Latest news with #Loiero
West Australian
19-05-2025
- Sport
- West Australian
How 'diving on concrete' shaped latest Maroons rookie
Trent Loiero counts Queensland hardman Michael Crocker among his muses. But the Melbourne forward feels he's struck the balance between fire and finesse ahead of his own State of Origin debut. Loiero, 24, will return home to the Sunshine Coast this week for the Maroons' camp - moved from their traditional Sanctuary Cove base - ahead of next Wednesday's opener in Brisbane. The fiery Storm forward admitted he went too far at this month's Magic Round when he conceded a pair of costly penalties in a golden-point loss to Canberra. Invited into the Maroons' camp last year, Loiero has worked on his ball-playing and opposition scouting to become a more complete player. But the hot streak built during a childhood "playing rain, hail and shine, diving on the concrete, diving on the road" remains. "It's always been there. It might just have come out a bit more in the past few weeks," he said. "I've learnt my lesson. Aggression's good, as long as it's controlled aggression." Loiero has been named on Billy Slater's bench and says he hasn't given any thought to the Blues' pack and if he'll be targeted as a rookie. Not that he'd mind it, given Loiero cited two of the Maroons' great competitors when asked who he had modelled his game on. "If you're talking about people who like to bring the heat, Mick Crocker was one," he said of the tough-as-nails forward. "Also Matt Gillett. I loved watching Matt Gillett." Reuben Cotter has seen enough of Loiero to know he'll fit right into a pack keen to turn the tables on the Blues. "Mick Crocker, the sort of player he was in this jersey, all us middle forwards aspire to play similarly," he told AAP. "He's (Loiero) a handy player; been watching him for a couple of years now. "And he's played in some big games now too and it's good to have him in camp."
Perth Now
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Perth Now
How 'diving on concrete' shaped latest Maroons rookie
Trent Loiero counts Queensland hardman Michael Crocker among his muses. But the Melbourne forward feels he's struck the balance between fire and finesse ahead of his own State of Origin debut. Loiero, 24, will return home to the Sunshine Coast this week for the Maroons' camp - moved from their traditional Sanctuary Cove base - ahead of next Wednesday's opener in Brisbane. The fiery Storm forward admitted he went too far at this month's Magic Round when he conceded a pair of costly penalties in a golden-point loss to Canberra. Invited into the Maroons' camp last year, Loiero has worked on his ball-playing and opposition scouting to become a more complete player. But the hot streak built during a childhood "playing rain, hail and shine, diving on the concrete, diving on the road" remains. "It's always been there. It might just have come out a bit more in the past few weeks," he said. "I've learnt my lesson. Aggression's good, as long as it's controlled aggression." Loiero has been named on Billy Slater's bench and says he hasn't given any thought to the Blues' pack and if he'll be targeted as a rookie. Not that he'd mind it, given Loiero cited two of the Maroons' great competitors when asked who he had modelled his game on. "If you're talking about people who like to bring the heat, Mick Crocker was one," he said of the tough-as-nails forward. "Also Matt Gillett. I loved watching Matt Gillett." Reuben Cotter has seen enough of Loiero to know he'll fit right into a pack keen to turn the tables on the Blues. "Mick Crocker, the sort of player he was in this jersey, all us middle forwards aspire to play similarly," he told AAP. "He's (Loiero) a handy player; been watching him for a couple of years now. "And he's played in some big games now too and it's good to have him in camp."
Sydney Morning Herald
05-05-2025
- Sport
- Sydney Morning Herald
Crusher-tackle charge leaves Bulldogs forward in a state of angst
Cotter, however, is facing only a two-match ban, which will allow him a chance to freshen up and prepare for the series opener. Meanwhile, Melbourne forwards Trent Loiero and Stefano Utoikamanu avoided suspension but are facing some Craig Bellamy-style discipline after the Storm's fiery 20-18 golden-point loss to Canberra at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday. Loiero and Utoikamanu both conceded penalties in possession that allowed Canberra to recover from an early 14-0 deficit and seal a famous win with a Jamal Fogarty penalty goal in the first period of extra time. Speaking after the game, Bellamy was clearly frustrated, and neither Loiero nor Utoikamanu are likely to be looking forward to Melbourne's video-review session. 'Lapses in our discipline probably cost us there ... one thing we can control is our actions, so to give away two penalties when you've got the ball, it doesn't happen too often,' Bellamy said. 'And to do it in the one game, it cost us. It cost us. It cost us dearly ... we just need to be a bit disciplined and know what our best footy is.' Storm playmaker Cameron Munster, deputising as skipper in the absence of Harry Grant, admitted Melbourne 'played some dumb footy'. But the champion five-eighth was loath to criticise Loiero - who also conceded the game-breaking penalty after a high shot on Young - because he had made similar mistakes himself in the past. 'He's a great player ... I'm not going to sit here and bag him,' Munster said. 'He's done so much great stuff for us as a club. He's an integral and influential part of the team.' Loiero and Utoikamanu were outliers on a Magic Round weekend that was in stark contrast to the mayhem a week earlier, when 18 players were sin-binned - including 15 for high tackles - across eight games. Only one player, Cronulla forward Jesse Colquhoun, was binned in the opening two days and five games of Magic Round and Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon admitted he 'deserved it' for a blatant professional foul. Three more sin-binnings followed in the first game on Sunday - Gold Coast pair Brian Kelly and Chris Randall and Preston. Regardless of whether there was less drama in Magic Round because players were on their best behaviour, or because match officials opted for a more lenient approach, the end result was collective applause from coaches, media and fans. The eighth Immortal, Andrew Johns, who a week earlier described the high-tackle crackdown as 'absolutely farcical', told the Sunday Footy Show: 'Every game has flowed. It's been high energy. I've loved it.' Other players charged by the match-review panel over the weekend were South Sydney prop Tevita Tatola, Cronulla playmaker Braydon Trindall, Roosters utility Zach Dockar-Clay, Dolphins second-rower Kulikefu Finefeuiaki, Gold Coast prop Moeaki Fotuaika and Canberra centre Sebastian Kris, all of whom are facing fines. Cronulla coach Craig Fitzgibbon had no issue with Colquhoun's sin-binning, saying it was an 'obvious one' that warranted on-field action. Loading 'That's a professional foul every day of the week, so you've just got to wear that,' he said. Fitzgibbon said it was a relief to get through a game without having multiple players sent to the sheds for 10 minutes. 'We don't want to see people in the bin,' he said. 'Who wants to see that? 'We don't want to see people get smashed in the face, but we don't want to see them in the bin. 'I thought it was handled well … I thought some of the penalties that weren't quite high were a little bit not a penalty, but everything else was all right.'
The Age
05-05-2025
- Sport
- The Age
Crusher-tackle charge leaves Bulldogs forward in a state of angst
Cotter, however, is facing only a two-match ban, which will allow him a chance to freshen up and prepare for the series opener. Meanwhile, Melbourne forwards Trent Loiero and Stefano Utoikamanu avoided suspension but are facing some Craig Bellamy-style discipline after the Storm's fiery 20-18 golden-point loss to Canberra at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday. Loiero and Utoikamanu both conceded penalties in possession that allowed Canberra to recover from an early 14-0 deficit and seal a famous win with a Jamal Fogarty penalty goal in the first period of extra time. Speaking after the game, Bellamy was clearly frustrated, and neither Loiero nor Utoikamanu are likely to be looking forward to Melbourne's video-review session. 'Lapses in our discipline probably cost us there ... one thing we can control is our actions, so to give away two penalties when you've got the ball, it doesn't happen too often,' Bellamy said. 'And to do it in the one game, it cost us. It cost us. It cost us dearly ... we just need to be a bit disciplined and know what our best footy is.' Storm playmaker Cameron Munster, deputising as skipper in the absence of Harry Grant, admitted Melbourne 'played some dumb footy'. But the champion five-eighth was loath to criticise Loiero - who also conceded the game-breaking penalty after a high shot on Young - because he had made similar mistakes himself in the past. 'He's a great player ... I'm not going to sit here and bag him,' Munster said. 'He's done so much great stuff for us as a club. He's an integral and influential part of the team.' Loiero and Utoikamanu were outliers on a Magic Round weekend that was in stark contrast to the mayhem a week earlier, when 18 players were sin-binned - including 15 for high tackles - across eight games. Only one player, Cronulla forward Jesse Colquhoun, was binned in the opening two days and five games of Magic Round and Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon admitted he 'deserved it' for a blatant professional foul. Three more sin-binnings followed in the first game on Sunday - Gold Coast pair Brian Kelly and Chris Randall and Preston. Regardless of whether there was less drama in Magic Round because players were on their best behaviour, or because match officials opted for a more lenient approach, the end result was collective applause from coaches, media and fans. The eighth Immortal, Andrew Johns, who a week earlier described the high-tackle crackdown as 'absolutely farcical', told the Sunday Footy Show: 'Every game has flowed. It's been high energy. I've loved it.' Other players charged by the match-review panel over the weekend were South Sydney prop Tevita Tatola, Cronulla playmaker Braydon Trindall, Roosters utility Zach Dockar-Clay, Dolphins second-rower Kulikefu Finefeuiaki, Gold Coast prop Moeaki Fotuaika and Canberra centre Sebastian Kris, all of whom are facing fines. Cronulla coach Craig Fitzgibbon had no issue with Colquhoun's sin-binning, saying it was an 'obvious one' that warranted on-field action. Loading 'That's a professional foul every day of the week, so you've just got to wear that,' he said. Fitzgibbon said it was a relief to get through a game without having multiple players sent to the sheds for 10 minutes. 'We don't want to see people in the bin,' he said. 'Who wants to see that? 'We don't want to see people get smashed in the face, but we don't want to see them in the bin. 'I thought it was handled well … I thought some of the penalties that weren't quite high were a little bit not a penalty, but everything else was all right.'
ABC News
05-05-2025
- Sport
- ABC News
Stefano Utoikamanu avoids charge as Raiders' win over Storm sullied by controversy
Magic Round mostly avoided the sort of refereeing controversy that many feared would rear its ugly head. There were strange calls such as Ronaldo Mulitalo's spectacular effort against the Eels that shouldn't have warranted a penalty but did. And, if it did, should have been a penalty try, but wasn't. Even in that instance, both teams got a little lucky, so we move on. Most importantly, the high-tackle crackdown that undeniably poisoned round eight was by the wayside. It meant some shots went without penalties — a simple fact of life in a quickfire contact sport accepted by all but the most putrid homers — and the games flowed like they should. But it turns out we were just saving all the drama up for the final game on Sunday as Gerard Sutton sent two players to the sin-bin in golden point. ( Getty Images: Hannah Peters ) The Raiders came out with a game plan to aggravate the Storm with typically aggressive line speed and some extras in the tackle, and it worked a treat, especially in the biggest moments. The penalties against Trent Loiero and Stefano Utoikamanu for lashing out at tacklers with the ball in a match-winning position are the sort of 50/50 decisions that may well have gone the other way at the opposite end of the field. Loiero came down on Joe Tapine and Utoikamanu dragged his foot into Tom Starling as both Raiders were hanging on in the ruck with the Storm set up for game-winning field goals. Loading Twitter content "We're playing rugby league. You're trying to get a quick play of the ball. It's a tough thing to swallow," Ryan Papenhuyzen told ABC Sport. " [Utoikamanu's] gonna be on report for that and watch him get off it. … Probably shouldn't have said that. " Papenhuyzen's prediction proved correct on Monday morning as Utoikamanu and Loiero both escaped sanctions from the match review committee, but they won't be so lucky in the team's review session. "We do have to be better. That's the way they're going to officiate the game now and we've got to respond to that," Papenhuyzen added. The simple fact is both Storm players allowed themselves to be rattled and it cost their team the game. Trent Loiero asked the referee what he was supposed to do to avoid giving away the match-losing penalty. ( Getty Images: Chris Hyde ) Loiero is nibbling around the edges of State of Origin selection but if he can't keep his composure in that sort of game, Billy Slater will have reservations about picking a man likely to spontaneously combust in the pressure of Origin. Utoikamanu has been in that arena, but that 2023 debut feels like a lifetime ago. The 24-year-old is starting to build some form and couldn't be in a better system for his development. ABC Sport is live blogging every round of the and seasons in 2025. He needs to respond to coach Craig Bellamy, who after the game said Big Stef might have been the only player he's ever seen give away two penalties as the attacking player in a game, both in prime attacking positions at crucial moments. "If he was in the wrong, he needs to pick his discipline up," Bellamy told reporters. "It's unlike anyone, it is. You show me a bloke that gives away two penalties when he's got the ball in the game, I'm thinking you're not looking at too many people. " And to do it in the one game, it cost us, it cost us dearly. We just need to be a bit more disciplined. " To focus solely on the controversial, game-deciding but not explicitly wrong decisions would be a disservice to a contest that was one of the matches of the year. Melbourne's attack was typically scintillating and, for perhaps the first time this season, the defence just about matched it. Photo shows A stylised graphic with three silhouettes of unidentified a female footballer, tennis player, basketballer ABC Sport and Deakin University have partnered to produce the first ABC Elite Athletes in Australian Women's Sport Survey. Sua Fa'alogo, one of the most promising young players in the league, had the most complete performance of his career, playing a crucial hand in all three Storm tries, including scoring the final one. For the Raiders, Kaeo Weekes proved the game-breaker with his gorgeous chip-and-chase try in the wet, but Hudson Young, Joe Tapine and Jamal Fogarty all had dominant outings. Ricky Stuart's side showed their usual grit as they came back from another early deficit to claim a fourth-straight win. And with three of those victories coming against Canterbury, Cronulla and now Melbourne, we can do away with the idea that this team is anything less than a premiership contender. The ABC of SPORT Sports content to make you think... or allow you not to. A newsletter delivered each Saturday. Your information is being handled in accordance with the Email address Subscribe
