Latest news with #MadMonday
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Footy great Paul Gallen opens up about rumour he charged his teammates $10 to go to barbecues at his house: 'Now I'm charging $50'
Footy legend Paul Gallen has laughed off rumours he charged his former NRL teammates $10 to attend barbecues at his house, cheekily declaring he would actually ask for $50 per player. It was in response to a wild allegation from Sonny Bill Williams, with the high-profile pair to settle their differences in the ring on July 16 in Sydney. Williams, a retired cross-code footy superstar, also accused Sharks great Gallen of dodging drug testers during his career at an explosive press conference last month. Gallen was typically blunt when discussing the rumour with former Cronulla teammate Beau Ryan and fellow retired footy player Aaron Woods. 'That's not something I need to answer,' Gallen said on Triple M Breakfast with Beau & Woodsy on Thursday. 'I mean, honestly, I've never had a barbecue at my house for starters. I've had boys back for a drink on a Mad Monday, which you (Ryan) were there, and then Christmas. Gallen was typically blunt when discussing the barbecue rumour with former Cronulla teammate Beau Ryan and fellow retired footy player Aaron Woods 'The only reason I remember that Christmas drinks is the young (Cronulla) boys got in a blue afterwards. And you guys have been there. Did I charge you to come to my house?' Ryan responded: 'No, you didn't.' Gallen also confirmed a host of footy identities will have to open their wallets if he host a victory party at his pad post his bout with Williams. 'I won't be charging 10 bucks. If I'm charging football players to come to my house, it's $50 minimum,' he quipped. 'Do you know how much food and alcohol you drink? That's the thing. 10 bucks, you let 20 blokes in my house, charging 10 bucks, that's $200. 'Sonny, what the hell is $200 going to do for 20 football players? 'It wouldn't buy three cartons of drink you idiot. Like, honestly, put a figure in that's realistic.' Bookmakers have Williams, 39, as a slight favourite ahead of the bout, which doesn't bother Gallen in the slightest. 'Imagine if this 'little man' beats him,' the one-time NSW Blues Origin captain said. 'He's said it himself - he's a better boxer, he's bigger, he's faster, he's stronger - this came out of his own mouth. 'So imagine I beat him, how embarrassing for him.' Gallen also labelled 'SBW' an 'ignorant p**ck' and a 'piece of s**t' - and firmly believes Williams is 'rattled' ahead of their fight next month. 'I've never questioned his integrity before now,' he said. 'He also wanted eight, two-minute is what amateurs fight. 'He knows my engine is knows he can't beat me over three minute rounds. 'Sonny is also fighting me one month out from my 44th is stacking everything in his favour. 'He's been given everything his whole is full of crap, he has been paid well and earnt just carries on like an ignorant pr**k.'
Daily Mail
06-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Footy star Willie Rioli sent a threatening text to a rival player after their match - and what the AFL did next has left fans FURIOUS
Footy fans have expressed significant shock about the lack of sanctions given to Port Adelaide's Willie Rioli for sending a threatening message to a Western Bulldogs player about teammate Bailey Dale. Rioli went unpunished after an investigation by the AFL after he sent an intimidating text about Dale to one of his teammates after the team's big win over the Power in Ballarat. Rioli allegedly wrote that he has mates in Darwin and Dale should be wary of leaving his hotel room when his team play in the Northern Territory capital this Saturday. The footy star has since apologised to Dale for sending the text - and the AFL, and both clubs, feel that no further action should be taken on the matter. The AFL letting Rioli off with nothing more than a warning has prompted a chorus of criticism from footy fans who have taken issue with the league's confusing disciplinary standards. 'You get weeks these days for pushing an opponent, or dressing up for Mad Monday but nothing for sending threatening messages to another player, what a circus,' posted one X user. 'So let me get this straight, threaten someone and it's ok but give someone the finger and you get fined? Make it make sense,' replied another. 'Really disappointed with the @AFL's response to the Willie Rioli incident. Weak response from a weak organisation. Threatening someone's life, whether directly or indirectly, should carry an automatic 12 month minimum ban. Absolute joke of a response,' posted a third. Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge said Dale was 'OK', but was keen to put the matter behind him. 'It's just one of those things where you wake up and all of a sudden you're part of a storyline, and you didn't think you would be, and the quicker it's in the rear-vision mirror, the better for him,' Beveridge said on Tuesday. The league put out a brief statement, saying it had 'reminded both clubs to ensure any communications remain respectful'. Beveridge said he was 'not surprised' the AFL had not sanctioned the West Coast premiership player. 'Obviously Willie's made a mistake. He'll learn from it, and we're all OK with that,' he said. 'Discretion there is important, and I think that's how both clubs are treating it. 'Let's just learn from it and move on and make sure it doesn't happen again.' Port responded to the incident on Monday night, saying the 'matter has now been resolved privately'. Rioli can accept a $1000 fine for striking Dale off the ball in the third term of Saturday's match. Along with the private message, Rioli also posted on Instagram, expressing his frustration about being financially penalised. Last month Rioli posted on Instagram after Port's emotion-charged win over Hawthorn. Rioli spoke of his hatred for the Hawks, and the backlash prompted him to briefly take leave from the club.
7NEWS
28-04-2025
- Sport
- 7NEWS
Sydney urged to make Isaac Heeney captain instead of ‘disappointing' Callum Mills
Channel 7 AFL commentator Kane Cornes has called on Sydney to change captains amid a leadership crisis at the club. The Swans slumped to their fifth loss of the season on Sunday, conceding 12 straight goals in the disappointing 38-point defeat to Gold Coast. WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Cornes calls for Sydney to change captains. Sydney actually lead the match by five goals during the second term before the Suns' incredible blitz that saw the Swans go nearly two full quarters without a goal. It leaves last year's grand finalists languishing in 14th place on the ladder in Dean Cox's first year as coach. Callum Mills has been Sydney's sole captain since the start of the 2024 season, but has managed just seven games in that time. He missed the first half of last season after suffering a shoulder injury during a Mad Monday mishap before his comeback was stalled by calf injuries. He returned to play seven matches, but missed the preliminary final and grand final with a hamstring issue. The 28-year-old's injury issues continued this year and has yet to play a game due to a foot injury. His absence continues to hurt the club with Cornes calling on Isaac Heeney to be made captain. 'There's definitely a lack of leadership at Sydney,' Cornes said on Kane's Call. 'Dean Cox has really been challenged on how to halt that momentum, which he is really struggling with as an inexperienced coach. And with their good players out, it's really hurt them. 'I think the biggest on that has hurt them is Mills — he is the captain of his footy club and since he has been made captain, he's played about seven games, he's been injured on Mad Monday and we haven't seen him this year. 'They're missing him and they have got to give the captaincy to Isaac Heeney pretty quickly I would have thought. He is clearly the captain, Mills has been disappointing.' Meanwhile, frustrated coach Cox has implored his midfield group to respond after a second-half mauling from Gold Coast. Gold Coast finished with superior numbers at clearances (39-30) and centre clearances (14-13). Cox said his side's inability to disrupt the Suns' dominance once they had regained control was troubling. 'The concern all year's been the inconsistency,' he said. 'The ability to put your foot down when you've got ascendancy, but then stop it. 'We've got to work hard through it. We're not going to shy away from it. 'Contest and clearance. Plain and simple. We took that away from them and then couldn't sustain it. 'If you can't get it done around the ball at times you need to be able to cover that in other areas. We need to fight for longer. Cox moved the magnets looking for answers but insisted the club had the midfield depth to address his concerns. 'Ideally I don't want to have to keep changing it around,' he said. 'But at times you need to spark players to get them into the game and it's something we'll always talk about it and was the end result of what happened through the middle of the ground, which is the area we need to fix first. 'That's now our job. Make sure we get the players back to doing that.' Defender Ben Patton was substituted out with calf tightness at halftime while Cox said sidelined forward Logan McDonald (ankle) was not likely to return to the AFL in the 'near future'.
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Giants' Bedford set to go to Magpies star Daicos in AFL
Toby Bedford has been assigned one of the AFL's toughest jobs - quelling the influence of Collingwood star Nick Daicos. Calling Daicos arguably the AFL's best player, Giants coach Adam Kingsley said the Brownlow Medal runner-up will demand close attention in Sunday's season opener at Homebush. Also on Friday, the Giants confirmed highly rated Tasmanian James Leake would make his AFL debut. GWS have been hit hard by injury, with Tom Green, Jesse Hogan and Jake Stringer headlining the casualties, while several players also are suspended after last year's Mad Monday debacle. While the Magpies will also be without Jordan De Goey and star recruit Dan Houston, GWS look the more depleted line-up and know they must stop Daicos. "Nick's probably the best player in the competition," Kingsley said after Friday training. "He's a great contributor to the way they want to play. "He's super-important to them. He's one we'll certainly look very closely at and Toby's the obvious one to go to him." Vice-captain Josh Kelly broke the good news to Leake, 19, after training. Kingsley said the Tasmanian player, drafted in 2023, warranted selection for his impressive pre-season. "Certainly his pre-season games, he's shown glimpses of what he's capable of," Kingsley said. "He's very clean, in and around contest, particularly if the conditions are a little wetter. "He covers the ground pretty well, he's hard and tough." First-year players Cody Angove and Oliver Hannaford were named emergencies on Friday after being included in the extended squad. With Hogan and Stringer sidelined, Callum Brown's return from a hamstring injury is timely for their attack. Small forward Darcy Jones rolled his ankle at training on Friday, but Kingsley expects him to play. "We'll see how he pulls up, I think he'll be okay, but we'll just monitor him, obviously," Kingsley said. Green was not expected to return from his calf injury for a few weeks, but he trained well on Friday and has raised hopes that the star midfielder will be back sooner. "We were probably expecting to see him after the bye, but now it more looks more likely that he'll be right by next week," Kingsley said. "Clearly there's a bit of water to go under the bridge between now and then, so he has a bit of work to do still."
