Latest news with #FootyClassified
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Footy star Jamarra Ugle-Hagan issues bombshell update on his future after concerns arose he could be set for a Bulldogs exit
Jamarra Ugle-Hagan has posted a huge message of intent on social media, as reports intensify that he could be making a play to leave the Western Bulldogs this year. The 23-year-old former No 1 draft pick, who is currently on an extended leave of absence from the Western Bulldogs, has taken multiple positive steps in his return to play football in recent weeks, with the footy star booking himself into a health retreat. In a video posted on Instagram by Ugle-Hagan and personal trainer and boxing coach Byron Bay Boxing, the AFL star was seen in a 'Rocky'-style video, running up hills, sparring in the gym and skipping. The video was posted with a black-and-white filter and was captioned 'We into it'. He has been seen sporadically at the Whitten Oval, missing several pre-season training sessions and has not played for the club in 2025. The Bulldogs' leading goal scorer for the 2024 season has also not featured for his side this year due to personal issues. View this post on Instagram A post shared by marra (@jamarrauh) It comes as Channel 9 reporter Tom Morris told Footy Classified that the Bulldogs player was keen to play for the Swans next season. 'My understanding is that Jamarra has told people that he would like to play for the Sydney Swans next year, in a perfect world,' he said. Morris added he was 'unsure' over whether that move would materialise, considering his current contract situation with the Western bulldogs. Many took to social media to issue messages of support to Ugle-Hagan, with one asking in the comments: 'Please come back'. Ugle-Hagan responeded: 'Coming x.' Another added: 'Only up,' to which the Bulldogs forward replied: 'Dat way.' Last month, Bulldogs boss Luke Beveridge issued his support to the 23-year-old star, stating: 'We hope Jamarra goes really well in this period of finding himself both in life and then in the game.' Former Crows star Rory Sloane said it 'was great to see him back' training but believes 'the next step' is to see him training with a football club. "My understanding is that Jamarra has told people close to him he would like to play for the Sydney Swans next year." @tommorris32 with a big development on the former number one pick's future. #9FootyClassified | Watch on Nine & 9Now 🖥️ — Footy on Nine (@FootyonNine) June 3, 2025 'It's great that he's comfortable sharing that on social media,' the Crows legend said to Footy Classified. 'He wants to play for the Sydney Swans, so that's step one right there. 'Step two - if I'm a club and I am serious about picking this guy up I need to see him training with a footy club. 'He needs to, too, because you cannot do training like that on your own. You need to have touch of footys, you need to be involved, surrounded by the best people. 'Footy clubs are great environments to go through hardship.' Sloan believes Ugle-Hagan needs to get himself back into training with the Bulldogs later on in the season if he is to get a move in the summer.
Courier-Mail
3 days ago
- Politics
- Courier-Mail
AFL umpires weigh up taking legal action against Kane Cornes, Dale Thomas and Luke Hodge
Don't miss out on the headlines from AFL. Followed categories will be added to My News. Four AFL umpires are reportedly weighing up legal action against Kane Cornes, Dale Thomas and Luke Hodge in the wake of Lachie Schultz's concussion saga. The four men in control of the contest that took place at Optus Stadium on May 8 have explored their legal rights regarding comments made by the Channel 7 trio over their handling of the incident. 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. Collingwood's Schultz was left concussed during the club's round nine clash against Fremantle at Optus Stadium on May 8. The 27-year-old was evidently dazed after an ugly fourth-quarter collision with Fremantle's Jordan Clark as play continued to unfold. A day after match the AFL released a statement saying the umpires 'did not see the injured player at the time so play continued'. AFL executive general manager of football Laura Kane was then forced to come forward and admit the information given by the umpires was 'inconsistent' with new audio first uncovered by Channel 7's Agenda Setters. The audio, which can be heard in the above video player, appeared to show the umpires were aware of Schultz' condition. The three former AFL stars, turned media personalities, were largely critical of the umpires involved after hearing the audio during a show that went to air on May 13. Dale Thomas (left), Kane Cornes (middle) and Luke Hodge (right) could be facing legal action from the umpires. The saga took a fresh twist however only days later when the AFL issued a third statement which noted a miscommunication between the umpiring department and AFL House was to blame for the initial statement. Weeks later the story is now back in the spotlight with the four umpires considering taking legal action against the Channel 7 trio, according to Nine's Tom Morris. 'They are filthy. Not at the AFL, but at three of the most high profile experts in the game,' Morris told 9News Melbourne. 'I can tell you that umpires Simon Meredith, Craig Fleer, Justin Power and Martin Rodger are considering taking legal action against Luke Hodge, Dale Thomas and Kane Cornes. 'The umpires remain furious that Hodge, Thomas and Cornes made comments heavily criticising them on Channel 7 on May 13. 'I've spoken to Rob Kerr, who is the umpires' association boss. 'He confirmed in a statement to 9News that Meredith, Fleer, Power and Rogers were weighing up their legal options.' contacted Channel 7 who responded with: 'no official comment at this stage'. The move comes after Morris said on Channel 9's Footy Classified on May 13 that the umpires were not happy with Kane's handling of the incident. Morris said he has been told by one umpire: 'A large section of umpires are filthy. They feel they continually get thrown under the bus'. Kane ultimately admitted the AFL got it wrong with their first statement and said the miscommunication had come from the umpiring department, not the field umpires. 'Our process in determining what happened Thursday night failed and for that we take full responsibility,' Kane said. Schultz was visibly concussed during the fourth quarter incident. (Photo by Janelle St Pierre/AFL Photos via Getty Images) 'Today we have determined there was a miscommunication from members of the umpiring department, not the field umpires, which formed the basis of our initial public statement on Friday. 'Those team members have been counselled and reminded of the importance of ensuring our process is fully followed regarding these types of incidents and in this instance it was not. 'I have asked GM Football Performance Josh Mahoney to review these processes to ensure the right information is communicated and to ensure this does not happen again. 'Everyone, including our umpires are aligned in ensuring the health and safety of players continues to be the utmost priority and the AFL has been in regular contact with the AFLUA today.' Originally published as Umpires weighing up taking legal action against Ch 7 personalities
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
'Shouldn't do that': James Sicily under fire over post-match act in Hawthorn rooms
AFL fans have moved to defend James Sicily after the Hawthorn captain was criticised by Matthew Lloyd on Monday night. Speaking on 'Footy Classified' on Channel 9, Essendon legend Lloyd highlighted vision of Sicily sitting with his head in his hands after the Hawks' loss to Collingwood last Friday night. It marked Hawthorn's third loss in a row, and Sicily appeared a shattered man amid a worrying form slump. The vision showed the skipper with his head down and face covered, not interacting with any of his teammates. Speaking on Monday night, Lloyd said Sicily needed to show stronger leadership than what he did in the rooms after the game. "Last year I thought he stood up really well when they weren't going well after five rounds," Lloyd said. "He came on and did an interview with us and gee he was good. He had a wonderful season last year so it's too soon to question whether he's the right captain. "But I still feel he's very temperamental, and I don't think at times as a captain he's balanced enough (with his emotions). Even that vision in the rooms. I don't think as a captain you should have your head in your hands after the game." When suggested to Lloyd that players should be allowed to show emotion, he used James Hird as an example of a captain who never gave away when they were hurting. "You've got to be strong for everyone. You get up and get around everyone else and start talking to others," he said. "What I loved about James Hird is you would never know what kind of day he was having. Whether he was having a poor day or a good day he was the voice of reason and calmness in the rooms for us." Taking to social media, fans were quick to question whether that was the right message for Lloyd to be sending considering how times have changed. In the modern landscape, players are being encouraged to show more emotion and not bottle up how they're feeling. One person wrote: "Not everyone is a robot. Some players actually have emotions!" Another commented: "Imagine attacking a man for sharing his feelings with his mates." Lloyd also suggested coach Sam Mitchell move Sicily out of the forward line. "He's a surprise forward at times, but he shouldn't be starting there," Lloyd said. When a team loses games everything gets analysed within an inch of its life. The way the players talk, walk, interact, interview and now how they act 10 mins after a loss and if their head is down or not. If he doesn't show emotion guess what? NO EMOTION! NOT A CAPTAIN!! — Luke (@Luke5557725) June 2, 2025 Not everyone is a players actually have emotions! — Nev_is_here 🇭🇲😸🇦🇺 (@Nev_or_never) June 2, 2025 Maybe Sis had a headache? Seriously Llody, what do you want Sis to do, walk around with his chest pumped out? — The Thirsty Hawk (@thethirstyhawk) June 2, 2025 Mitchell launched a stirring defence of Sicily before the Collingwood game amid speculation he's battling groin issues. But Melbourne great Garry Lyon reckons it showed the Hawks have become "unnecessarily edgy." He said on Fox Footy: 'I thought 'they're getting unnecessarily wound up here' ... to me that was the mindset going in and they got punched in the nose. They're going to get more heat and they'll probably get crankier, but that's not going to do you any good. I did get a mindset they felt like they were under siege. They weren't under siege, it was just good old fashioned critique.' RELATED: AFL world rallies around Ollie Wines after difficult development James Hird calls out Sydney Swans over moment he's 'never seen' On SEN radio, former West Coast coach Adam Simpson called for Sicily to step up. 'Sicily, as much as you don't want to point the finger at one particular player, I'm not sure if he's feeling sorry for himself or if he's feeling the burden of leadership, I wouldn't know, but you need your leaders to lead now," he said. 'Whether it's on the track, whether it's after the game they get together, or whether it's game day, you need your leaders and that's what they're working through.'
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Sam Mitchell bristles over James Sicily question amid criticism of Hawks skipper
Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell has bristled at questions around the form and fitness of captain James Sicily, and dismissed suggestions he's carrying a groin injury that is affecting his performances. The Hawks were marked as AFL premiership contenders after winning their first five games of the season but they're coming off back-to-back losses against Gold Coast and Brisbane, ahead of Friday night's blockbuster against ladder-leaders Collingwood at the MCG. Sicily's displays at the back for Hawthorn have come under the microscope, and the All-Australian's influence on contests has been well down on his best season in 2023. Sicily averaged around 10 marks per game in that campaign but that number has fallen to a little over six in 2025. His kicking percentage has also been well down on previous years. Amid the criticism of the Hawthorn skipper's distribution of the footy and presence at the back, Essendon great Matthew Lloyd was among those to suggest he's been affected by a lingering groin injury and should be rested. "There's injuries you can play with, but groins you can't," Lloyd said on Footy Classified. "I remember James Hird took one into a grand final in 2001 and he just couldn't push off. He played on Brad Scott and he just couldn't get off him. He's better off not playing." But Mitchell is refusing to buy into that narrative and insists Sicily's groin is not an issue and that the 30-year-old has been playing well, despite the backlash around him. "The groins aren't an issue. He's working really hard on his game," the Hawthorn coach said in his Wednesday press conference. "He played really well last week. "The thing about Sic is he's led us really well ... his leadership has been really strong through the tougher periods, in particular. You look at the last couple of years. When we've needed players to stand up, he's often been that guy. Has he played perfect footy this year? Of course not, but no-one has - but I thought he improved significantly last week." Sicily's kicking percentage of 70.4 this season is way down on his career-high of 82.1 per cent in 2023 and almost 10 per cent worse than it was last year. But after being pressed further about whether that might have something to do with issues around Sicily's groin, Mitchell appeared a little irritated as he snapped back at reporters. "His groins are fine - he's playing every week, there's no reason that his kicking has anything to do with his groins," he insisted. "Go watch all of his kicks and tell me which ones you think he could do better. "Bring me back, show me some vision, but I'm really happy with how he's kicking. I can get you all the kicks he's done, that hardly anyone in the competition can pull off, and he's done them over the last month. That's a storm in a teacup." Friday night's match against competition leaders Collingwood continues a tough stretch of fixtures for Mitchell's Hawks, who then face the Western Bulldogs and Adelaide before their round-15 bye. But the Hawthorn coach says despite suffering successive defeats, he doesn't feel there's any need to hit the panic button. "You're all much more frustrated as a media group than we are. We look at our game earlier in the year and we were saying we're not quite as good as that," he said. "We're looking at it now and saying we're not quite as bad as that, either." If the Hawks hope to beat the Pies they'll need to limit the effectiveness of midfield meastro Nick Daicos, whose brilliance came to the fore against North Melbourne last round when the game was in the balance. with AAP
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Essendon must stop pining for the past after finding a semblance of stability
Essendon face all-too familiar problems behind the scenes as a heavy defeat to Western Bulldogs follows a promising start to the 2025 AFL season. Essendon face all-too familiar problems behind the scenes as a heavy defeat to Western Bulldogs follows a promising start to the 2025 AFL season. Photograph: James Ross/AAP It was all trundling along nicely for Essendon. The club spent the past month gently tempering expectations, reminding everyone that this is a long-term project, that there will be bad losses and barren patches, but to stay the course. On field, they weren't beating much, but they were winning, they were defending, and they were having a crack. Coach Brad Scott was getting the most out of a limited but willing team. That all came unglued on Saturday night, when they were trounced by a red-hot Western Bulldogs. Essendon reverted to type and sank back into the pack. Almost immediately, the club was batting away suggestions that Scott's coaching tenure was under threat, and that Bombers great James Hird was the man to replace him. Advertisement In response to Caroline Wilson's suggestion that the wolves were circling, the former Essendon chair Paul Little reportedly told the veteran reporter: 'You never say never to anything. It hasn't been an easy time for the club these past few years. There may come a time where there is a need for a restructure. If I felt I could add value to the club, and if they felt I could help, I would consider it.' That was quickly quashed on Nine's Footy Classified, a program whose entire purpose suddenly seems to be to repudiate what has been reported on Channel Seven an hour earlier. One show says it's on, another says it's off. The dogs bark, the caravan moves on, and the rest of us are left scratching our heads. Hird came within a whisker of reclaiming the Essendon coaching job in September 2022. Kevin Sheedy, his chief backer, was on Lindsay Fox's luxury yacht, sailing around the world with hundreds of movers and shakers to celebrate the trucking magnate's 85th birthday. He was confident that Hird would be appointed, and that the old Essendon was back. Back on dry land a fortnight later, he was informed his man had missed out. Essendon is an unusual football club. For years now it has been very political, riven by factions, dictated to by coterie groups and deferential to its past. It has presented as a club that can't let go, and still pines for the glory years. It manifests in many ways. You see it in the axe-grinding columns Allan Hird phones into the Herald Sun. You see it in the former players who run for board positions. You see it in lifers like former list boss Adrian Dodoro, who strutted around like he owned the place, became the king of October, drafted the wrong players, and then took the club to the Fair Work Commission. Advertisement To his credit, president David Barham has sought to cut ties with the past. 'Harking back to the 80s, 90s or the 2000s and wishing we could return to that just causes drama and disunity,' he said at the AGM last year. 'The competition is so far removed from those times, it is almost a completely different game.' Barham has made mistakes and rubbed plenty of people up the wrong way. He sacked a coach, rolled a president, and appointed the shortest tenured CEO in corporate history. But he's honest about what has gone wrong, and what needs to change. He called it 20 years of 'quick fixes and shortcuts'; 20 years of scandals, sugar hits, false dawns, bad trades, draft busts, and schadenfreude; 20 years of Stephen Dank, Andrew Thorburn, Hird and Dodoro. On Footy Classified on Tuesday night, striking the right balance between bewilderment and defiance, Scott sat next to the man who was said to be in line to replace him. Scott spins a good game. But he and the people who employ him are right. For the first time in a long time at Essendon, there is clarity and a semblance of stability and sanity. To defer to the past, to pine for once what was, and to jump at shadows would rank among the biggest mistakes in recent times at a club that has made more than most. Crunching the numbers The Cats midfielder has the highest winning percentage of all current players to have lined up in at least 100 matches ahead of his 300th game on Thursday night. From the archives Richmond were winless after eight games and coach Terry Wallace was at his wits' end. It was 2007 and the Tigers seemed to have the Dreamtime at the 'G game in the bag. But as was their way back then, they found a way to completely stuff it up. Advertisement With scores level in the dying stages, Matthew Richardson marked, played on, kicked the goal and celebrated like a crazy man. But the umpire, wearing a PlayStation 2 sponsored shirt, adhered to the newly stiffened up 'hands on the back' rule. Richardson was apoplectic, the Tigers blew the game, and Matthew Lloyd rubbed salt in the wound by kicking a goal after the siren that bent like a Wasim Akram outswinger. They said what? Geelong's boom recruit has helped turn his first clash with Western Bulldogs into a grudge match after an exchange of barbs with former teammates. View from the stands (or the couch) 'We will stick to our plan and we think the decision has been sound. But it would be useful to get a few players back and not have as many injuries. Advertisement 'You hold the line and you hope for the injury count to drop.' Port Adelaide boss David Koch shuts down suggestions that the Power will deviate from their succession plan while speaking on 5AA, as he backs coach Ken Hinkley to see out the season before handing the reins to Josh Carr. Footy quiz Which club has won the most Dreamtime at the 'G clashes between Essendon and Richmond? Bonus point if you know how many. Answers in next week's newsletter, but if you think you know it, hit reply and let me know! Last week's answer: Which club is enjoying the longest current wooden spoon drought? Geelong. It has been 67 years since the Cats finished bottom in 1958. Advertisement Congratulations to Mick C, who was first to reply with the right answer. Want more? The death of Adam Selwood aged 41 has been a reminder to reflect on the magnificent triviality of sport. Carlton, Fitzroy and Brisbane great Robert Walls died aged 74 and has been remembered as a teacher, a competitor and a hard but fair man. West Coast star Jeremy McGovern's AFL playing future is in doubt as the five-time All-Australian suffers ongoing concussion symptoms after a head knock in round eight. Got a story tip? Reply to this email and drop me a line, or email fromthepocket@ Enjoying this newsletter? 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