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Cameron Smith refuses to deny new reports of $143 million LIV deal | Sport

Open champion Cameron Smith, the world No 2, has again refused to deny reports that he has agreed to join the LIV rebel golf tour on a reported AU$143 million deal.

Fellow Australian pro Cameron Percy told Melbourne’s RSN radio network on Tuesday that Smith and countryman Marc Leishman have agreed to join the controversial Saudi-backed series fronted by Australian golf icon Greg Norman.

Meanwhile, the London Telegraph is reporting that Smith, also the reigning champion at the Players Championship, flagship event of the PGA Tour, will make his LIV Tour debut in Boston next month. The Telegraph report claims confirmation of his switch from him is expected after the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup playoffs this week in Memphis.

Speaking at a press conference ahead of the FedExCup St Jude Championship, the man with the most famous mullet in sport again refused to rule out reports he will become the most high-profile defection to LIV. “My goal here is to win the FedEx Cup play-offs,” said the 28-year-old Queenslander. “That’s all I’m here for.

“If there’s something I need to say regarding the PGA Tour or LIV, it will come from Cameron Smith, not Cameron Percy,” Smith added. “I’m a man of my word and whenever you guys need to know anything it will be said by me.

“Like I said, I’m here to play the FedEx Cup play-offs. That’s been my focus the last week and a half, that’s what I’m here to do. I’m here to win the FedEx Cup play-offs.”

However, in a twist, Smith confirmed he intended to play next month in the President’s Cup in Charlotte, North Carolina which suggests a move to the LIV series is not as imminent as the Telegraph’s speculation suggests. If Smith did join the LIV tour, he would be banned from the Presidents Cup, a PGA Tour event.

“That’s something that we’ve been looking forward to for the last three years,” Smith told reporters of playing on the International Team in the Presidents Cup. “We missed a year because of Covid and that’s something that I look forward to being a part of.”

Since his stunning Open victory at St Andrews in July, when he overturned a four-shot deficit with a final round of 64, finishing 20 under par to beat Tiger Woods’ 22-year-old record, Smith has refused to confirm or deny reports linking him to LIV. If he does defect Smith would be the rival tour’s highest-ranked player, who has already signed Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau and Sergio Garcia.

Percy, the 48-year PGA player from Victoria, told RSN radio on Tuesday that Smith and Leishman were “gone.” Percy clarified his remarks about him in a tweet the next day saying: “I was on the radio yesterday in Australia and he said it doesn’t look good for Leish and Cam going to LIV. My source is talking amongst other players. Not Cam and Leish.”

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Boult to step back from international cricket

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Trent Boult has signaled a winding down of his international career after New Zealand Cricket agreed to release the world’s No.1-ranked ODI bowler from his central contract.

Citing a desire to spend more time with family, while also making himself available for domestic leagues around the world, Boult requested the release after several conversations with New Zealand Cricket (NZC).

In a statement, NZC chief executive David White said Boult had made it clear during discussions that his appetite for touring had diminished, and that he wished to spend more time with his family.

The 33-year-old will still be available for international selection if and when available but will have a significantly reduced role with the Black Caps during the final years of his career.

He is currently with the Black Caps in the West Indies for a white-ball tour leading into October’s T20 World Cup in Australia.

Injuries and performance pending, Boult is still likely to be picked for that tournament.

Boult celebrates after dismissing David Warner in last year's T20 World Cup final // Getty
Boult celebrates after dismissing David Warner in last year’s T20 World Cup final // Getty

Beyond that, Boult plans to devote more time to domestic competitions and looms as an obvious candidate to join the newly launched UAE T20 League.

The Big Bash League is also a possibility with Boult having never played in the tournament as it clashes with New Zealand’s own home summer.

Boult has been a central part of New Zealand’s success over the past decade, playing 78 Tests, 93 ODIs and 44 T20Is, including the World Test Championship final victory over India last year.

He also featured in the 2015 and 2019 ODI World Cup finals, and the 2021 T20 World Cup final, losing twice to Australia.

Boult said the call to step away was a “really tough decision”.

“Playing cricket for my country was a childhood dream and I’m so proud of everything I’ve been able to achieve with the Black Caps over the past 12 years,” he said.

Boult screamer labeled ‘IPL’s best ever’

“Ultimately this decision is about my wife Gert and our three young boys.

“Family has always been the biggest motivator for me and I feel comfortable with putting it first and preparing ourselves for life after cricket.

“As a fast bowler I know I have a limited career span, and I feel the time is right to move into this next phase.”

White said Black Caps selectors would continue to prioritize players with central or domestic contracts and Boult understood his decision would diminish his chances of playing for New Zealand.

Boult has taken 317 Test wickets for New Zealand // Getty
Boult has taken 317 Test wickets for New Zealand // Getty

“We respect Trent’s position,” White said.

“He’s been completely honest and up-front with us about his reasoning and, while we’re sad to be losing him as a fully-contracted player, he leaves with our best wishes and our sincere thanks.

“Trent’s made a massive contribution to the Black Caps since his Test debut in late 2011 and is now considered one of the best multi-format cricketers in the world.

“We’re very proud of what he’s achieved.”

It comes after England Test captain Ben Stokes announced a shock retirement from one-day internationals last month to prioritize the Test and T20 formats, saying he could no longer give his teammates “100 per cent” in 50-over cricket.

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Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin won’t comment on reported pursuit of Collingwood’s Brodie Grundy

Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin won't comment on reported pursuit of Collingwood's Brodie Grundy

Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin has conceded his club is always looking at “contingencies” but wouldn’t confirm or deny interest in Collingwood ruckman Brodie Grundy as a potential replacement for young gun Luke Jackson.

Goodwin conceded Jackson, who has been heavily linked to a big-money move to Fremantle, had yet to inform the club whether he was staying or going in 2023.

But ahead of a must-win clash with Carlton on Friday night, with the Demons needing a win to maintain their chances of a top-four finish, Goodwin wouldn’t comment on a link to Grundy, who has five more years remaining on his contract at Collingwood.

“It’s a good story and I understand the questioning but I’ve been pretty clear on this over a number of years. I’m not going to speculate and talk about players from opposition clubs,” the premiership coach said on Wednesday.

“Clearly, people in our industry are going around looking at how they can potentially improve their list… that’s not my focus. It’s not for me to comment on.”

Brodie Grundy could be headed to Melbourne. Picture: AAP Image/Daniel PockettSource: AAP

Goodwin said Melbourne would give Jackson, who has formed a key one-two punch with Demons captain Max Gawn, as much time as he needed to make a decision.

But he also said the club was always making contingency plans as part of list management, which would include covering Jackson’s potential departure.

“If you look at list management all the time you have contingency plans for a whole range of different things that sit within your environment,” he said.

“We’ve talked about Luke a lot. We are going to give him the most amount of time to make his decision about him. We don’t know what the decision is at the moment.

Luke Jackson has been linked to Fremantle. Picture: Will Russell/AFL Photos via Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images

“We’ll continue to build contingencies, to work with Luke and give him the best environment possible to want to stay here and Luke will make that decision when the time is right.

“But as a club and as an organisation, you look at all positions … about how you are best going to move forward in the future.”

Goodwin said premiership defender Jake Bowey was “AFL ready” and could soon return to the Melbourne line-up having been sent back to the VFL after the round 17 loss to Geelong to find his best form.

But more changes to the team that lost by just seven points to Collingwood last week were unlikely for the clash with Carlton, Goodwin adamant his premiership-winning outfit was “tracking in the right direction”.

“We’re really comfortable with where our team is sitting. We clearly have a lot of pressure from guys underneath,” he said,

“But in terms of the type of player or personnel in the team, we are really comfortable. The last couple of weeks we have played some of our best footy for the year.

“We played a really dominant game against Fremantle and last week… we had momentum for big parts.

“There’s a lot to like in the way we are going, we just have to execute a little bit better and the results will be different.”

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NRL 2022, Sydney Roosters, Tedesco 200 games, milestone man in good company with Brett Stewart and Billy Slater

NRL 2022, Sydney Roosters, Tedesco 200 games, milestone man in good company with Brett Stewart and Billy Slater

As Roosters skipper James Tedesco prepares to step foot onto the hallowed turf of the SCG for his 200th NRL game, his place among rugby league’s great fullbacks is assured.

A story that had a harrowing beginning in 2012 with a torn ACL in his debut game, has blossomed into a modern-day masterpiece, and there’s plenty more chapters to be written yet.

At 29, Tedesco is at the peak of his powers, both as a leader in his craft and a leader of men, so more glory at club, state and international level is well within his grasp.

One aspect of his game that occasionally gets overlooked in the blur of dancing feet, meter-eating exploits and an unbreakable work ethic is Tedesco’s ability to find the tryline.



When talk turns to gun number ones with a penchant for four-pointers, the names Billy Slater and Brett Stewart roll off the tongue, followed in quick succession by Matt Bowen, Rhys Wesser and 302-game Rooster Anthony Minichiello, who scored 102 of his 139 career tries at fullback.

Ever since the ‘Little Master’ Clive Churchill changed the fullback’s focus from defense to attack, the man at the back has been evolving from try-saver to try-scorer and try-creator, chiming into the backline to deliver sweetly timed cut-out passes to grateful wingmen.

From the time the young Tiger Tedesco chased down a Robbie Farah grubber to bag his maiden try in round five, 2013, to career try No.108 courtesy of a Joseph Suaalii assist against the Knights three weeks ago, he has been a constant threat to opposition defences.



Tedesco finishes blindside raid by Roosters

Like Stewart and Slater before him, Tedesco has an uncanny knack of being in the right place at the right time, knowing where to run and who to run off to make best use of his sublime skills and speed.

After notching eight tries in 19 games in his first full season in 2013, Tedesco found the stripe in 12 of his next 16 matches, eventually finishing with 50 tries in 90 games for the Tigers before hopping aboard the bus to Bondi in 2018.

The Roosters had made it to a preliminary final in 2017 and the addition of Tedesco and Cooper Cronk proved to be a master stroke as they powered to back-to-back premierships in 2018-19, the 14th and 15th titles in the foundation club’s proud history.

Tedesco’s first year at the Roosters yielded him nine tries as he found his feet and established combinations with Cronk and Luke Keary in the halves and the gifted Latrell Mitchell at left centre.

Come 2019, and ‘Teddy’ was ready to explode, peeling off 15 tries in 21 regular season games before scoring in each of the Roosters’ three finals, against the Rabbitohs, Storm and Raiders.

On the grandest of stages on grand final night, with the scores locked 8-8 and eight minutes to play, Keary launched a short side raid from the Roosters’ 40-meter line… an all or nothing play born of unwavering confidence in his own ability and that of the men around him.



Rd5: Storm v Wests Tigers (Hls)

As he hit the halfway line, Keary found Mitchell who delivered an audacious flick pass to Daniel Tupou, the giant winger seemingly covering 20 meters in four strides before looking inside and finding Tedesco, looming in support as he had done all season long.

With a tense and tight decider in the balance, four of the defending premiers’ big guns had stood tall, conjuring a try for the ages, the 77th and possibly most cherished of Tedesco’s glittering NRL career.

A career that already has him being spoken of as one of the great fullbacks, to which you can most certainly add great tryscoring fullbacks.

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Crompton finishes in Supercars Commission role

Crompton finishes in Supercars Commission role

Neil Crompton

Neil Crompton has concluded his role as interim Supercars Commission Chair.

The Supercars Hall of Fame inductee officially ended his term on June 30, the championship has announced via its official website.

Supercars CEO Shane Howard will serve as the new interim Chair at the next meeting, set to be held this week, before a new Chair is appointed.

Having joined the Commission in 2012, Crompton has served in a number of roles over the last 10 years.

He replaced Steve Horne as Chair during 2020, and at the request of Howard had extended his tenure as Chair in recent months.

The driver-turned commentator, category manager, and media proprietor, is credited by Supercars with “providing guidance and his valuable experience to the [Commission] following the challenges COVID presented over the past two years.”

Howard said, “We are enormously proud and honored to have had Neil’s exemplary service to the Commission over the last decade.

“Covid threw incredible challenges at our sport, and with Neil’s guidance and extended tenure in the role, we have overcome many of those and now look toward a very exciting future.

“The respect with which we all regard Neil, as well as the genuine respect he has from across the entire Supercars paddock is testament to the work he has tirelessly done as our Commission Chairman.

“On behalf of the Commission and our sport we thank Neil for his true professionalism and guidance in leading the Commission to its current form as an extremely effective and focused body.”

Crompton added: “Supercars continues to make a significant global and local impact in sport and entertainment, and I am very proud to have made a small contribution to the governance of the sport over long period.

“I am very thankful then CEO James Warburton encouraged my participation on the body back in 2013.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed the role and responsibility of the interim Chair position, even over the extremely challenging Covid years which followed the departure of my close friend and mentor Steve Horne.

“I thank each and every member of the Commission for their support of me as Chairman; and of the professional and meticulous work it has done.

“I wish the incoming Chair all the best in the role as the Commission continues to work diligently to guide Supercars through the Gen3 introduction and in making decisive sporting recommendations to the Board.”

Crompton owns AirTime Media, which is also the category manager for the Toyota Gazoo Racing Australia 86 Series.

I have spent a period away from the sport during 2021 to deal with prostate cancer.

The Repco Supercars Championship continues with the Penrite Oil Sandown SuperSprint from August 19-21.

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The Penrith Panthers Stadium budget blowout that will blow your mind

The Penrith Panthers Stadium budget blowout that will blow your mind

1. “Government says a 25,000-seat new stadium will cost $300m. This is nonsense.

two. “The going rate for new stadia is between $15,000 to $20,000 per seat.

3. “This means a 25,000-seat new stadium at Penrith will range between $375m to $500m.

Four. “Current construction industry price escalator is between 5% to 7% per annum.

(I looked that up and it means how much a bid can be expected to actually cost when it’s finally finished, taking into account the annual rise in building costs.)

“So for a new stadium assuming three-year construction, add another $70m to $100m at least in escalation.

5. “These costs do not include compulsory acquisition of paceway.

(They do harness racing at the Penrith Paceway, and that is where they want to build the new stadium.)

6. “Paceway land currently valued at $20m. This is land only.

Are you still with me, tree people? God bless you, I am singing for you too. Onwards!

7. “Of course to move the paceway to new site will also need the government to fund associated infrastructure for new paceway – track, training facilities, steward facilities, drug testing, stables, training facilities, clubhouse, grandstand, seating, betting facilities.

8. “Estimated cost of this around $80m. So added all up you get a new stadium with a total cost of well over $500m, and more likely closer to $600-$650m.”

Staggering, yes?

My source points out that a refurb on existing site is engineering-wise very easy and would be much more cost effective. (And all the more cost effective, can we agree, if – and stay with me on this one, because it is a revolutionary idea – the Panthers kicked in some money, too?)

For those who still doubt his figures, my source had an even neater way of calculating its likely final cost.

“Parramatta Stadium (30,000 seats) opened in April 2019 at end cost of $360m = $12,000 per seat.

loading

“Allianz, which will open in two weeks, 42,000 seats at total end cost of $820m = $19,500 per seat. Right there is a glaring example of the cost escalation in just a couple of years.

“So Penrith at 25,000 seats on today’s construction cost of $19,500 per seat will be $500m if they start this year. Of course they won’t. So by the time they do tend (2023) the cost will have escalated another 7% minimum = $535m to start if they are lucky. Este [stadium] will end up costing in excess of $600m given a three-year construction time frame.”

My source had one last killer point.

“There has been almost no focus or scrutiny of even more largesse to the NRL:

“Almost $200m in two rounds for centers of excellence, which is for the exclusive use of NRL clubs. There is even less justification for these. A few weeks ago the government announced round two of funding, with $130m for four more centers of excellence. Dragons gifted $50m! Of course you can bet your life, the final cost of these centers will far exceed the figures contained in the announcement (given construction industry price escalations.)”

All up, you get the drift. I always knew this kind of expenditure was outrageous. Until drawing on the inside knowledge of this expert, I had no idea just how outrageous.

Premier Perrottet, you received a lot of deserved kudos for standing up to the NRL. But the job’s not done. Stop the Penrith outrage, too. Refurb instead, instead, despues de you refurb Leichhardt Oval, to at least make it safe!

Yes, the NRL will hate you. But they already hate you, and in this struggle between the needs of the people and the needs of the NRL, you have already demonstrated that you get the needs of the people must come first. I humbly submit you need to act on that instinct once more.

Twitter: @Peter_Fitz

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Basketball legend Lauren Jackson named in World Cup squad after 12 year absence | Sport

Basketball legend Lauren Jackson will suit up for her fifth World Cup after a 12 year absence, making her return to the national team. The 41-year old has been included in a 12-strong Opals team for the FIBA ​​Women’s Basketball World Cup which gets underway in Sydney on September 22.

Retiring from international basketball nine years ago, Jackson’s last World Cup appearance was in 2010. The four-time Olympic medalist and three-time WNBA MVP had a dominant and decorated two-decade career across the globe until she was forced into retirement in March 2016 due to persistent knee injury.

Jackson moved into basketball administration after her playing career, working for WNBL club Melbourne Boomers before moving to Basketball Australia to head up the league and oversee women’s hoops in the country. But after starring for Albury-Wondonga in the recent NBL1 season, Jackson earned a call-up to an Australian squad camp in June before impressing in Opals practice matches in New York last month.

“Congratulations Lauren Jackson, you’re going to another World Cup,” Opals coach Sandy Brondello announced via video call. “You should be incredibly proud, Lauren, and I’m incredibly proud because what you did to achieve this is really amazing. It shows a lot about you as a person and your hard work and dedication.”

Jackson wept when Brondello told her of her selection. “There were a lot of emotions when Sandy rang me, I had a bit of a cry to be honest,” Jackson said. “I have been working my body hard, and I didn’t honestly know if it was going to hold up to my intense training regimen, but it has and I’m feeling good.”

After her retirement, Jackson revealed she experienced the “shakes” as she weaned herself off prescribed medication she’d relied upon during her playing career. In a 2018 Fox Sports documentary, the daughter of two national basketball players also spoke of struggling with lack of support from the basketball fraternity in retirement.

But Jackson also revealed she’d started training again in her home town, in the hope of suiting up for the local team Albury-Wodonga Bandits. Four years later, and 27 years since she first made the Opals squad as a 14-year-old, she’s back in the green and gold.

Brondello, herself a four-time World Cup athlete, said Jackson deserved her spot. “Making the final cut to twelve is always difficult with so many great athletes pushing for selection,” Brondello said. “The training camp in New York demonstrated how much each of these athletes wanted to compete on home soil, the competition for a spot on the team was fierce.

“Of course, the inclusion of Lauren is the talking point but from my perspective, she has put in the work and deserves to be here, she will add another dimension to our team dynamic.”

The Australians are looking to improve on the silver medal they won in 2018 in Spain under current coach Sandy Brondello. The Opals are ranked No 3 in the world, and have drawn Group C, with pool matches against France, Serbia, Japan, Mali and Canada.

Underlining the experience in the squad, Bec Allen and Cayla George will return for their third tournament and Marianna Tolo, Steph Talbot, Sami Whitcomb, Tess Madgen and Ezi Magbegor are playing in their second World Cup. Sara Blicavs, Darcee Garbin, Anneli Maley and Kristy Wallace will make their debut.

There are five current WNBA players including Allen (New York Liberty), Magbegor (Seattle Storm), Whitcomb (New York Liberty), Wallace (Atlanta Dream) and Talbot (Seattle Storm).

Missing is Liz Cambage, the former champion, who controversially drew from last year’s Tokyo Olympics squad under a cloud over allegations she made racist remarks to rival Nigerian players. The 30-year-old Cambage last month split with WNBA franchise the Los Angeles Sparks after just 25 games – a ‘contract divorce’ that also has the four-time All Star Center unlikely to play for Australia again.

The World Cup tips off on September 22 in Sydney.

Australian Opals 2022 FIBA ​​Women’s Basketball World Cup Team: Bec Allen, Sara Blicavs, Darcee Garbin, Cayla George, Lauren Jackson, Ezi Magbegor, Tess Madgen, Anneli Maley, Steph Talbot, Marianna Tolo, Kristy Wallace, Sami Whitcomb.

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Wayne Carey, Anthony Stevens, altercation, North Melbourne, 25-year premiership reunion, affair, scandal, cheated, Yarraville Hotel, celebration, wife, Glenn Archer

Wayne Carey, Anthony Stevens, altercation, North Melbourne, 25-year premiership reunion, affair, scandal, cheated, Yarraville Hotel, celebration, wife, Glenn Archer

AFL commentator Wayne Carey has hit out at the journalist who reported he “came to blows” with ex-teammate Anthony Stevens at the club’s 25-year premiership reunion last weekend.

SEN’s Sam Edmund broke the story on Monday that Carey and Stevens – whose then-wife Carey infamously cheated with back in 2002, had an altercation at the Yarraville Hotel on Saturday night.

Edmund said witnesses had told him the pair were “separated”, with fellow ex-Kangaroos left “stunned” by the verbal attack.

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But on Wednesday, Carey came clean on what sparked the “firm conversation” he had with Stevens, and labeled Edmund a “dill.”

“The first story said came to blows and that’s factually incorrect. There were no blows,” he said on Triple M.

“There was a firm conversation – altercation I think is even too firm to say that occurred.

“I wanted to have a conversation about Stevo, I was worried about him. I said ‘I’m worried about you’ and he obviously took a little bit of umbrage to say I was worried about him.

“I said I’m worried about, I want him to look after himself like people want me to look after myself.

Greene to miss the rest of the season | 00:43

“To say that it was a massive altercation and it came to blows and then we left there and everyone was upset with everyone and it was a big thing is totally incorrect – that’s the disappointing thing about it.

“It wasn’t a story and still isn’t a story.

“I hope I’ve just cleared up that once again this has been blown into something it wasn’t.

“I’m not sure why it should always be talked about – it doesn’t make sense.

“(Sam’s) let himself down with this.

“You know what Sam? We all have bad days. You’ve had a shocker.”

Carey admitted it was well known he and Stevens “aren’t best mates”, but felt Edmund only reported half the story on Monday.

“What he did leave out was at the end of the night or the evening or late afternoon or whatever it was, Stevo and I actually had a couple of beers together and left together,” he said.

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“We were standing out the front both waiting for our respective Ubers to leave the particular venue. I have left that out.

“It sounds like we’ve had this massive blow up and an altercation and as he said we came to blows which was clearly factually incorrect.”

Carey said the fact Stevens failed to show for Sunday’s motorcade celebrations – in which 17 players including Carey and coach Denis Pagan were present at Marvel Stadium – was unrelated to the “firm conversation” as far as he knew.

“I don’t know whether Stevo was upset the next day or not, and that’s why he didn’t come to the motorcade,” Carey said.

“What I do know about that, and my understanding and I’ve spoken to Arch (Glenn Archer) and I’ve spoken to Kingy (David King) and I’ve spoken to heaps of other players that are close with Stevo and some of those players I’m close with and Stevo wasn’t well.

“He’d had a reasonable night. It would be fair to say. We all had a reasonable day. Stevo maybe bigger than others so he didn’t attend the Sunday.

“If there was a big issue and this big thing happened and it had upset all these ex-teammates of mine and everyone else, on Sunday I sat there with Darren Crocker, I sat there with Danielle Laidley, sat with Glenn Archer, sat there with Sholly (Craig Sholl), all and some of them really mutual friends of both of ours – if I’d upset the apple cart or they were really disappointed with what occurred that day then that next day would not be happening.”

Crows apology for camp a little too late | 02:12

Admitting the story didn’t “disappoint” him, Carey said felt for the two families involved every time the 2002 scandal – which cost Carey his North Melbourne career and saw him finish up in Adelaide – gets brought up.

“This is what really hurts every single time. So when dill’s like Sam overexaggerate something that’s happened, who affects it,” he said.

“What he doesn’t realize is it affects Stevo’s daughters, my daughters – not my son because he’s really young. It affects family members and everyone else. That’s what these types of things do.

“Who cares if Stevo and I had a firm conversation together? How is that an actual story?”

Carey had spoken earlier this year on Channel 7 about the affair that rocked North Melbourne, labeling it the “biggest regret of his adult life” and admitting it had “haunted me for over 20 years”.

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North Queensland Cowboys Tom Dearden was ‘shell of a person’ when he arrived from Brisbane, Todd Payten Face to Face interview

North Queensland Cowboys Tom Dearden was 'shell of a person' when he arrived from Brisbane, Todd Payten Face to Face interview

Cowboys coach Todd Payten has made a startling admission about young gun Tom Dearden, revealing the rising playmaker was a “shell of a person” when he arrived at the club.

Dearden, 21, was once heralded as a star of the future at the Brisbane Broncos before he reportedly fell out of favor with head coach Kevin Walters.

The five-eighth signed with rivals North Queensland on a three-year deal, and was later a granted a mid-season transfer.

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Both clubs were struggling towards the bottom of the ladder, with the Broncos having claimed the wooden spoon for the first time in their history the season before.

While Dearden insisted that his confidence hadn’t taken a hit by how things turned out at the Broncos, coach Payten has now revealed he saw things differently.

“He was a shell of a person, I’ve got to say,” Payten told Matty Johns on Fox League’s face to face

“He was nervous and second guessing himself, whether it was on or off the pitch.

“What I did like about him was the way he trained. He’s super competitive, he’s really professional, and playing footy means something to him.

Tom Trbojevic reveals World Cup doubts | 01:12

“He’s wanted to play NRL since he was a kid and you can see that in the way he goes about it.”

North Queensland took a backwards step in 2021 and finished a place behind the Broncos in 15th.

But a stellar pre-season, with Dearden among the standouts, has thrust the club into premiership contention this year.

Payten said while the senior players helped lead the team throughout the successful pre-season, younger players including Dearden, Reuben Cotter and Tom Gilbert also impressed.

These players helped the Cowboys learn from their mistakes, as they trained by practicing things that “they weren’t expecting”.

“They train hard, everyone trains hard so that’s a given. Through our review, I’m talking about the coaches review… we watched all of the tries that we’d conceded which was not fun to view,” Payten said.

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“A lot of those, I think about 60 per cent of those would come from missed tackles that should’ve been made or guys not competing enough.

“We conceded the most tries from kicks in the competition and that affected our headspace in games. We’d defend two sets and then from a guy not getting their job done or someone not competing hard enough, we’d conceded a try.

“As soon as something upset the rhythm or went against them, we didn’t have the mental or physical capacity to get on with the job.

“(We had to) just build around upsetting rhythm in different ways. Doing things that they weren’t expecting to do at different times and causing a little bit of chaos and seeing how they handled it.

“We got better as the preseason went on.”

Daly Cherry-Evans and Tom DeardenSource: Supplied

Dearden has reaped the rewards of the Cowboys’ successful season, as they currently sit in second behind the Panthers, by making his Origin debut for Queensland.

The up-and-comer announced himself on one of the game’s biggest stages, as he helped inspire his state to win in the decider at Suncorp Stadium.

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Horse racing news 2022: Japanese jockey Taiki Yanagida dies following tragic fall in New Zealand

Horse racing news 2022: Japanese jockey Taiki Yanagida dies following tragic fall in New Zealand

Japanese jockey Taiki Yanagida has died in Waikato Hospital from injuries suffered in a horse racing fall at Cambridge last week.

The 28-year-old had his mother Kayano and one of his two sisters Chiaki by his side when he died, the NZ Herald reports. They had rushed from Japan last Thursday to be with Taiki, who suffered brain and spinal cord damage in the accident.

He was placed in an induced coma straight after the accident and never regained consciousness.

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If he had, the damage to his spinal cord was so severe it was highly unlikely he would have walked again.

Yanagida was riding maiden horse Te Atatu Pash in the last race of the Cambridge synthetic track meeting last Wednesday when his mount was checked and fell.

Yanagida’s riding helmet came off in the fall and he was partially rolled on by his own mount but was also galloped on by a following horse, who in the split-second incident could not have avoided him and struck him heavily in the back.

The accident stunned racing industry participants, particularly the very close-knit ranks of professional jockeys, with Yanagida the first jockey to die in a race fall in New Zealand since Rebecca Black at Gore in December, 2016.

Yanagida, known to almost everyone in the racing industry as Tiger, was born and raised in Japan and didn’t start riding until he was 18, firstly in Australia before moving to New Zealand.

He recently told racing publication race form his mother had initially been against him becoming a jockey.

“I wanted to try and become a jockey but my Mum didn’t agree, she said I must go to university first,” Taiki said in June.

“I completed one year at university before I said I was going to Australia to train to be a jockey.”

Yanagida then spoke of his mother’s fears for him in his chosen career, fears that have so tragically become reality.

“Now my mother is happy for me, she knows I am doing what I always wanted to, but she still worries about me and is always going to the temple to pray for my luck and safety,” he said just two months ago.

Yanagida moved to New Zealand and developed his craft working for top Matamata trainers Andrew Scott and Lance O’Sullivan, the latter one of New Zealand’s all-time champion jockeys.

O’Sullivan said the news was heartbreaking for those who knew Yanagida but will be felt throughout the racing industry not only in New Zealand and Japan but beyond.

“He was a good young man, very dedicated to his career,” O’Sullivan said.

“He had to be because he was quite tall for a jockey so he had to work hard to keep his weight under control but that became his other passion, being a fitness fanatic so he could keep being a jockey.

“He wasn’t a natural jockey when he first came to us but worked so hard he got better and better.

“It is a very sad day for everybody who knew him and the racing industry.”

One of Yanagida’s closest friends was fellow Japanese apprentice jockey Yuto Kumagai, who Yanagida’s had helped mentor since Kumagai arrived in New Zealand.

“He was a very special friend and he told me a few weeks ago he wanted to help me become the leading apprentice this season,” said Kumagai.

“He loved riding and worked so hard to stay fit so he could be better at it. I always wanted to improve.

“It is very, very sad. I am very sad.”

Yanagida was a single man with no children who O’Sullivan says was unfailingly polite.

“These days it is rare for an apprentice to stay with the same trainers right through their apprenticeship because it is so easy once they start riding winners to go somewhere where they don’t have to do the stable work, just ride trackwork and in races .

“But Taiki stayed with us all the way through. He wanted to work hard and do the right thing. That is what sort of young man he was.”

Yanagida’s racing manager Ted McLachlan had been with him and his family at the hospital every day and was devastated by his death.

“He was such a wonderful young man it really is a tragedy and so hard to watch what his mother and sister here have had to go through,” said McLachlan.

“This will really hurt the other people in the industry because Taiki was so popular.”

Yanagida had his personal best season last racing term, riding 42 winners including three black type successes, which are at racing highest levels.

He sacrificed his goal of winning 50 races for the season to fly home to Japan for the first time in four years to see his family for a month in June, only returning to New Zealand mid-July.

Yanagida rode 162 winners in his New Zealand career and while those numbers are testament to his work ethic those who met and worked alongside Yanagida will not remember him for his racetrack victories.

They will remember a polite, happy, dedicated young man who was willing to leave his home country to chase his dream of becoming a jockey.

Taiki achieved his dream and that can never be taken away from him.

This article originally appeared on the NZ Herald and was reproduced with permission

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