Latest news with #AustralianTest
The Advertiser
5 hours ago
- Sport
- The Advertiser
Fittler withdraws interest in coaching Kangaroos
Brad Fittler has withdrawn from the race to take over as Kangaroos coach, after opting to focus on his television commitments. Fittler has told the ARL Commission he is no longer eyeing off the Australian Test job, after having been the initial favourite to replace Mal Meninga. The former NSW mentor's decision leaves Cameron Smith as the front-runner for the role, having also emerged as a genuine contender. Smith only retired from representative football eight years ago, but has coaching experience as Billy Slater's Queensland assistant in 2022 and 2023. Kevin Walters is also considered an option, after briefly meeting with the NRL as they searched for the Perth Bears' first coach. Walters is keen to get back into the coaching game, after being sacked by the Broncos at the end of last season. Meninga was forced to end his nine-year tenure at the helm of the Kangaroos in early June, after taking on the head coach job at the Bears. Appointing a new Kangaroos coach is a top priority for the ARLC, with an end-of-season Ashes tour of England looming. A full-time Jillaroos coach must also be appointed, after Brad Donald's exit earlier this year. His former assistant Jess Skinner took over on an interim basis for Australia's Test against England in Las Vegas in March, which the Jillaroos won 90-4. Brad Fittler has withdrawn from the race to take over as Kangaroos coach, after opting to focus on his television commitments. Fittler has told the ARL Commission he is no longer eyeing off the Australian Test job, after having been the initial favourite to replace Mal Meninga. The former NSW mentor's decision leaves Cameron Smith as the front-runner for the role, having also emerged as a genuine contender. Smith only retired from representative football eight years ago, but has coaching experience as Billy Slater's Queensland assistant in 2022 and 2023. Kevin Walters is also considered an option, after briefly meeting with the NRL as they searched for the Perth Bears' first coach. Walters is keen to get back into the coaching game, after being sacked by the Broncos at the end of last season. Meninga was forced to end his nine-year tenure at the helm of the Kangaroos in early June, after taking on the head coach job at the Bears. Appointing a new Kangaroos coach is a top priority for the ARLC, with an end-of-season Ashes tour of England looming. A full-time Jillaroos coach must also be appointed, after Brad Donald's exit earlier this year. His former assistant Jess Skinner took over on an interim basis for Australia's Test against England in Las Vegas in March, which the Jillaroos won 90-4. Brad Fittler has withdrawn from the race to take over as Kangaroos coach, after opting to focus on his television commitments. Fittler has told the ARL Commission he is no longer eyeing off the Australian Test job, after having been the initial favourite to replace Mal Meninga. The former NSW mentor's decision leaves Cameron Smith as the front-runner for the role, having also emerged as a genuine contender. Smith only retired from representative football eight years ago, but has coaching experience as Billy Slater's Queensland assistant in 2022 and 2023. Kevin Walters is also considered an option, after briefly meeting with the NRL as they searched for the Perth Bears' first coach. Walters is keen to get back into the coaching game, after being sacked by the Broncos at the end of last season. Meninga was forced to end his nine-year tenure at the helm of the Kangaroos in early June, after taking on the head coach job at the Bears. Appointing a new Kangaroos coach is a top priority for the ARLC, with an end-of-season Ashes tour of England looming. A full-time Jillaroos coach must also be appointed, after Brad Donald's exit earlier this year. His former assistant Jess Skinner took over on an interim basis for Australia's Test against England in Las Vegas in March, which the Jillaroos won 90-4.
7NEWS
8 hours ago
- Sport
- 7NEWS
Brad Fittler withdraws from process to take over as Australian Kangaroos coaching job
Brad Fittler has withdrawn from the race to take over as Kangaroos coach, after opting to focus on his television commitments. Fittler has told the ARL Commission he is no longer eyeing off the Australian Test job, after having been the initial favourite to replace Mal Meninga. The former NSW mentor's decision leaves Cameron Smith as the front-runner for the role, having also emerged as a genuine contender. Smith only retired from representative football eight years ago, but has coaching experience as Billy Slater's Queensland assistant in 2022 and 2023. Kevin Walters is also considered an option, after briefly meeting with the NRL as they searched for the Perth Bears' first coach. Walters is keen to get back into the coaching game, after being sacked by the Broncos at the end of last season. Meninga was forced to end his nine-year tenure at the helm of the Kangaroos in early June, after taking on the head coach job at the Bears. Appointing a new Kangaroos coach is a top priority for the ARLC, with an end-of-season Ashes tour of England looming. A full-time Jillaroos coach must also be appointed, after Brad Donald's exit earlier this year. His former assistant Jess Skinner took over on an interim basis for Australia's Test against England in Las Vegas in March, which the Jillaroos won 90-4.
The Irish Sun
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Andy Farrell ‘wants to see how they deal with pressure' as he challenges Lions to ‘take their chance' vs Western Force
ANDY FARRELL cranked up the pressure on his Lions to beat Western Force today. With three weeks to go until the First Test in Brisbane, the Lions must start the Australian trip with a bang. And anything less than a sound beating of a side who finished ninth out of 11 in Super Rugby would be a massive setback. Boss Farrell said: 'They've got to take responsibility and grab a hold of their chance to make sure they take this team forward. 'We'll see how we respond. The guys taking the field this weekend are a little bit fortunate in the sense that they understand how we want to get better. Read More on Lions 'Part of the whole package is dealing with their own expectation and the pressure we put on ourselves. That's why we were disappointed last week. 'I put a lot on them because I want to see how they deal with the pressure.' Force have scrum-half Nic White — described by Eddie Jones as the 'biggest niggler' in rugby — leading the side after he was released by the Wallabies. Farrell added: 'It's a great side full of Australians who are in the here and now and people with the ambition to be future Australian Test players.' Most read in Rugby Union 1 Andy Farrell wants to see how the Lions respond against the Western Force Credit: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
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First Post
20-06-2025
- Sport
- First Post
Australia drop Marnus Labuschagne after WTC final failure; Steve Smith ruled out of first Test against West Indies
Australian head selector George Bailey said Labuschagne's Test career could be revived if he could rediscover the form that took him to the top of the world batting rankings in 2023. read more Marnus Labuschagne has been dropped from Australian Test after a gap of six years. Image: Reuters Australia have dropped Marnus Labuschagne for next week's first Test against West Indies in Barbados with Sam Konstas and Josh Inglis coming into the batting line-up for the erstwhile opener and Steve Smith, who is injured. Labuschagne opened the batting in the World Test Championship final, contributing scores of 17 and 22 to Australia's cause as the defending champions lost to South Africa by five wickets. Labuschagne dropped due to poor form Smith dislocated his finger while fielding at Lord's, leaving a vacancy at the top of the batting order for the first match in the three-Test series in the Caribbean. 'Steve needs more time for the wound to heal so we'll give him another week's rest and assess his functionality after that,' head selector George Bailey said in a Cricket Australia statement. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'We have made the decision to give Josh and Sam the opportunity to replace Steve and Marnus. We are excited to see them get the chance to further their fledgling Test careers.' Both Konstas and Inglis have played two Tests, the former opening the batting against India in Melbourne and Sydney last season and the latter batting in the middle order in Sri Lanka earlier this year. Bailey said Labuschagne's Test career could be revived if he could rediscover the form that took him to the top of the world batting rankings in 2023. 'Marnus at his best can be a really important member of this team. He understands his output hasn't been at the level we, or he, expects,' he said. 'We will continue working with him on the areas of his game we feel he needs to rediscover. We continue to value his skill and expect him to work through the challenge positively.' The batting order for the first Test, which starts next Wednesday, will be determined closer to the game, Cricket Australia said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Australia also face West Indies in Tests in Grenada and Jamaica on the tour.
The Advertiser
08-05-2025
- The Advertiser
Ex-Test spinner MacGill to learn fate over coke deal
Four years after he was violently kidnapped after a drug deal gone wrong, former Australian Test cricket star Stuart MacGill is set to learn his fate. The former legspinner, who turned to cocaine after cricket, was found guilty in March of supplying an indictable quantity of the drug after a $330,000 exchange in April 2021. A jury determined the 54-year-old knew about the deal between his regular dealer and his brother-in-law but was oblivious to the fact a one kilogram brick was changing hands. He was acquitted of taking part in a large commercial drug supply. MacGill is due to face Sydney's Downing Centre District Court on Friday to be sentenced for his role in the lucrative cocaine deal, which led to his violent kidnapping days later. The $330,000 deal between Person A and Marino Sotiropoulos - the brother of MacGill's then-partner - went smoothly, the jury was told. MacGill had become a trusted customer of Person A, from whom he regularly bought cocaine in half-gram quantities for $200. But the jury heard that trust was broken when Person A decided to rip off Sotiropoulos's associates in a second deal and disappear with cocaine worth $660,000. Demands for the location of Person A or the return of the money were made before the former Test bowler was kidnapped later in April. He was shoved into the back of a car by several men and taken to an abandoned building in Bringelly, in Sydney's west, where he was assaulted and threatened before being released. Six days later, the former cricketing great went to police but denied any involvement in the drug deal. He was arrested in 2023. MacGill retired from cricket in 2008 after playing 44 Tests during which he claimed 208 scalps. Four years after he was violently kidnapped after a drug deal gone wrong, former Australian Test cricket star Stuart MacGill is set to learn his fate. The former legspinner, who turned to cocaine after cricket, was found guilty in March of supplying an indictable quantity of the drug after a $330,000 exchange in April 2021. A jury determined the 54-year-old knew about the deal between his regular dealer and his brother-in-law but was oblivious to the fact a one kilogram brick was changing hands. He was acquitted of taking part in a large commercial drug supply. MacGill is due to face Sydney's Downing Centre District Court on Friday to be sentenced for his role in the lucrative cocaine deal, which led to his violent kidnapping days later. The $330,000 deal between Person A and Marino Sotiropoulos - the brother of MacGill's then-partner - went smoothly, the jury was told. MacGill had become a trusted customer of Person A, from whom he regularly bought cocaine in half-gram quantities for $200. But the jury heard that trust was broken when Person A decided to rip off Sotiropoulos's associates in a second deal and disappear with cocaine worth $660,000. Demands for the location of Person A or the return of the money were made before the former Test bowler was kidnapped later in April. He was shoved into the back of a car by several men and taken to an abandoned building in Bringelly, in Sydney's west, where he was assaulted and threatened before being released. Six days later, the former cricketing great went to police but denied any involvement in the drug deal. He was arrested in 2023. MacGill retired from cricket in 2008 after playing 44 Tests during which he claimed 208 scalps. Four years after he was violently kidnapped after a drug deal gone wrong, former Australian Test cricket star Stuart MacGill is set to learn his fate. The former legspinner, who turned to cocaine after cricket, was found guilty in March of supplying an indictable quantity of the drug after a $330,000 exchange in April 2021. A jury determined the 54-year-old knew about the deal between his regular dealer and his brother-in-law but was oblivious to the fact a one kilogram brick was changing hands. He was acquitted of taking part in a large commercial drug supply. MacGill is due to face Sydney's Downing Centre District Court on Friday to be sentenced for his role in the lucrative cocaine deal, which led to his violent kidnapping days later. The $330,000 deal between Person A and Marino Sotiropoulos - the brother of MacGill's then-partner - went smoothly, the jury was told. MacGill had become a trusted customer of Person A, from whom he regularly bought cocaine in half-gram quantities for $200. But the jury heard that trust was broken when Person A decided to rip off Sotiropoulos's associates in a second deal and disappear with cocaine worth $660,000. Demands for the location of Person A or the return of the money were made before the former Test bowler was kidnapped later in April. He was shoved into the back of a car by several men and taken to an abandoned building in Bringelly, in Sydney's west, where he was assaulted and threatened before being released. Six days later, the former cricketing great went to police but denied any involvement in the drug deal. He was arrested in 2023. MacGill retired from cricket in 2008 after playing 44 Tests during which he claimed 208 scalps.
