The first three words Collingwood skipper Scott Pendlebury could find in the rooms less than an hour after the siren sounded with the Magpies one point behind Sydney summed up the emotions floating through black-and-white veins. “Heartbroken, devastated, proud,” Pendlebury said. Scott Pendlebury.was the key reason the Magpies experienced an epic 2022Credit:AFL Photos The champion Magpie had finished the game […]

Don’t miss a vote: Follow The Age’s live blog of the 2022 Brownlow Medal count from 5.30pm Sunday, starting with pictures and interviews from the red carpet and continuing with updates from the count, leaderboards and news. Always flexible and agile, the AFL moved the Brownlow Medal count forward by 24 hours to avoid a clash with the Queen’s funeral. […]

Reed Mahoney was still in primary school when the Hayne train was leaving Parramatta station bound for Sydney Olympic Park and something more than a week-two finals exit. Not since Jarryd Hayne’s peerless run in 2009 drove Parramatta to a grand final have the Eels featured so deep in an NRL competition. That was just about the closest the Eels […]

Geelong’s medical staff are “optimistic” young forward Max Holmes could overcome a hamstring injury in time to play in the AFL grand final. The 20-year-old went down in the third term of Geelong’s 71-point win over Brisbane Lions and limped off looking certain to miss next Saturday’s premiership decider. Max Holmes (middle) speaks with Isaac Smith and Cameron Guthrie after […]

CommBank Stadium: So scarred are long-suffering Parramatta fans, they were not brave enough to start celebrating even when their side led 28-4 late in the second half of Friday night’s semi-final. The Eels supporters have had their hearts broken too many times – but this was a night they should never have worried. Parramatta smashed Canberra to book themselves a […]

If footy teams are a reflection of their coach, then Cronulla went to market last year with a chequebook and a pickaxe. Dale Finucane and Nicho Hynes may have more hair than Craig Fitzgibbon. And Cameron McInnes sports less teeth. But the DNA tests are otherwise growing more conclusive by the day. This side is resembling the one-time Sharks ball […]

AFLW star Daisy Pearce has backed the decision by the AFL to scrap the mandated minute’s silence to honour Queen Elizabeth II during Indigenous round given “the timing of where the two things fell”. The league reversed its mandate after the AFLW match between the Western Bulldogs and Fremantle and scrapped it for the remainder of the Indigenous rounds, which […]

HOW THE EXPERTS TIPPED GEELONG v BRISBANE LIONSMCG, Friday September 16, 7.50pm AEST GEELONGB [2] Zach Tuohy, [16] Sam De Koning, [24] Jed BewsHB [39] Zach Guthrie, [38] Jack Henry, [44] Tom StewartC [7] Isaac Smith, [14] Joel Selwood, [30] Tom AtkinsHF [45] Brad Close, [5] Jeremy Cameron, [22] Mitch DuncanFF [18] Tyson Stengle, [26] Tom Hawkins, [23] Gary RohanFOLL […]

The players’ union has launched a savage attack on the NRL over its treatment of Caitlin Moran, claiming the governing body’s sanctions leave “many within the game scratching their heads at administrative decision-making.” Newcastle NRLW player Moran caused a stir over online comments she posted about following the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Despite taking down the post, the NRL […]

First published in The Age on September 18, 1972 FROM INSIDE THE FENCE Carlton lucky Now we have to slug it out again By Alex Jesaulenko Well, we’ve got to go through it all again. I’m quite sure a draw doesn’t do either of us any good. It gives St Kilda a week’s rest and we’ve got to slug it […]