarter of the Cats' dour 9.7 (61) to 5.7 (37) victory at a rain-soaked GMHBA Stadium on Saturday. Play was held up while Anderson was assessed by medical staff, before he jogged slowly off the ground. He was eventually taken to the Suns' change-room. The Gold Coast captain was cleared of concussion after his head hit the ground following the body contact from Stewart, but was later taken to hospital for scans on his chest region. Scott insisted Stewart showed the appropriate duty of care to Anderson and was adamant there would have to be a fundamental shift in rules for the five-time All-Australian to face sanction over the bump. "If it's a protective action where contact's unavoidable and you don't get them in the head, then you've done everything you can," Scott said after the match. "I sort of feel for Noah. Everyone loves him, he's a gun player and it was pretty heavy contact to the ribs, but it was to the body. "Stewy, I thought his duty of care to Noah was as good as it could have been, and he was good enough to hit him in the body." Gold Coast coach Damien Hardwick didn't feel there was anything untoward in the bump from Stewart, who was given a four-match ban in 2022 for a nasty hit on Richmond's Dion Prestia. "The game's combative, accidents happen on the footy field. It's one of those things," Hardwick said of Saturday's incident. "We'd love Noah to keep playing (but it's) within the rules, still allowed to bump. "It was a reasonable hit, a solid hit. He's a big boy, Tom Stewart. "But once again, we'll make it very clear, it was chest. It wasn't head or anything like that - no concussion. "From our point of view he'll just go there (hospital) and see what that comes back at." Hardwick was more concerned with his team failing what he had termed a "litmus test" before the match, and ceding their top-four spot to Geelong in the process. The Cats never trailed and pulled clear after halftime to improve their record to 9-4 with a fourth straight win, while Gold Coast slipped to 8-4 with a second successive defeat. It was also the Suns' ninth loss in as many visits to Geelong's Kardinia Park base - eight of those against the Cats - since their AFL inception in 2011. Tyson Stengle (four goals) and Max Holmes (40 disposals, 10 clearances) starred for Geelong, while Tom Atkins (23, eight) and Mark O'Connor (21, seven) were also important. AFL great Gary Ablett Jr was among the 29,502 fans on hand to watch his two former clubs do battle, and witnessed a scrappy, stoppage-heavy encounter in wet conditions. Hardwick felt Geelong were better around the contest, conceding they were "too good, too clean and too strong" for the Suns. "We've got some work to do and I was really pissed off, to be perfectly honest," he said. "We knew the game that we needed to have, and we unfortunately failed the test." Geelong lost Shannon Neale to an ankle injury before halftime, and Gold Coast's Jed Walter could face scrutiny for late and high contact on O'Connor with a swinging arm.
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an hour ago
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Swans warned of hard slog ahead in bid to save season
Coach Dean Cox has warned the slog has only started for Sydney as they try to put their AFL season back on track. After bad losses to Melbourne and Adelaide, then a below-par opening quarter on Saturday, the Swans clamped Richmond and mauled them by 44 points at the MCG, winning 11.14 (80) to 4.12 (36). The Tigers did not kick a goal from 19 minutes in the first term until 22 minutes into the last - understood to be a club record. Sydney go into the bye with a 5-8 record and will have key players such as Errol Gulden and Tom Papley closing on returns from injury. But Cox has warned last year's grand finalists have a long road ahead of them if they are to turn this season around. "We're not in a position to go and forecast what's going to happen later on in the year. We have a lot of work to do," Cox said. "I said to the players (post-game), 'it doesn't turn dramatically overnight, you have to work your way through this'. "To their credit they did that this week. They have to do it through their bye, when we get back next weekend, through the week leading into Port Adelaide. "You can't just rely on 'we've won one, take a breath, here we go', and also we get some people back maybe after the bye." Sydney were called a rabble after the Adelaide thrashing, and they had a 6am beach session the following morning. While Saturday was a grinding slog in cold conditions, Sydney showed signs of life. It was only their third win in 11 MCG games - including the two heavy grand final losses over the past three years. "They won in a way they might not have been pretty, but one we needed," Cox said. With father John watching, Sydney's All-Australian defender Nick Blakey was best afield as he played their combined 500th AFL game. This week, one media pundit had called the younger Blakey one of this season's biggest disappointments. "He played more of an all-round game, which is what we're after ... he was really good," Cox said. The Swans coach said assistant Amon Buchanan deserved credit for suggesting the inspired move of James Jordon to in-form Richmond defender Nick Vlastuin. Not only did Jordon shut down Vlastuin, he also kicked three goals. Another crucial move was sending James Rowbottom to Dion Prestia at quarer-time. Prestia had racked up 13 disposals in the first term and kicked a goal. He only managed eight more possessions for the game. Cox said Rowbottom was determined to "tackle anyone who came in his way", and the Swans onballer racked up an astonishing 14 for the match. Midfielder Isaac Heeney showcased his class, and ruckman Brodie Grundy also shone, with 51 hit-outs - crucially restricting the influence of Richmond captain Toby Nankervis. Tigers coach Adem Yze said he did not see the disaster coming and noted they started brightly. "The things we tried just kind of didn't work. It just wasn't up to AFL standard," he said. "We hope it's not inevitable, but we know there might be some pain along the way. "The second quarter, I don't think we've played any worse for the year." Coach Dean Cox has warned the slog has only started for Sydney as they try to put their AFL season back on track. After bad losses to Melbourne and Adelaide, then a below-par opening quarter on Saturday, the Swans clamped Richmond and mauled them by 44 points at the MCG, winning 11.14 (80) to 4.12 (36). The Tigers did not kick a goal from 19 minutes in the first term until 22 minutes into the last - understood to be a club record. Sydney go into the bye with a 5-8 record and will have key players such as Errol Gulden and Tom Papley closing on returns from injury. But Cox has warned last year's grand finalists have a long road ahead of them if they are to turn this season around. "We're not in a position to go and forecast what's going to happen later on in the year. We have a lot of work to do," Cox said. "I said to the players (post-game), 'it doesn't turn dramatically overnight, you have to work your way through this'. "To their credit they did that this week. They have to do it through their bye, when we get back next weekend, through the week leading into Port Adelaide. "You can't just rely on 'we've won one, take a breath, here we go', and also we get some people back maybe after the bye." Sydney were called a rabble after the Adelaide thrashing, and they had a 6am beach session the following morning. While Saturday was a grinding slog in cold conditions, Sydney showed signs of life. It was only their third win in 11 MCG games - including the two heavy grand final losses over the past three years. "They won in a way they might not have been pretty, but one we needed," Cox said. With father John watching, Sydney's All-Australian defender Nick Blakey was best afield as he played their combined 500th AFL game. This week, one media pundit had called the younger Blakey one of this season's biggest disappointments. "He played more of an all-round game, which is what we're after ... he was really good," Cox said. The Swans coach said assistant Amon Buchanan deserved credit for suggesting the inspired move of James Jordon to in-form Richmond defender Nick Vlastuin. Not only did Jordon shut down Vlastuin, he also kicked three goals. Another crucial move was sending James Rowbottom to Dion Prestia at quarer-time. Prestia had racked up 13 disposals in the first term and kicked a goal. He only managed eight more possessions for the game. Cox said Rowbottom was determined to "tackle anyone who came in his way", and the Swans onballer racked up an astonishing 14 for the match. Midfielder Isaac Heeney showcased his class, and ruckman Brodie Grundy also shone, with 51 hit-outs - crucially restricting the influence of Richmond captain Toby Nankervis. Tigers coach Adem Yze said he did not see the disaster coming and noted they started brightly. "The things we tried just kind of didn't work. It just wasn't up to AFL standard," he said. "We hope it's not inevitable, but we know there might be some pain along the way. "The second quarter, I don't think we've played any worse for the year." Coach Dean Cox has warned the slog has only started for Sydney as they try to put their AFL season back on track. After bad losses to Melbourne and Adelaide, then a below-par opening quarter on Saturday, the Swans clamped Richmond and mauled them by 44 points at the MCG, winning 11.14 (80) to 4.12 (36). The Tigers did not kick a goal from 19 minutes in the first term until 22 minutes into the last - understood to be a club record. Sydney go into the bye with a 5-8 record and will have key players such as Errol Gulden and Tom Papley closing on returns from injury. But Cox has warned last year's grand finalists have a long road ahead of them if they are to turn this season around. "We're not in a position to go and forecast what's going to happen later on in the year. We have a lot of work to do," Cox said. "I said to the players (post-game), 'it doesn't turn dramatically overnight, you have to work your way through this'. "To their credit they did that this week. They have to do it through their bye, when we get back next weekend, through the week leading into Port Adelaide. "You can't just rely on 'we've won one, take a breath, here we go', and also we get some people back maybe after the bye." Sydney were called a rabble after the Adelaide thrashing, and they had a 6am beach session the following morning. While Saturday was a grinding slog in cold conditions, Sydney showed signs of life. It was only their third win in 11 MCG games - including the two heavy grand final losses over the past three years. "They won in a way they might not have been pretty, but one we needed," Cox said. With father John watching, Sydney's All-Australian defender Nick Blakey was best afield as he played their combined 500th AFL game. This week, one media pundit had called the younger Blakey one of this season's biggest disappointments. "He played more of an all-round game, which is what we're after ... he was really good," Cox said. The Swans coach said assistant Amon Buchanan deserved credit for suggesting the inspired move of James Jordon to in-form Richmond defender Nick Vlastuin. Not only did Jordon shut down Vlastuin, he also kicked three goals. Another crucial move was sending James Rowbottom to Dion Prestia at quarer-time. Prestia had racked up 13 disposals in the first term and kicked a goal. He only managed eight more possessions for the game. Cox said Rowbottom was determined to "tackle anyone who came in his way", and the Swans onballer racked up an astonishing 14 for the match. Midfielder Isaac Heeney showcased his class, and ruckman Brodie Grundy also shone, with 51 hit-outs - crucially restricting the influence of Richmond captain Toby Nankervis. Tigers coach Adem Yze said he did not see the disaster coming and noted they started brightly. "The things we tried just kind of didn't work. It just wasn't up to AFL standard," he said. "We hope it's not inevitable, but we know there might be some pain along the way. "The second quarter, I don't think we've played any worse for the year."
