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First Nations-Pasifika combo out to honour their heritage and put a dent in the Lions unbeaten record

First Nations-Pasifika combo out to honour their heritage and put a dent in the Lions unbeaten record

Fresh from their 27-19 victory over Australia in Brisbane, the British and Irish Lions have travelled to Melbourne to prepare for the second test at the MCG on Saturday.
They'll warm up for that encounter with a match against a First Nations and Pasifika XV at Marvel Stadium.
It's the first time that such a side has been brought together - representing as it does six different cultures - with all 23 players in the match-day squad out to honour their heritage.
Overseeing operations will be Toutai Kefu, capped 60 times by Australia, before going on to coach his country of heritage,Tonga.
He says such a side may never be seen again, but he loves the First Nations-Pasifika concept and has floated the idea of future matches against the New Zealand Maoris, and maybe even a European tour.
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Behind the scenes in Kia's Tasman Town
Behind the scenes in Kia's Tasman Town

News.com.au

timea few seconds ago

  • News.com.au

Behind the scenes in Kia's Tasman Town

How many sports stars does it take to convince Australians that Kia can make a good, off-road, dual cab ute? The South Korean car manufacturer – better known for their sensible SUVs – clearly thinks the answer is a lot. Last week, for the launch of its first-ever ute, the Tasman, Kia shipped Alex Volkanovski, Lance Franklin, David Boonie, Damien Oliver, Alfie Langer, Steve Waugh, Dane Swan, Nathan Hindmarsh and Darren Lockyer to a small country town in the Central West of New South Wales. A truly impressive bevy of athletes. Some of the biggest names in Australian sport. And they were all brought together to participate in what might best be described as a night of improvisational theatre. No, really. For the launch, Kia took over Sofala, a historic gold rush town with a population of around 100 people, and transformed it into 'Tasman Town', the imaginary destination featured in their ads. I was one of a few dozen motoring writers and media types who were invited along for the event. On arrival, we were greeted as though we were newcomers to the area, interested in buying a local property. To help us get acquainted with the town, an actor, playing the local mayor, gave us a tour of the main street. Along the way, we were introduced to a few of the 'residents'. These were, of course, the athletes who were in character as … well … themselves. But versions of themselves who drove Kias, worked trades, and lived in a fake town. Frankly, I call this non-consensual improvisation. Usually, I would gnaw off my own hand to avoid it. Kia, perhaps being one step ahead of dissidents like myself, were mercifully quick to distribute beer and wine to prevent any such drastic actions. Certainly, some athletes were more comfortable in their acting roles than others. UFC Featherweight Champion Alex Volkanovski – pretending to a butcher – was a standout performer. I suppose if your actual job is beating men into a pulp with your knuckles, all other gigs are comparatively easy. A few actual Sofala residents were also involved in the show. They had the important job of walking ponies and goats up and down the street. You know, just like any ordinary country town. The rest of the locals had gathered at the pub, schooners in hand, to watch the palaver unfold. Their faces were inscrutable as the media pack shuffled past. Once the mandatory theatre component of the evening had concluded, guests and the sporting icons were free to mingle. This, I realise, would be a dream event for many Australians. Unfortunately, as someone with terrible facial memory and a dearth of knowledge on any non car-related sport, I was in a personally-tailored horror story. Every conversation was socially fraught. Did this person look familiar because I've met them at a car launch? Or are they an Australian sporting legend whom I should absolutely know? There were a million ways for a person like me to socially embarrass themselves. Inevitably, it wasn't long before I found one. During the evening's formal dinner, the person assigned to the place next to me sat down, shook my hand and asked, 'Who are you?'. This was an aggressive start to a conversation, I thought. I fired back, 'I'm Stephanie, who are you?' To which he replied, very politely, that he was Nathan Hindmarsh, one of the footy players. Also, he clarified, he'd asked me how are you, not who are you. Hindmarsh then proceeded to further shame me by being thoroughly funny and charming for the rest of the evening. The Tasman launch was an extravaganza, but I was obviously not the target audience. The fact that no female sporting stars were present – even though they featured in some of the ads – is further evidence of this fact. If Kia has a vision board for the Tasman, dead centre is a caricature of an Aussie tradesman. Their method for appealing to these men – getting high-profile sporting heroes to pretend to be tradies – is borderline patronising. But Kia is not in a position to take any serious creative risks. They need the Tasman to work in Australia. This is no small task. Kia is entering a very established, highly-competitive dual cab ute market late in the day, and with a car that is being thoroughly panned online for its boxy, brutalist design. Kia has decided to align itself with winners.

‘The doctor said I'd won the lottery': Appendicitis may have cost Jack Howarth an Origin debut, but the health scare was a blessing in disguise
‘The doctor said I'd won the lottery': Appendicitis may have cost Jack Howarth an Origin debut, but the health scare was a blessing in disguise

News.com.au

time40 minutes ago

  • News.com.au

‘The doctor said I'd won the lottery': Appendicitis may have cost Jack Howarth an Origin debut, but the health scare was a blessing in disguise

Storm centre Jack Howarth probably would have made his State of Origin debut this year had it not been for two separate setbacks, but he says everything happens for a reason after doctors told him he'd 'won the lottery'. Howarth was in the mix for the series opener but was ruled out of contention due to a dislocated shoulder that opened the door for Roosters rookie Robert Toia to make his Maroons debut after just 10 NRL appearances. The powerful Storm centre returned and was part of Queensland's extended squad for game two, with Howarth expected to eventually get his shot given he represented his state in the under 18s and under 19s. The door was open for him to get his crack when Kalyn Ponga went down with a foot injury, but it wasn't meant to be for Howarth, who was struck down with appendicitis just days before the game three squad was announced. Broncos bolter Gehamat Shibasaki was picked at left centre and did a fine job for Billy Slater as the Maroons clinched the series in Sydney, but it could have easily been Howarth celebrating in the sheds with his teammates. 'It's hard to tell. There were a few conversations but there was no definite call (from Slater),' Howarth told the NewsWire. 'I was just happy that I was in the picture to be selected. Everything happens for a reason and maybe it wasn't my time to play. I'm just glad they went out and won, and Shibasaki has been playing great footy and he has an unreal story, so he deserved it. 'As much as it sucked at the time, it worked out that I was able to get my issues fixed, so it wasn't a big loss.' Those issues could have become very serious, with Howarth revealing how quickly things turned for the worse after initially feeling unwell on Monday, June 23, before he had his appendix removed the next day and was out of hospital on the Wednesday. 'Mine was instant,' he replied when asked about the pain, with the Maroons side for the decider named a week later. 'I was lying in bed and I thought I had eaten something off and it was just stomach pain. But it started to get a lot sharper, so I drove myself to emergency that night. 'It was too much of a big line, so I thought 'stuff it' and I just went home. 'I went and told the club doctor my symptoms and she decided to get me checked. They did a little ultrasound, saw it and told me I had appendicitis and needed surgery that day. 'It was such a fast process but I just had to wait for the wounds to heal.' While appendicitis is nothing new for footy players, Howarth says there were other concerns that showed up after the initial ultrasound. He only missed two club games, but it could have been a lot worse if he hadn't been checked out. Jack Howarth is out this week after requiring surgery to have his appendix removed. Storm expect him to miss at least a few weeks (+ Origin 3). Return time can vary, but most are in the 3-5 week range. Quickest - Adam Reynolds returned just 2 weeks post appendix removal in 2017. — NRL PHYSIO (@nrlphysio) June 25, 2025 'I missed a bit of footy, which sucked, but they also found a bit of internal damage while I was there, so it was a blessing in disguise that I had my appendix checked,' he said. 'I don't know exactly what the other stuff was, but the doctor said I'd won the lottery and that down the track it could have been a lot worse if they hadn't spotted it. 'Everything happens for a reason and I'm just lucky that they found that problem.'

AFL 2025: Melbourne Demons cop huge whack after St Kilda melt down in record-breaking loss
AFL 2025: Melbourne Demons cop huge whack after St Kilda melt down in record-breaking loss

Courier-Mail

timean hour ago

  • Courier-Mail

AFL 2025: Melbourne Demons cop huge whack after St Kilda melt down in record-breaking loss

Don't miss out on the headlines from AFL. Followed categories will be added to My News. Melbourne's leaders have been called out for their dying seconds 'panic' in the historic six-point loss to the Saints on Sunday. When Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera kicked a goal to level scores with just eight seconds to play, the Demons coughed up a 6-6-6 infringement free kick in the middle of the ground. FOX FOOTY, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every match of every round in the 2025 Toyota AFL Premiership Season LIVE in 4K, with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1. And what followed was pure chaos as Melbourne's players took off, only to be called back, before that man Wanganeen-Milera bobbed up again to kick the winning goal in a stunning 15.6 (96) to 13.12 (90) victory. 'There was a rush of blood to defend long and deep,' AFL great Dermott Brereton said. 'It was panic stations.' In all the confusion, Max Gawn, Jack Viney and Kysaiah Pickett all returned to the middle of the ground in a move that ultimately proved costly as Wanganeen-Milera streaked forward, marked inside 50 and nailed the matchwinner. It created history for the Saints, with the biggest three-quarter time comeback ever, from 46 points down. The Demons' confusion was clear in the dying seconds of St Kilda's historic win. Umpire Nick Brown asked for the field to be reset before paying a free kick to Rowan Marshall. Picture: Michael Klein Two-time premiership Roo David King labelled the Dees' dying seconds brain fade as a 'cardinal sin'. 'Name me the leaders at Melbourne. They're all there. They've got (Christian) Petracca, Gawn, you've got (Christian) Salem behind the footy, (Tom) McDonald. They're everywhere there. They should have understood this situation,' King said on Fox Footy's First Crack. 'They should have understood the 6-6-6. Instead of getting confused here … why is Max back in the middle? 'I just spoke with (ex-AFL umpire) Ray Chamberlain, he said there is no rule that says Max has to go back in and reset. He should be the loose man. 'What the hell is Viney doing in the middle of the wing when his opponent has gone to the left edge to charge forward? 'So, as the fourth midfielder comes in no one is communicating. No one knows who's got who. 'Viney is thinking, 'I've got to get back to Wanganeen-Milera'. I'm assuming that's what he's thinking because he's not going with (Saint Anthony) Caminiti, who charges to the left. 'He clearly doesn't get there, he doesn't surge, now he doesn't know what he's doing and the rest of the Melbourne backs are all here. 'Why is Bowey out there? If he's all the way out there that's fine. Stay there. Coach Simon Goodwin on the sidelines. Arms were out all over the centre square ahead of the final play of St Kilda's historic win. 'He turns to correct and he's not organising Viney. He should be saying to Viney, 'Come back' … Bowey turns and he's not even facing the play. 'I don't understand how they've capitulated so poorly in the space of 30 seconds. 'They haven't assessed the situation. 'They haven't assessed the likely danger zones and they've allowed Wanganeen-Milera to charge unopposed into that dangerous area through a lack of understanding of what's going to happen and a lack of communication. 'This is on them and the details matter. This comes back to coaching, I don't care what anyone says. 'It comes back to learnt habits, learnt skills at training … They should have known these things. This is their profession. 'I'm disappointed with Melbourne because this is a game they played really well for three quarters and have just lost their minds. 'It's the dumbest thing I've seen this year. 'Viney standing, wrong side of his opponent 30 metres (away), giving a tall – a targeted player – he can contested mark this guy Caminiti, allowing him to go inside 50 unopposed is just a cardinal sin.' Goodwin was seen looking bemused on the bench while their footy head of development Mark Williams was still counting players when the ball was handed back to Saints big man Rowan Marshall – who nailed the kick to Wanganeen-Milera. 'Pickett and Petracca didn't have to be at the circle,' Fox Footy's Leigh Montagna said. 'They could have been all the way back just inside the square because they knew it was St Kilda's free kick. 'Simon Goodwin was coaching from the bench … he wasn't giving instructions to his players at all. He was standing there watching. Demons head of development Mark Williams was spotted counting players. 'If you're on the bench, that's one of the advantages you have as a coach is to be able to yell out to your players in that situation. 'Jack Viney, his vice-captain, would have been 40 metres away from him.' Speaking after the one-goal loss, Goodwin described the defeat as 'unacceptable'. 'We won't shy away from it at all. We won't sugar-coat it,' he said. 'We'll just own it and do something about it and make sure it never happens again. 'Today is unacceptable. For all the good that was in the day, that last quarter was so far off.' Originally published as 'Dumbest thing seen': Dees' huge whack after St Kilda melt down

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