Ocean Protect Stadium will play host to Saturday’s
Round 24 NRL game between Cronulla Sharks and
Canberra Raiders. The game kicks off at 3:00 pm with Cronulla Sharks heading into the game as favourites with the bookmakers. Continue reading for our in-depth preview of the Cronulla Sharks vs.
Canberra Raiders
game and give you our free tips and bets.

When: Saturday August 15, 2026 at 3:00 pm

Where: Ocean Protect Stadium

Bet 💰: Bet On This Match HERE

Cronulla Sharks vs Canberra Raiders Odds

Cronulla Sharks vs Canberra Raiders Preview

Cronulla returns home seeking an immediate response after its 24-16 derby loss to last-placed St George Illawarra ended a strong run of results. The Sharks remain in the top-four race and have won 14 of their past 15 matches at Ocean Protect Stadium, making their home record a significant factor. Canberra’s finals hopes were effectively extinguished by consecutive defeats to Penrith and Newcastle, and Ricky Stuart has reacted by dropping Corey Horsburgh and resting Simi Sasagi before shoulder surgery. The Raiders promote Savelio Tamale and Matty Nicholson, while Cronulla loses Addin Fonua-Blake to suspension but regains KL Iro from concussion. Oregon Kaufusi moves into the starting pack. Cronulla has won five of the past six meetings, including a 34-22 victory in Round 4, and should be determined to restore its defensive standards.

Devin Haney is set to return in October, with negotiations ongoing for what will presumably be his only outing of 2026, but his father and trainer Bill Haney has admitted that they are eyeing up an eventual move up in weight to face a pound-for-pound star.

Haney seemed set to collide with Keyshawn Davis after the WBO mandated the contest, which then went to purse bids; won by Top Rank.

Soon afterwards though, it was revealed that Davis had pulled out of the contest – despite pursuing it throughout 2026 – due to the belief that he was being underpaid.

Instead, Haney has been linked to a bout with Jack Catterall, but it seems as though ‘The Dream’ now favours a unification showdown with Australia’s Liam Paro, who picked up the IBF super-welterweight world title when he dethroned Lewis Crocker earlier this year. 

Speaking on the ‘Come And Talk 2 Me’ podcast, Bill Haney unveiled plans to claim the undisputed welterweight title and then move up in weight for a shot at Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis, whom he hopes will be in possession of the undisputed throne up at super-welterweight.

“Liam Paro puts us into a position to pick up the belts. Hopefully, Boots does the same thing at 154lbs and we are able to have a mega fight in the future, god willing, inshallah, for undisputed versus undisputed at 154lbs.”

It is believed that Haney-Paro is being targeted for Saturday, October 3, whilst Ennis, who currently holds the WBA and WBO straps at 154lbs after defeating Xander Zayas, is expected to take on IBF super-welterweight champion, Josh Kelly, in a few months’ time.

Ravindra Jadeja will be back in action for the Indian cricket team in the two-Test series against Sri Lanka. When Ravichandran Ashwin was an active player for India, his partnership with Jadeja was legendary. Together, they won many matches for India. Now, Jadeja has retired from T20Is, and whether he is in India’s long-term plans for ODIs remains unclear. In Tests, however, Jadeja continues to be a force. Stuart Broad played against Ravindra Jadeja for a long time and has admitted that he was “annoyed” by one of the all-rounder’s habits.

Jadeja has a habit of performing his trademark sword celebration after scoring a fifty or a century.

“His celebration used to annoy me a bit, like, what’s this guy waving his bat around for a 50? I remember saying to him on a few occasions that batters actually average 50 and that you are carrying on like this. It’s flair, but I would have saved it for a hundred,” Broad said on the For the Love of Cricket podcast ahead of the first India vs Sri Lanka Test in Galle.

“His numbers are phenomenal, to the point where they never knew whether to play him or Ravi Ashwin in England. That’s a testament to Jadeja,” added Broad.

Jos Buttler, who was part of the same podcast, described Jadeja as a “nightmare”.

“He is a nightmare to face, especially in India. With him, I think about moments, and he’s a proper gutsy player. With his batting, especially when the game was tight, he always seemed to stand up. When his team needed runs, he could do it. He had a bit of a hybrid role as well, where sometimes he would come out at No. 5 with the ball swinging around. He’s an underrated batter in a funny way,” said Buttler.

India’s squad for the Test series against Sri Lanka is: Shubman Gill (captain), KL Rahul (vice-captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant (wk), Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Manav Suthar, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Devdutt Padikkal, Saransh Jain, and Auqib Nabi.

Featured Video Of The Day

Spain’s Royal Family Welcomes World Cup Champions To Zarzuela Palace

Indian players during a training session in Galle, Sri Lanka. (ANI Photo)

The outcome of the opening Test between India and Sri Lanka, beginning on Saturday in Galle, may be determined not just by the nature of the pitch but by how quickly India’s spinners adapt to the venue’s tricky crosswinds. The picturesque Galle International Stadium, situated beside the Indian Ocean and overlooked by the historic 17th-century Galle fort, has long been a happy hunting ground for spinners.Former India left-arm spinner V Raju believes the winds, particularly the crosswinds, could add a layer of unpredictability to the contest. “Due to the venue’s location, the wind is going to be a factor in the drift the spinners can generate,” Raju told TOI. “There will be crosswinds, so it will depend on how quickly they adjust to it.”Crosswinds can influence the ball’s trajectory, allowing a spinner to purchase greater drift by combining greater revs on the ball to make it float or curve. For batters, that extra fraction of movement could be pivotal in deciding between smothering the drift and getting the outside edge. Nine years ago, R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja utilised Galle Stadium’s open setting and robust crosswinds to bamboozle the Sri Lankans with drift and guile.India have arrived on these shores with a wide array of spin options. They have the experience of left-arm spinner Jadeja, who played a crucial role in India’s win in Galle in 2017, the tricks of left-arm wrist spinner bowler Kuldeep Yadav, the precision of left-arm spinner Manav Suthar plus greenhorn off-spinner Saransh Jain.Maninder Singh, another former India left-arm spinner, reckons Suthar could be instrumental to India’s prospects. “He has a rhythmic action with a beautiful seam position. Galle’s crosswinds could be his weapon, provided he learns to use it to his advantage,” Maninder said. The 24-year-old Suthar impressed on debut against Afghanistan, taking 7/62. He followed it up with 11 wickets in two county games for Warwickshire.Maninder also termed Kuldeep a rare talent who deserves a spot in the playing XI regardless of the conditions. “Kuldeep is a bowler who must get more opportunities. I’ve mentioned before that if he had played all the matches during the England tour last year, we would have won the series 3-1,” he said.Yet, the spotlight need not belong to the established names. That’s because at Galle, the best bowler may not be the one who swings the ball the most or turns it square. It may be the one who harnesses the wind the best.

If you hear alarms, there’s no need to worry; it’s just the NWSL reminding everyone it’s the best time of the year, the second half of the season.

The league will welcome match week 16, and every game moving forward will weigh just a little heavier and carry a bit more pressure as time officially begins to wind down for the playoff push or for the NWSL Shield race.

That means it’s the perfect time for my NWSL Power Rankings. It’s really part of the season where teams can truly flex their roster power, or weaknesses, as the season slowly starts to slip away. If you’re trying to keep track of where your favorite team lands, here are my previous rankings.

It’s a brand new month, and August could be a make-or-break moment for teams way at the bottom of the rankings. There’s not a lot of joy in being first-worst or 12th runners-up, but I’ll definitely try my best to have some fun with it. Like how the Houston Dash just keep dropping in the rankings, partially because the results just aren’t there despite some big moments from rookies.

The middle of the rankings are always fun, and this week is no different. At a certain point, sometimes it really is just about hanging in there and seeing where the ride takes you, and if you’re North Carolina Courage, that is higher, and if you’re Angel City, well, that’s lower. 

The battle for the most powerful team in the league is as narrow as ever. Teams will chase trophies and top spots, and if Gotham FC and Washington Spirit are thinking of slowing down now, that’s a bad idea because Utah Royals are surging, and San Diego Wave aren’t far behind.

Now, onto the most recent rankings:

Biggest Movers

Advertisement

2

North Carolina Courage

2

Orlando Pride

Rk	Teams Advertisement		Chg	Rcrd
1	NJ/NY Gotham FC	Sometimes when you’re on top of the world, it’s even harder not to get knocked off. Other teams are trying, but Gotham FC has just too much in the tank. Jaedyn Shaw and Sam Kerr will keep opposing backlines honest.	1
2	Washington Spirit	There’s no doubt that the depth on the Spirit’s roster will keep them among the most powerful teams, but the defensive side of the ball has some concerns. They’ll need to lock that up if they want the top spot again.	1
3	Utah Royals FC	Gonna need to see Utah manage narrow games better if they want to keep climbing the rankings. They’re among the top clubs in the league right now, but can fade when matches get too close for comfort.	1
4	San Diego Wave FC	The Wave are feeling the absence of Kenza Dali in midfield, though that hasn’t slowed down their overall efforts. A tough team to go up against, but the lack of goal scoring feels like it is catching up to them.	1
5	Portland Thorns	The loss of Olivia Moultrie for the season with an ACL injury presents an offensive challenge for the roster and coach Robert Vilahamn. But conceding eight goals in two games means they have even bigger problems than losing their starting attacking mid.	—
6	Kansas City Current	Head coach Chris Armas and the group are doing a good job of not floundering while Temwa Chawinga is away on international duty. A healthy Debinha and Croix Bethune are huge parts of the equation.	—
7	Seattle Reign	The roster is unbeaten in three games, and Mia Fishel and Sally Menti are clicking at a good time for the Reign. It’s a positive sign because they’ve struggled with goal-scoring early in the season.	—
8	Denver Summit FC	Janine Sonis is the club’s most important player this season, and her efforts often lead the way for Denver. They’ll need to rely on her even more with Lindsey Heaps injured.	1
9	North Carolina Courage	Ashley Sanchez is keeping the golden boot race closer than ever, and now Evelyn Ijeh is racking up goals left and right. If the group can maintain consistency, they’ll keep climbing the rankings.	2
10	Orlando Pride	Not sure there is a team that is struggling more than Orlando Pride right now. Sure, Barbra Banda has been away on international duty, but the squad just isn’t threatening in games otherwise.	2
11	Angel City FC	The squad feels like it’s in a fight for best mid-table team at the moment, but on the power rankings? They’re slipping. Not sure why Prisca Chulifya isn’t starting when she’s got two consecutive goal contributions, but hopefully that changes.	1
12	Houston Dash	Kat Rader remains a positive player for the Dash in a season that feels like it’s starting to flatline. At least they’re in a better position than others.	1
13	Boston Legacy FC	Name a team that makes up problems for themselves more than Boston Legacy, I’ll wait. Conceded five goals in two games and seem to wake up once when everything is on fire. Not much lower to drop on the rankings, but maybe they’ll find a way.	1
14	Racing Louisville FC	Emma Sears is leaving with something, even if it’s not the trade she was looking for. She’s one goal away from reaching 20 regular-season goals, and it’s giving Racing fans something to cheer for.	1
15	Bay FC	The positive thing about Bay FC right now is that they have plenty of young talent to build up as they look forward. In the meantime, they’re just hovering towards the bottom despite good individual efforts by Kennedy Fuller, Claire Hutton, and Hannah Bebar.	1
16	Chicago Stars FC	The franchise parted ways with their head coach and first assistant, and now Karina Baez has the interim manager title. When you’re at the bottom, you can only look up from there.	—

The GAA Rounders Championship reaches the business end this weekend, with ten All-Ireland semi-finals across Galway and Monaghan and places in the Intermediate and Senior finals up for grabs.

Saturday sees all six Intermediate semi-finals played in Galway, before attention switches to the Monaghan GAA Centre of Excellence in Cloghan on Sunday for the four Senior Men’s and Women’s semi-finals.

The Senior games bring an additional challenge, with all Senior semi-finals and finals played over seven innings.

There are obvious favourites across the weekend, but there are also several games that look far closer than the league tables might suggest.

Here is the SportsNewsIreland match-by-match preview and predictions.

Intermediate Women

Galway City Rapparees v Inniskeen Grattans – 12pm

Galway City Rapparees come into the first semi-final as favourites after topping their group, but they will be without Laura Salvatore and Cat Carty, two significant absentees from their women’s side.

Even allowing for those losses, Galway should still have enough.

The season statistics strongly favour Rapparees. They have scored 96 runs compared with Inniskeen’s 69, but the bigger difference is defensively: Galway have conceded just 17 runs across four games, compared with Inniskeen’s 49.

Katie Jessop gives Galway a strong option pitching, while Clodagh Naughton, Hazel Kilduff and Eimear Cuddy bring serious speed around the bases. If Inniskeen struggle to make outs on base, Galway have exactly the type of runners capable of punishing them.

Inniskeen’s major weapon is Julianne Smith. Her fast pitching regularly produces foul outs and Galway will have to be disciplined at the bat. Back catcher Catherine Deery, along with Siobhán Cunningham and Carol McKeown, gives Inniskeen plenty of quality in the field.

Galway are weakened, but their overall batting, fielding and base-running should still see them through.

SportsNewsIreland prediction:
Galway City Rapparees by around 15 runs.

Castletown Liam Mellows v Elphin – 2pm

This is probably the hardest Intermediate semi-final of the weekend to call.

There is also history between them. Saturday is a rematch of last year’s Junior semi-final at the same venue and on the same pitch, when Elphin came out on top.

Castletown have been the stronger batting side this year, scoring 86 runs compared with Elphin’s 63, while there is very little between them defensively.

Mandy Callanan has been consistently strong pitching for Castletown, Sarah Kavanagh is a major presence at Second Base and Edel Coade Morris has been excellent at Short Stop.

Elphin recovered brilliantly from a difficult start to their first Intermediate season, winning their remaining games after a heavy opening defeat to Galway. Áine McDermott, Ciara Butler and Georgina McDermott provide a reliable defensive spine, while twins Katie and Kirsten Cronin can do real damage with the bat and running the bases.

There really isn’t much between them. I just have a feeling Castletown reverse last year’s result.

SportsNewsIreland prediction:
Castletown Liam Mellows – narrowly.

Intermediate Mixed

Emo v Erne Eagles – 12pm

This could be a cracker.

It is a repeat of the 2025 Intermediate Mixed All-Ireland Final, which Erne Eagles won by just a single run.

Statistically, Emo have the advantage this time. They have scored 71 runs from 14 innings compared with Eagles’ 57 from 17, while Emo have also conceded fewer runs.

Emo already have a strong combination of youth and experience, with Liam Horgan and Dan White around home base and the likes of JP Tynan, Barry Ryan, Claire Suda, Catherine O’Keeffe and Gillian Keenan throughout the team.

Then there is the Aaron Keane factor.

The former Heath player recently transferred to Emo and could make a significant difference if selected. His addition gives Emo even more quality in a game that already looks extremely tight.

Eagles, however, have something that is difficult to quantify: knockout experience.

Karl Dolan is consistently strong pitching, Gerard Clerkin is a huge presence at Short Stop and Owen Roe O’Reilly is capable of producing catches that can completely change an innings.

If Eagles arrive fully loaded, I think this becomes a toss-up. Emo’s numbers are better, and Aaron Keane potentially makes them stronger again, but Eagles know exactly how to win these games.

SportsNewsIreland prediction:
Erne Eagles narrowly. Extra innings would not surprise me.

Galway City Rapparees v Dublin Metropolitans – 4pm

The hosts enter this one with a perfect record, having topped their group with four wins from four, while Dublin Metropolitans qualified with two wins and two defeats.

Galway’s biggest strength is their depth.

Their Mixed team can draw on players from the club’s Senior Men’s and Intermediate Women’s panels, giving them plenty of options. Vishal Pathare, Cathal Creaven, Pakie Killilea, Rory McGarvey, Clodagh Naughton and Tomás Kenny are among the players capable of influencing the game.

Dublin are dangerous, particularly through players such as Beau and Asa Carley, and one interesting selection question surrounds Jack Cheyne.

If Dublin Metropolitans have Cheyne back and available to pitch, it significantly increases their chances. Having a quality pitcher capable of controlling home base can change the entire complexion of a knockout game, and his presence would give Galway a much tougher test.

If Dublin are without him, however, I still expect Galway to have too much strength across the field and come through with a fairly comfortable victory.

SportsNewsIreland prediction:
Galway City Rapparees by around 12–15 if Jack Cheyne pitches for Dublin; potentially 20 or more if he doesn’t.

Intermediate Men

Kilmore v St Clare’s – 2pm

There is already a useful form line between these teams.

They met in July and Kilmore won 21–14, with pitcher Aidan Carr playing a huge role. Seven of Kilmore’s 15 outs involved Carr, whose pace and accuracy caused St Clare’s problems throughout the game.

James Jamieson was also excellent behind the batter, while Kevin White and Oisín Boland give Kilmore further quality in the field.

St Clare’s certainly have enough to make this competitive. PJ Kelly took six catches for outs in that previous meeting, while Darragh Johnston, Bryan Dolan and Jason Cawley are all capable of influencing the game.

Across the season Kilmore have scored more runs despite batting fewer innings, and they have already shown they can beat this opposition.

SportsNewsIreland prediction:
Kilmore by 8–10 runs.

Emo v St Senan’s – 4pm

The league positions make Emo look like the obvious choice. Their previous meeting says otherwise.

When these teams met in July, it finished 14–14.

St Senan’s have also beaten both St Clare’s and Kilmore this season, so they have already proved they can compete with the strongest teams at this level.

Where Emo have the clear advantage is defensively. They have conceded fewer runs, while their young pitcher/catcher combination of Liam Horgan and Dan White has been excellent.

JP Tynan and Barry Ryan add experience to the Emo field, while St Senan’s will look to John Paul Mulvihill and Niall Sheehy around home base and John Hanlon, Ian Sheehy and Kevin Doody elsewhere.

Their draw earlier in the season tells you this isn’t going to be straightforward, but Emo’s defensive strength should eventually make the difference.

SportsNewsIreland prediction:
Emo by 7–8 runs.

Senior Women

Breaffy v Erne Eagles – 1pm

Here comes the shock prediction of the weekend.

Everything on paper says Breaffy.

The four-in-a-row All-Ireland champions went unbeaten through the league and are chasing an extraordinary fifth consecutive title. They have conceded just 31 runs all season, compared with Erne Eagles’ 78.

Michelle Hopkins and Katie Groonell give Breaffy huge experience around home base, but there really aren’t many weak points anywhere in this side.

They know how to win Senior knockout games better than anyone.

So why Eagles?

Because they have enough batting and fielding quality to make this chaotic if they can stay with Breaffy early. Eagles are no strangers to the latter stages of the Championship themselves, and Lisa Flood gives them a powerful presence in the outfield.

Over seven innings, Breaffy are capable of punishing any poor spell brutally. Eagles need to avoid giving them one huge innings and turn the game into a battle.

Breaffy are deserved favourites. I’m going against virtually every statistic anyway.

SportsNewsIreland prediction:
Erne Eagles to end Breaffy’s four-year reign in an absolutely crazy game.

Carrickmacross Emmets v Limekiln – 1pm

Carrickmacross deserve huge credit for reaching the Senior semi-finals in their first season after promotion.

They recovered from losing their opening game to Breaffy to record a string of important wins and establish themselves as genuine Senior contenders.

But Limekiln have already beaten them this season.

Serena Costelloe was central to that victory, while the additions of Erica Meslin, Merilin Neiland and Colette McCaul have added considerable Senior experience to Limekiln.

Carrick will know far more about what they’re facing this time and should make it competitive, but seven innings against an experienced Limekiln team is a big challenge.

SportsNewsIreland prediction:
Limekiln by around 7 runs.

Senior Men

Erne Eagles v Galway City Rapparees – 3pm

Whatever happens on Sunday, this is a significant moment for Galway City Rapparees.

In their first season playing Senior Rounders, the Galway club have reached their first-ever Senior Men’s All-Ireland semi-final.

Unfortunately for them, their reward is Erne Eagles.

Eagles topped the Senior table and have conceded only 28 runs all season. Having narrowly lost last year’s All-Ireland final to Carrickmacross, they look like a side with unfinished business.

This is where seven innings becomes important.

Galway have shown they can compete at Senior level and have enough athleticism and batting ability to cause Eagles problems. But doing it for seven innings against one of the most experienced teams in the country is an entirely different challenge.

For Rapparees, the key is staying within touching distance. If Eagles are allowed one huge innings early, chasing the game against their fielding is going to be extremely difficult.

Galway have already exceeded plenty of expectations by getting this far in year one at Senior and why not think they can get eagles to extra innings

SportsNewsIreland prediction:
Extra innings

Carrickmacross Emmets v Breaffy – 3pm

This could be the game of the Senior Men’s semi-finals.

Carrickmacross are the defending All-Ireland champions and have years of experience in exactly this environment. Breaffy are another side packed with Senior experience and capable of beating anyone when they get going.

This is the type of game where seven innings should suit both teams. There is time to recover from a poor opening, but equally, one big innings from either side could completely change the contest.

Carrick have shown repeatedly that they know how to manage big Championship games, and that counts for plenty at this stage of the season.

Breaffy will push them, but I fancy the defending champions to create separation in the latter innings.

SportsNewsIreland prediction:
Carrickmacross Emmets by 8–10 runs.

Ten semi-finals, six Intermediate finalists to be decided on Saturday and four Senior finalists on Sunday.

There are safer predictions on the card, but the one I’m putting my neck on the line for is in the Senior Women’s Championship.

Erne Eagles to beat Breaffy and end the champions’ drive for five in a row.

If that one comes in, don’t say you weren’t warned.

The Lindsay Park training operation, managed by Ben, Will, and J D Hayes, is looking forward to the forthcoming spring racing season for their promising galloper, Evaporate.

Although still officially in winter, the Caulfield race meeting scheduled for Saturday has a definite spring feel, particularly the Group 2 P B Lawrence Stakes, a 1400-metre contest.

This weight-for-age race has drawn a competitive field, with nine of the thirteen horses accepted for the race resuming from a spell.

Evaporate is one of these runners and enters Saturday’s race having completed two solid jump-outs in preparation.

In his first jump-out on July 17 at Werribee, Evaporate finished second to Zou Sensation. Two weeks later, on August 3 at Flemington, he defeated Caviar Heights over 800 metres.

“The second one was on the course proper, and he went well,” J D Hayes shared.

“He seems to have come back bigger and better which is pretty exciting for the spring as he has a pretty good CV to now, and hopefully he can improve on it.

“He’s been oh so close to a Group 1, so he doesn’t have to improve too far, we hope.”

Evaporate has an impressive record, including a second placing in last year’s Toorak Handicap, a third in the Golden Eagle (now a Group 1), a third in the CF Orr Stakes, and a narrow second in the All-Star Mile.

Hayes mentioned that a Group 1 victory is the only significant achievement missing from Evaporate’s career, which has seen him win six races and place nine times from 23 starts, earning almost $3.2 million in prize money.

With the Memsie Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield, scheduled two weeks after Saturday’s race, appearing to be a very strong contest, Hayes indicated that the So You Think Stakes (1500m) at Sandown on September 5 might be a more suitable target.

“We’ll get through Saturday first and then work it from there,” Hayes commented.

“The Memsie looks like a pretty hot edition, so he could go to Sandown the week after, but the Toorak Handicap (at Caulfield in October) does look appetising.

“He went oh so close last year and hopefully he can go one better this year if we decide to go that way.”

Acclaimed jockey Blake Shinn, who has ridden multiple winners in his first two meetings back from injury, will be aboard Evaporate on Saturday. Jamie Melham is booked to ride stablemate Coeur Volante.

Melham is also returning from a break, having not ridden in Victoria since ‘Finals Day’ at Flemington in July. She recently gained experience riding for the Rest of the World Team in the Shergar Cup at Ascot.

Coeur Volante was successful twice over 1400m at Caulfield in June and July before finishing fourth in her last start behind Sass Appeal over 1400m at Flemington on August 1.

Considering the upcoming P B Lawrence Stakes, explore the latest online bookmakers for your betting needs.

In a way, Johansson had one of the most unenviable jobs upon his appointment. Filling the very large boots left by Askou.

Despite only spending one season in the Scottish Premiership, the Dane attracted so many admirers – far beyond Lanarkshire – through his approach, attitude and style of football.

It’s remarkable how seamlessly Johansson has picked up where he left off. Even more so considering key performers Elijah Just, Elliot Watt, Callum Slattery and Calum Ward also moved on.

Few people had a better view of the now-Toulouse boss’ brilliance than Halliday – who spent his last playing year under Askou’s eye – and he says “a lot of the fundamentals are very similar” under Johansson.

Halliday, who apparently jumped out his seat at Said’s second goal against the Finns, added on BBC Sportsound: “I love what Motherwell stand for, how progressive they are, trying to do it a completely different way that’s proven, surely to everyone, that it can work.

“Squad development, the youth academy, playing a brilliant brand of football and the fact they lost a fantastic coach and manager last year to go out and recruit similar, I love it.”

Invested like many others, the former midfielder does maintain that a signing or two – particularly a goalscoring forward – would be the final piece of the captivating puzzle.

“In wider Scottish football, I hope people sit up and take note of what they’re doing,” Halliday added.

“I really hope they sign one or two more players at the top end of the pitch, because if they do that, I think they could be every bit as good as last year.”