New Essendon president David Barham says the club’s board will meet on Sunday to decide the future of coach Ben Rutten. Rutten will coach the team on Saturday night against Richmond, after a week in which the Bombers unsuccessfully chased Alastair Clarkson to take over the role. Barham refused to say if Rutten would be fired on Sunday, and said […]

The Herald’s recent story on which players from the 1982 Invincibles would be champions in today’s game invites a further question: which NRL players over the past 10 years would be stars under the rules 40 years ago of contested scrums, a five-metre defensive line, with only two replacements allowed and no interchange? In other words, who of today’s best […]

In today’s AFL briefing, your daily wrap of footy news: Charlie Curnow inks long-deal with Carlton. Catch up on all the teams and tips here for the final round of the season. Check back throughout the day for further updates. Curnow inks long-term deal, could be a Blue for life Marnie Vinall Carlton key forward Charlie Curnow has signed a […]

The NRL grand final will remain in Sydney after fraught negotiations between the NSW government and Australian Rugby League Commission kept the match at Accor Stadium. Just weeks after ARLC boss Peter V’landys lashed NSW premier Dominic Perrottet for reneging on an undertaking to provide $300 million worth of stadium funding to suburban grounds at Manly, Leichhardt and Cronulla, the […]

Essendon’s pursuit of Alastair Clarkson – right under Ben Rutten’s nose – may be unedifying, but one coaching great on Wednesday said at least Rutten almost certainly knew what was going on. “Whenever I got the sack, I didn’t know until it happened. But it’s a different world these days with people like you and 300 others trying to create […]

North Melbourne are not giving in-demand coach Alastair Clarkson a Wednesday deadline to decide his future. Four-time Hawthorn premiership coach Clarkson is in Adelaide on Wednesday morning, as the Kangaroos and Essendon wait on him to decide his coaching future. North Melbourne sources have confirmed to The Age that they were not putting a hard deadline on Clarkson to decide […]

Richmond great Shane Edwards is set to retire when the Tigers’ AFL finals campaign ends. One of just five Tigers to have played 300 VFL/AFL matches, 33-year-old Edwards signalled the looming end to his decorated career in a statement on Tuesday. “It is time for me to step aside and move on just as players did for me when I […]

Newcastle have launched an investigation after footage emerged of a security guard escorting the club’s co-captain Kalyn Ponga and utility Kurt Mann out of a toilet cubicle. In the clip, the security guard is surprised to see Ponga emerge. Both men leave quietly with their drinks. The video was filmed on Snapchat. Newcastle told AAP they were made aware of […]

Joseph Suaalii’s “leaguie” roots stretch back to the age of four and his training as a budding hitman even further as he prioritises his Roosters rise over any lucrative bid by Rugby Australia for his services. Speaking for the first time since RA chair Hamish McLennan dubbed Suaalii a priority target with the 2027 World Cup used as bait to […]

Carlton coach Michael Voss admitted the Blues were “gutted” after a heart-breaking five-point loss to Melbourne but has vowed his team will be ready to rebound when finals are on the line against Collingwood next week. The Blues appeared set to secure their 13th win and first finals berth since 2013 when Charlie Curnow marked and goaled with three minutes […]