Australia and New Zealand – Page 12 – Michmutters

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Sports

Premier League news, lineups, fixtures, Chelsea vs Tottenham, team news, Manchester United, Cristiano Ronaldo, start time, scores

Premier League news, lineups, fixtures, Chelsea vs Tottenham, team news, Manchester United, Cristiano Ronaldo, start time, scores

A thrilling opening weekend saw the Premier League return with a bang. Liverpool and Manchester United were stunned, Spurs claimed a statement victory, while Erling Haaland made his mark for Manchester City.

Now attention turns to Matchday 2. Erik ten Hag faces a huge call over Cristiano Ronaldo as the Red Devils seek to get their season off and running, while Spurs visit Stamford Bridge in the first big-six blockbuster.

Here are the big storylines to watch out for this weekend.

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Reds star savaged over ‘atrocious’ brainfade; Spurs find missing piece of puzzle: PL Talking Pts

Ten Hag booed after United’s horror loss | 01:18

MANCHESTER UNITED SET FOR MORE PAIN?

Manchester United finished last season by losing their final six away games – a nightmare streak that ruined any hope of Champions League football. It was their worst run of road losses since March 1981 – but defeat at Brentford this weekend would make it their worst run since all the way back in 1936, when they lost ten on the trot away from Old Trafford.

But is it a serious prospect against a relative minnow in the Bees? Well, history hasn’t helped United much to start this season – their defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion last week was their first-ever loss at home to the Seagulls.

Christian Eriksen starred for the Bees last season, winning 7 of his 11 games on the park, but struggled in a false nine position for United against Brighton.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s arrival in the second half shifted Eriksen into the midfield, a move which benefited the team immensely.

Whether Erik ten Hag rushes Ronaldo into the starting line-up in search of a maiden Premier League win will be a crucial selection conundrum, especially since the Portuguese legend is still short of fitness.

But after conceding two goals in the first half in the opening week – and it could well have been three if VAR didn’t overrule a penalty early in the second half – ten Hag clearly has just as many problems in defense (especially on set pieces ).

With Brentford adding to their well-earned reputation for fighting out of tricky situations when they fought back for a 2-2 draw against Leicester, this one will likely be battled out until the final whistle sounds. It just might signal more woe for the Red Devils.

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Chelsea sell Werner back to RB Leipzig | 01:19

SPURS OUT TO BREAK HORROR RUN

It’s the first big-six clash of the season, and it should be an absolute beauty as Chelsea host Tottenham.

But there’s a heavy weight of history standing in their way: Spurs have won just once in their last 37 matches at Stamford Bridge. No wonder the Blues are favorites for this one, despite their ‘rusty’ 1-0 win over Everton last week – as coach Thomas Tuchel described it.

Spurs, on the other hand, fought back from an early deficit to win 4-1 over Southampton – a result that means they have scored the most Premier League in the 2022 calendar year to date.

Antonio Conte has enjoyed a full pre-season and a big transfer window in Tottenham, and this match will be a true litmus test for just how far they’ve come – and whether they can actually challenge at the pointy end this season.

“I think it’ll be a good test to mark whether they are really in the contest for the title,” former Spurs back Pascal Chimbonda told Sky Sports News.”

Perhaps the biggest key to their improvement is their depth: none of their six signings started against Saints. Some, like Richarlison, could start this time out, while Ivan Perisic might also hope to replace Ryan Sessegnon.

PREDICTED XI: Hugo Lloris; Eric Dier, Ben Davies, Cristian Romero; Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Rodrigo Bentancur, Ivan Perisic, Emerson; Heung-Min Son, Dejan Kulusevski; Harry Kane.

Fulham frustrate Reds as Spurs fly high | 02:59

For Chelsea, Thomas Tuchel hasn’t been fully happy with his transfer window so far despite some big-name arrivals in Kalidou Koulibaly, Raheem Sterling, and Marc Cucurella.

Koulibaly and Sterling both started and should start again this time out, while Cucurella came off the bench and could depose Ben Chilwell from the starting role. Christian Pulisic’s impressive bench cameo could also see him introduced to the XI.

If they fail to score from open play again, it could just nudge the new owners to push even harder to complete the signings of targets Frenkie de Jong and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Barcelona, ​​or Wesley Fofana from Leicester City – having already missed out on Manchester City’s Nathan Ake and Sevilla’s Jules Kounde.

The first heavyweight bout of the season is here, and it could have huge ramifications on the trajectories of two big-six members.

Predicted Chelsea XI: Edouard Mendy; Thiago Silva, Cesar Azpilicueta, Kalidou Koulibaly; Ben Chilwell, N’Golo Kante, Jorgino, Reece James, Mason Mount, Kai Havertz; Raheem Sterling.

Klopp rages as Liverpool cop HUGE scare; Spurs’ statement in crushing win: PL Wrap

Premier League Monday morning wrap | 03:00

STAGGERING LAMPARD STAT IN BATTLE OF ENGLAND GREATS

Frank Lampard might be a Premier League and England great, but this weekend he meets another man of similar pedigree – his old England teammate Steven Gerrard.

The duo met 34 times during their playing careers, and Lampard had the upper hand with 16 wins compared to Gerrard’s 11. Both will be desperate for victory this weekend in their first-ever managerial meeting.

For Lampard, the biggest worry – among many – is his staggeringly poor defensive record away from home.

In 38 games in charge of Everton and previously Chelsea, his sides conceded 73 goals at an average of 1.92 per 90 minutes. That includes a Blues side that would win the Champions League six months after his departure from him.

There were concerns about Everton’s squad entering this season (having sold star striker Richarlison to balance the books), and those only worsened on opening day when defenders Ben Godfrey and Yerry Mina both copped serious injuries.

Everton have since pulled a late signing swoop for Conor Coady and midfielder Amadou Onana (from Wolverhampton on Monday and Lille on Tuesday, in that order), while they added another solid defender in James Tarkowski from Burnley in pre-season.

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After Everton lost to Chelsea 1-0 and Gerrard’s Aston Villa lost to promoted Bournemouth 2-0, the pressure is on.

But where will the Toffee goals come from?

Everton’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Andros Townsend are months away from returning, but Lampard welcomes back-up forward Salomon Rondon to the team after suspension.

And the club is reportedly chasing Southampton’s Che Adams to boost their stingy offence, having missed out on Burnley winger Maxwel Cornet who instead joined West Ham.

“We know there is a void in forward areas, we are short in numbers there,” Lampard said amid a difficult pre-season.

Arresting his poor defensive record on the road will be a key priority – but their lack of firepower up front could be just as worrying down the track.

Klopp laments ‘really bad’ Liverpool | 03:00

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Entertainment

Daniel Andrews’ Olivia Newton-John Gaffe

Daniel Andrews' Olivia Newton-John Gaffe

Victorian Premier Dan Andrews has made an awkward gaffe while posting a tweet announcing a state memorial service for Olivia Newton-John that missed her name.

The iconic Australian singer, who starred in the hit musical Grease, died aged 73 at her home in southern California on Monday, after a long battle with breast cancer.

Ms Newton-John’s death triggered an outpouring of heartfelt condolences from celebrities and fans all over the world and prompted Mr Andrews to offer her family a state memorial service for the star.

“I’m so pleased that Olivia Newton-John’s family have accepted our offer of a State Memorial Service,” Mr Andrews’ official account tweeted.

The spelling error, in which an extra “w” was added to “Newton”, was quickly pointed out by followers who accused the premier of making the service about himself instead of honoring Ms Newton-John.

“It’s Newton NOT Newtown. With the amount we pay for your PR team they could get the spelling right,” one person wrote.

“Her name was Olivia NEWTON John. You’re absolutely embarrassing,” another posted.

Several Twitter users claimed that the error was disrespectful because it allegedly showed a lack of attention to detail.

“At least have the respect to spell her name correctly,” one wrote.

Olivia Newton-John. With respect Premier, please be mindful of the correct spelling,” another advised.

And: “You can’t even get her name right. So much for respect.”

Earlier, Mr Andrews said he spoke to Ms Newton-John’s niece, former Neighbors star, Tottie Goldsmith to discuss plans.

“I can update that I’ve spoken with Tottie Goldsmith this morning and she, on behalf of the family, have accepted my offer of a state service,” he said.

“This will be much more of a concert than a funeral, I think it will be a celebration of such a rich and generous life.

“As I said the other day, Olivia Newton-John was a very special person and to take her cancer journey and to turn that into more research, better treatment, better care and this focus on wellness, is such an amazing legacy and that’s why I think we all feel the pain of her passing.”

Mr Andrews said the family was touched by the Australian public’s outpouring of grief following Ms Newton-John’s death.

“There will be further discussions, those discussions have started today, but there will be further discussions in my department and the family about what’s appropriate,” he said.

“I think giving Melburnians and Victorians and indeed people who travel from other parts of the country and maybe even the world to be here to celebrate such an important, rich and generous life — that was the right thing to do.”

“And I must say, it’s very clear to me the family were quite touched by the prospect of Victorians being able to come together and celebrate Olivia’s life.”

The British-born actor and singer, who moved to Melbourne aged six, identified as Australian and became a devoted advocate for cancer research.

Her family will hold a private funeral for Ms Newton-John in the US – where she has lived for decades.

She is survived by husband John Easterling and daughter Chloe Lattanzi.

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Business

Aussie company collapses up to 50 per cent since April, Creditorwatch finds

Aussie company collapses up to 50 per cent since April, Creditorwatch finds

It’s no secret there has been a “massive rise” in Australian companies collapsing but new findings show they have skyrocketed by a whopping 50 per cent since April.

The construction industry has faced a particular crisis with dozens of firms going under this year, but everything from billion dollar tech starts up to grocery delivery companies have become casualties of this “disturbing trend”.

Overall, companies going into external administration are up 46 per cent year-on-year, while court actions are up 54 per cent year-on-year, the latest data from credit reporting agency CreditorWatch found.

The huge jump has been blamed on interest rate rises causing “cheap money” to dry up, while spooked investors are pulling back on spending their cash on start-ups as valuations have taken a dramatic dive, with a slew of staff cuts battering the sector .

Meanwhile many businesses are already suffering depleted cash reserves as a result of the pandemic and the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has ramped up its debt collection, according to the agency.

‘Ramping up legal action’

CreditorWatch has issued a chilling warning that the rise in business insolvencies will continue this year as multiple impacts batter the economy including ongoing supply chain issues, declining consumer confidence, rising interest rates, inflation and labor shortages.

CreditorWatch chief executive Patrick Coghlan said the hands-off approach to debt collection adopted by the ATO and many lenders during the pandemic is clearly over.

“The massive rise in external administrations is certainly a disturbing trend – now up 50 per cent since April. Our data shows that court actions are back to pre-Covid levels and the ATO has also stated that it is ramping up legal action for outstanding debts,” he said.

“With business and consumer confidence declining and inflation and interest rates on the rise, this doesn’t bode well for businesses, particularly small and medium enterprises whose cash reserves were depleted during the pandemic and are now operating on much tighter margins.”

No longer ‘awash with cash’

Aussie start-ups have been particularly hard hit, with the casualties piling up in the tech sector.

The latest was an Australian tech company called Metigy, which left staff “shell-shocked” by its sudden collapse last week, after it planned to raise money with a valuation of $1 billion.

Businesses that are trying to raise money for growth are particularly at risk in the current environment, added CreditorWatch chief economist Anneke Thompson.

“When interest rates were low and the world was awash with cash, investors were hungry for investment opportunities, and willing to move up the risk curve to find good returns,” she said.

“Now that cash is being consumed by ever-increasing prices and debt costs a lot more, the appetite for risk is dropping.

“Start-up businesses or those in the growth phase are always considered riskier. We have already seen this phenomenon hit the tech sector, and many well-known companies are being repriced to reflect this.”

Other recently failed Australian start-ups include grocery delivery service Send, which went into liquidation at the end of May, after the company spent $11 million in eight months to stay afloat.

There was also a Victorian food delivery company that styled itself as a rival to UberEats and Deliveroo that collapsed in July as it became unprofitable, despite making more than $6 million worth of deliveries since it launched in 2017 and had 18,000 customers.

Meanwhile Australia’s first ever neobank founded in 2017, Volt Bank, went under last month with 140 staff losing their jobs, while 6000 customers were told to urgently withdraw their funds.

A venture capital firm issued a sobering message about the state of Australia’s start-up industry, warning that more new companies would go bust and pulling back on funding as a result.

CreditorWatch also identified five regions where businesses are most at risk of going under with the suburbs of Merrylands, Canterbury and Auburn in NSW on the list, alongside Surfers Paradise and Ormeau in Queensland.

Construction collapses to continue

After four consecutive months of increases to interest rates and inflation continuing to rise, it is now clear that a slowdown in demand in many industries is inevitable, added Ms Thompson.

She said construction companies will continue to be impacted by late payments and reduced demand, particularly smaller operators.

The most recent company impacted was Melbourne-based Blint Builder which collapsed this week with approximately $1 million in outstanding debt owed to 50 creditors, according to the liquidators.

It joined smaller operators like Hotondo Homes Horsham, which was based in Victoria and a franchisee of a national construction firm – which collapsed in July affecting 11 homeowners with $1.2 million in outstanding debt.

It was the second Hotondo Homes franchisee to go under this year, with its Hobart branch collapsing in January owing $1.3 million to creditors, according to a report from liquidator Revive Financial.

Others include two major Australian construction companies, Gold Coast-based Condev and industry giant Probuild, which went into liquidation earlier this year.

There was also Norris Construction Group, which was in Geelong, collapsed in March with $27 million in debt. It owes $3.2 million to around 140 staff that it is unlikely to be able to repay, according to the liquidator’s report.

Meanwhile, Snowdon Developments was ordered into liquidation by the Supreme Court with 52 staff members, 550 homes and more than 250 creditors owed just under $18 million, although it was partially bought out less than 24 hours after going bust.

Other casualties this year include Inside Out Construction, Solido Builders, Waterford Homes, Affordable Modular Homes and Statement Builders.

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Categories
Business

Here’s why Trivago CEO believes travel will be even more expensive

Here's why Trivago CEO believes travel will be even more expensive

Aussies are keener than ever to hop on a plane and escape what has been a pretty rough past few years.

Almost 57 per cent of Aussies are planning a getaway in the next 12 months which is up 49 per cent from December, according to Finder’s Consumer Sentiment Tracker.

However, travel at the moment comes with a heftier than usual price tag.

KAYAK’s data shows the average return economy international flight price in Australia based on flight searches in July (between July 1-18) was approximately $1761 – an increase of about 14 per cent compared to the same period in May (between May 1-18) .

Meanwhile, the consumer price index (CPI) July report shows plane tickets have soared 27.7 per cent on a year-over-year (YoY) basis.

And sadly it is a tendency likely to stick around for a bit longer, according to Angus Kidman, travel expert at Finder.

“Sale fares are definitely higher than they were pre-pandemic. Tiger used to regularly offer $9 domestic fares,” Mr Kidman said.

“We won’t see that again. Jetstar has offered a handful of $22 fares this year, but only outside of peak periods and for a tiny number of seats.”

He said Virgin’s floor in sales is now generally $49, and for Qantas it’s rare to see any sub-$100 flights.

“I don’t expect we’ll see much change to that in 2022. The arrival of new competitor Bonza may create a little price pressure, but many of its routes are regional and I’m expecting that it will be charging well over $100 for a seat most of the time.”

‘On the rise’

Trivago (TRVG) CEO Axel Hefer believes “costs will continue to go up”, attributing it to staffing shortages and labor costs.

“You see a fundamental shortage of people in travel and hospitality, and the reason is that a lot of companies have actually reduced their staffing during the pandemic,” Mr Hefer told Yahoo Finance.

“[Companies] are now struggling in very tight labor markets to staff up again. So they will have to pay up, and that cost will be passed on.”

Flight cancellations

The Bureau of Transportation Statistics quantified that 88,161 flights have been canceled so far this year, with many being attributed to staffing issues.

Virgin Australia, Qantas, and Air New Zealand were all named among the global airlines with the current highest cancellation rates, while Singapore Airlines was noted as the carrier with the lowest cancellation figure.

The new data, compiled by aviation analytics company Cirium, looked at flight data from 19 major airlines in the three months to July 26 which revealed Virgin Australia to have one of the highest cancellation rates at 5.9 per cent.

Air New Zealand and Qantas were also named in the top five airlines with high cancellation rates, at 3.7 and 3.3 per cent respectively.

Singapore Airlines, which remains the top international carrier in Australia, was dubbed the most reliable airline, with a 0.8 per cent cancellation rate.

Notably, of all 19 studied carriers, Virgin boasts the smallest international network, possibly skewing the data, according to Australian Aviation.

Australia’s worst month for flying

Australian airlines recorded their “worst ever” month in June for flight delays and cancellations with a total of 5.8 per cent of all flights canceled – nearly three times more than the long-term cancellation average.

There were 63 per cent of all flights arriving on time in June, with 61.9 per cent departing on schedule, the Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport Research Economics (BITRE) report found.

BITRE said these figures mark “the worst” the industry has seen since records began in November 2003.

The report looked at delays and cancellations across all major Australian airports in the month of June.

The severe disruption was fueled by staffing shortages, staff sicknesses, mid-year school holiday travel surges and severe weather events, including flash flooding throughout NSW.

Qantas recorded the highest percentage of cancellations at 8.1 per cent during the month, followed by QantasLink, Virgin Australia, Jetstar, Virgin Australia Regional Airlines and Rex Airlines.

Qantas recorded just over half of their airlines arrived on time in June, at 59 per cent, while Virgin achieved the highest level of on time departures among the major domestic airlines at 60 per cent.

A Qantas spokesperson told NCA NewsWire the flight delays and cancellations were not the kind of performance that they were delivering pre-Covid.

“A rise in Covid and other illnesses among airline crew as well as the tight labor market led to flight disruptions for all domestic airlines in June,” they said.

“We had rostered additional crew on standby which helped lessen the impact of Covid-related crew absences and meant 85 per cent of our domestic flights for the month departed within an hour of schedule.”

“Flight cancellations in July were lower than they were in June, call center wait times are now better than they were pre-Covid and our mishandled bag rates are close to what they were before the pandemic.”

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Sports

Matt To’omua spills on divorce from Ellyse Perry, engaged to Naomi Cameron

Matt To'omua spills on divorce from Ellyse Perry, engaged to Naomi Cameron

Former Wallabies fly-half Matt To’omua has opened up about his “brutal” divorce from Australian cricketer Ellyse Perry, admitting the taxing order was “not fun at all”.

The sporting power couple, who tied the knot in 2015, announced their divorce in July 2020, confirming the news in a joint statement.

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“It’s with the greatest of respect for one another that we decided to separate earlier this year,” the pair said at the time.

“We felt this was the right course of action and is in the best interests of each other and our current lives. This is something that has evolved and is a mutual decision.

Throughout our relationship we have remained private and we ask that our space and privacy continue to be respected during this difficult time for both of us.”

The couple went public in 2013 when they appeared at the John Eales Medal awards night together before getting engaged the following year.

Ellyse Perry and ex-husband Matt To'omua.
Ellyse Perry and ex-husband Matt To’omua.Source: Instagram
Ellyse Perry and ex-husband Matt To’omua. AAP Image/Scott BarbourSource: AAP

speaking to the Sydney Morning HeraldTo’omua revealed he had not spoken to Perry in more than a year,

“It was tough,” he confessed. “Not fun. Not fun at all. It sucks.

“You can see why it breaks people. I’m very lucky that I’ve found someone now who’s amazing, but at the time, it was brutal.

“I’m very fortunate that we had no children and, of the divorces, it was a good one in the sense of the separation of those things. The one unique thing being it was public. Getting sprayed while I’m goalkicking or getting abused on some social media platform isn’t great, but they’re minor things.”

Matt To’omua of Australia. Photo by Michael Steele/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images

To’omua has since started dating forensic psychologist Naomi Cameron, who he met in 2020. They recently got engaged.
Earlier this year, the 32-year-old announced he would head overseas and join Japan’s League One, signing with an unnamed club.

To’omua represented the Wallabies in 59 Tests after making his international debut in 2013, also playing 130 Super Rugby games for the ACT Brumbies and Melbourne Rebels.

Meanwhile, rumors emerged last year that Perry was dating Fremantle Dockers captain Nat Fyfe.

The 31-year-old was part of the Australian squad for this year’s triumphant Cricket World Cup campaign in New Zealand.

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Categories
Australia

Australia weather: Southeast rain band causes flood warnings in Victoria and NSW

Southeast rain band causes flood warnings in Victoria and NSW

Parts of NSW are preparing for the worst day of a rain band that is moving through the state, leading to renewed fears of flooding at inland rivers.

A cold front, associated with a low pressure system that moved through Western Australia, brought showers to western NSW from late Thursday and extended into eastern parts of the state on Friday.

The Bureau of Meteorology said Friday was forecasted to be the wettest day of the rain event for most NSW regions, with inland rivers at an increased risk of flooding due to recent deluges in the area.

“This rainfall may cause widespread minor to moderate and possibly major flooding along inland NSW rivers, many of which experienced flooding due to the rainfall last week,” it wrote.

The bureau expects renewed flooding at multiple river catchments littered across the state on Friday, including a minor to major flooding for the Macquarie River downstream of Burrendong Dam.

The other 13 warnings were either minor or moderate in nature for parts of inland NSW, with up to 25-55mm of rain possible around the northwest and central west plains.

Widespread rain and possible storms are predicted until Saturday across the coast, with Sydney and Newcastle expected to experience a deluge on Friday, while it could last until Sunday for inland regions.

Last month was the wettest July on record for much of the NSW east coast, including Sydney, with rainfall around four to eight times higher than average.

Parts of Victoria are also being impacted by the east-coast deluge, with rain bucketing down since 9am on Thursday.

Mount Buffalo copped 51.6mm of rain in the last 24 hours, while Archerton experienced a 34.6mm soaking.

Rainfall totals have generally been 5-10mm across the state, but increased to around 15-25mm over the central ranges and 20-30mm in the northeast ranges.

Minor flood warnings are in place for parts of the Murray and Kiewa rivers.

The bureau’s climate outlook forecast is that rain will likely be above median for much of Australia over the coming fortnight but below median for parts of the tropics.

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Categories
Sports

Scorned lover Jenny takes out ad in Mackay and Whitsunday Life against cheating ex

Scorned lover Jenny takes out ad in Mackay and Whitsunday Life against cheating ex

Revenge is a dish best served cold … or in a newspaper’s ad page, using your cheating ex’s credit card.

Readers of Mackay and Whitsunday Life in Queensland’s east got a shock when they picked up their Friday edition and saw a full-page ad from a scorned lover called Jenny.

“Dear Steve, I hope you’re happy with her,” the open letter read.

“Now the whole town will know what a filthy cheater you are. From Jenny.

“PS I bought this ad using your credit card.”

Mackay and Whitsunday Life have been inundated with “dozens” of messages since the shocking letter went to print on page four.

“We do not know who Steve is, but apparently he’s been very very bad,” the newspaper said.

“We won’t be revealing any details about Jenny.”

But unfortunately the final piece of Jenny’s revenge seems to have not been pulled off.

“We have not charged the credit card in question,” Mackay and Whitsunday Life said.

But Jenny’s actions were met with praise from her legion of new-found fans.

“Jenny sounds like someone I want to be friends with,” one person said.

“Not all heroines wear capes. Jenny is my new favorite person,” said another.

“Couldn’t love this more if I tried LOL… Good on you Jenny,” proclaimed another amused commenter.

The public were not as kind to Steve however.

“Never trust Steve,” one said.

“I would have charged the card,” another person brutally said.

“Everyone who knows a Steve and Jenny have suddenly sat up and taken notice,” someone joked.

Read related topics:Brisbane

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Categories
Sports

Collingwood Magpies over celebrating win over Melbourne Demons, Kane Cornes, 11 straight wins, Craig McRae, response, reactions, commentary, highlights, video

Collingwood Magpies over celebrating win over Melbourne Demons, Kane Cornes, 11 straight wins, Craig McRae, response, reactions, commentary, highlights, video

Lap it up, Feet.

It’s the message that should be conveyed (and clearly is behind closed doors) despite Port Adelaide great Kane Cornes scrutinizing Collingwood for over celebrating its epic seven-point win over Melbourne last Friday night.

Cornes this week said the Pies went “over the top” and called for them to “keep a lid on it” given it’s only Round 21.

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“I haven’t seen stuff like this for a long time — we’ve all loved what they’ve done but they haven’t achieved anything yet,” the dual All-Australian said on Channel 9’s Footy Classified.

“You don’t see Geelong doing this — it’s like a WWE wrestler. Fremantle has qualified for finals, have you seen them doing that? Have you seen Sydney doing that?

“If I was advising them, I’d say ‘keep a lid on it’, narrow your focus and we’ll judge you when you win in September, not in Round 20. We’ll see how it goes on for the finals — I’ve still got some question marks on them.”

It came after probably the game of the season between Collingwood and Melbourne that went right down to the wire in front of a rowdy packed house of over 70,000 fans at the MCG.

With it the Magpies had knocked over the reigning premiers for a second time in 2022, extended their remarkable winning streak to 11 games and moved into second place—of course continuing their stunning rise from last year’s 17th place finish.

Ash Johnson celebrates after the win (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)Source: FOX SPORTS

Factoring in all of the above, wins don’t come much bigger than that.

It set up for the euphoric atmosphere for the black and white post-match. Players, just as they’ve done in several of their previous close wins, immediately huddled in celebration before hugging and high-fiving.

Even coach Craig McRae was sighted on the bench going nuts with players and staff.

The Pies then got around their fans, who were as vocal as you’ll ever hear them throughout the night and jumping for joy on the final siren, embracing with the black and white faithful all around the ground and taking selfies with smiles beaming across their faces.

How could you possibly not live at the moment!?

It was scenes of pure passion and jubilation, and frankly, simple human instinct to react in such a way after yet another epic win — scenes of emotion that make footy what it is. After all, the game isn’t life and death.

You can’t even imagine how players would’ve felt. Going from the feeling of being so hyper focused on the game and questioning, ‘can we do this?’ To then the relief and bliss of, ‘we’ve won our 11th straight, and we’re second.’

And for that one hour after the match they can celebrate and soak up the victory as the pressure valve is momentarily released.

Johnson and McRae embrace (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)Source: FOX SPORTS

“I would like to know what the levels of celebrations actually are. How much are you allowed to celebrate after another win like that?” Dual premiership Kangaroo David King awning foxfooty.com.au.

“The excitement should be shared with the fans, which was how it was done. It wasn’t disrespectful, it wasn’t demeaning in any way.

“They are taking their own on a ride that is so special, why wouldn’t you celebrate like that? Why wouldn’t you embrace what’s happening, as ridiculous as it is.

“And the bottom line is—who cares what people think.”

Footy has changed. Ten years ago there was a vibe in the rooms after wins of players trying to cover up smiles and stay in this overly professional, serious mood and act as if they weren’t happy.

This shift to a more jovial, lighthearted approach was widely said to be key to the Tigers’ resurgence in 2017 (where McRae was an assistant), and the exact same can be said for Collingwood in 2022.

While winning clearly helps, the Magpies simply look like a much happier club — you only need to attend or watch a game or be in the rooms post-match to really feel it — and it’s bizarrely made even Collingwood’s biggest haters warm to it (perhaps some more than others).

McRae’s message all season has been for his troops to stay in the moment week to week and celebrate the good times when they come — and this message has clearly resonated with the group in a breath of fresh air for the competition.

Maynard BUZZING after big hit and win | 00:47

Whenever the Magpies coach after a win has been quizzed about upcoming clashes, his reply has been consistently along the lines of: ‘We’re enjoying this one for now and we’ll worry about that later.’

“He’s really light hearted and has a lot of fun,” Collingwood skipper Scott Pendlebury said of McRae on Triple M over the weekend.

“Even (against Melbourne) before the game he said, ‘make sure we go out and enjoy the occasion. Take a look around, take the crowd in. I want you boys to play with freedom and fun, smile, enjoy this.’

“You just feel so comfortable and confident. You can see it with how we play, we’ve got energy and enjoying ourselves — and that’s all off the back of our coaching group and ‘Fly’ (McRae) driving that message home.”

What may be perceived as over celebrating is this very positive energy Pendlebury speaks of and aura galvanizing the group and driving one of the most unprecedented runs in league history. The players are simply living McRae’s mantra and riding the tidal wave of emotion.

No matter how far they go, Pies fans will always remember this winning streak and McRae’s first season at large as a truly special period.

This idea that clubs can only celebrate after finals (or grand finals) is mad. Does that mean of the 400 plus games that are played across the season, only one match is worthwhile celebrating because it ends in silverware? Or players who don’t play in flags shouldn’t cherish special victories along the way? That’s too shallow.

Jamie Elliot signs with Feet until 2025 | 00:37

The same can be said for scrutiny towards North Melbourne after it recorded its second win for the season against Richmond in Round 18. The club had just seen its coach depart amid a particularly tumultuous stretch of its horror season, and against all odds, knocked off one of the league’s powerhouses. Bloody lap it up.

There’s too many lows in footy to not enjoy the highs, and for Collingwood, last Friday night might well be the peak of its season. The odds are that the Pies probably won’t go all the way (not that you’d confidently bet against them right now!) But what may or may not happen in September shouldn’t matter.

Of course, context is everything and there’s a line. Not every win should prompt such a reaction, although it’s fair to say the Pies have played in an unrivaled amount of games that have probably warranted it in 2022.

But after having no crowds for the best part of the last two years and the club enduring a particularly rocky period over that span including the infamous 2020 trade exodus and departures of long-time president Eddie McGuire and coach Nathan Buckley, the players should be allowed to enjoy their unforeseen bounce back.

Although winning a flag is ultimately every club’s goal, there’s no rule that they can’t have fun along the journey.

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Categories
Sports

AFL tips Round 22 2022

AFL tips Round 22 2022

Need a hand with your AFL tips for the upcoming weekend?

The Fox Footy experts are here to help with their winners for every game in Round 22.

Check out all our expert tips and the final verdict below!

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NEW FOX FOOTY PODCAST — Finals fight down to 10 amid a Blue’s big bump and Crows camp fallout

Listen below or subscribe in Apple Podcasts or Spotify

FOX FOOTY AFL ROUND 21 TIPS AND LEADERBOARD

1. BRAD JOHNSON — 134 (Last week: 6)

Brisbane Lions

Western Bulldogs

adelaide crows

Geelong Cats

melbourne

Fremantle

Richmond

sydney swans

Port Adelaide

2. MAX LAUGHTON (2019, 2020, 2021 champion) – 130 (Last week: 4)

Brisbane Lions

Western Bulldogs

adelaide crows

Geelong Cats

melbourne

Fremantle

Richmond

sydney swans

Essendon

3. BEN COTTON—124 (Last week: 4)

Brisbane Lions

Western Bulldogs

Geelong Cats

melbourne

Fremantle

Richmond

sydney swans

Essendon

=4. NICK DAL SANTO — 123 (Last week: 5)

Brisbane Lions

Western Bulldogs

adelaide crows

Gold Coast Suns

melbourne

Fremantle

Richmond

sydney swans

Port Adelaide

=4. DAVID ZITA — 123 (Last week: 5)

st kilda

Western Bulldogs

adelaide crows

Geelong Cats

melbourne

Fremantle

Richmond

sydney swans

Port Adelaide

=6. CATHERINE HEALEY—122 (Last week: 5)

TBC

=6. CAMERON MOONEY—122 (Last week: 5)

Brisbane Lions

Western Bulldogs

adelaide crows

Geelong Cats

melbourne

Fremantle

Richmond

sydney swans

Essendon

8. LEIGH MONTAGNA—120 (Last week: 3)

Brisbane

Western Bulldogs

adelaide crows

Geelong Cats

melbourne

Fremantle

Richmond

sydney

Essendon

=9. BEN WATERWORTH—119 (Last week: 4)

Brisbane Lions

Western Bulldogs

adelaide crows

Geelong Cats

melbourne

Fremantle

Richmond

sydney swans

Port Adelaide

=9. ANTHONY HUDSON—119 (Last week: 6)

Brisbane Lions

GWS Giants

adelaide crows

Geelong Cats

melbourne

Fremantle

Richmond

sydney swans

Essendon

11. DREW JONES — 114 (Last week: 4)

TBC

=12. CATH DURKIN—113 (Last week: 5)

Brisbane Lions

Western Bulldogs

adelaide crows

Geelong Cats

melbourne

Fremantle

Richmond

sydney swans

Essendon

=12. KATH LOUGHNAN—113 (Last week: 6)

Brisbane Lions

Western Bulldogs

adelaide crows

Geelong Cats

melbourne

Fremantle

Richmond

sydney swans

Port Adelaide

=14. JORDAN LEWIS—111 (Last week: 5)

st kilda

Western Bulldogs

adelaide crows

Geelong Cats

melbourne

Fremantle

hawthorn

sydney swans

Essendon

=14. BEN DIXON—111 (Last week: 6)

st kilda

Western Bulldogs

adelaide crows

Geelong Cats

melbourne

Fremantle

Richmond

sydney swans

Essendon

16. CHLOE MOLLOY—103 (Last week: 6)

Brisbane Lions

Western Bulldogs

adelaide crows

Geelong Cats

melbourne

Fremantle

Richmond

Collingwood

Port Adelaide

FINAL VERDICT (14 of 16 tipsters)

Brisbane Lions 11 — St Kilda 3

Western Bulldogs 13 — GWS Giants 1

Adelaide Crows 14 — North Melbourne 0

Gold Coast Suns 1 — Geelong Cats 13

Melbourne 14—Carlton 0

Fremantle 14 — West Coast Eagles 0

Richmond 13—Hawthorn 1

Sydney Swans 13—Collingwood 1

Essendon 9 — Port Adelaide 5

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Categories
Entertainment

Karl Stefanovic parties in Europe in 48th birthday clip posted on Instagram

Karl Stefanovic parties in Europe in 48th birthday clip posted on Instagram

Jasmine Stefanovic has honored husband Karl Stefanovic’s 48th birthday with a clip of the fun-loving Today co-host letting off steam in Europe, vape in hand.

In the clip shared on Instagram, Stefanovic is seen being whipped in the face with air from a special effects gun until his cap falls off, arms spread wide as others laugh around him.

“Happy Birthday to the light of all our lives. We adore you and your soft beautiful soul,” 38-year-old shoe designer Jasmine captioned the post, which is set to Fisher’s party track lose it.

“You keep us laughing everyday. Thank you for brightening our world.”

The footage is from the couple’s current travels in Europe, set in a glamorous venue complete with several Louis Roederer Cristal champagne ice buckets.

Not quite matching the aesthetic, Karl is seen clutching a green vape in the video, which followers were quick to point out.

“It’s the apple flavored vape for me,” one wrote.

The Channel 9 star’s mum weighed-in that the post “says it all” about her cheeky son — whose most infamous antics include showing up still-drunk after the Logies in 2009.

“Great picture. “says it all.” Karl loves life. Every day since a baby he has woken up with a smile and that has never stopped. Happy birthday darling. Thank you for been (sic) you. Love you mum,” Jenny Stefanovic wrote.

Industry colleagues chimed in to offer their well wishes, too, with Channel 9’s Belinda Russell commenting: “Happy birthday King Karlos!!”

“Happy Birthday King. Love ya bro,” Ryan “Fitzy” Fitzgerald added.

Last week, the Stefanovic clan, including two-year-old daughter Harper, were seen living it up on billionaire James Packer’s $283 million superyacht in the French Riviera.

Former Australian cricket captain Michael Clarke, 41, also joined in on the fun, and was spotted with his rumored girlfriend, Jasmine’s younger sister Jade Yarbrough, 30.

Stefanovic is currently enjoying some time off-air, with co-host Allison Langdon being joined on the Channel 9 breakfast show by Nine reporter Charles Croucher.

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