Latest news with #NNL
Scoop
17-07-2025
- Sport
- Scoop
Heady Rise For Young Pulse Defender
On the brink of playing in the Elimination Final, Te Wānanga o Raukawa Pulse defender Laura Balmer is still taking stock of her short but adventurous introduction to life in the ANZ Premiership netball league. The Pulse take on the Tactix in Christchurch on Sunday evening to decide who will meet the Northern Mystics in the league's Grand Final, a week later. Sailing close to the wind at times to get to this position, the Pulse have another big challenge in store against a seasoned Tactix side, who remain unbeaten at home this campaign and have remained largely injury-free. The pair has met twice this season with a win apiece. ``Our last three games have kind of been do-or-die so we're not strangers to that situation, we know how to come together and win each moment,'' Balmer said. ``You can't go into it thinking who won what, it's a complete clean slate. Our focus is, respect your opposition, do all the game prep and analysis to the best of our ability, and go in with our game faces on.'' Hoping to nail a spot in the NZ U21 team to contest the World Youth Cup in September, it has been a whirlwind seven months for Balmer, 21, who at the beginning of the year expected to be playing for the Southern Blast in the National Netball League (NNL) and continuing her medical studies in Dunedin. It was a pinch-me-moment when she was drafted into the Pulse as a replacement player ahead of the season, her life taking a completely different turn and which, subsequently, has included many more pinch-me-moments. In the wake of injury to Parris Mason, that included her first start last weekend in the largely unfamiliar position of goal defence, the match won in dramatic fashion by the Pulse with a last-gasp super shot against the Magic. ``I did not get much sleep the night before but it was so exciting,'' she said. ``I was very nervous, especially coming up against Ameliaranne (Ekenasio) who I've grown up watching but it was so cool. It was such a team effort and they all backed me to do my job, so I just went on confident but nervous. ``It's been a hectic ride but it's just been amazing. Obviously, I was apprehensive moving to Wellington because I just didn't know what to expect. I was excited but I thought it could go terribly. But I have just loved it. The coaching, the city, the team……I think the team culture here is just amazing. ``I'm very much a family person and coming here, you just automatically get a family in your team and that's been fantastic. There's been lots of learnings, lots of steep learning curves but everyone's very supportive and encouraging, so it's been a fun journey.'' Having switched from playing in the NNL, where netball is fitted in around work or study, to full immersion and the expectations of what's required at ANZ Premiership level, Balmer is living the dream. ``Coming into the ANZ Premiership, everything is about performance and netball, so that's what your sole focus is and you're paid to do it,'' she said. ``It has just exceeded all my expectations. It's like being with a fun group of people all day every day playing the sport you love.'' Due to illness and injury, the Pulse have had to dig deep into their resource well at various times which has meant tinkering with line-ups and some players covering several positions, including the invaluable contribution Gabi Simpson has provided the team. Dropping her life in Brisbane to accommodate the Pulse in their hour of need, the former Diamond has gained universal admiration for her professionalism and adaptability, seamlessly stepping into goal defence and centre, positions she has not played much of at the elite level, and her more familiar wing defence role. ``I could literally talk on Gabi all day,'' Balmer said. ``I have so much respect for her. She can play pretty much any position you put her in and also she's just one of the wisest people that I've met. ``We do lots of coffee dates where I just question her all the time. She is so respected in this group because she just brings such knowledge and wisdom but is so humble with it. She's always very team focused and will do anything for the team, and is such a selfless player.''
The Australian
14-07-2025
- Business
- The Australian
NNL fields 264,000oz Hirsikangas resource
Maiden Hirsikangas mineral resource estimate of 264,000 ounces Third Finnish project resource adds 34% to total ounces, now 1.23Moz All three projects underexplored with straightforward access to processing plants Special Report: Nordic Resources has fielded a mineral resource for all three of its Finnish projects, bringing the total combined gold resource to 1.23 million ounces. Similar to the Kopsa and Kiimala Finnish projects, NNL's exploration at Hirsikangas has revealed it to be a near-surface orogenic gold deposit with plenty of exploration upside. The new mineral resource, pegged at 264,000 ounces of gold, was generated from only 2.5km of a potential 10-kilometre-long strike, offering parallel underexplored geological structures which may also host gold. Nordic Resources (ASX:NNL) executive director Robert Wrixon said that while Hirsikangas had been somewhat of an unknown compared to the company's focus on the Kopsa project, it had proven highly prospective. 'Just like Kopsa and Angesneva, the gold resource at Hirsikangas essentially starts from surface and is far more substantial than previously understood by NNL, with obvious exploration upside,' Wrixon said. 'The addition of Hirsikangas brings the total gold equivalent resource inventory to 1.23Moz gold equivalent, with 66% in the measured and indicated categories. 'The company's 'gold only' resources have also increased to over 1Moz. Hirsikangas and Angesneva, with their proximity to Kopsa, add significant value to the regional development options currently under consideration.' Watch: How Nordic picked up the golden projects Middle Ostrobothnia Gold Belt projects Nordic Resources' three Finnish gold projects all sit within the Middle Ostrobothnia Gold Belt within the Raahe-Ladoga Trend. The area is associated with a geological extension to a known gold volcanogenic massive sulphide trend in Sweden that hosts more than 10 deposits. There are two processing plants in the region – the 1.4Mtpa Pyhasalmi copper-zinc-pyrite processing plant 40km to the east of Kopsa, and the formerly operating gold mine and plant at Laiva, 120km to the northwest. The Hirsikangas project is home to a 10km portion of the Himanka Volcanic Belt, host to the project's maiden mineral resource. Location of NNL's recently acquired gold projects shown over a map of Central Ostrobothnia. Pic: NNL Next exploration steps NNL has yet to drill test some 7.5km of the Himanka Belt at Hirsikangas, but has already identified two additional gold prospects at Hanni and Hanni SE. Tenement map for the Hirsikangas gold project, showing the locations of the main Hirsikangas deposit and the Hanni and Hanni SE gold occurrences. Pic: NNL The mineralisation at Hirsikangas has been consistently broad, grading up to 71.3m at 1.12 g/t gold from just 7.3m of depth but also demonstrating strong continuity at depth, with drill hits up to 80.2m at 1.71 g/t gold from 110.6m. Nordic Resources is particularly interested in a parallel structure 200m to the northeast of the main Hirsikangas deposit, which generated drill hits of up to 23.1m at 1.67 g/t gold from 35.9m. There's also some potential in a magnetic trend to the southeast at Hanni, where historical drilling by previous explorers hit intersections of 2.5m at 4.84g/t gold from 35.4m and 5.1m at 3.19 g/t gold from 90.3m. Further exploration at Hirsikangas will have to wait for now – Nordic will mobilise the drill rig to the Kopsa gold-copper project in two weeks. This article was developed in collaboration with Nordic Resources, a Stockhead advertiser at the time of publishing. This article does not constitute financial product advice. You should consider obtaining independent advice before making any financial decisions.
News.com.au
23-06-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Thanks a Million: These five ASX gold hopefuls are closing in on the 1Moz milestone
Cracking a million ounces is a trigger for investors to sit up and take notice of a gold junior Nordic Resources is on track to join the club soon at its Kopsa, Kiimala Trend and Hirsikangas projects in Finland's Middle Ostrothbonia gold belt A number of other ASX juniors are also knocking on the door For yonks the hurdle to be considered a serious development prospect in the ASX gold sector has sat in and around the 1Moz milestone. Not only is it a clean, visually enticing number, the million ounce mark suggests a deposit with serious scale and development potential – portending a mine with the potential to do 100,000ozpa over a decade. This isn't the sort of project that makes a few quick bucks to avoid dilution and keep the rigs turning. It's the sort that can pull in a big-name suitor, score a rerate, fund real growth or bankroll a dividend, a true company maker. Nordic Resources (ASX:NNL) could well be the next cab off the rank after pivoting from its sole focus on battery metals in northern Finland to the Middle Ostrothbonia belt in the south, where it now holds a dominant position in one of the country's most prolific yet underexplored gold domains. Its flagship project is Kopsa, which contains a resource of 23.2Mt at 1.09g/t gold equivalent for 814,800oz on a gold equivalent basis, including 631,100oz of gold metal and a further 38,360t of copper. At the nearby Agnesneva, part of the Kiimala Trend project, NNL recently tabled a gold-only resource of 3.85Mt at 1.19g/t for 147,000oz. All up that's 961,800oz in gold equivalent resources. The next catalyst, to push NNL beyond the 1Moz milestone at its newly acquired assets, could come from two places. Firstly, the Hirsikangas project, where a JORC 2012 compliant resource is yet to be tabled but where 11,400m of historic drilling including shallow intersections like 71.3m at 1.12g/t from 7.3m and 44.2m at 1.45g/t from 12.7m have has been completed. Then, there is the rich potential of Kopsa itself, which almost certainly gets bigger from here with just 25,000m of drilling completed to date and NNL planning 4500m in its 2025 program. "With (Hirsikangas), we're not simply validating what was done in the past, we're recreating it ourselves to make sure, because I think it's a lot bigger than what we thought it would be," NNL exec director Rob Wrixon said. "Plus ... all that drilling is just clustered up in the northwest and the rest of that mag trend there's sporadic drilling. "There's a lot of upside there. I was thinking we might get over 1Moz once we drill out Kopsa. I was pretty sure of that. "But now I think Hirsikangas will get us over there, because it looks like it's hanging together quite well for a good resource." Critical mass When a deposit or cluster of deposits in close proximity hit the big million, the news tends to trigger a couple things. Any rerate is significant because it has the potential to open up the register to a new class of investor, should a junior's share price rise in lockstep with its resource growth. That brings more stable, long-term investors into the stock and, if the rerate is strong enough, index inclusion and passive investment flows. "Being able to tick that box and say we've got over 1Moz in resource inventory is important," Wrixon said. " I think for some investors, people who follow you, that's important as well." For Nordic, it all revolves around processing options. There are two operating mills in the area, one of them – Laiva – specifically designed to handle gold bearing ores. Laiva is undergoing a sale process at the moment to CSE listed Edgemont Gold Corp, boosting the suddenly very competitive landscape in southern Finland's gold scene. Hong Kong-listed Dragon Mining, which ships its gold concentrate to a plant in Sweden, is also active and facing a takeover bid led by well-known resources investor APAC Resources. Kopsa and NNL's nearby Kiimala Trend and Hirsikangas projects could well become lynchpins of the broader Finnish gold scene. Crossing the million ounce mark is a big deal not just for the sake of the number. It also places Kopsa and Nordic's potential satellite projects as the centrepiece of a likely standalone processing development. "Position A is you get well over 1Moz at Kopsa alone and it justifies a standalone plant there, and if you want to process stuff from the – currently – smaller deposits ... you have a central processing plant which is yours," Wrixon said. " You have optionality with other plants where you could get started earlier with toll treating. "This is the beauty of this regional gold strategy. You don't necessarily need 2Moz at Kopsa. "You can get to 1-1.5Moz at Kopsa and supplement it with 1Moz at the other two places as well, you have that resource base to be able to build a plant. "1Moz is great for us and it'll be a great milestone. But it's really how it all comes together with the processing options." That 1Moz-plus could go further in Finland than elsewhere. The region is blessed with cheap power – as little as 1c/KWh thanks to its mix of nuclear, renewables, coal and hydro. Skilled labour is cheaper than Australia as well, while the countries are connected by one of the world's most efficient road and rail networks. "These countries have first world infrastructure but a very low cost base," Wrixon said. Drilling is due to begin at Kopsa in July, with Kiimala Trend also expected to be the focus of the upcoming campaign. Four more heading for 1Moz African Gold (ASX:A1G) A1G's Blaffo Guetto deposit in Côte d'Ivoire is now oh, so close to the magic million, with an update on Monday lifting its resource 119% to 989,000oz at 2.5g/t gold. With a bit of creativity it has claimed the million ounce milestone at a lower cut-off grade. But the official resource is close and likely to get bigger, with A1G sitting on plenty of cash after a recent investment from the Zijin and Lundin backed Montage Gold Corp. It has $12m in cash and equivalents to support another round of resource extension drilling, with Blaffo Guetto so far only tested to a depth of around 300m. Great Boulder Resources (ASX:GBR) Has publicly declared its intention to chase not just 1Moz but 1.5Moz at its Side Well project on the doorstep of the town of Meekatharra in WA's Mid West. Long regarded as a potential takeover target for Westgold Resources (ASX:WGX) given its proximity to the company's Bluebird plant, which is hungry and comes at a scale of 1.8Mtpa. Side Well contains two discrete deposits. The largest, Mulga Bill, contains 568,000oz at 2.7g/t Au, and could lend itself to development as a large open pit. The smaller but higher grade Ironbark contains 100,000oz at a grade of 3.3g/t. Mills owned by Meeka Metals (ASX:MEK) and TSX-listed Monument Mining are also well within trucking distance. James Bay Minerals (ASX:JBY) Technically its Independence gold project in Nevada, USA, is over 1Moz, though that includes a low grade near surface epithermal resource with oxide mineralisation that is being scoped as a heap leach. The larger, longer life skarn hosted high-grade resource clocks in at 984,412oz at 6.67g/t Au. Historic drill results 580m north of the skarn resource suggest similar high-grade mineralisation exists elsewhere on the site, which 550m of earth between the low grade surface resource and deep, high grade skarn deposit remains untested in the Lower Pumpernickel formation. There is also unclassified mineralisation both at surface and depth which is yet to be included in the mineral resource estimate. Emmerson Resources (ASX:ERM) A scoping study is currently underway at the White Devil deposit near Tennant Creek in the Northern Territory, the discovery that has transformed Emmerson into a serious player. The company has a processing and mining JV with London-listed Pan African Resources, which recently opened the Nobles processing plant. While it garners a lucrative royalty on most of the deposits in the JV, White Devil contains 611,400oz, well beyond the 250,000oz mark defined as a major mining deposit under the terms of the Tennant Creek JV. That means Emmerson could eventually claim a 40% contributing interest once the deposit is read to be mined. A scoping study is underway. The growth of White Devil this year has taken Tennant Creek's resource base to 987,000oz, with 820,000oz added in the past 12 months alone. Most of that is indicated, signalling a degree of confidence in the drilling that enables the resources to be placed into a mine plan and ore reserve.
Scoop
19-06-2025
- Sport
- Scoop
Key Match-up For Pulse Against Steel
Back-to-back losses have left Te Wānanga o Raukawa Pulse on wobbly ground as they prepare for a high-stakes rematch against the Southern Steel in ANZ Premiership netball action in Wellington on Monday. An out-of-sorts Pulse have slipped to third spot on the points table and now have the Magic hot on their heels, poised one point behind with just four rounds remaining as the battle for a place in the Finals Series (top three) gathers momentum. ``We've all got the fuel to be better,'' Pulse midcourter Maddy Gordon said. ``It's always said that losses can be beneficial, that you can improve and get better from them but obviously, it's a shorter season, so there's not a lot of time to work things out. ``I'm confident that we can get out of this slump. The main thing is that everyone's mindset is looking ahead and how we can be better. ``We know how good we can be when we're all on and we've seen that in a couple of games, so it's just finding that spark again.'' One real positive for the Pulse has been the form of shooter Amelia Walmsley who has not missed a shot in her previous two matches and sits on top of the league for number of goals scored and highest percentage, at 97 percent accuracy. ``When we get her the ball, she's getting it in, so it's how we get her the ball more, which means looking after the ball, less losses as an attacking unit and really working on how we can get her that 100 percent ball because the stats tell a story there,'' Gordon said. Having a slow start to the season because of injury, Gordon is an influential figure in the midcourt with her big engine and relentless hustle. She has a strong connection with her shooter in providing near-perfect feeds but has been a little frustrated in working her way back. ``I feel like I'm doing okay,'' she said. ``It's been a slow climb…..I've been on managed loads for a bit but it's coming and I just need time under the belt. The positive thing is that each game it's getting a bit better. ``The vision into Amelia is going really well but I want to get a bit more oomph in that defence part and going for things. I'm confident that will come with more time in training, which has also been a bit on and off (in terms of participation).'' Making the bold decision to move to Wellington from Auckland in her first year out of school has proved life-changing for Gordon. With the aim of playing for Central Manawa in the National Netball League (NNL) and joining the Police Force, Gordon quickly found her feet and her way into the Silver Ferns and as such, a life on the beat, was quickly shelved. ``The ride has been crazy,'' she said. ``Coming down here playing NNL, working three jobs…I knew it was going to be tough work…….I never would have thought I would be in the Silver Ferns as a 20-year-old (debuting at 21), just because of how my story went and how I had to move so much to be where I am. ``I've had to work hard for it. It didn't just get given to me and where I am now, I never would have thought at 25, I'd be one of the experienced ones at the Pulse, let alone in the Silver Ferns as well. ``It's definitely been tough but I've loved it and wouldn't change it. The Pulse took a shot with me. I was never a big name, never on the wanted list. I put myself here and it was a case of, `watch me, I'll show you what I've got kind of thing'. And they really did and stuck with me through the whole time. ``They have made me the player I am today and I'm always grateful.'' For now, Gordon's got a wary on the Steel in what's shaping as a pivotal match for the Pulse. ``They had a great win last week and they probably weren't proud of their performance that they put up against us the last time we played (70-45 loss), so we know they'll be coming,'' she said. ``They're probably going to come out with something different, so we also need a plan B but we know what we need to do. We're excited but we do know that they're going to come out all guns blazing.''
Herald Sun
12-05-2025
- Business
- Herald Sun
NNL verifies extensive gold at 2nd Finnish project
Nordic Resources' 'secondary' gold project is turning out to be a head-turner Kiimala Trend project intersections include 122m @ 1.52g/t gold close to surface Data review at the Angesneva prospect also discovered 5.31g/t gold over 15m Project hosts a cluster of 12 gold prospects and two non-compliant resources Company plans to update historical resources and start drilling at the flagship Kopsa project after the acquisition is complete Special Report: Nordic Resources has found up to 5.31g/t gold while reviewing historical data at the soon-to-be acquired Kiimala Trend gold project in Finland. The project is the second of three gold being acquired from Northgold AB, a Swedish-listed gold exploration company, all located together in the same region of Finland. Kiimala looks likely to become an important part of the company's regional gold strategy, lying just 45km from the Kopsa project that hosts a near-surface resource of 23.2Mt at 1.09g/t gold equivalent for 814,800oz gold equivalent. While Kopsa remains the primary project, Nordic Resources (ASX:NNL) also considers the Kiimala Trend to be extremely prospective for gold and copper. The project hosts a cluster of 12 gold prospects, of which eight have been drilled with all eight reporting some significant near-surface gold intersections and historical, non-compliant gold resources reported at the Angesneva and Vesipera prospects. The data review highlighted intersections at Angesneva of: 122.4m at 1.52g/t gold and 0.12% copper from 57.2m 79.8m at 1.85g/t Au and 0.18% Cu from 127.8m; and 73.7m at 1.73g/t Au and 0.13% Cu from 247.2m incl. 15.2m at 5.31g/t Au and 0.31% Cu from 272.1m. Intersection highlights at Vesipera include 10.4m at 4.93g/t gold from 53.5m and 12m at 2.99g/t from 88m. And the Kimala prospect returned 17.3m at 2.27g/t gold and 0.28% copper from 42.6m, and 9m at 1.46g/t Au and 0.02% Cu from 182.4m. Apart from Angesneva and Vesipera, the remaining prospects have received little to no drilling. The company's review of the Hirsikangas gold project is ongoing. Location of the three gold projects shown over a geological map of Finland. Source: NNL. Updating historical resources the next step All three of the projects being acquired are advanced and represent substantial near-term upside to NNL's strong operational platform in Finland – while the company continues its earn-in and joint venture discussions around its extensive Pulju nickel-copper sulphide project. Watch: Finnish trio to bolster the NNL portfolio The company is also working to validate the historical exploration database for another of the projects, called Hirsikangas, and potentially bring to JORC (2012) compliance. 'With regard to its recently announced gold project acquisitions, Nordic is focused on further exploration and development of the substantial Kopsa gold-copper project as the near-term priority,' executive director Robert Wrixon said. 'However, the exploration upside at the Kiimala Trend project is hard to ignore as it is an extremely strong gold project. 'We look forward to updating the market further as this validation work progresses.' The proposed transaction is subject to shareholder approval at both Nordic and Northgold's upcoming general meetings, expected to complete in early June 2025. And Nordic then intends to commence its first drill program at Kopsa as soon as possible thereafter. This article was developed in collaboration with Nordic Resources, a Stockhead advertiser at the time of publishing. This article does not constitute financial product advice. You should consider obtaining independent advice before making any financial decisions. Originally published as Nordic Resources verifies extensive gold at second soon-to-be acquired project
