ROGERS DROWNS OUT THE NOISE
HER closest rivals are lining up to knock her down, but Lana Rogers says she hears none of the noise as the 2019-20 NutriGrain Ironwoman champion prepares to defend her title at Kingscliff this weekend.
Rogers, 24, was denied an opening weekend triple crown by Georgia Miller in Round 3, but the reigning champ remains a heavy favourite to make it back-to-back series wins when Round 4 resumes on Friday.
“I’m not focused on Georgia or the other girls, what they’re saying or going to do, only what I’m going to do,” said Rogers, who boasts a fivepoint lead over second-ranked Lizze Welborn heading into the final three rounds this weekend.
The competition leader would not be drawn on any race win proclamations or potential title talk – her focus solely on repeating the superhuman feats from the opening two rounds that had pundits and rivals wondering if anyone could catch her.
It was in the M-Shape EnduroSurf that Rogers announced herself as the early season favourite, leaving the rest of the field in her wake with a dominant display on February 12. The format returns for Round 4 and a repeat performance could well put Rogers beyond reach of her rivals.
Eyeing a 10th Nutri-Grain Series round victory, Rogers sounded a warning to her rivals in declaring the M-Shape one of her favourite formats.
“The Coolangatta Gold is my favourite race of all time … I like the long-distance events and formats, so I’ll enjoy the M-Shape regardless of where I finish,” she said.
“We’re at the make-orbreak point of the series now, the halfway point, and I’m pretty excited about that.
“What will be will be.”
Photos from the under-15 rugby event.
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COWBOYS head of football Micheal Luck has declared the dummy-half battle could be the most important heading into the club’s only trial against Brisbane on Saturday.
Cowboys coach Todd
Payten has made it clear that no position in the 17 is a given, but the one behind the ruck could be the most open.
The Cowboys have three dedicated dummy-halves at their disposal including Reece Robson, Jake Granville and Indigenous All Stars hooker Reuben Cotter.
All three have been named in the trial at Dolphin Park and will be expected to get the same amount of minutes on the field.
“That is going to be Todd’s biggest call to make for the trial and Round 1,” Luck said.
“All three hookers are going particularly well.”
GOLD Coast Suns chairman Tony Cochrane has hit out over AFL expansion talk, warning it would be “completely unrealistic” to introduce a new team within the next decade.
A Tasmanian AFL taskforce has been pushing hard to have their own side by the 2025 season, with the likes of St Kilda champion Nick Riewoldt and Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson throwing their support behind the expansion.
However, Cochrane has
warned the AFL Commission to instead focus on growing the current 18 clubs before introducing any more.
When asked on SEN Radio on Thursday whether the AFL could sustain up to 20 teams, Cochrane said: “Not in my lifetime”.
“It’s completely unrealistic,” Cochrane said.
“We need to spend at least the next 10 to 15 years bedding down the 18 teams we’ve got.
“A number of those teams, ourselves included, are on a very tight financial rein.
“Until we’ve got everybody into clear air, I can’t imagine the (AFL) Commission in their wildest dreams would expand the competition.”
The savvy businessman argued even a 19-team competition could not be viable because a bye round would not help with the code’s media rights.
“It’s impossible to add one team because one team doesn’t do anything for your media rights,” he said.
“The emphasis must be, and I’m sorry for those people in Tasmania, in the next 10 to 15 years to consolidate the 18 teams that are already out there.
“We need to grow the competition from that base and get that right before we put our head out and try and expand again.”
His comments come after former Essendon star, now Brisbane Lions recruit, Joe Daniher, threw his support behind expanding the competition.
“In the next 10 or so years, it would be great to see AFL teams in every corner of our country considering it’s a national game,” Daniher said.
The Suns have struggled to become premiership contenders since their introduction 10 years ago but Cochrane believed the club would cause a few headaches for their AFL rivals this season.
“We’re going to be a really competitive side this year,” he said.
“We’re really up for challenge in front of us.
“We’re starting to get into that nice phase where a number of our young guys are now hitting the 50 to 60 game mark.
“We started to show some really positive signs last year and we’ve got an outstanding coach who is going to be a longterm part of this footy club.
“I think we’re well and truly on the journey.” the