Queensland – Page 7 – Michmutters

Tag: Queensland

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Sports

Wests Tigers vs Cowboys, escort penalty, captain’s challenge, video, outcome, Asu Kepaoa, Kyle Feldt

Wests Tigers vs Cowboys, escort penalty, captain's challenge, video, outcome, Asu Kepaoa, Kyle Feldt

The NRL has conceded the use of the captain’s challenge “needs to be reviewed,” however no action will be taken regarding the Wests Tigers’ controversial loss to the Cowboys in Round 19.

Meanwhile, the Tigers have confirmed they will not pursue the matter any further.

The Tigers lodged a formal complaint after the Cowboys received an escort penalty in the final seconds of the game, allowing Valentine Holmes to kick the matchwinning goal.

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While there were big question marks raised over the penalty itself, there was also confusion over how the Cowboys were able to trigger a captain’s challenge when it seemed like play was never stopped.

As a result the Tigers demanded answers and began looking at legal options to potentially get the result overturned.

NRL defends Bunker call | 00:43

The NRL acknowledged that the escort penalty was incorrect but stood by the Cowboys’ right to use their captain’s challenge.

Tigers CEO Justin Pascoe and chairman Lee Hagipantelis met with ARL Commission chairman Peter V’landys, NRL CEO Andrew Abdo and NRL head of football Graham Annesley last week to discuss the matter.

The NRL released a statement on Monday afternoon to confirm that no action will be taken regarding the result other than a review of the captain’s challenge at the end of the season.

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“The 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 read.

“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.

Tigers Chair won’t rule out legal action | 04:10

“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.”

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Following the NRL’s decision, the Tigers released a statement to confirm the club will not pursue legal action.

“Wests Tigers have decided not to pursue a course of legal action following the club’s loss to North Queensland Cowboys in Round 19 of the NRL Telstra Premiership,” the statement read.

“The club, through Chair Lee Hagipantelis and CEO Justin Pascoe, has been involved in lengthy discussions with the NRL over the past two weeks, and following the receipt of external legal advice, has decided against pursuing this matter any further.

“The NRL has acknowledged, in light of the concerns raised by the Wests Tigers, that the rules do need to be revised at the end of the season, so as to prevent similar incidents occurring again. Wests Tigers will be consulted as part of that review.

“Wests Tigers have been overwhelmed and humbled by the support the club has received from its members and fans.

“We have made our point to the NRL and made it forcibly. 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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Australia

Australian weather: States brace for cold snap, rain and major flood warnings

Australian weather: States brace for cold snap, rain and major flood warnings

Australians are bracing for a nationwide cold snap as some parts of the country battle temperatures below zero, rain, hail and flood warnings.

The Bureau of Meteorology told NCA NewsWire that Queensland’s August average so far this year had fallen between four and eight degrees since the same time period in 2021, plummeting to -2C temperatures in some parts of the state.

“It started off a lot warmer last year than it did this year,” meteorologist Livio Regano said.

The Darling Downs and Granite Belt regions were the coldest parts of the state, falling to -2C on Monday morning as a cold, dry air mass pushed north from South East Queensland.

A 1800km blanket of frost is also expected to hit Queensland, stretching between Stanthorpe and the far north.

The cold snap sweeping the nation has torn through NSW, ACT, Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania, bringing fog, rain and snow to some regions.

Widespread fog blanketed five states on Monday, triggering a weather warning for SA motorists.

The road weather alert was issued early on Monday, saying there would be reduced visibility and potentially dangerous driving conditions in Adelaide and the Adelaide Hills.

In Victoria, meteorologist Dean Narramore said temperatures in Westmere, in the state’s southwest, nosedived to -1.4C, while other regions were hit with zero degrees.

“The high pressure system has moved in from late last week, which is giving Victoria in particular those cold mornings,” he said.

NSW and the ACT are bracing for snow over their southern ranges, with a chance of thunderstorms on the slopes later this week.

There’s a flood warning in the southern NSW town of Gundagai following the highest recorded overflow from the Yass River into the Burrinjuck Dam.

Water releases from the dam increased to 98,000 megalitres a day over the weekend following heavy rain in parts of the region.

Down south, Tasmanian residents are feeling colder than forecast temperatures due to the cold northwesterly winds hitting the state.

Hobart sat at 1.5 degrees on Monday morning, although the temperature feels-like dropped to -4C.

Alongside Adelaide, the state has also issued road weather warnings and urged motorists to drive to the conditions following thick fog.

The east coast of Tasmania could also experience minor flooding over the weekend, with a Tasman low likely to form and bring heavy rain.

Residents living in Queensland, NSW, ACT, Victoria, SA and Tasmania are expected to experience milder mornings after Wednesday.

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Australia

Ray Hadley 2GB storms off Brisbane Ekka broadcast due to technical ‘fiasco’ and returns to Sydney

An irate Ray Hadley has walked off a live broadcast from the Royal Queensland Show after technical difficulties disrupted his morning radio program

Ray Hadley blows up and storms off the air just ONE HOUR into a week-long live broadcast from Brisbane as technical problems hit his broadcast: ‘A complete and utter fiasco!’

  • Ray Hadley was broadcasting from the Royal Queensland Show on Monday
  • The program from ‘The Ekka’ was set by technical problems from the start
  • Hadley quit the show after an hour and said he was heading back to Sydney
  • Stand-in announcer Mark Levy took over for the duration of the 2GB program

By Stephen Gibbs for Daily Mail Australia

Published: | Updated:

An irate Ray Hadley has walked off a live broadcast from the Royal Queensland Show after technical difficulties turned his morning radio program into a ‘fiasco’.

Hadley told listeners on Monday his broadcast from the show, known as the Ekka, had been a disaster from when he went on air shortly after 9am and he would not continue.

The 2GB announcer had been heavily promoting the Brisbane visit on his program and had been supposed to be at the Ekka all week.

Hadley ran the usual introduction to his show, which is also played on Brisbane’s 4BC and dozens of network stations around Australia, but it quickly descended into chaos.

‘Just a couple of little technical problems as we’re at the Ekka and things will be rectified by the time I get here tomorrow, I can assure you,’ Hadley said.

An irate Ray Hadley has walked off a live broadcast from the Royal Queensland Show after technical difficulties disrupted his morning radio program

An irate Ray Hadley has walked off a live broadcast from the Royal Queensland Show after technical difficulties disrupted his morning radio program

‘Now I’m going to take a little break and come back and look at the weather very shortly. The time is coming up now to 25 past nine.’

After playing commercials and enduring continual glitches including periods of silence Hadley came back on and said, ‘Look, we’re gonna take another break’.

More advertisements followed before Hadley said the problems were ongoing and he would be ‘having discussions’ when the program finished at midday.

‘All I can do is apologize most sincerely for the first 30 minutes of the program which has been a complete and utter fiasco,’ he said.

‘But I do apologize. I’m broadcasting from the Ekka, which I didn’t get a chance to tell you because nothing seemed to work.

Hadley told listeners his broadcast from the show, known as the Ekka, had been a fiasco from when he went on air shortly after 9am and he would not continue

Hadley told listeners his broadcast from the show, known as the Ekka, had been a fiasco from when he went on air shortly after 9am and he would not continue

Hadley repeatedly apologized to his listeners for the technical disruptions. A ride at The Ekka is pictured

Hadley repeatedly apologized to his listeners for the technical disruptions. A ride at The Ekka is pictured

‘I hope it is currently working and we’ll see what happens from here on in but I do apologize most sincerely to network stations and the listeners on 2GB and 4BC for what’s basically been a fiasco for 30 minutes.

‘And obviously we’ll be having some discussions at midday about the fiasco I’ve presided over. ‘

After another break the difficulties had still not been resolved and Hadley said his regular stand-in, Mark Levy, would be taking over the show.

‘Look, we are having some rather severe technical problems here at the Ekka to the extent that Mark Levy will be looking after the program after ten o’clock this morning, for which I do apologize to Mark and everyone else.’

After another break the problems had still not been resolved and Hadley said his regular stand-in, Mark Levy, would be taking over the show. Levy is pictured

After another break the problems had still not been resolved and Hadley said his regular stand-in, Mark Levy, would be taking over the show. Levy is pictured

‘… While I’m on air there are people here trying to fix things – unsuccessfully I might mention – at the moment.

‘There’s no point trying to, as we do from time to time, get through three hours of this without much help because technically we don’t have anything here in front of me that’s actually working at the moment.

‘So we’ll lumber on until ten and then Mark will take control.’

As the clock ticked closer to 10am, Hadley told listeners he was heading for the airport.

‘I’ll make my way back to Sydney and I’ll be broadcasting from the studio in Sydney tomorrow given the problems we’ve encountered this morning.’

Daily Mail Australia understands Hadley has been assured the technical issues would be fixed. He will resume broadcasting from the Ekka on Tuesday.

‘Ray will be remaining in Brisbane and broadcasting from the Ekka this week,’ a spokeswoman for Nine Entertainment, which owns 2GB, said.

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Business

Metricon QLD GM Luke Fryer quits, national restructure update this week

Metricon QLD GM Luke Fryer quits, national restructure update this week

The Queensland general manager of troubled builder Metricon has resigned, days after the company announced around 225 staff would be sacked in a national restructure.

Luke Fryer, who had been with the company for 15 years starting as a sales estimator in 2007, was previously NSW GM before moving back to his home state of Queensland in 2020.

Metricon director Jason Biasin announced Mr Fryer’s resignation in an email to staff on Friday.

“The last two years have seen more challenges in our industry than ever before,” Mr Biasin wrote.

“Luke’s commitment to our people, to me personally and our business has been unwavering and will not be forgotten. We wish Luke all the best for the future and he will always remain a part of the Metricon family.”

He added, “I know this week has been very difficult for everyone and I thank you all for your professional and compassionate approach to the tasks at hand and looking after each other. I look forward to sharing more positive news with you next week.”

Metricon has been contacted for comment.

Last Monday, Metricon announced it would be shedding 9 per cent, or about 225 of its 2500-strong national workforce, in a restructure “to better accommodate and reflect the requirements of the current market“.

The affected roles are largely in sales and marketing.

The country’s largest home builder was plunged into crisis in May amid reports it was on the verge of financial ruin and engaging in crisis talks with the Victorian government, following the sudden death of its founder Mario Biasin.

Acting chief executive Peter Langfelder has repeatedly shot down those allegations, but a question mark still hangs over Metricon’s future despite the company’s directors injecting $30 million into its business to allay fears about its survival, and a rescue deal being struck with Commonwealth Bank.

Last month, Metricon listed nearly 60 display homes for sale across NSW, Queensland, South Australia and Victoria, worth a total of around $65 million.

Staff who were informed of the restructure during a Microsoft Teams meeting last week said those who had remained with the company rather than jumping ship “basically had the rug pulled out from under them”.

“It has not been received well by some of them,” one NSW staff member told news.com.au. “I’m a little bit burned by the whole situation.”

In a statement on Tuesday, Metricon confirmed it was in the “process of an internal restructure of the business, with an increased focus on delivering homes to more than 6000 Australians whose houses will be constructed this year”.

“To better accommodate and reflect the requirements of the current market and ensure the most appropriate deployment of resources, Metricon is working to appropriately reduce its sales and marketing capability while it focuses on the construction and delivery of more than 6000 homes,” a spokeswoman said .

“We have commenced a consultation process with our people. This process is proposed to lead to a reduction of personnel and redundancies across the national business.”

The spokeswoman said 2020 and 2021 saw record demand for homebuilding and that Metricon “expects demand to settle at pre-pandemic levels”. “As a result, the business will rebalance towards construction on homes it is currently building and the thousands more in the pipeline – the biggest volume in the company’s history,” she said.

The impacted roles will be at the “front-end of the business, predominantly in sales and marketing roles, representing approximately 9 per cent of the national workforce”.

“With the headwinds buffeting the industry, specifically labor costs due to competition for skills, combined with present global material cost hikes and with our very strong existing pipeline of work, we need to carefully balance the current pipeline of new builds with the construction side of the business,” Mr Langfelder said in the statement.

“We are working to restructure our front-end of the business given the current climate and the need to move forward efficiently. We are committed to looking after any of our people who may be impacted by these proposed changes, and they will continue to have ongoing access to the company’s support and mental health services.”

Mr Langfelder said Metricon was rebalancing the business’ focus over the next 18 months on executing builds as quickly and efficiently as possible whilst maintaining equilibrium in the pipeline.

“We have previously said that our company has a proven history of success and remains profitable and viable, with the full support of our key stakeholders – this remains the case today,” he said.

Mr Langfelder said Metricon was still expected to continue to contract on average 100 homes per week, in line with pre-pandemic levels. “Our future construction pipeline shows no sign of slowing down with more than 600 site-starts scheduled for 2023,” he said.

In an email to staff on Tuesday, Metricon said it would be holding a virtual town hall this week “to provide you with further updates on our business, current market conditions and plans for the future”.

“We do not underestimate the effect that this review is likely to have on some of you,” the directors wrote.

“We are committed to working through this process as thoroughly and efficiently as possible, and to keep you updated as we progress… Despite the current challenges across our industry, we remain stable as a business with full support from our key stakeholders.”

The Australian building industry has been plagued with escalating issues that have already seen Gold Coast-based Condev and industry giant Probuild enter into liquidation in recent months, while smaller operators like Hotondo Homes Hobart and Perth firms Home Innovation Builders and New Sensation Homes, as well as Sydney-based firm Next have also failed, leaving homeowners out of pocket and with unfinished houses.

The crisis is the result of a perfect storm of conditions hitting one after the other, including supply chain disruptions due largely to the pandemic and then the Russia-Ukraine conflict, followed by skilled labor shortages, skyrocketing costs of materials and logistics and extreme weather events .

The industry’s traditional reliance on fixed-price contracts has also seriously exacerbated the problem, with contracts signed months before a build gets underway, including the surging costs of essential materials such as timber and steel.

It comes after it recently emerged that Australia recorded a staggering 3917 liquidations or administration appointments across all industries during the 2021-22 financial year.

The construction sector led the charge, representing 28 per cent of all insolvencies, although firms from countless industries also failed in the face of soaring inflation and interest rate pressures, Covid chaos, labor shortages and supply chain disruptions.

There were 1536 collapses in NSW, with Victoria recording 1022, Queensland 665, WA 350, South Australia 196, 91 for the ACT, 29 for Tasmania and 28 in the Northern Territory.

[email protected]

— with Alexis Carey

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Australia

Channel Country advisory group outcomes about gas exploration and fracking remain secret

Channel Country advisory group outcomes about gas exploration and fracking remain secret

Almost 12 months after the Queensland government quietly granted oil and gas leases in the environmentally sensitive Channel Country they promised to protect, there are calls for the outcome of stakeholder meetings to be made public.

Last year the government granted 11 petroleum leases across more than 250,000 hectares of land in the Channel Country bioregion of the Lake Eyre Basin to gas company Origin Energy, which could allow unconventional gas production, known as fracking to occur, outraging locals who were not consulted .

Now, an advisory group made up of traditional owner groups, local government, landholders and other interested parties has met with the government for the last time, but the outcome of those meetings remains secret.

Managing director of one of the state’s largest organic beef producers, OBE Organic, Dalene Wray said the meetings should be more open to those, like her, who were not involved.

“I would have hoped that the Queensland government would perhaps be more transparent about the outcomes of these discussions,” Ms Wray said.

The Department of Environment and Science said in a statement last month that the government would use the information from the Lake Eyre Basin Stakeholder Advisory Group to prepare a Regulatory Impact Statement looking at the long-term sustainable management of the area.

A map showing the Lake Eyre drainage basin, including the major rivers.
Channel Country waterways are filling with Queensland floodwaters that will drain into Lake Eyre.(Supplied: Karl Musser)

In a separate statement to the ABC, a spokesperson for the department said the government was still committed to protecting the “long-term health and ecological integrity of the waterways and floodplains of the Lake Eyre Basin.”

The statement also said there will be further opportunities to consult with the government, during the consultation period of the Regulatory Impact Statement, which the government expects to be released later this year.

But Ms Wray said she had no further information about how the proposal would impact neighboring properties or production.

Organic status in jeopardy

Wangkanguru Yarluyandi woman Karen Monaghan has lived in Windorah her whole life and grew up swimming in the Cooper Creek, an experience she hoped to pass on to her grandchildren.

A close-up of an Aboriginal woman's face bathed in dappled sunlight as she stands under a tree in a backyard.
Karen Monaghan says fracking in the Channel Country is “not an option.”(ABC Western Queensland: Ellie Grounds)

She said she was worried about gas exploration and fracking would hurt her small community, the water, and the land around it.

“Wangkanguru Yarluyandi land is being mistreated,” Mrs Monaghan said.

“Our land is our mother… it is part of us and who we are.

“It’s embedded in us, our country. If we look after our land it will look after us … it’s not OK to mistreat our land.”

Despite a previous lack of consultation that had been frustrating, Mrs Monaghan was hopeful communication from the government would improve.

“I believe it’s never too late,” she said.

“Our government just has to step up and step out and reach out to us. It’s never too late.”

Aerial view of a dark web of rivulets between green and islands of red sand, Channel Country of Queensland
In 2019, the Queensland government was advised by environmental scientists that fracking in the Channel Country was “unacceptable”.(Supplied: Helen Commens)

She was also concerned about what the exploration would mean for beef operations in the area.

“The minute you frack you can’t call it organic beef,” Mrs Monaghan said.

“The Lake Eyre Basin is my home, so fracking is not an option for me. There is no way we want fracking.

“It’s going to set our land and our country back.”

‘Geographic masterpiece’ at risk

OBE Organic sources all its cattle from the Channel Country, marketing its products as being “seasoned by nature”, and works closely with traditional owners in the region.

A wide photo of green and brown landscape.
Floodwaters traveling down through the Lake Eyre Basin.(ABC News: Brendan Esposito)

Ms Wray said if fracking became a reality it would risk the organic status of the Basin, which is one of the last remaining free-flowing river systems in the world.

“From an organic producers perspective, if there is any resource activity, they’re [organic producers] going to be concerned,” she said.

A map of locations in the Channel Country have production licenses from Origin Energy
Origin Energy petroleum leases cover more than 250,000 hectares of land.(Supplied: Queensland government)

Ms Wray said she was not convinced the potential risks to the environment could be adequately mitigated, and she feared large mining operations would not understand the needs of organic operations to retain their certification.

“It’s a geographic masterpiece… It’s important that the government understands that any activity is likely to have significant consequences,” she said.

“What we know from experience is that typically, the resources industry doesn’t necessarily like going off script.

“They’ve got one script they like to use for all producers and they’d like all producers to accept that script and that’s just not how it works out here, certainly on organic properties.”

Broken environmental promise

Before the 2015 election, the government committed to restore protections to the wild rivers, which would limit gas exploration in the Channel Country.

It came after they slammed the Newman government’s 2013 decision to ditch the protection laws, which they labeled as “environmental vandalism.”

In the following elections, the government made similar promises, but Ms Wray said the protections had not come to fruition.

An aerial shot of cattle grazing in a green paddock in Western Queensland's Channel Country.
OBE Organic rely on the naturally organic landscapes in the Channel Country to source their cattle.(Supplied: OBE Organic)

“I don’t think there’s been too much evidence, other than the stakeholder meetings, that we are making any progress in meeting that election commitment,” she said.

“I understand that royalties are very important to the Queensland budget… I think everyone would be naive to think the resources industry doesn’t have a place in Queensland.

“I haven’t heard the government articulate how important the rivers in the Lake Eyre Basin are and how important it is to maintain the free-flowing nature of those rivers.

“However, unconventional gas does not have a place in the Lake Eyre Basin.”

Government ‘committed to sustainability’

A spokesperson from the Department of Resources said in a statement that the Queensland government was “committed to achieving a balance between economic prosperity and ecological sustainability in the Lake Eyre Basin”.

“Any resource project must stack up environmentally, socially and financially and assessed against strict criteria,” it read.

“Any application cannot be granted unless native title has been addressed properly.”

The ABC also sought responses from the Minister for Environment and the Office of the Great Barrier Reef, which declined to comment.

An Origin spokesperson said it was very early days with regard to any proposed exploration activity in the permit areas.

“In Queensland, there are strict regulations that must be met for any resource development application in an identified planning strategic environmental area such as the Channel Country,” they said.

“As is the case with all our operations, we put in place approved management plans, procedures and controls to protect the environment and waterways, as well as areas of cultural significance.

“We always look to establish positive relationships and reach agreements to access resources on good terms. We’re looking forward to engaging further about the positive contribution future exploration activity can have in these communities.

“Any new development would need to be consistent with our stated carbon commitments.”

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Sports

Queensland Ipswich Jets, Brisbane Tigers star dies in car crash

Queensland Ipswich Jets, Brisbane Tigers star dies in car crash

Queensland rugby league has been rocked after one of the state’s star players tragically died at the age of 28.

Michael Purcell sadly lost his life on Sunday morning following a car crash in Brisbane.

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The star winger-fullback had played a total of 82 games for the Ipswich Jets and Brisbane Tigers, registering 68 tries and 22 goals.

Purcell, nicknamed “The Kangaroo Catcher” after he once was said to have chased down a kangaroo during a race, was one of the fastest players in Queensland.

His standout abilities on the field led to him receiving an NRL contract with the Melbourne Storm last year.

He joined the Storm for pre-season training before returning to Queensland and playing for the Brisbane Tigers in the Intrust Super Cup.

Purcell in full flight. Picture: Alix Sweeney
Purcell in full flight. Picture: Alix SweeneySource: News Corp Australia

His death has rocked the rugby league community with tributes flooding in following Sunday’s tragic crash.

“I am shattered, it’s so, so sad,” Purcell’s former coach at the Ipswich Jets in the Queensland Cup Ben Walker said to the Courier Mail.

“He was a really talented kid who definitely had the ability to play NRL.

“We got a tip about this kid playing reserve grade and his nickname was the ‘Kangaroo Catcher’ because the story went he was so fast he once chased down a kangaroo during a cross-country run in the bush.

“We signed him to the Ipswich Jets and he ended up scoring 66 tries in 71 games. He had incredible speed.”

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Sports

Kangaroos squad, Mal Meninga, World Cup teams, Nation eligibility, Joseph Suaalii, Roosters young gun, news, highlights

Kangaroos squad, Mal Meninga, World Cup teams, Nation eligibility, Joseph Suaalii, Roosters young gun, news, highlights

Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga has dropped his biggest selection hint yet, revealing Roosters young gun Joseph Suaalii is a “genuine selection option”.

Meninga has a big job on his hands ahead of this year’s World Cup, with a number of players opting to represent their nation of heritage as opposed to the Kangaroos.

Maroons gun Josh Papalii will reportedly ply his trade for Samoa, joining Jarome Luai and Brian To’o, while Felise Kaufusi, Siosifa Talakai, Daniel Tupou and Kotoni Staggs are set to represent Tonga.

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But in a huge boost, the Kangaroos are set to pick the Tricolours 19-year-old flyer in the Australian squad — should he chose to represent his country of birth.

Suaalii is currently in his first full season of first grade and was included in Brad Fittler’s Blues squad, scoring 13 NRL tries to date.

“I’m a fan of Joseph, absolutely, and he is right in the picture, particularly if the Roosters keep their run going to the finals,” Meninga said to the SMH.

“He is a genuine selection option, definitely. He’s just a talent. He has always been a talent. I like his courage from him.

“I remember ‘Izzy’ (Israel Folau) came in at a young age, so did ‘GI’ (Greg Inglis), so if you’re talking about age, there are no questions about Joseph handling the international stage.”

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Meninga also referenced reports suggesting Australia’s rival code were in pursuit of the young gun, revealing it is “hardly a shock” the Wallabies could make a play.

“I read the reports that the Wallabies are looking at him, which is hardly a shock. They wouldn’t be doing their job if they weren’t looking at league players like him and wanting him to convert,” Meninga said.

“We do the same thing. Because Joseph has played union before, it only made it inevitable. He’s right in the mix for us.”

The Kangaroos incumbent wingers from their last game played in 2019 are Josh Addo-Carr and Nick Cotric.

With Cotric is unlikely to feature, and Addo-Carr being tipped for selection on the edge, Suaalii could find himself in the green and gold.

Melbourne and Munster take down Titans | 02:11

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Suaalii made his intentions clear earlier in the week, making it clear he wants to compete in the end-of-year showcase.

“I honestly haven’t thought about it too much but I want to be there playing at the World Cup,” Suaalii said.

“I’m trying to make that Australian team and if I’m lucky enough I’ll make that Samoan team as well.

“If I get picked for either of them it would be an honour. If I’m playing at the World Cup I’ll be happy.”

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Sports

Michaell Purcell killed in car crash: Iprwich Jets and Brisbane Tigers

Michaell Purcell killed in car crash: Iprwich Jets and Brisbane Tigers

Queensland rugby league has been rocked after one of the State’s star players was tragically killed in a car crash at the age of 28.

Michael Purcell sadly lost his life on Sunday morning following a car crash in Brisbane.

Stream every game of every round of the 2022 NRL Telstra Premiership Season Live & Ad-Break Free During Play on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >

The star winger-fullback had played a total of 82 games for the Ipswich Jets and Brisbane Tigers, registering 68 tries and 22 goals.

Purcell, nicknamed “The Kangaroo Catcher” after he once was said to have chased down a kangaroo during a race, was one of the fastest players in Queensland.

His standout abilities on the field led to him receiving an NRL contract with the Melbourne Storm last year.

He joined the Storm for pre-season training before returning to Queensland and playing for the Brisbane Tigers in the Intrust Super Cup.

His death rocked the rugby league community with tributes flooding in following Sunday’s tragic crash.

“I am shattered, it’s so, so sad,” Ben Walker said to the Courier MailPurcell’s former coach at the Ipswich Jets in the Queensland Cup

“He was a really talented kid who definitely had the ability to play NRL.

“We got a tip about this kid playing reserve grade and his nickname was the ‘Kangaroo Catcher’ because the story went he was so fast he once chased down a kangaroo during a cross-country run in the bush.

“We signed him to the Ipswich Jets and he ended up scoring 66 tries in 71 games. He had incredible speed.”

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Sports

Commonwealth Games 2022: Michelle Jenneke result, 100m hurdles final

Commonwealth Games 2022: Michelle Jenneke result, 100m hurdles final

Michelle Jenneke has missed out on a bronze medal but just 0.09 seconds as she finished fifth in the final of the 100m hurdles at the Commonwealth Games.

The 29-year-old was just 0.02 seconds off her personal best with a negative wind blowing in her face and it still wasn’t enough for a medal as she fell away in the final 40m.

Defending champion, world champion and world record holder Tobi Amusan won the gold in a Games record time of 12.30 seconds.

Jenneke’s time — 12.68 seconds — was just 0.03 seconds off the previous Games record, but in a lightning race all three of the best runners smashed that previous record.

Aussie athletics great Tamsyn Manou said on Channel 7 after the race that Jenneke would be happy with the result and will be filled with confidence as she begins her preparation for the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

It was another brutal end for Jenneke after she also missed out on a bronze medal at the 2018 Gold Coast Games by just 0.01 seconds.

The difference this time is that the field was red hot, with five of the runners also featuring in the World Championships final last month in Oregon.

“I would have liked another PB, but it wasn’t to be today,” Jenneke told Channel 7 after the race.

“To back up my run from worlds, go fast with a slight headwind there… so really happy with that performance. It’s just tough when you’re racing a field of that quality.

“That’s the fastest race there has ever been at the Commonwealth Games.”

She went on to say how happy she is that she has resurrected her career after so many injuries set backs in recent years.

“I had a pretty rough two years. There were times people in my inner circle were saying to me, ‘Are you sure you want to be doing this?’ And I was just saying back to them, ‘I’ve got more in me’. It shows that I have and I’m really glad I could show the world what I’m capable of,” she said.

Fellow Aussie Celeste Mucci also ran an impressive race to finish seventh.

Jenneke had run the fastest time of her life — 12.63 seconds — two days earlier to thunder into the final, but the time did not count as a new personal best because it was wind-assisted.

Jenneke also ranked a career-saving personal best time of 12.66 at the World Championships.

Jenneke’s time in Oregon made her the second-quickest women’s 100m hurdler Australia has ever produced, behind only Sally Pearson.

She said after the semi-final that she was in “the shape of my life”.

She said her peak physical condition is simply the result of finally being able to have a stretch without injuries where she could get in an extended training block.

“I haven’t really changed things. It’s just one of those things where I’ve been able to string together some training where I haven’t been injured,” she said.

“So I’ve actually been able to get every session done. When you do that things seem to come together. That’s really all it is. Nothing too special.”

Jenneke had finished fourth at the 2018 Games on the Gold Coast, but she did it in a time of 13.07 seconds.

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Bulldogs vs Cowboys, Murray Taulagi no-try, Valentine Holmes knock-on, video, result

Bulldogs vs Cowboys, Murray Taulagi no-try, Valentine Holmes knock-on, video, result

Just a fortnight after they were gifted a win from a controversial Bunker call, the Cowboys were on the other end with a try being disallowed in their 28-14 win over the Bulldogs.

Although the Cowboys walked away with the win, there’s question marks over a Murray Taulagi try that was disallowed half way through the second half.

Taulagi crossed untouched in the corner to give his side a two-point lead with 20 minutes to go only for the referee to send it up to the Bunker.

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“I’m looking for a bat-on, whether it goes forward,” referee Adam Gee said.

The play in question was Tom Dearden’s cutout pass to Taulagi that clipped Valentine Holmes’ shoulder before landing in Taulagi’s hands.

“It’s not a knock-on when it comes off his shoulder,” Fox League commentator Brenton Speed ​​said.

“It goes back anyway,” Steve Roach added.

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Speed ​​was confident that “this try will stand”, however, Bunker official Matt Noyen ruled it a no-try saying “the ball touches the upper-arm, shoulder of Valentine Holmes… we’re supporting the on-field decision of the ball traveling forward.”

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Both Speed ​​and Roach were stunned by the call.

“It seems to me that we always find a way of why it’s not a try now,” Roach said.

“He was standing behind him, so how does it go forward?”

Sideline commentator Billy Moore agreed with Roach saying, “for me that was a try.”

The call didn’t mean too much in the context of the game though, with the Cowboys going on to score three more tries to seal the win.

It comes just two weeks after the Cowboys were on the other end of a contentious Bunker decision when they escaped with a controversial 27-26 win over the Tigers.

The Cowboys were awarded an escort penalty and Valentine Holmes slotted a goal on the siren to steal the win. Even coach Todd Payten conceded afterwards that the call was “debatable.”

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