'I've lived in the outback of the Ivory Coast, I've lived in the forests of India... I've had my breakfast in Moscow and my tea in Wood Street nick, I've been about a bit... I'm the only man in the history of mankind who has swam the straights of Johor'.
Just a regular Sunday in the car park of Tesco in Warrington, Tongans stopping traffic to dance. There’s a man dressed as Santa and another as a horse.
Sydney United 58 have arrived at CommBank Stadium and I dare say they’ll outnumber Macarthur significantly. One of Australian football’s USPs is its strong diasporic links. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise
#AustraliaCupFinal
Strong words from Victor Radley: "I’ve been taught from a very young age by very good coaches - Adrian Lam, Craig Fitzgibbon – a very good tackling style. Just because they decide to change the rules midway through the season, doesn’t mean I have to change my style. "
#NRL
Roosters coach Trent Robinson: “It’s unfortunate in 2022 that we’re still having this conversation. Everyone is equal. To not be inclusive and not say it’s ok to be who you are is unacceptable.” Story on
@AAPSport
shortly
#NRL
100-plus stories filed, 21 games covered in the flesh, two hire cars, one godforsaken trip to Coventry and countless hours standing in the cold. Cheers to
@aapsport
for sending me to
@RLWC2021
it’s been a blast… now get me back to Sydney and some sun
Huddersfield Town legend/Mariners assistant Danny Schofield just got sent off for coming out of the technical… and then he flipped the bird. Pure A-Liga.
#CCMvSYD
whoever signed off on announcing this in the middle of a Socceroos qualifier should give themselves an uppercut. the same people will complain about the lack of A-Liga media coverage
'Lies and innuendo': A fired-up Shane Richardson slammed NRL360's coverage of the Wests Tigers at a members' function on Saturday, declaring the club won't be dictated to by Fox Sports
@AAPSport
I reckon the APL might want to press pause and rewind on this decision, but then again their streaming platform is Paramount+ so that's not really possible
Game over after 35 minutes. Back in the old days if you were down on troops like the Roosters you could kick to corners, force errors, grind out a win. Dean Pay made a coaching career out of it. Six-again has completely removed all attrition.
#NRLManlyRoosters
Bit of drama at the end… Milos Ninkovic went into Sydney FC dressing rooms after the game, got told he wasn’t welcome and was frogmarched back down the hallway by Sydney staffers. Rudan alleges it was started by a comment from Corica on the sidelines.
Tonga were meant to run out of gas. But Tonga didn’t. Tonga kept going. Konrad Hurrell burst into tears. Tonga, little tiny Tonga, had beaten Australia. Here’s what it means to ‘Die for Tonga’ and how they rose from nowhere to topple the Kangaroos
@FOXNRL
Average A-League Men crowds in first round after a Socceroos WC campaign:
10: 10,809
14: 18,003
18: 16,952
22: 5,998
Some failings: no Melbourne game (why?!), Nix v WSW in Wollongong and if you take away Sydney v City the average was 4,208.
I know this is not the first time this season and nor will it be the last, but being the sole journo at an A-League game sucks. Feel it's kind of indicative of the malaise the league is in and speaks to issue it has building narratives to tell people why they should care
At Dogs training today and Luke Thompson, RFM and Pangai trained away from the main group. On a different tangent, the change in the players’ demeanour since Potter came in has been huge. Everyone says hello and speaks openly with media. A little thing but a welcome change.
#NRL
BREAKING: Graham Arnold is set step down as Socceroos boss after six years at the helm.
Football Australia faces race against time to find replacement. Next World Cup qualifier against China is less than three weeks away. More at
@AAPSport
Tigers are getting booed off here at Leichhardt Oval as they go in 42-0 down at the break. Absolutely inept performance but I’m sure hiring a 71-year-old head coach will solve it all
“He should probably worry about his own backyard before he starts worrying about other people.”
Comments from Bulldogs staffer Willie Mason describing the Knights’ spine as the worst in the NRL have fired up Tyson Gamble.
@AAPSport
This is an omnishambles for the Cowboys. Club captain and best-paid player refuses to answer perfectly acceptable questions before staffer leaps to his defence.
For the record - as I have been asked three times today - this isn't me. It's
@MikeMeehallWood
asking a fair question. The only thing that's ridiculous is that a team coached by an "attacking guru" have scored fewer points than Ryan Papenhuyzen alone
BREAKING: captain Junior Paulo has been cleared to play for Samoa v England. Successfully overturned his one-game ban for striking David Fifita
@AAPSport
This should probably come with the disclaimer that Braith Anasta is in fact Lachlan Ilias’ manager. Hopefully he doesn’t see the replies and call people out on his Instagram.
The Commbank Stadium announcer clearly has a sense of humour as Nathan Cleary is sent off and has to walk off to the sound of The Weeknd's Blinding Lights
#NRLEelsPanthers
LATEST: Good chance former Gold Coast Titans utility Tyrone Peachey will become a Wests Tigers player over the coming days. Understand club put offer of a two-year deal on the table.
#NRL
Socceroos winger Daniel Arzani will not be sanctioned for playing in a sixth division amateur game in Sydney. Arzani's club Melbourne Victory say the seven-cap international will be spoken to later this week
@AAPSport
wonder if gridiron journos sit around writing stories ahead of the games they take to London headlined: “these are the NFL players who could play up front for Crystal Palace and Leyton Orient”
backing my beloved Isuzu Ute A-League Men All Stars, who I’ve supported since I was a boy, to bounce back tonight following a run of three-straight losses.
#AllStarsOfTheIsuzuUteALMYoullNeverSingThat
Here's how your A-League All Stars Men line up to take on
@NUFC
! 🔥
Watch the match live on 10Bold, 10Play & Paramount+. Kick-off is scheduled for 5:05pm AEST.
Ahead of tonight’s
@England_RL
game in Denver, here’s
@J_mcGillvary
talking about living off the dole, the Windrush scandal, sleeping five to a bed and the treatment of Raheem Sterling.
🇼🇸 Players asked not to wear traditional dress or pray in Samoan, excessive drinking and questions over money... Samoa could be
#RLWC2021
world beaters but their players are unhappy with their board and coach, Matt Parish
@foxnrl
Tim Sheens hasn’t coached in the NRL for ten years and his last gig head coaching job ended with a 33% win rate. Getting misty-eyed with emotional nostalgia because he won the comp for Wests many moons ago is about the worst thing they could do
The APL is holding a board meeting today and is expected to tell A-Leagues clubs their central distributions for next season. Hearing it could be under $1m.
@AAPSport
My beloved A-Leagues All Stars, who I have supported since I was a boy, delivering a masterclass in parking the bus against the might of FC Barcelona. Cummings and Jay O'Shea had only two real chances of opening 20 minutes
A quiet word on Chanel Harris-Tavita who will start the last game before his hiatus at No. 9 in World Cup final with Nu Brown and Danny Levi out. He got through 40 tackles today. Might not be a better way to go out than with a medal...
Just 20 tweets and 0 games since the Kangaroos’ last start loss to Tonga over two years ago. The Wallabies have played 19 games in that time. Crying shame how that result hasn’t been capitalised on
Tony Gustavsson’s press conferences are something else. The arrow in is pressure from the outside, the arrow out is pressure from the inside and success is that squiggly line in the middle
#matildas
Three and a half years later I’m finally back in the Republic of West Yorkshire with my brothers. We all surprised mum, who turns 60 this week. Not that you could tell. The Guinness is cold and the night is young.
IRELAND’S CALL: Luke Keary says he’ll consider an approach to represent the men in green at
#rlwc2021
if he makes it through the
#NRL
season unscathed. Would be a huge coup for Ireland
@AAPSport
☘️
Battered, bruised and needing six operations in a 12-month period after his gruelling NRL career, Andrew Fifita says he's a perfect example of why the RLPA is fighting for better medical assistance for recently-retired players.
@AAPSport
Always check your flight reservation dates before and after you book. It really sucks when you go to check in on the day you’re due to fly to Melbourne for
#KambososHaney
that you discover you booked the right day but the wrong month. Love an 11 hour night train, me.
#yallabye
The sport that never ceases to out-tinpot itself. Credit to
@M_Shaw1
for breaking this story. The players deserve more than free pizza. No wonder they leave for union or the
#NRL
Perth Glory coach Alen Stajcic pretty forthright re: Salim Khelifi deal.
He rubbished APL comments given to Newscorp that claimed the transfer was "made collectively".
Said all questions regarding his squad should be directed at Nick Garica.
Super League clubs: We are really struggling to develop halves and outside backs at the moment.
Also Super League: Let’s allow our clubs to sign underwhelming NRL players to plug the gap.
About time they made quota spots for those positions count double.
Good news that FIFA have just announced that the next World Cup will be decided on the number of passes back to your centre half and not goals
#AUSvCHN
Exclusive: Toronto Wolfpack owner David Argyle confirms his club are out to sign Sonny Bill Williams for 2020, saying they will pay "whatever it takes" to get their man. Story via
@FOXNRL
massive failing of the whole A-League GF omnishambles is the lack of briefing of journos on it: no leak a month ago to test the water or say where the $ would be spent and try to win hearts and minds. instead presented as a fait accompli in a Newscorp story
Albert Kelly went down with a leg injury at Broncos training. Cory Paix filled in at 7 and looms as most likely man to partner Karmichael Hunt against Canberra
#NRL
Samoa's
#RLWC2021
campaign is over. The question is, when will we see them play again given the NRL opted to scrap the Pacific Test and there is just one international slated for 2023?
@aapsport
With three weeks to go in the A-Liga Blokes season.
The gap between first-placed Melbourne City and Adelaide United: seven points.
The gap between sixth-placed Sydney FC and twelfth-placed Melbourne Victory: four points.
Update to this story which includes the fact that FA CEO James Johnson phoned Erin Wilkins, who performed the Welcome To Country, last night while the final was ongoing. FA now investigating saluting fans, banners and chants
@AAPSport
Obviously as the night went on not all of this was savoury and the fascist chanting should rightly be condemned. Eight fans were thrown out last night, FA say
The Wests Tigers are poised to re-sign young hooker Jake Simpkin before he comes off contract later this year. Smart move considering the shortage of good
#NRL
hookers
I’m not a Jason Cummings for the Socceroos evangelist but he drops deep, manipulates space, brings people into play and wins fouls. He’s exactly *the* guy they needed on Thursday.
#ccmvadl
A-League CEO Danny Townsend tells
@AAPSport
it’s “unlikely” there’ll be an All Stars game leading into the GF (which will be at CommBank Stadium). He rubbished claims from Germany that the cash wasn’t there to get Bayern Munich over to Sydney.
LATEST: Team news from Wests Tigers - Adam Doueihi, John Bateman and David Klemmer all sat out training. Justin Olam training separately. Api Koroisau and Latu Fainu sharing halves duties.
A French derby in Super League is going to be awesome. Sylvain Houles is a seriously impressive coach, Remi Casty will retire an icon and Mathieu Jussaume might just have the best hair-mo combination in sport. Fiers d’être treiziste aujourd’hui
@TOXIII
St Helens coach Kristian Woolf tells
@AAPSport
that Penrith should put their money where their mouth is and stop with “throwaway” lines if they seriously want to host a revived World Club Challenge.
Good chance that the Wests Tigers might give 19-year-old Jake Simpkin an
#NRL
debut against the Rabbitohs this weekend. Leading try-scorer in the NSW Cup and top tackler, can play.
This… and also the NRL’s dumb six-again rule has widened the gap in this World Cup. Be nice if the IRL showed some balls and binned it. But I do love the unorthodox tactics - strips, short kick-offs and chips - from the so-called ‘minnows’ to try restore some parity.
For those that still need to hear it, Japan lost to the All Blacks 83-7 at the 2011 Rugby Union World Cup.
Tonight Japan kept it to 31-38 and looked like the better team for long periods of the game.
Every game at the highest level counts.
#RLWC2021
Clubs recruited for 2021 with an idea of how the game would be, only for the rules to be changed with no data to evidence cause/effect. Sure, there are terrible signings - clubs have done that since 1895 - but that is a strawman to the real issue:
#NRL
rule changes
This weekend was the most lopsided NRL round in 20 years, with an average margin of 26.75 points.
Peter V’landys says struggling teams must adapt now they can’t force stop-start games.
And Wayne Bennett has put it on club management, claiming some are toxic for players.
#NRL
Not a particularly hot take, but I love what Justin Holbrook is doing to turn the Titans around. All effort and desire. Pushed Penrith and Easts last two weeks, add Tino and Fifita to a pack with Mo Fotuaika and those near losses become wins. Bloke can coach
#NRLRoostersTitans
A-League clubs are privately lobbying Football Australia to stand Nestory Irankunda down during the Olyroos’ U23 Asian Cup campaign after the Adelaide teenager opted against accepting an 11th hour approach for Olympic qualifiers.
@aapsport
Hearing Fetalaiga ‘Junior’ Pauga is a strong chance to be named for his Wests Tigers
#NRL
debut at centre. Moses Mbye would likely to shift to the bench with Adam Douiehi back into the halves.
the fact the A-League won’t come out and say if Rudan will face sanction for his press conference no-show but will happily use it for clicks says a lot
Eddie Hemmings: 'Dom Young he could've played for Jamaica, so he's not English in the strict sense of the word either.' Young was born in Huddersfield... Herbie Farnworth 'he's is as English as you or I, there's no problems with him'.🤔
Football Australia is investigating a spectator who appeared to perform a Nazi salute during the A-League derby clash between Western Sydney Wanderers and Sydney FC.
@AAPSport