While Lions CEO Sam Graham apologised to Bomber chief Tim Roberts in the aftermath<\/a>, Kangaroos champion David King says it\u2019s largely on Brisbane for exposing itself to such a situation.<\/p>\n\u201cIt\u2019s on them,\u201d King said on Fox Footy.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you\u2019re going to write that sort of thing on a whiteboard and leave it there and have that potentially happen. Look, it\u2019s a one in a million, but it\u2019s happened.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve got to own up and put your hand up and cop what comes.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s OK for \u2018Fages\u2019 to fire back at that individual for taking the photo. But that information was left there laying around, that\u2019s on (Brisbane).\u201d<\/p>\n
Dunkley addresses whiteboard leak | 01:40<\/p>\n
The most controversial element of the whiteboard, the Lions citing ex-teammate Jaxon Prior\u2019s girlfriend Bronte as his lone \u201cstrength\u201d, was firmly defended by Fagan.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m happy for you to go and ask Jaxon what he thinks,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe players all know him and we know his partner as well. There was nothing bad intended at all with that comment. Zero.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s disappointing we\u2019re sitting in here talking about this after a game of football today, honest to goodness, private information.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou guys wouldn\u2019t even know about it if that guy hadn\u2019t of done what he did.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fagan blasts fan who leaked photo | 07:19<\/p>\n
\u2018THAT\u2019S A REACH\u2019: DEBATE OVER TIGER TRIUMPH<\/p>\n
Richmond fans rightfully rejoiced after the club\u2019s first win since Round 19 last year – also coming against West Coast. <\/p>\n
It\u2019s been a dismal start to the year with regards to availability, with 16 players on the injury list going into Saturday afternoon – and ballooning to 17 after Dion Prestia\u2019s calf setback. <\/p>\n
Yet a battling Richmond unit went into Optus Stadium and palmed off the Eagles to put an end to the disheartening stretch. <\/p>\n
Swans great Gerard Healy went as far as to declare on Saturday\u2019s broadcast that \u201cgiven the injuries they\u2019ve sustained, this has got to be one of the greatest wins in the Tigers\u2019 history\u201d. <\/p>\n
And triple Richmond premiership star Jack Riewoldt, who\u2019d been one of the club\u2019s harshest critics to begin the year, poured praise over coach Adem Yze. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m rapt for him. I made the comment a couple of weeks ago that I didn\u2019t know where they had improved under Yze, and what sort of brand of football they were playing, but today, we saw 2026 football,\u201d he said on Fox Footy\u2019s Super Saturday Live. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe saw a young football club under a lot of injury pressure actually stand up away from home. It\u2019s amazing what an away trip can do for you. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey just looked quick. The question I\u2019ve been asking is \u2018where has this been?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
The Tigers snapped their 12-game losing streak on Saturday in Perth. (Photo by Paul Kane\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
Noah Balta, Jack Ross and Seth Campbell led the visitors\u2019 charge, with Riewoldt labelling Balta\u2019s ruck move – which initially came on Anzac Eve against Melbourne – a \u201cmasterstroke\u201d. <\/p>\n
The long-time swingman went forward and kicked three goals along with his 20 disposals, while the work of dynamic half-forward Seth Campbell was also highlighted – in particular a key passage of play early in the final term which ended with him nailing a long-range goal. <\/p>\n
Campbell, who\u2019d trekked all the way back into defence, burst forward once the Tigers won the ball back, and after a 75-metre sprint finally got on the end of Richmond\u2019s handball chain and set sail from 55 metres out. <\/p>\n
The livewire finished as the game\u2019s second-highest rated player with three goals and nine score involvements from 17 disposals. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe exploded onto the scene last year \u2026 this man\u2019s work rate and what he does as a half-forward – he\u2019s been down over the first eight weeks, but this is what he does; this is 2026 football, and this is exactly what Richmond needs to see in the future,\u201d Riewoldt said. <\/p>\n
Of the win in totality, Riewoldt added: \u201cI think the coaches would be looking at it going \u2018this is the brand of footy that can stack up and take this club back up the ladder\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n
But while Riewoldt declared the Tigers had taken \u201ca big step forward\u201d, dual North Melbourne premiership player David King was quick to disagree. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey didn\u2019t take a big step forward. I think that\u2019s a reach,\u201d he said on Fox Footy on Saturday. <\/p>\n
\u201cI think they should have been playing this style of football for weeks. Welcome to 2026, Richmond. Where\u2019s this been?\u201d<\/p>\n
Tigers end dire 12-game losing streak | 01:23<\/p>\n
The Tigers entered Saturday\u2019s clash with West Coast as one of the two worst handballing sides in the competition – and if we\u2019ve learned anything this year, it\u2019s that the high-handball game has been conducive to more efficient ball movement. <\/p>\n
Further, Richmond\u2019s midfield \u201cgumboot brigade\u201d has been a gripe of King\u2019s this year, and while Prestia\u2019s injury is disappointing, it forced Yze and company to start getting creative. <\/p>\n
\u201cPrestia got injured early, which is really sad, but they had to change the mix in the middle. They got some speed in there,\u201d King said. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve been crying out for Richmond to put some speed in their midfield for two and a half months. <\/p>\n
\u201cSo, this is what they can do. This is not a revelation \u2026 I think they\u2019ve been poor in the first six, seven weeks \u2026 so, I don\u2019t see it that way.\u201d<\/p>\n
It sparked some debate between King and the Tigers champion. <\/p>\n
Riewoldt replied: \u201cThat is why it is a big step forward for them, because they\u2019ve been so poor \u2026 I think Richmond people would have been staring down the barrel, going \u2018this might be our last chance to have a win this season\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n
King retorted: \u201cI don\u2019t see it that way, that this is their last chance to have a win. They\u2019re better than they\u2019ve been playing, do you not concede that?\u201d<\/p>\n
Riewoldt said: \u201cI think they can play a lot better than how they\u2019ve played, that\u2019s why it\u2019s frustrating and has been frustrating for Richmond people.\u201d<\/p>\n
King finished: \u201cThat\u2019s my point. So, this is a benchmark for me. This is a benchmark system game, and a benchmark effort game.\u201d<\/p>\n
Yze reacts to 1st win of 2026 | 09:55<\/p>\n
Yze said post-match that what unfolded at Optus Stadium on Saturday had been weeks in the making. <\/p>\n
\u201cI had a lot of belief in what we had been doing, the last few weeks \u2026 we just hadn\u2019t been able to sustain it for a full four quarters,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cEven last week, for three quarters we were right in the game against a really strong team (Melbourne). <\/p>\n
\u201cObviously, really proud of the group. We\u2019re dealing with a fair bit off the field with availability and things like that. This would easily be one of the best wins I\u2019ve been involved in, because of that.\u201d<\/p>\n
WOEFUL WEAGLES PUTTING PRESSURE ON COACH<\/p>\n
There was something sadly ironic about Saturday for West Coast.<\/p>\n
Up in the stands they were celebrating the 20th anniversary of the glorious 2006 premiership, with club greats and officials coming from across the country.<\/p>\n
And it made plenty of sense to do it against Richmond – rather than, say, Sydney – given the increased chances of celebrating while watching a win.<\/p>\n
A win that would\u2019ve effectively ensured they can\u2019t win the wooden spoon, given the Eagles would\u2019ve been three wins clear of a Tigers side that hadn\u2019t gotten close to a first win since Round 1 against Carlton.<\/p>\n
Instead, with an 18-man injury list (including Dion Prestia\u2019s early-game calf concern), Richmond somehow won.<\/p>\n
And it means in Perth, the locals are restless.<\/p>\n
Andrew McQualter\u2019s Eagles have lost five straight including two by triple-digit margins. (Photo by Daniel Carson\/AFL Photos via Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
Such is the curse of early-season wins. The Eagles being 2-1, recording upsets over North Melbourne and Port Adelaide which look even better in hindsight, had the massive blue and gold army thinking the dark days were in the past.<\/p>\n
After all, the Eagles have been terrible for almost half a decade now – two wins in 2022, three in 2023, five in 2024 but then just one in 2025 once they fully committed to the rebuild process with new coach Andrew McQualter.<\/p>\n
Win totals for bad teams are often not reflective of their true quality – the Tigers weren\u2019t four wins better than the Eagles last year, despite winning four extra games; primarily, they got lucky and caught good teams on bad days more often.<\/p>\n
So that means when a team wins a couple of games early when they\u2019re widely tipped to win the wooden spoon, as the Eagles did and were, you\u2019re not expecting them to take backwards steps.<\/p>\n
Big backwards steps, too, like two 100+ point losses and then whatever Saturday was.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re incredibly clear on our plan and on what we\u2019re doing and the path we\u2019re on,\u201d Eagles coach Andrew McQualter said post-game.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll have blips over the next little period of time, there\u2019s no question about that.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we saw some pretty good growth signs from some individuals today. You saw Willem\u2019s moment there late in the game (Duursma\u2019s goal in final minutes) – for our fans to see that, that was special.\u201d<\/p>\n
But the last five weeks are too big to be described as a blip, and just 31 games into his Eagles coaching career, McQualter is facing serious questions.<\/p>\n
McQualter defends side after shock loss | 08:06<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ve won one of their last 21 quarters,\u201d David King explained on Fox Footy\u2019s Super Saturday Live.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt some point – I\u2019m not looking for them to win every week, I\u2019m just looking for them to be competitive in bursts, in small windows. And they\u2019re not there.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone can say that there\u2019s outs. But that was a winnable game for them today, to actually stamp OK, we are on the right track. And they let it slip.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo pressure comes with that; continually losing games of footy builds pressure on the coach and the path. Is this the right way forward? Because boards get nervous.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ve got to show us, we\u2019re outside looking in and we don\u2019t see the incremental growth midweek. Right now the two hours we\u2019re judging, they\u2019ve been poor.\u201d<\/p>\n
As a whole, sitting 2-6 after eight games is a pretty fair reflection of where West Coast sits, but the trend is not their friend.<\/p>\n
A trip east to face the high-scoring Demons is up next, followed by a home clash with the Giants, being the designated victim for Scott Pendlebury\u2019s games record clash at the MCG, and then the big one – the Sunday night standalone spotlight, at home against Essendon.<\/p>\n
Few would begrudge the Eagles losing the next three games but if they go from 2-1 to 2-10, with rematches against Port Adelaide and North Melbourne following, the pressure will be intense.<\/p>\n
THE BASICALLY-FREE SWANS TRADE THAT\u2019S PAYING BIG DIVIDENDS<\/p>\n
If we had predicted coming into the year that Sydney would be flying after eight games thanks to a forward they traded in last off-season, it wouldn\u2019t have sounded particularly bold.<\/p>\n
Except we\u2019re not talking about Charlie Curnow. We\u2019re talking about the guy they paid a packet of chips for.<\/p>\n
Malcolm Rosas came into this weekend as a top-25 player in the AFL over the past few weeks, according to the AFL Player Ratings, and the No.2 general forward behind only Nick Watson.<\/p>\n
He also had the No.1 kick rating in the league… which helps explain him kicking five goals in the first half against Melbourne.<\/p>\n
Not bad for a guy they stole from Gold Coast in exchange for a swap of late picks.<\/p>\n
Malcolm Rosas celebrates one of his five first-half goals against Melbourne. (Photo by Jason McCawley\/AFL Photos\/via Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
Rosas and pick 62, in exchange for picks 51 and 69, could be a premiership-defining deal with the new Swan adding even more small forward firepower to a side already featuring long-time star Tom Papley.<\/p>\n
Rosas had shown flashes at Gold Coast after being the last pick of the 2019 rookie draft, but ended his career on the coast with 46 goals from 49 games – playing just 11 times in two seasons under Damien Hardwick.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not as if he had been scoring multiple goals a game to begin his Swans career either, but he has added more skill and pace to a side that\u2019s currently leading the AFL ladder thanks to those two traits.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve loved his craft, to find those little pockets of space to have those three uncontested marks in the forward 50. Yes, the ball movement\u2019s been electrifying at times, but you need to be able to capitalise,\u201d Nick Dal Santo said on Fox Footy during the Swans-Demons clash.<\/p>\n
\u201cSeven kicks, five goals straight. It\u2019s the highest-rated opening half by any Swan since 2024 – and you\u2019re thinking about some of those great halves by those individuals like Isaac Heeney and Chad Warner.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s been fantastic but he\u2019s been part of the collective that have moved the ball really well on offence.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rosas bags five in stunning first half | 00:42<\/p>\n
It had been eight years since a Swan had five goals at half-time, and Rosas is likely to have more staying power than the last.<\/p>\n
That was Ben Ronke, who had an all-time night out with seven majors against Hawthorn in his third career game; but he ended up playing only 41 more times in the red and white.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s an unfair comparison putting the Rosas swap up against the Curnow trade, but it\u2019s already clear which was the better deal, even if Curnow does end up starring for the Swans for some time.<\/p>\n
Nothing beats (basically) free.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"There\u2019s a \u201csense of inevitability\u201d around Michael Voss\u2019 Blues future as they were haunted by the same problem…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":647643,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[560],"tags":[638,64,63,55,639,85],"class_list":["post-647642","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-afl","tag-afl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-australian-football-league","tag-australianfootballleague","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/647642","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=647642"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/647642\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/647643"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=647642"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=647642"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=647642"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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