The Wrap Walker Wins First Bobsled Gold For Australia Steelers Qualify For The Paralympics In Wheelc

Welcome to The Wrap, a weekly podcast covering women's sports news.

Bez, what have we got around the grounds this week?

Brie Walker wins the first ever bobsled World Cup gold.

For Australia, I forgot that part.

For Australia.

Sorry.

Love that when you just slide it in.

Can't you even cut and paste my stuff correctly?

No, it's been a big weekend.

In wheelchair rugby, the Australian Steelers have qualified for the 2024 Paralympics

and the Tillys will face Germany and the USA in Paris.

For the key story, we'll chat about the serious lack of statues of women in Australia

and why the Matildas should not have to win to get a statue.

I, who I've been in a serious battle across the weekend, blocking all the dads, brads

and chads who were complaining about the fact that they finished fourth and don't deserve

a statue, but I'll save my anger for the key story.

She's already got the expressive hand gestures out.

I know, I need to put my hands in my pockets.

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.

Bez, let's take a look around the grounds.

In snow sports, Brie Walker has created history by becoming the first ever Aussie to win a

bobsleigh World Cup gold medal when she won the Monobob event at Lake Placid on the weekend.

It was that video of her finishing, which we shared on our socials and collabed with

Brie.

Like, it was a really special moment.

And I think I've watched Brie's journey for a good few years now.

And like, she's been on the podium.

We've chatted about the fact she's been on the podium.

A number of times.

She's had a really good season.

So to see her get her first win was very exciting.

Pure joy at the end there.

Yeah, it was really cool.

She set a sizzling course record on her second run of 59.22 seconds.

And the victory pushed her to second on the overall standings for the season, which is

the best end of season ranking of her career.

Question before we go to the next story.

Bobsled, bobsleigh, when are they used?

Are they interchangeable?

Please help us.

Yeah, help us.

But I don't know, but Brie Walker bobsleighed that course.

Hey!

Were you holding on to that one?

No, just thought of it.

Because I was actually just thinking 59.22 seconds of like sliding, I reckon is the wrong

word.

Like absolutely falling down a course.

Falling's not even aggressive enough.

Like it's rocketing onto the next.

Rocketing onto the next Commonwealth Games news.

Unfortunately, another blow to the athletes dreaming of representing their country in

the 2026 Comm Games on Saturday.

As Malaysia rejected.

An offer to host the games due to time constraints, costs and insufficient funding from the organisation.

So this comes after Victoria withdrew as host and the Gold Coast decided against a late bid.

And it puts the Commonwealth Games future at risk.

And the athletes from approximately 70 countries might miss out on an opportunity to test

themselves on a big stage.

You good?

Sorry, I just clinked my glass against my microphone.

Just cheers in the microphone.

So if the 2026 Games do not proceed, it will be the first time since World War Two in 1942 and 2027.

In 1946 that they have been cancelled.

And I just think a real shame for this group of athletes.

Last week we got to catch up with some of the Super Netball captain's bears.

One of our favourite interviews was with Steph Wood and she talked about the fact where yes or no should netball be in the Olympics.

She said no, because she thought the Comm Games was such a big occasion, as was the World Cup World Champs.

I think it's really devastating for athletes in sports that have a real focus on Comm Games and that's kind of their time that they get to shine.

Yeah, absolutely.

And then just also the athletes from some of those smaller countries that may not actually qualify for the Olympics.

We're talking athletes from 70 different countries.

I know that the Commonwealth is a bit of an archaic structure and I don't necessarily agree with it, but anything for sport.

Anything for sport, that's dangerous.

Anything for a sport competition that we dominate.

Yeah, we do love dominating that one.

But interesting, I was back on Wide World of Sport on the weekend.

It was a big conversation about the Queensland government and their refusal to.

Spend the money on the Gabba.

Spend the money on the Gabba or potentially a new stadium at Victoria Park, I think it was.

Interesting.

It's just really interesting to see the future of these huge global events with their economic demands, what it's going to look like moving forward.

My proposal still stands, I reckon.

Four different sites across the world and I just rotate through them every 12 years.

Was that your proposal?

Because I stole it on the show and said it was mine.

Did you?

Yeah.

What happens when I leave the country?

In wheelchair rugby.

The Australian Steelers have qualified for the 2024 Paralympics after winning gold in Wellington, New Zealand at the qualification tournament.

The Steelers had to fight to the very last seconds against Rivals Canada with the scores locked at 45 all at full time.

Extra time was tight, but Captain Chris Bond scored the winning goal with 1.8 seconds remaining in overtime to give the Aussies a 49 to 48 victory.

Shea Graham and Ella Sabjack were instrumental for the Steelers and can now look ahead to the games where they'll be hunting.

A medal with their Steelers teammates.

Can't wait.

In some cricket news, Australian cricket team are in Bangladesh for a three-match ODI series, which will be followed by a three-match T20 series.

Game one of the ODI, the Aussies batted first and were in some trouble at six for 112 before ever-improving all-rounder Annabelle Sutherland came to the crease.

She is in a purple patch at the moment, Sutherland.

She registered a solid 58 not out from 76 deliveries to guide her team to a defendable total of seven for 213.

Bangladesh had trouble with the Aussie attack.

From the outset, with Megan Shute taking a wicket with just the second ball of the over, they ended up all out for 95 from 36 overs, delivering the Australians a 118-run win.

And then last night, Sunday night, the Aussies wrapped up the series with another dominant performance.

Sophie Molyneux was immense.

It was her first ODI game in, I think, for Australia in maybe over a year or two.

Yeah, wow.

Obviously, there's some pretty dry spinning decks.

So she took three wickets and allowed just 10 runs.

She made 10 overs.

Bangladesh had no answer for that spin attack with slow bowlers Alana King, Georgia Wareham and Ash Garner all taking two wickets each.

Elyse Perry then came out and did what she does, steering Australia to the winning total of 98 with an unbeaten score of 35 from 50 balls to help seal the win in the series in the 23rd over.

In football, the pools for the Paris Olympics were determined last week and the Tillies will have a challenge on their hands to win their first ever Olympic medal.

Drawn in Pool B alongside USA and Germany.

Plus an outing.

Which will be either Morocco or Zambia.

The Matildas will have to beat the best.

All three groups are not really easy, right?

When you have 12 teams competing rather than 16, it kind of...

Who has 16, Chloe?

The men do.

Oh, interesting.

They also have the decathlon.

I think interesting, though, because if we looked at this draw maybe four to six years ago, I think you see names like the US and Germany and they almost seem like unattainable wins.

But I think it's been really interesting the way that...

Yeah.

I think the way that football at the international level has very much balanced out.

Great Britain, Sweden failing to qualify, US number of losses, which was kind of pretty rare for them for a patch there.

I'm really backing them in.

Yeah, absolutely.

Germany and USA, whilst it's on paper, it looks daunting.

I think, as you said, given recent form, the amount of top level football I think our players are playing now, which I think is super important.

I agree.

We'll qualify top and go on to win gold.

Oh, I love that from you.

Tony Gustafsson has chosen a squad of 23 for a camp in San Antonio, Texas next month, leading into the friendly against Mexico on April 10th.

Which will be a great test for them because Mexico beat the US recently.

Yes.

And the CONCACAF.

CONCACAF.

Is that it?

I don't know.

There's a lot of letters in it, but that's how I've been saying it in my brain, you know, and you'd never say it out loud.

And now I did and I'm nervous.

And it's out there.

In Rugby Union.

The New South Wales Waratahs travelled to Fiji on the weekend, determined to take an important step towards regaining their Super Rugby title.

Two-time defending champs Fijian Drua and a raucous home ground stood in their way.

But the players in Waratah Blue were too good.

It was some pretty oppressive conditions.

It sounded intense.

It was hot.

Yeah.

And it was, yeah, I watched some pretty elite athletes.

So we played after the men.

So the Waratahs men played the Drua before us.

And there was a fair few of the Waratahs men players in some serious distress post-match.

They went to extra time.

They played 90 minutes.

Ooh.

That's, ooh.

It was just, they'd had a lot of rain during the week, like floods kind of rain.

So the ground was very heavy and it was about 100% humidity.

I was nearly going to say more than 100%, but I'm one of those people that it's just stupid because there's no such thing.

No such thing.

You can't give 110%.

It was completely humidity.

Entirely humid is what it was.

Good.

Humid in its entirety.

Exactly.

So no, it was really hot.

And yeah, I was just actually telling your mum outside, I looked around the changing room at halftime and there was, you know, when you get the blank stare, there was a lot of girls just staring, thinking, I've just got to survive this.

But anyway.

Oh, wow.

They killed it.

We ran in 10 tries.

Amazing.

They killed it.

62.5.

A 2-21 win.

And yeah, obviously, everyone's home in Wales.

That's good.

Great.

We love that.

In Perth, the Western Force had their first ever win over the Queensland Reds, defeating the visitors 24-14.

And in the process, they moved into second spot on the ladder behind the Waratahs.

Go the Force.

How good.

Yeah, they were really, really playing some good rugby too.

Can't wait.

We actually go to Perth next weekend.

No, weekend after next.

Yeah.

Should be great.

In netball, the New South Wales Swifts have won the pre-season.

Team girls.

Cup on Sunday, defeating the Melbourne Vixens 45-44.

Helen Housby was excellent in the final, scoring 22 points and registering 16 of 20 shooting, including six super shots.

But it was Swift's skipper, Maddie Proud, that took home player of the match after leading the team in the midcourt.

It was a really tight tournament with not a lot separating all eight teams.

Going into the finals, every team had lost at least one match and there hadn't really been any blowouts across the weekend.

It's kind of funny.

The curse they talk about.

We chatted about it with the players.

Like, no, they kind of like, they don't want to tank the games, but they kind of also are

okay if they don't win because apparently no one has ever won the team girls cup and gone

on to win the Super Netball title.

The Swiss will be hoping that they break that curse, I'm sure.

Yeah.

Shout out to Maddie Proud for her kind of acceptance speech for player of the final because she

was, she was so articulate, like particularly post-match.

She just like nailed it, like thanking all the sponsors, talking about the importance

of growing the game.

She absolutely killed it.

I think afterwards she'd said to her coach the fact that she felt like she was 83 years

old out there.

I love that.

Also great to see over 7,700 fans in Ken Rose Arena over the weekend.

It was more than double of the team netball team girls cup from last year's crowd.

So yeah, all points to a really competitive and exciting season ahead.

Awesome.

Let's take a look at the key story.

In some statues news.

I've got to do it.

Statue bro.

We didn't even plan that.

I like how I text you at what?

10 p.m.

Last night, probably after you'd flown in from Fiji and said, I'd like to talk about

this in the key story.

I did put my hand up to do the research, but I think, you know, the way that this relationship

works, that you got it done anyway.

And here we are.

Last week, the Queensland government confirmed a six meter wide and 2.5 meter tall statue

of the iconic Matildas celebrating their penalty shootout win.

This statue is going to be erected out.

Outside of Suncorp Stadium.

Can we talk about 2.5 meters high and how my mind just went to who is that tall in the

Matildas team?

2.5 is very tall.

Do they often make them?

They make them a little bit bigger than life, do we think?

Yeah.

I like that.

Anyway, I just, from my mind, I just went straight into picturing 2.5 meters.

Who is that?

A lot of Kennedy, maybe?

With the hands up?

Great.

There's been a fair amount of criticism, which was the reason for wanting to talk about this

in the key story.

Many saying that a team that finished fourth in a World Cup don't deserve the permanent.

Recognition Queensland Minister for Women, Shannon Fentiman, shared how the statue will

be a reminder of how the team brought joy to so many saying they are inspiring women

and girls to become more active and get involved in organized sport.

And it is fantastic that their efforts will be recognized with a permanent tribute.

The Matildas brought the country together through their performances and had a profound

impact on our sporting landscape.

So, Bez, what I asked was, can we get some stats about the existing statues in the country?

Hit us with the statue.

Stats.

There's a number of statues outside Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.

They are of Wally Lewis, Arthur Beetson, Darren Lockyer, Mal Meninga, Alan Langer, and John Eales.

What do they all have in common?

They're all men.

In 2021, Cricket Australia actually noted and kind of put their hands up that there

were 73 known statues of male cricketers in Australia.

But how many of women?

Nil.

So, in January 2023, a sculpture of Belinda Clark was unveiled at the SCG, which is obviously

a small step in the right direction.

From C8.

The first cricket statue of a female in the world.

Wow.

Yeah.

So, Clark joined Olympic runners Betty Cuthbert and Marlene Matthews to make up three women

amongst the 15 statues outside the SCG.

At the MCG, Cuthbert is joined by Shirley Strickland as only the two female athletes

amongst 16 statues.

And there was a report, there's been some media around this in 2023, it was revealed

that there were more public statues of animals than women in Australia.

The investigation showed that just 17% of statues in the centre of Australia's capital cities

depict women.

It's so confronting.

I'm all here for a dog on a tucker box, but honestly.

Wow.

It's quite ridiculous.

So, I think the biggest part of this discussion, Bez, is that these tributes immortalise people

that have contributed to society on and off the sporting field.

The simple fact is that women are severely underrepresented in this space.

Yes.

So uncomfortable there.

Absolutely.

It's not a good space and they just kept going about the fact

that it was a participation award.

I'm sorry, who's written a rule about the fact that you have

to win a world championship to get a statue?

Where's the rule book on that?

There is no rule book.

And as you said, Chloe, the most important thing here,

and we say it time and time again, is that visibility.

And, you know, sport wouldn't exist if it wasn't for women.

It's just full stop.

Men's sport wouldn't exist if it wasn't for women.

So, you know, it's time that we actually celebrated women,

how they contribute, and at the end of the day, as we said,

the Matildas stopped this country.

Sure, they came forth at the end of the day, but my goodness,

there was not a single person that didn't watch that game

and it should absolutely be immortalised.

It should absolutely be immortalised.

And what I want to say to these men, because I'm just up,

I'm having a rant while I'm at it, not that they're going to be listening

to the podcast, but I'll put it on Facebook to make sure they can see it

and maybe turn off the comments.

If you're so passionate about needing to win a world championship

to get a statue, I'd love to see you campaigning for the Diamonds,

the cricketers, a number of world champions that we have in women's sport,

for them to be getting statues.

So I look forward to seeing you men campaigning for world champs

to get statues.

Mic dropped.

Let's take a look at what to watch.

In the A-League women, exciting, Sydney FC will be attempting

to make history on Wednesday if they defeat Canberra United.

A win at McKellar Park, which is a make-up game.

I think there's only one round left for everyone else, but Sydney FC have,

have a game in hand.

We'll see the Sky Blue seal a fourth straight Premier Plate.

Whoa.

Which will be the first time ever someone's ever won it four times in a row.

That's impressive.

How good.

Yeah.

Make sure you tune in live if you can't get to Canberra.

It'll be on Paramount Plus or 10 Play and kickoff is 4pm AEDT.

The waiting period for the Rip Curl Pro, Bells Beach, starts today.

I wish we were there.

26th of March.

Molly Picklem will be looking to back up her stellar start to the year

with a strong showing on home soil.

You can watch live and free on the WSL app, the Seven Network and Fox Sports,

or if you're in Melbourne, make the drive.

Get there.

How good.

Rug up, put your winter woolies on.

Yeah.

That wind that comes off the ocean there.

Next stop, Antarctica.

In cricket, as we said, the Tour of Bangladesh continues this week

with three T20 matches.

The first we played on Sunday night, starting at a really nice time of 5pm AEDT.

Beautiful.

That is some Easter Sunday post-chocolate egg coma cricket watching.

Love that.

You can watch it live on KO and Fox Sports.

Awesome.

So the Tars, we're up again.

Up against the Rebels, Friday night.

Friday night.

Rebels 505, Allianz Stadium.

Big doubleheader.

Chloe's on the mic.

Get there.

I'll be on the, what do I have, a clipboard?

You are a clipboard kind of person.

Lanyard and clipboard.

That's the wrap.

Wrapped it up.

See you next week, friend.

Bye.

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