Cancer survivor Ben Cunnington has opened up on the “overwhelming” feeling he had when first diagnosed with testicular cancer as he prepares to play his first AFL game in 13 months this weekend.
Cunnington survived two bouts of cancer that kept him out of the AFL since he last played in round 19, 2021 and revealed things got “pretty real” for the 30-year-old and his family when a check-up last November revealed the recurrence .
Ahead of his return against the Adelaide Crows on Saturday, Cunnington, a two-time North best and fairest, spoke about his battle and the support from his family and the club that helped him fight his way back.
“The first diagnosis was very overwhelming,” he said.
“You never think you are going to be that person. You see and hear and read about it, but when it’s you, it’s very overwhelming.
“We had the operation and we thought that everything went well so you moved on.
“But when it came back in one of my check-ups and then the chemo got involved, that’s when it got pretty real. It was a bit of a battle, yeah.”
A reluctant giver of interviews, Cunnington’s comments were published on the North Melbourne website, where he outlined his battle to get back to senior football, which included a calf issue and then a bout of Covid on the eve of his return and a fear he may not get back.
“I had a couple of little setbacks during the rehab, but when I did that calf pretty good, we thought we might be in a little bit of trouble,” he said.
“But the club were great, they sent me back to the farm for a couple of days to regroup, then I got back on the horse, recovered well.
“It was all looking pretty good, then I came back again and got struck down with Covid, which has been a long time coming. It was always going to happen the week leading up to my first game.
“But finally we’ve got to where we are now.
“It feels amazing. I can’t stop smiling, especially where I have come from.
“You do a little bit of reflecting, but to finally get here, it’s been a bit of hard work and some ups and downs, but to finally get here, I can’t stop smiling.”
Cunnington, who played his first game in the VFL last weekend before getting the nod to return to the AFL team on Wednesday, said his happiness was reflected in that of his family and friends when he told them he’d get back to doing what he You see it.
“It hasn’t just been me on the journey, I’ve had a lot, especially family, close friends and even people within the footy club coming on this journey with me,” he said.
“To tell them, and see their happiness, relief, excitement, it was a nice feeling all around.”
A 20-year-old man and a teen are facing charges in connection with the attempted robbery and fatal shooting of an off-duty Monterey Park police officer in Downey earlier this week, authorities announced Wednesday.
Carlos Daniel Delcid faces a special circumstance murder charge and one charge each of attempted robbery and possession of a firearm by a felon. A 17-year-old also faces charges in juvenile court in connection with the slaying.
Delcid is being held on a $2 million bail, arrest records show. He faces life without the possibility of parole thanks to the special circumstance allegation that the killing was committed during a robbery, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón said during a news conference Wednesday.
On Monday afternoon, Delcid got out of a nearby vehicle as off-duty officer Gardiel Solorio had just gotten to the parking lot of an LA Fitness in Downey.
Delcid allegedly demanded Solorio’s personal items, but as Solorio put his car in reverse, Delcid allegedly shot the victim five times at close range, officials said.
The defendant then returned to his vehicle being driven by the unidentified teen, and the two drove away. Solorio, 26, died at the scene.
Delcid was arrested by Downey police on Tuesday, records show.
Authorities provided no further details about what led them to Delcid and the teen.
Delcid had been arrested by the Los Angeles Police Department on Feb. 10 and later charged with burglary, domestic violence, assault with a deadly weapon, false imprisonment and intimidating a witness, the Los Angeles Times reported.
In March, he pleaded no contest to two of the charges and he was sentenced to 180 days in jail, the Times reported, citing court records.
However, he was released the morning following his sentencing after only having spent a month in jail, according to the newspaper.
Solorio was hired as a police recruit earlier this year and had just started field training in late July. He was described as being hardworking, dedicated and family-oriented. The Bell Gardens native is survived by his parents, brothers, sisters and fiancé.
“Gardiel was just starting his career in law enforcement and was a rising star who took pride in serving one of our communities when he was tragically murdered,” Gascón said. “Senseless gun violence has once again taken someone who pledged to protect others.”
GascHe offered his condolences to Solorio’s family and to the Monterey Park Police Department.
“I know these are very difficult times. Having been a police officer for years and having done many of these funerals and working through these cases, I know how hard this is,” he said.
Solorio’s sister and fiancéé were at the news conference but did not speak.
The CEO of a marketing firm has been blasted online for his “narcissistic” response to staff redundancies after he posted a crying selfie on LinkedIn.
Braden Wallake, the CEO of HyperSocial in Ohio, USA, shared a lengthy message to the professional social media site yesterday about his regret over firing a few of his staff.
Sharing to photo of himself in tearsWallake announced the layoffs and said it was the “toughest thing” he has ever had to do.
“This will be the most vulnerable thing I’ll ever share. I’ve gone back and forth whether to post this or not,” his long message began. “We just had to lay off a few of our employees.”
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Braden Wallake shared a crying selfie while announcing lay offs. (LinkedIn)
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Wallake admitted the decisions and failings that led to a round of redundancies at his marketing firm were entirely his fault.
The tearful boss, who has around 50 employees, also said he wished he didn’t care so much about his staff at times like this.
“Days like today, I wish I was a business owner that was only money driven and didn’t care about who he hurt along the way,” he continued.
“But I’m not. So, I just want people to see, that not every CEO out there is cold-hearted and doesn’t care when he/she have to lay people off.”
I have finished the emotionally-charged message with a salute to his laid-off staffers.
“I know it isn’t professional to tell my employees that I love them. But from the bottom of my heart, I hope they know how much I do,” Wallake added.
“Every single one. Every single story. Every single thing that makes them smile and every single thing that makes them cry.
“I’ve always hire people based on who they are as people. People with great hearts, and great souls. And I can’t think of a lower moment than this.”
The CEO wrote an emotional message on LinkedIn. (LinkedIn)
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Wallake’s post wasn’t met with the sympathy and support he had hoped for. Instead, it backfired spectacularly.
Out of the nearly 5,000 comments, most of the reactions were negative and cynical.
“Why don’t you cut your salary or don’t take one until the company is back where you need it to be?” one commenter.
“I mean, if you really care about your employees and the hardship you just dropped on them.”
Another LinkedIn member slammed Wallake for making the redundancies all about him, describing him as “narcissistic” and “emotionally immature.”
“Braden, you are not equipped to be a CEO. You are a narcissistic, emotionally immature quat. Hey, why not deflect your inability to take tough decisions and assume your guilt by…. making it all about YOU!” the angry commenter said.
Another added: “Yikes. I was just laid off – along with many others. If my CEO sent this I’d probably lose my mind.”
Followers weren’t impressed with Wallake’s reaction to staff redundancies. (LinkedIn)
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Meanwhile, a small group of people defended Wallake and said it was courageous for him to display such raw emotion.
“What about this post in which he admits his faults, failures and expresses his anguish at the hurt he’s caused made you feel the need to pile on?” one lone defender said.
After the backlash, Wallake posted another LinkedIn message to apologize for how his message was perceived.
“Hey everyone, yes, I am the crying CEO. No, my attempt was not to make it about me or victimize myself. I am sorry it came across that way,” he wrote.
“It was not my place to out the employees’ names publicly.”
He then tried to turn the bleak situation into a helpful experience for his LinkedIn followers.
“What I want to do now, is trying to make better of this situation and start a thread for people looking for work,” he added.
“Here it is – comment away. This is for YOU to start a new future. To highlight YOU. People seeking new work: Post your resume, desired job title, qualifications.
“Employers: here’s an opportunity to hire amazing people.”
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The most captivating love stories in popular culture
A group of Melbourne men have been absolutely roasted online after they were snapped all wearing the same, very popular outfit.
It’s no secret that Aussies love a good North Face jacket, with the black puffer jackets coming out any time the temperature drops below 15C.
Australia’s obsession with this jacket is a long-running joke, which is probably why Tahlea Aualiitia couldn’t resist taking a snap when she spotted five men all sporting the clothing item.
“Surely Melbourne has a collective noun for this,” the ABC reporter wrote on Twitter above the image.
The picture shows everyone in the group wearing a black North Face jacket, black or navy pants and RM Williams boots.
The tweet has received more than 10,000 likes and almost 800 retweets.
“Always the boots … Australians cosplaying as farmers,” one Twitter user wrote.
Another person said: “I’ve got one of these coats myself. I thought it was great until I went to Melbourne wearing it and discovered that it seems to be part of a uniform there.”
The post was also also shared to the Reddit group r/Melbourne, with the poster suggesting a “puff of people” could be a good name for the phenomenon.
This prompted a long list of hilarious suggestions from users, including Kathmandudes, a Clusterpuff, Puff Daddies and a MacPack.
“The classic black puffer jacket and RM Williams combo,” one user wrote.
“RM Williams, for all that rugged outdoorsy stuff you do in your day to day life in the inner city. Like climbing in and out of the drivers seat of your Prado before hiking the 10 meters from your driveway to the front door,” another added.
One person said: “Ah yes the common Melbourne male. He can be seen with a latte in one hand as he obnoxiously takes up the whole footpath with his work colleagues. ”
While others were ridiculing the group for their matching fashion, one Reddit user was quick to jump to their defense.
“Look, it gets bloody cold in Melbourne and there isn’t anything warmer, lighter and functional than a down-filled jacket. Puffer jackets are a necessity not a fashion choice – they are a very intelligent addition to a winter wardrobe in Melbourne,” they wrote.
“The problem (it isn’t a problem) is lack of choice. Every store has puffer jackets but the styles and colors available are extremely limited. So you buy a black one that will go with anything. What looks good with a black jacket? Black jean. So you wear it with black jeans.
“Interstate visitors often mention the ‘Melbourne uniform’ (because we wear a lot of black). We don’t choose to wear black, black chooses us. I’m ignoring the black and brown Chelsea boots, because they are an Australia-wide plague.”
The North Face jacket obsession is so widespread, that a British expat dedicated a whole TikTok to mocking Aussies over it.
Daniel Olaniran, known as @olantekkers, is originally from the UK but has lived in Australia for over two years.
The former professional footballer is clearly no stranger to chilly English training sessions, which is probably why he thinks Australia’s obsession with mountain wear brands North Face and Kathmandu as soon as it gets cold is a bit rich.
“Australians in the winter man, you lot are funny man,” he said.
“You guys can’t wait to bring out the North Face jackets… I’m seeing big puffy North Face jackets looking Arsène Wenger, you know what I mean.”
One video captioned “mornings in Bondi” showed dozens of Sydneysiders in huge puffer jackets with the sun out.
He said he’s noticed the amount of Aussies in “North Face drip from head to toe, including the hat and gloves, like what is this man”.
“It’s not even that cold man, all you need is a light jumper and you’re ready to roll bruv.”
“In Sydney I really don’t think it gets too cold… it gets chilly but not on the level of a winter in London,” he said via the Daily Mail.
“I think most Aussies struggle because they’re obviously so used to the sun.”
A US couple have opened up about how their best friend – and bridesmaid at their wedding – became their girlfriend.
Tyler, 29, met 26-year-old Angel on a dating app in 2018 and quickly fell in love.
But after becoming engaged three years later, the pair from Memphis, Tennessee asked Angel’s college friend Sam to move in with them, forming a “throuple”.
The 23-year-old was right by their sides when Tyler and Angel tied the knot in May, performing the dual role as bridesmaid and girlfriend of the bride and groom.
Now the trio have detailed the struggles of being in a three person relationship – revealing how they navigate their sex life and the shock reaction from one disapproving family member.
At the beginning of their relationship, Angel said she experienced “jealousy” but explained they have worked through it now. “We were scared to open up to each other, it’s intimidating to add a whole other person into your life that you can depend upon,” she told truly.
“I was being selfish but have worked through my jealousy. Now they go on dates, we go on dates, and all three of us go on dates.”
Their sex life works similarly, with Angel, Tyler and Sam all sharing one bed, but rarely being intimate as a trio.
Instead, two of them take the bedroom while the other “watches TV, cooks or cleans”.
But while adjusting to life as a threesome ran pretty smoothly, their relationship hasn’t been accepted by everyone.
A week before Tyler and Angel’s wedding, Tyler’s cousin found out about his polyamorous relationship and refused to attend – despite the fact he was set to be a groomsman.
However, Sam and Angel’s family found out through the throuple’s TikTok channel, and were very accepting.
Their social media platforms have however made them the target of online abuse, with the throuple admitting “backlash is a daily thing”.
But the trio – who realized they shared a connection after enjoying a “one night thing” at a festival – say they are stronger than ever.
In a recent video, they revealed they have “finally found the courage to show PDA in public as a throuple”.
And Tyler says he has plans to propose to Sam down the track too.
Murdoch University students have helped uncover a missing piece of the puzzle and an Australian twist in a decades-old European murder investigation.
As part of the International Cold Case Analysis Project, Murdoch students, alongside criminology and forensic science students from UK universities, dusted off a mysterious murder case known as “The Gentleman” which had sat unanswered for 28 years.
On July 11, 1994, a male body was found by police in the North Sea, west of the German island of Helgoland. The body showed signs of trauma and had been weighed down with cast iron cobbler’s feet, a shoemaker’s tool.
Your local paper, whenever you want it.
An artist’s reconstruction of The Gentleman. Credit: Murdoch University/Supplied
The body was brought to the city of Wilhelmshaven for a post mortem, but the man’s identity remained a mystery and he became known as ‘The Gentleman’ due to his apparent ‘middle-class’ clothing.
Initial investigations by German police in the 1990s suggested ‘The Gentleman’ was about 45 to 50 years old when he died and from an English-speaking country, but they were never able to confirm his identity or homeland.
The students, along with Germany’s Police Academy of Lower Saxony, recommended a range of further actions to be taken by local authorities which resulted in a surprising discovery — ‘The Gentleman’ likely spent most of his life in Australia.
This vital clue came from isotope ratio analyzes on a sample of bone. Isotopic compositions of food, water and dust differ across the globe due to variations in climate, bedrock, soil and human activity, and so do the isotopic compositions of the tissues of humans who ingest them.
A complete DNA profile was achieved in December last year, as well as photographic facial reconstruction.
Murdoch’s Cold Case Review group directors Brendan Chapman and Dr David Keatley are now using their local law enforcement connections to help German authorities progress the case in Australia, with hope it may lead to ‘The Gentleman’ finally being identified.
“It’s almost unbelievable,” Mr Chapman said.
Murdoch Cold Case Review group co-director Brendan Chapman. Credit: Murdoch University/Supplied/Supplied
“What are the chances that from this small collection of universities working on this case, one would be from the country where the man originated?”
“We’ve built such a great relationship with ICCAP course leader Karsten Bettels over the years and we are really privileged to be afforded the trust by the German Police Academy to work on live cases with our students.”
The unmistakable red, polka-dotted spotted lanternflies were first sighted in New York in 2020.
A year later, our marching orders were clear: kill, kill, kill, no questions asked. In their third summer in the city, however, our collective efforts feel a tad futile.
After all the hype, perhaps now is the right moment to pause, take stock of these spotted little creatures, and appreciate the fact that, according to some experts, they may not actually be as bad as we thought.
The doomsday predictions have come from the US Department of Agriculture, as well as local state offices. Researchers at Penn State sounded alarms in 2020, six years after the invasive little bug arrived in Pennsylvania — their first stop on US soil. They warned the bug could decimate agriculture production of all kinds, damage forests and timber industries, and wreak havoc on fruit production. The bug feeds on upwards of 70 different types of plants, and there was a possibility it might kill them in droves or dramatically reduce agricultural output for a host of crops.
But fast-forward two years and that’s not quite what happened, according to Julie Urban, a research associate professor at Penn State’s entomology department.
“It’s not as bad as we first thought,” she told Gothamist. “It’s really just a stressor. It doesn’t kill it.”
In many cases, like the travelers they are, spotted lanternflies will stay and feed for a while and move on, not staying long enough to have any lasting impact on most fruit trees. There were concerns that maple or apple trees would be affected if the lanternfly continues to push north. But it turns out they’re mostly okay, too, Urban said.
There were other worries that saplings could be killed, but the bugs don’t appear to be making their way deep into forests and researchers haven’t found any evidence that young trees are at heightened risk, according to Urban and Brian Eshenaur of Cornell’s Integrated Pest Management Program, which is tracking the infestations nationwide.
There were other concerns that the secondary impacts of the bugs might dampen agriculture production in other ways. When they stay for extended periods of time on a single tree — sucking in the sap with their tiny, straw-like proboscis — their sticky poop, or “honeydew,” can rain down on plants below, making them more susceptible to sooty mold, which can decrease photosynthesis and blunt their growth. But they don’t seem to like fruit trees enough to dwell long enough to have that kind of effect.
“[We have] no reports of honeydew impacting stone fruit production,” Urban said.
Eshenaur said that while they haven’t seen fruit production affected yet, it’s not impossible.
“I haven’t heard of that occurring in places where spotted lanternflies are prevalent, but I wouldn’t rule it out,” he said. “I would say it is a potential concern.”
The USDA lists a variety of trees that may be at risk, but the bugs can be fatal and cause other damaging impacts to two types of plants specifically: grapevines and the tree of heaven.
The latter is a leafy green tree that’s also an invasive species and can famously grow almost anywhere – it was the tree that managed to thrive in cracked pavement at the heart of the book “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.”
An Australian wine company has won a “landmark” court case in China after more than six years of fighting a copycat brand.
Treasury Wine Estates owns and produces a number of well-known wine labels including Penfolds and Wolf Blass. However, the issue arose when company Rush Rich used part of the Penfolds branding on its own bottles.
After six years of fighting, on Wednesday, the Supreme People’s Court of China ruled in Treasury’s favor, finding that the other wine company had acted in “bad faith” against them.
The court found that Chinese-Australian company Rush Rich improperly used a Chinese character which was a copyright breach of the Penfolds brand.
This was “illicit conduct”, according to the court.
Treasury Wine Estates said the other company had tried to “exploit” its brand and was happy about the decision from the Chinese court, calling it a “landmark win”.
The court ruled that Rush Rich’s registration of the Chinese character mark for Penfolds Winery was invalid.
“We welcome the Judgment by the Supreme People’s Court of China and thank the Chinese authorities for their continued support in protecting the rights of luxury brand owners,” Penfolds managing director Tom King said.
Following its “longstanding battle” with Rush Rich, Treasury said it takes a “zero tolerance approach” to copyright breaches.
Anna Olsen, global director of intellectual property for Treasury Wine Estates, said in a statement: “Protecting the integrity of our historic brands against trademark piracy and misappropriation has always been a global priority.
“We’ll spare no effort to protect our brands and will pursue our rights to the highest courts where necessary.
“This case shows we won’t tolerate attempts to exploit and infringe the intellectual property rights and reputation of brands in the Treasury Wine Estates portfolio.”
Government regulator Wine Australia was also happy with the court case outcome as it has been working hard to maintain the international reputation of Australian wine.
The case is timely as Penfolds is looking to launch its wine in China.
In 2019, Rush Rich was also slammed with a massive fine in Australia’s Federal Court after being found to have infringed on several trademarks of Treasury Wine Estates.
The company had to pay $375,000 in compensation and was barred from using the images again.
Before the Australian Federal Court case, Treasury Wine Estates took Rush Rich to the Shanghai Pudong Court.
That court also ruled in favor of Treasury Wine Estates and ordered Rush Rich to pay back 2,000,000 Chinese yuan ($A426,000 at the time).
Olivia Wilde believes ex-partner Jason Sudeikis was trying to aggressively embarrass and “threaten” her when she was publicly served legal papers during a panel in April.
Wilde claims that Sudeikis used “outrageous legal tactics,” according to new court documents obtained by the DailyMail.
“Jason’s actions were clearly intended to threaten me and catch me off guard,” Wilde, 38, alleged in the filing, Page Six reports. “He could have served me discreetly, but instead he chose to serve me in the most aggressive manner possible.”
Wilde further claimed that Sudeikis, 46, was intentionally trying to air their personal matters to the public in a way that isn’t fair to their two children: Otis, 8, and Daisy, 5.
“The fact that Jason would embarrass me professionally and put our personal conflict on public display in this manner is extremely contrary to our children’s best interests,” Wilde argued. “Since Jason has made it clear that we will not be able to work this out for our children’s sake outside of the court system, I filed a petition for custody in Los Angeles.”
the ted lasso star notably served Wilde legal documents concerning child custody while she was on stage in front of nearly 4000 people at CinemaCon.
Page Six reported at the time that Wilde was mortified and confused.
“Olivia was confused when she was handed the envelope, and she was even more confused when she opened it,” the source told us, adding, “It seemed unthinkable to her, and it took a moment to set in, but as mortifying as it was, she did not want to give a reaction.”
However, a source close to Sudeikis had insisted to Page Six exclusively that he “had no prior knowledge of the time or place that the envelope would have been delivered … and he would never condone [Wilde] being served in such an inappropriate manner.”
Sudeikis and Wilde had been co-parenting their kids since calling off their engagement and breaking up in 2020, but the actor decided to launch the custody battle when the pair couldn’t agree on a permanent city to raise their children.
In court documents, Wilde alleges that they agreed to send their children to school in Los Angeles for the upcoming year as Sudeikis was set to film the final season of ted lasso inLondon.
“Recently, however, Jason decided that he wanted to go to New York for the next year while he is not working, and wanted the children to be with him there during this time off,” the actress claimed. “When I did not agree, since the children have not lived in New York for several years, Jason filed these papers.”
Sudeikis fired back in a declaration to the court, saying that their Brooklyn home has always been the family’s permanent residence.
“For better or worse, I am a New Yorker,” Sudeikis said in the filing, adding that it was best for their kids to grow up in Brooklyn.
He added that he was reluctant to pursue legal action against Wilde but that he was worried she would take their kids away from him after she allegedly told him she would only let him see their children on weekends and holidays if he didn’t permanently live in LA and that she also allegedly had plans to relocate to London, where her boyfriend, Harry Styles, lives.
Sudeikis further asserted that the legal documents were supposed to be served to Wilde at an airport or at her hotel. But after several failed attempts, she was located at the event thanks to a tweet where the process server handed her the confidential envelope.
“I understand that the process server had only done her job; however, I deeply regret what happened. Olivia’s talk was an important event for Olivia, both professionally and personally, and I am very, very sorry that the incident marred her special moment, ”Sudeikis said.
Wilde has been dating Styles since January 2021. Meanwhile, Sudeikis has been romantically linked to model Keeley Hazell.
This story originally appeared on Page Six and is republished here with permission
The Penrith Panthers have been defended against claims of arrogance directed at the club from Storm chairman Matt Tripp ahead of their grudge match on Thursday night.
Ahead of their Round 22 clash, the Panthers rivally with the Storm was ignited by Penrith chair Greg Alexander’s comments suggesting Melbourne brought the wrestle into the game, prompting a fiery response.
“Ivan Cleary has responded to explosive comments from Storm chairman Matt Tripp that labeled Penrith deputy chairman Greg Alexander and the Panthers club arrogant after Alexander accused Storm of pioneering wrestling tactics in the game,” Braith Anasta said on NRL 360.
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“Tripp hit back with this pointed attack: “For the deputy chair of one of our biggest competitors to make unfounded and stupid comments, just goes to the arrogance of that club and their perceived status in the game.”
Panthers coach Ivan Cleary defended the club after Tripp’s scathing attack in light of Alexander’s comments in his role as a commentator, which has nothing to do with Penrith as a club.
“Absolutely unfair,” Cleary said.
“I’m not here to judge anybody else. I know that Brandy (Alexander) is an outstanding commentator. He is a decorated figure in the game for many years as a player and a commentator. I think if anyone is able to have an opinion it is Brandy and most of his opinions of him are spot on.
“That was his opinion in a different role so I don’t think it is fair for everyone else at our club to be labeled what we were.
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Ivan Cleary has defended his players and the Panthers as a club.Source: News Corp Australia
“I don’t know why people say it, but I don’t believe it is true. The consistency we have shown over the last three years, I don’t think there is any way you can do that if you are disrespectful or arrogant.
“I’m not sure how every other club does it, but if there is any team that has players that spend more time with the public and kids, particularly after games, than our boys do then I would like to see it.
“We are very proud of our club and our boys. We are probably not perfect, but I would like to think we are doing a decent job.”
“The Penrith Panthers are not doing a decent job, they are doing an outstanding job,” Anasta said.
“They have been marvelous the last few years and they are close to greatness looking to go back-to-back. Are they arrogant?”
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Jarome Luai has been accused of crossing the line on the field at times.Source: Getty Images
The Daily Telegraph’s Brent Read believes there needs to be a clear line between what the Panthers do on and off the field and defended any perceived arrogance from players during matches.
“I think you have got to differentiate what they are like on the field and off the field,” Read said.
“Ivan was talking about how they do a lot of work with kids. Off the field those guys like Jarome Luai and Nathan Cleary are fantastic blokes.
“On the field they play with swagger. They play with a bit of arrogance. You have got to have that to be successful.”
Anasta agreed that arrogance can be a powerful tool for a sporting team when used correctly.
“Don’t you want that?” Anasta said.
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“In any sport you have got to have confidence. Some people think they cross the line a little bit but you need confidence. You need a little bit of arrogance. You need to go out there thinking, I’ve got you covered.”
Paul Kent believes the Panthers are an outstanding club off the field and if the players show arrogance on the field, their success has given them the right to express themselves.
“It all shapes in narratives,” Kent said.
“They do have swagger. They are confident and they are aggressive and they let you know it and they actually reveal it in showing you how well they are going.
“That’s on the field. Ivan didn’t address that at all. I have addressed them off the field where he was 100 per cent right.
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“They are tremendous the way they interact with their fans and give back to the community.
“I think it is not a bad thing what they do on the field. It annoys me sometimes. I don’t like seeing some of the things, but it is part of the big picture.
“Everyone wants it to be completely black or completely white. They are neither. They are somewhere in the middle and that is where the fun happens to be honest.
“They are a little bit arrogant on the field, but it is a healthy arrogance.”
The Daily Telegraph’s Phil Rothfield believes the Panthers players are expressing themselves and their upbringing, which they are very proud of.
“You don’t want a dull boring footy team,” Rothfield said.
“You want personality. You want characters.
“What we see from Penrith on the football field is these boys who have grown up in the district in tough areas around Mt Druit and St Marys and they are characters.
“They just love celebrating it. I don’t think it is arrogance.”
