Pre-Origin II SPECIAL EPISODE live in PERTH! Freddy & the Eighth
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sydney Morning Herald
an hour ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Let them go – Samoa defectors might just save international footy
Humphreys, steering by the star of what was good for rugby league in the long term, not what was good for NSW in the short term, agreed. The result? Rugby league entered the big time, garnered eyeballs by the ship-load from all over the country, and indeed the world, and the game made BILLIONS of dollars out of it. All because administrators had foresight! Isn't that precisely the kind of situation league finds itself in now, contemplating this issue? Origin is so big that it completely dwarfs league's 'international game' because of a severe lack of serious competition. The absurd Rugby League World Cup fools no-one, because they don't actually play league seriously in most of the countries represented. The only nations that genuinely compete are Australia, New Zealand and England. But now, with so many Pasifika players going so brilliantly, there is a real chance of new contenders emerging, led by Samoa. If Haas, Fa'asuamaleaui, and the Hammer want to play for that brilliant, small island nation, fabulous! A real contest! Yes, folks, an actually watchable game in the international arena, outside of the Big Three? League – and more particularly we taxpayers – are putting $600 million into PNG to breathe life into the game there, and have the potential of yet another genuine international competitor emerging, but it still wants to denude Samoa of three players like that? Loading In the first place, no-one should have to be begged to wear the Australian jersey. In the second place, all potential Kangaroos who express an interest in playing for other nations, should be actively begged to do so! For the good of the game, just the way Origin was created. It won't give league an international game that comes within a bull's roar of rugby union of course – and that is the main thing, after all – but it will help to give it what it so lacks now, credibility. You're welcome. But send the cheque. You'll probably make tens of millions more in TV rights, too. You, of all people, Peter V'landys, surely recognise this? You're welcome, I said! Goolagong-Cawley's flying visit And who should that familiar figure in the Tullamarine Chairman's Lounge on Friday morning turn out to be? None other than my friend and yours, that great Australian icon, Evonne Goolagong-Cawley! Now in her mid-70s, the two-time Wimbledon winner looks great, and not a day older than when I last ran into her a few years ago. With her husband, Roger, she had been visiting the set of a three-part television mini-series being produced by the ABC and the BBC, starring Lila McGuire as Evonne herself. The now Queenslander expressed great satisfaction at how the whole thing is coming along, and the job being done by McGuire herself, and is looking forward to seeing it on our screens next year. And yes she even listened patiently, as I waxed lyrical on how wonderful I – if we can bring it back to me for a moment, Evonne? – found it to be at the women's and men's singles finals, myself, a fortnight ago, nodding sagely as I talked of the atmosphere, the spectacle, the whole damn thing! Swing and a miss, K-Man I'm sorry, my friend Darren Kane, but I'm just going to have to go with me on this one. For yes, I saw your column this week, which included the words in the headline, 'Greg Norman was right,' – Waiter! Shoot me! – and maintained that it was unfair that LIV golfers don't have their performances in LIV tournaments counted for rankings in getting into the Majors. Darren, I thought we had been through this before? I can't remember who I am misquoting now, and it might even be myself, but LIV golfers complaining about their disappearance from the world rankings, after they took the money and ran, is like a bloke who murders his parents pleading with the judge for mercy because he is now an orphan. The sheer chutzpah would kill a brown dog. The LIV golfers took the blood money. They knew what they were doing. They knew the damage it would do to golf. But they still want to play nice when it comes time for the majors? What's that expression again? I remember now – it rhymes with 'Kiss off!' As to the mooted merger of LIV with the PGA, why would the PGA do that now? We are now into the fourth year of LIV, and it is clear: no-one cares. Its ratings are abysmal, its tournaments make no buzz anywhere but Adelaide, and no-one talks about it. In all that time, only twice has a LIV player won a major, and those who have gone are not really missed. Loading And if a version of LIV comes along for rugby, as has been mooted – called R360, and headed up by former England captain Mike Tindall – it will meet the same fate, only quicker. Tonight we will see a great match between the Wallabies and the British and Irish Lions, a Test with nigh-on 150 years of history behind it. Tens of thousands of people have come from all over the world to watch it, and will love every moment of it. Now, take exactly the same team, pay them millions each and call them the Saudi Slaughterers on one side, and the Mohammad Bin Salman Murderers on the other. Would we watch? Would we care? We would not. Kiss off, Tindall! What They Said Scottie Scheffler after winning the British Open: 'I don't think I'm anything special just because some weeks I'm better at shooting a lower score than other guys are. In some circles, like right now I'm the best player in the world. This week I was the best player in the world. I'm sitting here with the trophy. We're going to start all over in Memphis, back to even par, show goes on.' Scheffler doubles down on his comments last week, about golf trophies being no big deal when what he really wants to be good at is being a husband and father: 'Am I grateful for [winning]? Do I enjoy it? Oh, my gosh, yes, this is a cool feeling. But having success in life is not what fulfils the deepest desires of your heart. Just because you win a golf tournament doesn't make you happy - but I'm pretty excited to celebrate this one.' Lions star Owen Farrell on online trolls: 'But I understand that it's different now. I understand times are different and things catch fire quicker. Things grow legs, take a life of their own, go wherever they go and there's momentum behind them. But no, I don't always understand it.' How about Farrell dealing with praise and not just abuse? 'Both are a poison ... I guess the people I think we should listen to are the proper rugby people – your mates. Not that those people will just pat you on the back.' Nick Kyrgios after a doubles match: 'Knee cooked but fans still f--ed with us.' No, I have no idea, either. The Association on American Indian Affairs doesn't want Donald Trump to make moves to bring back the Redskins and Indians: 'These mascots and names do not honour Native Peoples — they reduce us to caricatures. Our diverse Peoples and cultures are not relics of the past or mascots for entertainment. Native Nations are sovereign, contemporary cultures who deserve respect and self-determination, not misrepresentation.' Bravo. English footballer Esme Morgan on how the Lionesses wound down after their match against Sweden: 'There was a lot of laughing at things that happened within the game, a few of us got together to watch that night's 'Love Island episode to try and tire us out.' Tom Lynagh on taking on the Lions: 'No point to prove, just go out there and play my game. It was incredible experience. It's my first time playing at Suncorp when it's packed out. It's always something I wanted to do and follow in Dad's footsteps. So, I'm living the dream now. It's a proud moment for myself and my family.' On being targeted physically: 'It's part of the job, mate. You've got to toughen up for games like this. You can't shy away from anything.' Loading Len Ikitau on what position Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii should play: 'To be honest, if he's on the field, that's the best thing for us. Just somewhere on the field, and if he's playing 13, if he's playing on the wing, fullback, I know that he's just a freak of an athlete, and he can step up to the occasion, and just play his footy. At the end of the day, it's a footy game and he's a footballer, so I don't think it'll faze him.' Team of the Week Wallabies. Play the British and Irish Lions at the MCG tonight, after a creditable if losing performance in the First Test, last week in Brissie. Jess Hull. The Australian flyer broke her own women's mile record, registering 4:13.68 to finish a couple of seconds behind Ethiopia's Gudaf Tsegay. England and Spain. Contest the final of the UEFA European Women's Championship. Scottie Scheffler. Now the undisputed biggest name in golf right now, because he keeps winning, including the British Open last weekend. The LIV sell-outs, meantime, ever more irrelevant. Have only won two majors between them, since LIV started. Felix Baumgartner. Extreme sports pioneer died as he lived in a paragliding accident, in Italy this week. You might remember as the bloke who more or less parachuted from space, back in 2012, jumping from 40 km up in the stratosphere. It still mesmerises. Cameron Smith. The only professional golfer to have been in all four majors this year, but failed to make the cut at all four. LIV appears to have destroyed – you heard me – his game, at least in the majors. But look, he's got squillions, so I guess that's the main thing. West Coast Fever. Into the Super Netball grand final while the Swifts take on the Vixens for the right to meet them. Hulk Hogan.
The Age
an hour ago
- The Age
Let them go – Samoa defectors might just save international footy
Humphreys, steering by the star of what was good for rugby league in the long term, not what was good for NSW in the short term, agreed. The result? Rugby league entered the big time, garnered eyeballs by the ship-load from all over the country, and indeed the world, and the game made BILLIONS of dollars out of it. All because administrators had foresight! Isn't that precisely the kind of situation league finds itself in now, contemplating this issue? Origin is so big that it completely dwarfs league's 'international game' because of a severe lack of serious competition. The absurd Rugby League World Cup fools no-one, because they don't actually play league seriously in most of the countries represented. The only nations that genuinely compete are Australia, New Zealand and England. But now, with so many Pasifika players going so brilliantly, there is a real chance of new contenders emerging, led by Samoa. If Haas, Fa'asuamaleaui, and the Hammer want to play for that brilliant, small island nation, fabulous! A real contest! Yes, folks, an actually watchable game in the international arena, outside of the Big Three? League – and more particularly we taxpayers – are putting $600 million into PNG to breathe life into the game there, and have the potential of yet another genuine international competitor emerging, but it still wants to denude Samoa of three players like that? Loading In the first place, no-one should have to be begged to wear the Australian jersey. In the second place, all potential Kangaroos who express an interest in playing for other nations, should be actively begged to do so! For the good of the game, just the way Origin was created. It won't give league an international game that comes within a bull's roar of rugby union of course – and that is the main thing, after all – but it will help to give it what it so lacks now, credibility. You're welcome. But send the cheque. You'll probably make tens of millions more in TV rights, too. You, of all people, Peter V'landys, surely recognise this? You're welcome, I said! Goolagong-Cawley's flying visit And who should that familiar figure in the Tullamarine Chairman's Lounge on Friday morning turn out to be? None other than my friend and yours, that great Australian icon, Evonne Goolagong-Cawley! Now in her mid-70s, the two-time Wimbledon winner looks great, and not a day older than when I last ran into her a few years ago. With her husband, Roger, she had been visiting the set of a three-part television mini-series being produced by the ABC and the BBC, starring Lila McGuire as Evonne herself. The now Queenslander expressed great satisfaction at how the whole thing is coming along, and the job being done by McGuire herself, and is looking forward to seeing it on our screens next year. And yes she even listened patiently, as I waxed lyrical on how wonderful I – if we can bring it back to me for a moment, Evonne? – found it to be at the women's and men's singles finals, myself, a fortnight ago, nodding sagely as I talked of the atmosphere, the spectacle, the whole damn thing! Swing and a miss, K-Man I'm sorry, my friend Darren Kane, but I'm just going to have to go with me on this one. For yes, I saw your column this week, which included the words in the headline, 'Greg Norman was right,' – Waiter! Shoot me! – and maintained that it was unfair that LIV golfers don't have their performances in LIV tournaments counted for rankings in getting into the Majors. Darren, I thought we had been through this before? I can't remember who I am misquoting now, and it might even be myself, but LIV golfers complaining about their disappearance from the world rankings, after they took the money and ran, is like a bloke who murders his parents pleading with the judge for mercy because he is now an orphan. The sheer chutzpah would kill a brown dog. The LIV golfers took the blood money. They knew what they were doing. They knew the damage it would do to golf. But they still want to play nice when it comes time for the majors? What's that expression again? I remember now – it rhymes with 'Kiss off!' As to the mooted merger of LIV with the PGA, why would the PGA do that now? We are now into the fourth year of LIV, and it is clear: no-one cares. Its ratings are abysmal, its tournaments make no buzz anywhere but Adelaide, and no-one talks about it. In all that time, only twice has a LIV player won a major, and those who have gone are not really missed. Loading And if a version of LIV comes along for rugby, as has been mooted – called R360, and headed up by former England captain Mike Tindall – it will meet the same fate, only quicker. Tonight we will see a great match between the Wallabies and the British and Irish Lions, a Test with nigh-on 150 years of history behind it. Tens of thousands of people have come from all over the world to watch it, and will love every moment of it. Now, take exactly the same team, pay them millions each and call them the Saudi Slaughterers on one side, and the Mohammad Bin Salman Murderers on the other. Would we watch? Would we care? We would not. Kiss off, Tindall! What They Said Scottie Scheffler after winning the British Open: 'I don't think I'm anything special just because some weeks I'm better at shooting a lower score than other guys are. In some circles, like right now I'm the best player in the world. This week I was the best player in the world. I'm sitting here with the trophy. We're going to start all over in Memphis, back to even par, show goes on.' Scheffler doubles down on his comments last week, about golf trophies being no big deal when what he really wants to be good at is being a husband and father: 'Am I grateful for [winning]? Do I enjoy it? Oh, my gosh, yes, this is a cool feeling. But having success in life is not what fulfils the deepest desires of your heart. Just because you win a golf tournament doesn't make you happy - but I'm pretty excited to celebrate this one.' Lions star Owen Farrell on online trolls: 'But I understand that it's different now. I understand times are different and things catch fire quicker. Things grow legs, take a life of their own, go wherever they go and there's momentum behind them. But no, I don't always understand it.' How about Farrell dealing with praise and not just abuse? 'Both are a poison ... I guess the people I think we should listen to are the proper rugby people – your mates. Not that those people will just pat you on the back.' Nick Kyrgios after a doubles match: 'Knee cooked but fans still f--ed with us.' No, I have no idea, either. The Association on American Indian Affairs doesn't want Donald Trump to make moves to bring back the Redskins and Indians: 'These mascots and names do not honour Native Peoples — they reduce us to caricatures. Our diverse Peoples and cultures are not relics of the past or mascots for entertainment. Native Nations are sovereign, contemporary cultures who deserve respect and self-determination, not misrepresentation.' Bravo. English footballer Esme Morgan on how the Lionesses wound down after their match against Sweden: 'There was a lot of laughing at things that happened within the game, a few of us got together to watch that night's 'Love Island episode to try and tire us out.' Tom Lynagh on taking on the Lions: 'No point to prove, just go out there and play my game. It was incredible experience. It's my first time playing at Suncorp when it's packed out. It's always something I wanted to do and follow in Dad's footsteps. So, I'm living the dream now. It's a proud moment for myself and my family.' On being targeted physically: 'It's part of the job, mate. You've got to toughen up for games like this. You can't shy away from anything.' Loading Len Ikitau on what position Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii should play: 'To be honest, if he's on the field, that's the best thing for us. Just somewhere on the field, and if he's playing 13, if he's playing on the wing, fullback, I know that he's just a freak of an athlete, and he can step up to the occasion, and just play his footy. At the end of the day, it's a footy game and he's a footballer, so I don't think it'll faze him.' Team of the Week Wallabies. Play the British and Irish Lions at the MCG tonight, after a creditable if losing performance in the First Test, last week in Brissie. Jess Hull. The Australian flyer broke her own women's mile record, registering 4:13.68 to finish a couple of seconds behind Ethiopia's Gudaf Tsegay. England and Spain. Contest the final of the UEFA European Women's Championship. Scottie Scheffler. Now the undisputed biggest name in golf right now, because he keeps winning, including the British Open last weekend. The LIV sell-outs, meantime, ever more irrelevant. Have only won two majors between them, since LIV started. Felix Baumgartner. Extreme sports pioneer died as he lived in a paragliding accident, in Italy this week. You might remember as the bloke who more or less parachuted from space, back in 2012, jumping from 40 km up in the stratosphere. It still mesmerises. Cameron Smith. The only professional golfer to have been in all four majors this year, but failed to make the cut at all four. LIV appears to have destroyed – you heard me – his game, at least in the majors. But look, he's got squillions, so I guess that's the main thing. West Coast Fever. Into the Super Netball grand final while the Swifts take on the Vixens for the right to meet them. Hulk Hogan.
News.com.au
16 hours ago
- News.com.au
‘We'll lose the fans': Wayne Bennett's simple solution to State of Origin eligibility debate
South Sydney coach Wayne Bennett has weighed in on proposed changes to State of Origin eligibility while also calling for calm as English recruit Lewis Dodd prepares to make his first start at halfback after a rough first year in Australia. Dodd was signed for three years on a lucrative deal but has played just four games off the bench this season despite the Rabbitohs going through a horror injury run in 2025. He'll finally start in the No.7 jersey against the Sharks with Jamie Humphreys in concussion protocols, with Bennett refusing to make any comments about Dodd's future before he sees how he performs. 'We're all going to be a lot smarter after tomorrow night, so let's wait until tomorrow night and answer some questions then,' he said, with suggestions the club could try to move him on at the end of the year. 'He's been good since he's been here. He's trained well, is well-mannered and has been highly respectful of the other players and his teammates. Nothing has changed for him. 'It could be a big month for him.' While Bennett didn't want to comment on Dodd's future, he was strong on Origin eligibility rules after it emerged that the Australian Rugby League Commission was considering making changes to stop players from having to choose between the Blues or Maroons and international sides England and New Zealand. As it stands, Origin stars like Stephen Crichton, Payne Haas and Jarome Luai can represent the Blues and then play for Samoa at the end of the year because of their tier 2 status. That loophole isn't available to guys like Victor Radley, who chose England over NSW, while there have been plenty of Kiwis who have been blocked from representing their state, while others have chosen to represent Tonga or Samoa so they can also play Origin. Bennett, who was in the mix to coach Australia in this year's Ashes series, has no issue with guys playing both formats but wants players to pick a country and stick with that choice for the rest of their careers. 'I don't believe they're going to play with the rules of Origin itself, and that's really important because the minute the fans realise it's not the genuine Queensland v NSW that it is, then we'll lose the fans,' Bennett warned. 'That's the great thing about it, the rivalry is real and it's not false, so we need to maintain that. 'The off side of that is players leaving that arena to then go and play for Tonga, Samoa, England, whatever. 'I'm happy for them to do that, but they can't do it as they're doing at the moment where you play for Tonga because they're second tier. If you play for England, it's first tier, so you can't swap nations. 'My point with it is that Origin eligibility won't change, and after that if you want to play for England and you qualify for England, then you do that. 'I'm happy for that because it makes the international game stronger, but I just don't want to see them playing for England and then coming back to play for Tonga because they're a second-tier nation. 'It's served its purpose and it's time to move on from that situation.' Fans would have loved to have seen Kiwis legend Benji Marshall play Origin, but he still wouldn't have been eligible even under the proposed changes given he moved to Australia after his 13th birthday. Regardless, he said he was never jealous given he's proud of his heritage. 'I always found it to be an Australian thing,' the Wests Tigers coach said. 'I just thought it was respectful to what it was that players from Australia played in that. 'We were always fans growing up in New Zealand. There was NSW and Queensland, but there was no wanting to play for them. I always wanted to play for New Zealand.'
