Wests Tigers' Brent Naden hit with NRL breach notice over offensive gesture
The NRL notified Naden and the Tigers on Tuesday night that he had been issued with a breach notice after he used the Arabic gesture on social media following the club's win over the Bulldogs on Sunday night.
Naden has five days to respond to the breach notice. The other three players who used the gesture during Sunday's game at Commbank Stadium – who the NRL chose not to name – were given warnings by the NRL.
The NRL released a statement on Wednesday morning confirming that the warning handed out to three players, who they declined to name, was related to their conduct on the field during the round 22 game against the Bulldogs.
'The NRL acknowledges that these actions caused, or had the potential to cause, offence to members of the NRL community,' the statement said.
'Separately, the NRL has issued a breach notice to Wests Tigers Player Brent Naden. The notice alleges that Naden's conduct following the Wests Tigers match on 3 August 2025 contravened the NRL Code of Conduct. The Player will have five days to respond to the breach notice.' Brent Read Senior Sports Writer
Brent Read is one of rugby league's agenda setters but is also among the nation's most well-known golf writers. He also covers Olympic sports, writing with authority, wit and enthusiasm. Brent began his career in sport as a soccer player, playing with the Brisbane Strikers in the NSL. NRL
While legend Benny Elias called it 'ugly hatred', the NRL's slap on the wrist for the Tigers players who insulted Bulldogs fans on the weekend is just right, writes Brent Read. NRL
A Queensland Origin squad member and Dolphin is on the verge of returning to his former club on a two-year deal.
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ABC News
28 minutes ago
- ABC News
Drink driver given suspended sentence over grandmother's hit-run death
Mary Kathleen Kelly should be on a plane, on the way to visit one of her 15 grandchildren dotted around the world. Instead, on Wednesday, her name was being uttered by a Magistrate in a Gold Coast courtroom. The 83-year-old US citizen and mother of five died in March 2024 after being hit by a car driven by Jack William Arthur Yates at Tugun, near the Queensland-New South Wales border. Yates, 31, was drink driving and had a blood alcohol level of 0.125 when he hit Ms Kelly, who was walking home from a church service. While he initially stopped, he later left the scene. A week after he pleaded guilty to driving without due care causing death, driving while over the middle alcohol limit, and failing to remain at an incident and render assistance, Yates was handed a 12-month prison term, wholly suspended for two years, meaning he will avoid prison. In sentencing, Magistrate Kerry Magee noted how serious the offending was. "So many people have suffered significantly as a result of your conduct on that day and the repercussions of that behaviour will echo for decades to come," Magistrate Magee said. The court heard prior to the crash, Yates had been seeing a psychiatrist since November 2022 for depression, anxiety, and alcohol and cannabis use. He had no prior criminal history or prior offences involving alcohol. A pre-sentence report provided by psychiatrist Philip Morris stated in the weeks prior to the accident, Yates lost 15 kilograms in weight following an infection. "Professor Morris expressed the opinion that your responsibility was diminished by reason of your pre-existing psychiatric disorder, your recent significant medical illness … which contributed to fatigue, reduced physical capacity and impaired attention," Magistrate Magee said. "He expressed the opinion that your flight from the scene was not consistent with an intention to evade responsibility. She said Yates had developed post-traumatic stress disorder following the crash, experiencing symptoms such as flashbacks and panic attacks. "You have provided a letter to the family of Ms Kelly in which you express your remorse, your shame and your self-disgust," she said. Magistrate Magee cited Yates's guilty plea, his mental health and remorse as mitigating factors in his sentence, but recorded convictions against him and disqualified him from driving for six months. For Ms Kelly's family, Yates's sentence offers little release from their sense of loss and grief. In victim impact statements tendered to the Southport Magistrates Court, Ms Kelly's daughters told of the physical and emotional torment their mother's death has had on them. "My mom was a force of life who loved, protected, cheered, and counselled her family," Kerry Kelly, the eldest of Ms Kelly's children, wrote from her home on the outskirts of Chicago in the US. Kate Kelly, who submitted her victim impact statement from her home in Dublin, Ireland, wrote she had been unable to forget the horrible details of the accident that claimed her mother's life. "I am constantly recalled to her, roadside, by everyday images and sounds of those moments: blue lights, sirens, flashlights … phone alarms, loud bangs, ziplock bags, etc," she wrote. Mary Kathleen Kelly's youngest daughter Meg Kelly, who the 83-year-old was visiting on the Gold Coast at the time of the accident, wrote that her mother's death had been "all-consuming". "I have been robbed of the one person I could be fully vulnerable with, the one person I could fully trust; the one person I could turn to with no hesitation," she wrote. Meg Kelly detailed her mother's regular adventures around the world and her efforts to stay connected to her children and grandchildren. "She lived for those kids. She travelled around the world all year round to be with them … in Ireland, Alaska, California, the East Coast of America, Chicago and of course here in Australia," she said. In a statement provided after the sentencing, Meg Kelly said the impact of the case had devastated her entire family, and Yates's family too. "There are no winners here today," she said. " "Both families have suffered an indescribable amount. "Moving forward, we can only hope others will see the irreversible damage Mr Yates's regrettable and deadly decision to get behind the wheel after drinking has caused both families."
ABC News
28 minutes ago
- ABC News
All the witnesses and evidence aired so far in Netflix star Matt Wright's criminal trial
With dozens of witnesses to give evidence and a timeline of events stretching back more than three years, you may have some questions about Matt Wright's criminal trial. The TV personality is facing allegations he tried to hinder investigations into a fatal helicopter crash during a crocodile egg-collecting mission in remote Arnhem Land. The crash on February 28, 2022, killed his close friend and Netflix co-star, Chris "Willow" Wilson and seriously injured pilot Sebastian Robinson. Mr Wright has pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempting to pervert the course of justice, in the aftermath of the accident. The cause of the chopper accident is not the subject of Mr Wright's charges, but a lot of the evidence centres around that event. Here's a breakdown of the key players in the trial, the charges and the evidence heard so far. Matt Wright starred in National Geographic's Outback Wrangler series. ( Supplied: National Geographic, Outback Wrangler ) The trial is against Matt Wright, the star of Netflix series, Wild Croc Territory, and National Geographic's Outback Wrangler. Mr Wright is also behind NT adventure tourism company, Wild Territory, which offers helicopter rides, airboat tours and accommodation. His company Helibrook has been mentioned during the trial, with Sebastian Robinson and Chris Wilson both employees at the time of the chopper crash. Mr Wright was present at the crash scene, after he flew himself, crocodile farmer Mick Burns and off-duty police officer Neil Mellon to the remote swamp. The court also heard claims Mr Wright "was an anti-vaxxer", and COVID-19 restrictions at the time meant he couldn't travel to Arnhem Land for crocodile egg-collecting missions. Mr Robinson has told jurors Mr Wright was a "standover sort of person" and that his employees "idolised" him and wanted to make themselves "look good in front of him". Matt Wright walking into the NT Supreme Court alongside his wife Kaia Wright. ( ABC News: Pete Garnish ) Mr Wright has been supported by his wife Kaia Wright each day in court. You might recognise her and the couple's two young children from the Netflix show the family stars in, Wild Croc Territory. Sebastian Robinson Sebastian Robinson gave evidence via videolink. ( ABC News: Mary Franklin ) Sebastian Robinson was piloting the chopper when it crashed in 2022 and was left seriously injured. The jury's heard Mr Robinson was an experienced pilot and licensed aircraft engineer who owned his own helicopters, but mostly worked for Matt Wright's company Helibrook in the months before the accident. He suffered a traumatic brain injury and multiple spinal fractures in the crash, rendering him paraplegic. Sebastian Robinson gave evidence via videolink. ( ABC News: Mary Franklin ) Mr Robinson said that while he had no memory of the crash due to his injuries, he accepted he "must have intentionally disconnected" Chris Wilson from the sling that was suspending him 25 metres above the ground. He told jurors he was Helibrook's Head of Airworthiness and Aircraft Maintenance Control, but that the position was unpaid and "Matt controlled all aspects of his aircraft regarding maintenance scheduling". Mr Robinson gave evidence throughout the second week of the trial. Chris 'Willow' Wilson Chris Wilson was a young father who starred in Wild Croc Territory. ( Supplied ) Chris "Willow" Wilson was collecting crocodile eggs during the 2022 flight that ultimately took his life. In the first week of the trial, the jury heard Mr Wilson was attached to a sling that allowed him to be lowered onto crocodile nests from the airborne helicopter. The prosecution described it as "risky and dangerous work". Pilot Sebastian Robinson told the court — while he has no memory of the crash due to his traumatic brain injury — he must have "intentionally disconnected" Mr Wilson's sling before he fell 25 metres to his death. Chris Wilson was a young father who starred in Wild Croc Territory. ( Supplied ) Before the fatal accident, Mr Wilson had starred alongside Matt Wright in TV shows Outback Wrangler and Wild Croc Territory. Mr Wilson's wife, Danielle, has been attending every day of the Supreme Court trial in Darwin. Danielle Wilson's husband was killed in the 2022 chopper crash. ( ABC News: Dane Hirst ) Mick Burns Mick Burns is well known in the Top End's crocodile farming industry. ( ABC News: Dane Hirst ) Crocodile farmer Mick Burns was the first witness to take the stand in this trial. He attended the crash site soon after the accident with Matt Wright and off-duty police officer Neil Mellon. Mr Burns runs the business that contracted the fatal crocodile egg-collecting mission — which farms crocs for meat and sells their skins to luxury fashion brands like Hermes. Mick Burns is well known in the Top End's crocodile farming industry. ( ABC News: Dane Hirst ) Under questioning from the prosecution regarding the crash scene in 2022, Mr Burns said he didn't see anyone go near the downed aircraft's cockpit. He told jurors he saw helicopter pilot Michael Burbidge look in its fuel tank and asked him if there "was any fuel", to which he replied "yes". Neil Mellon Neil Mellon was not on duty when he agreed to attend the crash scene with Matt Wright. ( ABC News: Dane Hirst ) Former NT police officer Neil Mellon, who extracted Chris "Willow" Wilson's body from the harness, was the second witness to give evidence before the jury. Mr Mellon said Mr Wright had asked him to attend the crash and he agreed because of his experience with specialist policing. Neil Mellon was not on duty when he agreed to attend the crash scene with Matt Wright. ( ABC News: Dane Hirst ) Mr Mellon told jurors he removed Mr Wilson's phone from his body and passed it to Mick Burbidge, who then made a passing comment that widow Danielle Wilson "doesn't need to see what's on that". He said Mr Burbidge told him months later the phone was "gone" and "in the ocean". The jury's heard Mr Mellon later resigned from the police force following charges over his role in the phone's disposal. Michael Burbidge Michael Burbridge is the director of Remote Helicopters Australia. ( ABC News: Dane Hirst ) Michael Burbidge was piloting another chopper on the crocodile egg-collecting mission and was the first to arrive at the crash scene. He told jurors he "got rid of" Chris Wilson's phone after ex-police officer Neil Mellon handed it to him, saying Matt Wright had nothing to do with it. The jury's heard Mr Burbidge was charged over his role in the phone's disposal, to which he pleaded guilty. Michael Burbridge is the director of Remote Helicopters Australia. ( ABC News: Dane Hirst ) The jury also heard a covert recording of a call between Mr Wright and Mr Burbidge after the crash, in which the pilot told Mr Wright engineers had written in the crashed chopper's logbook about when "the clocks been off". He denied ever speaking to Mr Wright about disconnecting the Hobbs meter, which records an aircraft's flight hours, in Mr Wright's helicopters. A month before the fatal accident, Mr Burbidge and fellow pilot Sebastian Robinson agreed to call off a separate crocodile egg-collecting mission due to safety concerns. Jock Purcell Jock Purcell appeared in the Wild Croc Territory TV show. ( Supplied: Channel 9, Wild Croc Territory ) Jock Purcell worked for Matt Wright as a crocodile egg collector and a pilot in the years leading up to the accident. Mr Purcell starred in Wild Croc Territory, and told jurors he also worked as an airboat driver and tour guide in another of Mr Wright's businesses. Jock Purcell appeared in the Wild Croc Territory TV show. ( Supplied: Channel 9, Wild Croc Territory ) While waiting for CareFlight to arrive at the remote crash scene, he said nobody approached the downed chopper or checked its fuel tank. Mr Purcell later said someone, he didn't recall who, lifted the dash of the crashed chopper and — after checking it himself — he confirmed the Hobbs meter was connected. Responding to the prosecution's questions, Mr Purcell admitted he had failed to record flights more than 10 times before the fatal accident. He told jurors he had disconnected the Hobbs meter in the past, and seen Mr Wright do so previously as well. The prosecution Jason Gullaci SC is the Crown prosecutor in the Supreme Court trial. ( ABC News: Dane Hirst ) Jason Gullaci SC is the Crown prosecutor in the case against Matt Wright. In his opening address, Mr Gullaci told jurors Mr Wright had been involved in the "systemic under-recording" of flight hours for the helicopter before the fateful crocodile egg-collecting trip. He alleged Mr Wright's concern that the under-recording would be revealed motivated him to engage in a cover-up. Jason Gullaci SC is the Crown prosecutor in the Supreme Court trial. ( ABC News: Dane Hirst ) Mr Gullaci told jurors Mr Wright went into the downed helicopter after arriving at the scene, "play[ed] around with the dash" and removed some items. The prosecution's also alleged Mr Wright lied when he told police there was half a tank of fuel in the helicopter's tank when he checked it at the scene. Mr Gullaci alleged Mr Wright, by sending a friend to visit Sebastian Robinson in hospital, tried to "get his hands on documents that allow him to control what might be said to investigators". The defence David Edwardson KC (left) is the defence lawyer for Matt Wright. ( ABC News: Dane Hirst ) Prominent barrister David Edwardson KC and solicitor Luke Officer are representing Matt Wright, who they say "emphatically denies" the allegations against him. We've heard the defence question the strength of the prosecution's evidence, including the reliability of key witness testimonies. Matt Wright pictured walking to court with his wife Kaia Wright and legal team. ( ABC News: Dane Hirst ) Mr Edwardson also described the prosecution's allegations that Mr Wright had deleted items from Mr Robinson's phone as "an absolute falsehood". Mr Edwardson has said much of the prosecution's case was based on its interpretation of what were "extremely poor" quality recordings. Matt Wright is charged with three counts of attempting to pervert the course of justice. He has pleaded not guilty. The court heard allegations the chopper had enough fuel to make the trip. ( ABC News: Randi Dahnial ) Charge one alleges Mr Wright lied in a police interview about checking the helicopter's fuel tank at the scene of the crash. The prosecution said while Mr Wright told police the chopper had half a tank of fuel, covertly-recorded conversations allegedly recorded him admitting "I didn't see f***in' any fuel in the tank, zero". Sebastian Robinson told jurors the chopper did not run out of fuel and said a photo from the day of the crash, shown to the jury, showed the tank was "three quarters full". Timothy Luck, another witness who had piloted Mr Wright's aircraft in the past, said he'd filled up the chopper "completely" at Mount Borradaile minutes before the crash. Charge two The court heard Matt Wright visited the injured pilot in hospital. ( ABC News: Randi Dahnial ) Charge two relates to allegations Matt Wright visited crash survivor Sebastian Robinson in hospital and asked him to doctor flight logs. The prosecution alleges Mr Wright's requests, between March 3 and 13, 2022, were made in an attempt to hide the true amount of hours the chopper had flown before it crashed. The court's heard allegations Mr Wright had deleted notes and texts from Mr Robinson's phone and asked him to "manipulate" flight hours, but the pilot told him "no". Charge three The Crown is using evidence from secret audio recordings. ( ABC News: Randi Dahnial ) Charge three relates to conversations prosecutors say Matt Wright had between September 21 and 25, 2022. One is a secretly-recorded midnight conversation in which the prosecution alleges Matt Wright's directed an associate to burn the downed chopper's maintenance document. Prosecutors say Mr Wright can be heard saying: "Just torch it … I've got to send it to CASA (Civil Aviation Safety Authority) or the ATSB (Australian Transport Safety Bureau)". The helicopter was found damaged and in an upright position. Photo taken by Careflight and supplied by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau on April 19, 2022 ( Supplied: Careflight ) A Hobbs meter is used in an aircraft to track its time in the air or how long the engine's been running. The fewer hours that are logged, the less frequent the aircraft is required undergo costly maintenance. The prosecution's case centres on allegations Helibrook had a culture of "systemic under-reporting" that Mr Wright feared "could be used as a way to blame him for the accident". Prosecutors allege Mr Wright checked the downed chopper to see whether the Hobbs metre was attached. In a phone call to his co-star Jock Purcell — covertly recorded months after the crash and played to the jury — Mr Wright allegedly said "the Hobbs had been touched". Sebastian Robinson told jurors it was "very common" for Mr Wright's employees to disconnect his helicopters' Hobbs meters and neglect to record flight hours. Mr Robinson said it was a practice he was familiar with in the industry, before working for Mr Wright. Secret recordings The prosecution has been sharing evidence from secret recordings, taped covertly inside Matt Wright's home. ( Supplied: Pexels / ) The prosecution has been airing evidence from secret recordings, taped covertly inside Matt Wright's home between six and nine months after the crash. According to the Crown, Mr Wright was heard instructing associate Jai Tomlinson to "torch" helicopter-maintenance forms — which investigators had been looking for — more than six months after the crash. "Just burn the c**t," Mr Wright is alleged to have said. Another secret recording allegedly captures Mr Wright telling his wife, Kaia Wright, "I don't write shit down. I don't even have a f***ing log book" of flying hours. Mr Wright's defence team said he "emphatically denies" the prosecution's cover-up allegations, and said the secret recordings were "extremely poor" quality. The prosecution has also played a secret recording from Mr Wright's visit to pilot Sebastian Robinson in hospital. Cocaine use Alkaloid substance as cocaine white powder lines with Euro notes is seen in this photo illustration. On 9 August 2023 in Brussels, Belgium. (Photo illustration by Jonathan Raa/NurPhoto via Getty Images) ( Getty Images: Jonathan Raa/NurPhoto ) The jury's heard a blood sample taken from pilot Sebastian Robinson after the crash contained traces of cocaine. However, in its opening statement the prosecution said the evidence would show it was below the "prescribed amount for enforcement" under aviation regulations and would not have affected pilot's control. The defence alleged Mr Robinson had been consuming cocaine at a birthday party two days before the crash, but the injured pilot said he had no memory of that gathering. Mr Robinson denied the prosecution's suggestion he'd been "a raging cocaine junkie" and "a drug dealer" but admitted to "trafficking" small amounts of cocaine to friends and others. Pilot Jock Purcell told jurors Mr Robinson had a reputation as a "party animal" and was a "regular and frequent user of cocaine". Logbooks Generic image of some kind of logbook or admin documentation. ( Supplied: Pexels / Connor McManus ) Evidence heard about helicopter flight records relates to Matt Wright's second and third charges. The jury's heard claims Tim Johnston, a colleague of Matt Wright, visited the injured pilot Sebastian Robinson in hospital and "pressured" his brother to hand over a flight logbook. Jurors heard Mr Robinson's mother then rang Mr Johnston and asked him to hand back the logbook, which he did. Mr Johnston gave evidence that he was given the pilot's diary, but gave it back after he said Mr Wright told him he'd "done the wrong thing". The court's also heard allegations Mr Wright visited Mr Robinson in hospital and asked him to to take "15 to 20 hours off" the crashed chopper's flight records. The prosecution's also aired bugged phone calls in which Mr Wright is alleged to have instructed an associate to "torch" helicopter maintenance forms. The prosecution's case centres on allegations Mr Wright's company Helibrook had a culture of "under-reporting" flight hours, that the Netflix star feared "could be used as a way to blame him for the accident". Covid-19 rule-breaking A spot for a vaccination check in queue. ( ABC News: Danielle Bonica ) The court's heard claims Matt Wright was an "anti-vaxxer", in testimony by pilot Sebastian Robinson. The injured pilot told jurors Mr Wright was not allowed to go on crocodile egg-collecting trips on Aboriginal land at the time of the crash due to Covid restrictions in place then. In visiting the hospital, Mr Robinson also alleged the TV star broke Covid restrictions, due to him being unvaccinated. Fuel tank Petrol pump generic image. ( Supplied: Marek Studzinski on Unsplash ) Evidence heard about the level of fuel in the chopper at the time it crashed relates to Matt Wright's first charge. The prosecution's alleged Mr Wright lied in a police interview about checking the downed chopper's fuel tank. The evidence includes covertly-recorded conversations in which Mr Wright allegedly contradicts his statement about the level of fuel in the tank. Pilot Sebastian Robinson has told jurors he "knew in his heart" that the helicopter did not run out of fuel during the crash, and described other accounts as "rumours and whispers". Another witness, Timothy Luck, said he was "very confident" he refuelled the chopper at Mount Borradaile shortly before the crash. The ABC has launched a new podcast, The Case Of, which has kicked off with twice-weekly episodes on Matt Wright's criminal trial. ABC Northern Territory court reporter Olivana Lathouris, along with Stephen Stockwell, unpack the prosecution's case against Mr Wright and how his legal team will defend the charges. If you have any questions you'd like them to answer in future episodes, you can email thecaseof@
News.com.au
28 minutes ago
- News.com.au
‘Desperate' Crows questioned for ‘arguing at every turn' as slur saga stalls
The Adelaide Crows have come under scrutiny for 'arguing the toss at every turn' with regards to the ongoing investigation into the alleged homophobic slur delivered by Izak Rankine to a Collingwood player. The Crows are bracing for Rankine to be dealt a season-ending suspension from the AFL, but despite expectations a decision would be made on Tuesday — as all parties involved have been spoken to — the league will continue to mull the situation until at least Thursday before determining a sanction. Watch every game until the 2025 AFL Grand Final LIVE with no ad-breaks during play on Kayo. New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1. Adelaide was granted 'additional time to respond to the AFL's proposed determinations', per an AFL statement on Wednesday afternoon. The alleged incident occurred on Saturday night, before relevant interviews took place and submissions made on Monday. The league is thought to be hunting a five-match ban for Rankine — which would end his season — with the Crows now in the process of readying their response. Respected commentator and AFL 360 host Gerard Whateley called the drawn-out process 'convoluted' on Wednesday night, with the saga about to enter its fourth day. 'That is an intolerably convoluted process, and it risks the AFL looking indecisive — perhaps behind the scenes they haven't been at all, but that's how it looks from the outside,' Whateley began on Fox Footy. 'It does make me wonder why Andrew Dillon and his legal team didn't go to Adelaide on Tuesday, sit in the board room and stay until matters were resolved. 'I think on a public front ... this is going to run all the way until game day of Round 24 — it's a nasty story. It's got an unsavoury edge, and some of the debate around it is it's damaging to the code.' Whateley expressed his belief that the Crows aren't acting 'in a contrite manner' as they continue to try for the most lenient possible suspension. 'My focus, really, is on Adelaide, who seem desperate to fight every angle of this,' he said. 'It's not a picture of accepting responsibility and acting in a contrite manner. And they are arguing the toss at every turn, formally and informally — (making the argument) finals games should be worth more than home-and-away games, even though there's no precedent in the system for that. 'They have gone with Rankine was provoked, which is a big stretch, I think — he was antagonised, but provoked is a big stretch. 'Informally, they've even raised Snoop Dogg. That's the domain of talkback radio, not a responsible footy club.' Whateley said there were 'three possibilities' that could have eventuated. 'Front up to what happened, pledge to address whatever it is in the environment that allowed this to happen, and accept what's coming,' he said. Former Demons captain Garry Lyon took a slightly different route to Whateley, suggesting the Crows were within their rights to 'fight and fight hard' to get Rankine off the hook — provided they also fall on their sword and accept the forthcoming penalty when the time comes. 'It's incumbent from a supporter's point of view to do the best job they possibly can to see if they can get Izak back playing,' Lyon said on AFL 360. 'Now, as unsavoury as that may sound, and as you've pointed it out, it smacks of them not wanting to take responsibility, I think they are entitled to argue their case as vociferously and as strongly as they possibly can, given the stakes that are at play — so long as they are accepting of the final verdict and it doesn't go too far. 'As a football club that's sitting on top of the ladder and are premiership favourites, there is a way to deal with it. And as I said, I don't begrudge them the right to fight and fight hard — even if that means getting in the trenches a bit — but there comes a time where you do need to show some humility and be accepting of the penalty, and that'll come.'
