Category: Sports

A Set small text size A Set the default text size A Set large text size Amid the Lachie Galvin media circus – his claimed desires, the who-said-whats, the alleged bullying, the legal threats – one essential seasons-old question has remained unasked… why do players need managers? In theory, contract signings should be straightforward. If a young player has risen through a club’s junior system, has been offered a contract and wants to play with the club, it should be a simple process. There may be a family lawyer who can read the fine print and give the OK. A ... Read more

A Set small text size A Set the default text size A Set large text size ANZAC Day marks 110 years since the landing of the Australia and New Zealand Army Corps at Gallipoli, Turkey. That campaign, to gain control of the sea straits known as the Dardanelles, was a disaster and marked Australia’s entry into the tragedy of WWI. ANZAC Day was commemorated on the first anniversary in 1916 by the surviving soldiers, in a march past in London and a day of sport and games. Over time, commemorations on April 25 have expanded to include other battles and ... Read more

There was optimism heading into Thursday night (I refuse on principal to call it Anzac Day Eve) that Melbourne and Richmond, off the back of a pair of wins last week after one between them for the first five rounds of the year, would put on as much of a spectacle as two bottom-four teams could provide. I think it’s fair to say that, while there were glimpses of competence from both teams throughout the night, particularly in the third quarter as the Dees ripped the game out of the Tigers’ grasp, this was by and large among the year’s ... Read more

Brisbane need to get Adam Reynolds’ signature on a new deal for 2026 quick smart after the veteran half showed he is still their most valuable player in a 42-18 dismantling of the Dogs. Surely the Broncos won’t repeat South Sydney’s blunder of four years ago when they decided Reynolds was getting too long in the tooth and let him walk.  Reynolds orchestrated Brisbane’s stunning upset win over Canterbury at Suncorp Stadium on Thursday night, bringing their six-game unbeaten run to an abrupt halt. He injured his shoulder while scoring in the early stages but soldiered on before he was ... Read more

A Set small text size A Set the default text size A Set large text size It must be hard to be a trail blazer. To be the brave person willing to step foot onto unchartered lands, not knowing what consequences your expedition will have. In 1997 Michell Timms was that trail blazer. She dared to go where no Australian woman had. In 1997 Timms became the first Australian to play in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA). She would play five seasons over there and begin the rise of Australian women venturing to the American frontier. Timms may not ... Read more

A Set small text size A Set the default text size A Set large text size A Western Australian NRL team is nearing finalisation, after the ARL Commission has accepted a revised offer from the WA government for a Perth-based 18th league franchise. The deal could mark the return of the Bears to top-flight rugby league for the first time since being culled in 1997. Reports that negotiations between the two parties had stalled earlier this month, plus the announcement of a new Papua New Guinean franchise in 2028, appeared to have put paid to a WA team. But the ... Read more

Days after Wallaroos coach Jo Yapp tried to allay fears of an internal rift between players on the eve of the World Cup, former dual-international Mat Rogers has slammed Rugby Australia for its handling of the integration of Australia’s women’s sevens stars to the XVs team. In addition, Rogers, who represents superstar sevens star Maddison Levi, said that if his client were to be called into the Wallaroos that the 22-year-old tryscoring machine would be “set up to fail”. “I don’t think she can (make the World Cup),” Rogers said on Stan Sport’s Inside Line program on Wednesday night. “She’s ... Read more

A Set small text size A Set the default text size A Set large text size The Brisbane Lions have been issued a gentle reminder from Chris Fagan after the coach noticed a “trend” that’s punched a hole in their usually water-tight AFL defence. The premiers travel to Marvel Stadium to face St Kilda on Saturday with a 5-1 record and, on the surface, in terrific shape. But Fagan wasn’t impressed with what he saw at the Gabba last Thursday in a blowout loss to Collingwood. They conceded 105 points after letting in 97 and 90 in victories in the ... Read more

A Set small text size A Set the default text size A Set large text size He might not have earned a Wallabies cap, but one of Australia’s most unheralded stars, Ryan Smith, will leave the Queensland Reds at season’s end. The 28-year-old, who has played 69 matches for the Reds a further six for Australia A, has officially been unveiled by Ospreys weeks after signing a two-year deal with the Welsh club. Smith wanted to stay in Australian rugby, but the Reds simply couldn’t afford to keep the hard-working lock without a national top-up. The Reds currently have Test ... Read more

Satirist Garrison Keillor began his show thus: “Welcome to Lake Wobegon, where all the women are strong, all the men are good looking, and all the children are above average.” Welcome to the 2025 version of Super Rugby Pacific, where all scrums are successful, all the highlights are viral, and all the Australian teams are above average. This competition is not fictitious, line breaks are being converted in multiples, and the rise of the remaining four Aussie states is welcome indeed. Yet the term exams loom as the 4-1-4 (-4 in points) Force weathered the five-loss Hurricanes (+22 in points ... Read more