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MASKED PANTHER

Latest NRL goss. p63.

Hannah Darlington recently suffered a knee injury.

Hannah eyes WBBL comeback

NATHAN TAYLOR

Former Sydney Thunder skipper Hannah Darlington has revealed the unusual way she first discovered cricket when she was going to school in the local area.

Darlington was a student at James Erskine Public School when one day she accidentally hit a teacher in the head with a ball and was given a choice of attending detention or joining the school cricket team.

“I remember picking up a tennis ball and I threw it back and the teacher turned around and said he had a sore head and wondered who threw the ball that far,” Darlington told the Weekender.

“When he knew it was me, he said that I had a good arm on me. He said, ‘you can’t just go around throwing whatever you want… it’s either detention or you come join me at cricket practice with the boys’. It was a pretty easy decision for me to make.”

Fast forward a decade later and Darlington is one of the brightest young female leaders and talents in the game.

Not only did the 20-year-old captain the Thunder in the WBBL last summer, but she also made her national women’s team debut.

It’s been an incredible ride for the former Erskine Park High School student who, at just 15 years of age, signed with the Thunder ahead of the 2018/19 WBBL season.

While Darlington is yet to play a game in the WBBL this year due a knee injury suffered at training in September, she is hopeful of getting back on the field before the end of the season.

“I was actually bowling and tripped over by accident and couldn’t walk for a couple of days. They scanned my knee and found out that I tore my meniscus,” Darlington said.

“It was my first time under the knife, and I was a little bit nervous, but I was out of hospital after a couple of hours and walking the next day on crutches.

“I’m expected to be fit to come back a bit later in the season, but I was grateful the damage to my knee was pretty minimal.”

With the Thunder having a mixed start to the season, it’s hoped Darlington’s eventual return won’t be for nothing.

The all-rounder, who won the Betty Wilson Young Cricketer of the Year award, last year admitted she was a terrible spectator.

“I suck at watching cricket,” Darlington said.

“I’m probably going to have to keep myself busy by filling up drink bottles or doing something else.

“I’m going to struggle to watch cricket when I should be out there playing.”

The WBBL season continues for the Sydney Thunder in Hobart today (November 4), where they will take on the Brisbane Heat.

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Coles chips in crucial cash

$5000 donation will help Emu Plains Little Athletics Centre purchase equipment

NATHAN TAYLOR

Coles has thrown their support behind Emu Plains’ little athletes, with a $5000 sports grant to help Emu Plains Little Athletics Centre buy brand new hurdles for the new season.

The latest round of grants from the Coles Little Athletics Community Fund takes Coles’ donation to grassroots Little Athletics centres to more than $2.2 million in four years and will help centres buy new sports and safety equipment such as javelins, discuses and defibrillators to support aspiring athletes and community volunteers.

This year’s grants have been made possible with money raised by Coles, its banana growers and customers during the inaugural Coles Little Athletics Banana A-Peel held earlier this year, when 10 cents of every kilogram of Cavendish bananas sold in Coles supermarkets was donated to the cause.

Emu Plains Little Athletics President Grant Haydon said the grant will help the centre to provide a safe and quality program for its athletes and volunteers after a very challenging period due to COVID.

“We are proud to be the largest club in our area and can boast many successful athletes at a state and national level across Track, Field and Cross Country events, however, COVID has affected us terribly with our membership numbers over the last two years cut almost in half,” he said.

“With this funding from Coles, we’ll be able to replace a number of very outdated and damaged hurdles with lightweight collapsible ones that can be adjusted more easily for different age groups.

“They will also help to reduce the time and effort it takes our volunteers to set up and pack down and will provide a safer experience for both athletes and volunteers alike this season.”

Coles State General Manager Ivan Slunjski said Coles was delighted to continue to support grassroots Little Athletics centres in NSW through initiatives like the Coles Little Athletics Community Fund and banana donations.

“Coles has been a proud supporter of Little Athletics for over five years, and we’re delighted to provide over $80,000 in sports equipment grants to NSW’s Little Athletics centres to help them gear up for this season,” he said.

“We’re particularly delighted to help centres that were affected by the floods earlier this year so that they can replace some of their equipment.

“We know very well the devastating impact these floods have had on local clubs and communities, and we hope these grants will help them to recover and look forward to a new Little Athletics season.”

More than $250,000 in sports equipment grants were distributed to 73 Little Athletics centres across Australia in the latest round.

In addition to the distribution of sports equipment grants, Coles will continue to support Little Athletics centres across NSW with banana donations from local supermarkets throughout the season.

Coles is providing equipment grants to 73 Little Athletics centres in Australia.

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Around The Grounds

CRICKET: Penrith are in a strong position heading into day two of their Round 4 clash against UNSW in the Beldivere Cup. Playing in a Two Day match at Howell Oval, Penrith again hit the batting crease first. Playing with a home ground advantage, the Penrith side put up an exceptional innings with the bat, declaring on 8/353 after 91 overs. UNSW will be up to bat with just four runs under their belt after four overs when play resumes on Saturday at 10am.

CRICKET: Sunday saw the end of Penrith’s winning streak in the Women’s First Grade competition, playing in a T20 match against Northern Districts. Though the Penrith side started out strong at Howell Oval, clocking up 91 runs over the 20 overs, the visitors put up a strong fight, with a big hit to finish getting them to 2/95 in just under 18 overs. Penrith will be looking for redemption when they take on the Universities side at Bill Ball Oval this Sunday at 2pm in another T20 clash.

CRICKET: Both Panthers Cricket Club teams had wins in a rain affected round of the Nepean District Cricket Association (NDCA) Competition. In first grade, the local side had a 20 run win in their match. The seventh grade side then had a vital outright victory over Glenmore Park, with Panthers batting first and scoring a respectable 10/168, before their bowlers did the damage to dismiss Glenmore Park for 33 runs in their first innings, and 22 in their second innings.

BASEBALL: Greater Western have again been unlucky in their efforts against the Canterbury Vikings in Round 4 of the NSW State Baseball League first grade competition. Though Wednesday’ s game was a washout, the Warriors sought out redemption in Sunday’s clash at Chapman Gardens Baseball Oval. However, the Vikings prevailed 6-3. Greater Western will take on the Blacktown Workers in Round 5 matches.

AFLW: The GWS Giants have maintained their perfect record against the Gold Coast Suns with their fourth consecutive win in the head-to-head battle to close out the home and away portion of AFLW season seven. Playing at Henson Park, the Giants started the game off strong with five first half goals – their second highest half time score of the season. Though the opposition played a competitive game, the Giants took the game out 44-32. For both teams it is season over and focus now switches to list management decisions and preparations for season eight.

FOOTBALL: Western Sydney Wanderers kept their unbeaten start to the A-League Mens season alive with a 2-0 defeat of Newcastle Jets on Friday night at CommBank Stadium. Though the Wanderers had little luck in the earlier part of the game, it was in the 44th minute that Romain Amalfitano scored the team’s first goal, quickly followed up by Borrello in the 51st minute, extending the home side’s lead. Western Sydney will return to CommBank stadium this Saturday when they take on the Central Coast Mariners.

To make a submission to Around The Grounds, including regular scores or recruitment drive notices, send an email to cassidy.pearce@westernweekender.com.au. You can also private message us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/westernweekender, or Tweet us @wwpenrith. You can call us on (02) 4722 2998.

REVEALED: PRE-SEASON SCHEDULE

! Pre-season double for Panthers fans: I can reveal the NRL is close to finalising the pre-season schedule for next season with plans for Penrith to play two matches at BlueBet Stadium. If all goes to plan, the traditional Battle of the West trial between Penrith and Parramatta would be played on Saturday, February 11, while the World Club Challenge between Penrith and St Helens would be held on Saturday, February 18. The NRL is hoping to lock in the schedule in the coming days. Both games would be live on Fox Sports. ! 20 years on: The Panthers have recruited 2003 legends Tony Puletua and Joe Galuvao to help launch a 20-year commemorative jersey that recognises Penrith’s Premiership success from two decades ago. The official alternate jersey for the 2023 season is the club’s showpiece item honouring the legends of yesteryear and featuring the iconic colours worn on that fateful Sunday on October 5, 2003. The jersey is available from the Panthers Shop now. ! Accolades keep coming: Penrith’s incredible Premiership defence has been recognised by Sport NSW, with the Panthers named a nominee in the Team of the Year category. The 2022 NSW Sports Awards are NSW’s highest sports honours and the category winners will be revealed at the prestigious NSW Champions of Sport Ceremony at the International Convention and Exhibition Centre in Darling Harbour on Monday, November 28. Other finalists in the Team of the Year category are the Sydney Kings, Wests Tigers Women’s Team, North Cronulla Open Beach Relay Team, NSW Sky Blues Women’s Origin Team and the Australian Junior Men’s Coxed Four.

! Marto locked in: Liam Martin (pictured left) may be deep in preparation for the World Cup Quarter Finals with Australia but it hasn’t stopped his management sorting out his future back home. The club is likely to announce the Martin extension in the coming days with the most intriguing factor being the rumoured length – just one extra year, taking him to the end of the 2024 season.

! Coaching structure locked in: Peter Wallace and Ben Gardiner have been confirmed as Ivan Cleary’s assistant coaches at Penrith next season. Since retiring in 2018, Wallace has remained an integral part of the club as a member of the coaching staff, and has made an impactful contribution both on and off the field. Gardiner joins the club with a wealth of experience, having worked in a number of key coaching positions, including assistant coach for the New Zealand Kiwis. The coaching shake-up comes following the departures of Cameron Ciraldo and Andrew Webster.

! Lower grade coaches confirmed: Ben Harden will coach Penrith’s NSW Cup team next year, while Jono Rolfe will continue to look after the Jersey Flegg side. ! Home ground advantage: The future of Penrith Stadium remains up in the air but the NRL is at least thankful the Panthers will be playing there next season. Head office is currently trying to finalise the draw for next year, which is being complicated by availability around the FIFA Women’s World Cup. A host of NRL sides will be forced away from home during the tournament. Penrith will be trouble-free and continue to play games at home through the disruption. ! No keepsake: Following up on a previous piece I wrote soon after the Grand Final, it now appears there will not be a 2022 Premiers DVD or Blu-Ray, which is a huge disappointment for fans hoping to own a permanent copy of the game. Word is a licencing deal isn’t in place for this year’s match, meaning there will be no release this year. ! Spotted: Panthers winger Brian To’o happily posing with fans at Mount Druitt Westfield (pictured left), just before heading off to the World Cup to represent Samoa. ! Spotted: 2003 Clive Churchill Medal winner Luke Priddis at the Nepean Business Network’s Melbourne Cup breakfast at The Log Cabin on Tuesday.

Tony Puletua and Joe Galuvao.

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Olympic insight on show

TROY DODDS

New insight into local paddler Jessica Fox’s inspirational Olympic campaign has been revealed thanks to an exciting new documentary, which is to be released in the coming weeks.

‘Golden’ features never-before-seen footage of Fox as she prepares for what would ultimately be a medal-winning campaign in Tokyo last year, including her first Olympic Gold Medal.

Filmmaker Aidan Williams is behind the groundbreaking project.

“I had this epiphany, how amazing would it be to follow Jess’ journey and show behind the scenes footage as never seen before as she prepares for Tokyo in her search for Gold,” he said.

“So I sent her a message and she loved the idea right away.”

The footage in ‘Golden’ is an amazing insight into the preparation, determination, perseverance and humility of a champion and undeniable slalom great.

Weekender reporter Nathan Taylor, who has covered Fox’s career since her Olympic debut in London in 2012, also features in the documentary.

“Jess’ story needed to be told and to be done justice, there was such an amazing opportunity,” Mr Williams said.

“Nobody had done it justice so I thought I needed to. So, I gave my heart and soul to this piece.

“I just want to do it justice for Jess, her family and the amazing community.”

The documentary ‘Golden’ will be out soon on Vimeo.

The cover image of the new Jessica Fox documentary, ‘Golden’.

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Aidan Williams is behind the film.