
Tigers star’s surprise Grand Final role
Veteran Richmond midfielder Dion Prestia has been nominated by the Tigers to race in the annual Grand Final sprint on Saturday.
The 2019 best and fairest winner is a left-field entrant into the MCG race after he missed 10 games this season to hamstring and calf injuries.
The full field for the race, which is now sponsored by Gatorade, will not be released until Friday, but Prestia was lodged with the AFL as Richmond’s contender despite his injury woes in the last six months.
In the Grand Final pre-game entertainment, pop star Katy Perry will headline and perform her 2008 hit “I Kissed A Girl,” joined by a surprise Australian female artist. Christine Anu will perform alongside her daughter, Zipporah, while Mike Brady will make his traditional appearance. Cody Simpson is set to perform the national anthem.
Meanwhile, in the NRL, the Penrith Panthers remain unbothered by the prospect of rainy Sydney weather ahead of their grand final qualifier, despite data showing they struggle in wet conditions. Head coach Ivan Cleary also indicated that second-rower Scott Sorensen is unlikely to play due to a lingering hamstring injury. Over the past two premiership seasons, the Panthers have won only two of six wet-weather games, giving them a 33 percent win rate in such conditions, much lower than their overall 75 percent winning rate. Including their World Club Challenge loss to St Helens in 2023, their wet-weather record slips to 2-5. Notable losses include a shocking defeat to Wests Tigers in Bathurst and a rain-affected loss to St George Illawarra, both under similar conditions to the heavy rain that hit Sydney on Thursday.
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