Merewether's Ryan Callinan into semi-finals on Surfest Sunday
Callinan, the sole surviving local on Surfest Sunday, set up the win over American Dimitri Poulos with two quick, high-scoring waves..
The 33-year-old goofy-footer opened with an 8.17-point ride that included several impressive manoeuvres before backing it up with a 7.33.
The Novocastrian won the quarter-final with a two-wave score of 15.50 points while Poulos (3.44) struggled to find a decent wave.
Callinan will meet the winner of the quarter-final showdown between Tahiti's Kauli Vaast and Brazilian Peterson Crisanto.
"I just got kind of lucky, in a way ... a couple of waves really lined up for me and an eight and seven to start off a heat is pretty magical," Callinan said after his quarter-final win.
"There wasn't much at the back, but just to have that feeling and to be surfing at home in front of this incredible crowd is beautiful."
Callinan is attempting to become just the second local male to win Surfest. Fellow Merewether surfer Jackson Baker achieved the feat in 2022.
Merewether's Philippa Anderson, the 2009 women's champion, is the only local woman to win at Surfest.
A large crowd is gathered at Merewether beach for the final day of the opening stop on the World Surf League second-tier Challenger Series.
"Walking down, just hearing everyone cheering, I nearly had a tear in my eye just feeling that, so I feel like I've already won the comp in that way," Callinan said.
"It's so nice to have everyone down and around and supporting, and while the waves are cooking, it's nice to surf good waves as well."
Morgan Cibilic, also from Merewether, bowed out in the round of 16.
Three-time Surfest winner Sally Fitzgibbons, from Gerroa, has lined up a semi-final exchange with Portugal's Teresa Bonvolat after both won their two-person quarter-finals on Sunday morning.
Francisco Veselko, also from Portugal, has also booked a semi-final appearance against 14-year-old Tahitian Tya Zebrowski.
Semi-finals will follow the quarters with the championship finals set to start around 2.15pm.
Surfest is the first stop on the 2025-26 World Surf League second-tier Challenger Series. It will also be the last event with another contest set for Merewether beach next March.
Upcoming men's quarter-finals: HEAT 1: Xavier Huxtable (AUS) vs. Jacob Willcox (AUS); HEAT 2: Matthew McGillivray (RSA) vs. Winter Vincent (AUS); HEAT 3: Dimitri Poulos (USA) vs. Ryan Callinan (AUS), HEAT 4: Kauli Vaast (FRA) vs. Peterson Crisanto (BRA).
Merewether pair advance in epic Surfest conditions - June 6, 2025
Home-grown pair Morgan Cibilic and Ryan Callinan lapped up pumping Merewether surf to progress to the last 16 Surfest men's competitors with a one-two finish in their heat on Friday.
Surfers were met with clean, and at times barrelling, conditions and put on a show for the crowd of Novocastrians lining the promenade between Merewether and Dixon Park beaches.
Cibilic quickly got to work in heat five, which also featured Callinan and Hawaiians Eli Hanneman and Imaikalani deVault, with high-scoring back-to-back waves.
The 25-year-old opened with a 6.17-point power-packed ride, backed it up with a 6.83 then sealed progression when he tucked into a barrel to the delight of local spectators and earned a wave score of 7.30 with seven minutes remaining.
He won the heat with a best two-wave score of 14.13 points. Callinan was second with 13.03, which included a heat-high 7.50-point ride, while deVault (8.77) and Hanneman (6.13) were eliminated.
Cibilic brought strong form into the opening event of the World Surf League's second-tier Challenger Series (CS).
He was third at Bells Beach as a wildcard into the WSL top-tier Championship Tour (CT) contest and backed it up with fifth at the Gold Coast Pro as a replacement for Callinan, who sat out the CT event due to the birth of his daughter Penelope.
"It felt good," Cibilic said of Friday's heat.
"A couple of waves came towards me this heat, so I was stoked and just put it together on the waves. I felt like I didn't really oversurf them and it was enough."
The 25-year-old was mobbed by local kids on the beach after his heat and was lapping up the home-town support.
"It's epic," Cibilic said.
"It's so different to every other event. You walk two metres along the footpath and somebody is saying, 'Hey' to you, so it's unbelievable, and you come in and the froth levels are so high. It's so special.
"And, just to be able to compete here with good waves, it doesn't get much better than that."
Merewether's Philippa Anderson, however, was a round-of-32 casualty on Friday morning.
The 33-year-old surfing instructor could not buy a decent wave in her heat, which was won by teenage prodigy Eden Walla.
The 15-year-old American had the crowd in raptures with an 8.83-point tube ride to set up her heat-five win.
"I was actually dropping in and thinking about going around the section and then I thought my brother would be really mad at me, so I better just pull in," Walla said.
Walla posted a best-two-wave score of 13.10. Portugal's Franscisca Veselko (10.67) was second , Spain's Nadia Erostarbe (10.27) third and Anderson (5.30), the 2009 Surfest women's winner, fourth.
Three-time Surfest winner and veteran world tour campaigner Sally Fitzgibbons also progressed to the round of 16 with victory in heat one.
Central Coast surfer Macy Callaghan, the event's 2022 champion, failed to progress in heat four.
Former CT surfer Josh Kerr, 41 and from Tweed Heads, continued his good form by winning a tight heat two and advancing to the next round on Saturday.
Merewether's Ryan Callinan has stormed into the semi-finals of Surfest at Merewether beach on Sunday with a commanding quarter-final victory.
Callinan, the sole surviving local on Surfest Sunday, set up the win over American Dimitri Poulos with two quick, high-scoring waves..
The 33-year-old goofy-footer opened with an 8.17-point ride that included several impressive manoeuvres before backing it up with a 7.33.
The Novocastrian won the quarter-final with a two-wave score of 15.50 points while Poulos (3.44) struggled to find a decent wave.
Callinan will meet the winner of the quarter-final showdown between Tahiti's Kauli Vaast and Brazilian Peterson Crisanto.
"I just got kind of lucky, in a way ... a couple of waves really lined up for me and an eight and seven to start off a heat is pretty magical," Callinan said after his quarter-final win.
"There wasn't much at the back, but just to have that feeling and to be surfing at home in front of this incredible crowd is beautiful."
Callinan is attempting to become just the second local male to win Surfest. Fellow Merewether surfer Jackson Baker achieved the feat in 2022.
Merewether's Philippa Anderson, the 2009 women's champion, is the only local woman to win at Surfest.
A large crowd is gathered at Merewether beach for the final day of the opening stop on the World Surf League second-tier Challenger Series.
"Walking down, just hearing everyone cheering, I nearly had a tear in my eye just feeling that, so I feel like I've already won the comp in that way," Callinan said.
"It's so nice to have everyone down and around and supporting, and while the waves are cooking, it's nice to surf good waves as well."
Morgan Cibilic, also from Merewether, bowed out in the round of 16.
Three-time Surfest winner Sally Fitzgibbons, from Gerroa, has lined up a semi-final exchange with Portugal's Teresa Bonvolat after both won their two-person quarter-finals on Sunday morning.
Francisco Veselko, also from Portugal, has also booked a semi-final appearance against 14-year-old Tahitian Tya Zebrowski.
Semi-finals will follow the quarters with the championship finals set to start around 2.15pm.
Surfest is the first stop on the 2025-26 World Surf League second-tier Challenger Series. It will also be the last event with another contest set for Merewether beach next March.
Upcoming men's quarter-finals: HEAT 1: Xavier Huxtable (AUS) vs. Jacob Willcox (AUS); HEAT 2: Matthew McGillivray (RSA) vs. Winter Vincent (AUS); HEAT 3: Dimitri Poulos (USA) vs. Ryan Callinan (AUS), HEAT 4: Kauli Vaast (FRA) vs. Peterson Crisanto (BRA).
Merewether pair advance in epic Surfest conditions - June 6, 2025
Home-grown pair Morgan Cibilic and Ryan Callinan lapped up pumping Merewether surf to progress to the last 16 Surfest men's competitors with a one-two finish in their heat on Friday.
Surfers were met with clean, and at times barrelling, conditions and put on a show for the crowd of Novocastrians lining the promenade between Merewether and Dixon Park beaches.
Cibilic quickly got to work in heat five, which also featured Callinan and Hawaiians Eli Hanneman and Imaikalani deVault, with high-scoring back-to-back waves.
The 25-year-old opened with a 6.17-point power-packed ride, backed it up with a 6.83 then sealed progression when he tucked into a barrel to the delight of local spectators and earned a wave score of 7.30 with seven minutes remaining.
He won the heat with a best two-wave score of 14.13 points. Callinan was second with 13.03, which included a heat-high 7.50-point ride, while deVault (8.77) and Hanneman (6.13) were eliminated.
Cibilic brought strong form into the opening event of the World Surf League's second-tier Challenger Series (CS).
He was third at Bells Beach as a wildcard into the WSL top-tier Championship Tour (CT) contest and backed it up with fifth at the Gold Coast Pro as a replacement for Callinan, who sat out the CT event due to the birth of his daughter Penelope.
"It felt good," Cibilic said of Friday's heat.
"A couple of waves came towards me this heat, so I was stoked and just put it together on the waves. I felt like I didn't really oversurf them and it was enough."
The 25-year-old was mobbed by local kids on the beach after his heat and was lapping up the home-town support.
"It's epic," Cibilic said.
"It's so different to every other event. You walk two metres along the footpath and somebody is saying, 'Hey' to you, so it's unbelievable, and you come in and the froth levels are so high. It's so special.
"And, just to be able to compete here with good waves, it doesn't get much better than that."
Merewether's Philippa Anderson, however, was a round-of-32 casualty on Friday morning.
The 33-year-old surfing instructor could not buy a decent wave in her heat, which was won by teenage prodigy Eden Walla.
The 15-year-old American had the crowd in raptures with an 8.83-point tube ride to set up her heat-five win.
"I was actually dropping in and thinking about going around the section and then I thought my brother would be really mad at me, so I better just pull in," Walla said.
Walla posted a best-two-wave score of 13.10. Portugal's Franscisca Veselko (10.67) was second , Spain's Nadia Erostarbe (10.27) third and Anderson (5.30), the 2009 Surfest women's winner, fourth.
Three-time Surfest winner and veteran world tour campaigner Sally Fitzgibbons also progressed to the round of 16 with victory in heat one.
Central Coast surfer Macy Callaghan, the event's 2022 champion, failed to progress in heat four.
Former CT surfer Josh Kerr, 41 and from Tweed Heads, continued his good form by winning a tight heat two and advancing to the next round on Saturday.
Merewether's Ryan Callinan has stormed into the semi-finals of Surfest at Merewether beach on Sunday with a commanding quarter-final victory.
Callinan, the sole surviving local on Surfest Sunday, set up the win over American Dimitri Poulos with two quick, high-scoring waves..
The 33-year-old goofy-footer opened with an 8.17-point ride that included several impressive manoeuvres before backing it up with a 7.33.
The Novocastrian won the quarter-final with a two-wave score of 15.50 points while Poulos (3.44) struggled to find a decent wave.
Callinan will meet the winner of the quarter-final showdown between Tahiti's Kauli Vaast and Brazilian Peterson Crisanto.
"I just got kind of lucky, in a way ... a couple of waves really lined up for me and an eight and seven to start off a heat is pretty magical," Callinan said after his quarter-final win.
"There wasn't much at the back, but just to have that feeling and to be surfing at home in front of this incredible crowd is beautiful."
Callinan is attempting to become just the second local male to win Surfest. Fellow Merewether surfer Jackson Baker achieved the feat in 2022.
Merewether's Philippa Anderson, the 2009 women's champion, is the only local woman to win at Surfest.
A large crowd is gathered at Merewether beach for the final day of the opening stop on the World Surf League second-tier Challenger Series.
"Walking down, just hearing everyone cheering, I nearly had a tear in my eye just feeling that, so I feel like I've already won the comp in that way," Callinan said.
"It's so nice to have everyone down and around and supporting, and while the waves are cooking, it's nice to surf good waves as well."
Morgan Cibilic, also from Merewether, bowed out in the round of 16.
Three-time Surfest winner Sally Fitzgibbons, from Gerroa, has lined up a semi-final exchange with Portugal's Teresa Bonvolat after both won their two-person quarter-finals on Sunday morning.
Francisco Veselko, also from Portugal, has also booked a semi-final appearance against 14-year-old Tahitian Tya Zebrowski.
Semi-finals will follow the quarters with the championship finals set to start around 2.15pm.
Surfest is the first stop on the 2025-26 World Surf League second-tier Challenger Series. It will also be the last event with another contest set for Merewether beach next March.
Upcoming men's quarter-finals: HEAT 1: Xavier Huxtable (AUS) vs. Jacob Willcox (AUS); HEAT 2: Matthew McGillivray (RSA) vs. Winter Vincent (AUS); HEAT 3: Dimitri Poulos (USA) vs. Ryan Callinan (AUS), HEAT 4: Kauli Vaast (FRA) vs. Peterson Crisanto (BRA).
Merewether pair advance in epic Surfest conditions - June 6, 2025
Home-grown pair Morgan Cibilic and Ryan Callinan lapped up pumping Merewether surf to progress to the last 16 Surfest men's competitors with a one-two finish in their heat on Friday.
Surfers were met with clean, and at times barrelling, conditions and put on a show for the crowd of Novocastrians lining the promenade between Merewether and Dixon Park beaches.
Cibilic quickly got to work in heat five, which also featured Callinan and Hawaiians Eli Hanneman and Imaikalani deVault, with high-scoring back-to-back waves.
The 25-year-old opened with a 6.17-point power-packed ride, backed it up with a 6.83 then sealed progression when he tucked into a barrel to the delight of local spectators and earned a wave score of 7.30 with seven minutes remaining.
He won the heat with a best two-wave score of 14.13 points. Callinan was second with 13.03, which included a heat-high 7.50-point ride, while deVault (8.77) and Hanneman (6.13) were eliminated.
Cibilic brought strong form into the opening event of the World Surf League's second-tier Challenger Series (CS).
He was third at Bells Beach as a wildcard into the WSL top-tier Championship Tour (CT) contest and backed it up with fifth at the Gold Coast Pro as a replacement for Callinan, who sat out the CT event due to the birth of his daughter Penelope.
"It felt good," Cibilic said of Friday's heat.
"A couple of waves came towards me this heat, so I was stoked and just put it together on the waves. I felt like I didn't really oversurf them and it was enough."
The 25-year-old was mobbed by local kids on the beach after his heat and was lapping up the home-town support.
"It's epic," Cibilic said.
"It's so different to every other event. You walk two metres along the footpath and somebody is saying, 'Hey' to you, so it's unbelievable, and you come in and the froth levels are so high. It's so special.
"And, just to be able to compete here with good waves, it doesn't get much better than that."
Merewether's Philippa Anderson, however, was a round-of-32 casualty on Friday morning.
The 33-year-old surfing instructor could not buy a decent wave in her heat, which was won by teenage prodigy Eden Walla.
The 15-year-old American had the crowd in raptures with an 8.83-point tube ride to set up her heat-five win.
"I was actually dropping in and thinking about going around the section and then I thought my brother would be really mad at me, so I better just pull in," Walla said.
Walla posted a best-two-wave score of 13.10. Portugal's Franscisca Veselko (10.67) was second , Spain's Nadia Erostarbe (10.27) third and Anderson (5.30), the 2009 Surfest women's winner, fourth.
Three-time Surfest winner and veteran world tour campaigner Sally Fitzgibbons also progressed to the round of 16 with victory in heat one.
Central Coast surfer Macy Callaghan, the event's 2022 champion, failed to progress in heat four.
Former CT surfer Josh Kerr, 41 and from Tweed Heads, continued his good form by winning a tight heat two and advancing to the next round on Saturday.
Merewether's Ryan Callinan has stormed into the semi-finals of Surfest at Merewether beach on Sunday with a commanding quarter-final victory.
Callinan, the sole surviving local on Surfest Sunday, set up the win over American Dimitri Poulos with two quick, high-scoring waves..
The 33-year-old goofy-footer opened with an 8.17-point ride that included several impressive manoeuvres before backing it up with a 7.33.
The Novocastrian won the quarter-final with a two-wave score of 15.50 points while Poulos (3.44) struggled to find a decent wave.
Callinan will meet the winner of the quarter-final showdown between Tahiti's Kauli Vaast and Brazilian Peterson Crisanto.
"I just got kind of lucky, in a way ... a couple of waves really lined up for me and an eight and seven to start off a heat is pretty magical," Callinan said after his quarter-final win.
"There wasn't much at the back, but just to have that feeling and to be surfing at home in front of this incredible crowd is beautiful."
Callinan is attempting to become just the second local male to win Surfest. Fellow Merewether surfer Jackson Baker achieved the feat in 2022.
Merewether's Philippa Anderson, the 2009 women's champion, is the only local woman to win at Surfest.
A large crowd is gathered at Merewether beach for the final day of the opening stop on the World Surf League second-tier Challenger Series.
"Walking down, just hearing everyone cheering, I nearly had a tear in my eye just feeling that, so I feel like I've already won the comp in that way," Callinan said.
"It's so nice to have everyone down and around and supporting, and while the waves are cooking, it's nice to surf good waves as well."
Morgan Cibilic, also from Merewether, bowed out in the round of 16.
Three-time Surfest winner Sally Fitzgibbons, from Gerroa, has lined up a semi-final exchange with Portugal's Teresa Bonvolat after both won their two-person quarter-finals on Sunday morning.
Francisco Veselko, also from Portugal, has also booked a semi-final appearance against 14-year-old Tahitian Tya Zebrowski.
Semi-finals will follow the quarters with the championship finals set to start around 2.15pm.
Surfest is the first stop on the 2025-26 World Surf League second-tier Challenger Series. It will also be the last event with another contest set for Merewether beach next March.
Upcoming men's quarter-finals: HEAT 1: Xavier Huxtable (AUS) vs. Jacob Willcox (AUS); HEAT 2: Matthew McGillivray (RSA) vs. Winter Vincent (AUS); HEAT 3: Dimitri Poulos (USA) vs. Ryan Callinan (AUS), HEAT 4: Kauli Vaast (FRA) vs. Peterson Crisanto (BRA).
Merewether pair advance in epic Surfest conditions - June 6, 2025
Home-grown pair Morgan Cibilic and Ryan Callinan lapped up pumping Merewether surf to progress to the last 16 Surfest men's competitors with a one-two finish in their heat on Friday.
Surfers were met with clean, and at times barrelling, conditions and put on a show for the crowd of Novocastrians lining the promenade between Merewether and Dixon Park beaches.
Cibilic quickly got to work in heat five, which also featured Callinan and Hawaiians Eli Hanneman and Imaikalani deVault, with high-scoring back-to-back waves.
The 25-year-old opened with a 6.17-point power-packed ride, backed it up with a 6.83 then sealed progression when he tucked into a barrel to the delight of local spectators and earned a wave score of 7.30 with seven minutes remaining.
He won the heat with a best two-wave score of 14.13 points. Callinan was second with 13.03, which included a heat-high 7.50-point ride, while deVault (8.77) and Hanneman (6.13) were eliminated.
Cibilic brought strong form into the opening event of the World Surf League's second-tier Challenger Series (CS).
He was third at Bells Beach as a wildcard into the WSL top-tier Championship Tour (CT) contest and backed it up with fifth at the Gold Coast Pro as a replacement for Callinan, who sat out the CT event due to the birth of his daughter Penelope.
"It felt good," Cibilic said of Friday's heat.
"A couple of waves came towards me this heat, so I was stoked and just put it together on the waves. I felt like I didn't really oversurf them and it was enough."
The 25-year-old was mobbed by local kids on the beach after his heat and was lapping up the home-town support.
"It's epic," Cibilic said.
"It's so different to every other event. You walk two metres along the footpath and somebody is saying, 'Hey' to you, so it's unbelievable, and you come in and the froth levels are so high. It's so special.
"And, just to be able to compete here with good waves, it doesn't get much better than that."
Merewether's Philippa Anderson, however, was a round-of-32 casualty on Friday morning.
The 33-year-old surfing instructor could not buy a decent wave in her heat, which was won by teenage prodigy Eden Walla.
The 15-year-old American had the crowd in raptures with an 8.83-point tube ride to set up her heat-five win.
"I was actually dropping in and thinking about going around the section and then I thought my brother would be really mad at me, so I better just pull in," Walla said.
Walla posted a best-two-wave score of 13.10. Portugal's Franscisca Veselko (10.67) was second , Spain's Nadia Erostarbe (10.27) third and Anderson (5.30), the 2009 Surfest women's winner, fourth.
Three-time Surfest winner and veteran world tour campaigner Sally Fitzgibbons also progressed to the round of 16 with victory in heat one.
Central Coast surfer Macy Callaghan, the event's 2022 champion, failed to progress in heat four.
Former CT surfer Josh Kerr, 41 and from Tweed Heads, continued his good form by winning a tight heat two and advancing to the next round on Saturday.
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- The Age
The Wallabies deserved better ... that's to lose a heartbreaker this week
Eddie, a hard marker on these things, came away impressed with everything that went with us rugby invaders in his town, texting John and I after the second Test: 'What an amazing night for your code. 90,000 at the MCG! Record. Amazing game. Not sure why we didn't get the last penalty. Ref has no idea about setting up a huge result and a big final game. Another effing tax auditor ruining the game!! Almost the perfect result. Still an amazing night. You should be very proud of the rugby culture. A week of joy. More please!' Are you ready, Eddie? More to come. Tonight! Trump's golf antics say it all The most staggering sports footage of the week, however? I know it, you know it. It was the vision of US President Donald Trump playing golf in Scotland. His cart pulls up before the bunker he has put his tee shot into. You or I would have hacked about in the sand, cursing wicked fate that had allowed the wind to catch our shot at the last second and make it veer into the trap. Not Trump. That is not the way he plays golf. His caddie knew what to do. He casually threw another ball behind him, just in front of Trump, so that the Commander-in-Cheat could play from the grass. Trump, of course, didn't blink. This is not just the way he plays, it's the way he has always played. It's why the great American sportswriter Rick Reilly wrote a book called Commander-in-Cheat: How Golf Explains Trump and said: 'Donald Trump is the worst cheat ever, and he doesn't care who knows. I always say golf is like bicycle shorts. It reveals a lot about a man. And golf reveals a lot of ugliness in this president.' Of course, that ugliness is on display every day, in every way, and we don't need golf to prove it. I'll stop now. But ... A family that Fastnets together, stays together As if you didn't know, last week they had the centenary running of the famous Fastnet Yacht Race, the gruelling 695-nautical-mile (1287km) marathon from Cowes on the Isle of Wight, past the iconic Fastnet Rock and finishing in France's Cherbourg-en-Cotentin. For many, it's the northern hemisphere's answer to the Sydney to Hobart, both legendary for testing the world's best offshore sailors across wild seas and shifting currents. This time, it delivered its trademark brew of tidal puzzles and world-class competition, but more so! Amid the record 451 yachts, Sydney's Bedouin quietly caught the eye—and not just for her green-and-gold connection. Owned and skippered by Linda Goddard, Bedouin's crew brought together her three daughters, her son, and their trusted navigator Alice Parker, meaning half the team were women – a stat that's still rare at this altitude of ocean racing. Guided expertly from the Solent's tricky waters all the way to Cherbourg, Bedouin sailed a near-perfect race, outfoxing rivals to clinch their division on handicap. It's another impressive notch on the belt after last year's Aegean 600 victory, and proof that the family formula works wonders. Cronk not sold on Raiders Cooper, Cooper, Cooper, I said. 'I said love, I said, pet, I said look ...!' Yes, the Raiders are on top of the NRL comp, and yes, they have played really well, but I for one don't believe they'll actually win. You are Cooper Cronk. You played this stuff, live this stuff, breathe this stuff, eat this stuff and commentate on this stuff. If you had to put the sheep station on it, when the smoke clears on grand final day, who will be standing on top of the podium, spraying each other with champagne while Gus Gould inevitably says it was the greatest game ever played? 'Melbourne Storm,' he said. They said it England women's soccer star Beth Mead reveals that a message on coach Sarina Wiegman 's toiletries bag proved inspirational in the Lionesses' victory at Euro 2025: 'She had a little toiletry bag that said 'Bitches get shit done', and bitches got shit done today.' Wayne Bennett could try it? An England government spokesman on not giving a public holiday for the win: 'If we had a bank holiday every time the Lionesses win, we'd never go to work.' Morgan Turinui was unhappy with the second Test refereeing, when it came to whether or not the winning Lions try should have been disallowed: 'His two assistant referees got it wrong. Joel Jutge, the head of the referees, is out here on a junket. He needs to haul those referees in and ask for a please explain. It's a point of law. It's in black and white, it's not about bias.' Lions coach Andy Farrell didn't agree: 'I suppose you wouldn't have backed us [when the Lions were losing] at 23-5 but to find a way … it adds to the story, doesn't it? It adds to the fairytale. To be part of that is an honour.' Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt on his team following the loss: 'They were broken at the end of it. You've got to keep resolve and you've got to keep going forward, and we can't, and we won't, wallow in self-pity.' Schmidt, on their progress: 'It's never linear, it always tends to ebb and flow. We are trying to build consistency, we're trying to play a brand of rugby that entertains people and, at the same time, a brand of rugby that we enjoy playing.' Max Jorgensen on losing to the Lions in Melbourne: 'It really hurts, it's a really tough pill to swallow ... it's something you only do once in your career [face the Lions] … unless you're [James Slipper].' St Kilda's Marcus Windhager on the plan to defeat Melbourne with eight seconds left: ' For play to proceed, the umpires were saying everyone needed to get back to their starting positions, I just came back to Rowan [Marshall] and I'm like, 'f--- it, why don't you just try and get a mark around the 50', and Nas [Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera] just bolted for it and it was done to perfection.' Oscar Piastri after winning the Belgian Grand Prix: 'Nicely done.' Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, welcoming the 1980 Olympians back into the fold: 'The returning athletes were met only by cold silence or cruel comments. Today we fix that. Today, on the 45th anniversary, we recognise all that you have achieved and acknowledge all that you have overcome. Take pride in both. You are Olympians. You are Australians and you have earned your place in the history of the game and our nation. Welcome to parliament and welcome home.' Aussie swimmer Mollie O'Callaghan on winning gold at the world championships: 'I really wanted it, to be honest. I always want it, no matter the race. I think that's why we're swimmers at the end of the day.' Matildas coach Joe Montemurro on the Matildas' bid for Asian Cup redemption: 'They know what they need to do in terms of fixing what was not a positive tournament in India. We've got the advantage of being at home, we've got the crowd behind us. We've got everyone in good shape, and picking the squad's going to be an interesting one.' Our Kaylee McKeown on winning the 100m backstroke at the world championships and not feeling sorry for her opponents: 'That's swimming and the nature of it. You've got to be competitive and get up there. If she beats me, she would feel the same way. It's just what happens. People beat people.' Loading Team of the Week Tadej Pogacar. Won his fourth Tour de France. St Kilda. Came back from 46 points behind at three-quarter-time, scoring two goals in the final minute to beat Melbourne 96-90 on Sunday. M elbourne Vixens. Came from behind to defeat the NSW Swifts 66-65 and book a berth against the West Coast Fever in the Super Netball grand final. Oscar Piastri. Won again. The Hungarian Grand Prix is this weekend in Budapest. Alex de Minaur. Won his 10th ATP singles title in Washington DC.
West Australian
4 hours ago
- West Australian
Local hero Squiban storms to second straight Tour win
Australia's Sarah Gigante has kept pace with the Tour de France Femmes leaders as France's Maeva Squiban delighted home fans with a solo victory in the seventh stage. Friday's victory was Squiban's second in two days, making her only the fourth rider to claim back-to-back stages at the race. Gigante, who moved into the leading group after finishing in the leading pack on Wednesday, came home in 16th place for the second day running, 1 minute 11 seconds behind the winner. The result meant the AG Insurance-Soudal rider slipped a place to eighth in the general classification, 1 min 14 sec behind yellow jersey wearer Kimberley Le Court Pienaar. The 23-year-old Squiban attacked on the upper slopes of the Col du Granier (8.9km at 5.4%) to reach the finish of the hilly stage alone, which lifted the UAE Team ADQ rider to second in the polka dot jersey standings, level on 17 points with Dutchwoman Silke Smulders. "Honestly, winning once on the Tour is already huge and now a second was an incredible day. I think it was one of the hardest days of my life, mentally as well as physically. But you have to give everything," Squiban said. "On the last climb, I just wanted to lie down on the ground, and by the end, I think for the last 15km, I was barely present - I couldn't hear anything in my ear." It was another French one-two as Cedrine Kerbaol (EF Education-Oatly) crossed the line 51 seconds behind Squiban to take second place and American Ruth Edwards was third. A 17-rider breakaway had lit up the 159.7km stage from Bourg-en-Bresse, with Fiona Mangan (Winspace Orange Seal) becoming the first Irish rider to win an intermediate sprint at the Tour. The move split on the Cote de Saint-Franc before Squiban's decisive attack on the final climb. Mauritian rider Le Court Pienaar (AG Insurance-Soudal) lost ground on the Granier but finished sixth to retain the yellow jersey. Le Court is ahead of Frenchwoman Pauline Ferrand-Prevot (Visma-Lease a Bike) by 26 seconds and Poland's Katarzyna Niewiadoma Phinney (Canyon-SRAM) by 30 seconds. Mountains classification leader Elise Chabbey (FDJ-Suez) endured a difficult day and was distanced from the peloton before Squiban's climb. Ruby Roseman-Gannon was the only other Australian rider to finish inside the top 100 and she is 68th overall. Saturday's mountain stage will be from Chambery to Saint-Francois-Longchamp.
