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AFL 2022: Alastair Clarkson to sign with North Melbourne, contract, GWS Giants, Adem Yze

AFL 2022: Alastair Clarkson to sign with North Melbourne, contract, GWS Giants, Adem Yze

North Melbourne are reportedly set to land the man they covet with the news to be announced next week.

The bottom of the ladder club have offered master coach Alastair Clarkson a monster five-year contract, according to The Age’s Jake Niall.

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Clarkson’s signature has been the hottest commodity around the league with multiple clubs said to be chasing his services.

Along with North Melbourne, the GWS Giants were in hot pursuit of the mastermind who led Hawthorn to four premiership victories.

The Giants have not yet offered Clarkson a contract and while Niall reports Clarkson has not yet responded to North’s offer – Triple M’s Tom Browne says otherwise.

“Coaching update, this is just dot joining according to sources you speak to. There’s not a lot of leaks coming from North Melbourne or the Giants coaching process,” Browne said on Triple M.

“It’s certainly the strong view of sources that I speak to that Alastair Clarkson will end up as soon as next Friday at North Melbourne.

“That remains to be seen but that’s the consistent view that I’m getting is that North Melbourne is very much in the box seat to land Alastair Clarkson for a whole host of reasons.

“The Giants are now looking closely, very closely, at Adem Yze and I think they will also sound out Ross Lyon at some point in their process as well.

“Yze Giants, Clarkson North is the jungle drums in terms of the sources that I speak to at the moment.”

Journalist Mark Robinson believes a Clarkson-North Melbourne deal is “past the post”.

“Everyone’s a little bit scared to declare it because Alastair Clarkson has got the ability to change his mind and say: ‘I’m not coaching’,” he said on 3AW.

“But the further this goes on, I find that can’t happen.”

North have been the reported front runner for Clarkson’s signature for multiple weeks. A report in late July indicated he was seeking an eye-watering contract of $1.6ma year. Clarkson rubbed those reports.

Clarkson and Gerard Whateley co-hosted a function where the Hawks mentor put rumors of his big payday to join North Melbourne to bed.

“How explicit do you want me to be?” Whateley said on SEN when asked about Clarkson’s response from her.

“(He says it’s) bulls**t.

“That was Alastair Clarkson’s reaction to what’s in the public domain about $1.6 million to join North Melbourne.”

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Transfer Whispers, Dylan Brown, contract extensions, transfer news, Parramatta Eels signing, re-signing, off-contract players, Isaiah Papali’i backflip

Transfer Whispers, Dylan Brown, contract extensions, transfer news, Parramatta Eels signing, re-signing, off-contract players, Isaiah Papali'i backflip

Isaiah Papali’i’s management has reportedly confirmed the Eels backrower will honor his Tigers contract, ending speculation surrounding his future.

According to the SMH, Tim Sheens, who will take the coaching reins in 2023, spoke to agent Dan O’Loughlin regarding Papali’i’s doubts.

The merger club were reportedly assured the 23-year-old would land in Leichhardt for the club’s pre-season training alongside star recruit Apisai Koroisau.

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Papali’i previously explained he wants to have “no regrets” regarding his decision.

“Obviously people ask me about it, just even on the street or family and friends are hitting me up but that’s kind of for my manager look after and even if I don’t stay here or I do go next year, I want to make sure that this year has no regrets,” he said to 9 News.

When asked why he had doubts about making the move, Papali’i said it was Maguire’s axing that made him question his decision.

“I think it was the coaching axing that went on,” Papali’i said.

“When I did sign it was talking to Madge — he’s an awesome coach. That rattled the cage a bit and I guess you have to have those conversations and I guess that was a massive factor for me.”

Cheese cuts through on hectic solo run! | 00:45

Papali’i will be a key player for the Tigers, who are hoping to rebuild under Sheens, Marshall and Farrah’s tutelage.

“The only thing I will say is I’m looking forward to coaching him,” Sheens said.

Sheens’ Tigers rebuild is underway, with reports suggesting the club will make a play for former Raiders backrower John Bateman.

The Tigers have also reportedly spoken to Papali’i’s management regarding their vision for the club under the new coaching structure.

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BROWN’S LUCRATIVE CONTRACT TALKS

Parramatta star Dylan Brown’s management has reportedly urged the table a lucrative contract extension to keep the young gun at the Eels as rivals circle.

According to The Daily Telegraph, the 22-year-old’s agent met with Parramatta powerbrokers this week as the five-eighth was reportedly labeled a retention priority.

While Brown’s management is hard at work, the New Zealand international expressed his desire to stay out of any negotiations until after this year’s World Cup.

“My manager would have communicated that (to the Eels) to leave me alone until the season is done,” Brown said.

“I just don’t like it. I’d rather not sort that stuff out (during the season).

“Any distraction is a bad distraction when you are playing footy.”

Brown’s preference to put extensions talks on hold could worry Eels bosses, with rivals being able to make a play for the in-form playmaker come November 1.

Reports suggest Brown’s preference is to stay in Sydney’s west and the Eels mass player exodus has left them in a strong position to offer Brown an upgraded deal.

PAUL GREEN NEWS

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‘FUNNY, CARING’: Legends’ emotional tribute to ‘wonderful friend’ Green

Storm sizzle poor Panthers | 02:01

Brown has enjoyed the best season of his four-year career in 2022, recording 14 tries assists with a new-found confidence.

The young gun explained coach Brad Arthur has been instilling that confidence in him, and fans have been treated to a full display of his running game this year.

“The last couple of years … I have always been, not afraid, but I would second guess myself,” Brown said.

“I feel like you have got to go with your gut feeling sometimes and just be confident in what you are doing.

“You’re not getting selected in an NRL team to second guess yourself and not be confident.

“I’m in the team for a reason. Brad is trying to drive that into me. I feel like the more ball I get the better the left edge will go.”

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Fletch lauds Green’s Roosters influence | 03:04

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AFL 2022: Jason Horne-Francis axed, reason revealed, North Melbourne, Port Adelaide, contract

AFL 2022: Jason Horne-Francis axed, reason revealed, North Melbourne, Port Adelaide, contract

The reason behind Jason Horne-Francis’ shock axing has been revealed with the young star failing to meet standards at the club.

North Melbourne’s decision to drop the number one draft pick ahead of his first AFL game back in South Australia, his home state, left fans around the league scratching their heads.

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On Friday night however the reasons behind the decision to ax him where detailed by Channel 7 journalist Mitch Cleary.

Cleary said the 18-year-old was left out of North Melbourne’s squad for “disobeying his coach” last weekend.

“The star teenager was called out by interim coach Leigh Adams and senior players on Sunday for failing to complete his proper ice baths and recovery in front of their very eyes,” Cleary reported.

“I have spent this morning with a dozen teammates training in Melbourne (instead of traveling with the squad).”

Horne-Francis will now run out in the VFL after failing to live up to the club’s “Monday to Friday” expectations.

Former North Melbourne great Brent Harvey opened up on the Horne-Francis axing.

“There’s some stuff that we call Monday to Friday, it’s preparation stuff – you need to tick the boxes,” Harvey said on RSN Radio.

“This is not just about Jason … (Caretaker coach) Leigh Adams has got very good standards, I’ve got to be a little bit careful … but we’ve got players not playing in our team and I’ll name one right now : Kayne Turner.

“He would run through brick walls for every single one of his teammates and every single one of his supporters – he does everything right.

“If he’s not playing, he’s playing in the reserves at the minute, you’d want to be doing everything right to make sure you’re holding up your end of the bargain. We call that Monday to Friday and if you haven’t got your Monday to Friday in order, that’s just not good enough right now.

“Was it good enough in Round 3, Round 4, Round 5? Maybe.

“But with Leigh Adams in charge, the standards have gone to another level and players have to play their part. Monday to Friday is just as important as performing on game day for us.

“There’s not just one incident where we’ve just said (to Horne-Francis): ‘Nah, you’re not playing because of this’. It’s not that at all, everything comes into calculations, the form side of it, what he’s doing after stoppage. There’s so much that comes into it.”

Horne-Francis immediately postponed contract extension negotiations after he was drafted by the club last year.

His two-year draft deal expires at the end of the 2023 season and both Adelaide and Port Adelaide are said to be heavily circling the teenage star.

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NRL news 2022: Penrith Panthers suffer rare defeat in heavyweight bout with Melbourne Storm

NRL news 2022: Penrith Panthers suffer rare defeat in heavyweight bout with Melbourne Storm

It was touted as a heavyweight bout between two sides who hate each other and it even featured some late biff in the Riff, but it was Melbourne who issued a Storm warning that should strike fear into the rest of the NRL.

It was less than a month ago that Craig Bellamy said he was unsure whether the Storm could turn things around to go on a famous premiership run after they’d just lost their fourth game on the trot.

But the legendary Storm coach might need to be a bit more arrogant after three-straight wins, including a statement victory over the defending premiers on Thursday night that has them primed for a top-four finish.

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“It was important for us because we’ve been hanging around the bottom of the top four,” Bellamy said.

“I thought that was our best performance for quite some time. That’s as well as we’ve defended for a year or two.”

The Storm were without halfback Jahrome Hughes (shoulder) but they smelled blood in the water and feasted on the makeshift Panthers spine in a performance reminiscent of years gone by when they were the NRL’s apex predators.

It was a night to remember for the small contingent of Storm fans at BlueBet Stadium, and it was Melbourne’s biggest human who stole the show with a brutal display in an unfamiliar role.

Nelson Asofa-Solomona was like a wrecking ball on the right, terrorizing Penrith’s edge defenders while at the same time blunting Viliame Kikau’s impact by simply clogging up gaps in the line.

The man mountain relished the extra room out wide with 62 meters, five tackle busts and three offloads in a barnstorming 37-minute stint as the visitors racked up an insurmountable 16-0 lead by halftime.

While he did plenty in attack, his most telling play was in defense when he somehow denied a rampaging Kikau over the line, which then led to David Nofoaluma’s first try in Storm colors from the ensuing set.

Injuries mount for mountain men

They’ve enjoyed one of the smoothest years imaginable, but things are starting to look a bit rough for the Panthers just a few weeks out from the finals.

The defending premiers were missing starting halves Nathan Cleary and Jarome Luai as well as powerhouse prop James Fisher-Harris, while they were also dealt a massive blow before kick-off when courageous fullback Dylan Edwards was ruled out after he copped a battering in Canberra last week.

Things got worse on Thursday night with NSW representative Liam Martin rolling his left ankle so badly that he had to be helped from the field by two trainers and was on crutches in the dressing room.

Penrith’s depth is the envy of the league but even they can’t win the comp if they continue to rack up injuries every week, and Thursday’s performance will give their rivals hope that they are in fact fallible.

The mass changes took their toll with the Panthers producing their worst half of football at home since 2017.

They enjoyed the bulk of possession and territory after the break but couldn’t cross the stripe as they were held scoreless at home for the first time since 2015 against who else but the Storm.

“I thought there were some combination issues for us tonight,” Ivan Cleary said. “It was a good lesson for our younger guys.”

Precious Olam

Justin Olam has failed to match his dazzling form of 2021, but the center built of granite produced his best game of the season as a replenished Storm backline showed how potent it can be when the troops are back on deck.

The hitman produced two monstrous shots in defense that Jaeman Salmon and Brian To’o will be feeling for weeks, but it was his dazzling speed that caught the Panthers by surprise.

Olam scorched his way down the sideline to set up the returning Nick Meaney with a pinpoint chip kick and nearly produced an identical play for Cameron Munster to end the half.

oh so close

Waqa Blake produced the finish of the year last week but it would’ve been a short time at the top if Xavier Coates had been able to pull off the most miraculous grounding of all time.

The Storm winger’s body was in Melbourne yet he somehow managed to stretch his arm towards the line, only for the ball to come free an inch from the line after a big shot by Charlie Staines.

It wasn’t the only unique piece of play with Tui Kamikamica playing a big part in Brandon Smith’s try when he pushed ‘the Cheese’ into a hole before he sped straight past Staines.

—NCA NewsWire

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North Melbourne, Alastair Clarkson, coach, return, lengthy offer, contract, GWS Giants, race, David Noble, Leigh Adams

North Melbourne, Alastair Clarkson, coach, return, lengthy offer, contract, GWS Giants, race, David Noble, Leigh Adams

North Melbourne has reportedly tabled a “lengthy offer” to mastercoach Alastair Clarkson for 2023 and beyond.

The Age reports a contract of at least five years has been put to Clarkson to join the Roos and take over from caretaker Leigh Adams.

Fox Footy’s Mark Robinson said he believes the Clarkson-Kangaroos deal is “past the post.”

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“Everyone’s a little bit scared to declare it because Alastair Clarkson has got the ability to change his mind and say: ‘I’m not coaching’,” he said on 3AW.

“But the further this goes on, I find that can’t happen.”

Commentator Tim Lane said a deal between Clarkson and North Melbourne would be “exciting”.

“North Melbourne people will be ecstatic by this,” he said on 3AW.

“For them to get Clarkson back to the club, where he began his career, he also won a premiership in 2008 with a team that won before its time and that should never be forgotten.

McRae reiterates hope to re-sign De Goey | 00:36

“Clarkson’s won four flags – no ones won more since Norm Smith.

“To have him in the firing line and back at that battling club is brilliant.”

North Melbourne and GWS are both vying for four-time premiership coach’s services after he finished up at Hawthorn at the end of 2021.

Both clubs have met with Clarkson in recent weeks, with the Hawks’ mentor set to make a final call before the end of the home and away season.

It is understood the Giants are yet to officially present Clarkson with an offer.

They are reportedly still speaking with other candidates like Adem Yze (Melbourne), Adam Kingsley (Richmond) and their current caretaker Mark McVeigh.

Robinson said he believes Yze is the frontrunner to take the reins at the Giants, while Leigh Matthews said he didn’t think GWS were going as hard as the Roos for Clarkson.

Hinkley set to remain Port coach | 01:01

“North are head hunting Alastair Clarkson,” he said on 3AW.

“I don’t think the Giants are doing that.”

Clarkson has previously said he’d make a call on his future in August, which has just over a fortnight to run.

Former Collingwood president Eddie McGuire said the Roos had gone “all in” trying to sign Clarkson earlier this month, and said the club was a “real chance” of landing his signature.

Clarkson’s manager James Henderson told McGuire that the meeting went “very well” and that it was “a worthwhile experience”.

“There is no Plan B (for North) at the moment,” McGuire said at the time.

North parted ways with former coach David Noble a month ago after just 38 games in charge and Leigh Adams has been caretaker in Noble’s absence.

Just last month reports emerged Clarkson was demanding a whopping $1.6 million a season to return to coaching, but he responded to that by calling the figure “bulls**t”.

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Op shopper calls out exorbitant prices in Australian second hand stores

Op shopper calls out exorbitant prices in Australian second hand stores

An Australian TikTok identity and op-shop lover has called out second hand stores across the country for bumping up their prices as an op-shopping trend gains popularity.

Melbourne based influencer Jaclyn has raised awareness through her platform about prices skyrocketing in her local thrift stores, saying she is “over” the price tags on recycled goods.

She said the rise in prices, especially for brands like Shein and Zara, is turning people towards fast fashion retailers instead of them supporting recycled clothing outlets.

Thrift stores, unlike vintage stores, have their pieces donated to them, and shouldn’t be charging as much, according to Jaclyn.

“Is anyone else getting completely over Australian thrift store prices these days?” she asked her audience.

“They just charge an arm and a leg for absolutely anything.”

She said she has grown up shopping at thrift stores and has continued the trend into her adulthood.

“I used to like the thrill of the hunt and finding a really special piece for a bargain price, but it seems that it’s getting kind of impossible to do that now,’ she said.

She called out thrift stores for taking advantage of people, particularly younger shoppers, now that “thrifting is quite a popular thing to do”.

She said if she wanted to spend that kind of money, she’d rather visit a vintage store instead.

Thrifting, or op-shopping, has become popular in recent years as a way for young people to find cheap, recycled clothing.

Shoppers are able to find unique pieces, without feeling like they’re leaving an environmental footprint by shopping at fast fashion retailers.

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Powerball winner: Grandmother says she ‘couldn’t move’ after massive $20 million win

Powerball winner: Grandmother says she 'couldn't move' after massive $20 million win

A grandmother in Melbourne’s west who woke up $20m richer after winning Powerball has revealed the secrets behind her newfound wealth.

The Truganina woman held the only national division one winning entry in Powerball draw 1369 on Thursday, turning her into a multi-millionaire overnight.

The lucky winner made the sage decision to switch up her usual numbers, which delivered her the $20m.

“I decided to mix things up, and instead of putting my usual three to four games on, I decided to get a Powerhit consisting of special numbers that mean the most to me,” she told the Lott.

Supplied Money Powerball supplied photos generic
Camera IconThe woman’s winning numbers were different from the ones she usually goes with. Credit: Supplied

“I’ve never expected to win anything big. I usually land three numbers, but never anything more.

The winning numbers in the draw were 30, 23, 9, 22, 5, 28 and 18, while the Powerball number was 3.

The woman also defied her husband’s doubts, who thought she had no chance of winning.

“When I purchased the ticket, my husband and daughter were with me, and I told them that I’d put a ticket on for Powerball, and my husband said to me, ‘don’t bother, we’re never going to win ‘” she grandmother said.

“I guess I’ve proved him wrong.”

The grandmother got the thrill of her life when she realized she had the winning numbers.

“I was sitting in the lounge room, and I checked the winning numbers before going to bed, and I didn’t believe it,” she said

“I couldn’t get out of the chair. I couldn’t go to the toilet. I couldn’t move. It was so surreal.

“I only got about 40 minutes sleep last night. I’m so tired, but it’s worth it.”

The grandmother could not believe her luck when she won.
Camera IconThe grandmother could not believe her luck when she won. Credit: Supplied, The Lott

The woman wants to use her millions to treat her family, with plans already under way for an Australian holiday.

“We would love to travel around Australia via train. All the sightseeing we would do is getting me excited!” she said.

“We would also love to help our children and grandchildren. We might help them all buy a house!”

The woman bought her winning entry from Wyndham Village Lotto & News, with the store’s owner Mahesh Thakur saying they were thrilled to have sold her the lucky numbers.

“It’s truly a special day for us, and we’re absolutely over the moon,” he said.

“When we found out the news last night, we couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t sleep either.”

The Lott’s division one winning tally has now reached 272 for 2022.

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St Kilda Saints v Brisbane Lions, Marvel Stadium, live blog, match report, analysis, preview, teams, photos, videos

St Kilda Saints v Brisbane Lions, Marvel Stadium, live blog, match report, analysis, preview, teams, photos, videos

St Kilda need a victory over Brisbane on Friday night to keep their final hopes alive, but they’ll be without inspirational mid Dan Hannebery.

The Saints (11-9, 101.1%) have taken a cautious approach with the veteran after he tweaked his ankle in last week’s loss to Geelong.

Brisbane (14-6, 124.2%) have their own injury woes with defender Marcus Adams ruled out with concussion.

The Lions have beaten St Kilda just once at Marvel Stadium in 22 years, dating back to 2000 when it was known as Colonial Stadium.

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The medi subs are Zak Jones (St Kilda) and Ryan Lester (Brisbane).

This match gets underground at 7.50pm AEST from Marvel Stadium.

Watch it live on Fox Footy (channel 504) from 7pm AEST.

Follow St Kilda v Brisbane in our live blog below!

QUARTER BY QUARTER MATCH REPORT

The Saints showed their cards early when tagger Marcus Windhager went straight to Lachie Neale for the first bounce.

And despite the Lions doing all the attacking in the opening minutes, it was Jack Higgins who got St Kilda on the board first.

Higgins pounced when Oscar McInerney missed with his hands in the middle of the ground.

The Saint set sail for home from the center square and it bounced through.

“One tiny little handling error and it’s out the back door,” commentator Brian Taylor said.

Neale headed deep forward in a bid to try and overcome the Windhager tag, but had just one touch to his name after more than 10 minutes of play.

“He and the Lions asking the question.. ‘alright you can run around the midfield as a tagger but how do you go as a pure defender if I go forward?’ Good move,” commentator Daisy Pearce praised.

After early misses by Dan McStay and Hugh McCluggage, plus Cam Rayner’s out on the full, it took a brilliant Charlie Cameron contested grab to get the Lions on the board.

McCluggage then added his side’s second a minute later from the center clearance.

The ball just wouldn’t sit for Neale as he streamed inside 50 and the Saints dodged a third bullet as Jack Sinclair was there to bring the ball out of defense.

But the first term was played mostly in the Lions’ front half as St Kilda were unable to clear.

When Jarrod Lienert won a big ruck battle against McInerney, the Saints got forward and Tim Membrey didn’t disappoint with the snap – and he went to Dayne Zorko to let him know about it.

Tempers threatened to spill over a few times in the first term as the Saints sat just one-point behind.

“St Kilda are on track to record 100 tackles here,” commentator James Brayshaw said.

“They have come to play.”

Mason Wood then gave the Saints the lead after Mitch Owens broke free from the stoppage and got the handball out.

But St Kilda let the lead slip after the quarter time siren when Hipwood slotted his set shot from 40m out.

The second term belonged entirely to the Lions as they found another gear and kicked away.

A big Brad Crouch bump rocked Lion Darcy Gardiner early in the second term as the Saint crashed heavily into his opponent.

Pearce immediately thought Crouch’s actions would draw at least a week’s ban, but luckily for Gardner he was able to stay out on the field.

Joe Daniher went aerial before kicking his first goal of the night before Linc McCarthy extended Brisbane’s lead to 14 points minutes later.

Like the first quarter, the ball remained locked in Brisbane’s attack as St Kilda’s defense was put under enormous pressure.

Hipwood got out the back and goaled from the square before another big contested grab by McStay pushed the lead out to a game-high 26 points.

Wood gave the Saints some hope minutes out from half time with a big goal from just outside 50.

But by the main break, Brisbane held a 22-point lead.

If you can’t see the blog, tap here.

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Disney passes Netflix in streaming war, but there are two catches

Disney passes Netflix in streaming war, but there are two catches

Disney has overtaken Netflix in the global race for streaming customers. But there’s a catch. Actually, there are many catches.

The headline numbers are that Disney as an entertainment megalith now has 221.1 million subscriptions to Netflix’s 220.6 million accounts.

While that looks like Disney has surpassed Netflix in the streaming wars, that 221.1 million number is a combined figure of Disney+ customers as well as US services Hulu and ESPN. Netflix only has the one brand so it’s not a like-for-like comparison.

Of that total figure, Disney+, which launched in late-2019, has amassed 152.1 million subscribers worldwide. It increased its membership by 14.4 million subscribers, more than the 10 million that was forecast.

That’s catch number one in the Disney versus Netflix narrative.

The more revealing asterisk comes when you drill down into the numbers around average revenue per user (ARPU), as industry publication Variety you have donated

ARPU is an important measure for finance types because it reflects how much each customer is worth to a business. The higher the ARPU, the more money each customer is spending with the business.

According to Variety, Disney’s ARPU in the US and Canada was $US6.27 per customer per month compared to Netflix’s $US15.95 for the same region. Disney’s subscription price in the US and Canada is significantly lower than Netflix’s.

The difference in ARPU is even more glaring in India and Southeast Asia where Disney is only making $US1.20 per month to Netflix’s $US8.83 in APAC.

While it may seem like ARPU is something that investors and money people care about, ultimately it will affect audiences.

In a bid to increase that ARPU, there’s currently a lot of movement around pricing.

Disney has announced US prices for Disney+ will increase by 38 per cent in December, from $US7.99 to $US10.99 per month, at the same time as the introduction of an ad-supported membership tier which will be priced at $US7 .99.

Disney+ will roll out the ad-supported option globally in 2023.

In Australia, Disney+ is priced at $11.99 a month. It launched at $8.99 a month but increased the cost in February 2021 when it added the Star sub-brand to its platform.

Locally, Star houses Disney’s more adult-oriented programming and includes many of the exclusive movies and shows that are made for Hulu in the US. This has included series such as dopesick, WeCrashed and the upcoming critical sensation Bear.

Netflix will also introduce an ad-supported membership tier from 2023.

Netflix had previously eschewed introducing advertising on its platform with co-chief executive and co-founder Reed Hastings rejecting the idea.

The company did an about-face in April when it revealed it had for the first time in a decade gone backwards in its subscription numbers.

An ad-supported tier is one of two main tactics Netflix is ​​deploying to arrest its declining membership. A cheaper subscription option could be attractive to existing and potential customers feeling the pinch of global economic and inflationary pressures.

And advertising revenue from brands may increase Netflix and Disney’s ARPU.

Netflix’s other plank in boosting its subscriber numbers is to crackdown on password, a common practice which is a violation of its terms and conditions but is done by 100 million of its customers.

Netflix is ​​trialling two forms of a crackdown in smaller territories in Latin America, both of which means charging customers an extra fee for sharing their login details beyond their residence.

The American streaming market is going through a tumultuous period due to increased competition and economic conditions.

Earlier this month, Warner Bros Discovery announced it will combine its two streaming services, HBO Max and Discovery+ following its merger. The Warner Bros Discovery move could signal the long-awaited consolidation many in the industry have flagged for some time.

In Australia, there are more than a dozen paid streaming platforms, ranging from broad appeal brands such as Binge*, Netflix, Stan and Amazon Prime Video to niche products such as Shudder, Hayu and Shelter.

According to Roy Morgan data published in February, 74.5 per cent of Australians accessed a subscription video-on-demand platform across an average of four weeks in the three months to December 2021, an increase of 2.5 per cent.

The most popular service remains Netflix, followed by Foxtel Group*, which owns Foxtel, Binge, Kayo and Flash.

Roy Morgan estimated Australians use on average 2.7 subscription video-on-demand services, up from 1.8 a year earlier.

*Foxtel Group is majority owned by News Corp, publisher of this website

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Cameron Munster at fullback, positional switch, Jahrome Hughes return, Melbourne Storm team, highlights

Cameron Munster at fullback, positional switch, Jahrome Hughes return, Melbourne Storm team, highlights

It was only a few weeks ago that Craig Bellamy made a stunning admission, telling reporters he was “not confident” Melbourne could turn a worrying form slump around.

The Storm had slumped to a fourth-straight loss for the first time in seven years and even Bellamy was unsure if this champion team had it in them to rise to the top again.

It was on the playing group to prove Bellamy wrong and while wins over the Warriors and Titans were certainly needed, Thursday night was their chance to make a statement.

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Sure, the Panthers were severely understrength but so were the Storm and yet a defensive masterclass paved the way for a 16-0 shutout victory over the defending premiers.

Now in a strong position to wrap up a spot in the top four, Melbourne is right back in the title picture and Bellamy has a secret weapon up his sleeve that keeps everyone guessing.

Even Cameron Smith was fooled on Thursday morning, questioning why playmaker Cameron Munster had been moved back to the halves after a starring game at fullback the week prior.

“I was a little bit surprised, I thought he may have kept him there,” Smith admitted on SEN 1170 Radio.

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Bellamy did keep Munster there, although it was not necessarily always going to be the plan as the Storm coach revealed in his post-game press conference on Thursday night.

“It worked pretty well last week as well,” Bellamy said.

“We weren’t quite sure earlier in the week on which way we were going to go. We trained both of them there. I think we will probably look at it on our opposition and what we think the best way to use Munster and the best way to use Nick and their strengths [is].

“I’m not quite sure we’ll actually stick with Munster at fullback all the time but we need to have a bit of a chat about that with the leaders, obviously our halves and see what the coaches think.”

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That in itself spells trouble for the rest of the competition.

It is already hard enough to defend Munster but not knowing where exactly he will be playing in the lead-up to a game makes that tougher, you only have to ask Ivan Cleary.

The Panthers coach was asked after Thursday’s defeat “what sort of threat” Munster posed at fullback, to which Cleary could only laugh.

“A lot,” he said.

“I don’t know whether fullback is much different. I suppose he doesn’t have all the defensive work to do. He’s just playing really well, definitely dangerous and he still seemed to come up with big plays when they needed it tonight. He’s definitely a threat.”

There was a similar response from Panthers great Greg Alexander, who was asked pre-game by Jess Yates which Melbourne player he was most worried about.

“Well, Cameron Munster, Cameron Munster and Cameron Munster,” Alexander replied.

That and “who ended up playing fullback”.

Unfortunately for Alexander and the Panthers, that also ended up being Munster and he backed up last week’s three-try effort against the Titans with another impressive display.

Munster ran for 142 meters at the back to go with five tackle busts two linebreak assists and also kicked for 537, filling the void left by halfback Jahrome Hughes.

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Cameron Munster starred at fullback. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images

“It’s been handy this year,” Bellamy said of having the option of playing Munster at fullback.

“The last few months or so with Paps being out and Nick missing a week. He’s certainly a different character Munster but he’s a great guy to have around the club and obviously one hell of a player.

“We’re fairly lucky to have him. The other big thing about him is he’s such a competitor. He just competes in everything at training and in games. That’s what makes him what he is.”

Bellamy admitted there may have been a point earlier in Munster’s career where he may have wanted a greater say in what position he played.

But this is a more mature Munster, one who is “just happy to play a role that’s best for the team”.

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“Earlier in his career he’d probably have a say or opinion on it,” Bellamy said.

“But I think now, and I haven’t actually spoke to him too closely about it, he just usually says wherever you think I fit best in the team, I’m going to do that.

“Wherever the team needs him, he’s quite happy to do that. I think he really enjoys playing fullback because it gives him a little bit more freedom but he’s just happy to play a role that’s best for the team. It just shows how much he’s matured.”

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