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News.com.au
a day ago
- Sport
- News.com.au
Warriors star handed ban after controversial NRL thriller
Dragons coach Shane Flanagan has claimed he no longer knows the rules after a crucial Adam Pompey try which set up the Warriors' round 24 win. 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 > But the win has come at a cost for the Warriors, with Jackson Ford dealt a three-match early-plea ban by the judiciary for a crusher tackle on Allan Corey in the 23rd minute. The suspension will be four weeks if unsuccessfully challenged. Ford will miss the rest of the regular season irrespective of if he accepts the three-game ban. The Dragons fought tooth and nail in the Go Media Stadium clash, forcing a fluid forward rotation after losing three players – Jack de Belin, Hamish Stewart and Hame Sele – across two first half incidents. They still led 10-4 at the break, after a Mathew Feagai double, then were forced into a mountain of defence as they hung against the top four Warriors side. A sweeping backline play in the 63rd minute drew Flanagan's ire, as Dragons five-eighth Lyhkan King-Togia appealed for an obstruction penalty after being impeded by Marata Niukore, with Pompey crossing outside his second-row teammate. The footage was heavily scrutinised by the Bunker before being awarded, but that didn't sit well with Flanagan. 'What was an obstruction last week wasn't one this week,' he said. 'I've started playing footy when I was four years old; I don't know the rules anymore, I deadset don't know the rules. 'It's tough. We are a tough club, this is a tough unit, a connected unit, and we'll fight really hard for the next three weeks. 'Last week it was an obstruction, this week it was not. 'The boys asked out on the field numerous times and they just got shooed away. It's frustrating.' Pompey scored a second try 10 minutes later to put the Warriors up 14-10 with seven minutes to play, and while the Dragons had a late chance to score it amounted to nothing. They lost forwards duo Stewart and de Belin in the 14th minute after a sickening head clash, before Sele joined them in the sheds with a category 1 concussion in the 29th minute. Shane Flanagan opted against using his 18th man – winger Tyrell Sloan – until the 67th minute, leaving the remaining forwards with a mountain of work and more minutes than any would have planned for. Damien Cook made a staggering 61 tackles, David Klemmer made 36 and ran for 151 metres, and Jacob Liddle also made 35 tackles among the monstrous efforts across the pack. Fullback Clint Gutherson moved to lock to accommodate Sloan's arrival, while Cook spent time at prop, amid numerous positional tweaks as Flanagan was forced to rotate one forward in the most limited of interchange benches. Pompey crosses the line for the Warriors! ðŸ'° Watch #NRLWarriorsDragons LIVE on ch.502 or stream on Kayo: âœ�ï¸� BLOG ðŸ'¢ MATCH CENTRE â€' Fox League (@FOXNRL) August 15, 2025 DRAGONS CARNAGE Jack de Belin's 250th NRL game didn't quite go the way he planned. He and Stewart attempted a tackle on Warriors prop James Fisher-Harris, who slipped by just a moment too fast for the Dragons duo. Their heads collided, as Stewart copped a cut along the hairline and de Belin crashed backwards to the turf. 'What a disaster for the Dragons given the positive opening they've had to this game,' said Warren Smith on Fox League. The Dragons led 4-0 at the time of the incident, but it got worse for the Dragons in the 29th minute after replacement forward Sele was also knocked out. Sele, who entered the game in place of Stewart, went low to tackle Dallin Watene-Zelezniak but caught the Warriors winger's hip. You can't stop Feagai! ðŸ'Š ðŸ'° Watch #NRLWarriorsDragons LIVE on ch.502 or stream on Kayo: âœ�ï¸� BLOG ðŸ'¢ MATCH CENTRE â€' Fox League (@FOXNRL) August 15, 2025 DOING IT TOUGH The Warriors were far from their best, but the fact they found a way to win was enough to keep coach Andrew Webster happy – just. Two weeks ago they were done by the Dolphins on the siren, whereas this week they snuffed out the Dragons' last-gasp attempt to pinch victory. It's that result that gives Webster some solace. 'We're killing ourselves still, but tonight I think it was whatever it takes, we're not walking away without the points,' Webster said.
7NEWS
3 days ago
- Sport
- 7NEWS
Blow for Warriors as Jackson Ford sidelined for Grade 1 crusher tackle
Warriors second-rower Jackson Ford has been hit with a three-match ban, ruling him out for the remainder of the regular NRL season. Ford was charged with a Grade 1 crusher tackle on Correy Allan in the Warriors' 14-10 win over his former club, St George Illawarra, on Friday night. It is a massive blow for the injury-hit Kiwi outfit who are in a top-four battle with reigning premiers Penrith. Should Ford choose to contest the charge at the judiciary and lose, that ban would extend to the Warriors' opening game of the finals series. Andrew Webster's charges have only just regained fourth position on the ladder after the Panthers suffered a 22-18 loss to Melbourne on Thursday night. Meanwhile, Canterbury's Sam Hughes has avoided a ban but has been fined $1,800 for his high shot on Sydney Roosters' Billy Smith in their 32-12 loss on Friday. Smith, meanwhile, escaped sanction after being put on report for a cannon ball tackle on Hughes earlier in the match.
Yahoo
29-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Ezra Mam in contentious moment as coach lodges complaint over Reece Walsh incident
Coach Andrew Webster was steaming after the Warriors' loss to Brisbane on Saturday, claiming his side were dudded by a number of refereeing decisions. The Warriors fell to a 26-12 loss at Suncorp Stadium, and also lost halfback Luke Metcalf to a suspected ACL injury. Speaking in his post-match press conference, Webster complained about a number of calls that went against the Warriors. His main complaint was a penalty that went to the Broncos and allowed them to kick out to a 20-6 lead in the second half. Jackson Ford was penalised for taking out Reece Walsh without the ball, even though the Broncos fullback was clearly off-side. Replays showed Walsh was well in front of kicker Adam Reynolds, but the penalty still went to the Broncos for Ford's foul play. Fox League commentator Andrew Voss suggested the call would have been overturned had the Warriors challenged it, because Walsh being off-side was the first infringement. Under NRL rules, serious acts of foul play override any previous infringements, but Ford's actions wouldn't fall under that category. RELATED: Cobbo twist as Dolphins player makes immediate move to Roosters Stunning development for Billy Slater and family before Origin 3 Webster was gobsmacked his team conceded the penalty, and pointed out another instance in which he felt Wayde Egan was wrongly pinged. 'I was right in front of that and he was miles off-side, like miles offside,' Webster said of Walsh. 'Wayde Egan in the first half, I ask you to go and pause it when the play-the-ball is and you tell me how he's off-side. He's three metres on-side. "So it's like they just made that up. Like Reece Walsh was way in front, the first infraction was that. And they probably (will) give me crap that it's foul play or something. That's the first infringement. I don't know how they miss it. I'm not a touchie, I'm not a ref. I was down there and I could see it.' It wasn't mentioned by Webster, but the Warriors also appeared to be hard done-by late in the game. The Warriors had reduced the margin to 20-12 and launched an attacking raid from inside their own half with five minutes remaining. They appeared to burst downfield before referee Adam Gee called Leka Halasima for an obstruction that impeded Ezra Mam. The Warriors challenged the call, and the Bunker official was very quick to confirm the decision. And while Halasima did appear to impede Mam, the Broncos five-eighth went to ground very easily. The NRL stated at the start of the season it would not reward players for taking 'dives' to win penalties or playing up contact during obstructions. Nicho Hynes wasn't rewarded last weekend when he went to ground too easily on a Broncos try, an incident that Voss labelled "embarrassing" for the Cronulla halfback. Mam's actions appeared very similar to those of Hynes the week before, but this time he did receive the penalty. Instead of streaming downfield and putting themselves in position to score, the Warriors were forced to do more defending on their own line. It proved too much as Gehamat Shibasaki went over for his second try to seal a 26-12 victory. A number of fans took to social media to suggest Mam had got away with one, and the Broncos were lucky to receive the penalty.
USA Today
27-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Wisconsin football top 2026 edge target commits to a Big Ten rival
🚨BREAKING🚨 4-star EDGE Jackson Ford has committed to Penn State, @Hayesfawcett3 reports🦁More from @ChadSimmons_: Wisconsin football top class of 2026 target, four-star edge Jackson Ford, committed to the Penn State Nittany Lions on Friday. Ford elected to join James Franklin's program over the Badgers, Michigan Wolverines and Ohio State Buckeyes -- a group of finalists that he announced on Tuesday. Ford officially visited Madison the weekend of May 30 before venturing to State College, Pennsylvania, for a visit with the Nittany Lions the following weekend. 247Sports considers the Malvern, Pennsylvania, native as the No. 202 overall player in the class of 2026, the No. 22 edge and No. 5 player from his home state. 247Sports, On3 and Rivals all list the standout edge rusher as a four-star recruit. Ford joins a Penn State class of 2026 that currently holds the No. 9 position in the country and No. 3 in the Big Ten with 21 players - including eight four-stars - committed. USC and Ohio State boast the No. 1 and No. 2 positions in the conference, respectively. Ford's decision is a dispiriting one for the Badges' recruiting staff. The program holds the No. 44 overall ranking in the country and No. 14 in the Big Ten with 14 players committed. One of those pledges is a blue-chip recruit: four-star wide receiver Jayden Petit. Edge rusher is a position of great importance for UW's 2026 cohort. The Badgers witnessed top defensive line target Ben Duncum commit to the Kentucky Wildcats on Wednesday and defensive lineman Kobe Cherry commit to Purdue on Monday. Wisconsin has secured two defensive line commitments thus far from three-star recruits Djidjou Bah and Arthur Scott, although Bah took an official visit to Missouri this past weekend. With decisions from Ford and Duncum, UW will now direct a majority of its recruiting focus towards running back Amari Latimer and offensive tackle Kamari Blair, two blue-chip prospects. With only Nebraska, Maryland, Iowa and Northwestern ranked below UW's 2026 class, Wisconsin is nearing must-land for several of those high-level prospects. Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion
USA Today
25-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Wisconsin football's recruiting class of 2026 dips outside the nation's top 50
The Wisconsin Badgers have hit a cold spell on the class of 2026 recruiting trail. After a strong start to the month, especially after the May 30 official visit weekend, the program has landed just two players since June 5, plus none in the last 10 days. The Badgers' class ranked No. 33 in the nation and No. 11 in the Big Ten at the time of Zion Legree's addition on June 15. Since that date, the class has dropped to No. 51 in the nation and No. 16 in the conference, now ranked ahead of only Maryland and Nebraska. Several of the Badgers' top targets remain uncommitted, including four-star athlete Jackson Ford, four-star running back Amari Latimer, four-star wide receiver Jayden Petit, four-star offensive tackle Kamari Blair and three-star safety Nick Reddish. All five of those players were on campus during the Badgers' key May 30 official visit weekend, though each has taken several notable visits since that date. It's safe to say commitments from several of those top recruits is paramount to Wisconsin salvaging a successful cycle. Of course, the 2026 cycle is still far from over, which means time remains before a final verdict is given on the program's efforts. But with June coming to a close, it's hard not to compare this group to the program's previous two classes under Luke Fickell. Without commitments from Ford, Latimer, Petit and Blair, the Badgers' 2026 group won't threaten those strong classes from 2024 and 2025. It's challenging to pinpoint the exact reason for the program's subpar standing in this year's cycle. However, it's easy to point to the program's general on-field struggles and the February departure of general manager Max Stienecker as contributing forces. Badgers fans should tune in on Friday, June 27, as the first of Wisconsin's remaining top targets announces his commitment. Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion
