OFA 2025: Bulldogs clip Eagles' wings with feisty win to go clear at the top of the ladder as finals loom
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Sydney Morning Herald
10 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Surface tension: Roosters stars losing patience with Allianz Stadium pitch
Sydney Roosters players have described the playing surface at Allianz Stadium as 'slippery', 'wet', and 'not too crash hot' as the $828 million Moore Park venue prepares to host four rugby league games in just three days as part of the NRL's Gadhu Gathering. Less than an hour after the Bulldogs and Manly clashed at the venue on July 27, ground staff were straight to work on the playing surface. And on Monday morning, giant heat lamps were baking grass at the northern end of the venue. There was also a sprinkler with a heat lamp positioned over a bare patch of grass in the north-western corner. Giant puddles and divots have become a common feature of NRL games at Allianz, with Venues NSW awaiting the findings of a review into the turf and drainage systems. The Roosters and Bulldogs meet on Friday night, followed by South Sydney and Parramatta Saturday night, then the Wests Tigers and Manly on Sunday afternoon, including the NRLW as a curtain-raiser. Tigers CEO Shane Richardson said there were no contingency plans to relocate the Sunday game, and had full confidence the surface would remain safe by the end of the weekend. Roosters skipper James Tedesco said the surface made life difficult for his side, and said stadium chiefs had to 'sort that out'. 'For a first-class, elite stadium like this that hosts a lot of topline clubs in Australia, and around the world, the surface needs to be top class, as the stadium is,' Tedesco said. 'They need to sort that out. 'Every time we play here, it's slippery and wet. It's not the driest conditions.'
Sydney Morning Herald
10 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Eagles bullish AFL's $2 million man will stay as co-captain is all but Brisbane-bound
West Coast coach Andrew McQualter is optimistic Harley Reid will stay at the club for the long term despite more Godfather-type offers rolling in for the star midfielder. Reid is contracted to West Coast until the end of 2026 but there is already a huge tug-of-war for the No.1 draft pick. St Kilda were the latest club to throw their hat into the ring, with the Saints reportedly contemplating an offer in the vicinity of $25 million over 12 years. The Eagles offer is rumoured to be about $24 million over 11 years - comprising an initial two-year deal with a trigger for the remaining nine. Hawthorn, Essendon and Geelong are others to have shown interest in Reid, with Melbourne-based clubs hoping the pull-home factor will convince the Victorian to leave West Coast. Reid's management say the 20-year-old is happy in Perth, and the Eagles are hopeful of being able to re-sign the midfield bull. 'I'm really confident Harley will be here,' McQualter said on Thursday. 'Every day Harley turns up to work, he's incredibly invested in this team, this club. So yeah, I'm really optimistic that Harley will be here.' When asked to clarify whether his optimism around Reid was merely for next year or for the long term, McQualter replied: 'I'm talking for a long time.'
The Age
10 hours ago
- The Age
Eagles bullish AFL's $2 million man will stay as co-captain is all but Brisbane-bound
West Coast coach Andrew McQualter is optimistic Harley Reid will stay at the club for the long term despite more Godfather-type offers rolling in for the star midfielder. Reid is contracted to West Coast until the end of 2026 but there is already a huge tug-of-war for the No.1 draft pick. St Kilda were the latest club to throw their hat into the ring, with the Saints reportedly contemplating an offer in the vicinity of $25 million over 12 years. The Eagles offer is rumoured to be about $24 million over 11 years - comprising an initial two-year deal with a trigger for the remaining nine. Hawthorn, Essendon and Geelong are others to have shown interest in Reid, with Melbourne-based clubs hoping the pull-home factor will convince the Victorian to leave West Coast. Reid's management say the 20-year-old is happy in Perth, and the Eagles are hopeful of being able to re-sign the midfield bull. 'I'm really confident Harley will be here,' McQualter said on Thursday. 'Every day Harley turns up to work, he's incredibly invested in this team, this club. So yeah, I'm really optimistic that Harley will be here.' When asked to clarify whether his optimism around Reid was merely for next year or for the long term, McQualter replied: 'I'm talking for a long time.'
