Australian media reaction to Fiji performance
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The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
Grieving Cameron Munster to make late dash to Maroons camp ahead of Origin decider
A 'pretty upset' Maroons captain Cameron Munster will return to camp barely 24 hours before this year's State of Origin decider following the death of his father over the weekend, as he continues to deal with the emotional toll. Munster left his teammates on Sunday to return to Rockhampton to spend time with his mother and sister after his father Steven suddenly passed away, and 18th man Reece Walsh deputised for the five-eighth in one of the Maroons' most important pre-match training sessions. Munster – who was named player of the match in his first game as Queensland captain in Game 2 – will return for the Maroons' final training on Tuesday afternoon, although coach Billy Slater revealed he may not take part. 'He's been pretty upset over the last couple of days, but the last couple of days he's been where he's needed to be,' he said. Despite the tragic circumstances, Slater said he hadn't considered a contingency in case his captain could not play, but warned there was 'not a switch' for Munster to flip in order to focus on the match. 'There was a fair bit of uncertainty with Mun [Munster] on Sunday morning when I was sitting in his room, but the one thing he was certain about is he was playing on Wednesday night,' Slater said. 'He didn't have a lot of answers for a lot of other things, but he gave that one to me pretty straight.' The coach said the squad's senior players have stepped up in Munster's absence in a 'sad and sombre' camp, and the entire team was likely to get a 'huge boost' given what they have seen their captain endure. Slater, whose father Ron died in January, said there was not much he could tell Munster, his former teammate at the Storm. 'There's no real words that fix any of this,' he said. The passing of Munster's father has tempered the usually fiery build up for a State of Origin decider. Blues coach Laurie Daley said he wasn't sure how the Maroons would react, but expressed sympathy for the Munster family. 'You just realise how life can change pretty quickly, and there's more meaningful things than a game of footy, and I think that puts it all into perspective,' Daley said. NSW halfback Nathan Cleary is managing a groin injury and will not kick goals for the Blues, and Daley has said Zac Lomax – who kicked two from five in game two – will keep the job. The coach confirmed winger Brian To'o and prop Payne Haas would both take the field at Accor Stadium in Sydney on Wednesday night. To'o trained with the team on Monday despite a knee complaint picked up two weeks ago against Canterbury. He was wearing a compression bandage around his left knee when he went walking with his teammates at Homebush on Tuesday morning. Haas has been managing a back injury, and staff had planned for him to prepare on restricted duties. Captain Isaah Yeo said they have both earned the right to play despite not being fully fit. 'Payne and Biz [To'o] have been question marks, but that's been normal for them the whole campaign so far,' he said. 'Payne was our man of the match in Game 1, and Biz was our man of the match in Game 2, so off the back of those performances you trust them.' The Blues are hoping to retain the shield after they defeated Queensland in last year's decider in Brisbane.
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Nick Kyrgios reveals stunning plan to hold 'battle of the sexes' tennis match against world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka
Nick Kyrgios has revealed he and three-time Grand Slam champion Aryna Sabalenka are planning to stage a battle of the sexes exhibition match this year - with two major rule changes to make the clash more difficult for him. Kyrgios, a Wimbledon men's singles finalist and outspoken commentator, has left fans buzzing about his plans to take on the world No.1 female player. 'Sabalenka and I are thinking about doing a battle of the sexes later in the year,' he told Talk Sport. 'Where the court is going to be slightly smaller [at Sabalenka's end], for me with one serve... 'I'm playing on a slightly smaller than the usual tennis court.' The Australian said the match, inspired by 1973's infamous 'battle of the sexes' tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs, will likely take place in Hong Kong later in the year. 'I'm really nervous about it, to be honest, she's in her absolute prime right now,' he said. 'And she's getting the wooden legs [version] of me - but I'm still feeling confident that I can get her. 'I think I've still got enough variation and talent in the tank to take Sabalenka, but she's fierce and I'm feeling nerves right now.' The original 'battle of the sexes' match in 1973, was one of biggest media events of its day and King's impressive victory was widely credited with striking an impressive blow for the women's liberation movement. Despite being 55 at the time, retired tennis champ Bobby Riggs was expected to comfortably beat Billie Jean King, then 29 and the world's No. 2 female player. Four months earlier, Riggs had easily dispatched with the women's No. 1 Margaret Court. Instead, Riggs lost 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 to King before a stunned audience of 30,472 fans at the Houston Astrodome. It's still the largest crowd in to ever attend a tennis match in the USA and millions more were watching on TV. The outcome has repeatedly been dogged by claims it was fixed or the result was thrown, something Riggs repeatedly denied until his death in 1995. Sabalenka, 27, is an intense competitor and one of the most expressive players in the game. But Kyrgios says she is very different off the court. 'When she is on the court she is incredibly intense, she is fierce, she has a big game. She is almost scary,' he said. 'But off the court she is gentle. She came on my podcast and I really got to know and connect with her at a human level and she is really funny, she is nice and she was telling me that she wanted to change that perception.
BBC News
7 hours ago
- BBC News
Trio of clubs target £40m Grealish - Tuesday's gossip
Three clubs are keen on Manchester City's Jack Grealish, while Newcastle are hopeful of signing Crystal Palace's Marc Guehi and in talks with Dominic Calvert-Lewin. Tottenham, Newcastle and Napoli all monitoring England attacker Jack Grealish after Manchester City set an asking price of £40m for the 29-year-old. (Sun), externalNewcastle United remain hopeful of winning the race to sign Marc Guehi, 24, with the club looking to bolster their squad with the addition of the England and Crystal Palace centre-back. (GiveMeSport), externalCrystal Palace are themselves in talks with Sporting over a potential £45m deal for their Ivory Coast defender Ousmane Diomande, 21. (Guardian), externalItalian defender Davide Calabria, 28, is also a target for Crystal Palace. He impressed on loan at Bologna last season but is a free agent after leaving AC Milan when his contract expired. (Sky Sports, external)Newcastle have also held fresh talks with Dominic Calvert-Lewin, 28, with manager Eddie Howe a long-term admirer of the England striker who left Everton after his contract expired last month and has interest from Manchester United. (Talksport), externalWest Ham's 29-year-old Morocco defender Nayef Aguerd is a priority target for French side Marseille this summer. (L'Equipe - in French), externalManchester United have made an approach for Atalanta and Brazil midfielder Ederson, with Serie A duo Inter Milan and Juventus also tracking the 26-year-old valued at about £44m. (Goal - in Portuguese), externalDenmark striker Rasmus Hojlund, 22, is not considering a move away from Manchester United unless the club decide to sell him, with Inter Milan one of the clubs to have shown interest. (Fabrizio Romano), externalMeanwhile, Manchester United quoted a £30m transfer fee for Andre Onana to AS Monaco at the end of last month, but the 29-year-old Cameroon goalkeeper is also looking increasingly likely to stay at the club. (Mail), externalManchester United are also interested in Nigeria midfielder Wilfred Ndidi, 28, who has a reported £9m relegation release clause in his Leicester City contract, with Fulham, Everton and Crystal Palace also keen. (Tuttosport - in Italian), externalSunderland, Leeds United and Wolves are interested in Lens and Morocco Under-23 midfielder Neil El Aynaoui, but face competition from AS Roma, Juventus and AC Milan for the 24-year-old. (Footmercato - in French), externalSlavia Prague manager Jindrich Trpisovsky has confirmed El Hadji Malick Diouf is set to leave the club with West Ham and Leeds linked with the 20-year-old Senegal defender. (Standard), external
