Severe weather warnings are in place in five states and territories as gale-force winds and thunderstorm conditions near a NSW ski resort.
Winds of up to 100km/h have hit NSW, Victoria and Tasmania early on Thursday.
Canberra could see two months’ worth of rain fall in just 24 hours after 40mm of rain hit the ACT since midnight.
The cold front that whipped up damaging winds in Western Australia earlier this week has moved east across the Great Australian Bight overnight.
A complex low pressure system moving across the Great Australian Bight and an associated through and cold front are causing vigorous north-westerly winds across southeast NSW.
NSW and Victorian snowfields are set to suffer under a downpour of rain and gale-force winds, prompting Thredbo resort to close all lifts for the day.
Damaging north-westerly winds and dangerous surf are forecast throughout the day in South Australia, Victoria, Tasmania, NSW and the ACT, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.
Heavy rainfall is expected in some regions, and the bureau is monitoring the situation for isolated major flooding possible in catchments in southern NSW, northern Tasmania and Victoria’s northeast.
Sheep graziers across the south of NSW, ACT and parts of South Australia are warned that cold temperatures, showers and gusty winds are expected through Friday. There is a risk to lambs and sheep exposed to these conditions.
NSW/ ACT
Damaging wind gusts of more than 125km/h are likely for alpine areas above 1900m on Thursday.
Khancoban, behind Perisher Valley recorded a wind gust of 100 km/h at 2am while nearby Cabramurra recorded a gust of 98 km/h just after midnight.
The Snowy Mountains and South West Slopes could receive between 45mm and 60mm of rainfall.
Lightning and gale-force winds are expected throughout the day and have prompted Thredbo resort to shut down all lifts for the day to the disappointment of holiday-makers.
Just 22 of Perisher resort’s 53 lifts are open on Thursday and will continue to be monitored throughout the day for safety.
Inland water catchments are on flood watch as heavy rainfall across the central and southwest of the state could bring minor to isolated major flooding.
Saturated soils in the Central Tablelands and Illawarra will bring an increased risk of fallen trees and powerlines in powerful winds.
The west ranges of the ACT, east to Bombala, south to Crookwell and north to Oberon can expect damaging winds of up to 90km/h on Thursday morning.
South Australia
Strong to damaging winds smashed the western and southern coasts of the state on Wednesday afternoon.
They will return again on Thursday, bringing showers and thunderstorms to widespread areas of the south.
Up to 60mm of heavy rainfall is possible for parts of the Lofty Ranges into Thursday evening and Friday morning.
The area is on watch for a localized riverine or flash flood threat.
Victory
High-speed winds of up to 100km/h lashed the alpine regions on Wednesday and may return on Thursday.
Mt Hotham recorded 56.4mm in the 6 hours to midnight this morning.
Some parts of the state will receive up to 60mm of heavy rainfall throughout the morning, though most will average under 40mm.
A severe thunderstorm warning was canceled on Wednesday but conditions may return.
Rainfall of between 5mm and 10mm brought minor flood warnings for Seven and Castle creeks near Shepparton.
Tasmanian
Winds of up to 100km/h reached the state’s higher ground overnight and strong winds are expected to stick around through Thursday in coastal areas.
A minor flood warning is current for the Mersey, Meander, North Esk and Macquarie rivers.
Thunderstorms in the north and west of the state may drive more strong wind likes and higher rainfall totals.
North Melbourne has gone “all in” on trying to sign Alastair Clarkson as their next senior coach, according to former Collingwood president Eddie McGuire.
Clarkson is currently being courted by both North and Greater Western Sydney, but McGuire believes the Kangaroos are “a real chance” of landing the four-time premiership coach.
North parted ways with former coach David Noble a month ago after just 38 games in charge and Leigh Adams has been caretaker in Noble’s stead.
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“Alastair Clarkson has met with Sonja Hood, the president of the North Melbourne Football Club,” McGuire told Channel 9.
Clarkson’s manager James Henderson told McGuire that the meeting went “very well” and that it was “a worthwhile experience”.
The former Hawthorn coach plans to meet with the Kangaroos again, as well as the Giants, in the coming fortnight.
“North Melbourne have gone all in on Alastair Clarkson, there is no Plan B at the moment,” McGuire said.
“If he doesn’t go (to North) they’ll come up with a Plan B, but they’ve shown that they want him.”
McGuire believes that Clarkson is now seriously contemplating coaching again next year, rather than waiting until 2024 to re-enter the fray.
The Roos are going hard at Clarkson (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
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“His management have said, ‘You know you don’t have to coach next year?’ And I think he’s thought, ‘You know what? I’m a coach, so I’m going to coach’, and North are now a real chance I reckon to maybe land this bloke,” McGuire said.
“But he wants to bring his own team, and I think he’s put his team together and part of his thinking might well be do they all want to live in GWS? Or can we do this at North Melbourne?
“There’s a bit going on in this story but there’s no doubt the list at GWS attracts Alastair Clarkson, but the romance and maybe the practicalities mean that he could well be the coach of North Melbourne.”
North have not interviewed anyone else for their vacant coaching job, according to McGuire.
“Until he says, ‘No,’ Clarkson’s the man,” McGuire said.
Former St Kilda and Fremantle coach Ross Lyon liked the Kangaroos’ “singular focus” in their approach.
“They really need to go all in, it’s a really good sign,” Lyon said.
“If he can bring his key people… those real pillars of success around him, he knows what needs to be done, he knows who to bring.
“It’s a super plan and I think he gets time there. No one expected them to make the eight, they’ve got green shoots, they’ve got a young midfield.
Another rival club has been linked to Brodie Grundy, while St Kilda’s interest in his teammate hasn’t cooled.
Plus Fremantle is keeping tabs on a fringe Crow.
Get the latest player movement news and updates in AFL Trade Whispers!
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NEW SUIT FOR PIES STAR
Port Adelaide has emerged as a suitor for Brodie Grundy should the star ruck wish to be traded at season’s end, reports 7NewsMelbourne.
Multiple reports have indicated Grundy’s management are preparing to be asked by Collingwood about the possibility of trading the dual All-Australian, even though he’s contracted to the club until the end of 2027 on a deal worth around $1 million per season.
Collingwood coach Craig McRae last week declared on Fox Footy’s AFL 360 he wanted Grundy at the club next season, but remained tight-lipped on whether he was up for trade.
The Giants reportedly have interest in Grundy – speculation that grew last month when Grundy’s manager was seen meeting with Giants football boss Jason McCartney, where the dual All-Australian’s future was reportedly discussed.
But 7NewsMelbourne reported the Power was also keeping tabs on Grundy’s situation.
McRae evasive on Grundy & De Goey trades | 01:54
“Port Adelaide is interested in where Grundy is going to end up and his trade status at the end of the year,” reporter Tom Browne told 7NewsMelbourne. “But at this stage the Power don’t see Grundy leaving Victoria
“If Grundy approves, Collingwood is expected to gauge his trade interest post-season.”
Power premiership player Kane Cornes last month flagged his old club as an appropriate destination for Grundy should he be prepared to move home, telling SEN Breakfast the Power could “absolutely use” Grundy and adding: “He’d fit in at Port Adelaide and take over from Scott Lycett.”
DOCKERS ‘IDENTIFY’ FRINGE CROW TO POSSIBLY FILL CHASM
Crows forward Elliott Himmelberg has been identified by Fremantle as a possible trade acquisition, reports SEN SA.
The Dockers are bracing to lose goalkicker Rory Lobb, who’s expected to request a trade at season’s end despite still being contracted to Freo.
Himmelberg, 24, kicked bags of four goals in Adelaide’s wins over the Power and Tigers earlier this season, but has struggled for senior game time this year with Riley Thilthorpe, Taylor Walker and Darcy Fogarty the preferred key-position combination.
Subsequently, Fremantle is reportedly keeping tabs on Himmelberg, who’s kicked 38 goals from just 37 games since being taken with Pick 51 in the 2016 draft.
Busy off-season looms for the Dockers | 00:56
“Fremantle are putting together their list of how they overcome the issues of what they’ve got in attack, or don’t have in attack,” veteran journalist Michelangelo Rucci told SEN SA’s The Run Home.
“And the player that they’re identifying – I stress identifying, so they’re doing their due diligence – is Elliott Himmelberg at Adelaide. He’s out of contract, they think he’s the fit for them.
“We know he’s a tall player who can play forward and ruck – they want him as a forward. They desperately need to shore up their attack.
“He is growing with interest at Fremantle.”
SAINTS INSIST DE GOEY INTERESTED HASN’T COOLED
St Kilda coach Brett Ratten insists his club’s interest in Jordan De Goey hasn’t waned, even though the board has yet to approve a pursuit of the Collingwood free agent.
It was revealed earlier this week the Saints’ board had asked the football department for more information about De Goey, who’s out of contract at season’s end and eligible for free agency.
The Age reported the board wanted clarity around how De Goey would fit within the club’s playing list, as well as its leadership and values.
St Kilda Saints press conference | 06:25
But Ratten denied that it was a sign that the club had cooled on its pursuit of De Goey, saying it was perfectly normal for the board to ask questions about the star Magpie before potentially recruiting him.
“It doesn’t matter if we’re employing new staff members or players, we have to run things past the board and they have the right to challenge and ask questions and see where we’re at with it,” Ratten said.
“He’s very talented but we’re still working through that.”
A Gippsland farmer has described his shock at the location of several new campsites being established on what he considers “totally inappropriate” sections of land licensed from the Victorian government.
Key points:
The Victorian government unveils details of four new campsites along Gippsland rivers
The campsites are on land farmers license for grazing, with dogs and campfires banned
Campers must access the sites by foot and bring their own toilets with them
The government last Friday published details of the first four camps in Gippsland — two are on the Wonnangatta River, and two are on the Dargo and Macalister Rivers — on the Crown land river frontage.
Access to many of the campsites is from narrow country roads with limited parking opportunities and strict conditions.
Trevor Archer manages the farm that hosts the Macalister River campsite and said it was “totally inappropriate” because there was “nowhere to park”.
The site is 4 kilometers from Cheyne’s Bridge Recreation Area, a campsite with toilet facilities popular among trail bike riders.
“It gave me a bit of a shock, actually,” Mr Archer said.
“I knew it was proposed but they hit us pretty quick with it.
“There’s nowhere to park. The closest safe park is 4 kilometers away [at Cheyne’s Bridge] on a dangerous windy narrow road.
“It’s an accident waiting to happen if people are on foot down there.”
The Macalister River campsite is currently accessed by jumping a fence on Licola Road.(Rural ABC: Peter Somerville)
Access to the campsite involves scaling a barbed wire fence beside a narrow two-lane road and walking through a paddock often grazed by Mr Archer’s cattle.
“The entry point is 40 meters from where I bring my cattle up a little cutting … and later in the year there are 130–140 cows and calves coming up here and I’ve got to try to get them through [the campers],” Mr Archer said.
“If someone’s here trying to unload their gear when I’ve got cows and calves coming in… it’s just not going to work.”
The Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning was contacted for comment.
The Macalister River Cheyne’s Bridge campground is 4 kilometers upstream from the new campsite.(Rural ABC: Peter Somerville)
Fulfilling an election commitment
The Labor government made a 2018 election commitment to open licensed Crown land river frontages to camping.
The land was previously accessible for day use, with the four campsites opened on areas that are frequently grazed by cattle.
The sites have to be accessed by foot, campers must keep portable toilets at least 50 meters away from waterways, or 100 meters away if burying human waste, and dogs and campfires are not permitted.
A new campsite on the Wonnangatta River frontage must be accessed by foot.(Rural ABC: Peter Somerville)
Campers are welcome
Mr Archer said he was not opposed to having campers on the land but expected the 4km walk from Cheyne’s Bridge would deter many.
“I don’t see that anyone’s going to carry their gear 4 kilometers down the road, 4 kilometers back,” he said.
“And they can only get in that one entry and exit.”
Trevor Archer worries how he will move cattle while campers are unloading equipment.(Rural ABC: Peter Somerville)
It would not be the first time campers have set up on the property.
“Before the 2007 flood when the river blew out and changed course, I had 14 sites where people could choose to camp,” Mr Archer said.
“But we had them where we wanted them. They were in a bend in the river and it didn’t interfere with our stock work or anything.”
Walk-in campers are allowed to set up on this site alongside the Macalister River.(Rural ABC: Peter Somerville)
Calls for a ‘level playing field’
Further downstream, Paradise Valley camp and caravan park operator Neil Williams was surprised to learn about the free campsite.
“It doesn’t really seem fair that we have to go through all the compliance rigors that we do, and the state government feels like it can open up a parcel of land for anyone at any time,” Mr Williams said.
He said many Paradise Valley guests had visited the park over many years.
But Mr Williams conceded he may lose business to the free campsites upstream.
“I’d just like everyone to be on a level playing field,” he said.
“There are caravan parks all over Victoria that have had to comply with Country Fire Authority regulations.
“There’s a whole host of other council health and safety compliance issues that we deal with on a regular basis and it all adds to our overheads.”
Flights leaving one Australian airport have had the largest delays in the entire country, with almost 70 per cent of planes delayed.
Figures, released by the Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport Research Economics report, found less than 30 per cent of flights headed from Broome to Perth left on time, the worst route in the entire country.
The report looked at delays and cancellations across all major Australian airport in the month of June.
Airlines included in the report were Virgin Australia, Qantas, Jetstar, QantasLink and Rex Airlines.
The figures for on time arrivals in June reached all time lows for all 58 travel routes looked at.
Qantas recorded the highest percentage of cancellations at 8.1 per cent during the month, followed by QantasLink, Virgin Australia, Jetstar, Virgin Australia Regional Airlines and Rex Airlines.
Australia’s signature airline company Qantas recorded just over half of their airlines arrived on time in June, at 59 per cent, while Virgin achieved the highest level of on time departures among the major domestic airlines at 60 per cent.
A Qantas spokesperson told NCA NewsWire these flight delays and cancellations are not the kind of performance that they were delivering pre-Covid.
“A rise in COVID and other illnesses among airline crew as well as the tight labor market led to flight disruptions for all domestic airlines in June.” they said.
“We had rostered additional crew on standby which helped lessen the impact of COVID-related crew absences and meant 85 per cent of our domestic flights for the month departed within an hour of schedule.”
“Flight cancellations in July were lower than they were in June, call center wait times are now better than they were pre-COVID and our mishandled bag rates are close to what they were before the pandemic.”
Mildura Airport, which is located in northwest Victoria, recorded the lowest percentage of on time arrivals sitting at more than 47 per cent, while Alice Springs Airport recorded the highest rate of on time arrivals at 87 per cent.
Cancellations were highest on the Sydney-Melbourne route at 15.3 per cent, followed by the Melbourne-Sydney route at 14.9 per cent, and the Sydney-Canberra route at 11.1 per cent.
The report follows after more than 21 flights were canceled in Sydney across the Qantas, Virgin Australia, Jetstar and Rex networks on Tuesday.
Virgin dumped 10 flights, Qantas nixed eight, with two pulled from Jetstar and one from Rex, combined with an additional 20 flights scrapped at Melbourne Airport as of 8.30am on Tuesday.
Both domestic and international flights with major aussie airlines alongside Emirates, British Airways and American Airlines were also dumped on Monday between 6.30am-7am.
A collapsed Victorian construction company has $27 million in debt and owes $3.2 million to around 140 staff that it is unlikely to be able to repay, according to the liquidator’s report which revealed what went wrong.
The Geelong-based company called Norris Construction Group, which included seven associated companies, went under in March with KordaMentha appointed to handle the liquidation.
Its report, which was filed with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, revealed the range of reasons for the company’s failure.
It included the “misprising of projects” and a “crisis of confidence” experienced by the business during lockdowns in Victoria between March and October 2020 resulting in projects being tendered at “very low prices”.
This resulted in “heavy losses” on a very large number of projects, the report to creditor’s said.
It also outlined “cultural issues amongst the executive team leading to staff losses and staff turnover” as well as hiring new staff on “high remuneration packages”.
The pandemic also contributed to the company’s demise, as well as “noncompliance” with lodging statements and returns with the ATO and unpaid taxes, alongside “insufficient working capital” to meet its short term obligations.
The company had completed work on the Manufutures hub at Deakin University and the Marngoneet and Chisholm Road prisons and worked across Melbourne and southwest Victoria.
Millions owed to employees
From the overall group, 235 former employees are owed $4 million in wages and entitlements but will have to rely on the federal government’s Fair Entitlements Guarantee (FEG) to get their money back.
However the scheme, which is available for employees of companies that become insolvent, caps back pay and does not pay superannuation.
Aside from the $3.2 million owed to employees of Norris Construction Group, there was between $187,000 and $277,000 owed to 235 staff from the overall group including wages, redundancy payouts and superannuation.
But KordaMentha partner Andrew Knight said four out of the five companies that employed staff had “insufficient” assets to pay back the money owed.
“We understand that for four of the five employing entities, FEG has processed and paid over 90 per cent of the employee claims,” he said.
“FEG is still working on claims in the fifth entity, Norris Construction Group, which are more complex due to the quantity of claims as well as the relevant Award which applies to these employees. We estimate the majority of these claims will be resolved and paid within the next month.
“Unfortunately, there are some entitlements that are not covered by FEG, for example superannuation and amounts in excess of caps, and payment of those are dependent on the outcome of the liquidations.”
While an auction of the company equipment and assets in May raised more than $17 million, and is expected to paid to Westpac, the bank will still suffer a “shortfall”, said Mr Knight as its owed $22 million.
The ATO also has an outstanding debt of $5 million, the report revealed.
However, the ATO debt was unlikely to be repaid, Mr Knight added.
“The amount due to the ATO is unsecured, and given the likely shortfall to the employees and the secured creditor, it’s unlikely unsecured creditors including the ATO will be paid a dividend,” he said.
The creditor’s report also flagged it was investigating any potential offenses of director’s duties including trading while insolvent.
construction crisis
Overall, the construction industry has been plagued with a spate of collapses caused by a perfect storm of supply chain disruptions, skilled labor shortages, skyrocketing costs of materials and logistics, and extreme weather events.
Earlier this year, two major Australian construction companies, Gold Coast-based Condev and industry giant Probuild, went into liquidation.
Victorian construction companies have been particularly sensitive to the crisis.
Two building companies from Victoria were casualties of the crisis having gone into liquidation at the end of June, with one homeowner having forked out $300,000 for a now half-built house.
Then there have been smaller operators like Hotondo Homes Horsham, which was also based in Victoria and a franchisee of a national construction firm – which collapsed earlier this month affecting 11 homeowners with $1.2 million in outstanding debt.
It is 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.
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.
Others joined the list too including Inside Out Construction, Solido Builders, Waterford Homes, Affordable Modular Homes and Statement Builders.
The most recent collapse was NSW building company Willoughby Homes, which went into voluntary administration last week, leaving at least 30 homes in limbo.
The prospect of throwing cancer survivor Ben Cunnington straight into the North Melbourne team to play Sydney this weekend is “really exciting” and would serve as a huge source of motivation against the top-four contenders, according to caretaker coach Leigh Adams.
Cunnington hasn’t played a senior game since round 19 last year after battling two bouts of testicular cancer that required a tumor to be surgically removed and a nine-week course of chemotherapy respectively.
The star on-baller’s return was further delayed recently by a calf strain and a bout of Covid.
While he’s more likely to line up in the VFL this weekend, if Cunnington gets through training on Thursday, he will be considered for a senior return against the Swans at Marvel Stadium on Sunday.
“Pretty sure I know what his preference will be and the coach’s preference, it’ll just be what’s best for his body going forward,” Adams said at Arden Street on Wednesday.
“But at this time of year, it’s a great story for us, for the motivation of the group and the footy club, really.
“It’s been an amazing journey which will hopefully be capped off very soon.
“The last thing we want to do is put him in there and he breaks down and then he’s out for the rest of the year.
“We’re thinking it’s probably going to be the VFL even though we’d probably love it to be straight back in (the senior team).
“Deep down I know he’d love to play seniors, particularly being a game in Melbourne this weekend and we travel next weekend, so to have his support network and his family that have been through so much with him to be at the game would be fantastic.
“But … it’s only an hour flight to Adelaide (for the game against the Crows in round 22), take his family over there so it’s not too far.”
Adams admitted Cunnington had left a void in the North Melbourne midfield for the past 12 months that the Roos had struggled to fill. The bottom-ranked club remains on course for back-to-back wooden spoons for the first time in 87 years.
Paul Curtis and Aaron Hall are pressing for senior recalls after missing last week due to Covid, but Jack Mahony and Lachie Young will be line ball as they entered protocols on Sunday, which means they would exit them on game day.
Super coach Alastair Clarkson continues to be linked to North’s vacant senior coaching position for next season and Adams was excited by the possibility of the four-time premiership mentor signing on.
“The credibility as a footy club that would be gained by bringing in someone like him would be fantastic,” Adams said.
The future of Cam Zurhaar remains under a cloud after the out-of-contract forward put off talks until the end of the season, and Adams said the club would “love” the talented 24-year-old to stay at Arden Street.
“He’s obviously a fantastic player for us and a little bit of a barometer when we’re playing well,” Adams said.
And the North caretaker had similar feelings about Todd Goldstein, who is strongly rumored to be joining another club next season.
“I’ve got a soft spot for ‘Goldy’, I got drafted the same year as ‘Goldy’,” Adams said.
“I’d just love to see him be a one-club player.”
North/s 1996 premiership players will be in attendance on Sunday, and Adams said their presence would give the players an extra boost.
“It’ll be awesome,” Adams said. ”It’s exciting to have such great footy people around our footy club to impart some knowledge to our younger boys.”
Wests Tigers winger Ken Maumalo has revealed a chat with cousin Nelson Asofa-Solomona almost convinced him to head to the Storm on loan for the rest of the season, but in the end, his young family kept him in Sydney.
Maumalo and teammate Daine Laurie were reportedly some of the players the Storm chased before the August 1 deadline as they looked to bolster their outside backs after long-term injuries to Ryan Papenhuyzen, Reimis Smith and George Jennings.
And while Wests Tigers winger David Nofoaluma did make the move south, his teammates stayed put.
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David Nofoaluma has settled right in with teammates Brandon Smith and Xavier Coates. Picture: Tony GoughSource: News Corp Australia
“They’re looking for some players at the moment, but I just said that I’ve got a family and it’s too much of a move for me,” Maumalo said.
“’Nofa’ is the perfect person to go over because he’s got no family, no kids, so it’s better for him.
“I got my cousin who called me from Melbourne – Nelson – and he said that Craig (Storm coach Craig Bellamy) mentioned my name to him.
“He said I should keep it on the backburner and just see where things are at. I said if things go well and to plan, then why not, but it was too much of a move.”
Maumalo said the lure of playing football finals and potentially winning a premiership was tempting, but he couldn’t turn his back on the Tigers who are looking to bring back the glory days under Tim Sheens and Benji Marshall.
“It’s a good opportunity to go over and be in a good system and a system that has been good for a number of years now,” he said.
“That was the exciting part of it, but I’m doing this for my family, myself and my teammates here. I’m trying to build this club up again to where it was back in 2005.”
Tigers fullback Daine Laurie was also linked with a move to Melbourne, but the youngster says that may not have been entirely true.
Daine Laurie denies he was ever linked to the Storm. Picture: Ian Hitchcock/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images
“I didn’t know anything about it. I only saw it in the media,” he said.
“I saw it on Instagram and I was kind of confused about it because I hadn’t heard anything off my manager.
“I would’ve been shy as if I’d gone down there. If that opportunity had come, then I probably would’ve wanted to stay here anyway.”
Maumalo’s focus remains on helping the Tigers finish strongly in 2022, but he does have one eye on the World Cup at the end of the year.
The 28-year-old has represented both New Zealand and Samoa, but says he’s ready to commit to the Kiwis.
Ken Maumalo is hoping for more of this in the UK. Picture: AAP Image/David RowlandSource: AAP
New Zealand has lost a number of players, including Jason Taumalolo, to second-tier nations over the past few years, but Maumalo says the team is getting back to its best as they look to dethrone the Kangaroos at the World Cup.
“The Kiwis jersey sort of lost itself around 2016-17 when those players were jumping ship to play for Tonga and Samoa,” he said.
“I was lucky enough to debut in 2018 to help build that jersey with the number of players that were there.
“The jersey is in a good spot now where it should have been for the past couple of years, and now I’m keen to push that jersey and keep building on that jersey.
“There’s so much depth now in the Kiwis squad, so no matter who turns to Tonga or Samoa, we’ve still got a big roster with a number of good Kiwis playing across the NRL and the UK.”
It’s one of the most famous and unique trades in footy history.
Famous because it involved two players, Chris Judd and Josh Kennedy, that end their careers with stacked CVs, with surely the latter to join the former in the Australian Football Hall of Fame.
And unique because both Carlton and West Coast could claim they ‘won’ the trade.
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Debate over the famous 2007 deal between the Blues and Eagles has, inevitably, emerged this week after Kennedy announced West Coast’s upcoming match against Adelaide would be his 293rd and final AFL game.
The soon-to-be 35-year-old will depart as the Eagles’ greatest goalkicker, as well as several accolades including a dual Coleman Medallist, seven-time Eagles leading goalkicker and triple All-Australian. He was also a pivotal member of West Coast’s thrilling 2018 premiership triumph over Collingwood.
‘Josh is the greatest Eagle ever!’ | 03:56
Kennedy’s achievements came almost exclusively at the Eagles after Carton’s No. 4 pick from the 2005 draft was central to one of footy’s most famous trades.
In late 2007, Judd – West Coast’s 2005 premiership captain and arguably the best player in the AFL at the time – wanted to return to Victoria, with the Blues keen to secure his services.
After 11 goals from 22 games at Carlton, Kennedy moved back to Western Australia – although he was happy and settled in Melbourne at the time.
As part of the deal, Carlton acquired Judd and Pick 46, which it used to select Dennis Armfield, who played 145 games for the Blues). The Eagles got Kennedy, as well as Picks 3 (Chris Masten – a premiership Eagle that played 215 games for West Coast) and 20 (Tony Notte, who played two games in three seasons).
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The struggling Blues not only needed a star player, they sought a leader and standard-setter, hence he was made captain in his first year. In his first four seasons at the Blues, Judd made the All-Australian team in each year, won the Blues’ best and fairest in the first three, claimed the 2010 Brownlow Medal and won the AFL Players’ Association’s MVP award.
Judd was four years older than Kennedy when the 2007 trade went down. He was also already a Brownlow Medallist, Norm Smith Medallist and premiership captain.
But as Judd was coming to the end of his career, Kennedy reached his prime. He kicked 59 goals as a 23-year-old before a golden run where he booted 60, 61, 80 (Coleman Medal), 82 (Coleman Medal) and 69 majors across five seasons. Most crucially, the next year he kicked 3.2 from 18 disposals and 11 marks in a winning Grand Final.
Ex-Carlton coach Brett Ratten with Chris Judd on the day he officially became a Blue. Picture: Simon MossmanSource: AAP
Injury forced Judd to retire at 31 following a couple of seasons where it was clear he was part of his incredible prime. Kennedy will retire after a mighty, warrior-like finish to his career that’s seen him kick 43, 49, 34, 41 and 29 goals from the past five seasons. Considering the Eagles’ plight, the poor delivery inside 50 and his own injury niggles, the fact Kennedy has booted 29 goals this year is remarkable.
Ultimately, the Blues got seven seasons out of Judd and the Eagles got 15 out of Kennedy.
So all things considered, who won the 2007 Judd-Kennedy trade?
Fremantle legend Matthew Pavlich perhaps put it most diplomatically.
“Probably West Coast in the long run, but it’s one of those ones where you could probably argue the case either way on who had the better result,” Pavlich told foxfooty.com.au.
“Judd was captain and All-Australian and took the Blues to a finals win in 2013. So maybe the short-term winner was Carlton, but definitely the long-term winner has been West Coast in terms of Josh Kennedy being an incredible forward for a long, long period of time, All-Australian, Coleman Medalist and eventually a premiership player in 2018. He’s been a star for a long time.
Eagle calls time on phenomenal career | 04:15
“So short-term Carlton, long-term West Coast – it’s not usually you get a trade like that where both teams could argue that they got a better result.”
Ultimately, the business of footy is winning, which is what swayed two Fox Footy pundits to the Eagles.
“Without judging the individual players but judging from the time of the trade, I would feel West Coast won the trade,” triple premiership Lion Alastair Lynch told foxfooty.com.au. “That’s not reducing or belittling Judd’s contribution because he is one of the all-time greats of the game, but post-trade, West Coast got a flag out of it and I suppose Carlton didn’t, so I’d have them just in front.”
Bulldogs games record-holder Brad Johnson told foxfooty.com.au: “Well West Coast won a flag, so I think with what West Coast got out of Kennedy was absolutely spot on for what they needed as a team.”
Triple premiership forward Cameron Mooney also leant towards West Coast – but not by much.
Josh Kennedy with the 2018 Premiership Cup. Picture: Michael KleinSource: News Corp Australia
“I think it worked out pretty well for both. But if I had to pick, being a forward and knowing how hard it is to kick 700 goals and to win a premiership, which is the main game of the game, you have to think probably West Coast,” Mooney told foxfooty.com.au. “But I would’ve been very, very happy if Chris Judd walked through my doors.
“The thing for Carlton was at the time, the club just wasn’t a good club – and it’s probably the perfect example of one person cannot change a football club. He’s in the top handful of players this century and as great as he is, he couldn’t change a club that, probably until recently, had been seen as a poor club.”
AFL 360 co-host Mark Robinson declared it a win-win for the Eagles and Blues.
“They both won. Judd was a champion and Kennedy played 15 years,” Robinson told Fox Footy’s AFL 360.
“His second headline in football was ‘Carlton are giving away Josh Kennedy’ – and his last headline will be ‘Josh Kennedy retires a champion of the game’. It’s a great story.”
AFL 360 co-host Gerard Whateley added: “It’s quite clear Carlton didn’t know what they were trading, because nobody trades THAT player. He was two years in and the forecasting wasn’t he was going to become one of the top 25 goalkickers of all-time. He might’ve been reluctant at the start, but he found his home from him and West Coast and he won his reputation from him at West Coast.
It was less than two days ago we thought Fernando Alonso had blown up the driver market. Little did we know how explosive the silly season was about to become.
When Alpine declined to immediately name Piastri as Alonso’s successor — the logical choice given the triple junior champion’s pedigree and standing inside the team — it was clear a twist was coming.
That twist was the manifestation of the long-running rumor that his Mark Webber-led management team was attempting to crowbar him into a seat at McLaren.
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Williams on loan had been shaping up as Piastri’s most likely destination in 2023 while Alpine held on to Alonso, but the backmarker with slim prospects was thought too likely to slow the Aussie’s already disrupted momentum.
Webber thus started lobbying McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl — who was his own team boss in his championship-winning World Endurance Championship campaign with Porsche — to replace the struggling Ricciardo.
Piastri’s social media protest that he “will not be driving for Alpine next year” can only be a sign that Webber is confident he’s got the job done.
But Piastri can claim a set of orange overalls only if F1’s other Aussie isn’t already in them. And so this latest — but not final — chapter of silly season shenanigans begs the question: what’s in store for Daniel Ricciardo?
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OPTION 1: STATUS QUO
The first alternative is what’s officially the case at the moment. With McLaren unwilling or unable to comment, with Alpine insisting Oscar Piastri will drive for Enstone next season and with Piastri himself not divulging what he expects to be doing next season, the official information is that Ricciardo and Lando Norris will drive for McLaren in 2023.
And that’s not just a matter of ignoring what’s being written between the lines of Piastri’s contract denial and Alpine’s slapdash press statement attempting to stake its claim on the young Aussie.
Ricciardo has a contract through to the end of next year, and reportedly the options to break it are entirely on his side of the ledger — a reminder of just how highly rated he was when he joined McLaren for last season.
Without termination triggers, McLaren would need Ricciardo to decide to walk away before it would have a vacancy to offer to his younger compatriot.
And we know what Ricciardo’s said about the prospect of wrapping up his deal early.
“I am committed to McLaren until the end of next year and am not walking away from the sport,” he
If he has to say in it, he’s going nowhere.
Of course that doesn’t preclude him from changing his mind in changed circumstances — more on that below.
It also doesn’t mean he can’t be paid out in full if McLaren wants to move him on.
But Woking would only undertake such a costly exercise if it were guaranteed Piastri’s services, which is also not a given.
Alpine is clearly attempting to lay claim to the 21-year-old despite his intention to drive elsewhere, and while its legal standing is unclear, there’d be precedent for him getting stuck with Enstone.
Jenson Button attempted to join Williams in 2005 despite BAR insisting it had the right to exercise an option on his contract to retain him. F1’s Contract Recognition Board — set up specifically to handle these sorts of situations — ruled in favor of BAR, keeping the Briton tied to the team.
So while all signs point towards Piastri taking up a seat at Woking, it’s never over until it’s over.
OPTION 2: RETURN TO ALPINE
But with McLaren apparently clear in its intention to switch Ricciardo out for a younger alternative, the eight-time race winner may admit the writing is on the wall and seek employment elsewhere.
Conveniently enough, in those circumstances the best available seat would be at Alpine.
Would it be embarrassing to return to the team he spurned after only one season racing there?
It all depends on perspective.
The Renault that Ricciardo left at the end of 2020 is a different team to that we know at Alpine now, and those changes are deeper than just the name. The old management has been cleaned out, replaced by Laurent Rossi at the top as CEO and Otmar Szafnauer as team principal, neither of whom would hold a grudge for his departure from him.
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When Ricciardo decided he’d walk away, there was also considerable speculation that Renault was considering ending its Formula 1 project after progress up the field had proved substantially more difficult than hoped.
Instead it decided to change tack and brand it with the name of its specialty sports car business, and just this year the team said it was increasing its headcount to 900 staff, which is in line with the sport’s frontrunners after years of trying to tackle F1 on the cheap. It’s also investing considerably in capital works at the factory.
Combined those things address many of the reasons Ricciardo will have been tempted away from Enstone, and the team has proven since that it’s at a minimum not slipping backwards. The appeal of racing for McLaren has also obviously been substantially discoloured by his unhappy experience adapting to the car.
He’d also have the opportunity to rebuild his reputation, which was at stratospheric levels at the end of his tenure at Enstone, having built the car around him in a relatively short period of time.
And considering Alpine is ahead of McLaren in the constructors’ standings — admittedly in part because Ricciardo isn’t scoring as heavily as Norris — he’d technically be trading up.
OPTION 3: TAKE A PUNT ON A SMALLER TEAM
If returning to Alpine were too bitter a pill to swallow but Ricciardo definitely wanted to continue racing in Formula 1, there are several teams with openings for 2023.
Alfa Romeo is yet to re-sign Zhou Guanyu, Mick Schumacher is still uncommitted to Haas and neither Williams driver is signed up for next season, though Alex Albon reportedly has an option on his contract the team is poised to exercise.
Ricciardo: I’m not done with yet | 16:38
AlphaTauri is expected to recommit to Yuki Tsunoda once Red Bull finalises its new commercial terms with Honda after its overnight announcement of a renewed technical partnership.
Alfa Romeo is the most attractive given widespread speculation it’s close to agreeing to a sale to Audi, which will turn it into a works constructor. It’s also in decent shape as it is at the moment considering its low base in recent years and is on track for one of its most lucrative point scores ever.
It would also facilitate Zhou’s return to Alpine, which brought him through the junior categories alongside Piastri.
Haas is less likely despite rumors Schumacher is looking to move elsewhere on the grid given his low prospects of a Ferrari call-up. Williams, meanwhile, would be least attractive of all given it’s a long-term project. The team is reportedly in talks with reigning Formula E champion Nyck de Vries to replace Nicholas Latifi.
OPTION 4: REMOVE
The last option will be the most crushing to contemplate for fans of the forever likeable Aussie, but Ricciardo may decide to call time on his F1 career after 232 starts and at least eight wins and 32 podiums.
McLaren was supposed to be the team that delivered him back to the front of the grid and into title contention, but not only has he not been able to achieve the highs he managed at previous squads, but McLaren itself has failed to fulfill its competitive ambitions .
Even under new regulations the chasm between the frontrunners and the midfield remains wide. The prospects for upwards mobility among the teams is still limited.
And with all the leading teams committed to their drivers for the medium term, Ricciardo may decide it’s not worth continuing in the infinity of the midfield and turn his attention to other pursuits.
But can you really imagine Ricciardo, at just 33 years old and in what is conventionally regarded as the peak age for a driver, wrapping it up?
“The more people ask me [about retirement]I’m like, ‘F*** that, I want to stay longer!’,” he told RacingNews365 in May.
“What’s my shelf life? I still think there’s a good handful of years left in me competitively.
“It’s relative as well to competitiveness [and] desire.
“I think I’ve still got the desire in me for a good handful of years, results aside.”
Whether he gets that handful of years remains to be seen — and if he does, the significant matter of where he spends them is still unclear.
