Australia and New Zealand – Page 39 – Michmutters

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Melbourne Storm, Brandon Smith, hip-drop tackle, Gold Coast Titans, Tino Fa’asuamaleaui, Craig Bellamy, Match Review Committee, Pat Carrigan

Melbourne Storm, Brandon Smith, hip-drop tackle, Gold Coast Titans, Tino Fa'asuamaleaui, Craig Bellamy, Match Review Committee, Pat Carrigan

Storm star Brandon Smith was placed on report for an alleged hip-drop tackle on Titans skippers Tino Fa’asuamaleaui — and Craig Bellamy has pleaded the Match Review Committee to ignore the “hysteria”.

Smith took out the legs of Fa’asuamaleaui and his teammates Tanah Boyd and Sam McIntyre immediately threw up their arms in protest.

Fox League commentators Dan Ginnane and Shane Flanagan made no mention of the tackle until the Gold Coast lock pulled up licks.

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Replays then showed Smith took out the legs in ugly fashion and referee Peter Gough placed him on report.

“I understand it’s wet and he’s sliding, but it’s (that) he throws his legs out which drops the weight on the back foot, it’s on report,” Gough told Melbourne captain Jesse Bromwich.

“That could be very big. Only a two-man tackle not the familiar three-man tackle where that result occurs,” Ginnane said.

“It doesn’t really matter. You can’t do it, we know you can’t put your weight on the back of the legs when the player is going away from you and he gets himself in a bad position.”

Brandon Smith’s tackle on the Titans captain.Source: Getty Images

It comes after Broncos star Pat Carrigan copped a four-game ban for a hip-drop tackle last weekend that broke the leg of Tigers gun Jackson Hastings — an event that was heavily publicized.

Storm coach Craig Bellamy pleaded with the MRC in the post-match press conference to ignore the reports, hoping his star utility remains on the field.

“I just hope it gets judged on the tackle, not some of the hysteria that has gone on this week,” Bellamy said.

“That is all we ask.

“If you go on one last week, but how many have there been? If there is one in however many games since the last one.

“Pat Carrigan doesn’t go out on the field to break Hastings’ legs, they are an accident.”

Bellamy also said he didn’t believe hip-drop tackles were a big issue in the modern game.

“I don’t see it as a real big issue in the game, but I understand that it can injure people, but there hasn’t been a whole heap this year I don’t think.

“I just hope it gets judged on that and not on it being in the news a lot this week.”

Smith’s tackles was heavily debated on the Fox League halftime panel by ex-players Mick Ennis and Corey Parker.

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Open your eyes! Roosters Scold Walker | 00:31

“We watched it in full speed live, Brandon Smith is just making the tackle and he falls off the tackle and the fact Tino went on that out line dragged Brandon Smith along with him,” Parker said.

“When you slow it all down to the enth degree like we do it doesn’t look great, but he’s just hanging on.

“If you don’t want to end up in that position then Brandon Smith has to let go of the tackle, otherwise what does he do, it’s a complete accident.

“I don’t see it as a genuine hip drop like we saw with Pat Carrigan last week. If he’s not to end up in that position, he needs to let go which completely goes against everything we talk about in rugby league.

Ennis agreed with Parker but said the tackle would be a “big concern” for the Storm.

“All the talk this week was two players holding the man up then that third tackler coming in and showing no duty of care, I don’t like the position that Tino gets in at the end but I’m not sure what else Brandon Smith could do there other than let go of the tackle,” Ennis said.

“Do we put that down to the duty of care? Is that where we’re going? Maybe we have to, where we’re eliminating players from getting in that position.

“That was a real difficult one, he just ended up in that unfortunate position Brandon Smith and I’m not sure what else he could have done.”

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Medal tally, schedule, day eight, Australia gold medals, times, Michelle Jenneke, athletics, Australians in action

Medal tally, schedule, day eight, Australia gold medals, times, Michelle Jenneke, athletics, Australians in action

LIVE — Australians will compete for gold medals in at least seven events on day eight of the Commonwealth Games as the nation aims to hold off hosts England in Birmingham.

Australia heads into Friday’s competition sitting on top of the medal tally with 51 golds — nine more than England — as well as 42 silver and 39 bronze.

And it could be plenty more by the close of the day with at least three medals on offer in athletics, two in diving, and one each in lawn bowls and artistic gymnastics.

Follow all the action in Birmingham in our live blog below!

FULL MEDAL TALLY LIVE >

DAY 7 WRAP: Gold medal Aussie’s all-time interview gatecrashed; star ‘gutted’ after costly error

Australians are also in the hunt for wrestling medals in the women’s 57kg (Irene Symeonidis), men’s 65kg (Mustafa Rezaeifar), and men’s 86kg (Jayden Lawrence), starting with the quarterfinals stages from 7.30pm.

Meanwhile, Australia’s Cedric Dubler headed into the final day of the decathlon sitting in second.

Dubler then won the first decathlon event for the night, the 110m hurdles, with a time of 14.20 — good enough for another 949 points. That has moved him one point into the lead over Lindon Victor.

Also in athletics, Jess Hull will compete in the 1500m heats, while Brooke Buschkuehl will be in action in qualifying for long jump.

Celeste Mucci ran a strong 100m hurdles heat, matching her personal best time of 12.96, which saw her finish third.

Comeback star Michelle Jenneke was up next and comfortably finished second with a time of 12.63 to go through to the end on Sunday night. The time is the fastest she’s ever run the event, although it does not count as an official PB due to big tailwinds.

In the 1500m women’s heats, Abbey Caldwell and Linden Hall have progressed to the final after finishing inside the top four of their race with times of 4:13.59 and 4:14.08 respectively.

Away from the track, Australia’s Hockeyroos will have the chance to win a guaranteed medal when they take on India in the semi-final.

Dennis SCORCHES field to take TT gold | 00:28

You can track the live medal tally for every country here, with key Aussie wins and updates as they happen.

AUSSIES GOING FOR MEDALS ON DAY 8 (all times AEST)

Lawn Bowls

9pm — For mixed pairs B2/B3 finals

diving

8.18pm — men’s synchronized 3m springboard final

3.05am — women’s 1m springboard final (qualifying at 7.05pm)

4.23am — men’s synchronized 10m platform final

Gymnastics – rhythmic

10.30pm — Individual all-around final

Athletics

4.55am — men’s T53/54 1500m final

6.42am—women’s 3000m steeplechase final

7.15pm – 6.27am — men’s decathlon

Hockey

5am ​​— women’s semi-final vs. India

OTHER KEY EVENTS (times AEST)

Athletics

Women’s long jump qualifying — Brooke Buschkuel — 8.40pm

Men’s decathlon — Cedric Dubler, Daniel Golubovic, Alex Diamond — 7.15pm

Women’s 1500m — Jessica Hull, Linden Hall, Abbey Caldwell — 8.15pm

beach volleyball

Men’s quarterfinals — Australia vs. Sri Lanka — 9pm

Women’s quarterfinals — Australia v Scotland — 11.30pm

lawn bowls

Women’s pairs quarterfinals — Australia vs. Norfolk Island — 5.30pm

Men’s Singles — Aaron Wilson vs. Jamie Walker — 5.30pm

Mixed pairs bronze medal match — Australia vs England — 9pm

DeRozario takes out 1500, makes history | 00:26

LIVE BLOG

Click here if you cannot see the blog below

FULL LIST OF AUSSIES IN ACTION ON DAY 8 (as per AAPNews)

ATHLETICS (from 7pm AEST)

Women’s Long Jump Qualifying Rounds (Brooke Buschkuehl, Samantha Dale), Men’s Decathlon 110m Hurdles (Cedric Dubler, Daniel Golubovic, Alec Diamond), Women’s 100m Hurdles Round 1 (Michelle Jenneke, Celeste Mucci), Men’s Decathlon Discus Throw (Cedric Dubler, Daniel Golubovic, Alec Diamond), Women’s 1500m Round 1 (Abbey Caldwell, Linden Hall, Jessica Hull), Women’s 4 x 400m Relay Round 1, Men’s 4 x 400m Relay Round 1, Men’s Javelin Throw Qualifying Round, Men’s Decathlon Pole Vault (Cedric Dubler , Daniel Golubovic, Alec Diamond), Men’s Javelin Throw Qualifying Round (Cameron McEntyre), Men’s Shot Put Final, Men’s Triple Jump Qualifying Rounds (Julian Konle), Men’s 200m Semi-finals, Women’s 400m Semi-finals, Men’s Decathlon Javelin Throw ( Cedric Dubler, Daniel Golubovic, Alec Diamond), Men’s 1500m T53 / T54 Final, Women’s 200m Semi-finals, Women’s Triple Jump Final, Men’s 800m Semi-finals, Men’s 400m Semi-finals, Men’s Decathlon 1500m (Cedric Dubler. Daniel Golubovic, Alec Diamond), Wom in’s 3000m Steeplechase Final (Amy Cashin, Brielle Erbacher)

BEACH VOLLEYBALL (from 8pm)

Quarterfinals – Men’s – Australia v TBA (1100 BST 2000 AEST)

SQUASH (from 9pm)

Mixed Doubles Round of 16, Plate Classification, Quarter Finals; Men’s Doubles Round of 16 – Cameron Pilley/Rhys Dowling (AUS) v TBA, Plate Classification; Women’s Doubles Quarter Finals

DIVING (from 7pm, and 3am)

Women’s 1m Springboard Preliminary (Brittany O’Brien, Esther Qin, Georgia Sheehan), Men’s Synchronized 3m Springboard Final (Sam Fricker, Shixin Li), Women’s 1m Springboard Final, Men’s Synchronized 10m Platform Final (Domonic Bedggod, Cassiel Rousseau)

WRESTLING FREESTYLE (from 7.30pm)

Women’s 57kg (Irene Symeonidis), Women’s 62kg, Women’s 68kg, Men’s 65kg (Mustafa Rezaeifar), Men’s 86kg (Jayden Lawrence), Men’s 125kg

BADMINTON (from 8pm)

Round of 16 – Men’s Singles, Women’s Singles, Men’s Doubles, Women’s Doubles – Kaitlyn Ea/Angela Yu (AUS) v Yujia Jin/Jia Ying Crystal Wong (SGP), Hsuan-Yu Wendy Chen/Gronya Somerville (AUS) v Elena Johnson /Chloe Le Tissier (GGY)

TABLE TENNIS (from 6.30pm)

Mixed Doubles Round 3 and Quarterfinals; Men’s Class Semi Finals; Women’s Class Semi Finals; Women’s Singles Round 2; Men’s Doubles Round 3 and Quarterfinals; Women’s Doubles Round 2 – Chunyi Feng/ Yangzi Liu (AUS) v Shanecia Delpesche/Jessica MC Carter (SVG), Minhyung Jee/Jian Fang Lay (AUS) v TBA; Men’s Singles – Dillon Chambers (AUS) v Zhe Yu Clarence Chew (SGP), Finn Luu (AUS) v Sharath Kamal Achanta (IND), Nicholas Lum (AUS) v Javen Choong (MAS)

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Melbourne Storm vs Gold Coast Titans live score, updates, stream, start time, teams, Supercoach scores, backline replacements, Craig Bellamy, news

Melbourne Storm vs Gold Coast Titans live score, updates, stream, start time, teams, Supercoach scores, backline replacements, Craig Bellamy, news

The Titans have kicked off the scoring in the second half, courtesy of a pinpoint grubber to find Brian Kelly.

The Storm still hold the upper-hand as the score sits 22-14, but are without star halfback Jahrome Hughes who didn’t take the field after halftime due to a shoulder injury.

MATCH CENTER: Melbourne Storm vs Gold Coast Titans, live scores, teams

44TH MINUTE

AJ Brimson has delivered a pinpoint grubber to open the scoring in the second half, finding Brian Kelly.

Jahrome Hughes has remained off the field after halftime due to a shoulder injury, with Tyran Wishart slotting into the halves.

“All of a sudden the Titans are up and about,” Dan Ginnane said.

30TH MINUTE

Titans forward Herman Ese’ese scored his side’s second try, charging onto an AJ Brimson short ball to spark a comeback.

“What is going on?” Dan Ginnane said.

“It hasn’t been fancy but it has been strong and powerful,” Shane Flanagan said.

But, Storm gun Cameron Munster stopped Holbrook’s side in their tracks, slicing through to score his second.

15TH MINUTE

After making a late switch to fullback, Cameron Munster has crossed for his side’s second try of the night to make the score 10-0.

Halfback Jahrome Hughes put in a cross-field kick, finding Munster flying high to score untouched.

“I think he will like the challenge at fullback,” Shane Flanagan said.

“This is ominous,” Dan Ginnane said.

Only moments later, backrower Kenny Bromwich crossed for a four-pointer of his own before Titans gun Beau Fermor scored the Titans first.

10TH MINUTE

Storm debutant David Nofoaluma has come desperately close to scoring only seven minutes into the Titans contest, before the returning Xavier Coates crossed.

After arriving in Melbourne last week, the 28-year-old almost opened his scoring tally for his new club.

Gold Coast winger Jojo Fifita swiped at the veteran’s hands to dislodge the ball.

But, only moments later Harry Grant spotted winger Xavier Coates in space finding his man to score untouched.

“Finally Melbourne have it,” Dan Ginnane said.

“Just too good, Harry Grant, I knew he had it,” Shane Flanagan said.

PRE-MATCH WRAP

Craig Bellamy is set to unleash his new look backline against a struggling Titans outfit.

Young Tonumaipea returns to the NRL after a 1,483 day hiatus, having last played in the first grade competition for the Gold Coast in 2020.

Meanwhile, mid-season recruit David Nofoaluma will make his debut for his new club on the wing, alongside Cameron Munster who made a late switch from the halves.

Cooper Johns has slotted into five-eighth, while Tyran Wishart has moved to the bench.

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MATCH CENTER: Melbourne Storm vs Gold Coast Titans, live scores, teams

Holbrook’s Titans have struggled so far in 2022, but the Gold Coast side will be looking to young gun Jayden Campbell to provide spark from the back.

AJ Brimson also makes up a new halves pairing with Tanah Boyd, who will play in the No.7 jersey.

As it stands, the Titans sit outright last on the competition ladder recording only three wins in 2022 — and with another defeat at the hands of the Storm could find themselves even further away from the pack.

15th place Tigers take on the Knights, who sit in 14th place, and with a win could cement a two-win gap in the wooden spoon race.

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Keep up with all the action in our live blog below, if you can’t see it click here!

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Commonwealth Games 2022: Fans cruelled by semi-final scheduling, New Zealand vs Australia start time, cricket news

Commonwealth Games 2022: Fans cruelled by semi-final scheduling, New Zealand vs Australia start time, cricket news

The Australian women’s cricket team will face New Zealand in the Commonwealth Games semi-finals this weekend, but most Aussie supporters won’t be awake for the must-win contest in Birmingham.

The semi-final fixtures were unveiled on Friday morning AEST, with hosts England scheduled to take on powerhouse nation India on Saturday at 11am local time.

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Meanwhile, world champions Australia will battle their trans-Tasman rivals in the evening timeslot, meaning fans back home hoping to cheer on Meg Lanning’s side will need to set an alarm for 3am AEST on Sunday morning.

Kiwi viewers have been treated to a slightly less painful 5am start time.

Swapping the fixtures would have given three of the competing nations a prime broadcast timeslot for their respective audiences, but accommodating India’s massive fanbase has seemingly been prioritized.

Australia was undefeated in the group stage, defeating India, Barbados and Pakistan to cruise through the knockouts.

New Zealand, meanwhile, suffered a horror collapse in their final group stage match against England on Thursday, managing just 9/71 from their 20 overs after winning the toss and electing to bat first at Edgbaston.

Maddy Green top-scored for the Kiwis with 19 as veteran seamer Katherine Brunt rattled the New Zealanders with a classy spell of 2/4 from three overs in the Powerplay.

“We were well below par and it wasn’t through lack of effort or lack of planning or anything like that, I think you just get days like that,” New Zealand captain Sophie Devine said.

“It’s never nice to be a part of but we’ve got to flush it down the dunny pretty quickly and move on to something that’s actually really exciting for us, playing in a semi-final against Australia at a Commonwealth Games.”

England chased the 72-run target with more than eight overs to spare and seven wickets in hand.

Regardless, Australia remain firm favorites to return home with the coveted gold medal around their necks, having not lost a 20-over match since March 2021.

“I think a lot of the pressure is going to be on Australia,” Devine said.

“They’ve certainly come into this competition as favorites and hopeful of taking that gold medal whereas a lot of people didn’t think we’d maybe make the semi-finals.

“We can really take that on board and just play with a bit of freedom and take it to the Aussies. We obviously know them really well, so I think our plans are going to be pretty spot on and likewise they know us really well too. It’s always just a great battle against the Australians.”

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Cricket 2022: Chris Lynn ‘nervous’ for return to Australia in innovative Brisbane Premier League, how to watch, Kayo Freebies

Cricket 2022: Chris Lynn 'nervous' for return to Australia in innovative Brisbane Premier League, how to watch, Kayo Freebies

Aussie T20 specialist Chris Lynn admits he is feeling “nervous” ahead of his foray into a new domestic cricket tournament.

This weekend the explosive batter is taking part in the Brisbane Premier League (BPL) — a local cricket event with a few innovative twists.

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The BPL sees eight teams compete across two pools, with the tournament culminating in the semi-finals and final, which will be played on Sunday afternoon.

“Hopefully there’s a bit of a festival happening and we’re able to see some quality cricket,” Lynn told news.com.au.

Dubbed ‘The Century’, the games will see 20 balls bowled from each end five times with the aim of speeding up the game without having to break for overs across the 100-ball innings.

“For the seniors this weekend, the rules are based around The Hundred from England but it’s called The Century,” Lynn said.

“So we’ve got a bit of a twist, we try to spice things up.”

All the action is available to stream via Kayo Freebies and the BPL has created a concept called the ‘Kayo Call’, where Lynn and former Queensland teammate Nathan Reardon will be the two VIP batters for the 6pm games on Friday and Saturday night.

“It’s all on Kayo Freebies,” Lynn said.

“With that, myself and Nathan Reardon will be commentating tonight’s game at 6pm and tomorrow night’s game at 6pm. Whoever wins the toss gets to choose either myself or Reardo, that’s a little bit of a novelty.”

How the ‘Kayo Call’ works

— Both players (Lynn and Reardon) are available to bat.

— The winner of the toss can either choose the player they want to bat for them or whether they bat or bowl first.

— If the winner of the toss chooses a player, the loser of the toss gets the other play and decides whether they want to bat or bowl first.

— If the winner of the toss chooses to bat or bowl, the loser of the toss gets to choose which player they want.

— The player not on the field will be in the commentary box.

Lynn, who is a part-owner of the Northern Kings, said the Kayo Call could even see him playing against his own local side.

“I could actually be playing against the Kings… so it’s going to be quite funny,” he said.

Lynn’s future in the Big Bash is up in the air after he was cut by the Brisbane Heat, but he is hoping to continue his strong from the T20 Blast in the UK into this weekend’s action.

“I’m looking forward to getting out in the middle,” he said.

“I haven’t played local cricket for a while now so I’m keen to see how the juniors are travelling.”

“There’s going to be some buzz around Norths cricket club and we’re going to see some local talent on display. I’m probably a bit nervous because you’re expected to score runs.

“It’s all about scoring runs, I’m going to try and entertain. For those who can’t get down to Norths, it’s on Kayo so it’s a great endorsement from them to allow the Brisbane Premier League on that.”

The 32-year-old said the aim of the BPL is to showcase junior local talent to top level cricket.

“We’re trying to get some youngsters some exposure in men’s cricket,” Lynn said.

“We’ve just seen Adelaide starting their league as well. Ideally we’d love to have teams in every state. The world’s your oyster after that. The winners can play against each other, there’s a number of options that we’ve got.

“The guys have put a really good foundation in Brisbane. Having this festival century tournament is really going to make its mark in Brisbane Premier Cricket.”

The Brisbane Premier League (BPL) is available to stream live and free via Kayo Freebies. No credit card details are required to sign up.

Read related topics:Brisbane

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Queensland mum Alexi Bennett, partner and kids forced to live in motel room amid rental crisis

Queensland mum Alexi Bennett, partner and kids forced to live in motel room amid rental crisis

A young family has been forced to live in a Gold Coast motel amid an ongoing housing and rental crisis crippling Queensland.

But even with a virtually spotless rental history, stable income and no prior issues with their previous properties, Alexi Bennett and her partner Tinei Tiumalu say they still can’t find a place to live two months after their troubles began.

The couple, who has three young children, had to leave their previous rental home in May after their lease was not renewed.

“We were effectively made homeless,” Ms Bennett told NCA NewsWire.

Ms Bennett first spoke to the Gold Coast Bulletin about her plight and how it left them with no place to go.

She said they were now living in a small motel room which cost $850 a week while she continued applying for new properties from the Tweed region up to Logan.

“We’ve been going through real estates, private rentals, Gumtree, even the apps that aren’t really well known and there’s still nothing,” Ms Bennett said.

“It’s just rejection after rejection, or we’ve been told it’s already just been leased.”

“It’s a daily thing now.”

Ms Bennett’s plight is just one of many stories amid a shocking housing emergency leaving thousands of Queenslanders struggling to find a home.

Last month, the Queensland Council of Social Service (QCOSS) revealed more than 50,000 Queenslanders were waiting for a home on the social housing register.

The QCOSS blamed unaffordable house prices, rising costs of living and a slew of natural disasters plaguing the state.

Ms Bennett, a qualified aged care nurse, with her removalist partner Mr Tuimalu, are financially able to afford a rental property but have been constantly rejected from applications.

“It hits you; it really brings you down,” she said.

“My anxiety is through the roof. I sit up at night looking at homes, it leaves you speechless.”

Ms Bennett said she was remaining as positive as possible in the face of the constant rejections.

But she admitted she doesn’t know what the future holds.

“I don’t want my kids to know this life or the amount of guilt around simple things,” Ms Bennett said.

“We can’t even have fish and chips on the beach or go to the Ekka because of the money we have to pay in rent.”

According to research group SQM Research, renting a house on the Gold Coast costs about $970 as of August 4.

The average cost of a unit is around $653 a week.

Earlier this month, housing campaign group Everybody’s Home released data showing the “red zones” where rent prices had surged ahead of wage increases.

Northern parts of the Gold Coast had an average increase of 15.1 per cent to $835.50 for a rental.

The Brisbane CBD had a 3.6 per cent rise to $556.60.

Read related topics:Brisbane

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Candice Warner drops brutal Kyle Chalmers truth

Kyle Chalmers has been the talk of the Commonwealth Games.

The swimming is officially over at the Commonwealth Games and while Australia dominated with a towering medal tally, there was plenty of attention on the Dolphins over what was happening outside the pool.

Kyle Chalmers slammed the media for delving into a reported “love triangle” between himself, Emma McKeon and Cody Simpson, saying all the attention and “clickbait” focused on his personal life might drive him out of the sport.

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Chalmers was romantically involved with McKeon before she started dating Simpson, whose incredible comeback to swimming from his music career has been one of the biggest storylines in Birmingham.

The swimmers involved have repeatedly denied there’s any bad blood between them, while Chalmers went on the offensive and ripped into the media. His father Brett did the same, blasting the national obsession with Simpson as he complained not enough credit was being directed to other swimmers and their achievements in Birmingham.

Kyle Chalmers’ outstanding results were overshadowed by his angst with the media. Picture: Glyn KIRK / AFPSource: AFP

Candice drops truth bombs on Kyle

Ex-Aussie swimmer turned popular TV presenter Johanna Griggs said earlier in the week Chalmers was “feeding” the media frenzy by constantly engaging with it, and former Ironwoman Candice Warner is on the same page.

Warner said she was “really surprised” by how Chalmers handled the headlines, saying she expected someone who dealt with the attention thrust upon him in 2016 when he won gold in the 100m freestyle at the Rio Olympics to be better prepared for the media barrage.

“He knows how to deal with the pressure. Why is he allowing the media to make these comments?” Warner told Fox Sports program The Back Page this week.

“Why hasn’t he put a self-imposed media ban (on himself) until the Games are over? I’m just really a little bit confused by the situation and why he’s engaging with the media.

“He’s not in the wrong, but he also has the power and ability to stop it and also just to focus on his swim events.

“Should I know how to deal with this pressure? Should I know how to deal with this completely?”

Reports of possible friction between Chalmers and Simpson first emerged at this year’s national championships in Adelaide, leading Warner to question why the 24-year-old wasn’t more prepared for the questions he’d face in Birmingham.

“Would there not have been a strategy put into place before these Games? We haven’t just started talking about this now, we’ve been speaking about this love triangle before the Commonwealth Games,” Warner said.

She adding Chalmers’ team and Swimming Australia should have “put some sort of strategy into place knowing this could have been a possibility”.

Warner also said Chalmers — who she described as an “alpha male” — would understandably be affected by McKeon’s relationship with Simpson given their history, suggesting “his ego would be burnt a little bit”.

Candice Warner believes Chalmers needed to come into the Commonwealth Games with a smarter strategy. Picture: Michael Errey/AFPSource: AFP

‘He likes the attention but not the scrutiny’

Chalmers has been irked by attention being lavished on Simpson and his personal life at the expense of other swimmers whose feats also deserve praise. Courier Mail chief sports writer Robert Craddock suggested Chalmers craves positive headlines about himself but can’t handle it when coverage isn’t so rosy.

“It appears to me as if he likes the attention but not the scrutiny — and there is just a fine line between them and they often overlap,” Craddock told The Back Page.

“I think he’s one of those guys who can’t live with it and can’t live without it and finds it very awkward.

“He’s on Instagram, he’s out there, he’s happy to put himself front and center but like a lot of swimmers, when it’s big time, when it’s Games time, the force of the coverage hits them hard.”

Australian swimming legend Susie O’Neill had a different take on how the situation has affected the national team in Birmingham.

O’Neill — who was in Tokyo for last year’s Olympics — was adamant there is no rift among the Dolphins and said it’s harder for athletes these days to block out negative publicity because of social media and the insatiable news cycle.

“I think what they’re struggling with is, if you think about swimmers, they spend 30-40 hours a week trying to improve one one-hundredth of a second — such specific, objective goals,” she told The Back Page.

“So when they get asked subjective questions not even to do with their sport, you know, reality TV stuff, they’re confused and I think get offended by that.”

The sprint king wanted to silence his critics. Picture: Clive Brunskill/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images

Why Chalmers is kicking up a stink

Meanwhile, SEN boss Craig Hutchison believes Chalmers is struggling in adjusting to the added scrutiny because he’s been so used to positive coverage for the majority of his career.

“He has had a charmed run as a young man with the media. That rarely happens to the bulk of society and you get a disproportionate comfort that you are … a figure that gets a lot of adulation,” Hutchison said on his media podcast The Sounding Board.

“So when things go wrong, you’re not emotionally equipped to necessarily handle the negativity.

“Then it often sways the other way because you overreact, or react to a certain way.”

Journalist Damian Barrett told The Sounding Board: “What he (Chalmers) doesn’t get… you can’t control media. No matter who you are and what run you’ve got.”

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Why Canva boss, Cliff Obrecht isn’t bothered by $20 billion loss

Why Canva boss, Cliff Obrecht isn't bothered by $20 billion loss

Despite a $20 billion fall in its evaluation, a tumultuous economic landscape and a sudden string of tech companies announcing staff cuts and sharp declines, Australia’s start up golden child is not worried.

speaking to the Sydney Morning Herald, Canva’s co-founder Cliff Obrecht believed the bearish market would provide the company with lots of opportunities.

“These times of market uncertainty provide a lot of opportunity and other than the external valuation noise, it’s a huge opportunity for us to grow our business,” he said.

This comes as Australia’s largest venture capital firm Blackbird announced they had reduced the holding value of Canva by 36 per cent. Listed as Canva’s largest investor, with around a 14 per cent stake in Canva, this indicated a drop of about US$14 billion or A$20 billion, in the tech company’s estimated value.

“This holding value of Canva is the result of an independent valuation process that was completed by a big four accounting firm and adopted by Blackbird’s valuation committee, in consultation with our auditors,” the company shared in a statement to news.com.au.

Before this, Canva managed to more than double its worth in 2021. After acquiring a valuation of $19 billion in April 2021, the company skyrocketed to $54.5 billion just five months later.

In internal emails reported by Nine newspapers, chief executive Melanie Perkins said the company was set to mark its sixth year of being profitable. She also assured staff and said the company was still hiring, unlike some other technology companies.

“We had planned to dip out of profitability this year to invest in further accelerating growth,” she wrote.

“However, we changed course as soon as we noticed the macroeconomic environment changing and are now back to being profitable again this year, for the sixth year in a row.”

Founded in 2013, by Perth couple Ms Perkins and Mr Obrecht, and Tasmanian developer Cameron Adams, Canva is a free-to-use design tool that allows users to create social media posts, graphics, videos and presentations.

Since then, it’s become Australia’s most successful start-up – a title it continues to hold. For scale, Australia’s second largest start-up, online payments company Airwallex was valued at $5.5 billion in November 2021.

It’s believed Ms Perkins and Mr Obrecht hold a 30 per cent stake in the company, which given the most recent evaluation is close to $6 billion.

According to its website, Canva has more than 2000 employees and operates in 100 languages ​​and across 190 countries.

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Business

Busted: Couriers caught throwing parcels at Mackay Airport

Busted: Couriers caught throwing parcels at Mackay Airport

Footage has been revealed of an Australian courier company throwing packages as far as 10 meters into the back of a delivery truck.

The Australian StarTrack company has been named and shamed by a local resident who captured two couriers hurling parcels into a huge delivery truck at Mackay Airport in North Queensland.

Mackay resident Ashlee Coath is calling for the workers to be sacked after her fragile parcel arrived broken.

Investigating the possible cause of the damage, Ms Coath said she figured out how it may have happened after she saw the viral video online.

“I put two and two together and I figured out that’s probably how it ended up breaking,” she said.

“I always say treat people how you want to be treated, and I believe that goes for things as well.”

But Ms Coath is not the only one complaining about the company’s parcel treatment, with other residents claiming their packages always arrive damaged.

On Thursday the company released an apology to its customers, saying the couriers’ actions do not reflect StarTrack’s standards.

“These actions are not in line with the high service standards we expect of our people, and we sincerely apologize,” a spokesperson said.

The incident follows CCTV footage catching a courier throwing a parcel over a 2m electric gate in March.

The courier, who the customer claimed was an Australia Post employee, appeared to check his surroundings before throwing the parcel underarm.

The footage then shows him taking a photo of the item on the front step to confirm the delivery.

Customers with concerns about mail delivery are encouraged to contact Australia Post on 13 13 18.

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Sports

Michael Lichaa acquitted of domestic violence charges

Michael Lichaa pleaded not guilty to assaulting his former partner Kara Childerhouse. Picture: NewsWire / Monique Harmer

Former NRL star Michael Lichaa has been acquitted of domestic violence charges after his former partner refused to turn up to court and ex-teammate Adam Elliott vouched for his version of events.

The 18-month saga finally drew to a close on Friday when Mr Lichaa was found not guilty of assaulting his former partner Kara Childerhouse during a heated late-night incident at his south Sydney home.

Mr Lichaa, 29, has persistently denied assaulting his former finance and Magistrate Melissa Humphreys on Friday acquitted him of common assault and intimidation charges.

Michael Lichaa (centre). Picture: NewsWire/Seb Haggett.Source: NCA NewsWire
Michael Lichaa and Kara Childerhouse. Picture: Supplied.Source: Supplied

His trial before Magistrate Melissa Humphreys took a sensational twist on Thursday when Ms Childerhouse refused to turn up to Sutherland Local Court to give evidence.

Despite being subpoenaed and midway through her testimony police were unable to contact her after knocking on her door and calling her.

The court heard that she no longer wanted to take part in the proceedings and was pregnant and worried about the stress of reliving the incident.

All of her testimony which she had given up until that point was excluded though a statement, in which she retracted the allegations, was admitted into evidence.

It left the prosecution with no evidence to tend on the assault charge.

Kara Childerhouse failed to turn up to Sutherland Local Court. Picture: John GraingerSource: News Corp Australia

Police had alleged he was involved in an argument, which prompted concerned neighbors to call police to his Connells Point home.

The court has heard that the incident occurred after Mr Lichaa caught Ms Childerhouse performing a sexual act on his mate and former teammate Adam Elliott.

Mr Elliott told the court on Thursday that he had been drinking for 12 hours following a party at Mr Lichaa’s home.

When it was suggested that Mr Lichaa had assaulted Ms Childerhouse, he said “I disagree.”

Mr Elliott told the court that Mr Lichaa exclaimed “what the f*** are you doing?” and he went outside and walked back and forth in a heated state.

Adam Elliott told the court that Michael Lichaa did not assault his former partner. Picture: NRL Imagery.Source: Supplied
Michael Licha. Photo: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images.Source: Getty Images

A witness previously told the court that she heard a man saying loudly “I’m going to f***ing kill her”.

His lawyer James Trevallion denied that amounted to an offense of intimidation, adding there was no evidence the words were said in her presence.

“Clearly it was a situation where there was a lot of emotion and feeling and it would be remarkable when walking up and down the street if he wasn’t yelling and screaming and emotional and upset about what had occurred,” Mr Trevallion told the court on Friday.

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