AFL 2025: Collingwood key forward edges closer to return from injury
Collingwood forward Dan McStay is closing in on a return in the King's Birthday clash with Melbourne on Monday.
McStay sustained an MCL tear to his left knee in the Magpies' win over Essendon on Anzac Day.
The addition of McStay would be a timely boost to the Magpies front half after small forward Lachie Schultz injured his hamstring against Hawthorn last Friday.
Collingwood coach Craig McRae says McStay's 'magnet is getting really close'.
'There's a big chance Dan will be available, we're not quite ready to announce that, he's still got a little to go, we train Friday and then again Sunday,' he said.
'But his magnet is getting really close to being considered, just a couple of little things to tick off before we can announce that.'
Bobby Hill was absent from Collingwood's main training on Wednesday morning to deal with a family illness.
But, barring any curveballs to his own health, McRae expects Hill to front the Dees for his 100th game.
'Bobby's wife and kids are sick, he's home looking after them, we give him compassionate leave to do those (things),' he said.
'One of our welfare team went and trained with him this afternoon, hopefully he plays his 100th game this weekend.
'At this stage, barring him getting sick, that will be the case.'
The Fight MND cause extended beyond the occasion and Neale Daniher for McRae a couple of years ago, when his brother in-law, Pat, was diagnosed with MND.
'Yeah it is close to home, Pat got diagnosed literally the MND round a couple years ago,' McRae said.
'He's my wife's brother, it's a tough one, like Bec (Daniher) said, the sea blue beanies is going to offer home – that's Pat's words.
'Maybe it's not in his lifetime but there's an opportunity to pay it forward for the possibility of the future.
'The work the Daniher's have done and he's speaking to us, to hear his wisdom, his want and desire for a cure.
'11 years he's been fighting this beast and every year it feels like we're getting behind it more and more.'
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Herald Sun
24 minutes ago
- Herald Sun
How the man leading Fight MND's Big Freeze met Neale Daniher
Don't miss out on the headlines from Victoria. Followed categories will be added to My News. FightMND chief executive Matt Tilley describes his first meeting with Australian of the Year Neale Daniher as 'intimidating', but the former radio star and comedian handled it in trademark style. 'I told him he was my third favourite Daniher brother growing up, thinking that might break the ice,' he says with a chuckle. 'I said, 'Terry was my fave, then I had Chris on my back because number 7 was easy for mum to sew on there, and then there was Neale'. 'He's got a very cheeky sense of humour and I think everyone can see that, but it was intimidating for me because I felt a great weight of responsibility to be taking on a role that was created by him – and he has since gone on to be Australian of the Year.' Monday's Big Freeze at the MCG, when celebrities plunge into an ice bath to raise money for motor neurone disease research and support for Australians living with the disease, is Tilley's first time at the helm of the event. He expects the MCG to be filled with blue beanies sold as part of the mega fundraiser, ahead of a traditional Collingwood and Melbourne King's Birthday blockbuster, but has also introduced a 'digital beanie' this year that can be shared via social media. He expects the MCG to be filled with blue beanies sold as part of the mega fundraiser, ahead of a traditional Collingwood and Melbourne King's Birthday blockbuster. Picture: Wayne Taylor 'You can personalise it, put your nickname on it, if you don't want to have hat hair here's a great way of leaning in and supporting the cause,' Tilley says. 'The idea is to fill a virtual 'G – getting to 100,000 digital beanies, which is one for every seat.' Tilley found time to chat to Matt Johnston for the Herald Sun's Big V Interview to explain how he went from a comedy writer with a back-up law degree to being a champion of charities. NATURAL STORY TELLER Although Tilley forged a long career as a commercial radio star, when he was first encouraged to go on air he barely knew what FM was. 'I grew up in a house where my dad just had classical music playing all the time, or jazz,' he says. The house was in Mt Eliza, where kangaroos hopped through the bush at the end of the street and Tilley and his three younger siblings roamed with bare feet. He was 'mad for footy and cricket' but tried everything at The Peninsula School and achieved more success in drama despite not being an 'artsy type'. He concedes he 'was a bit of a smart arse at school', but worked hard. 'I was senior prefect, but the first senior prefect who had been suspended. So a bit of a mix,' he says. He later embarked on an arts/law degree and took part in comedy sketches for the Melbourne University Law Revue, where the Working Dog production team had cut its teeth. Another student at the time was Cate Blanchett, who Tilley says was 'very funny'. 'I think we all thought back then, 'oh wow she's way too talented to be hanging out with us',' he says. Behind the scenes of Melbourne's number 1 rating breakfast show, the Matt and Jo show on Fox FM. Matt Tilley and Jo Stanley. Early attempts to coax him into radio were rebuffed, but when he was offered $100 a day – an 'enormous amount of money to a uni student living in a sharehouse with four blokes' – to write sketches, he caved. 'Radio evolved from … I was more of a natural story teller than I was a great comic actor because I never knew where to put my hands,' he says. 'I was lucky enough to be in and around shows like Fast Forward. Writing and a bit of extra parts, around some pretty elite talent.' His big break came on Fox FM when he partnered with Tracy Bartram, at a time when male and female presenters were paired to bounce off one another. 'Radio was about being relatable and telling a story, it wasn't so much about boom boom punchlines or acerbic comments on the news,' he says. 'I've got great memories of that time, and working with people who had the same sense of drive, camaraderie. You rely on everyone to do well.' He was later joined by Jo Stanley, and the Matt and Jo Show was the number one FM breakfast team for eight years. Despite the success and the 3:30am starts, Tilley plugged away at his arts/law degree and graduated after 11 years. 'I think it's close to the record,' he laughs. 'I recently found out I was at law school with Josh Frydenberg but I didn't see him, he was probably in and out a bit quicker than me and I didn't go to a lot of lectures. 'I finished (the degree) because I thought radio was a fool's paradise and it would never last – eventually they'd work out I was a fraud.' Matt Tilley CD Gotach Calls. Cover. In the late 1990s he married Susie and they had three children – Grace, Jack and Oscar. Stories about the challenges and joys of parenthood were often shared on air, which helped Tilley connect to listeners. 'For our audience, young families and stuff, I was going through what they were.' PRANKING HIS WAY TO THE TOP As a teenager, Tilley would entertain friends with prank calls. 'I used to get a mate's dad every second week. He was a baker and always a bit tired and vulnerable,' he says. 'I used to ring up and say I found half a mouse in a hot cross bun and stuff like that, or try and buy the bakery off him, ridiculous things like that.' In the mid-2000s his radio team suggested trying it out on air, and so he called a butcher, feigning to be an elderly man. The butcher kept hanging up and Tilley thought the prank was a fizzer, but a producer cut up the huffing and puffing of the man as he kept hanging up, and it worked. That moment spawned the popular segment, Matt Tilley's Gotcha Calls. 'It was a different time, you could do funny accents and different nationalities and it wasn't necessarily from a mean-spirited place, it was more about duping people into thinking it was someone that wasn't me,' he says. Tilley says that he has no problem with sensibilities changing over time but has empathy for people in comedy today. When Tilley hung up the radio mic he took a break, during which he considered establishing a charity fundraiser. 'Not because the times are woke and that's awful, more because the areas you can play in are more clearly defined and that just makes it harder, it's not as broad a canvas. 'You can be really quickly held to account on social media; quite possibly you offended just as many people back in the day but they couldn't be bothered writing a letter. 'Comedians will always exist at the edge of what people are happy to put up with.' The Gotcha Calls segment became four Gold-selling CDs sold on the late Michael Gudinski's record label, raising almost $1m for charity. 'It exposed me to a different world and a lot of amazing people and I connected with some of those people,' he says. 'I started to move in that direction, not through any noble sense of needing to do right, but I thought 'I kind of like this'. 'And I thought I could use whatever skills I might have to appeal to large audiences, to raise money for important things, and be sufficiently different that I can still have fun and shake things up a bit.' FROM MIC DROP TO DOLLAR DROP When Tilley hung up the radio mic he took a break, during which he considered establishing a charity fundraiser. Eventually he was convinced to have a crack, and created the Aussie Dollar Drop in 2018. 'I had this idea that if everyone dropped $1 on one day, there would be $25m,' he says. The fundraiser took flight in Victoria at the 2018 election, and raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for homeless services. TV and radio presenter Tracy Bartram with Matt Tilley, Greg Fleet, Amanda Keller and Peter Berner from TV show "The Chat Room" Mar 2003. panel panellists 'It didn't make the $25m, because everybody votes before the election and no one carries cash,' he says. 'But I kind of went, 'oh, if you have an idea that people think is pretty good and it's achieving a pretty good end, they'll get behind you.' Soon after, he took on a new role at Foodbank Victoria, after CEO David McNamara recognised the impact Covid-19 would have on its services. Tilley jokes that Foodbank's success as the largest hunger relief charity in the country is from being 'beneficiaries of fusspots and morons' who reject fruit and vegetables based on shape or colour. As a 'mad veggie grower', Tilley has an affinity with agricultural producers and the challenges they face. 'My dirty secret is I'm a competitive veggie grower,' he says. 'I want to win as many ribbons as I can; I go to the Red Hill show, I'm three times aggregate champion, undefeated.' His secret to success is simple. 'Chicken shit, I go through tonnes of it,' he says. 'There's this chicken farmer down the road from where my veggie patch is and he puts rice husk on the floor for his chickens, scrapes it up with all the crap on the floor and it's magic.' FIGHTING MND During his time at Foodbank, Tilley instigated a 'food fight' initiative at schools. Using fake fruits and recycled material, the fundraiser is effectively a chance for students to raise money for a worthy cause so they could 'piff stuff at teachers'. 'I wanted to build something that a lot of people want to do, that's fun,' he says. 'The epitome of that is the Big Freeze.' When Tilley was sounded out to take the FightMND reins from outgoing CEO, Dr Fiona McIntosh, he seized the opportunity. Picture: Wayne Taylor When Tilley was sounded out to take the FightMND reins from outgoing CEO, Dr Fiona McIntosh, he seized the opportunity, having admired the organisation's community connection from afar. Neale Daniher, who set up the charity with Pat Cunningham and the late Dr Ian Davis in 2014, is still 'incredibly engaged' in operations, despite MND's crippling effects. 'It's very difficult for him to communicate personally, but there wouldn't be many days I don't get an email or a question from him, he's still incredibly engaged and sharp of mind,' Tilley says. The FightMND Army has invested more than $115 million in research and support services since 2014 and Daniher's advocacy saw him named the 2025 Australian of the Year. Tilley says Monday's Big Freeze event 'is a special one' for that reason, and that FightMND is upfront about Daniher's illness, which weakens nerve cells and eventually leads to muscle paralysis. 'We are very honest about it – it's getting harder and harder for him,' Tilley says. 'The slide is so special for him, we really want to make sure each year it is something amazing.' Donate and grab your digital beanie at
West Australian
34 minutes ago
- West Australian
Socceroos coach Tony Popovic has immediately delivered results - but nature of Japan performance may concern
As Aziz Behich's curled effort swung into the net and the Optus Stadium crowd erupted into a frenzy of noise and mess of limbs, Tony Popovic sunk to his knees and let his emotions take over. Normally the cool, calm and composed type, all Popovic could do was release a primal scream of joy into the atmosphere before he was mobbed by his assistants. History is written by the victors and certainly, the Socceroos will be telling the tale of their resolute defensive effort in the face of Japan's dominance and Behich's dramatic winner for years to come. In itself, both the performance and the result will give credence to both Popovic's critics and his supporters. The fact of the matter is, in seven games under Popovic since Graham Arnold's shock departure following a solitary point gleaned from their two opening World Cup qualifying games, the Socceroos are yet to taste defeat. Across those seven games, Australia have scored 14 and conceded just four goals. For the most part, they have looked stable and in control of games. The Socceroos needed fortitude in the wake of Arnold's leave and Popovic has provided that, tinkering with the formation while raising standards. Players have spoken of the newfound intensity which has greeted national team camps and have publicly embraced his team-first defensive ethos. He has taken Australia to the brink of a sixth World Cup in a row, and potentially their first direct qualification since the 2014 tournament — a feat which seemed a long way off after the Socceroos' depressing start to the campaign. 'Popaball', as it is known, relies on soaking up pressure, controlling your opponents movement through your own defensive shape and limiting your opponents' sights on goal. To quote Ron Weasley: 'you're going to suffer, but you're going to be happy about it'. And it must be said, the Socceroos achieved most of the above against Japan on Thursday night. Pre-game, Popovic spoke of a desire for the Socceroos to improve upon their 1-1 draw with Japan in just his second game in charge. In Perth, Australia enjoyed four per cent less possession and had 14 less passes in their own half than they did in Saitima. Worryingly, the home game came against a second-string Japanese side and off the back of a 10-day training camp in Abu Dhabi. They only surrendered one clear-cut chance inside their own penalty area, a bullet by Takefusa Kubo which went agonisingly close to breaking Australian hearts — but had it gone in, the narrative and result would have flipped. The Socceroos did not control the game in possession, their midfield ran ragged and any attempts to build-up from defence were destroyed by Japan's press and ended in long balls to no one. Popovic deserves credit for being the steadying hand Australia needs and instilling a team-wide defensive mindset. The challenge now will be to evolve the Socceroos' functionality and effectiveness in attack.
News.com.au
38 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Supercars, Perth: Matt Payne fastest through practice sessions
Just like the Socceroos did the night before, rising New Zealand star Matt Payne timed his run to perfection to jump to the top of the timesheets during Friday's two wild practice sessions for the Perth Super 440. Following on from his blistering finish to win the last Supercars race in Tasmania four weeks ago, the 22-year-old Kiwi uncorked another sizzling lap in his Penrite Ford Mustang to leapfrog his rivals and send them a clear message that he means business. 'Credit to the guys. They did an awesome job,' Payne said. 'I know we've got the best crew here. 'We're working our (backsides) off to get this thing fast and thankfully we did. It's pretty cool. Press on for tomorrow.' After finishing 16th in the first practice session then getting caught in traffic behind David Reynolds approaching the end of the second hitout, Payne calmly resettled himself for one more shot just before the chequered flag was waved. Driving flat to the boards, Payne nailed it and lapped the Wanneroo Raceway in 54.3903 seconds, setting the stage for an epic finish to a mammoth week in Perth after the Socceroos' thrilling win over Japan that all but secured Australia's place at next year's FIFA World Cup. 'It's just part of our session, I knew we were going to get a little bit baulked by Reynolds there, so I just backed out of it and went again,' Payne said. 'Everyone stayed cool, and it's a really, really awesome turnaround from practice 1, which wasn't ideal for us rolling out of the truck the way we did. 'It's a real credit to the guys to get it tuned up and get it to the front for practice 2.' Anton De Pasquale was second quickest, just 0.0856s behind Payne, with Thomas Randle third, just ahead of current championship leader Broc Feeney, who released a video of himself behind the wheel of his Chevrolet Camaro competing in a tug-o-war with NRL and NRLW stars from the Bulldogs. With qualifying set to take place on Saturday then three races split over the weekend, no-one is taking anything for granted with the top seven cars all from different teams. Sitting third on the championship standings after winning three of the last six races, Payne was feeling upbeat about his rapid turnaround but was also wary about reading too much into the results. 'It's tough. It's only two 30 minute practice sessions so you got to squeeze everything you can in,' he said. 'We did a really good job of just going through what we did in practice 1. We tried a lot so yeah credit to the guys, they did an awesome job.' The second session was red flagged when Lochie Dalton spun into the sand and almost rolled his car, while a lot of drivers complained about blistering on their super soft tyres on a track known for wearing out the rubber. Another Kiwi, Jaxon Evans set the pace in the opening practice session after benefiting from a rule giving new drivers an extra set of tyres. 'It's really nice to finish the session on top, the first time I've done it in Supercars,' he said. 'Being my second year in the championship, I get an extra set of tyres, so we obviously put them to good use. 'It's just nice to know that the car is fast and I hope we can continue that way for the rest of the weekend.'
