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Paul Gallen press conference, two fights in one night, Justin Hodges, Ben Hannant, when is it, where is it, how to watch

Paul Gallen press conference, two fights in one night, Justin Hodges, Ben Hannant, when is it, where is it, how to watch

Justin Hodges has lit a fuse ahead of his fight against Paul Gallen, declaring he’d knock the Blues legend out “easy” and provided a brutal reminder of who won more Origin series.

Gallen will fight Queensland legends Hodges and Ben Hannan on the same night in what promises to be an epic boxing extravanganza at the Nissan Arena in Brisbane on September 15.

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And just as there was bad blood as footy players in the feisty Origin clashes, it seems that no love has been lost since all three talked the talk at the press conference.

Gal made a wild bet that if Hodges put $10,000 on the line and knocked the Sharks great out, Hodges would receive $50,000.

“Put your money where your mouth is, put your balls on the line,” Gallen said.

“Have $10,000 on it. I’ll give you five-to-one.

“You’re not man enough… Shake my hand on $10,000. Shake my hand on the $10,000 bet.”

Hodges hit back with a cutting reply.

“I beat you in every series at Origin,” Hodges said.

Gal & Hodges trade insults over 50k bet | 01:28

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“I’ll knock you out easy.”

The Broncos legend was also blunt as to how the fight would end.

“I’m going to knock him out,” Hodges said.

“That’s what I’m training for.

“I’ve been working my guts off the last couple of fights preparing myself to what I need to go to.

“I know at some stage he likes to walk forward and that’s going to suit me to a tee, I’m going to catch him.

“I’ll see you in a couple of weeks.”

Ben Hannant was the first man to fan the flames when the former NRL star described Gal as someone who’s more “like a Queenslander” than the proud New South Welshman that he is.

“The most hated New South Welshman in history would have to be Paul Gallen,” Hannant said.

“The reason why is because what he brings. He’s actually like a Queenslander, to be honest.”

Gallen smoked: “Please don’t disrespect me like that. Come on.”

Hannant explained his claim further.

“He puts in effort, he keeps showing up, he never gives up,” Hannant said.

“Against everyone that he goes up against, he thinks he can beat.”

Justin Hodges and Ben Hannant will both fight Paul Gallen on the same night. Picture: Scott's Shotz.
Justin Hodges and Ben Hannant will both fight Paul Gallen on the same night. Picture: Scott’s Shotz.Source: Supplied

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Entertainment

How much did House of the Dragon cost HBO to make?

How much did House of the Dragon cost HBO to make?

More dragons. More money.

HBO’s upcoming fantasy series House of the Dragon reportedly cost even more to make than game of Thrones, Variety reports.

The 10-episode debut season of HotDwhich will premiere its first episode on Binge and Foxtel in Australia on August 22, is said to have racked up a bill of around $300 million.

In comparison, the eighth and final season of GoT cost about $130 million.

While thrones had fewer episodes than HotD for its final season, coming in at just six episodes, the prequel still cost more on a per-episode basis at just under $28.75 million per episode, compared to the $22 million it took to make each episode of GoT.

Back in 2011, before it became an international phenomenon, Thrones’ The first season was allocated $9 million an episode.

But with more computer-generated imagery required thanks to the amount of dragons involved in the storyline (there’s apparently 17 dragons), not to mention immense pressure due to the popularity of thronesit makes sense HBO allocated a substantial amount of cash for the hotly-anticipated prequel series.

In thrones, only Daenerys Targaryen is blessed with owning dragons, which were incredibly rare. However, the mythical creatures fly rampant in HotDwith almost every key character owning one.

Stream House of the Dragon from August 22 on BINGE or on FOXTEL. New BINGE customers get a 14-day free trial. Sign up at binge.com.au

It’s certainly an expensive genre, with Amazon’s upcoming The Lord of the Rings prequel series The Rings of Power reportedly racking up an eye-watering $668 million bill to produce its first season, comprising of eight episodes.

House of the Dragon is set 200 years before the events of the hit fantasy series, and will focus on the rise and fall of House Targaryen after the family becomes embroiled in a nasty civil war.

It’s based on George RR Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire companion Book, Fire&Bloodwith Martin also having co-created the show alongside TV writer Ryan Condal.

House of the Dragon will premiere on Monday 22 August at the same time as the US, streaming on Binge. The series will also be available to watch on Foxtel in 4K Ultra HD

Read related topics:BingeFoxtel

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Sports

New Zealand, Trent Boult, Blackcaps, Australia, shock announcement, T20, ODI, Test cricket

New Zealand, Trent Boult, Blackcaps, Australia, shock announcement, T20, ODI, Test cricket

The Blackcaps will begin a new era without one of their biggest stars after bowler Trent Boult was released from his central contract with New Zealand Cricket.

Boult will have a “significantly reduced role” across all three formats with the Blackcaps, according to a statement released by NZC.

The 33-year-old held multiple conversations with the country’s governing cricket body, before they agreed to his request on Wednesday so he can spend more time with his family.

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Boult has played a crucial role in New Zealand’s success on the world stage over the last decade, having taken 317 Test wickets, 169 in ODI’s and 62 in T20 internationals.

The talented left-armer sits at No. 1 on the ICC Men’s ODI Bowling Rankings, having taken 169 scalps at 25.21 since his international debut in 2011. He has also taken 317 Test wickets at 27.49.

The paceman said it was a “really tough decision” for him to make as he began to reflect on his decorated 12-year career with the New Zealand national teams.

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

“Ultimately this decision is about my wife Gert and our three young boys. Family has always been the biggest motivator for me and I feel comfortable with putting it first and preparing ourselves for life after cricket.”

Boult’s decision will likely have major implication for New Zealand cricket with Black Caps teammates potentially tempted to follow suit in bid to cash in on lucrative domestic T20 leagues.

The world cricket calendar is becoming tighter and tighter with the introduction of several privately-owned domestic leagues, including the United Arab Emirates’ International League T20 and South Africa’s newly-launched T20 competition.

Boult has played in an international final across all three formats, having tasted success in the inaugural World Test Championship final against India in England.

But while he’s been a mainstay of the New Zealand teams since making his Test debut in 2011 against Australia, he acknowledged that this decision would affect his chances of representing his country.

“I still have a great desire to represent my country and feel I have the skills to deliver at the international level. However, I respect the fact that not having a national contract will affect my chances of selection,” he added.

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

Maxwell suffers back injury during win | 01:26

NZC chief executive David White said that Boult has been open about his decision, and why he requested to be released from his deal.

“We respect Trent’s position,” said Mr White. “He’s been completely honest and upfront with us about his reasoning about him and, while we’re sad to be losing him as a fully-contracted player, he leaves with our best wishes and our sincere thanks,” White said.

“Trent’s made a massive contribution to the Blackcaps since his Test debut in late 2011 and is now considered one of the best multi-format cricketers in the world. We’re very proud of what he’s achieved.”

According to NZC, Boult will still be available for national selection “if and when available”.

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Toby Rudolf opens up on sexuality, pride comments, full Jake Duke interview, LGBTQI community, Cronulla Sharks

Toby Rudolf opens up on sexuality, pride comments, full Jake Duke interview, LGBTQI community, Cronulla Sharks

Sharks prop Toby Rudolf has opened up on why he spoke out and revealed details of his own sexuality amid the pride jersey controversy that engulfed the NRL.

In a wide-ranging interview with Fox League’s Jake Duke, the fan favorite discussed many parts of his career and life, including his support to the LGBTQI+ community earlier this month.

Rudolf welcomed the pride jersey initiative and revealed in an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald he had had same-sex experiences despite identifying as heterosexual, stating “sexuality is fluid”.

WATCH THE FULL TOBY RUDOLF ‘ALL IN’ WITH JAKE DUKE ON FOX LEAGUE AND KAYO

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While many players chose to remain silent on the issue, Rudolf felt the need to show his support.

“I think I wanted to just throw my support behind the community that has sort of been there my whole life,” Rudolf said.

“Also I’m not too fussed to speak about anything about me like I’m not scared of anything to let people know about the things that I do.

“I think the main thing though is the LGBTQI+ community were sort of dragged through the mud that week and they were just looking for a bit of, I wanted to give them a bit of a boost.”

Growing up with a single mother and around members of the LGBTQI+ community Rudolf revealed that his uncle Marty played an integral role throughout his upbringing.

“Probably the biggest one was my uncle Marty, mum’s best friend,” Rudolf told Fox League’s Jake Duke.

“He was the gay guy that was in the article a few days earlier.

“He used to take me on camping trips, we used to go caving together at Jenolan Caves, went to Vanuatu once.

“He was always there, was always sort of guiding me along the way.”

Broncos set to make changes after losses | 01:53

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Rudolf joked the big motivation for his sexualty comments was wanting to get on a Mardi Gras float.

“Well the NRL’s got one,” Duke informed Rudolf.

“Do they!” Rudolf replied.

“Yeah the NRL’s got one,” Duke said.

“Absolutely you can be on it, in the Budgy Smugglers?”

“Keen as,” Rudolf answered.

While Rudolf speaks about his experience and love for the LGBTIQ+ community so openly he said it remained a complicated situation.

“There’s always going to be a stigma around it I think, especially us playing such a hard man sport,” Rudolf said.

“There’s still just a bit of I guess stigma around you know being gay and all this and whatever but people just need to get over it I think.

Eels tired of ’embarrassment’ by Souths | 01:22

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“I can understand where people come from with the religious background and whatnot but in the general world today, the modern world it’s just ELE, everybody love everybody.”

“… It (the feedback from the comments) was really positive. No matter what you say you’re always going to have a couple of negative comments but 99% of people just sort of applauded me and my bravery,” Rudolf said.

“I didn’t really think it was that brave I just thought it was me just talking about my stuff, it didn’t phase me too much.

“I went out to Northies that night after the game, after we won that golden point game and everyone there was just being really nice as well, being really supportive, saying they loved what I said and yeah overall was just overwhelmingly positive.

“I was really nicely surprised.”

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Cricket news 2022: Trent Boult granted released from national contract, New Zealand

Cricket news 2022: Trent Boult granted released from national contract, New Zealand

New Zealand cricketer Trent Boult has been granted a release from his national contract so the bowler can spend more time with his family and make himself available for domestic leagues.

On Wednesday morning, New Zealand Cricket confirmed the 33-year-old will have a “significantly reduced role” with the Black Caps, upon his request.

The talented left-armer sits at No. 1 on the ICC Men’s ODI Bowling Rankings, having taken 169 scalps at 25.21 since his international debut in 2011. He has also taken 317 Test wickets at 27.49.

Boult will still be eligible for New Zealand selection when available.

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“This has been a really tough decision for me and I’d like to thank NZC for their support in getting to this point,” Boult said in a statement.

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

“Ultimately this decision is about my wife Gert and our three young boys. Family has always been the biggest motivator for me and I feel comfortable with putting it first and preparing ourselves for life after cricket.

“I still have a great desire to represent my country and feel I have the skills to deliver at the international level. However, I respect the fact that not having a national contract will affect my chances of selection.

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

Boult’s bombshell move could have substantial ramifications for NZC. As more domestic T20 leagues are scheduled during the country’s home summer, Black Caps teammates may be tempted to follow suit.

Boult’s decision to prioritize domestic leagues over international commitments comes after England Test captain Ben Stokes retired from ODI cricket at 31 last month.

Due to the over-saturated cricket calendar, it may soon become the norm for cricketers to step aside from international duties so they can play more high-paying franchise cricket, particularly late in their careers.

The Indian Premier League’s overwhelming success has prompted the introduction of several privately-owned domestic leagues, including the United Arab Emirates’ International League T20 and South Africa’s newly-launched T20 competition.

Importantly, these high-paying tournaments also coincide with the Big Bash League and Australian home summer of cricket, meaning Aussie players could be forced into making some difficult decisions late in their careers.

Former Brisbane Heat captain Chris Lynn has already turned his back on the Big Bash League, signing for next year’s inaugural ILT20.

Boult was recently named in New Zealand’s squad for an upcoming white-ball tour of the West Indies, which gets underway on Thursday.

“We respect Trent’s position,” NZC chief executive David White said in a statement.

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

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

“We’ve had several conversations and I know Trent understands that, in terms of selection, NZC will continue to make a priority of those players with either central or domestic contracts.”

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Australian legend Lauren Jackson will play for Opals at the World Cup after retiring in 2016

Australian legend Lauren Jackson will play for Opals at the World Cup after retiring in 2016

The remarkable comeback story of basketball champ Lauren Jackson has continued, with the 41-year-old included in Australia’s 12-strong Opals team for this year’s FIBA ​​Women’s Basketball World Cup nine years after she retired.

An emotional Jackson, who retired in 2016 through a chronic injury after a Hall of Fame career in Australia and the US, said she “didn’t honestly know” if her body would hold up to the rigors of international basketball again.

But Opals coach Sandy Brondello said Jackson would add “another dimension” to the team that has gone through some tough recent times in the wake of Liz Cambage’s controversial exit.

“Making the final cut to 12 is always difficult with so many great athletes pushing for selection” Brondello said.

“The training camp in New York demonstrated how much each of these athletes wanted to compete on home soil. The competition for a spot on the team was fierce.”

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

Jackson began her comeback for local team Albury but is hoping to help the Opals add to the team’s rich World Cup legacy having won silver in 2018, bronze in 2014 and gold in 2006.

“There were a lot of emotions when Sandy rang me, I had a bit of a cry to be honest,” Jackson said.

“I have been working my body hard, and I didn’t honestly know if it was going to hold up to my intense training regimen, but it has and I’m feeling good.

“The whole team have been so welcoming and made me feel at home. The age difference disappears as soon as I step onto the court.

“I believe in this team and what we can achieve. If I can play a part if getting us onto the podium, then the hard work is all worthwhile.”

Shyla Heal was a notable omission from the final 12, with Bec Allen and Cayla George to return for their third World Cup appearance. Marianna Tolo, Steph Talbot, Sami Whitcomb, Tess Madgen and Ezi Magbegor will return for their second appearance and Sara Blicavs, Darcee Garbin, Anneli Maley and Kristy Wallace will make their debut.

Jackson will make her fifth World Cup appearance after last playing in 2010.

The squad is filled with international experience, with Allen (New York Liberty), Magbegor (Seattle Storm), Whitcomb (New York Liberty), Wallace (Atlanta Dream) and Talbot (Seattle Storm) all playing in the WNBA.

The Opals are ranked No.3 in the world and have drawn Group C, with pool matches against France, Serbia, Japan, Mali and Canada tipping off on September 22 in Sydney.

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

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Business

Thousands of businesses impacted by Tyro EFTPOS outage urged to register to class action

Thousands of businesses impacted by Tyro EFTPOS outage urged to register to class action

Christine Hera-Singh found it difficult to keep her bakery along the Great Ocean Road afloat during Covid-19 lockdowns and border closures.

The mum-of-one had pinned her hopes on the Christmas rush in late 2020 and early 2021 and for a while, her South Australian-based business, Meningie Bakery, was flourishing.

But then in January last year, the bakery’s credit card terminals stopped working for two weeks straight.

“It hit dead around the Christmas break, we had customers walking out, they didn’t have cash, it was an absolute nightmare,” Ms Hera-Singh told news.com.au.

It turned out the company that she rented her EFTPOS machines from, Tyro, had experienced a national outage that lasted for a fortnight.

Overall, Ms Hera-Singh estimates she lost $60,000 from the two week outage.

Across the country, at least 11,000 companies were impacted — the majority of them small businesses like hers.

Now, 18 months since the malfunction, outraged merchants have fought back by launching a class action against Tyro.

According to a notice from the Federal Court, affected business owners now have three months to register their case if they hope to receive compensation in the event they win the lawsuit. The registrations opened last week at www.tyroclassaction.com.au and close on October 30.

Ms Hera-Singh said: “We were losing heaps of customers. We were left in this huge dilemma.

“I’m a small business owner, it’s hard.”

The baker explained how the Covid-19 outbreak meant that society had gone largely cashless, making it even harder to survive during those two weeks.

By way of compensation, she said Tyro waived the rent on her machines for a month — which wasn’t nearly enough.

Her terminals stopped working on January 7 and only came back online by January 21, a whole 14 days later.

Across Australia, outages were first reported from January 5 due to a glitch in the coding and it took until late that month for all machines to operate normally again.

In a statement to news.com.au, Tyro did not acknowledge the class action law suit but said it had introduced a compensation program to make up for the financial losses.

“Following the terminal connectivity incident experienced in January 2021, Tyro has conducted a remediation program whereby all impacted merchants have been contacted directly by Tyro and given the opportunity to claim any financial losses caused by the connectivity incident,” a spokesperson said.

Bannister Law started the class action in October last year and Court House Capital is funding the case.

According to Bannister Law, most affected businesses lost between $5,00 to $40,000 from the outage, but there were several outliers like Ms Hera-Singh’s bakery. Some businesses that had multiple machines lost as much as $100,000.

Charles Bannister, Principal at Bannister Law, told news.com.au should businesses fail to register in the next three months, they wouldn’t be entitled to any compensation if his firm won the court case.

“The outage occurred during a crucial period, being a time when everyone had come out of lockdowns and there was a general reluctance to accept cash,” he told news.com.au.

“That merchants were unable to use their EFTPOS machines for days or weeks was, for many merchants, catastrophic.

“There are approximately 11,000 businesses affected by this outage. If they do not register, they will not be entitled to receive a share of the proceeds of any funds received should the proceedings settle, subject to Court approval.”

Last week, a whopping 11,000 letters were sent out to the impacted business owners inviting them to register.

Another impacted business was Highett RSL, in Melbourne’s southeast, which estimated it lost around $10,000.

Gavin Williams, the pub’s general manager, said the timing couldn’t have been worse as Melbourne had just come out of their four month lockdown in the winter of 2020 and they needed to recoup their losses.

“There were obviously lockdowns and all that in Melbourne that was going on,” he told news.com.au.

“People wanted to use credit cards and EFTPOS cards, [but by then] all our signage was to use your cards.”

Before Covid he estimates that half of his customers used cash while the other half used cards but the pandemic changed that. Around 70 per cent of customers now use cards, making it harder for people to buy drinks when credit card machines were down.

I paid $49 per month for an EFTPOS terminal and this fee was waived for the month of January.

To date, that is the only compensation the business has received, he said.

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Brodie Grundy Melbourne meeting, Collingwood contract, Cameron Zurhaar Essendon, Dyson Heppell Gold Coast

Brodie Grundy Melbourne meeting, Collingwood contract, Cameron Zurhaar Essendon, Dyson Heppell Gold Coast

Brodie Grundy’s link to the Dees has strengthened after three key Melbourne figures met with the Pies ruck.

Plus while Essendon remains in negotiations with its skipper, it’s flagged preliminary interest in a North forward.

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KEY DEES TRIO MEET WITH PIES STAR

Not only is Melbourne interested in Brodie Grundy, the club has met with the star ruckman, according to Sportsday reporter Sam McClure.

the Herald Sun reported on Tuesday night that the Demons, as well as Geelong, had emerged as “potential new suitors” for Grundy, who’s now central to ample trade speculation despite being contracted to the Pies until the end of 2027 on a deal reportedly worth around $1 million per season.

Giants football boss Jason McCartney was seen meeting Grundy’s manager last month, while Port Adelaide has also been linked to the dual All-Australian.

Speaking on 3AW’s sports day on Tuesday night, McClure said the Dees had been proactive and met with Grundy “in recent days”.

“Simon Goodwin was definitely there, Alan Richardson was definitely there and Max Gawn was definitely there,” McClure told 3AW.

Jamie Elliot signs with Feet until 2025 | 00:37

“Clearly Melbourne are of the belief that Luke Jackson is going to Fremantle, so they are on the lookout early and are getting in early in the queue for a direct replacement.”

While Jackson appears increasingly likely to request a trade to Fremantle, the Demons are keen to continue with a two-ruck strategy — and pairing Gawn and Grundy would bring together two of the AFL’s premier ruckmen in the past decade.

Collingwood coach Craig McRae declared on Fox Footy’s AFL 360 last month he wanted Grundy at the club next season, but remained tight-lipped on whether he was up for trade.

Grundy, who hasn’t played an AFL game since Anzac Day due to a knee issue, had been nearing a return to the AFL before suffering a stress fracture in his ankle in a VFL match, ruling him out for the rest of the home and away season.

BOMBERS EYE OFF-CONTRACT ROO

Gun Kangaroos goalkicker Cameron Zurhaar has received “preliminary” interest from Essendon, SEN reports.

Zurhaar, who’s been one of the Kangaroos’ most important forward 50 players over the past four seasons, in May put off contract talks, with his manager Anthony McConville telling the Herald Sun the timing was “not right to have fruitful discussions”.

That call to park negotiations, though, came before North parted ways with senior coach David Noble. And Zurhaar has been in excellent form under caretaker coach Leigh Adams, booting 13 goals from his past four games — including four from 18 disposals and seven marks against Essendon in Round 20 — to take his season tally to a career-high 32.

Bombers inflict more misery on Kangaroos | 01:11

SEN reported the Bombers had “some interest” in Zurhaar, but the Roos also had hope he would re-sign with them after a senior coach is appointed.

The report also suggested the Bombers are looking to acquire a big-bodied midfielder during the AFL exchange period.

Zurhaar, 24, has blossomed at North since being selected as a rookie in 2016.

He’s been among the top two leading goalkickers at the club for the past four straight years, including topping the table in 2020 with 18 majors from 16 games.

HEPPELL GRILLED OVER FRESH SUNS LINK

Essendon skipper Dyson Heppell has been quizzed about his playing future amid reports of a juicy Gold Coast offer.

As Heppell weighs up a one-year offer to stay at Essendon, the Suns have reportedly upped their offer to the veteran defender and are prepared to offer him a two-year deal with the potential of a coaching future at the club post-playing career. .

While no formal deal had been tabled yet, SEN reported on Tuesday the Suns were preparing a four-year offer that would likely entail two seasons as a player then two as an assistant coach.

Suns succumb to Hawks hot streak | 02:07

Speaking to TV reporters on Tuesday, Heppell said his manager and the Bombers were “working through” negotiations, adding he was hopeful “something will be sorted soon.”

Asked if he was torn on his decision, Heppell told reporters: “We’re working through that at the moment. I’m really just honing in on trying to finish off the year well with the Dons and see how we go from there.”

Asked if a longer term deal would be more appealing, Heppell said: “Who knows at the moment? Everything will get sorted ASAP. I’m just trying to lead the club as best as I possibly can.”

As an unrestricted free agent, Heppell could walk to another club without a trade being made.

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NRL won’t reverse result of West Tigers’ loss to North Queensland in round 19

NRL won't reverse result of West Tigers' loss to North Queensland in round 19

The NRL won’t be reversing the outcome of Wests Tigers’ controversial loss to North Queensland in round 19 but will review the rule that allowed a captain’s challenge after the siren had gone.

And the Tigers also confirmed the club had decided not to pursue a course of legal action after “forcibly” making its position clear to the NRL in recent discussions having also undertaken independent advice.

In the aftermath of the Cowboys kicking a penalty kick to snatch a 27-26 victory courtesy of a captain’s challenge after the final siren, the NRL admitted bunker official Ashley Klein got the wrong call to uphold North Queensland’s challenge after winger Kyle Feldt and the Tigers ‘Asu Kepaoa collided while Feldt was chasing a kick.

Klein incorrectly ruled that Kepaoa had provided an “escort”.

The NRL world was fuming for what most considered the worst decision of the season and the Wests Tigers threatened legal action.

But after an investigation and meetings between league heavyweights and the clubs, the NRL declared on Monday there would be “no further consideration” of the match, ruling out awarding the game to the Tigers.

“Chairman and CEO of the Wests Tigers met with the chairman of the ARLC, NRL CEO and NRL head of football last week,” an NRL statement said.

“The meeting was agreed to discuss various aspects of the rulings made in the final minutes of the Wests Tigers and North Queensland Cowboys match on 24 July 2022, being the subject of a formal complaint lodged by Wests Tigers with the NRL.

“The NRL has acknowledged the concerns raised by the Wests Tigers and in response has put forward its interpretation of the rules which enabled the captain’s challenge to be made and the subsequent decision of the bunker match official.

“The NRL has already acknowledged that the bunker official decision of ‘escort’ was incorrect, leading to the erroneous awarding of a penalty in favor of North Queensland Cowboys which ultimately decided the match.

“On the matter of whether the captain’s challenge was permissible in terms of how the rules were drafted, the NRL and the Wests Tigers expressed differing views and interpretation.

The NRL is comfortable with the interpretation that was applied but has acknowledged, in light of the concerns raised by the Wests Tigers, that the rule needs to be reviewed at the end of the season to provide more clarity so as to ensure that there is no future misunderstanding as to the intent and application of the rule.

“Wests Tigers will be consulted as part of the review, together with other interested clubs and stakeholders.

“The NRL acknowledges the professional and respectful manner in which the representatives of the Wests Tigers have pursued their concerns on behalf of their club’s members and fans.

“There will be no further consideration in relation to the match of 24 July 2022.”

Tigers chairman Lee Hagipantelis had said in the aftermath of the game that the club was exploring its legal options but the club ruled that out on Monday after talks with the NRL

In a statement the club said that decision may be “disappointing to many” but officials were happy they would be consulted on charges to the rules.

“We have made our point to the NRL and made it forcibly,” the statement said.

“We did so on behalf of our members and fans and gave voice to their legitimate concerns that the outcome of the match was not just nor fair. We extracted a concession from the NRL that the obstruction penalty which was given was erroneous and therefore, by implication, Wests Tigers should have won that match.

“We know it, everyone knows it. Unfortunately, the history books will not record it that way.”

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Holden ZB Commodore brake booster recall

Holden ZB Commodore brake booster recall

Holden has recalled almost 14,000 examples of the last car to wear the Commodore badge.

Sold to customers between 2017 and 2020, Holden’s ZB Commodore was a last roll of the dice from a brand clinging to life in Australia.

A recall notice for the European-sourced machine says the car’s brake booster may fail due to a manufacturing defect.

“If this occurs the stopping distance in the un-boosted condition would exceed the distance prescribed by the Australian Design Rule (ADR) 31/03,” the notice says.

“If the brake booster does not operate as intended, it could increase the risk of an accident causing serious injury or death to vehicle occupants and/or other road users.”

Holden finished assembly of locally-built VF Commodores in Elizabeth, South Australia in 2017. The German-built ZB Commodore took its place in showrooms until it was phased out when Holden decided to retire the Commodore name in December 2019.

Holden announced plans to end sales of all new cars in Australia weeks later in February 2020, before closing its local business at the end of that year.

The manufacturer still offers maintenance, repair and warranty work through a service network.

Models affected by the latest recall will receive a free software update that should address the issue.

More info: Holden Customer Care, 1800 46 465 336

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