#rugby sevens perth fixtures

[perth-rugby-7s-live-2024]

HSBC PERTH SVNS 2024 ready to reach new Excitement Event in Australia

Watch Perth Rugby Sevens 2024 Live Stream Online Free

Stream link: https://livesportsnet.xyz/perth-rugby-7s-live-2024/ Stream link: https://livesportsnet.xyz/perth-rugby-7s-live-2024/ Stream link: https://livesportsnet.xyz/perth-rugby-7s-live-2024/

World Rugby brings HSBC SVNS 2024 to HBF Park in Perth on 26-28 January, 2024. The three-day event featuring the best 12 men’s and 12 women’s rugby sevens teams will be the third of eight events on the reimagined HSBC SVNS 2024 Fans will experience an immersive festival atmosphere

with entertainment from start to finish, including live music, DJs and roaming entertainment throughout the grounds The Beach Club experience at the heart of the fun celebrates the Australian leg of HSBC SVNS, with street food markets showcasing the flavours of the HSBC SVNS global

destinations Pre-sale tickets for HSBC SVNS PER on sale Wednesday from 09:00 AWST with general on sale set for Friday also at 09:00 AWST Tickets are on sale this week for the third round of HSBC SVNS 2024, World Rugby’s revamped and rebranded global celebration of rugby sevens,

at HBF Park in Perth, Australia on 26-28 January, 2024 to kick-start a thrilling year for the sport gearing up towards the Olympic Games Paris

HSBC SVNS PER is set to host an electrifying spectacle with the world's top 12 men's and women's rugby sevens teams, including powerhouse

nations like the Australian men’s and women’s teams, Olympic champions Fiji, perennial favourites South Africa, Samoa, USA and the formidable New Zealand All Blacks Sevens. Over three thrilling days of competition, the world’s best rugby sevens athletes will display unmatched speed,

skill, and athleticism to thrill the crowds with non-stop action. In partnership with the Western Australian Government, through Tourism Western Australia, World Rugby is set to bring HSBC SVNS to Australia in 2024 and 2025 at HBF Park in Perth, with fan experiences at the heart of the

event. With a bold ambition to supercharge rugby’s global reach and appeal by being more accessible to younger, leisure-hungry audiences, HSBC SVNS PER aims to deliver the ultimate in immersive experiences, a unique festival of sport, entertainment and culture set against the stunning

backdrop of Western Australia. For those seeking a more premium and exclusive setting, the golden ticket is our new next level hospitality experience, featuring a fast-track entrance into the stadium, premium food and drink, a full programme of fun and entertainment in private

lounges and the best seats in the house. Celebrating cuisine and culture, our beach club features food markets showcasing flavours from the other HSBC SVNS locations. Fans across the globe can register for an exclusive presale opportunity now at SVNS.com and to learn more about the

travel packages available and to secure your visit to Perth, please visit SVNS. Located in the heart of Perth, the capital of Western Australia a famed travel destination with a globally renowned record in hosting cultural and sporting events – HBF Park is Perth’s premier rectangular

stadium providing world-class sporting and concert events to all fans. Recently upgraded ahead of hosting the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, HBF Park has hosted several major music concerts including Ed Sheeran, Justin Bieber, Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Elton John and is the home of Perth

Glory and the Western Force. With less than one year until the Olympic Games Paris 2024 gets underway, the action will be intense from start to finish with World Rugby’s revamped competition formula set to provide rugby sevens fans with even more excitement, jeopardy and entertainment.

Under the new model, HSBC SVNS 2024 features seven regular season events plus a Grand Final. The top eight placed teams based on cumulative series points at the conclusion of HSBC SVNS SGP will secure their opportunity to compete in the new ‘winner takes all’ Grand Final in Madrid, where the women’s and men’s HSBC SVNS 2024 champions will be crowned.

[dailyrugbytoday]

HSBC SVNS Hong kong: The Australia men’s rugby 7s team is in Pool A

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The Daily Rugby

https://thedailyrugby.com/hsbc-svns-hong-kong-australia-mens-rugby/

HSBC SVNS Hong kong: The Australia men’s rugby 7s team is in Pool A

HSBC SVNS Hong kong turnament play in famous Hong Kong Stadium will have its last gasp in 2024 after 30 exciting years before it moves to a new location at Kai Taik Sports Park in 2025. Give this iconic facility the farewell it deserves by attending and reliving HK7’s greatest hits both on and off the field.

HSBC SVNS Hong kong On Friday, the gates open at 7.30 a.m. The stadium opens for entry on Saturday at 7 a.m., with a 9.30 a.m. start time. On Sunday, gates open at 8 a.m., with the first game starting at 9.40 a.m.

Hong Kong Sevens 2024: schedule, draw, tickets, players to watch

Australia Hong Kong Sevens 2024 groups

Women’s Pool B: Australia, South Africa, Ireland, Fiji

Men’s Pool A: France, Fiji, Australia, Canada

Despite finishing fifth in the standings with 55 points, the Australian men’s rugby 7s team advanced to both the home leg in Perth and the finals in South Africa. With 90 points, Argentina leads the field, followed by France (56), Fiji (64), Ireland (70), and Argentina (90).

Starting with the quarterfinals, each leg of the World Rugby Sevens Series 2023–24 consists of group stages and then elimination rounds. There are additional matches for classification.

On Sunday, the Hong Kong Sevens 2024 finals, bronze medal games, and semifinals will take place.

HSBC SVNS Hong kong 2024 schedule: Australian rugby 7s teams

Men Pool A fixtures

April 5, Friday

Fiji vs Australia – 8:30 PM

France vs Australia – 11:56 PM

April 6, Saturday

Australia vs Canada – 4:20 PM

Women Pool B fixtures

April 5, Friday

Australia vs Fiji – 3:25 PM

Australia vs Ireland – 6:35 PM

April 6, Saturday

Australia vs South Africa – 2:25 PM

[tkmedia]

Wallabies could make mad dash to New Zealand

4:21am, 23 July 2021 The Wallabies will be forced to make a mad dash to New Zealand in the coming days after the closure of the trans-Tasman bubble threw the Bledisloe Cup and Rugby Championship fixtures into a spin.ADVERTISEMENTThe spread of the Delta variant of COVID-19 in Australia has spooked NZ, with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announcing the quarantine-free bubble closure with Australia on Friday for a period of at least eight weeks.The move comes at a bad time for Rugby Australia ahead of a lucrative Bledisloe Cup series against NZ and the four-nation Rugby Championship.

The Wallabies were due to face off against NZ at Eden Park on August 7 in the Bledisloe Cup opener – a fixture that remains a strong chance to still go ahead.The series was then set to move to Perth, where a crowd of about 60,000 was expected to watch the arch-rivals face off on August 21 in a match that also doubles as the start of their Rugby Championship.The final match between the teams was set to take place in Wellington on August 28.The Wallabies were initially set for a week-long camp on the Gold Coast starting this Sunday before flying to NZ.ADVERTISEMENTBut the team will have to head to NZ within days in order to ensure the series can go ahead.The Ardern government is granting Kiwis seven days to return to NZ, and the Prime Minister indicated the Wallabies could use that window to head there under an economic impact exemption.Wallabies players and staff would need to provide a negative pre-departure COVID test before being granted permission to fly to NZ.“The Wallabies team have been in a secure bubble since the conclusion of the France series, with the squad assembled on the Gold Coast,” Rugby Australia chief executive Andy Marinos said.ADVERTISEMENT“The players are regularly PCR tested and have maintained strict bio-security protocols as recommended by the return to play committee and the relevant health authorities.”Tickets for the Bledisloe Cup and Rugby Championship series went on sale on Friday morning, but just hours later the trans-Tasman bubble was paused.Although it was initially speculated that all three matches between the Wallabies and All Blacks might have to be played in NZ, Rugby Australia is quietly optimistic the Perth fixture can still go ahead given the bubble is only closed on NZ’s end.If the Perth match goes ahead, the big problem would be the third fixture in NZ. Under that scenario, Wallabies and All Blacks players would need to receive exemptions to re-enter NZ.If that doesn’t occur, the match would have to be postponed or played elsewhere.SANZAAR is confident a solution can be found to ensure the 12-match Rugby Championship – which features Australia, NZ, Argentina, and South Africa – proceeds.Meanwhile, Super Netball will go on hold this weekend to allow teams to regroup following the relocation of the entire competition to Queensland.There are three more rounds before finals, with competition to resume in the middle of next week.“The teams have experienced a highly disrupted week, having relocated to Queensland at very short notice,” Netball Australia chief executive Kelly Ryan said.“We have a number of challenges to work through with our stakeholders, including venues and broadcast, before we can lock in the fixture for the remaining three rounds.”The upcoming Bledisloe Cup tests between the All Blacks and Wallabies have been thrown into serious doubt following the quarantine-free travel pause between New Zealand and Australia. #AllBlacks #Wallabies #BledisloeCup https://t.co/5efVSMcu9I— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) July 23, 2021WALLABIES FIXTURES BEFORE CLOSURE OF THE BUBBLE WAS ANNOUNCED:-New Zealand v Wallabies, Saturday August 7 at Eden Park, Auckland *Bledisloe Cup onlyWallabies v New Zealand, Saturday August 21 at Optus Stadium, Perth *Bledisloe Cup and Rugby ChampionshipNew Zealand v Wallabies, Saturday August 28 at Sky Stadium, Wellington *Bledisloe Cup and Rugby ChampionshipSouth Africa v Wallabies, Sunday September 12 at Sydney Cricket Ground, SydneyWallabies v South Africa, Saturday September 18 at Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane Wallabies v Argentina, Saturday September 25 at McDon ald Jones Stadium in NewcastleArgentina v Wall abies, Saturday October 2 at GIO Stadium in Canberra.

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20 THOUGHTS: A bit unfit and a bit fat, but that’s alright

LAST Saturday night was just weird.

This column, with tongue firmly in cheek, prides itself on its gambling connection (Nat Fyfe, if you can get anything over $3 for the Brownlow just remortgage the house, don’t be subtle).

So to think of the possible odds for North to score only one goal, into Doggies 21 goals in a row, into the Wallabies highest ever score against New Zealand, sweet Jesus what a multi.

Then looking ahead to this weekend, first plays second, third plays fourth, another must-watch weekend of footy.

Oh, and Lord’s starts tomorrow night. You’re welcome.

  1.       Positive up front, and how bloody good is Roughy? Gets a send off this Sunday and rightfully so. 282 games but remember he lost a good chunk with his cancer battle. Almost 600 goals and was a key member of four flags. Two All-Australians and a Coleman too to boot. Bonafide legend. Onya Rough.

2.       Ben Simmons gets another mention, but I’m kinda confused. Don’t get me wrong, this column doesn’t resile from the stance his ‘late withdrawal’ from the Boomers-Team USA game was stinky, especially after he just signed a new contract; he isn’t jeopardising getting a new one. He has been paid. But now all the other shade getting thrown his way seems a bit tall poppy. The Crown thing was a complete non-story, sure, not everyone’s a 200 million dollar NBA player, but how many bastards are getting knocked back from the cas every minute? And then coverage on perceptions of petulance and what not, when the coverage of his philanthropy in and around paid gigs isn’t quite sexy enough so it doesn’t happen? Look. Whack him for not suiting up for the Boomers. Aside from that, this has been a good return home, not a train wreck some media outlets would lead you to believe.

3.       Speaking of train wrecks, the Bombers, my word. Sure, the game was horrendous and that’s been spoken about. But to do that when clearly the whole week leading up was how they would respond to the thrashing to Port a week earlier. Like that? So either Freo cops a twice-as-motivated Essendon this week looking to make amends for a fortnight of crap, or things do indeed come in three’s?

4.       Dogs were ace though. They get that fling and ping footy going, dish, dish, then hammer down the field almost Mighty Ducks flying V style, its amazing to watch and incredibly effective. Might be playing off for a finals spot last round at Ballarat against the Crows. Would be good to see them make it, even if they have dropped some dud games this season.

5.       Josh Dunkley was a scroungy forward type in the premiership year, then been a bit ‘yes, no, not sure’, but the last two months works harder than Lance Armstrong fresh from a Priceline visit. Lovely story, hope this blooms into one hell of a career. Kid can play.

6.       Speaking of kids, this column has adopted ‘the Fog’. Darcy Fogarty, a country kid who is 6”4 and almost 15 stone in the old, lump of a lad, can seriously go. Sporting Mark Riccuito’s old number, he was taken at pick 12 in the 2017 draft, and this columnist is very happy with who the Pies took at pick six despite that player now being suspended for too much time on the pick six, but was eyeing off the Fog to end up in black and white, such was his potential. Boom junior, great size. Last weekend finally gets a breakout game, five snags against a good West Coast backline over there; he will own that goal square for a decade that boy. The Fog. Very much ‘a buy’.

7.       And how the AFL gave the Rising Star nom to Oscar Allen over Fog is a travesty. Not like you could have missed Fog’s game, whilst Allen booted three snags at one end, not hard to see the Fog dominate at the other, wouldn’t have thought. Morons.

8.       Crouch brothers, a fan, not at Fog levels but still. 88 touches between them, 10 tackles, 15 clearances, 12 inside 50s. Without them, Eagles win easy by eight goals if not more. The two Ballarat boys can play.

9.       Enjoying the Al-Clarkson version of Chad Wingard. Was too happy to wear long sleeves on a dry but cool day in Adelaide and get away with not doing extras. Now, in a club that bans long sleeves and embraces adversity, strength through struggle, he is looking like an AFL footballer. Playing majority onball of late, has had over 20 touches the last month and averaged 28 the last two weeks. Upward trajectory for him I sense.

10.   Freo win that, its an easy three votes for Nat Fyfe and that come Brownlow night might be the votes that sets off the flash photography. Should still get the three but now might be a sneaky two. Either way, this column did appoint the Bont as the best player in the comp, last three weeks the Freo skipper has averaged 32 touches, eight clearances and a goal a game. It’s Bont over Fyfe just right now. Just.

11.   But Jack Steven gets votes for Sunday, played well, good to see him out there first and foremost. Had a terrible year away from footy and we hope that its only good things from here on out, but gee he is a good footballer when going. Quick, exciting, skillful. Hopefully a big 2020 in store for him.

12.   And low and behold, Dann Hannebery played some good footy too. What a surprise to some, hey? But look, that game on Sunday is the kind of value the Saints could use. If he can produce more of that over the next 24 months, too stay on the park, despite all the nay-sayers at the start of the year the move for St Kilda will have been incredibly shrewd and well justified after all.

13.   Good stat on Fox Footy Monday – Richmond has only played one game against a top four team all year, that was Geelong a few weeks ago and got spanked. Further, West Coast have only played two top eight teams after Round Six, once was a win over Essendon, but given last Saturday that’s not much to write home about, and then a home loss to Collingwood a month or so back. Form line questions much?

14.   And its why we still question Brisbane. Have 15 wins on the board but have basically played Frankston Dolphins seven times. Now after last Saturday I’m not as sold on this theory, but give Essendon some confidence back, and some of their absent stars too, if the Bombers and Lions played each other 10 times, say on neutral ground, the Dons win at least five for mine, no doubt. Their records against top 8 teams are basically identical. Alas, on different paths though.

15.   Christian Petracca only had one game above 20 touches before Queen’s Birthday, and that was against the Gold Coast. Since then he has had a few. He is an absolute front runner. Needs to get out of Melbourne and get under a Clarkson or Chris Scott who’ll make him work. We’ve highlighted Wingard at Hawthorn, something similar might just extract the amazing talent out of the former no.2 pick. He should be a Cripps or Dangerfield in the guts, but is playing like a poor man’s Jack Gunston. Disappointing. So is his club too in 2019 for that matter.

16.   Steve Coniglio, its GWS or Carlton it seems. Reckon the Giants would be stiff to lose him given they let go of Shiel, Setterfield, Lobb amongst others last year because of a cap crunch, particularly when it came to keeping cash aside for Josh Kelly and Coniglio. Still think he stays, I think if he was to go it would have been home, and I don’t see WA acquiring Tim Kelly and Coniglio this year, and Kelly is a definite.

17.   Kelly gets to Freo, I think, don’t see the Eagles making it work without a surprise. Brad Hill definitely comes back to Victoria off the back of that, but probably not Geelong. Jack Steven to the Cats still has legs, if nothing else to get back to Lorne, near family and friends – would be ideal given his mental health. But too, if the Saints don’t think they’re winning a flag within three years, then Steven who turns 30 around Round One next year, it just makes sense then despite his overwhelming love for the red, white and black.

18.   Ashes, quick one, reckon they’d like to play Mitch Starc but they may go in unchanged. Josh Hazlewood definitely plays Headingly in the third test though, as it starts only a couple days after the Lord’s test finishes, very quick turnarounds. Cam Bancroft plays tomorrow night, and just needs to get a gutsy 30 I reckon either innings to stay in the team. Langer loves him, and can see the potential. But remember, if Australia wins this test, England would need to win all three tests left to get the Urn. A draw and England will need at least two more wins but don’t forget, two of the last three tests are in the British Autumn. Don’t need Jane Bunn to tell you how wet that gets.

19.   So those Wallabies huh? Where’d that come from? Want to see more though from this weekend’s inevitable loss at Eden Park, coz the form line doesn’t stack up. Two matches ago in South Africa still looked mighty concerning. So yes, awesome, great stuff, but I’m reluctant to trust in it too much. However, Samu Kerevi, he is a superstar. Remember his name. Most talented rugby player we’ve had in a generation, an equal to someone going through the courts right now we won’t mention. Between him and James O’Connor, there’s the pairing that could propel the Wallabies deep into a World Cup that until recently they had no rights to do.

20.   And we finish with Perth. Specifically Optus Stadium. So they’ve had a NRL State of Origin, they hosted Manchester United and now smashed out an amazing Bledisloe Cup fixture. Meanwhile, we no doubt have the strongest ever WA Origin side in our grasps and it’ll never play a game, more specifically nor at that amazing ground. Littered with Brownlows, Colemans, All-Australians, Premierships, it’s a crying shame. So, if you don’t bring it back for good, at least let the people of Western Australia see their greatest ever team at a venue that’s clearly good for everyone else’s spectacles but not one of our own? Gil. Fix it.

[diarynz]

Rugby Championship: Why All Blacks coach Steve Hansen was wary about throwing Josh Ioane into the Pumas' den

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Rugby Championship: Why All Blacks coach Steve Hansen was wary about throwing Josh Ioane into the Pumas' den

Highlanders first-five Josh Ioane was the only uncapped All Black in the match-day squad not to get a run against the Pumas in Buenos Aires because the coaches were wary about harming his development in the case of a defeat and subsequent public fallout.

Had Ioane, 24, run on to Estadio Jose Amalfitani in the final stages of the All Blacks’ 20-16 victory the pressure on him would have been immense. His side had failed to score in the second half and faced an Argentine side enjoying all the momentum, territory and possession. In the end the visitors were perhaps fortunate to hold on.

So while the uncapped Luke Jacobson, Atu Moli and Braydon Ennor were used as second-half replacements (debutant wing Sevu Reece started), Ioane was left kicking his heels on the reserves bench but progressed regardless, according to coach Steve Hansen.

“He’s getting [an opportunity],” Hansen said after the All Blacks arrived in Wellington for the test against the Springboks on Saturday. “He’s here and people forget that – they think you have to play to get an opportunity. He’s learning a lot and we’ll put him out there when we think he’s ready to rock and roll.

“It wouldn’t have been fair to put him out – we lose the test match and everyone starts pointing fingers at a young kid because he’s steering the ship. We didn’t want that to happen so we didn’t put him on. When the time comes I’m sure from what we’ve seen last week and what we’ll see this week, eventually he’ll get a game.”

New All Black Josh Ioane during an All Blacks media day held at the Heritage Hotel in Auckland. Photo / Photosport

That is unlikely to be this Saturday, however, because Crusader Richie Mo’unga will come into contention for the No 10 jersey alongside Beauden Barrett, who was one of the All Blacks’ more impressive performers in a rusty collective effort last weekend.

Barrett varied the All Black attack well, defended well, and, just as importantly in this World Cup year, was successful with all four attempts at goal.

After this weekend Hansen will trim his squad of 39 to 34 for the Bledisloe Cup series – the All Blacks play the Wallabies in Perth on August 10 and Auckland a week later – and Ioane is unlikely to make the cut for that either.

The selectors will need to be ruthless in their decision-making, with a hooker, at least one prop and perhaps two loose forwards cut, plus potentially another player as lock Scott Barrett, currently out with a broken hand, could be back in the frame.

“There’s a lot of water to go under the bridge before we name the next squad, which is in seven days,” Hansen said. “Things will become a lot clearer. Most of them (newcomers) have done themselves no harm at all.”

Josh Ioane during All Blacks training. Photo / Getty

Hansen was not surprisingly wary about revealing too many of his plans ahead of the test against the Boks, the old enemy who pushed them extremely hard last year.

South Africa won the corresponding test 36-34 in Wellington last year before the All Blacks won another dramatic test in the return fixture in Johannesburg thanks to a try in the final minutes by Ardie Savea which was nervelessly converted by Mo’unga for a 32-30 success.

“We don’t name the team until Thursday and there’s no point in telling [coach] Rassie [Erasmus] what our team is, but he’s not stupid either, is he? He brought a group over [early], and you’d imagine most of them will play and we left a group at home and you’d imagine most of them will play too, but we’ll confirm that on Thursday.”

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[footyplusau]

After the siren: The key to catching the Giants

GREATER Western Sydney is still a new enough football club that it breaks new ground or creates some type of history nearly every week.

There was another “first” for the Giants on Saturday night after the 16-point win over Essendon, and it was particularly significant.

For the first time in five and a half seasons, GWS sits atop the AFL ladder. And while there has long been an air of inevitability about this given the blue-chip playing list the Giants have amassed, the reason they head the ladder at this particular stage of this particular season is their one big road win of the year, last week against West Coast in Perth.

Take a look at the contenders for the premiership this year, and with the exception of the Giants they have yet to look totally convincing away from home.

Adelaide beat Hawthorn away in round two, but it took the Hawks being down a couple of players in the final quarter before the Crows finally put them away. Conceding 10.4 to North Melbourne in the opening term in Hobart in round seven raised questions about the Crows away from home, while they were blown away by Geelong at Simonds Stadium on Friday night and the 22-point final margin flattered them if anything.

Speaking of Geelong, the three-game run at home that culminated with the win over the Crows on Friday night could not have gone more swimmingly. But we remember the three weeks prior, which included losses at the MCG to Collingwood and Essendon and to Gold Coast at Metricon.

And Geelong players hadn’t even walked off the ground on Friday night before already discussing the importance of beating West Coast in Perth on Thursday week, in their first game back after the bye.

• Six things we learned from round 11

The Western Bulldogs have been scratchy away, losing to Fremantle and the Giants outside Victoria and to the Cats at Simonds Stadium. For their own piece of mind, as well as ladder position, a win at the SCG on Thursday night is critically important. The good news going in is that they are 2-0 there in the Luke Beveridge era.

Two of Richmond’s four defeats were outside Victoria, namely a belting from Adelaide and an all-too-familiar last-minute meltdown against the Giants.

Port Adelaide is now worthy of mention in premiership discussions as well. The Power were mighty in their first-half demolition of Hawthorn on Thursday night, but with the benefit of hindsight, their best performance of the year might have been the narrow loss to Geelong the previous week, in which a Charlie Dixon brain fade likely cost them the win.

A quirk of the Power’s season is that the only time they have touched down in Melbourne is to catch the bus to Geelong. But three of their next seven games are in Victoria – against Essendon, Collingwood and Melbourne – and if they really are premiership material, they’ll need to win a couple of those.

We are in the midst of an enthralling football season. But the point of difference between the great and the truly great teams in 2017 will be their ability to win some games on the road. Win away to give yourself the best chance of playing your finals at home.

Bravo Collingwood 

This was one of the bravest Collingwood wins for quite some time, leading virtually all day to beat Fremantle at Domain Stadium by 20 points.

With Daniel Wells and Jamie Elliott off the ground injured and both Tyson Goldsack and Levi Greenwood clearly playing hurt, the Magpies outlasted the Dockers to get themselves back in the finals hunt at 5-6 and set up a delicious Queen’s Birthday Monday clash with Melbourne.

There were moments when the Pies might have been made to pay for some poor conversion, but the Dockers stand condemned for some horrendous decision making and dreadful skill errors in the final term when the Pies were down and seemingly out. Case in point, Bradley Hill streaming into an open goal and pushing the kick to the right.

So instead of the scores being level and with the home crowd roaring, the air was deflated from the balloon moments later when Will Hoskin-Elliott charged through the middle, pulled off a successful rugby-style chip’n’charge and kicked the goal that gave the Magpies all the breathing space they needed.

Nathan Buckley has coached his side beautifully the past three weeks and he will need to keep on doing so. Elliott and Wells have been so critical to Collingwood’s resurgence and if the pictures out of Perth are any indication, they may be missing for quite some time. But he has the Pies playing with spirit and verve and they’re getting superb leadership from Scott Pendlebury, Adam Treloar, Steele Sidebottom and Jeremy Howe, which will make them a dangerous opponent for as long as they’re in the finals mix.

All roads will lead to the MCG next Monday, with the Big Freeze 3 motor neurone disease fundraiser before the match and a really big game between a pair of finals aspirants to follow.

• Around the state leagues: Who starred in your club’s twos?

Meanwhile, this was a dismal afternoon for Fremantle and the great road wins over Melbourne and Richmond earlier this season are rapidly disappearing from the rearview mirror. The Dockers can’t seem to settle their structure and their forward line never clicked into gear on Sunday.

Yes, it is a rebuilding season for the Dockers after last season’s shocker. But it is also a remarkably even season and a finals berth is there for the taking. But not for much longer if Sunday’s effort can be taken as a guide.

All eyes on the money men 

If the weight of expectation about their playing futures is a burden for Josh Kelly and Dustin Martin, neither player is showing it.

In the space of five hours on Saturday, both players demonstrated once again why they are the most sought-after players in the country.

By half-time at Spotless Stadium, Josh Kelly had racked up 22 disposals (seven contested) at 95 per cent efficiency, three marks and seven inside 50s for the Giants, and he would end the match with 38 disposals in a clear best on ground performance.

A few hours later at Etihad Stadium, Dustin Martin had 38 disposals, kicked two goals and was the spark for the Tigers as they drew away from North Melbourne after half-time for an important win.

We’re not sure whether either is a rabid consumer of the football media, but they would know that stacks of column centimetres and hour after hour of airtime is devoted to where they might play next year.

Yet they keep getting better by the week, which helps their clubs and does wonders for their future bank balances. Pressure? What pressure?

But perhaps rather than be anxious about what the pair might do next, Giants fans and the Tiger army should sit back and enjoy the show because Kelly and Martin are both delivering exceptional seasons.

Absolute class from Dustin Martin. they believe the contact was not serious enough to warrant any action and the feeling here is that if Hawkins is facing a suspension, that the Cats may fight it, meaning the AFL Tribunal might sit for the first time this year. An added dimension to the deliberations is Jimmy Bartel’s presence on the MRP. In Bartel’s perfect world, former teammate Hawkins will be in trouble because jumper punches would be deemed as “non-football acts”.

2. Living in Adelaide and all, Charlie Dixon could not have had an easy week in the lead-up to the clash with the Hawks, but his response was brutal and emphatic, just like his team’s. Hawthorn didn’t have anything close to a suitable match-up and the end result was his best game yet for the club. More please.

3. Hawthorn’s first half was an embarrassment, even for a club that as Alastair Clarkson all but suggested post-game, is in rebuild mode. Having three first-choice defenders out of the side didn’t help, nor did some peculiar fixturing that had them playing three games in 13 days. That is quite common and manageable, but the last two of them were six days apart and both interstate. Strangely, the Hawks are favourites to beat Gold Coast on Saturday, despite losing to the Suns by 86 points two months ago.

4. Richmond puts its feet up for a few days after a 7-4 start to the season that even the most wildly optimistic supporters would not have seen coming. It has been a fine season to date, and for us neutrals the fast and frantic Tigers have been fun to watch. For their supporters though, the fear and dread of what’s to come is only just beginning. And that is loads of fun as well.

5. For all the focus on whether Martin and Kelly will re-sign, Steven May’s future plans are just as interesting. What sort of faith does he have in the future direction of the Suns? Chief executive Mark Evans was nice and combative on SEN over the weekend and not before time. Gold Coast needs to get on the front foot that bit more and make it uncomfortable for a co-captain to consider leaving. Still, the Suns had a nice win against West Coast on Saturday, further proof that when this club puts close to its best team on the park, it is more than competitive.

6. Have you ever seen a side needing to move the length of the ground in less than a minute to try to win a game do so with less urgency than West Coast did on Saturday? Lose by three points or cough the ball up and lose by nine points – at that stage of the game it didn’t matter, but the Eagles approached those final few seconds with no spark or energy. That’s three straight losses for West Coast and not only are the Eagles miles from flag contention, they’re no good thing any more even to play finals. The usual suspects – Jack Darling and Mark LeCras chief among them – continue to go missing away from home, and while it might seem unfair to single out that pair, who between them managed just 18 touches and no goals, they’re the ones who needed to step it up with Josh Kennedy out of the side.

WATCH: The tense final minutes of GC v WC

The post After the siren: The key to catching the Giants appeared first on Footy Plus.

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[getseriouser]

20 THOUGHTS: Everybody was kung-fu fighting

TWO weeks to go, we’re almost there, and it’s probably a race in three.

Top of the ladder Adelaide, second-place by a game and half, the GWS, and the bolter from the zip-six start in Sydney – it will be a hard task for any of the others in the mix to overcome at least two of those three in the one September campaign.

Mind you, 11 months ago a team from seventh did topple both reigning Grand Finalists in eight days, so buckle up, there’s most likely more surprises on the way.

 1.    Firstly let’s acknowledge Stevie J from last week then Bob and Gibbo from yesterday. One will go down as one of the most mecurial, successful and likeable small forwards the modern game has seen. Another, a 300-game player, the heart and soul of the Bulldog breed, an All-Australian captain. The other won two best and fairests in premiership years, a three-time premiership backman who was essential to the Hawks dynasty. Three mega careers, and the Retirement Class of 2017 just continues to mesmerise.

 2.    Then let’s get the MRP out of the way, it’s become such a fixture of weekly discussion and controversy. Greene, hmm, is it a week? Jarrod Waite does that all the time. There isn’t technically a rule for it, perhaps there should be. Then again, when Anthony Rocca tackled Bob Murphy, aggressively but not unfairly in 2006, and Bob did his knee sadly, would that come under scrutiny in these days? You couldn’t be 100% sure it wouldn’t, and that’s a concern in itself.

 3.    Impact and outcome are too closely linked, bad record and early pleas are doing too much damage. Players would challenge some of these, and should feel like they could. The penalty for doing so and losing should not equate to exactly a week extra, maybe it comes into the deliberations of the tribunal if you challenge but lose. Half the MRP issues would be solved if players could feel safe challenging their rulings. The plea bargaining is muddying the waters.

 4.    Back to the footy, need to acknowledge the demolition Saturday afternoon up in Sydney. The Swans would be outright favourites for the flag if they could sneak into a double chance. They are the most in form side in the competition, winning 12 of their last 14. The Crows comparatively have won nine of their last 12, the Giants, only four of the last nine. It’s been a stellar coaching job to recover from 0-6, credit to Horse Longmire but also to Stewart Dew, who is clearly a senior coach in waiting.

 5.    And given how things are panning out, it looks ever more likely that the Giants and Swans would be projected to meet in the Preliminary Final. AFL House would love that. Whilst a Grand Final would be that extra bit special, it would be played down in Melbourne and that would take ever so slightly some of the gloss off. But a huge prime time Grand Final decider up in Sydney, right in the heart of Rugby League finals, a finals campaign which will feature prominent games in Queensland and Melbourne, would be almost as good a result the game could ask for.

 6.    If there’s a long range Norm Smith book open somewhere, you could do a lot worse than throwing some loose change on anyone named Crouch. These two sticking together will attract success for years to come. Brad, 23, averaging 27 touches a game, he is 12th in the league for tackles averaging seven a game, and 15th in the comp for stoppage clearances. His brother Matt, 22, is averaging 32 touches, is third in the competition for disposals and effective disposals, sixth for contested possessions and ninth for stoppage clearances.

 7.    Such is their dominance but crucially their contribution to the Crows’ season, both Brad and Matt at Adelaide are first and third at the club for disposals, third and fifth for tackles, third and first for contested possessions, third and second for effective disposals. These are the sorts of players that win Norm Smiths, leading their teams to Premierships. Two great careers still in the early days here.

 8.    Big occasion down Sleepy Hollow last Saturday and it was a bit of a fizzer. The Tigers got wind I gave them a rare pat on the back and played accordingly. They brought nothing to the table really and Geelong gets away with another good four points, but gee, a more spirited Richmond would have tested the hosts a hell of a lot more. Shame. So the Tigers still have their question marks, and the Cats are still not ‘that’ good, please don’t be sucked in.

 9.    The Dogs didn’t give too much last Friday night, especially in the second half and it’s a shame. Tom Liberatore’s performance was a bit reflective of the team’s, a bit listless for effort and want, and whilst you back the reigning premier to be much better side next year, for the son of Tony you wonder where he is at. Needs a big pre-season. Or a new club.

 10.  But on the Dogs, let’s not forget that at this time last year, they were nursing themselves into a finals spot, itching for the pre-finals week off, with iffy form and an injury list to work through. That bye can do wonders for someone this year. Without that bye last year the Dogs probably don’t salute, they don’t get that reset, the refresh they desperately needed.

 11.  Another quick one for those gambling types, we do hope you chucked something responsibly on Josh Kennedy a fortnight or so ago when he was over $5 for the Coleman. Now with the clubhouse lead, by one over Joe Daniher, with two rounds to go, he has eased into $1.70. Still, two tough-ish games for the Eagles to come, whereas the Bomber spearhead has two JLT quality fixtures to dine out on, so a good hedge on Daniher wouldn’t be the worst idea.

 12.  We loved the Melbourne-Angus Brayshaw story on Sunday. Firstly the recovery by the Demons when the Saints got within a kick, in front of a stellar home crowd, it was just mega positive for a side that has almost all the tools to have a sniff. Unfortunately, for mine, without a fit Jesse Hogan you put a line through them. But as for Brayshaw, 24 touches, three tackles, a massive influence in the win for his first hitout in the big time for some time, properly good to see.

 13.  The losers on the MCG Sunday afternoon, St Kilda, that’s it for them now. One of the Saints or Dees had September in their sights this year, in fact you felt both were up to it, but the former will fall short and rue lost opportunities. If anyone just needs to make Josh Kelly come home next year it’s the Saints, he could not be more what they need, in fact without him, or someone like him, you can’t see them challenging for that second flag with this group. With him, very much they could.

 14.  Back to the Dees quickly, Jack Watts, where is he at? Wasn’t missed on the weekend and in Hogan’s absence you’d think they will persist with Sam Wideman up forward. If Watts left Melbourne, who would want him? He is basically a shorter Josh Fraser. Not in the future Dees premiership team, doesn’t fit any other team really other maybe than the Suns going for broke

 15.  On the Gold Coast, Rocket Eade said on the weekend if he had known the rabble he would inherit he would not have taken the job in the first place. Oh my Mark Evans, have you got a challenge on your hands. Let’s call a spade a bloody shovel, if their next coach does not work out for the club on-field, then the club’s existence is on the chopping block, they can’t waste another three years. If the AFL had its way they’d make sure Evans got his short, premiership winning friend from down at Waverley to be the next coach, it’s that important.

 16.  As for the other coaching narrative from the week, the Ross Lyon-Collingwood-Brad Hardie yarn. So Hardie believes, with a whole bunch of third parties involved, that Lyon sounded out Collingwood to see if there’d be mutual interest for next year and on. Look, Hardie has copped it from both the Dockers and Magpies, but, where there is smoke there’s fire. To me, it sounds like the Pies have gone “well, we need a few different plans, one would be if we want to poach, who would be poachable, let’s find out from Clarkson’s manager and maybe Lyon’s manager too”. That’s good due diligence. Bucks might end up staying but the Pies if they do move on from him would want a big name for the clubs sake, the narrative, all that. What if via ‘third parties’ said Lyon was gettable, the Pies probably strongly consider it don’t they?

 17.  And as for weird off-field ideas, this column has mooted there may be, albiet perhaps not enough to manifest, interest from the Hogan camp to head back to Perth for a multitude of personal reasons. Would a three way deal work where the Dockers receive Hogan, send their first pick, around number five right now, and a player to Adelaide, who then send Jake Lever to Melbourne?

 18.  So some big games this weekend, but firstly, footy in Ballarat for the first time, interesting to see the Bulldogs head down this route. There’s some cash in it, much like the nest egg Launceston/Tasmania has been to the Hawthorn dynasty, but when Sunday saw over 50k for Melbourne-St Kilda, and that the Dogs got over 30k to a match featuring the Giants at Etihad, it would be nice to see these Melbourne sides really solidify their core base and ramp up from there, instead of the novelty cheque books elsewhere.

 19.  But the game itself will be a final for the nominal home team. They lose, especially if the Bombers get up in Queensland later in the day, will call curtains to their flag defence you’d reckon. 12 wins and a good percentage gets you in, and a loss to the Power means they won’t be able to reach that standard unless results go their way along with a thumping of the GWS the week after. But where there’s a will, there is a way.

 20.  Big, big Friday night. Sydney hasn’t made a habit of losing since Easter really, so a big test to take on the top of the ladder Crows at a venue they have only lost at once all year (Hawthorn in Round 14). Adelaide will be super tough to beat but if anyone can bring them down, it’s the hottest team in the land. Don’t. Be. Shocked.

(originally published August 16)