'Gnarly' bonsais are trending in the tiny tree world
The craft of cultivating bonsai evolved from Japan with a focus on minituarising trees and plants. Recent enthusiasm for the world of tiny trees is seeing Australia's native flora re-imagined as bonsai.
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ABC News
30 minutes ago
- ABC News
NSW State of Origin star Mitch Barnett to miss remainder of 2025 season with ACL rupture in right knee
Mitchell Barnett has been ruled out for the season after scans confirmed the Warriors and NSW State of Origin prop has suffered a ruptured ACL. Barnett had the worst news confirmed on Monday in Auckland, after being assisted from the ground in the Warriors' 36-30 win over South Sydney on Sunday. His injury comes as a mega blow for the Warriors, with Barnett a key member of the club's rise up the ladder to second spot this year. It is also a significant issue for the Blues. Barnett laid an early foundation for NSW in their 18-6 series-opening win, and has just two-and-a-half weeks before the next clash in Perth on June 18. Stefano Utoikamanu looms as the favourite for the spot, after he was part of NSW's 20-man squad for game one and placed on standby for Payne Haas. But Keaon Koloamatangi will also likely remain an option, after being the form prop of the NRL for the past month following his move infield from the second row. The Rabbitohs forward topped 200 metres again against the Warriors, scored a try, made eight tackle busts and played 80 minutes for the third straight game. Koloamatangi debuted in the 2023 dead rubber, starting in the second row and tapping on a pass in the lead up to the first NSW try. "Obviously one of my big goals is to get back there," Koloamatangi said. "But obviously you've got to play good at club level to be able to make the team. So I'm trying to just do that." Asked if he would enter the arena better prepared now with that experience under his belt, the Souths enforcer said he would. "Especially after playing for Tonga against Australia as well," added the 27-year-old. "They're obviously a mixture of both New South Wales and Queensland players. Koloamatangi's move to the front row has made him one of several big-minute machines in the middle. Haas has long been the benchmark for props, while Terrell May has also become an 80-minute option for Wests Tigers after his move there from the Sydney Roosters this year. Koloamatagi's situation is slightly different, given he lost 10kg in the pre-season — which made him the leanest he has been since he was a teenager playing centre. "You've got to be lean and a lot fitter than back in the day. There's not many big-muscle props anymore that play," Koloamatangi said. "Especially with the interchanges going down to eight. The more minutes you play, the more valuable. "No matter what position I play, I try and be the best at it. "Obviously, the best props in the world, like Payne, they play massive minutes and do a massive amount of work. So I just try and do that for my team." AAP
ABC News
30 minutes ago
- ABC News
Super Netball Round-Up: Giants sign 40-year-old 'fossil' as injury replacement and is the Diamonds shooting circle in trouble?
Round eight is complete and we're over the halfway hump of the Super Netball season. The Sunshine Coast Lightning held on against the Melbourne Mavericks, 67-60, to move up a spot and claim third place. The undefeated NSW Swifts were challenged by defending premiers the Adelaide Thunderbirds in a see-sawing affair, 66-64. The lead changed six times and Romelda Aiken-George hit a 9,000-career goal milestone before the Swifts claimed their eighth straight victory. That run equals the club's best winning streak of the Super Netball era. The Giants put up an entertaining fight against the Melbourne Vixens after a big week of headlines. But a shock signing that attracted worldwide attention couldn't help them shift off the bottom of the ladder and they faded in the final quarter, 71-61. Lastly, the West Coast Fever handed the Queensland Firebirds a sixth straight defeat, 82-65. The 17-goal blowout took place in front of the Fever's second-biggest crowd in club history (11,427). If you missed it, don't worry — we'll get you up to speed with our Super Netball Round-Up. On Tuesday, the sad news broke that Jamaican defender Jodi Ann Ward had been ruled out for the rest of the season with a torn ACL. Ward had surgery and will now need to nail her rehab if she has any chance of representing her country at next year's Commonwealth Games. Then came the temporary replacement signing of Casey Kopua on Friday that sent the netball world into a frenzy. It would be her first elite netball game in six years, during which she has been keeping fit by teaching F45 classes and playing socially. Kopua was affectionately dubbed by New Zealand as one of 'the fossils' that won the Netball World Cup in 2019, alongside veterans Laura Langman and Maria Folau. The Silver Ferns had flown under the radar throughout that major tournament until the finals, where new head coach Noeline Taurua's mastermind tactics and fitness standards guided them to upsets against England and Australia. Kopua had previously retired from international netball in 2017 but came back to have one more crack at the trophy that had alluded her three times before. She was named as the MVP of the gold medal match before retiring once again — this time from all forms of netball. To say this Super Netball signing was left field would be a massive understatement and speaks to her relationship with Julie Fitzgerald, who previously coached Kopua at the Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic before moving home to Australia to become the inaugural Giants coach. Kopua answered the SOS call from Fitzgerald on Tuesday, left her three kids behind to jump on a plane on Wednesday, and joined the Giants for her first training session on Thursday. By Sunday she was making her Super Netball debut, 18 days shy of her 40th birthday. Although it came out of the blew, Kopua was keen. "This certainly was not on my bingo card for 2025, I loved every minute," she said. "The first text from Julie was, 'Want to make a comeback?' and I was like, 'Huh, are you serious, how would that work?' "There were about six or seven texts from me in a row before she answered." Kopua was initially brought over as a one-off, but discussions are now underway to sign her on a longer contract as the Giants try to avoid finishing with a consecutive wooden spoon. There was so much hype generated for this appearance that the Giants recorded their second-best crowd attendance at Ken Rosewall Arena so far this season (3,076) behind the NSW derby. So how did she do on court? For starters, Kopua played a full match at goal keeper. That's impressive. She got a reasonable amount of hand to ball (three deflections, one rebound) and the presence of a legend was enough to put off the Vixens shooters — who only found out they would be facing Kopua after they'd finished their weekly prep. Is she going to be the difference between winning games and losing them? That's debatable. But the Giants have made it clear that the stalwart is more so here to bring her leadership qualities and play a supporting role to 21-year-old Erin O'Brien than anything else. In that goal, Kopua succeeded. Offering advice and structure to the Giants at the back in defence while O'Brien picked off a game-high seven gains. Now that we've entered the back half of the season, it's time to do a temperature check on how our Diamonds players are tracking as they vie for national contracts. England announced its 2025/26 list last week, but Australia has delayed theirs in order to allow players more time to prove themselves in a year where there is no major tournament. It seems they need it, because running our eyes over last year's national squad brings up concerns for the shooting circle. For one, there are less Australian shooters occupying starting positions in our domestic competition, giving the selectors a smaller pool of talent to pick from. Only the Lightning, Vixens and Giants operate moving circles that hinge on homegrown talent. The rest of the five teams centre their game plans around a tall holding import under the post. It's no coincidence that each of these targets are the league's top five leading goal scorers. Three of these five teams also have an import signed as their main goal attack. Secondly, there has been some dicey form on show. It's most obvious at the Vixens, where Diamonds duo Sophie Garbin and Kiera Austin have struggled to connect in the same fashion they did to reach the 2024 Super Netball grand final. Garbin missed eight attempts at goal on Sunday and the majority of those were under the post (43/51). She was also pulled up five times for offensive contact and both players are in the top five for turnovers this season. To be fair to Austin, most of the ball she has lost has been whilst trying to feed Garbin. Sophie Dwyer is another that has a really high turnover count and her confidence has taken a hit the past two seasons as the Giants trail the competition. Georgie Horjus made her international debut last year as a genuine wing attack and goal attack swing, but has spent less time in goals this season for the Thunderbirds; instead focusing on the midcourt. Cara Koenen started the season slow and was under an injury cloud ahead of round six when she was spotted at the airport in a moon boot. She watched the entire game from the sideline, then in round seven came off the bench to play for 30 minutes. In round eight, Koenen took back her starting spot in the Lightning's line-up and managed 56 minutes. Maybe that injury cloud has now lifted? Then there's Donnell Wallam, who left to play in the New Zealand Premiership and is still eligible for selection. However, she hurt her wrist two weeks ago and missed round four. The Northern Mystics are yet to provide an update. Lastly, Diamonds invitee Lucy Austin has been demoted to the Super Netball Reserves. So, do the selectors stick with these players and hope to rebuild their confidence in camp? Or do they look to reward form and blood some new faces like 23-year-old impact player Reilley Batcheldor, a consistent force in the super shot period for the Lightning? A couple of weeks ago we mentioned the Australian set-up was hopeful Gretel Bueta might return to the game after having her third child. If she was to come back would that sort out the uncertainty for the Diamonds shooting circle? More will become clear in the final six rounds of the regular season.
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
New Attorney-General Michelle Rowland called to implement national bestiality material laws
New Attorney-General Michelle Rowland has been called to address 'pathetic' gaps in bestiality laws, where only three states currently outlaw materials showing acts of the animal torture. While the act of bestiality is illegal, only NSW, Western Australia and Tasmania have banned the possession, distribution and production of materials depicting bestiality. NSW Animal Justice Party MP Emma Hurst said the 'pathetic' gaps in legislation mean authorities don't have the means to convict criminals for committing the horrific crimes. Ms Hurst, who championed stronger laws in NSW, has called for the Commonwealth Criminal Code to introduce new offences for using a carriage service to possess, produce or share animal sexual abuse materials within or outside Australia. She's also calling for a federal taskforce to target offenders perpetrating these crimes. 'Many dangerous criminals are escaping conviction because of gaps in our laws. We must make sure our laws protect children and animals,' she told NewsWire. 'While further legislative changes are looking very hopeful in NSW, there is still the enormous issue that across the country, laws are still lacking. 'Given the gravity of the crimes, federal legislation in this space is sorely needed and should be urgently prioritised by the new federal Attorney-General.' Ms Hurst used the example of Northern Territory man Adam Britton who was slapped with a 10 year and five month jail sentence after he pleaded guilt to 60 charges of bestiality, animal cruelty and possessing child abuse material in August 2024. However authorities were unable to charge or convict him of the creation and sharing of bestiality materials due to the lack of such laws in NT legislation. 'There is no law in the NT to prohibit the distribution of such materials so while he was convicted of bestiality, he escaped charges for distribution,' he said. RSPCA NSW general counsel Kathryn Jurd, who has spent eight years running and prosecuting cases for the RSPCA, said differences in state legislation should not act as a barrier to law enforcement charging people with offences which reflect the full extent of their actions. 'When law enforcement discover these heinous crimes, they need to be in a position to charge in a way that reflects exactly what the person has done, what the evidence is capable of proving they have done,' she said. Speaking to the seriousness of cases involving animal sexual abuse material, she said features which 'regularly reoccur' in bestiality cases included the presence of children in the footage, and perpetrators being found in possession of child sexual abuse material. 'People who create animal sexual abuse material don't abide by state lines and the point of the creation of this type of material is often for it to be disseminated globally,' she said. 'Most people would support uniformity, particularly on a topic where there's so much consensus for really strong criminal law coverage across Australia.' While Ms Rowland declined to comment on Ms Hurst's demands, stating that they were a state issue, new shadow attorney-general Julian Leeser gave in-principle support to strengthened laws. 'Acts of bestiality are completely abhorrent,' he said.
