Demons axe flag hero and young guns as season slips
Melbourne premiership defender Jake Lever and two young guns have been axed in a bold selection call from coach Simon Goodwin.
With the Demons' season all but shot - in 15th spot with just five wins - Goodwin dumped Lever, Jacob van Rooyen and Caleb Windsor for their away game against Gold Coast.
Goodwin summoned a trio of emerging talent in Matthew Jefferson, Koltyn Tholstrup and Harry Sharp for Saturday afternoon's fixture.
The ninth-placed Suns, seeking a win to return to the top eight, replaced Nick Holman with Alex Sexton.
Sydney summoned battle-hardened duo Jake Lloyd and Ollie Florent for their season-shaping clash against the Western Bulldogs.
Lloyd and Florent return as the Swans press to make further inroads - they're 11th, two wins shy of the eighth-placed Bulldogs.
Sydney lost forward Joel Amartey to an undisclosed injury, a week after the wayward forward booted 0.6 in a 19-point win over Port Adelaide.
Swans coach Dean Cox also dropped Riley Bice for the Friday night SCG encounter against the Dogs, who made two changes to the team that thumped Richmond by 79 points last Sunday.
Midfielder Adam Treloar will miss at least six weeks because of another calf tear and rookie Josh Dolan has been dropped, replaced by stalwart Jason Johannisen and Ryley Sanders.
Ladder leaders Collingwood named 19-year-old key forward Charlie West for his AFL debut against lowly West Coast on Saturday night.
South Australian West, pick 50 at last year's national draft, joins Charlie Dean in the Magpies side, replacing injured duo Billy Frampton and Beau McCreery.
Hawthorn dropped Henry Huswaite for their danger game against North Melbourne, with Cameron Mackenzie returning for Saturday afternoon's encounter in Launceston.
The Kangaroos, fresh from a plucky 11-point win over Carlton, called on Will Dawson to replace Charlie Comben.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Telegraph
an hour ago
- Daily Telegraph
NRL fanatic's Instagram account shut down as league investigates online commentary
Don't miss out on the headlines from NRL. Followed categories will be added to My News. The Instagram account of the 'most feared man in the NRL' has been shut down, after the league's integrity unit was alerted to allegedly abusive rants directed at Dragons Coach Shane Flanagan. The Dragons raised concerns with the NRL after an X-rated rant on social media from 25-year-old apprentice carpenter and content creator Jean-Claude Bitar went viral. The account is no longer active. Speaking to Bitar said the NRL should be focusing on 'bigger issues of the game' and vowed he 'will not be silenced.' 'They're taking away the voice of a fanatic fan who spends his hard-earned money to support the club through thick and thin. I've been here for over 20 years and I never miss a game. I have never incited violence or conspired to have anyone message players or coaches personally; if anything, I tell everyone not to do that. As a fan, I have the right to criticise the performance of players, as does everyone else. I'm livid with the fact that a big company such as the NRL is going after a small content creator like me who creates entertainment through his pain,' he added. NRL's most feared fan Jean-Claude Bitar 'They've tried to silence me, but in turn, this will make me grow and make people more intrigued to hear what I've got to say because of this. 'In terms of my Instagram ban, I feel very wronged. My page was pure entertainment, and having past and present players, commentators, managers, and journalists reach out to me expressing their love for my content, I believe the NRL has gone way overboard with this.' Bitar might not even play in the NRL, but has them running scared thanks to a series of social media videos that have gone viral. Declared the 'funniest man on the net at the moment' by Bulldogs legend Reni Maitua after taking down Dragon's father and son Shane and Kyle Flanagan in a rant that has been viewed almost 500,000 times, Bitar's hard hitting commentary has attracted the attention of rugby league heavyweights, including NRL 360 host Braith Anasta, who has hailed him as 'ruthless.' 'If that were you or one of your mates he was talking about, you'd want to kill him,' Anasta said. 'Can you imagine watching that if you were Shane or Kyle? Oh my God. But as ruthless as he is and sometimes over the top, he is also creative. I couldn't wait to see what he did after the Sharks (v Dragons) game last week. But could you imagine seeing that if you were following him and you were the player?'. Apprentice carpenter Jean-Claude Bitar is making a name for himself trolling NRL players and coaches online. Picture: Supplied. A diehard St George Illawarra fan, Bitar has been blocked from all their social accounts. Picture: Supplied/Instagram Fresh from taking aim at State of Origin referee Ashley Klein following NSW's failed comeback against Queensland in another video that has stormed the net, Bitar revealed he has been blocked from viewing the St George Illawarra website and their social media accounts after being critical of the club. 'I went to look at the team list about six weeks ago and I couldn't find it,' Bitar told 'I thought maybe there was a glitch. Then I went to TikTok and Facebook, and I realised I was blocked on all accounts. I could not believe they were blocking a supporter because he is speaking the thoughts of every fan.' Being blocked did not deter the carpenter from Belfield. 'Na, I made a video straight away saying they were pathetic and it was one of my biggest hits.' Bitar was blocked by the St George Illwarra Dragons after his take-down of father and son Shane and Kyle Flanagan. Picture: Supplied But no team is off-limits to Bitar. Picture: Supplied A host of NRL players have personally contacted Bitar. Some tell him they love his work. Others tell him to stop. 'The first person to contact me was Blake Lawrie's brother,' he said. 'I was giving it to him a bit, and then I remember his brother reached out to me and said: 'you have got to stop making these videos. You're gonna get yourself in big trouble.' 'But I didn't stop. Not when I knew the players were actually watching my videos.' Most of his videos are about St George Illawarra given Bitar is a 'die hard' Dragons fan who has supported the club since he could walk – and was even in their junior development squad. 'Most of the players are fans,' Bitar said. 'They come up to me at games and recite my jokes'. Former NRL player Reni Maitua labelled Bitar 'the funniest man on the net at the moment'. Picture: Brett Costello Former player Braith Anasta joked Bitar would be in the sights of players he's gone after. Picture:for GQ Australia) Filming his first NRL post in February, Bitar's videos have gone viral, and he has now posted more than 150. 'They are all pretty big at the moment,' he said. 'Right now, there's the Origin one that's going around, that's got 300,000 views. I think my biggest is one about my reaction to a game that got almost half a million.' And in a warning to the NRL's underperforming and out-of-form, Bitar declared he has just begun. 'Regardless of whether they block me, I'm gonna keep going with the videos. 'People are enjoying it. I'm enjoying it. I'm doing this for fun. I'm a footy fanatic and I have the right to express my views. I'm just saying what everyone is thinking,' he said.
Daily Telegraph
an hour ago
- Daily Telegraph
NRL 2025: Nathan Cleary the hero as the Penrith Panthers pip the Dogs in a thriller
Don't miss out on the headlines from NRL. Followed categories will be added to My News. Not shy of the big moments, Panthers star Nathan Cleary has delivered one for his team to lead them to a thrilling 8-6 win over the Bulldogs on Thursday night. With the Panthers trailing 6-2, Cleary charged down a Matt Burton kick before regathering it with no one near him to score in the 55th minute. FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every game of every round in the 2025 NRL Telstra Premiership, LIVE with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer. 'What a moment. Did anyone have that on their bingo card in this match?' Andrew Voss said. Because of a groin issue he carried into Origin 2, Cleary didn't kick for goal, with Dylan Edwards instead holding the tee. Nathan Cleary proved the match-winner for the Panthers. Photo: Fox Sports Edwards slotted the conversion in what proved the final scoring play of the match. Edwards missed a simple penalty goal in the dying minutes which opened the door for the Bulldogs to steal the win. The Bulldogs had one last chance to hit the front with the final play and it looked on when Stephen Crichton made a mini break close to the line but his pass was knocked down and went into touch. Fox League's Bryan Fletcher labelled it the 'game of the year' on The Late Show with Matty Johns. Cleary and Luke Garner celebrate after the final whistle. (Photo by) There was some drama inside the final three minutes, with the Bulldogs awarded a penalty after Brian To'o was placed on report for a contentious high shot. With the kick to be 30 metres out and on the sideline, the Bulldogs elected to kick for touch instead of attempting the game-tying kick. The game featured several bruising hits, with the tenacity of both teams the highlight. 'It's semi-final like. The intensity has been high, it's been end-to-end,' Michael Ennis said on Fox League. The Dogs fell short in a lowscoring classic. (Photo by) Fullback Connor Tracey was outstanding in the first half, recording two incredible try savers on Blaize Talagi. 'That is a hell of a play. He hits him with everything he has,' Cooper Cronk said in commentary. But the Panthers held on to show their title defence is far from over. They're coached by a former Panthers assistant in Cameron Ciraldo and some of their best players won comps with Penrith. But the Bulldogs found out they're not quite there yet as they try to replicate what the mountain men have achieved lately. They were dogged in defence as they have been all year, but you have to be perfect if you want to beat the best. Ciraldo said on Wednesday that he had a plan A, plan B and plan C for how to use Lachlan Galvin, but he had to come up with something new just one minute into the contest when front-rower Daniel Suluka-Fifita was forced off. The starting prop was ruled out by the independent head doctor after a heavy collision from the opening kick-off which threw their interchange plans into disarray. Galvin came on 12 minutes into the second half for Reed Mahoney, with Toby Sexton shifting to dummy-half just as we saw when the Bulldogs beat the Eels. The mid-season recruit gave away a penalty and struggled to make an impact after Sexton and Mahoney had earlier combined to set up Jacob Preston for the game's first try on the back of some lovely short passes through the middle. To'o got through plenty of work but there have to be concerns after he required strapping to his left knee in the first half and battled for the rest of the night. To'o overcame a hamstring injury to score a hat-trick for the Blues last week but never looked comfortable on Thursday in a worrying sign ahead of game three on July 9. Originally published as Nathan Cleary the hero as the Panthers pip the Dogs in a thriller
Perth Now
2 hours ago
- Perth Now
Aussie teen star misses out in Wimbledon qualifying bid
Emerson Jones has missed out in her bold bid to become the youngest Australian player since Ash Barty to make the singles main draw at Wimbledon. But veteran Alex Bolt beat both the rain and one of the game's rising young stars at Roehampton on Thursday to reach back-to-back main draws at the grass-court slam. The 16-year-old Gold Coast star Jones, the world's No.1 junior, found Frenchwoman Diane Parry too tough a hurdle in the final round of qualifying at the leafy London club near Wimbledon as she succumbed 6-2 6-2 in difficult windy conditions. Jones, who was seeking to become the youngest Aussie since former Wimbledon champ Barty made it back in 2012, couldn't adapt to the blustery conditions as well as her much more experienced opponent Parry, a 22-year-old who reached the third round at SW19 in 2022 as a teen. Jones at least still has the chance to shoot for the junior title at Wimbledon where she reached the final last year. She celebrates her 17th birthday at the Championships a week on Monday. With six players having reached the last round of qualifying, Australian hopes were boosted by another stirring display from 32-year-old Bolt, who made it into Wimbledon's main draw for the fourth time. Last year, the left-hander from Murray Bridge, the South Australian city where he acquired his prowess on the local grass courts, had the most dramatic ride to the big show, coming in as an alternate at 10 minutes' notice and only making it through his three matches by saving a match point en route. But this time, his journey was much less complicated as he dropped just one set en route in his three matches, ending up having a bit too much know-how for 19-year-old Spaniard Martin Landaluce, one of the game's rising stars, on Thursday with his 6-1 6-2 6-4 victory. "Martin's a very talented youngster. These young guys, they have nothing to lose out here. I've qualified a couple times here now, so I was just trying to draw on that experience, and I brought a pretty good level," said Bolt, who'll be seeking to emulate his best performance of getting to the second round in 2021. To have made it to another slam as the world No.181 after a stop-start career riddled with injuries left Bolt thrilled. "It's massive. I guess there's no secret that I'm closer to the end of my career than the start and as long as I'm fit and healthy, I feel like I can keep going," he said. Four other Aussies were in action in the final round of quallies, but rain caused an interruption to the day's program.
