Latest news with #ChrisFagan
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Bombshell as Cyril Rioli texts reveal secret footy comeback plan under Alastair Clarkson at Kangaroos - just WEEKS before the Hawthorn racism saga unfolded in 2022
In the latest bombshell to engulf the AFL, it can now be revealed Hawthorn legend Cyril Rioli considered a shock return to the sport under former coach Alastair Clarkson at North Melbourne - just weeks before Hawthorn's racism saga exploded. Rioli - who won four premiership at the Hawks - spoke to his one-time mentor in August and September of 2022 about turning out for the Kangaroos the following season, once Clarkson took over at Arden St. 'Interested and keen,' was Rioli's response when asked if he would dust off his playing boots after previously retiring in 2018. Ultimately, at 33, Rioli felt he may struggle with the fitness levels required and the move never eventuated - but 'Junior' was reportedly open to joining North Melbourne in an off-field role such as an Indigenous liaison officer. Incredibly, just a few weeks later, legal action in relation to historical racism allegations aimed at Hawthorn, Clarkson, current Brisbane Lions head coach Chris Fagan and former welfare manager Jason Burt was then launched after the 2022 Grand Final. The high-profile Hawks trio all strenuously denied any wrongdoing, with an subsequent investigation from the AFL finding no adverse findings. Rioli was the lead complainant in a statement of claim against his former club which accused Clarkson, Fagan and Burt of 'separating Indigenous players from their families.' The decorated half forward flank also accused Hawthorn of 'unlawful discrimination' causing 'psychological harm', 'distress' and 'personal harm' throughout his decorated career which started in 2008 and concluded a decade later. Additionally, Rioli and his partner Shannyn Ah Sam-Rioli, said they felt 'culturally unsafe' at Hawthorn. Clarkson and Rioli have not spoken since their text exchange in 2022. With the matter set to play out in the Federal Court involving Hawthorn, the club resolved the matter on AFL draft night in November last year. A statement formally apologised to Rioli and wife Shannyn, Jermaine Miller-Lewis, Montanah-Rae Lewis, Carl Peterson and former Hawthorn Indigenous officer Leon Egan for their 'distress' at the club. 'Hawthorn accepts that the allegations were made in good faith, and has heard, respects, and accepts that they represent their truths,' part of the statement said. 'Hawthorn is sorry and apologises that the former players, partners, and their families, in either pursuing a football career, or in supporting such a person, experienced ongoing hurt and distress in their time at the club.' Clarkson experienced a mental health breakdown in 2023 and took personal leave from the Kangaroos amid the devastating fallout.
News.com.au
4 days ago
- General
- News.com.au
Brisbane coach Chris Fagan wants Hugh McCluggage to be recognised for his brilliant efforts
Lions coach Chris Fagan has called for Brisbane's 'silent assassin' Hugh McCluggage to be rewarded with All-Australian selection after another superb display at the Gabba on Thursday night. McCluggage produced a best-on-ground performance with a career-high 41 disposals, including five score assists and 11 score involvements, in Brisbane's 18-point win over Essendon. 'Hughy McCluggage's game was huge,' Fagan said. 'He goes about it in a quiet manner but he's effective, a silent assassin out there.' McCluggage, 27, has made four All-Australian squads but is yet to make the final team in his eight previous AFL seasons. 'I hope at some point in time he wins an All-Australian guernsey because he's been such a consistent player for us for the last six years. The first couple of years he was developing. 'He's one of those fellows who is forever trying to improve. He's probably worked harder on the pressure defensive side of his game, both to get his body stronger but also to get involved more in that. 'That's a part of his game that's grown, and he's always been really good with the ball.' McCluggage's influence was critical on Thursday night as the Lions were forced to dig deep after Essendon fought back from being 32 points down at quarter time to take the lead eight minutes into the final quarter. 'At this time of the year, you're just happy to get the wins,' Fagan said. 'We did what we had to do when they got in front. There was good composure in the group just to build the ball up and to get scores. 'I like that about us. In AFL footy, every game is tough. In the end, we fought it out really well, showed good composure, and we'll take a little bit of confidence from that.' 'Confidence' is also building in Kai Lohmann, who kicked three goals on Thursday after failing to boot a major in his previous six appearances this season. 'He turned the corner last week (against Hawthorn). He got his pressure game back last week, and I reckon it was there again (against Essendon) and he got a little bit of a scoreboard reward,' Fagan said of the premiership-winning forward. 'I'm just hoping for him that he gets some confidence from that because it has been difficult for him. 'He set a high bar for himself last year, he's been injured a lot (this season). It looked like he was injured early in the game (on Thursday night). 'He hobbled off, but he was all good, and he helped us win the game.'
News.com.au
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Lions fight back to deny Essendon the ‘upset of the year'
Brisbane has survived an inspired challenge from injury-ravaged Essendon to climb to the top of the AFL ladder with an 18-point win on Thursday night. It was a brave fightback from the Bombers after coughing up six of the first seven goals of the match at the Gabba. FOX FOOTY, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every match of every round in the 2025 Toyota AFL Premiership Season LIVE in 4K, with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer. Young Bomber Nate Caddy's breakout game sparked an Essendon fightback in the third term as the visitors drew level. 'Not a person in Australia would have given them a hope at quarter time,' Fox Footy's Jonathan Brown said. Dubbing it potentially the 'upset of the year' as Peter Wright gave the Bombers the lead early in the fourth, in the end Brisbane's experience got them across the line with a 13.12 (90) to 11.6 (72) victory. The reigning premiers now sit half a game clear of Collingwood, who have a game in hand, and six points clear of the third-placed Suns who have played two less games. 'I think Chris Fagan would be really disappointed about the Lions tonight,' three-time premiership Tiger Jack Riewoldt said. 'They get the points and roll on.' The highlight of the night was Caddy's goal of the year contender in the wet conditions. Only minutes after a horror miss, Caddy more than made up for that effort with a stunning goal. With Jade Gresham keeping the ball alive from the boundary, Caddy was able to gather the footy and instead of attempting to turn around he simply opted to kick the footy over his head. 'It's a miraculous goal from the young man and we're all square at the Gabba,' Fox Footy's Matt Hill said. 'A Thursday night speccy!' The goal ensured scores were level for the first time since early in the first term. 'How good is that?' Riewoldt said. 'He took the big contested mark only about 10 minutes ago and ran into the open goal and missed it. 'I love this. I don't know whether this is conventional, but we love it from this Bombers young gun. 'The kick over the head. He absolutely flushed it. The nous to even think about doing it at that point in time. 'Is this the arrival of Nate Caddy?' It wasn't quite enough for the visitors, but it ended up being a promising performance from the Bombers against the ladder leaders.
News.com.au
6 days ago
- General
- News.com.au
Brisbane stars Oscar McInerney and Keidean Coleman to remain sidelined for at least another week
Lions coach Chris Fagan says there's no reason to gamble on the fitness of ruckman Oscar McInerney and defender Keidean Coleman, with the pair set to miss Brisbane's battle with Essendon at the Gabba on Thursday night. McInerney, who has a 'few issues', including a back problem, will be sidelined for a third successive match. Coleman made his long-awaited AFL return from a knee reconstruction in Brisbane's loss to Melbourne on May 18 but didn't play in the Lions' win over Hawthorn last Saturday due to swelling. 'Scans didn't reveal anything – everything's intact (with Coleman's knee),' Fagan said. 'It's just a reaction to more stress and more effort. He's improved but not enough to play. 'We've just got to look at the signs and deal with it and give them the right amount of time to come back and play. 'We're not in a rush. We've got other guys doing a good job. I was hoping 'Kiddy' would be all right for this game, but he's not, so that's the way it goes.' Fagan is happy to take a similarly cautious approach with McInerney, particularly when having premiership-winning ruckman Darcy Fort as his replacement. 'He trained really well (on Tuesday). It's the best he's moved in ages, (but) it's probably unlikely that he'll play (against Essendon),' the Lions mentor said. 'We'll give him another week. He's had quite a few different things going on as ruckman do. You do about 80 or 90 contests a game, and you keep doing that week in, week out, so we're just looking after him. 'Darcy Fort's playing really well, so we don't feel like we need to rush Oscar back into the team.' Fagan was reluctant to reveal the specifics of McInerney's fitness problems. 'He's got a few issues. It's not my job to share the details of people's injuries. It's private and confidential, he said 'We'll keep that up our sleeve. He's had a few different things going on. 'It's probably me more than anyone giving him a little bit more time because he was banged up physically and mentally. 'When you're physically banged up, it starts to affect you mentally. I'm happy to give him another week.' The Lions have tinkered with their training schedule this week after failing to fire against Collingwood earlier this season after backing up from a Saturday game on a Thursday night. 'We haven't done a lot (since beating Hawthorn on Saturday). We've just been really in recovery mode,' Fagan said. 'We had a reasonably short hitout (on Tuesday), but the good thing is everyone's recovered well from the game on the weekend, so that's all you can ask. 'We changed our schedule around a little bit. We've done training a little bit differently, so we're hoping that will help us.'
The Australian
6 days ago
- General
- The Australian
AFL: Brisbane Lions coach Chris Fagan takes no risks with Keidean Coleman and Oscar McInerney
Keidean Coleman has a 'sore' knee, but Lions coach Chris Fagan has eased fears that the Brisbane star has suffered a significant setback in his return from a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament. After making his first AFL appearance in 14 months last Sunday in Brisbane's 11-point loss to Melbourne at the Gabba, Coleman hasn't been named in the Lions team for Saturday's clash against Hawthorn at the MCG on Sunday, 'Soreness' has been given as the reason for Coleman's absence, with Fagan mindful that the Lions also have a home game on Thursday night against Essendon in not wanting to overload the 25-year-old half-back. 'We just made the decision to give him a little bit longer to get ready,' Fagan said on Friday. 'His knee was a little bit sore as well. There's nothing sinister there, but it's just all part and parcel of not having played at the highest level for a fairly extended period of time.' Lions star Keidean Coleman won't play against Hawthorn on Saturday. Picture: Russell Freeman/AFL Photos via Getty Images Before his AFL return last weekend, Coleman played two matches for Brisbane's VFL team. 'He was a little bit sore after those games but nowhere near as sore as the other day (after the AFL loss to Melbourne),' Fagan said. 'He got a shock with the difference in intensity between VFL footy and AFL footy. We all underestimate that. 'VFL is the best that we've got to prepare our players, but it is poles apart from what you get in AFL footy and the non-stop nature of it.' The Lions will also be without first-choice ruckman Oscar McInerney, who will be 'managed' for the second successive week. McInerney will travel to Melbourne as an emergency but won't play unless Darcy Fort suffers a pre-match injury. 'He's still sore. He was pretty banged up,' Fagan said before adding that the Lions were 'trying to manage things carefully' as another member of the club's ruck brigade, Henry Smith, was sidelined with a foot problem. 'We're operating with two ruckmen (Fort and McInerney) at the moment, and one of them is a bit sore. 'It's a conservative approach.' Saturday's match will he Fagan's 200th as an AFL coach after starting his top-flight coaching career with Brisbane in 2017. Chris Fagan will reach 200 games as an AFL coach on Saturday. Picture: Albert Perez/AFL Photos via Getty Images 'I probably never thought I'd coach a game of AFL football, let alone 200, so to get to that milestone is special for me and my family,' said the premiership-winning mentor, who was 56 when he was appointed by the Lions. 'My greatest feeling is one of gratitude to all the people who have helped me along the way, whether that be my parents, the coaches that I had as a player that I learnt from, the coaches that I worked with in the AFL, people like Neale Daniher and Alastair Clarkson and mentors that I've had, people like Phil Smyth, Danny Daly and Leigh Matthews. 'Then … the Brisbane Lions. I'm so thankful to them for giving me the opportunity. It was a bit of a punt, taking a bloke who didn't have an AFL playing background, who was a footy manager, to be their coach eight or nine years ago. 'That was a brave decision, particularly by (Lions chief executive officer) Greg Swann and then people who selected the (coaching) group. 'Then there are all the coaches, the football department staff and obviously the players. 'I wouldn't have got to 200 if it wasn't for the players, the high quality group that they are, the resilience that they've been able to show over the last eight or nine years.' Marco Monteverde Sports reporter Marco Monteverde is a Brisbane-based sports reporter for NCA Newswire. He worked in a similar role for The Courier-Mail from 2007 to 2020. During a journalism career of more than 25 years, he has also worked for The Queensland Times, The Sunshine Coast Daily, The Fraser Coast Chronicle and The North West Star. He has covered three FIFA World Cups and the 2000 Sydney Olympics, as well as a host of other major sporting events in Australia and around the world. @marcothejourno Marco Monteverde
