Welcome to The Wrap.
I just had to put my phone on silent.
Bez, what have we got around the grounds this week?
Ooh, it's going to be a long one.
Southside Flyers are the champions.
Ferry, Molyneux and Wareham become the first Australian winners
of the Women's Premier League and Football New South Wales
have reported just a casual 34% increase in registered players
for the upcoming season.
Thank you, Tillies.
The Tillies effect.
For the key story, we'll chat about a bit of a hot topic
at the moment, Bez.
Why are women not competing in the decathlon at the Olympics?
Personal opinion or proper opinion?
My name is Chloe Dalton and I'm joined every week on the show
by my co-host, Bez.
We're recording on Gadigal land.
Let's take a look around the grounds.
In basketball, the Southside Flyers are the WNBL champs.
After a tight win on Thursday in Perth, the Flyers returned home
to Melbourne and were outstanding in Game 3.
Dominating across the court in a 115-81 win.
It was a huge final series for the Flyers and they became
the first team to play a Game 3 in both the semi-final
and grand final series and win both.
It's pretty cool, isn't it?
That's a word, so you can just be quiet.
It was a genuine team effort with Bec, Cole, Leilani, Mitchell
and Maddy Roche combining for 46 points.
And it was Southside's fifth championship, which is pretty cool.
And how many do you reckon they go?
Without reading the research?
You're very generous.
It was Lauren Jackson's sixth championship,
but she did win her first title 25 years ago.
That is just like her longevity in the game, in the sport,
and being able to compete at, like obviously the reason she's only won six,
I'll give you that, is because she spent a little bit of time
winning WNBA championships.
Just getting her jersey retired up in the rafters, MVPs.
Still won six at home.
Whilst travelling the world and winning trophies everywhere else.
American import Mercedes Russell was crowned finals most valuable player.
Well done to the Flyers.
In snow sports, Jakara Anthony has finished the season in style,
defeating American rival Jalen Cough in Italy to finish the season
with 14 victories from 16 moguls events.
What happened to those other two?
Referring to the three, three crystal globes she'll be taking home,
one for the single moguls,
one for the dual moguls,
and one for the overall win.
Anthony said, it's seriously crazy.
I'm going to have some big luggage issues getting back to Australia tomorrow.
The season's been absolutely wild.
It's hard to put it into words.
I'm super proud of what we've been able to achieve with my team around me.
I love the use of we.
I think I actually added we in.
I've been able to achieve with my team around me.
But you know what she meant.
You're just projecting onto Jakara.
In future Jakara, let's add some we in there.
Me and Tyler Wright.
No, not we at all.
Tyler Wright has found some form,
finishing second to French rival Joanne DeFay in the final at Super Tubos in Portugal.
The result moved right into eighth on the WSL standings
and came just when she needed it.
She's had a worse start to the season with two third round exits in the opening events.
And she was definitely aware of that pressure she was under.
She said afterwards, it's amazing.
I feel like this has been a really key point for my year.
It's taken me a while to figure out some of the different changes.
That I've had going on.
Thank you, Portugal, for having us.
I really enjoyed myself.
I read an article.
She's had an operation in the off season.
She had screws inserted into her, I want to say sinus cavity or skull somewhere
to actually separate and make bigger tubes for breathing.
Is that to do with the braces?
But yeah, she's got screws and stuff in it.
And it's like literally she said she's never been able to breathe as well as she has
and things like that.
Pretty crazy, hey?
Molly Pickles-Picklem kept a hold of first place and the yellow jersey.
And the two are now heads to Australia with the Bells Beach event starting on March 26,
pending conditions.
If you are in Victoria, get to Bells.
It's such a good weekend.
It's been on my bucket list.
I haven't done it yet and I need to.
You would need to very much rug up.
In cricket, it was Elise Perry's Royal Challengers Bangalore against Meg Lanning's
Delhi Capitals in the Women's Premier League final on Sunday night.
And although Perry was the one who got her team to the final,
it was another Aussie that helped RC Bangalore win it.
Sophie Molyneux was awarded player of the final after taking three wickets in just one over
to tear the Capitals' top order apart.
She was also influential in the field, running out right at Yadav with a direct hit.
The Capitals only managed a total of 113 and Perry would not be left out,
steering her team to the total calmly and finishing not out 35 from 37 balls.
Bangalore won by eight wickets with three balls to spare.
In the process, Elise Perry, Sophie Molyneux and Georgia Warren became the first Australian
winners of the WPL in its second season.
In rugby union, the grand final replay for the Super Rugby Women's Tournament was a really
tough contest on Sunday and it saw two-time champs Fiji hold on to beat the Queensland
Reds 32-21 at Ballymore in Brisbane.
Fiji and drill wing-up Maro Orita Navosa was on debut and was damaging for the champs,
scoring two tries.
On Saturday, the mighty New South Wales Waratahs got their tournament off to a solid start
in Sydney with a 45-10 win over the ACT Brumbies.
It was a bit clunky at times, I would say.
I think the Brumbies always play a type of rugby that stifles us somehow.
But Waratahs' defence was outstanding and when given half an opportunity, the class
do tend to capitalise.
So, try-scoring machine Maya Stewart finished with a hat-trick and skipper Piper Duck made
metres every time she touched the ball.
I thought they were very, very...
A couple of rusty patches, but I thought overall they were very dominant.
Yeah, it was interesting, actually.
Reflecting on it after the game, there was a lot of nerves in the change room, which
It means they care a lot.
I like a bit of nerves.
But that first one's out.
We'll be ready to go for next week.
In football, the Tillies and the 2023 World Cup is the gift that just keeps on giving.
It's so true, isn't it?
I feel like monthly, maybe even more frequently, we've got more and more data and good things
coming out of it.
New South Wales have reported a 34% increase in registered players for the upcoming season
and the fastest growing player group is women and girls who now make up 30% of all registrations.
That is just so cool.
Facts, numbers, data, proof.
The numbers show that there were 25,000 more new players at the end of February compared
to the same time last year.
The growth is incredible, but it's left the association crying out for greater funding
to ensure that infrastructure is in place.
To facilitate the rapid increase, Football New South Wales Chief Executive John Satsamas
has highlighted there a lack of female facilities at many clubs and said, we need to make sure
the next group of girls coming through, the future Matildas, are motivated and encouraged.
Ease of access to facilities will allow that to happen so that we are at the top of the
game on an international level.
He's nailed that.
I just think, again, this is the Matildas legacy.
And they talk about legacy all the time.
And it is on display in some more football.
We've got a new ladder leader after a double from Courtney Vine helped Sydney FC defeat
the Wellington Phoenix 4-2.
Sky Blues have now gone seven matches unbeaten and are a point clear of Western United at
the top with a game in hand.
Did you see the video?
So the Phoenix, I think they have a chant and it's like, who are you?
And they just yell it out.
She turns to them, double fingers points to her name on the back.
And then it's a free kick.
Do they even call it that?
What do they call it?
I was like, am I talking AFLW language here?
Free kick to the Sky Blues.
Goes in, didn't really look like anything was happening.
Suddenly she like burst of speed, wins the ball back.
They score a goal.
And then she runs to them.
And did you see that she did the, can't hear you.
The Melbourne Derby finished in a stalemate after neither the victory or Melbourne City
could find the back of the net.
How was it being there?
It was actually incredible.
The atmosphere was awesome for the Derby.
It was, it was really, really cool to see thousands of people there supporting both
It's always a bit disappointing when it's nil all, but great to see a number of tillies
Lots of people coming up to say hello, saying they love, they listen to the podcast every
They've read the book.
Like it's cool atmosphere.
I'm just here for women's sport.
Let's take a look at the key story.
We shared a post on our socials about the fact that Paris 2024 is going to be the first
Olympics with gender.
If we look back at a hundred years ago, it was about 5% women competing.
So the fact that it's 50, 50 is huge.
One hot topic of discussion is, is it really gender parity if there are still sports that
the women cannot compete in at the Olympics?
So Jordan Gray is an American athlete who holds the highest decathlon score of any woman
currently active in the sport.
And she's driving a campaign to have the event included in the 2028 Olympics game,
So I do believe her.
So campaign started three years ago, striving for 2024, right?
She has shift pivoted now to 2028 because 2024 schedule was released and women's decathlon
was not included.
In 2008 at the Beijing games, the women's steeplechase was included for the first
time, but that is mind blowing event.
That change nearly brought equality to the Olympic athletics program.
Nearly the only difference now that remains is in the multidiscipline event.
Women compete in heptathlon.
Over seven events while men compete in decathlon over 10.
So just a little background for you.
The heptathlon sees competitors compete the 200 meters, 800 meters, a hundred meter hurdles,
long jump, high jump, javelin, and shot put.
Ty just saying it.
But the decathlons, these men complete the 100 meters long jump shot put high jump, 400
meters pole vault discus, 110 meter hurdles, javelin, and the 50 finishes with the 1500
It's a lot of events, isn't it?
So back to Jordan Gray while we're learning how to count here.
She's been campaigning by her website.
Let women decathlon for three years.
As you said, Bez, she's hoping to end what she sees as gender discrimination in the
Olympic games before her home Olympics in 2028.
The women's decathlon does take place at events run by the USA Track and Field and
the International Association of Athletics Federations.
But the Olympics is still holding out.
When looking at the.
Reasons for why it's not included.
There's some very outdated references, Bez, about women not having the upper body
strength for pole vault, which is also just absurd.
I think the most absurd thing is all of the individual events women can compete in.
So they have the ability to do it.
And there's absolutely no reason to say that they couldn't do it across the 10 across.
What do you know what period of time it's like?
How many days it's done over?
I want to say three.
I was going to guess three.
Let's go with it.
There it's once again, just a real lack.
Of common sense from what we understand for the, for any reasoning for why we couldn't
When I was reading about this, I was kept trying to search for something that made sense
as to why, you know, is it a timing thing?
Is it a money thing?
And there was, there's really no valid reason for it.
It's just, it's one of those.
Well, just because that's the way it is.
Just because that's the way it's always been.
A lot of CrossFitters talk about the fact that if you win CrossFit, you're the fittest
Decathlon, they argue that if you win the decathlon or the heptathlon, as it currently
sits, that you're the greatest athlete.
I don't know if they say on earth, I feel like that's a CrossFit thing.
How do you determine, is it, is it the athletes that are the best across a range or is it
the athletes that are very best at what they do in a specific discipline?
Look, I think trying to compare apples and oranges, which I think a CrossFitter is to
That's an apple and an orange is, is a flawed argument because it's, they're, they're different
I'm trying to say like, if you are really good at the 10 disciplines or however many
is in CrossFitter as there is in decathlon, does that mean you're the greatest athlete
If you win an event that has multiple athletes versus someone who might be the fastest over
a hundred meters or a marathon runner, like how do you determine who's the greatest athlete
Do you have to do it across multiple disciplines in one event?
Because I think, no.
Do you want me to just ask you that question?
Is that where you were going?
I don't know, Chloe, what do you think?
I just think, I think it's hard because I think there's a lot of people who potentially,
if they did spread themselves out to do the other sports, you don't necessarily know their
capacities, but they've focused all of their time and energy into the one discipline.
Which is why I think that the question in itself is flawed because you're either the
greatest CrossFitter.
You're the greatest decathlete or you're the great, you know what I mean?
I don't think anyone could be the greatest athlete of all time.
I just don't, it's a, it's a false economy, not here for it.
I'm glad we finally got your answer.
Let's take a look at what to watch.
It's March Madness time with the first four kicking off on Thursday, Aussie time.
You can catch the games on ESPN via Foxtel.
Make sure you keep an eye out for Aussie point guard and scoring machine, Georgia Amore, who will play a huge role for the
Virginia Tech Hokies.
And apparently she's mentioned that she wouldn't mind a little trip back to Australia to play some AFLW.
Oh, I didn't see that.
Big Geelong Cats fan.
Oh, no, I was hoping it was going to be the Giants.
She's only five foot six though.
But apparently, well, she obviously has some serious hand-eye coordination going on.
There is a huge clash in the Super Rugby Women's Round Two when the Waratahs travel to Fiji to take on the Druar Bears.
You ready for an exotic trip?
I wish it was exotic.
It's about 70 hours in Fiji, hit and run.
Unfortunately, there won't be a lot of pool time.
Will you be back for the wrap on Monday?
Yes, I'll get back late on Sunday night.
I look forward to your aeroplane research.
That's exactly where it will happen.
The Tars will be keen to knock off the champs and assert some dominance on the tournament.
The match kicks off at 2.35pm AEDT on Saturday and will be live on StanSport.
And the Suncorp Team Girls Cup is Netball's official pre-season tournament and will be played in Sydney for the first time.
It will take place from Friday the 22nd of March to Sunday the 24th of March at Sydney's Ken Rosewell Arena.
It will be the first opportunity for fans to see all eight Suncorp Super Netball teams in 2024, including the newcomers, the Melbourne Mavericks.
All games will be live on KO Sports and Foxtel.
And that's the wrap.
That is the wrap.
See you next week, friend.
See you next week.
Don't forget, every Thursday morning we've got long-form interviews dropping.
We listen to your feedback all the time and we want to be delivering that content to you Thursday morning, 6am.
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