Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson’s age difference caused them to split earlier this week, sources exclusively tell Page Six.
“Pete is 28 and Kim is 41 — they are just in very different places at the moment,” the insider says.
“Pete is totally spontaneous and impulsive and wants her to fly to New York, or wherever he is on a moment’s notice,” the source adds. “But Kim has four kids and it isn’t that easy. She needs to focus on the kids.”
The source also tells us that Kardashian — who runs multiple businesses and stars on a reality show — was “totally exhausted by this relationship and other things going on in her life.”
The “Kardashians” star has recently had a tumultuous relationship with ex Kanye West, which caused strife while she was dating the Saturday Night Live alum.
The insider explained: “When Kim is with someone else, Kanye can cause problems with the kids. He tries to divide and conquer. I can’t help it.
“Kim is a really dedicated mother, and her kids will always come first. Ella she wants and needs harmony at her home and in her life.”
Kardashian and Davidson — who have been spending time apart lately as he has been in Australia filming a new movie — met when she hosted Saturday Night Live in October 2021, and started officially dating the following month.
“When we kissed, I was just like ‘Mmm!’ It was a stage kiss, but it was still a little zing,” the SKIMS founder later said of kissing the comedian in a sketch on the late-night show.
However, Kardashian — who filed for divorce from West, 45, in February 2021 — wasn’t sure if the spark was anything special.
“I was like, ‘Wow, I really haven’t kissed anyone else in 10 years, so maybe I’m just like being stupid and it’s nothing, it’s just a stage kiss’,” she added.
Kardashian and West tied the knot in May 2014 and share four children: North, 9, Saint, 6, Chicago, 4, and Psalm, 3.
Davidson — who was previously engaged to Ariana Grande — recently opened up about his “dream” to become a dad one day.
“(I’m) definitely a family guy. My favorite thing ever, which I’ve yet to achieve, is I want to have a kid,” he said last month.
This article was originally published by Page Six and reproduced with permission
Elon Musk has thrown the gauntlet down at North Korean leader Kim Jong-un after challenging Russian President Vladimir Putin to physical blows earlier this year.
speaking to the full-send podcast, Musk said in the hypothetical scenario posed to him that he “wouldn’t say no” if the North Korean leader wanted to fight him.
In March, Musk went viral for a tweet in which he challenged the Russian President to fight.
“I hereby challenge Vladimir Putin to single combat,” he wrote.
“Stakes are Ukraine.”
When asked who Musk’s biggest “enemy” was at the moment, the billionaire mentioned his challenge to the Kremlin.
“I am not sure if they are going to send him, but I did challenge him on Twitter,” he said.
So how exactly would Elon Musk battle against the Russian leader known for his military martial arts background?
Easy. Musk says it’s a little known technique called “the walrus”.
“Listen, (the fight will) be a pay-per-view,” the Tesla and SpaceX CEO envisioned.
“It’ll be an interesting question because (Putin’s) good at martial arts and he’s pretty buff. You’ve seen those pictures of him on a horse.
“He has won like Judo championships… so he is pretty good, but I think I am 30 per cent bigger than him.”
Musk said his “weight advantage” would help him overthrow Putin with his ultimate MMA move.
“I’m going to use a move called ‘the walrus’, where I just lie on you. You can’t get away.”
While Musk is known for making controversial commentary that even he worries “could really backfire” on him, the billionaire has focused part of his Starlink efforts to aid Ukrainians.
As Ukraine enters its fifth month during the Russian invasion, Musk has deployed thousands of Starlink satellites to aid the Ukrainian defensive effort.
Musk activated the broadband service in Ukraine, after a Kyiv official urged the tech titan to provide his embattled country with stations.
“Starlink service is now active in Ukraine,” Musk tweeted, adding “more terminals [are] enroute.”
The Satellites have been a vital resource allowing Ukrainians to maintain access to the internet with encrypted data as Russia seeks to target Ukrainian power grids in attempts to disrupt information sharing.
A Queensland man has been praised for his genius idea that allows holiday-makers to ride in style without the extra costs.
Luke Rust, 30, originally from the UK, noticed a gap in the Aussie market for “shared” cars after moving to the Gold Coast in 2020 at the start of the pandemic.
He took a punt and went on to create Outbound — a tech start-up that is already disrupting the Australian tourism industry.
“My partner and I bought our first family car — a VW Tiguan for $40,000, but we quickly needed a second car as public transport access is poor in our area and Uber is expensive,” Luke told news.com.au.
However, after forking out another $30,000 on a Hyundai i30, Luke said the car was only used for two trips a week.
“So it sat idle for 99 per cent of the week,” I added.
The 30-year-old, who has a background in future mobility, spoke to other residents in his apartment block who told him they too only needed 1.5 cars.
“So the idea of owning one and accessing one when you need it became obvious,” he said.
It was at this time Luke thought to create a contactless car sharing platform for apartments.
“We realized that the same product could apply in hotels and commercial buildings too.”
In a first of its kind concept in Australia, Luke went on to create Outbound, investing in a Tesla Model 3 that can be used by hotel guests for as little as $30 for an hour.
“This is a really exciting development for the Australian tourism industry,” he said.
Luke explained that shared mobility is slightly different from traditional car sharing in the sense that it’s not private vehicle owners renting out their personal cars to make money; rather vehicles are attached to a property and are available for communal use, exclusively for those who are staying or living there.
He said Gold Coast hotel, Mantra at Sharks at Southport, was the first to jump at his idea having launched the service in April with the Tesla now considered one of the hotel’s amenities — just like its gym, bar or concierge.
“The car can be booked by guests using the Outbound app, and is parked on site at
Mantra at Sharks, saving the hassle of finding a car rental outlet,” Luke said.
“The app is really easy to use — guests just sign up, reserve the car and unlock it using
their phone. It’s really handy for anyone wanting to go for a day trip, say to the theme parks or out to hinterland.”
The Tesla can be rented out for $30 per hour and includes insurance and power, so guests only pay for how long they use it. There’s also no paperwork involved.
“Especially with fuel prices going up, a road trip to the Gold Coast is becoming increasingly expensive — this way tourists can perhaps jet into the Airport, stay at the hotel, and still go anywhere they want using the electric vehicle (EV).”
Luke said apart from its environmental benefits, the luxury and novelty surrounding Teslas is what attracted him to the vehicle, over any other.
“At the time, Tesla was the best value for money because we wanted a vehicle with a range of at least 400km, a brand that was intriguing/attractive to users and properties, and then the wider environmental benefits of driving electric,” Luke explained.
He purchased it for around $65,000 and said it is now worth more “than we paid for it so the car is profitable really quickly”.
Luke said guests also love the drive/acceleration of the Model 3 and the giant touch screen. “Interestingly, they all feel really safe in the Tesla due to the additional cameras, sensors and guidance systems on the vehicles.”
He said so far the response has been “awesome” with guests loving the idea of driving around in a luxury car, for a reasonable price.
“People love not having to wait at a service desk and the idea of driving a Tesla,” he said. “But with anything new, we are finding ways to improve.
Luke said it can take some people a while to work out how to get moving.
“When people first jump inside a Tesla, it can be overwhelming and we are working hard to improve that.”
Luke said he’s in discussions to roll the scheme out in other hotels on the Gold Coast,
as well as Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.
He also expects an uptake of the concept in residential and commercial buildings, where
owners and tenants would have access to one or several EV’s and reduce dependence
on private vehicle ownership.
“The cost of owning a personal car can reach $17,000 per year,” he said.
“If communal EVs were available for use, and that could just be included in your body corporate fees, you could cut a huge chunk of that expense.
“Not to mention, save on parking space and improve local air quality.”
A former first-round pick is drawing interest from clubs in his home state of Victoria.
Plus Geelong’s “number one target” in the upcoming trade period revealed.
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POWER FIRST-ROUND PICK COULD BE HEADING HOME
Miles Bergman is drawing interest from Victorian clubs and veteran SA journalist Michelangelo Rucci believes he will not be at Port Adelaide next year.
The 20-year-old has played seven games this season after featuring 23 times in his 2021 debut season, including playing in both finals.
A first-round pick in 2019, Bergman is contracted for another season but Rucci reported he is drawing interest from teams in his home state.
“We know there’s going to be an enormous trade market, but it’s not just going to be players falling out of contract,” Rucci said on SEN SA’s The Run Home.
“Miles Bergman is under contract until 2023, the end of next season. But he has – what I’ve been told – fair interest from a few Victorian clubs to lure him back to Melbourne.
“He was a first-round draft pick, number 14 for Port Adelaide in 2019, has a Rising Star nomination last year and had a difficult past 12 months with Covid.
“If he gets tempted to move, Port are going to have some interesting talks with clubs about what they want back.
“I don’t think (he will be at Port next year).”
Bergman was the Rising Star nominated in Round 21 last year after being selected with Pick 14 in the 2019 draft, in between Will Day (Hawthorn) and Cody Weightman (Western Bulldogs), and just before Mitch Georgiades (Port Adelaide) and Sam De Koning (Geelong).
Best three kicks at goal since Plugger | 00:58
CATS’ NUMBER ONE TARGET REVEALED
Geelong is prioritizing contracted GWS midfielder Jacob Hopper in the upcoming trade period, reports SEN’s Sam Edmund.
The Cats are one of a number of clubs showing interest in Hopper, who is among a group of Giants expected to depart the club this off-season.
His midfield mate Tim Taranto has been linked to clubs including Richmond and Collingwood, while the Tigers and Adelaide have interest in Hopper.
The Cats have also been linked to Geelong Falcons product and 2020 first-round pick Tanner Bruhn, but reported Edmund Hopper is their number one target.
“GWS, all bets are off here, they might be the most active in the trade window which we’ve spoken about as they look to balance the books,” he said on SEN’s Crunch Time.
“It’s not an exodus as such, I think it will be really targeted in terms of who they let go and they’ve got some levers to pull here given not all their players are in contract.
“Tanner Bruhn is definitely out, he wants to get back to Victoria only two years after being taken with Pick 12 in the 2020 draft.
“Bobby Hill has wanted a trade since this time last year, and Tim Taranto is out of contract and widely expected to seek a fresh start.
“And then there’s his midfield running mate Jacob Hopper, who’s got a year to run but Geelong have expressed a real interest in him, as well as Jordan De Goey.
“I think Hopper is their number one target there.
“Nick Haynes has been raised, contracted long term, Lachie Whitfield even just around the edges as well as someone who’s locked in for the long term as well.
“So there’s a bit to work out at GWS also with a new coach coming in.”
It’s the grim graph that suggests Australian workers face a horror “back the future” scenario on wages.
Real wages – workers’ income that has been adjusted to reflect the rising cost of living – are going backwards.
Perhaps, that’s no surprise to anyone who has tried to buy fresh fruit and vegetables at the supermarket lately amid rising prices and massive interest rate hikes.
But Dr Greg Jericho, the Center for Future Work’s Policy Director has some bad news.
It’s even worse than it sounds.
As households struggle with the rising cost of essentials, real disposable household income is set to fall for months to come sending workers back to what they were earning in real terms over a decade ago.
“The latest Reserve Bank Statement on Monetary Policy estimates that real wages will continue to fall until the end of next year, at which point they will be back to 2008 levels,” he said.
Dr Jericho describes the graph as “horrific”.
“In real terms, prices and wages since 2008 will have gone up by exactly the same amount. So there’s no improvement,” Dr Jericho said.
“Your wages might have gone up 20 per cent. But prices have gone up by 30 per cent.
“It’s horrible. Normally it goes up. Before the pandemic, it was rising, perhaps a bit slower than it was during the mining boom, for example, but it still keeps going up. It’s pretty drastic.”
For three years, the RBA predicts wages are going backwards.
The RBA now estimates that real wages will fall fourteen consecutive quarters from the Sept 2020 quarter through to the Dec 2023 quarter.
The situation won’t improve until 2024 according to the Reserve Bank’s latest monetary policy update released on Friday.
“It’s most pronounced for low income people because what we’re seeing with inflation at the moment is that the prices of what we call non-discretionary items or essential items are rising faster than sort of discretionary luxury items,” Dr Jericho said.
“So the prices of things that you can avoid paying like food, like energy, bills, rent are rising faster than the things you can decide not to buy, like a holiday.
The big drivers of inflation are the war in Ukraine and the supply chain disruptions caused by Covid.
“Higher prices, especially for food and fuel, are likely to impact low-income households in particular (which tend to spend a larger share of their income on these necessary items),” the RBA said.
“While household balance sheets are generally strong and many households should be able to absorb these price increases, others have limited savings buffers and may have to reduce spending elsewhere.
“For some of these more vulnerable households, the impact of price rises will be mitigated to some extent by the indexation of social assistance payments twice per year, though price rises will reduce recipients’ real incomes in the near term.”
But the RBA’s grim predictions also raises fresh questions about Labor’s pledge to address cost of living.
Labor’s election campaign was based around the slogan that “everything is going up except your wages.”
This data suggests that’s not going to improve for months to come.
Australia will have plenty of chances to add to its gold medal tally early on Saturday night [AEST] as the action gets underground on Day 9 of the Commonwealth Games.
Australia was on top of the Commonwealth Games medal tally with 50 golds, with England closing in on 47 but that was before Saturday’s events got underway.
Now the Australians have hit 54, with four gold medals in the opening hours. Read on for a full wrap and live coverage of Day 9’s action!
MEDAL TALLY: Aussies JUST in front as Comm Games race comes down to the wire
DAY 8 WRAP: ‘National disgrace’ rocks Comm Games as Hockeyroos survive penalty shootout scare
Australia benefits from BIZZARE rule | 00:29
LAWN BOWLS
Australia could pocket up to 11 more gold medals on Saturday, with Kristina Krstic and Ellen Ryan taking home the first in stunning fashion in the final women’s pairs lawn bowls.
England’s Sophie Tolchard and Amy Pharaoh led at 11-2 at one point but the Aussies refused to go away and won on the final bowl in dramatic fashion.
England skipped out to an early 2-0 lead and threatened to make it 4-0 but a brilliant final bowl from Ellen Ryan knocked two of her rival’s balls out of the way to level it at 2-2.
England responded though with two solid ends to reassert its dominance and kept going from there to take an 11-2 lead but Australia roared back in epic fashion to get it back to 11-10.
Ellen Ryan and Kristina Krstic of Team Australia react during Women’s Pairs – Gold Medal Match. (Photo by Stephen Pond/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
The Aussie duo kept up the fight, picking up four points on the 13th end to lead 16-12 before England pegged it back and was up 18-17.
Krstic and Ryan though were on the brink of gold medal glory with two leading balls on the 18th end, only for Pharaoh to knock one out with a brilliant bowl on the final ball.
It meant the game finished a draw and would instead go into overtime to decide who would take home the gold.
England was in the commanding position with a few balls left but a pinpoint bowl from Ryan knocked the jack away and kept Australia in with a chance.
Once again it went down to the last ball, with Australia’s gold medal hopes resting on Ryan’s shoulders.
And she came up clutch with a stunning shot to knock England’s leading ball out of the way, sealing gold in a thrilling comeback.
ATHLETICS
‘That is breathtaking’: Comm Games record broken in 10,000m stunner
The gold rush has continued on the track, with Jemima Montag taking out the women’s 10,000m walk in a dominant display.
“That was absolutely breathtaking,” Channel 7’s Jason Richardson said.
Montag paced herself brilliantly throughout the walk and then picked up the pace in the latter stages of the race to get in a comfortable position.
So comfortable that Montag could start celebrating well before she crossed the finish line for gold with a time of 42:34:00 — a new personal best and Commonwealth Games record.
“That was surreal,” Montag told Channel 7 post race.
Jemima Montag of Team Australia celebrates after winning the gold medal. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
“You just sort of pretend everyone’s clapping for you, even if they’re clapping for the high jump or the hammer throwers walking in and anytime there’s self-doubt, it really gives you a boost.
“I feel like I’m continuing the legacy of really strong Australian race walking and to go back-to-back, winning on the Gold Coast four years ago really changed my life. I didn’t think that at the time but I think with hindsight it did, it set in that self-belief. I have big dreams for two more Olympic games. So today was a special moment.”
Fellow Australian Rebecca Henderson finished fourth and Katie Hayward placed seventh.
Aussie world champ toppled in upset
There was a surprise result on track, with Eleanor Pattersonthe reigning world champion, missing out on gold in the women’s high jump final.
Patterson was coming off a brilliant win at the World Championships and became the first to clear 1.89m in a strong opening to the final.
In the end though she missed three attempts at 1.95m, the top result set by Jamaica’s Lamara Distin, who won gold with Patterson taking the silver medal.
Nicola Olyslagers was initially going to join her but with drawn from the final with a torn calf.
“It could be a few weeks and if I jumped today it was possible to be a nine-month injury,” the 2018 Commonwealth Games bronze medalist told Channel 7.
Australia’s Eleanor Patterson missed out on gold. (Photo by Ben Stansall / AFP)Source: AFP
Elsewhere, Julie Charlton will also be competing in the women’s F55-57 shot put final while there will be four Australians going for gold in the women’s 10km race walk final at 7.30pm.
Later at 8.50pm, ben buckingham and Edward Trippas will be going for gold in the men’s 3000m steeplechase final.
The final shot at gold comes in the men’s 1500m final, with Ollie Hoare in action and looking to secure ultimate redemption after a disappointing exit from the world championships.
Hoare was the fastest Australian qualifier after finishing first in heat one with a time of 3:37.57.
Other highlights include the women’s and men’s 4x100m relay heats.
There are lots of high-stakes events too with alex hulley (hammer throw), Sarah Carly (400m hurdles), Catriona Bisset (800m) and Ella Connolly (200m) in their own ends.
GYMNASTICS
The golds kept coming in gymnastics, with Alexandra Kiroi Bogatyreva taking out the rhythmic gymnastics clubs final with a score of 29,400.
Kiroi-Bogatyreva was also in action earlier in the ball final, placing fifth with a score of 28,600 and will be in the final ribbon later in the night.
Eighteen-year-old Lydia Iakovleva will also be in the rhythmical gymnastics hoop final after finish seventh (107.150) in the all-around final on Friday.
netball
The ultimate grudge match sees Australia’s Diamonds face England in the netball semi-final. You can read Nat Medhurt’s full preview ahead of the fiery semi-final here, with the game set to begin at 11.30pm.
If Australia is successful, it is Jamaica they will face in the end.
Jamaica’s stunning run continued as they dominated the Silver Ferns to take a 67-51 win and book their spot in the gold medal match for the first time at the Commonwealth Games.
Jamaica were the surprise top qualifiers in their pool after shocking Australia and it looks like
the Diamonds will again need to try to find a way to shut down Jhaniele Fowler.
The world’s best shooter dominated in Jamaica’s 57-55 win over Australia in the pool stage, finishing that match with 47 goals from 50 attempts and was even better against New Zealand.
The West Coast Fever star shot a perfect 54 goals from 54 attempts in the win.
Jhaniele Fowler starred in the win. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
TABLE TENNIS
Two Australian pairs (chunyi feng & Yangzi Liu and Jian Fang Lay & minhyung jee) were both successful in their Round of 16 matches for the women’s doubles table tennis.
They will face Singapore and Nigeria respectively in the quarter-finals at 1am.
Later in the night, Liu will continue her bid to become the first Australian woman to win a Commonwealth Games singles medal when she competes in the semi-final.
There will be guaranteed gold in the morning too, with an All-Australian for table tennis final between Li Na Lei and qian yang.
BOXING
There are lots of medals up for grabs in the ring, withfive Australians into the semi-finals. first-up, kaye scott is through to the gold medal fight after winning her women’s light middleweight boxing semi-final against Alcinda Helena Panguane on points.
Callum Peters will also put on the gloves for the men’s middleweight semi-final later in the night at 9.15pm, taking on Simnikiwe Bongco.
Edgardo Coumi is in action at 2am against Lewis Williams of England in the men’s heavyweight division while Australian middleweight Caitlyn Anne Parker faces Tammara Thibeault.
History will be made on Sunday morning regardless of the result as tina rahimi becomes Australia’s first Muslim woman boxer to take home a medal at the Games.
She will fight Elizabeth Oshoba in her featherweight semi-final.
DIVING
The swimming may be over but there was more success in the pool for Australia as Annabelle Smith and Madison Smith claimed gold in the women’s 3m synchronized springboard diving final.
Later on, the women’s synchronized 10m platform final sees Emily Boyd, Nikita Hayes, Charlie Petrov and Melissa Wu all in action.
CRICKET
There is plenty to look forward to in the early hours of Saturday morning too, with Australia’s women’s T20 cricket side battling New Zealand in a semi-final at 3am.
VOLLEYBALL
A dominant quarter-final performance has Mariafe Artacho del Solar and Taliqua Clancy one step closer to gold.
Their next challenge will be Vanuatu in the women’s beach volleyball semi-final at 6am.
HOCKEY
There will be more semi-final action, with Australia up against longtime rival England in the men’s hockey, with the time for that game to be confirmed.
SQUASH
There is plenty of action on the squash court too, kicking off with cameron pilly & Rhys Dowling and Zack Alexander & ryan cuskelly in the men’s doubles quarter-finals.
The mixed doubles semi-finals later in the day will feature donna lobban and pilley while Jess Turnbull and Alex Haydon team up in the mixed doubles plate quarter-final.
wrestling
There is lots to look forward to in wrestling too, with Naomi DeBruine (women’s 50kg, women’s 53kg and women’s 76kg) in action along with justin holland (men’s 57kg) and Tom Barnes (men’s 74kg, men’s 97kg).
FULL SCHEDULE — DAY 9
Lawn Bowls and Para Lawn Bowls, 5.30pm
Hockey, 6:00 p.m.
Netball, 6.00pm
Table Tennis and Para Table Tennis, 6.30pm
Athletics and Para Athletics, 7.00pm
Diving, 7.00pm
Rhythmic Gymnastics, 7.00pm
Boxing, 7.30pm
Wrestling, 7:30 p.m.
Badminton, 8:00 p.m.
Cricket T20, 8.00pm
Squash, 9.00pm
Boxing, 11.30pm
Netball, 11.30pm
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The Sharks have taken the upper hand in the cross town derby, leading 18-12 at halftime.
In the absence of Matt Moylan, Braydon Trindall has stood up with a try and a try assist.
Sharks hooker Blayke Brailey was also sent to the bin for a professional foul before Tautau Moga scored for the Dragons.
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MATCH CENTER: Cronulla Sharks vs St George Illawarra Dragons, live scores
45TH MINUTE
The Dragons have hit back, courtesy of a floated pass from young gun Junior Amone to find Tautau Moga.
The Sharks tryline defense had held the Red V out, prompting the five-eighth to look out wide and turn Sharks winger Ronaldo Mulitalo around.
26TH MINUTE
Sharks half Braydon Trindall sliced through the Dragons line to score, handing his side the lead.
Trindall was a late replacement for Matt Moylan, who was ruled out due to a quad injury.
According to Fox League’s Lara Pitt, the 31-year-old playmaker will be fit for Round 22.
But only moments later, Trindall again charged at the line, finding Teig Wilton with a short ball to cross with his first tough.
“Braydon Trindall again, at speed, runs to the line… just look at him, takes off,” Alexander said.
“Braydon Trindall has been the man in this first half.”
“The man who is really shining in the absence of Matt Moylan,” Ginnane said.
Only moments later, Blayke Brailey was sent to the bin for a professional foul.
12TH MINUTE
Dragons veteran Tariq Sims was sin binned for an ugly high shot which forced Sharks gun Connor Tracey to be stretched off the field.
Sims shoulder made direct contact with Tracey’s chin and as a result was given his marching orders.
Fox League’s Dan Ginnane was shocked Sims wasn’t sent off.
“That would be the minimum there and that is a best case result for the Dragons,” Dan Ginnane said.
3RD MINUTE
Sharks marquee star Nicho Hynes opened the scoring only three minutes into the contest, throwing a big dummy before ducking underneath the tackle of Tariq Sims.
The scores sit level at 6-6 in the cross-town derby — and the playmaking responsibility sits on Hynes’ shoulders in Moylan’s absence.
“There is plenty of responsibility on Nicho Hynes tonight,” Greg Alexander said.
“Throws the dummy, gets on the inside of Tariq Sims, and Sims can’t stop him.”
Moments later, Dragons forward Jack De Belin was able to collect a bouncing Ben Hunt kick to score his side’s first.
Sensationally, the star forward is only one try away from being the club’s leading try scorer.
PRE-MATCH WRAP
Craig Fitzgibbon will be without one key playmaker for the club’s local derby — Matt Moylan.
Braydon Trindall has been drafted in to replace the 31-year-old, pairing marquee player Nicho Hynes in the halves, while Lachlan Miller moves onto the bench.
Young gun Kade Dykes will also make his debut at the back after impressing for feeder club Newtown Jets, replacing Will Kennedy after a syndesmosis injury.
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Meanwhile, Anthony Griffin has made changes of his own, with Billy Burns coming out of the side in place of veteran Josh McGuire.
Fitzgibbon’s Sharks will be desperate to come away with the points, currently sitting equal with the Eels after a win against Manly.
If Cronulla can beat their cross-town rivals they will sit in third, above the Melbourne Storm on 14 wins.
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You have to hand it to American director Ron Howard for resisting the temptation of “Hollywood-ising” the true story of the Thai Cave Rescue.
But when a tale is as extraordinary and as well-known as the 2018 rescue of 12 children and their football coach from a flooded cave, any cheap movie tricks to over-egg the events would’ve been patently obvious.
Everyone knows at least the broad strokes of those 18 intense days. More importantly, everyone knows the ending, so you can’t inject false suspense, especially when the real ones were already so insane.
As a dramatisation, Thirteen Lives follows an excellent Nat Geo documentary feature, a less successful indie film and precedes a Netflix miniseries. The Thai Cave Rescue is a great story so it’s catnip to storytellers.
Howard’s film is a restrained but still gripping retelling, led by a commitment to realism and a deep respect for all those involved. You can feel that belief in the best of people at the worst possible moment coursing through the veins of the film, and it powers Thirteen Lives‘ hold on the audience.
Starring Viggo Mortensen, Colin Farrell and Joel Edgerton, the narrative is primarily built around the two British cave divers Richard Stanton (Mortensen) and John Volanthen (Farrell) who first located the missing boys more than a week after they were last seen.
And that of Australian diver and anaesthetist Richard Harris (Edgerton) who was recruited into the mission because of his specialist skill.
Thirteen Lives delves into the ethical quandaries and hesitations over the agonizing decision to sedate the boys so they can be retrieved through a treacherous system of tunnels in the five-hour long dive.
While we know it was ultimately a successful mission, the personal cost to those involved have a particular punch in the hands of accomplished actors and Howard’s steady instinct skills and sound as a director.
Those scenes, while quiet and almost ruminative compared to the dive sequences, are what distinguishes Thirteen Lives from the best documentary takes on the events. The Nat Geo doco The Rescue is a riveting work but there is something distinct – not better, just different – about a dramatisation.
Of course, the signature piece of Thirteen Lives is those dive sequences. It’s not going for documentary verisimilitude but there is a realism to the underwater scenes.
Thai cinematographer Sayombhu Mukdeeprom, a frequent collaborator of the esteemed filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasethakul, does a beautiful job in evoking the intensity of those moments.
The water is murky, the currents are forceful and sometimes you can’t see what’s going on, effectively recreating the challenging conditions which all the divers operated under, highlighting how near-impossible their mission was.
Thirteen Lives centers Stanton and Volanthen experiences because it’s their life rights the filmmakers have. But despite that, the film largely avoids any unsavory white savior complex narratives, casting its net wider by giving time to the many, many people involved in the rescue.
That includes the Thai navy Seals, including Saman Kunan (Sukollawat Kanarot), the man who died during the mission, Narongsak Osatanakorn (Sahajack Boonthanakit), the governor co-ordinating the operation and Thanet Natisri (Nophand Boonyai), the water engineer leading a large group of volunteers atop the mountain in trying to stem the water flowing into the caves.
The film captures the scale of the operation and the strength of that co-operation, even if it can’t give enough attention to every experience. There are sections that feel rushed and stories that seem untold, but not even a two-and-a-half-hour movie has the time for everything.
And the boys’ perspective will be the focus of the upcoming miniseries Thai Cave Rescue after the team struck a deal with Netflix for their life rights.
Thirteen Lives is not the complete story but it’s an enthralling piece of a phenomenal moment.
Rating: 3.5/5
Thirteen Lives is streaming now on Amazon Prime Video
Australia will have plenty of chases to add to its gold medal tally early on Saturday night [AEST] as the action gets underground on Day 9 of the Commonwealth Games.
Australia remains on top of the Commonwealth Games medal tally with 50 golds but England is closing in with 47 to set up a thrilling race in the final days.
Here is a full wrap of the key events to come on Saturday night and into the early hours of Sunday morning!
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LAWN BOWLS
Australia could pocket up to 11 more gold medals on Saturday, with the first shot coming at 5.30pm when Kristina Krstic and Ellen Ryan face England’s Sophie Tolchard and Amy Pharaoh in the women’s pairs lawn bowls final.
England skipped out to an early 2-0 lead and threatened to make it 4-0 but a brilliant final bowl from Ellen Ryan knocked two of her rival’s balls out of the way to level it at 2-2.
“What a good ball and what a good result, one of the commentators for Channel 7 said.
“What a shot. Perfect hit, rolling the blue balls out,” another added.
“My goodness, I don’t think Ellen would have even hoped she got that result.”
England responded though with two solid ends to reassert its dominance and kept going from there to take an 11-2 lead but Australia responded in epic fashion to get it back to 11-10.
TABLE TENNIS
Two Australian pairs (chunyi feng & Yangzi Liu and Jian Fang Lay & minhyung jee) will be in action in the Round of 16 for the women’s doubles table tennis.
Later in the night, Liu will continue her bid to become the first Australian woman to win a Commonwealth Games singles medal when she competes in the semi-final.
There will be guaranteed gold in the morning too, with an All-Australian for table tennis final between Li Na Lei and qian yang.
GYMNASTICS
Shortly after at 7pm, 18-year-old Lydia Iakovleva will be in the rhythmical gymnastics hoop final after finish seventh (107.150) in the all-around final on Friday.
Later there will be more gold medals up for grabs in rhythmical gymnastics too, with Alexandra Kiroi Bogatyreva scheduled to compete in both the ball and clubs final.
Those events are scheduled for 7.42pm and 8.22pm respectively but won’t be the end of Kiroi-Bogatyreva’s day as she has also qualified for the ribbon final at 9.02pm.
ATHLETICS
There will be plenty of action on the track, with three gold medals on offer in the space of 30 minutes.
First up will be Eleanor Pattersonwith the reigning world champion looking to defend her crown in the women’s high jump final, coming off a brilliant win at the World Championships.
Elsewhere, Julie Charlton will also be competing in the women’s F55-57 shot put final while there will be four Australians going for gold in the women’s 10km race walk final at 7.30pm.
Later at 8.50pm, ben buckingham and Edward Trippas will be going for gold in the men’s 3000m steeplechase final.
The final shot at gold comes in the men’s 1500m final, with Ollie Hoare in action and looking to secure ultimate redemption after a disappointing exit from the world championships.
Hoare was the fastest Australian qualifier after finishing first in heat one with a time of 3:37.57.
Other highlights include the women’s and men’s 4x100m relay heats.
There are lots of high-stakes events too with alex hulley (hammer throw), Sarah Carly (400m hurdles), Catriona Bisset (800m) and Ella Connolly (200m) in their own ends.
Australia’s Eleanor Patterson will go for gold. (Photo by Ben Stansall / AFP)Source: AFP
BOXING
There are lots of medals up for grabs in the ring, withfive Australians into the semi-finals. first-up, kaye scott is in action at 8.30pm in the women’s light middleweight boxing semi-final against Alcinda Helena Panguane.
Callum Peters will also put on the gloves for the men’s middleweight semi-final later in the night at 9.15pm, taking on Simnikiwe Bongco.
Edgardo Coumi is in action at 2am against Lewis Williams of England in the men’s heavyweight division while Australian middleweight Caitlyn Anne Parker faces Tammara Thibeault.
History will be made on Sunday morning regardless of the result as tina rahimi becomes Australia’s first Muslim woman boxer to take home a medal at the Games.
She will fight Elizabeth Oshoba in her featherweight semi-final.
netball
The ultimate grudge match sees Australia’s Diamonds face England in the netball semi-final. You can read Nat Medhurt’s full preview ahead of the fiery semi-final here, with the game set to begin at 11.30pm.
DIVING
Two Australian duos (Madison Keeney/Annabelle Smith and Brittany O’Brien/Esther Qing) will be competing in the women’s 3m synchronized springboard diving final.
Later on, the women’s synchronized 10m platform final sees Emily Boyd, Nikita Hayes, Charlie Petrov and Melissa Wu all in action.
CRICKET
There is plenty to look forward to in the early hours of Saturday morning too, with Australia’s women’s T20 cricket side battling New Zealand in a semi-final at 3am.
VOLLEYBALL
A dominant quarter-final performance has Mariafe Artacho del Solar and Taliqua Clancy one step closer to gold.
Their next challenge will be Vanuatu in the women’s beach volleyball semi-final at 6am.
HOCKEY
There will be more semi-final action, with Australia up against longtime rival England in the men’s hockey, with the time for that game to be confirmed.
SQUASH
There is plenty of action on the squash court too, kicking off with cameron pilly & Rhys Dowling and Zack Alexander & ryan cuskelly in the men’s doubles quarter-finals.
The mixed doubles semi-finals later in the day will feature donna lobban and pilley while Jess Turnbull and Alex Haydon team up in the mixed doubles plate quarter-final.
wrestling
There is lots to look forward to in wrestling too, with Naomi DeBruine (women’s 50kg, women’s 53kg and women’s 76kg) in action along with justin holland (men’s 57kg) and Tom Barnes (men’s 74kg, men’s 97kg).
FULL SCHEDULE — DAY 9
Lawn Bowls and Para Lawn Bowls, 5.30pm
Hockey, 6:00 p.m.
Netball, 6.00pm
Table Tennis and Para Table Tennis, 6.30pm
Athletics and Para Athletics, 7.00pm
Diving, 7.00pm
Rhythmic Gymnastics, 7.00pm
Boxing, 7.30pm
Wrestling, 7:30 p.m.
Badminton, 8:00 p.m.
Cricket T20, 8.00pm
Squash, 9.00pm
Boxing, 11.30pm
Netball, 11.30pm
Follow all the action live below! Can’t see it? Click here!
Calls for several local stadiums in Sydney to be upgraded will only grow louder after shocking footage emerged of a grandstand collapsing at Leichhardt Oval.
Radio host Ryan ‘Fitzy’ Fitzgerald was attending a high school rugby union match between St Joseph’s College and Riverview on Saturday and he shared a video of an ugly incident on Twitter.
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In the clip, a Joeys player goes over for a try to the delight of the packed crowd in attendance.
But the video then shows a railing at the front of a small grandstand collapse under the weight of the fans, causing a number of them to faceplant onto concrete meters below.
Fitzgerald wrote: “Do you reckon Leichardt Oval needs an upgrade?”
It’s unclear if any of the spectators were injured. Channel 9 reports paramedics are at the scene.
The collapse happened in front of a crowd of around 15,000 and brought the game to a standstill.
The unfortunate incident will only heap more pressure on the NSW government to commit to funding upgrades to three Sydney stadiums including Leichhardt Oval, the traditional home of the Wests Tigers.
A grandstand at Leichhardt Oval suffered a mini collapse. Photo: Twitter.Source: Twitter
This week it emerged Sydney is on the brink of losing the NRL Grand Final after the state government reportedly walked away from an $800 million pledge.
The agreed upon deal, reportedly struck in May, is on the brink of collapsing and ARLC chairman Peter V’landys is said to be fuming.
The agreement would see Brookvale Oval ($100m), Leichhardt Oval ($50m) and Cronulla’s Shark Park ($100m) receive significant upgrades — and if delivered, the Grand Final would remain in Sydney for the next 20 years until 2042 on the proviso the Olympic venue would receive an $800m upgrade.
Those plans were scrapped during the pandemic with the NRL moving to shift those funds to suburban grounds and V’landys claiming he had received verbal confirmations from NSW Premiers Gladys Berejiklian and Dominic Perrottet for between $250 and $350 million.
Penrith Stadium was also in the agreement, however $300m has reportedly been ticked off to upgrade the grounds.
“We are in delicate negotiations with the NSW government,” V’landys said.
“All options will be on the table if these negotiations fail.”
A deadline on Tuesday passed with the two parties still staring each other down with reports Perrottet is set to walk away from a $250 million pledge to upgrade grounds, according to The Daily Telegraph.
2GB host Ben Fordham grilled NSW Sports Minister Stuart Ayres, who has since resigned from his ministerial posts for separate reasons, over why Penrith Stadium had received funding but the other grounds had not.
Penrith fans will be enjoying an upgrade at Penrith Stadium. (Photo by Matt Blyth/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
“You’re the Sports Minister, your home ground is Penrith, you’re a Panthers fan and for all I know you’re probably the number one ticket holder,” Fordham said.
“So they got the $300 million, so what about Brookvale, Shark Park, Leichhardt Oval… I would be seriously surprised if you don’t know the answer I am posing to you.
“Why did your home ground get the money at your home ground and the others didn’t?
“Ben, there’s a long-term strategy,” Ayres said.
“We made decisions in what was the best interests of the public.
“We’ve had a long-term stadia strategy that we’ve been delivering since 2015. We’ve rebuilt Parramatta Stadium, we’re just about to open the new Sydney Football stadium.
“We’re committed to a stadium in Penrith, it reflects our three city strategy.
“We’ve invested well in excess of $1.5b dollars, part of that is, we’d like to have a long-term commitment from the NRL for the grand finale.
“We’ve just had Covid, we’ve had substantial flood impacts that have put more pressure on the budget.”
The Queensland government is now readying a bid to claim to NRL grand final for years to come.
