Veteran goalkeeper Danny Vukovic’s bid for regular first-team football to secure a spot in the Socceroos’ World Cup squad has brought him back to the A-League.
The 37-year-old gloveman has returned to the Central Coast Mariners, where he has spent five seasons from 2005 to 2010.
Vukovic has since spent time at four other A-League clubs – Wellington Phoenix, Perth Glory, Melbourne Victory and Sydney FC – and had spells in Turkey (Konyaspor), Japan (Vegalta Sendai), Belgium (Genk) and the Netherlands (NEC Nijmegen). ).
However, a lack of first-team football last season with NEC forced him to look elsewhere to help his chances of maintaining his spot in Australia’s World Cup squad.
Central Coast coach Nick Montgomery said Vukovic was a “massive signing” for the Mariners, who recently lost keeper Mark Birighitti to Scottish Premiership club Dundee United.
“He is a top class goalkeeper and a great person who will add so much value and experience to this young squad,” Montgomery said.
“He has played at the highest level in Europe, is a real family man and is well known in our community.
“To bring him home to play in Australia and hopefully help him make selection for the World Cup at the end of the year would be a special thing.”
Parramatta have all but ended Manly’s season with an emphatic 36-20 victory at a sold-out Brookvale Oval on Friday night.
The win featured a try of the season contender and moved the Eels above the Broncos into fifth on the ladder with four rounds remaining.
MATCH CENTER: Sea Eagles v Eels, stats, video, teams
The Eels burst out of the blocks with winger Maika Sivo scoring two tries in the opening eight minutes to stun a pumping home crowd.
Sivo crossed untouched for both tries and with Mitchell Moses sidelined the kicking duties fell to Clint Gutherson who missed the conversions.
But Manly then scored 14 unanswered points as the sides went into halftime all locked up at 14-14.
The Sea Eagles hit back against the run of play when Daly Cherry-Evans put in a kick for Toluatau Koula to fly above the pack and score in the 20th minute.
Manly then slotted a penalty to draw level, before Jason Saab finished sensationally in the corner and Reuben Garrick converted to make it 14-8.
“What an amazing turnaround after all the pressure the Eels put them under,” Greg Alexander said on Fox League.
Parramatta center Tom Opacic finished a well-worked team try in the 33rd minute to lock the scores back up.
Manly struck first in the second half when Christian Tuipulotu burrowed his way over in the corner.
Garrick slotted a penalty in front of the sticks in the 54th minute to make it 20-14 before Eels winger Waqa Blake scored an incredible try.
Blake used every inch available to him to produce one of the best finishes of the season over the top of Morgan Harper.
“That’s an incredible try, he brought the ball well above his head, he was smashed by morgan harper but he still gets the ball down in that corner,” Alexander said.
“He is a blade of grass in from touch in goal,” Voss replied.
Eels skipper Clint Gutherson then scored from long-range after Shaun Lane broke the line and off-loaded to his skipper who raced away.
“Shaun Lane has had 10 try assists this year, it’s been a very effected year for him down that left edge,” Alexander said.
Eels center Will Penisini scored after pouncing on a smart grubber from Jakob Arthur before Dylan Brown sealed the result in the 71st minute.
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MATCH PREVIEW
Manly must win their remaining five games to secure a finals spot and they get back a host of stars against the Eels.
Jason Saab, Christian Tuipulotu, Tolutau Koula, Haumole Olakau’atu and Toafofoa Sipley all return after standing down last week amid the pride jersey controversy.
Marty Taupau starts for Toafofoa Sipley who moves onto the bench alongside Ethan Bullmor.
Parramatta are coming off their best win of the season, beating Penrith 34-10, but without Mitchell Moses (finger) they’ll start slight outsiders.
Jakob Arthur replaces Moses at halfback on the team sheet but Fox Sports understands Clint Gutherson has been training in the halves with Dylan Brown.
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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“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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Just as alleged murderer Tobias Moran was set to be denied bail on Thursday, interstate saviours came to his rescue.
Mr Moran was extradited to Sydney from his home in Western Australia last week after being charged with killing his German backpacker girlfriend Simone Strobel in Lismore in 2005.
With all signs pointing to the alleged killer remaining behind bars on Thursday, it seemed Mr Moran would not be returned to his pregnant wife and two children in Perth.
But as the decision was to be passed down, the surfer’s father-in-law, John Moran, who is a well-known dentist in WA, reportedly went to great lengths to ensure his son-in-law’s release.
Mr Moran and his family are understood to have coughed up hundreds of thousands for their in-law, according to the Daily Mail.
Mr Moran’s brother in law, Michael Moran, has also entered into the bail agreement and will be required to pay $50,000 if the alleged killer refuses to allow police to inspect his phone on request.
Other bail conditions include the requirement for Mr Moran to surrender his passport, to report to Wembley Police Station three days a week and to remain off encrypted communication tools such as WhatsApp.
He must not go within 500 meters of any international point of departure, unless to travel to and from NSW for the purpose of attending court and must live at an address in City Beach in WA.
Prior to his release from custody on Friday, Mr Moran was held at Lismore Police Station.
Before being extradited to Sydney on murder charges, Moran was understood to be living a life of luxury by the beach in Perth with his wife Samantha and their two children.
Formerly known as Tobias Suckfuel, alleged the murderer took the name of his wealthy wife when the pair were married in 2012.
Ms Moran, a lawyer, yoga instructor, children’s book author and former ski instructor, is now preparing to give birth to their third child.
The alleged killer was released from prison in Sydney on Thursday after prosecutors decided not to appeal against his bail being granted.
Toby Moran (above) now lives in a Perth beachside suburb and surfs at exotic beachside locations. Credit: News Regional Media
The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions released a brief statement on Thursday night.
“The ODPP has considered the matter and determined not to make a detention application in relation to Mr Moran,” they said.
The matter is next listed before the Lismore Local Court on September 28.
Mr Moran will not be required to appear.
Mr Moran is alleged of suffocating Ms Strobel inside a camper van before dumping her body under some foliage nearby.
The 42-year-old was freed by a Sydney magistrate after it was determined that there was not sufficient evidence to link him with the 2005 murder.
He can now return to his home in Western Australia where he was extradited from last week.
Magistrate Margaret Quinn in the Downing Center Local Court on Thursday accepted submissions from Moran’s barrister which claimed there was no new evidence connecting him to the murder.
Police allege Mr Moran killed his girlfriend while they were staying at the Lismore Tourist Caravan Park on February 11, 2005.
Six days after Ms Strobel disappeared, the body of the 25-year-old schoolteacher was found hidden under palm fronds just 100m from the caravan park.
Police claim Mr Moran stayed at the caravan park and misled investigators as they tried to determine the cause of Ms Strobel’s death.
According to police, Mr Moran lied during the initial investigation into Ms Strobel’s death about the nature of their relationship, their consumption of alcohol, and what she was wearing when she disappeared.
More than 17 years later, he had been extradited from his home in Western Australia and charged with murder as well as acting to pervert the course of justice.
On Thursday, Mr Moran appeared via video link in Sydney Downing Center Local Court to learn whether he would be granted conditional freedom after a lengthy bail review on Wednesday.
Simone Strobel was staying at the Lismore Tourist Caravan Park in 2005 when she died. Credit: News Regional Media
During the bail review, his lawyer Tim Game SC told the court the case against Mr Moran was “non-existent”.
He argued the police allegations against his client, including the claim Ms Strobel died of suffocation, were not supported by evidence.
The crown prosecutor disagreed and categorized the circumstantial evidence as strong.
He noted there were a number of statements from new witnesses, which the court heard would bring the total number of witness statements to a staggering 300.
The prosecutor noted an inquest found Ms Strobel did not die from natural causes, but instead the actions of a person or people.
Magistrate Margaret Quinn noted neither an Australian inquest in 2007 nor a German inquest had definitively identified the cause of death.
The court heard the couple had been drinking, doing drugs and fighting before Ms Strobel disappeared.
Witnesses heard screaming in the area of the caravan park in the hours before the young teacher disappeared.
Magistrate Quinn noted the “matters are very old” and would be difficult to prove.
Mr Moran was extradited from WA last week to face charges before the NSW court. Credit: News Corp AustraliaKey locations in the Simone Strobel case. Credit: News Regional Media
She said the prosecution case was purely circumstantial.
“There doesn’t appear to be at its highest any direct evidence connecting him to the offence,” she said.
“It’s not the strongest circumstantial case I’ve seen.”
The magistrate noted Mr Moran has a clean record and his associates combined to offer $450,000 in assurances he would not flee.
Mr Moran, who was known as Tobias Suckfuell before he legally changed his name, was granted strict conditional bail after a robust discussion of how WA authorities would enforce potential bail breaches.
Magistrate Quinn determined the 42-year-old could be released if he reported to police, surrendered his phone information, surrendered his family’s passports and resided only at his City Beach home in WA.
Police claim Tobias Moran continuously lied to them after Ms Strobel went missing. Credit: News Regional Media
However, crown prosecutor Scott Jaeger immediately moved to delay Mr Moran’s release by indicating he would submit a detention application to the Supreme Court.
Hours later, that decision was reversed.
The court heard the trial will likely be held in 2024 due to delays in the court system.
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 >
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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
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)
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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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.
The University of New England vice-chancellor has been charged with the assault of a 16-year-old girl.
Police allege Brigid Heywood assaulted the teenage girl at a club in the NSW town of Armidale on March 8.
The teen was not physically injured during the alleged incident.
Professor Heywood, 65, was issued with a court attendance notice on Monday.
UNE vice-chancellor Brigid Heywood is facing assault charges. Facebook Credit: NCA NewsWire
She is facing charges relating to common assault and offensive behavior near a public place or school.
Professor Heywood has been UNE’s vice-chancellor and chief executive since 2019.
The National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) said it was shocked to learn of the criminal charges.
“Professor Heywood is one of just 39 vice-chancellors of Australia’s public universities. She holds a position of public trust and national significance,” NTEU NSW secretary Damien Cahill said.
The University of New England campus. Facebook Credit: NCA NewsWire
“Professor Heywood is entitled to the presumption of innocence. Nevertheless, the seriousness of the allegations requires an appropriate response.”
The union is calling on Ms Heywood to step aside immediately until an outcome has been decided by the courts.
It says if she doesn’t voluntarily resign, the university should stand her down.
The National Tertiary Education Union is calling for Professor Heywood’s resignation. justin samson Credit: News Corp Australia
“Australians must have confidence that those entrusted with overseeing our public institutions are honest, have integrity and conduct themselves in a proper manner,” Dr Cahill said.
Professor Heywood and The University of New England were contacted for comment.
She will appear at Armidale Local Court on September 26.
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.
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.”
