New South Wales – Page 5 – Michmutters

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Premier League news, lineups, fixtures, Chelsea vs Tottenham, team news, Manchester United, Cristiano Ronaldo, start time, scores

Premier League news, lineups, fixtures, Chelsea vs Tottenham, team news, Manchester United, Cristiano Ronaldo, start time, scores

A thrilling opening weekend saw the Premier League return with a bang. Liverpool and Manchester United were stunned, Spurs claimed a statement victory, while Erling Haaland made his mark for Manchester City.

Now attention turns to Matchday 2. Erik ten Hag faces a huge call over Cristiano Ronaldo as the Red Devils seek to get their season off and running, while Spurs visit Stamford Bridge in the first big-six blockbuster.

Here are the big storylines to watch out for this weekend.

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Reds star savaged over ‘atrocious’ brainfade; Spurs find missing piece of puzzle: PL Talking Pts

Ten Hag booed after United’s horror loss | 01:18

MANCHESTER UNITED SET FOR MORE PAIN?

Manchester United finished last season by losing their final six away games – a nightmare streak that ruined any hope of Champions League football. It was their worst run of road losses since March 1981 – but defeat at Brentford this weekend would make it their worst run since all the way back in 1936, when they lost ten on the trot away from Old Trafford.

But is it a serious prospect against a relative minnow in the Bees? Well, history hasn’t helped United much to start this season – their defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion last week was their first-ever loss at home to the Seagulls.

Christian Eriksen starred for the Bees last season, winning 7 of his 11 games on the park, but struggled in a false nine position for United against Brighton.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s arrival in the second half shifted Eriksen into the midfield, a move which benefited the team immensely.

Whether Erik ten Hag rushes Ronaldo into the starting line-up in search of a maiden Premier League win will be a crucial selection conundrum, especially since the Portuguese legend is still short of fitness.

But after conceding two goals in the first half in the opening week – and it could well have been three if VAR didn’t overrule a penalty early in the second half – ten Hag clearly has just as many problems in defense (especially on set pieces ).

With Brentford adding to their well-earned reputation for fighting out of tricky situations when they fought back for a 2-2 draw against Leicester, this one will likely be battled out until the final whistle sounds. It just might signal more woe for the Red Devils.

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Chelsea sell Werner back to RB Leipzig | 01:19

SPURS OUT TO BREAK HORROR RUN

It’s the first big-six clash of the season, and it should be an absolute beauty as Chelsea host Tottenham.

But there’s a heavy weight of history standing in their way: Spurs have won just once in their last 37 matches at Stamford Bridge. No wonder the Blues are favorites for this one, despite their ‘rusty’ 1-0 win over Everton last week – as coach Thomas Tuchel described it.

Spurs, on the other hand, fought back from an early deficit to win 4-1 over Southampton – a result that means they have scored the most Premier League in the 2022 calendar year to date.

Antonio Conte has enjoyed a full pre-season and a big transfer window in Tottenham, and this match will be a true litmus test for just how far they’ve come – and whether they can actually challenge at the pointy end this season.

“I think it’ll be a good test to mark whether they are really in the contest for the title,” former Spurs back Pascal Chimbonda told Sky Sports News.”

Perhaps the biggest key to their improvement is their depth: none of their six signings started against Saints. Some, like Richarlison, could start this time out, while Ivan Perisic might also hope to replace Ryan Sessegnon.

PREDICTED XI: Hugo Lloris; Eric Dier, Ben Davies, Cristian Romero; Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Rodrigo Bentancur, Ivan Perisic, Emerson; Heung-Min Son, Dejan Kulusevski; Harry Kane.

Fulham frustrate Reds as Spurs fly high | 02:59

For Chelsea, Thomas Tuchel hasn’t been fully happy with his transfer window so far despite some big-name arrivals in Kalidou Koulibaly, Raheem Sterling, and Marc Cucurella.

Koulibaly and Sterling both started and should start again this time out, while Cucurella came off the bench and could depose Ben Chilwell from the starting role. Christian Pulisic’s impressive bench cameo could also see him introduced to the XI.

If they fail to score from open play again, it could just nudge the new owners to push even harder to complete the signings of targets Frenkie de Jong and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Barcelona, ​​or Wesley Fofana from Leicester City – having already missed out on Manchester City’s Nathan Ake and Sevilla’s Jules Kounde.

The first heavyweight bout of the season is here, and it could have huge ramifications on the trajectories of two big-six members.

Predicted Chelsea XI: Edouard Mendy; Thiago Silva, Cesar Azpilicueta, Kalidou Koulibaly; Ben Chilwell, N’Golo Kante, Jorgino, Reece James, Mason Mount, Kai Havertz; Raheem Sterling.

Klopp rages as Liverpool cop HUGE scare; Spurs’ statement in crushing win: PL Wrap

Premier League Monday morning wrap | 03:00

STAGGERING LAMPARD STAT IN BATTLE OF ENGLAND GREATS

Frank Lampard might be a Premier League and England great, but this weekend he meets another man of similar pedigree – his old England teammate Steven Gerrard.

The duo met 34 times during their playing careers, and Lampard had the upper hand with 16 wins compared to Gerrard’s 11. Both will be desperate for victory this weekend in their first-ever managerial meeting.

For Lampard, the biggest worry – among many – is his staggeringly poor defensive record away from home.

In 38 games in charge of Everton and previously Chelsea, his sides conceded 73 goals at an average of 1.92 per 90 minutes. That includes a Blues side that would win the Champions League six months after his departure from him.

There were concerns about Everton’s squad entering this season (having sold star striker Richarlison to balance the books), and those only worsened on opening day when defenders Ben Godfrey and Yerry Mina both copped serious injuries.

Everton have since pulled a late signing swoop for Conor Coady and midfielder Amadou Onana (from Wolverhampton on Monday and Lille on Tuesday, in that order), while they added another solid defender in James Tarkowski from Burnley in pre-season.

Magpies overrun Forest, Leeds pip Wolves | 00:55

After Everton lost to Chelsea 1-0 and Gerrard’s Aston Villa lost to promoted Bournemouth 2-0, the pressure is on.

But where will the Toffee goals come from?

Everton’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Andros Townsend are months away from returning, but Lampard welcomes back-up forward Salomon Rondon to the team after suspension.

And the club is reportedly chasing Southampton’s Che Adams to boost their stingy offence, having missed out on Burnley winger Maxwel Cornet who instead joined West Ham.

“We know there is a void in forward areas, we are short in numbers there,” Lampard said amid a difficult pre-season.

Arresting his poor defensive record on the road will be a key priority – but their lack of firepower up front could be just as worrying down the track.

Klopp laments ‘really bad’ Liverpool | 03:00

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Business

Aussie company collapses up to 50 per cent since April, Creditorwatch finds

Aussie company collapses up to 50 per cent since April, Creditorwatch finds

It’s no secret there has been a “massive rise” in Australian companies collapsing but new findings show they have skyrocketed by a whopping 50 per cent since April.

The construction industry has faced a particular crisis with dozens of firms going under this year, but everything from billion dollar tech starts up to grocery delivery companies have become casualties of this “disturbing trend”.

Overall, companies going into external administration are up 46 per cent year-on-year, while court actions are up 54 per cent year-on-year, the latest data from credit reporting agency CreditorWatch found.

The huge jump has been blamed on interest rate rises causing “cheap money” to dry up, while spooked investors are pulling back on spending their cash on start-ups as valuations have taken a dramatic dive, with a slew of staff cuts battering the sector .

Meanwhile many businesses are already suffering depleted cash reserves as a result of the pandemic and the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has ramped up its debt collection, according to the agency.

‘Ramping up legal action’

CreditorWatch has issued a chilling warning that the rise in business insolvencies will continue this year as multiple impacts batter the economy including ongoing supply chain issues, declining consumer confidence, rising interest rates, inflation and labor shortages.

CreditorWatch chief executive Patrick Coghlan said the hands-off approach to debt collection adopted by the ATO and many lenders during the pandemic is clearly over.

“The massive rise in external administrations is certainly a disturbing trend – now up 50 per cent since April. Our data shows that court actions are back to pre-Covid levels and the ATO has also stated that it is ramping up legal action for outstanding debts,” he said.

“With business and consumer confidence declining and inflation and interest rates on the rise, this doesn’t bode well for businesses, particularly small and medium enterprises whose cash reserves were depleted during the pandemic and are now operating on much tighter margins.”

No longer ‘awash with cash’

Aussie start-ups have been particularly hard hit, with the casualties piling up in the tech sector.

The latest was an Australian tech company called Metigy, which left staff “shell-shocked” by its sudden collapse last week, after it planned to raise money with a valuation of $1 billion.

Businesses that are trying to raise money for growth are particularly at risk in the current environment, added CreditorWatch chief economist Anneke Thompson.

“When interest rates were low and the world was awash with cash, investors were hungry for investment opportunities, and willing to move up the risk curve to find good returns,” she said.

“Now that cash is being consumed by ever-increasing prices and debt costs a lot more, the appetite for risk is dropping.

“Start-up businesses or those in the growth phase are always considered riskier. We have already seen this phenomenon hit the tech sector, and many well-known companies are being repriced to reflect this.”

Other recently failed Australian start-ups include grocery delivery service Send, which went into liquidation at the end of May, after the company spent $11 million in eight months to stay afloat.

There was also a Victorian food delivery company that styled itself as a rival to UberEats and Deliveroo that collapsed in July as it became unprofitable, despite making more than $6 million worth of deliveries since it launched in 2017 and had 18,000 customers.

Meanwhile Australia’s first ever neobank founded in 2017, Volt Bank, went under last month with 140 staff losing their jobs, while 6000 customers were told to urgently withdraw their funds.

A venture capital firm issued a sobering message about the state of Australia’s start-up industry, warning that more new companies would go bust and pulling back on funding as a result.

CreditorWatch also identified five regions where businesses are most at risk of going under with the suburbs of Merrylands, Canterbury and Auburn in NSW on the list, alongside Surfers Paradise and Ormeau in Queensland.

Construction collapses to continue

After four consecutive months of increases to interest rates and inflation continuing to rise, it is now clear that a slowdown in demand in many industries is inevitable, added Ms Thompson.

She said construction companies will continue to be impacted by late payments and reduced demand, particularly smaller operators.

The most recent company impacted was Melbourne-based Blint Builder which collapsed this week with approximately $1 million in outstanding debt owed to 50 creditors, according to the liquidators.

It joined smaller operators like Hotondo Homes Horsham, which was based in Victoria and a franchisee of a national construction firm – which collapsed in July affecting 11 homeowners with $1.2 million in outstanding debt.

It was the second Hotondo Homes franchisee to go under this year, with its Hobart branch collapsing in January owing $1.3 million to creditors, according to a report from liquidator Revive Financial.

Others include two major Australian construction companies, Gold Coast-based Condev and industry giant Probuild, which went into liquidation earlier this year.

There was also Norris Construction Group, which was in Geelong, collapsed in March with $27 million in debt. It owes $3.2 million to around 140 staff that it is unlikely to be able to repay, according to the liquidator’s report.

Meanwhile, Snowdon Developments was ordered into liquidation by the Supreme Court with 52 staff members, 550 homes and more than 250 creditors owed just under $18 million, although it was partially bought out less than 24 hours after going bust.

Other casualties this year include Inside Out Construction, Solido Builders, Waterford Homes, Affordable Modular Homes and Statement Builders.

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Sports

AFL tips Round 22 2022

AFL tips Round 22 2022

Need a hand with your AFL tips for the upcoming weekend?

The Fox Footy experts are here to help with their winners for every game in Round 22.

Check out all our expert tips and the final verdict below!

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Listen below or subscribe in Apple Podcasts or Spotify

FOX FOOTY AFL ROUND 21 TIPS AND LEADERBOARD

1. BRAD JOHNSON — 134 (Last week: 6)

Brisbane Lions

Western Bulldogs

adelaide crows

Geelong Cats

melbourne

Fremantle

Richmond

sydney swans

Port Adelaide

2. MAX LAUGHTON (2019, 2020, 2021 champion) – 130 (Last week: 4)

Brisbane Lions

Western Bulldogs

adelaide crows

Geelong Cats

melbourne

Fremantle

Richmond

sydney swans

Essendon

3. BEN COTTON—124 (Last week: 4)

Brisbane Lions

Western Bulldogs

Geelong Cats

melbourne

Fremantle

Richmond

sydney swans

Essendon

=4. NICK DAL SANTO — 123 (Last week: 5)

Brisbane Lions

Western Bulldogs

adelaide crows

Gold Coast Suns

melbourne

Fremantle

Richmond

sydney swans

Port Adelaide

=4. DAVID ZITA — 123 (Last week: 5)

st kilda

Western Bulldogs

adelaide crows

Geelong Cats

melbourne

Fremantle

Richmond

sydney swans

Port Adelaide

=6. CATHERINE HEALEY—122 (Last week: 5)

TBC

=6. CAMERON MOONEY—122 (Last week: 5)

Brisbane Lions

Western Bulldogs

adelaide crows

Geelong Cats

melbourne

Fremantle

Richmond

sydney swans

Essendon

8. LEIGH MONTAGNA—120 (Last week: 3)

Brisbane

Western Bulldogs

adelaide crows

Geelong Cats

melbourne

Fremantle

Richmond

sydney

Essendon

=9. BEN WATERWORTH—119 (Last week: 4)

Brisbane Lions

Western Bulldogs

adelaide crows

Geelong Cats

melbourne

Fremantle

Richmond

sydney swans

Port Adelaide

=9. ANTHONY HUDSON—119 (Last week: 6)

Brisbane Lions

GWS Giants

adelaide crows

Geelong Cats

melbourne

Fremantle

Richmond

sydney swans

Essendon

11. DREW JONES — 114 (Last week: 4)

TBC

=12. CATH DURKIN—113 (Last week: 5)

Brisbane Lions

Western Bulldogs

adelaide crows

Geelong Cats

melbourne

Fremantle

Richmond

sydney swans

Essendon

=12. KATH LOUGHNAN—113 (Last week: 6)

Brisbane Lions

Western Bulldogs

adelaide crows

Geelong Cats

melbourne

Fremantle

Richmond

sydney swans

Port Adelaide

=14. JORDAN LEWIS—111 (Last week: 5)

st kilda

Western Bulldogs

adelaide crows

Geelong Cats

melbourne

Fremantle

hawthorn

sydney swans

Essendon

=14. BEN DIXON—111 (Last week: 6)

st kilda

Western Bulldogs

adelaide crows

Geelong Cats

melbourne

Fremantle

Richmond

sydney swans

Essendon

16. CHLOE MOLLOY—103 (Last week: 6)

Brisbane Lions

Western Bulldogs

adelaide crows

Geelong Cats

melbourne

Fremantle

Richmond

Collingwood

Port Adelaide

FINAL VERDICT (14 of 16 tipsters)

Brisbane Lions 11 — St Kilda 3

Western Bulldogs 13 — GWS Giants 1

Adelaide Crows 14 — North Melbourne 0

Gold Coast Suns 1 — Geelong Cats 13

Melbourne 14—Carlton 0

Fremantle 14 — West Coast Eagles 0

Richmond 13—Hawthorn 1

Sydney Swans 13—Collingwood 1

Essendon 9 — Port Adelaide 5

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Sports

Isaiah Papali’i Wests Tigers backflip; Tim Sheens, Benji Marshall, team news, 2023 roster, Luke Brooks future

Isaiah Papali'i Wests Tigers backflip; Tim Sheens, Benji Marshall, team news, 2023 roster, Luke Brooks future

The Wests Tigers have been told to “win the war” over star recruit Isaiah Papali’i as the club faces a “massive moment” in its history.

The Eels enforcer was seen as a major coup when he inked a three-year $1.9 million deal in November.

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But the 23-year-old is reportedly weighing up his future after the Tigers parted ways with premiership winning coach Michael Maguire.

It is the first major challenge for the Tigers new coaching group of Tim Sheens, Benji Marshall and Robbie Farah, one that could shape the immediate future of the embattled club.

Speaking on NRL360, the Daily Telegraph’s Phil Rothfield said it was vital that the club made sure Papali’i honored his lucrative contract.

“It’s no good the Wests Tigers having the new Sheens-Benji combination at the head of the club if they’re going to back down on something like this,” Rothfield said on Wednesday.

“It’s a crunch signing for them, as important as Api (Koroisau). They’ve got to stay strong.”

Papali’i was widely seen as one of the best new buys in the competition in 2021, as he was included in the Dally M Team of the Year after a stellar first season in blue and gold.

The talented forward played 25-games for the Eels last season, having scored seven tries, averaged 150 running meters per game, and made more than 800 tackles.

What’s more, his signature saw the Tigers part ways with the likes of Luke Garner and Luciano Leilua.

Isaiah Papali'i could backflip on his Tigers deal.
Isaiah Papali’i could backflip on his Tigers deal.Source: Getty Images

NRL 360 co-host Paul Kent said the saga surrounding Papali’i had seen the club reach a crossroads.

“It’s a massive moment in the club and the new future of the club, given the new appointment of the coaches,” he said.

Kent then questioned the re-signing of Brent Naden after the club announced this week he had inked an extension until the end of the 2025 season.

“If you’re going to go out and sell your club, Brent Naden is not the guy you’re going to go ‘look who we’ve just signed, come and play with us’,” Kent said.

“They’ve got to win the war of Papali’i first.”

Co-host Braith Anasta was also surprised by the Naden announcement and the club needed to identify what a Wests Tigers player represents.

“They’ve got the opportunity here, the Wests Tigers, and you see it with the Bulldogs at the moment, to start from the bottom up again,” Anasta said.

“They’ve got Sheens, they’ve got Marshall, great look, you want to attract players. You want to attract the right players from the start, set the tone.

“What sort of personality are you looking for? What sort of player do you want to be a Wests Tigers player? That’s what I’m talking about.”

Brent Naden signed an extension with the Tigers this week.Source: Getty Images

The Australian’s Brent Read said the Naden announcement, at a time where there is uncertainty surrounding a host of big-name Tigers stars, was not what fans wanted to see.

“He’s a tell me a dozen,” he said on NRL360.

“You know what the Wests Tigers fans want to hear about? They want to hear about (Adam) Doueihi, they want to hear about (Daine) Laurie, they want to hear about (Jackson) Hastings, they want to hear about (Luke) Brooks,” Read said.

“That’s what they care about. Brent Naden they can give or take, due respect to Brent Naden, but they want to hear what’s going on with those four blokes.”

Rothfield, however, said the club was right to lock Naden down.

“I think you’re being really unfair on that young fella, I really do,” he said.

“I think he’s a handy player,” Rothfield said. “You don’t let players go alright and handy players, you don’t not sign them.”

The drama surrounding the Tigers roster is unlikely to begin and end with Papali’i.

Luke Brooks has repeatedly been linked with a move to Newcastle despite denying he wants out.

Rumors about Luke Brooks’ future at the Tigers won’t go away.Source: Supplied

Fellow half Jackson Hastings’ future is also up in the air. The Sydney Morning Herald reported last month that Hastings, who has been playing lock, could be axed as part of a roster overhaul.

This report claimed there are people within the club who believe Hastings has had a negative influence on the playing group.

This week Rothfield then revealed another rumor surrounding Brooks which will do little to quell the feeling of uncertainty at Concord.

“There’s been all sorts of rumours,” he said.

“There was a strong one (Tuesday) that Luke Brooks was going to N and Frizell was coming to Wests Tigers as a swap. As an edge forward.

“Tim Sheens said it’s not happening but a lot of people saw it as insurance if Papali’i doesn’t come.”

Wests have also reportedly inquired about former Raiders second rower John Bateman, who is currently plying his trade back in England with Wigan.

The inquiry, as reported by Fox Sports’ James Hooper, is believed to be “unrelated to Isaiah Papali’i” and his contract drama.

“Tim’s got something going on cause I spoke to him this week, I asked him about Papali’i and he said ‘he’s coming and don’t worry there’s other stuff happening,” Read added.

“Edge backrower is an area that they need to address. He’d be a really handy one for them.”

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Sports

Tennis news 2022: Nick Kyrgios defeats compatriot Alex de Minaur in straight sets

Tennis news 2022: Nick Kyrgios defeats compatriot Alex de Minaur in straight sets

Nick Kyrgios’ stunning purple patch has continued, with the Wimbledon runner-up comprehensively defeating compatriot Alex de Minaur in the Montreal Masters on Friday morning (AEST).

The Australian, currently sitting at No. 37 on the ATP rankings, topped his Davis Cup teammate in straight sets 6-2 6-3, securing victory in just 62 minutes.

Kyrgios was at his absolute best during the entertaining round of 16 contest, registering 22 winners and only nine unforced errors in front of a packed-out stadium.

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However, he carried on with constant backchat towards his players box, giving almost a running commentary of his state of mind on the court in a display that seems second nature to him.

Minaur’s World No. 21 hardly won a point in the opening four games, fighting back in the second set by breaking Kyrgios twice, but struggling to hold serve himself.

It was the first time Kyrgios and de Minaur had met in an ATP event.

“After yesterday’s big high, today was really hard mentally for me to go out and play Alex,” Kyrgios said.

“We’re such good friends, he’s been having such a good career and carrying the Australian flag for so long. It was just tough mentally, it’s never easy to play a friend like that especially if they’re an Australian so I just got out here and got the job done.

“I played the way I had to play — he’s a hell of a player. If you play to his strengths he’s one of the best players from the back (of the court) in the game and he’s so fast, he’s going to have a hell of a career.

Kyrgios will next face Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz in the quarter-finals. The pair faced off two months ago on grass, with Hurkacz the victor on that occasion.

This Montreal Masters campaign will give Kyrgios an important rankings boost ahead of the US Open, which gets underway on Monday August 29.

He is expected to climb 10 spots in the ATP rankings, and could crack the top 15 if he wins the Canadian tournament.

Fresh from winning the Citi Open title in Washington, Kyrgios came back from a set down to top world No. 1 Daniil Medvedev 6-7 6-4 6-2 on Thursday.

It’s the second time in his career he’s beaten a world No. 1 and he now boasts a 3-1 head-to-head record against Medvedev, the 2021 US Open champion.

Since landing in the United States for the American hard court swing a couple of weeks ago, Kyrgios is 16-0 across singles and doubles.

He has now won 15 of his past 16 singles matches, stretching back to his run into the Wimbledon final, which he lost to 21-time grand slam champion Novak Djokovic.

“It’s rewarding to beat the world No. 1,” Kyrgios told The Tennis Channel after the victory over Medvedev.

“It’s a reflection of all the hard work I’ve done in Sydney.

“After Washington I could easily come here and be content with what I did last week, but I wanted to empty the tank these two weeks.

“Obviously my ranking’s not where I want it to be, not getting those points at Wimbledon, but I’ve got to capitalize on this little window.”

Read related topics:Nick Kyrgios

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Business

Capel Court scammers steal $250k from NSW widow, $2.56m stolen altogether

Capel Court scammers steal $250k from NSW widow, $2.56m stolen altogether

A group of sophisticated scammers have stolen a quarter of a million dollars from a widow in NSW.

Lily*, a retiree from the NSW Mid North Coast near Port Macquarie, has been left reeling after learning she poured her $250,000 fortune into a fake investment scam.

The woman’s term deposit account was maturing and she was searching for a better return on her money.

In February this year, she was paying for her groceries at her local Woolworths when she picked up a magazine that had an advertisement inside it for an investment company called Capel Court.

“I contacted Capel Court as a result of the advert in the publication I’d seen, I’d noted the phone number and I rang them,” Lily recalled.

The so-called investment company had an online login portal and multiple employees with mobile and office phone numbers listed.

After going back and forth with company representatives for several weeks, including having a solicitor look things over, Lily eventually transferred her money in March believing she was investing in a European Investment Bank government bond.

Just a few months later news.com.au exposed that the Capel Court investment scheme was a sham. Including Lily’s losses, scammers have stolen at least $2.5 million that news.com.au knows of from six Australian victims. The highest individual loss totaled $750,000 and even an accountant in his 40s fell for the scheme.

After coming across the article and realizing she had been duped, Lily said, “I was stone cold, absolutely shocked. Probably for two weeks I cried on and off.”

Lily doesn’t have children and her husband has passed away so she was planning to leave whatever was left of her life savings to medical research to help cancer and Alzheimer’s patients.

She spoke to two different scammers who called themselves David Jones and Stephen Jones who answered all her questions and guided her through the process.

They promised her a 6.45 per cent return on her investment, with documents to back that up, which would mean she would be receiving $16,000 per year from dividends.

They tried to pressure her into depositing the money by saying there were limited spots available in the bonds fund as it was oversubscribed.

Lily almost wasn’t able to deposit her money because of the flooding along the east coast earlier this year.

“The flooding came between where I lived and where the bank was,” she said.

During the floods, the scammers called her up several times trying to get her to send the $250,000 onto them.

Finally, on March 10, Lily went into her local Westpac branch and by teletransfer, she moved $250,000 into a bank account for an instant payment system called Cuscal.

She claims bank staff didn’t ask questions and partly blames them for this unfortunate situation.

“I didn’t have any more contact [with the scammers] after everything was signed and sealed,” she said.

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In May, Lily learned she had been scammed after reading news.com.au’s previous articles.

Sure enough, when she went on the website had disappeared and she wasn’t able to get in touch with David or Stephen Jones.

“I’ve had a shocking two and a half months. I have to be [upbeat] otherwise I’d be so depressed I’d probably top myself,” she said.

Westpac wouldn’t comment on Lily’s individual case citing privacy reasons. They did not respond to questions about how they allowed an elderly woman to transfer $250,000 in one payment without raising the alarm.

“There has been a rise in investment scam activity, and we encourage all Australians to be vigilant,” a bank spokesperson said.

“Westpac invests heavily in scam prevention and has robust processes in place to alert and protect customers. We work hard to recover money for customers where possible.

“Investment scams often promise low risk for high returns. We encourage people to do their research and seek independent financial advice before making an investment.”

Sadly, this is not the first time this scamming syndicate has duped Australians out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

News.com.au has previously reported on this same group of scammers, who posed as Barclays and Macquarie Bank and EQR Securities.

They scammed one Melbourne man out of $700,000, another schoolteacher out of $500,000, a retired couple lost $200,000 and an accountant fell for it too, losing $160,000. Another widow lost $750,000.

In October last year, retired Queensland couple Antje and Bardhold Blecken had $200,000 stolen from them when they mistakenly believed they were investing in a Barclays Bank term deposit.

Then in March, Melbourne man Andy* thought he was investing $700,000 into bonds with Capel Court. It was fake and he lost his life savings.

Robert*, an accountant, also sank $160,000 into the fraudulent Capel Court group while NSW couple Jody and Corey Bridges lost $500,000 to the same scam.

Michelle Lowry transferred $750,000 to EQR Securities in December last year, which also turned out to be fake.

News.com.au can definitively link these separate scam websites because the same aliases and mobile numbers were used by the fraudsters.

The scammers used multiple aliases including William Hughes, Ben Davis, Jacob Price, Oliver James and of course David Jones.

These particular scammers are fans of rapid payment platforms like Cuscal, Money Tech/Monoova and also cryptocurrency platforms including Binance, TechMarket AU/ED Australia and ElBaite. They have also used bank accounts through the Commonwealth Bank, ANZ, Citibank and NAB to channel money. It’s understood many of these accounts are under investigation.

In May, news.com.au reported on Melbourne widow Jacomi Du Preez, who lost $760,000 from the life insurance payout of her husband in an elaborate Macquarie Bank term deposit website that turned out to be fake.

Luckily, Ms Du Preez realized it was a scam within a day and was able to recover all her money.

A cyber security expert, Nick Savvides, told news.com.au these particular scams are “sophisticated” and “well-resourced”.

He believes it is likely they had a group of at least 20 people working together to steal large sums of money.

The money has probably ended up overseas and could be part of an organized crime gang.

Names withheld over privacy concerns

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AFL 2022: David King weighs in on Buddy Franklin’s contract ‘arm wrestle’ with Sydney Swans

AFL 2022: David King weighs in on Buddy Franklin's contract 'arm wrestle' with Sydney Swans

Kangaroos great David King believes Buddy Franklin will eventually decide to remain at Sydney as his contract saga with the Swans drags on.

The star forward’s deal with the Swans expires at the end of the season and he has put contract talks on hold.

“At this stage conversations have been paused around my contract so I can put all my focus on playing footy,” Franklin said through his management last weekend.

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“No further comment will be made until the season is done and I have decided about my future.

“I am still undecided and need time after the season to make a family decision about whether I continue to play next year.”

The 35-year-old has been linked with a move north to the Brisbane Lions, while retirement is not out of the question either.

But King believes Franklin will agree to stay at the Swans once the contractual “arm wrestle” is finalized.

“I don’t see Buddy really desiring to go to another football club and having to prove himself over again regarding training standards, having to gather a group, getting to know a whole new club again,” the Fox Footy commentator told news.com .au.

“I don’t see him doing that all over again.

“I think he’s got a pretty good set-up in Sydney for what will probably be the last 1-2 years of his football journey.

“He’s been an outstanding person and player for our code so whatever he decides, I think we all just give him the grace that he’ll make the right decision.”

Essendon legend Matthew Lloyd said last month the Swans should be prepared to “let Buddy walk” to hold onto promising young players in a salary cap squeeze.

King agreed, saying the Swans are simply doing their due diligence and ensuring Franklin’s new contract doesn’t hurt them in the long-term.

“It is a business at the end of the day,” the dual premiership-winner said.

“Each player needs to run their contractual arrangements as a business. That’s just where we’re at.

“I don’t begrudge Buddy doing what he’s doing, I don’t begrudge Sydney doing what they’re doing. They’ve got to justify what they’re doing in building that next premiership opportunity. “They’ve got to look at life after Franklin even though he’s still there. It would be counter productive for them to set up a salary cap that would cost them a player somewhere down the track.

“We all understand what’s happening. It’s a contractual arm-wrestle, I’m sure it’ll sort itself out.”

Another out of contract player is Collingwood’s Jordan De Goey, who is in good form but has had several off-field indiscretions including a Bali nightclub video scandal which saw him issues a suspended $25,000 fine.

King believes the Magpies will be desperate to re-sign De Goey but any new deal will be “on Collingwood’s terms”.

“I think (Collingwood coach) Craig McRae’s handled it perfectly,” he said.

“They love Jordan De Goey the player and we see what he does with his ability to influence games, keep that scoreboard ticking over. Whether you like him or not personally, he’s a star of our competition.

“Do Collingwood want to keep him? I’m sure they do, 100 per cent. We’ve heard Craig McRae say that countless times.

“But at the end of the day it’s on Collingwood’s terms. The off-field has outweighed the on-field over the last 24 months. That’s become a concern for him. It will impact the contract tensions no doubt, but they clearly need Jordan De Goey to stay at Collingwood.”

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Indigenous families still homeless months after the floods, as leaders say First Nations people are being overlooked for rentals

Indigenous families still homeless months after the floods, as leaders say First Nations people are being overlooked for rentals

After moving accommodation five times in five months, Nyangbal and Dunghutti woman Teresa Anderson has had enough.

The elder’s Cabbage Tree Island home, nestled on a flood plain of cane fields in northern New South Wales, was deemed uninhabitable after the February floods.

She has been homeless since.

“I’ve been moved around five times,” she told the ABC.

“We were at the Ramada [hotel] then we went to Brisbane. Then we had to go outside of town.

“It’s taken a toll on my health. I couldn’t even cope, I couldn’t go to work. It just got me really emotional.”

Teresa in front of her grandmother's house, which in unsafe for occupancy
Teresa in front of her grandmother’s house, which is unsafe for occupancy.(ABC NewsEmma Rennie )

Teresa Anderson was in good health before the floods.

But she believes a series of new health issues have been a direct result of the grief and stress of being displaced.

“YO‘I’m struggling,” she said.

As floods devastated Lismore and surrounding towns earlier this year, a sludge of sewage-contaminated water raged down the Richmond River, destroying every home in the Aboriginal community.

a man cleaning up inside a house after floodwater damage
Floodwater damage at Cabbage Tree Island. (ABC News: Rani Hayman)

There are 23 homes on the island — with some housing up to 12 people — and at the time every single resident of the 180-strong community was left homeless.

Today, every house is still uninhabitable.

According to the Jali Local Aboriginal Land Council, today, almost six months after the disaster, about 500 of the 1,296 northern New South Wales residents who are still homeless are First Nations people.

“That tells me clearly that we’re disproportionate again in relation to the numbers of people who are homeless,” Widjabul man and Jali Land Council chief executive Chris Binge told the ABC.

a man wearing a cap standing out the front
Mr Binge said a disproportionate number of the Indigenous community remains homeless.(ABC News: Rani Hayman)

According to Ms Anderson, Indigenous flood victims have been pushed to the back of the line when it came to finding permanent accommodation.

“They are homeless and staying in tents in front of their homes,” she said.

“It’s hard for us to try to get accommodation like rental houses, because once they know it’s an Aboriginal family, they just say, ‘no, I’m sorry, it’s not available.”

Temporary housing plan

The NSW Department of Communities and Justice, the organization responsible for helping flood victims into emergency accommodation, told the ABC in a statement it did not collect data on Indigenous status.

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Jason Horne-Francis dropped for North Melbourne clash with Adelaide Crows, strange call

Jason Horne-Francis dropped for North Melbourne clash with Adelaide Crows, strange call

AFL pundits have been left surprised by North Melbourne’s decision to drop No. 1 pick Jason Horne Francis for Saturday’s clash against the Crows in Adelaide.

The Kangaroos have named three inclusions for the match against Adelaide, with star veteran Ben Cunnington to make his highly-anticipated AFL return after beating cancer. Cunnington is joined on the side by key defender Ben McKay and father-son draftee Jackson Archer.

But the Roos also made a statement with their exclusions, dropping Horne-Francis, recruit Hugh Greenwood and key defender Josh Walker, while Flynn Perez was the club’s unused medical sub against Sydney last Sunday.

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Horne-Francis also wasn’t named in the emergencies, which is made up of Walker, Greenwood Atu Bosenavulagi and Josh Goater.

The 2021 No. 1 draft pick played in 12 of North’s first 13 games this season before copping a two-match suspension and returning via the VFL. But in his past four AFL games, Horne-Francis has kicked one goal and averaged 14.3 disposals.

Speaking on Fox Footy’s AFL 360 Plus on Thursday night, St Kilda champion Nick Riewoldt thought the call to drop Horne-Francis was “strange”.

“There’s two games to go in the year, I would think you’re trying to get games into these guys to expose them as much as you possibly can, give a potential coach like Alastair Clarkson a look at the young players and the game’s in Adelaide – that’s where all his family and friends (are). He was desperate to get back there earlier in the year, which created some issue,” Riewoldt told Fox Footy.

Dual premiership Kangaroo David King was also surprised by the decision.

“Why would you drop Horne-Francis? He’s going back to Adelaide to play in front of family and friends, why wouldn’t you give him that opportunity? I don’t understand that,” King told SEN.

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“Just put him there in front of his friends and family because he’ll want to perform.”

Brownlow Medalist Gerard Healy told 3AW’s sports day that Horne-Francis’ non-selection for the Crows game was “a bookend to a pretty disappointing season”.

As well as reports Horne-Francis flew home to South Australia without the club’s awareness earlier this season, he also copped criticism for liking a ‘fake trade’ post on social media that involved him heading to Port Adelaide, while an on-field interaction with club great Todd Goldstein was also picked apart by footy commentators.

Jason Horne-Francis of the Kangaroos. Picture: Michael WillsonSource: Getty Images

There’s also been speculation around Horne-Francis’ future and talk he could return to South Australia after putting off contract talks with the Kangaroos on a new deal beyond 2023.

While dual All-Australian Leigh Montagna thought it was an “unusual” selection move, he told AFL 360 Plus “tough love can hold you in better stead in the long term”.

“I think that’s the general consensus, ‘why not just play them’, but we’ve seen with Jamarra Ugle-Hagan sometimes some tough love in the short-term can actually hold players in better stead in the long-term,” Montagna told Fox Footy.

“Maybe there are still elements in his game that we don’t know about that he’s working on or he’s not buying into some goals that they want.”

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Stuart MacGill’s alleged kidnappers granted bail

Stuart MacGill's alleged kidnappers granted bail

Two brothers accused of being hired “muscle” in the kidnapping of former Test cricketer Stuart MacGill have been granted bail while they await trial.

Richard and Frederick Schaaf are charged with abducting Mr MacGill from outside his home on Sydney’s lower north shore last year.

The pair pleaded not guilty to charges of take/detain in company with intent to obtain advantage, with the matter expected to go to trial mid next year.

On Thursday, they watched remotely from Bathurst Correctional Center as they were granted bail by Justice Richard Button under “strict” conditions.

The Schaaf brothers heard they will be not required to undergo electronic monitoring when they are released from jail sometime in the near future.

They were arrested along with four other men, including Mr MacGill’s de facto brother-in-law Marino Sotiropoulos, over an alleged cocaine deal gone wrong.

The court was told that Mr MacGill introduced Mr Sotiropoulos – who is the brother of his partner Maria O’Meagher – to a cocaine dealer, with the cricketer claiming that it was the extent of his involvement.

Mr Sotiropoulos has since been charged with a supply of a large commercial quantity of a prohibited drug and will stand trial alongside the Schaaf brothers.

Mr MacGill alleges that a group of men forced him into a car outside his home and confronted him after the drug deal ended in a “rip off”.

The former Test spinner claimed that he was taken to a Bringelly property where he was threatened with a gun, assaulted and demands were made for money.

Earlier this month, Schaafs’ lawyer Avni Djemal argued that the evidence against the brothers supported them being released on bail.

He argued that Mr MacGill had gone willingly with the group of men to an abandoned house in southwestern Sydney and said there was no physical evidence that he had been brutally assaulted.

“The evidence implies Mr MacGill to a high level. I’m surprised he’s not charged with the actual drug transaction that he says, in his evidence, ‘I had nothing more to do with it, I just introduced the brother-in-law, Mr Sotiropoulos, to a person who I knew used to sell drugs’,” Mr Djemal said.

Mr Djemal added there was no evidence to support Mr MacGill’s assertions that he had been punched to the front and back of his head, knocked to the ground and suffered a concussion.

Mr Djemal said the only evidence of any injuries was Ms O’Meagher saying she felt a lump on Mr MacGill’s head.

“He doesn’t have one visible injury after those events,” Mr Djemal said.

“If the hits to the front of your face have produced no lumps and you say the onslaught was to the front, the side, knocked you to the ground, how could that be?

“How could his word be that there was a kidnapping? What if he went, saw photos and got brought back?”

The trial is due to begin in October 2023.

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