Questions about the future of the NSW squad were put on hold as the fullback finaly found his form to avoid a whitewashOne after the other James Tedesco’s teammates came up to embrace him. First a gleeful Mitch Moses lifted the Blues’ number one off the turf. Then bruising prop Reagan Campbell-Gillard swallowed the diminutive captain in his arms. Immediately, the remainder passed through, part out of respect for a leader under siege, part delight for their friend.Tedesco had just sealed game three of the 2023 State of Origin series with a customary – if unlikely – try assist for debutant Bradman Best, just as Wednesday night’s contest clattered towards a conclusion. Continuing his form from the preceding two matches,...
Brad Fittler’s Blues are desperate to regain some pride in game three after two defeats, but the Maroons look ready to continue dominationUsually, the “dead rubber” is as desultory as it sounds. The cake has been eaten by the victor, the candles snuffed for the vanquished and only crumbs remain for fans. Sure, every State of Origin game offers brilliance, intensity and controversy. But with Queensland 2-0 up and players boycotting media due to their dispute with the NRL, Origin game three at a half-full Sydney Olympic Stadium could be an empty experience for all.Yet there’s still plenty in the balance on Wednesday night. Pride, first and foremost. New South Wales are desperate to salvage something from the wreckage of...
After Ash Barty fulfilled her Wimbledon destiny in 2021 and Nick Kyrgios made the 2022 final, the absence of Australians in the second week this year is starkThe night before Australia’s charge at Wimbledon withered on Saturday, a key figure from the nation’s golden generation declared he too would be bowing out due to the difficulty of travel. Neale Fraser, the 1960 Wimbledon champion who later became a successful Davis Cup captain, told a gathering at the annual “Aussie barbecue” that his 60th visit to the All England Club would also be his last.“It is like a second home. It is 70 years since I played my first match at Wimbledon,” said Fraser, who turns 90 in October. “I remember...
Edgy spectators resort to Sunday morning visits to the church and public house as Stokes’s men test their faith to the limitFor three days, excited crowds have been walking down St Michael’s Lane to Headingley’s cricket ground. A good number of them have paused at the Original Oak for a nerve-settling pint ahead of the day’s play. On Sunday, the pub opened at 10am, just as the morning service began in the church opposite.The congregation in St Michael and All Angels’ were mostly locals – but a few of the faithful were visiting fans who had stopped to say a prayer or two on the way to the ground. The vicar had prepared his sermon with cricket-lovers in mind, hiding...
In blowing away the Gold Coast Suns, Port Adelaide showed a full range of gears being driven by a winning mix of quirky veterans and sundance kidsThere’s an almost avian quality to how Connor Rozee moves on the football field. He hovers and lurks. He swoops and steals. He glides in, and accelerates out of a contest. On Saturday night, he anticipated the spill from a throw in, met the ball at full cruising speed, took it in his left hand, switched to his right, consulted his protractor, caressed the ball on the lateral column of his preferred foot, and let it tumble, talk, and taunt its way past the scrambling Gold Coast defender. From gather to goal-line, it took...