Latest news with #WestCoastEagles
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Revealed: The unique meaning behind two tiny details on footy heartthrob Bailey Smith's uniform
Geelong star Bailey Smith has opened up about the unique messages he writes on his footy boots before games, offering an insight into the Brownlow Medal favourite's mindset. Smith, known for his style on and off the pitch, captured the attention of Channel 7's Brian Taylor before Sunday's match against West Coast. 'This man here, Bailey Smith, he's talking the talk, but he's walking the walk to go with it,' Taylor said as the camera zoomed in to the midfielder's boots. 'Have a look at that: 'spartan' and 'take souls'. 'Take souls' - I've done a bit of investigating - has sort of a loose meaning, but it means you're so incredible at what you do that it forces other people to respect you, that's what 'take souls' means. 'That's a man full of confidence.' Footy legend Nick Riewoldt chimed in: 'Oh yeah, absolutely - and he's backing it up. 'One of the best players in the competition at the moment.' Smith was interviewed after the match and explained that he's been writing on his boots for a while. 'I just write on them every week, so nothing new,' he told Seven. 'Just (to) keep me in the present, keep me in the moment, that's about it.' The star midfielder racked up a season-high 38 disposals and Jeremy Cameron kicked four final-quarter goals as Geelong avoided a major boilover in a 43-point win over West Coast at Optus Stadium. The Cats led by just seven points early in the final quarter of Sunday night's match, and Eagles forward Noah Long had the chance to close the margin to one point with his 35m set shot. But Long's miss proved costly, with Geelong kicking seven of the next eight goals to secure the 17.14 (116) to 11.7 (73) win. Cameron was restricted to one goal across the first three quarters under the tight attention of Reuben Ginbey, but the star forward exploded late to blow out the margin. Smith tallied five clearances, one goal and 834m gained to go with his 38 disposals. He already had 25 disposals to his name by halftime before a tight tag from Brady Hough slowed him somewhat. Max Holmes (27 disposals, seven clearances) was also influential for Geelong, who improved their season record to 8-4. 'He just kept getting the ball early,' Geelong coach Chris Scott said of Smith. 'I thought he and Holmes were really penetrating.'
West Australian
2 days ago
- Sport
- West Australian
AFL WATCH: Clay Hall shines as West Coast Eagles debutant Tom McCarthy shows why he was so highly rated
AFL WATCH: Clay Hall shines as West Coast Eagles debutant Tom McCarthy shows why he was so highly rated
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Eagles skipper Oscar Allen finds his happy place
West Coast co-captain Oscar Allen has found his mojo - it was hiding in the forward 50m arc all along. Allen produced his best game of the season by kicking 4.0 in Sunday's 43-point loss to Geelong at Optus Stadium. The 26-year-old kicked two goals in the second quarter and handed off another to help his team fight back from 29 points down. West Coast closed to within six points early in the last quarter before Geelong piled on seven of the final eight goals of the match to run away with the 17.14 (116) to 11.7 (73) win. Allen kicked 53 goals in 2023 to announce himself as one of the best key forwards in the competition. But he was so out of form earlier this year that he was moved into West Coast's defence for games against Hawthorn and Melbourne. Allen contributed strongly in those matches, and he expressed his desire to play wherever the team needed him most. But the glint in his eyes was evident when he returned to attack in round 10 against St Kilda. Allen kicked two goals in the upset win over St Kilda and followed it up with two goals against Adelaide. Allen snaps a fourth and the Eagles are sticking with the Cats 👀#AFLEaglesCats — AFL (@AFL) June 1, 2025 Jake Waterman's season-ending shoulder injury meant it was up to Allen to lead the team's attack against Geelong, and he stood up in grand style. "Look, we know how good a forward he is, but like I say always - the team will always come first for all of our players," West Coast coach Andrew McQualter said. "So Oscar having that flexibility is a bonus. We shouldn't look it as a as a negative thing. "It's a good thing for our team that he can play both ends of the ground, but he might have earned himself another week in the forward line." With All-Australian Waterman out of action for the rest of the year, you can bet your bottom dollar Allen will stay in attack to help the likes of Archer Reid and Jack Williams continue their development. "Archer and Jack are young. They're competing really hard, and they're getting some looks, but I think Oscar's experience there makes a big difference," McQualter said. Harley Reid tallied 19 disposals, seven clearances and a goal against Geelong despite being heavily tagged by Oisin Mullin. "I think he really had an impact on the game," McQualter said. "(Under a) heavy tag, from the outset, he worked his way into the game and had some really pivotal moments. "He's not going to have massive amount of touches when you get heavy tag like that, but he had some great moments that helped our team, for sure." West Coast (1-11) will be back in action on Sunday when they take on North Melbourne (2-1-8) in a bottom-of-the-table clash in Bunbury.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Collingwood star 'happy', says new contract coming soon
Star Collingwood ruck Darcy Cameron wants to stay at the Magpies and hopes his manager can sort out a new deal "soon". Despite being contracted until the end of 2026, Cameron is hot property. A report on SEN WA last week linked the 29-year-old to West Coast, suggesting the Eagles are highly interested in luring Cameron. Rebuilding West Coast are in desperate need of a quality ruck, so a move for Cameron would make sense. Originally from Albany in Western Australia, Cameron is in career-best form after placing second in Collingwood's Copeland Trophy last year, only behind superstar Nick Daicos. Asked if he wanted to remain at Collingwood, Cameron replied: "Of course I want to stay. "Very happy at the Pies," the premiership star told AAP. "My manager's in constant conversations with people around here and I'll let them sort that out. "They're such a good team. "We'll let them do the work and hopefully we can sort something out soon." Veteran big man Mason Cox made way for last Friday night's clash with Hawthorn, as Cameron instead received help in the ruck from Tim Membrey and Brody Mihocek up forward. Defender Billy Frampton also stepped in for Cameron at some centre bounces, as Collingwood demolished the Hawks by 51 points. "It was still pretty much the same game time, same amount of ruck time," Cameron said. "It was just asking a bit of Tim Membrey and Brody Mihocek, then Billy Frampton for some bounces. "They all do a good job, and they (Hawthorn) don't have a second ruck either." Premiership favourites Collingwood (10-2) have an extended break before facing Melbourne in the King's Birthday match at the MCG.
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Lifestyle
- Daily Mail
AFLW makes shock move with its LGBTQ pride round as it goes where no Aussie sport has gone before
This year's AFLW season will feature not one but two weeks dedicated to LGBTQI pride in a first for Australian sport. The release of the schedule on Friday revealed that this year's Pride round will stretch from round nine to round 10, beginning with the Bulldogs vs Bombers match on October 10 and running through to the Suns vs Dogs game on October 19. According to the AFLW, the additional Pride matches will ensure every team can wear their Pride strip at a home game. Daisy Pearce's West Coast will host Gold Coast on the opening night of the AFLW season, while North Melbourne launch their premiership defence away to Geelong. The Eagles-Suns clash, confirmed in Friday's fixture release, immediately follows the previously announced season opener between traditional foes Carlton and Collingwood on Thursday, August 14. It is the first time the AFLW season will start during the AFL home-and-away campaign, coinciding with the final two rounds of the men's competition. The AFLW says the extension for Pride will allow every team to wear their special kit on their home ground (pictured, St Kilda's Tyanna Smith marks during the 2024 Pride Round) Also in round one, old rivals Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs will do battle for the Hampson-Hardeman Cup and GWS host Essendon in the first-ever meeting between the sides. Brisbane will take on North Melbourne in round five, in their first encounter since the Kangaroos ' breakthrough grand-final triumph under Darren Crocker last year. AFLW fixtures boss Josh Bowler said the league was looking to celebrate iconic moments, grow rivalries and create traditions with this season's fixture. "It is important to recognise the moments and match-ups in the game that have helped shape the league so far, while also nurturing the emerging rivalries and making it easy and accessible for fans to attend," Bowler said. Geelong's GMHBA Stadium is the only major AFL venue where AFLW matches will be played in 2025. None have been scheduled at premier venues in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth or Adelaide. Unpopular mid-week fixtures have been dropped in 2025, except for Thursday night features in rounds one, seven and eight, with the latter two falling either side of the AFL grand final. The fixture has been partially based on last season's ladder, divided into three groups of six, and is weighted towards ensuring more match-ups within each group. AFLW's two major themed rounds will both be played over two weeks; Indigenous Round in rounds three and four and Pride Round across rounds nine and 10. Intrastate rivalries are littered throughout the fixture, starting in round five when Fremantle host West Coast at the port. Sydney and GWS clash in round six, Gold Coast take on Brisbane in round eight and Adelaide do battle with Port Adelaide in round 11. The schedule for the final round of the home-and-away season has been left floating, to be confirmed closer to the date.
