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The Guardian
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
‘Get out of my way': how St Kilda's Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera entered AFL folklore
The hottest property in the AFL happens to have the coolest head in the game. St Kilda sensation Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera completed his sparkling rise from a damaging defender and one of the most exciting midfielders in the competition, to a proven match-winner after icing two goals in the final minute that sealed a historic comeback against Melbourne. The 22-year-old has already shown he can do it all at both ends. But it is rare for a player to have a game-changing impact in all areas of the field in one game, let alone in a single breathtaking quarter that helped turn Sunday's contest. Wanganeen-Milera started the game taking on the Demons' decorated on-ball brigade, but with the Saints trailing by 46 points at the final change he was soon taking the kick ins, connecting play through the midfield and drifting forward to be a target in attack. The defender-turned-allrounder gathered 10 disposals as the Saints came from the clouds to chase down the Demons in the final term. But it is Wanganeen-Milera's last minute of action at Marvel Stadium that will go down in folklore. It is a tale that even the humble Saints star struggled to explain. 'I don't know, I'm a bit speechless,' Wanganeen-Milera told Channel 7 immediately after the game. 'It just sort of happened, I flew for it. But my teammates did a great job in the last quarter, the pressure was unreal, we just kept fighting and fighting.' The Demons led by a goal with less than a minute left on the clock when Saints midfielder Mason Wood received a handball after a boundary throw-in on the wing and bombed the ball into the forward 50. Wanganeen-Milera first made his name as a rebounding half-back and has shown plenty of promise since moving into the midfield, but with the game on the line he soared over Bailey Fritsch to pull down a screamer in front of Demons defender Judd McVee within sight of goal. The exquisitely-skilled Wanganeen-Milera could hardly have split the middle better as he nailed the set shot to level the scores with only eight seconds remaining and leave the Saints looking like the only side thinking about victory. While the young St Kilda players were calm and composed amid the chaos that followed, even the most experienced Demons lost their heads as they turned the ball over with a 6-6-6 infringement for not having enough players set up in each area of the ground. The Saints trio of Rowan Marshall, Marcus Windhager and Wanganeen-Milera quickly concocted a plan at the centre bounce for the ruck to take the free kick and pick out the man of the moment charging forward. A pinpoint pass from Marshall was enough to find Wanganeen-Milera just inside the 50m arc as he bravely marked while falling backwards. He and sprung back to his feet before the siren sounded. 'I just told the forwards, 'get out of my way', and then I told Rowan, 'just hit me on the left side', and it was lucky I got on the end of it,' Wanganeen-Milera said. With the result resting on his young shoulders, Wanganeen-Milera only needed a point to clinch the greatest comeback from a three-quarter-time deficit in VFL/AFL history. It was no surprise to see his lethal right foot send the ball through the middle again for the icing on the cake of a stunning six-point triumph. Wanganeen-Milera finished with 34 disposals, nine score involvements, six clearances and a career-high four goals in just the latest display as his career keeps reaching for new heights. Sign up to From the Pocket: AFL Weekly Jonathan Horn brings expert analysis on the week's biggest AFL stories after newsletter promotion If only to add to the mythical performance, coach Ross Lyon revealed after the game that the Saints' hero of the day was on the brink of being a late withdrawal from the game due to a stye in his eye before getting the all-clear from the club doctor. '[The doctor] said 'Nas has come in, [we've] upped his antibiotics, given him an injection,' Lyon said. 'I mean, they can sound quite morbid at times, the doctors. I just said, 'how's Nas', he's pretty confident. Then I rang him, he goes, 'no, I'll be right'. But I just said, if you're not right, no pressure, we'll tap you out.' There will be a sense of relief as much as elation around the Saints' camp that Wanganeen-Milera was available to take on the Demons, but both will only grow if the speedster commits his long-term future to the club. The step son of former St Kilda player Terry Milera and nephew of former Port Adelaide and Essendon great Gavin Wanganeen owns the most sought-after signature in the game, as he comes out of contract while being courted by both clubs in his home state of South Australia. Wanganeen-Milera has already ensured that St Kilda is etched in the record books for their fightback, but the club that drafted him at No 11 in 2021 AFL draft live in hope that his incredible performance against Melbourne was just one of many memorable moments to come in red, white and black.
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Surely India won't leave out Jasprit Bumrah if series is in the balance? Their greatest match-winner with the ball hasn't stopped being a champion bowler overnight, writes NASSER HUSSAIN
India will have a tricky decision to make if they continue to dig in on the final day at Old Trafford and come away with a creditable draw. Because although they keep saying that Jasprit Bumrah will play only three Tests in this five-match series – and this, don't forget, is his third – the series could still be alive when the teams arrive at The Oval next week. Clearly, if India lose and go 3–1 down, they can give Bumrah and probably Mohammed Siraj, who has played all four games so far, a rest for the final game. But if they escape Manchester only 2–1 down, are they really going to leave out their greatest match-winner with the ball? I know people are saying that India have lost the two games Bumrah has played in and won the one he missed, with Siraj and Akash Deep bowling India to victory in the second Test at Edgbaston. But there are a lot of things that go into losing a game of cricket, and I don't think you can honestly say Bumrah's bowling was one of the causes of the tourists' defeats at Headingley and Lord's. Don't forget, he took a first-innings five-for in both those games, and his overall tally in this series of 14 wickets at 26 is better than any of his colleagues. It's possible that someone like Siraj steps up a bit more in Bumrah's absence, because he's the kind of character who likes to be the leader of the attack. We occasionally saw the same dynamic between Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad, whose most famous spell of eight for 15 against Australia at Trent Bridge in 2015 came when Anderson was out injured. But I honestly think it's a coincidence that India are yet to win a game this summer with Bumrah in their side. So now they may find themselves having to make that big call for the final Test. Ideally, they bring in fresh legs, because it's been a gruelling five-match series, with each of the games so far going to the last day, and the pitches offering the bowlers precious little all the way through. But are you honestly saying you're not going to try to get one final game out of your strike bowler? It's true that in this match, for the first time I can remember, Bumrah didn't make the best use of the new ball, bowling too straight at Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett, when a fifth- or sixth-stump line is where you want to aim against these England batters. It looked as if India were trying to get Duckett lbw, which is an unusual dismissal at Old Trafford because of the bounce. How many have fallen leg-before in this game? One: Shubman Gill to Ben Stokes in India's first innings. And, of course, the stat doing the rounds was that Bumrah had conceded 100 in a Test innings for the first time, in what is his 48th Test. But you always have to bear in mind at Old Trafford that, even when you expect the pitch to go up and down a bit, or deteriorate for the spinners, it rarely becomes a minefield. That's why England got 660 on it. And that's why Test cricket is such a magnificent game: you have to work for your success. India looked dead on their feet when they walked off on Friday evening, but Bumrah recovered pretty well on the fourth morning, relocating his length and bowling Liam Dawson.
News.com.au
20-07-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
‘One of the bravest passes I've seen': Lachlan Galvin breaks down his match-winning play, opens up on the pressure since joining the Bulldogs
Lachlan Galvin is aware of the criticism that's followed his mid-season move to the Bulldogs, but he insists it won't affect him after he celebrated his move to halfback by throwing what his coach described as one of the 'bravest' passes he's seen to lift his side to a dramatic win over the Dragons. His move from the Wests Tigers dominated the news cycle, and it hasn't stopped since he arrived at Belmore with everyone fascinated by how Cameron Ciraldo would use him. He's started games on the bench, at five-eighth and even dropped out of the 17, but Galvin will be Canterbury's halfback for the rest of the year after showing signs that he is the trump card they've been missing in attack. He scored a try in the first half after he backed up a big break by Stephen Crichton, but it's what he did with the game on the line that justified the move to bring him in. With his side struggling to land the killer blow, Galvin drifted to the edge, waited for Tyrell Sloan to make a decision in defence and then fired a long ball over the top to rookie Jethro Rinakama to score the winner in the corner. Lachie Galvin turns match winner? The Bulldogs lead ðŸ'€ ðŸ'° Watch #NRLBulldogsDragons on Ch.502 or stream on Kayo: âœ�ï¸� BLOG ðŸ'¢ MATCH CENTRE — Fox League (@FOXNRL) July 19, 2025 'Natural instincts kicked in and I saw him come up and I just threw it,' he said after the game. 'No pressure (because) I put the work in at training, 'Ciro' and all the coaching staff and the boys have put trust in me. I'm always confident going out there. When I see it, I'm just going to throw it. 'I just saw it and took it, that's pretty much what I do. I saw the pass and I threw it. I'm always going to do that, I'm always going to back my instinct. That's just me. 'I just saw (Sloan) come out pretty early. He'd done it a few times before with kicks at the back. I thought I might as well just throw it. Lucky it paid off.' The pass could have easily been intercepted but Galvin didn't hesitate with the game on the line. 'To make that play at the end, it's possibly one of the bravest passes I've seen,' Ciraldo said, revealing Galvin had done more than enough to keep the No.7 jersey before he nailed the crucial play. 'We all know he's had pressure on him, so I can't rap him enough for how well he's handled it. 'To trust his instincts and to trust himself to make that play just shows everyone what we've been seeing for the past six weeks.' His position in the team and the effect it's had on other players has been questioned, with fellow spine members Reed Mahoney and Toby Sexton set to leave the club at the end of the year. Mahoney scored a try on Saturday night while Sexton played well in NSW Cup, with Galvin adamant the outside noise isn't getting to him as he looks to spend the next seven weeks developing his combination with halves partner Matt Burton. 'It is what it is, people are always going to have their opinions but I'm just going to keep working,' he said. 'I listen to the people inside the four walls at Belmore and that's Ciro and all the coaches and all the boys. I keep working hard and for it to pay off tonight and me to keep building for the rest of the year, that's all I'm going to do. 'I'm just here to learn. That's all I want to do. I'm only 20 years of age, I just want to keep building. I'll just keep learning and keep building. Ciro and all the assistants are doing that for me. '(Burton) is mad to play with, he's got such a strong running game so I'm just trying to free up space for him to use that. 'What I can do for him to get him the ball and get the strike players in our team the ball, that's what I'm going to do. I love playing with him. We're building a good bond now. He's real good out on the field. He talks well. I love him.' Crichton was impressed with what he saw from the 20-year-old and praised him for how he's handled a turbulent few months. 'He's been copping a lot ever since he came to the club, but we see in our four walls what he does at training,' he said. 'The confidence for him to throw that pass shows what type of player he is. We're happy he's at our club.'
Yahoo
19-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Galvin snatches Bulldogs win in first game as halfback
Lachlan Galvin has enjoyed a fairytale first game as an NRL halfback, throwing the match-winning pass in Canterbury's 20-18 defeat of St George Illawarra at Accor Stadium. Just when the Bulldogs' halves headache looked set to throb into next week, much-hyped mid-season recruit Galvin broke the Dragons' hearts with a cut-out ball to Jethro Rinakama in the final 90 seconds. Dragons winger Tyrell Sloan was caught in-field and his opposite man Rinakama, in only his second game, slid over to seal a win that puts Galvin's name up in lights. Jethro Rinakama scores the match-winner! 🤯Telstra Moment of the Match — NRL (@NRL) July 19, 2025 The move to bring Galvin over from Wests Tigers had been questioned as Cameron Ciraldo deliberated how best to use the 20-year-old in a team that had been atop the ladder when he arrived. But the magic play would've felt vindication for the finals-bound Dogs, who look to have delivered the hammer blow to the Dragons' own top-eight hopes. Saints are still a mathematical chance but need to claim victory in all of their remaining games to finish the season with a winning record, and face Penrith, Canberra and the Warriors on the run home. Saturday night was the eighth time this season the Dragons have lost by 10 points or fewer. They looked home and hosed, stoically defending the Bulldogs on their goal-line in the final minutes having run in the first two tries of the second half. Clint Gutherson had thrown the last pass to Sione Finau that gave the 11th-placed Dragons an unlikely lead as mid-season recruit Galvin struggled to spark Canterbury after replacing Toby Sexton at halfback. But with his match-winning play, the former Tiger may well have brought the Bulldogs closer to answering the halves puzzle that appears critical to their premiership chances. Earlier, Galvin backed his captain Stephen Crichton up on the right side to score his side's second try, and came close to putting Viliame Kikau over for four-pointers in each stanza. But Damien Cook made a heroic effort to hold Kikau up over the line, before referee Adam Gee found a knock-on before a Galvin kick found its way to the giant forward. Finau dislocated his shoulder in the act of scoring the Dragons' third try, while Bulldogs recruit Sitili Tupouniua hurt his hamstring in his first game back from a lay-off with that same injury.
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Mohammed Kudus transfer talk set to rumble on as West Ham stance offers encouragement to rivals
Mohammed Kudus is one of those players whose name just seems perennially present in gossip columns and transfer rumour mills every time the window opens, forever being touted for a big move to the latest linked club. He remains, though, at West Ham. For now. Advertisement There are many reasons for his name being the subject of so much transfer talk, chief among them, of course, that Kudus is an extremely talented footballer and, on his day, a bona fide matchwinner at the highest level. Why wouldn't he be a wanted man? Also worth noting is his status as the most high-profile active Ghanaian footballer and an icon for millions of fans right across Africa. His career success and trajectory matter hugely to a great many people. But heightened speculation about Kudus's future over the past month is even less surprising given it has also become clear that West Ham consider only Jarrod Bowen, their captain, as strictly not for sale under any circumstances this summer. The board are aware of Kudus's hefty market value, given he is still 24, and would consider selling the player this summer if an opportunity arose to improve their financial wiggle-room. Any sale of Mohammed Kudus would be a welcome financial boost to West Ham (Getty Images) That explains why Chelsea were unexpectedly offered the chance to sign Kudus during the first summer transfer window earlier this month. No formal offer has yet been made for the versatile forward by any club, and there is a significant disparity between the respective valuations Chelsea and West Ham have for the player. Advertisement Kudus remains on their list of targets this summer, though talks between the clubs are not advanced at this stage, and he is also attracting reported interest from Arsenal and Tottenham. How much of that derives from West Ham or his representatives doing the leg work rather than clubs reaching out themselves is unclear, but the interest is there. And it has also been reported that Manchester United considered a player-swap-plus-cash deal for Kudus which West Ham declined. Much could be decided at the beginning of next month. He has a 10-day release clause which comes into effect on July 1 and runs until July 10. During that time, he can be bought out of his West Ham contract by European clubs for £80million, Premier League rivals for £85m or Saudi sides for £120m. That could be when interest in the forward intensifies even more. His quick feet, injection of pace away from flummoxed opponents, and ruthless finishing were immediately unleashed on Premier League defences when Kudus joined West Ham from Ajax for £38million in August 2023, but this last season somewhat passed him by. Advertisement Like the club more broadly, there was a vacancy about how he played. Though he scored and assisted a handful of times each, for long periods he appeared isolated and uninvolved. His employers doubtless took note — if not actively concerned by his drop-off in output from the previous season then certainly more willing to at least consider his sale, especially if that means alleviating the club from what is effectively a sell-to-buy policy. If West Ham are banking on any player sale bumping up the coffers this summer, it is Kudus, who is believed to be keen on moving on, though he would not force through an exit. Whether he and West Ham do part ways remains to be seen, but one thing is absolutely guaranteed. Those Kudus transfer rumours are not going away. They could rumble on and on all summer.
