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ABC News
7 minutes ago
- ABC News
Why 'boring footy' will be the key for Melbourne Storm without Jahrome Hughes
Melbourne's first efforts without Jahrome Hughes helped propel them to one of their best wins of the season, but if the Storm are to continue their premiership charge they'll need plenty of the same for as long as the reigning Dally M medallist is sidelined. The Storm are hopeful Hughes can return from a dislocated shoulder for the finals and rallied against the Roosters for a win that showed their toughness and character. It was a seminal showing but only a taste of what's to come. In the meantime, they'll face a six-week fury road that may define or destroy what's possible once the New Zealand playmaker is fit again. The Victorians have a tough run home, starting with a rejuvenated Parramatta side on Thursday before they take on Brisbane, Penrith (away) and Canterbury before facing the Roosters and Broncos (away) again. Right now, the Storm are comfortably in the top four, but nothing is certain given the quality of their opponents on the way home. Melbourne are expected to welcome back Cameron Munster and Ryan Papenhuyzen for Thursday's clash with the Eels while Tyran Wishart is tipped to take over at halfback. The utility is a quality replacement — he made himself a star filling in for Munster in the halves last season — but it will require an adjustment of style for Craig Bellamy's side. "One of the strengths of our team is depth, it's getting tested at the moment with a few injuries and other circumstances but our depth will come into play now," Wishart said. "[We have to] narrow the focus and playing to individuals' strengths and the team's strengths. Playing to our strengths is the main thing. "Boring footy is good footy. You could see that against the Roosters, it was boring — we just kicked to corners, but luckily it worked for us. "Off the back of that you can get combinations going." Hughes has not hit the heights of his superb 2024 season this time around but was coming into that kind of form at just the right time — he's the equal leader for try assists in the NRL and over the last 18 months has re-emerged as Melbourne's best and most consistent player. Without him, Melbourne will look to play more direct and through the middle of the field. They'll rely more on their forward pack to create ruck speed and on their spine to take advantage of it. The Roosters game can be something of a blueprint, with that style bringing them plenty of joy with hooker Harry Grant playing his finest game of the year. Working off Grant and Munster, who missed last week to attend his father's funeral, will be crucial if the Storm are to lock up a top-four spot in Hughes's absence. Once Munster returns he is expected to take control as the side's main organiser — a task that is newer for him, but one he performed beautifully for Queensland in this year's Origin series. "I think we're both naturally runners, but Munster's really good at organising as well. I didn't mind doing that [against the Roosters] when I had to," Wishart said. "The more you train with someone, the more games you get together, you work out a combination. "One of the strengths of our team is depth, it's getting tested at the moment with a few injuries and other circumstances but our depth will come into play now." Wishart and Munster have already played one game together this year, a forgettable 14-8 loss to the Dragons in round four where the Storm attack struggled to fire a shot. Now they'll have more time on their side but losing Hughes for this crucial stretch, plus the high re-occurrence rate of shoulder problems meaning he's no guarantee to last once he does return, has put their premiership charge in the balance. But it's far from impossible. Penrith have won the last two premierships despite Nathan Cleary carrying a similar shoulder problem into each finals series and with the Storm's talent behind them they're not giving the doubters a moments thought. "We wouldn't pay too much attention to that. We know what we can do, our team isn't based on individuals and that's our main strength," Wishart said. "People can say what they want, as long as we believe in ourselves we can do it."
News.com.au
37 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Rejuvenated Martin Harley hopes gun colt Cool Archie will define his career
A rejuvenated Martin Harley is hoping that gun colt Cool Archie can put him on the map in the same way that mighty mare Winx defined the career of fellow jockey Hugh Bowman. Irish hoop Harley returned to Brisbane on Saturday night after a much-needed holiday back home where he celebrated his epic Group 1 JJ Atkins (1600m) victory on Cool Archie at Eagle Farm last month with family and friends. Of course, Harley doesn't expect the Chris and Corey Munce -trained colt to win a world-record 33 consecutive races like the legendary Winx, but he knows that a quality horse like Cool Archie comes along once in a blue moon. Winx had six different riders during her illustrious career that netted more than $26m in prizemoney before her retirement in April 2019, but she will forever be associated with Bowman and champion Sydney trainer Chris Waller. Harley's JJ Atkins victory – which broke a 10-year drought since his last Group 1 – was just reward for his hard work, dedication and persistence after overcoming a potentially career-threatening broken neck suffered in a sickening mid-week race fall in 2023. 'The real exciting thing about having a serious injury two years ago to even being not sure if I'd ride again and then for him to do what he did and put me back on the Group 1 map, in a way he certainly has changed my life in different avenues,' Harley said. 'A lot of jockeys can win if they get the right animal but when you stumble across a horse like that, it could be real life-changing moving forward. 'Look at the Winx story regarding Hugh Bowman. And I'm not saying it'll be like that but he could be an Everest horse and (owner) Max Whitby obviously has a slot. 'There could be serious potential going forward so I'll keep my fingers crossed and we'll take it from there. To live the dream like that would be unbelievable.' Cool Archie WINS the G1 J.J. Atkins! ðŸ�† @munceracing — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) June 14, 2025 Whitby has declared that Cool Archie should be a shoo-in for Australian Two Year Old of the Year honours during a gala ceremony in Brisbane on August 31. 'I would definitely agree and not just because I've been riding him,' Harley said. 'For a horse to go from a maiden to a Group 1 winner in the space of two months - over all different distances and kinds of tracks - he has conquered more than any other two-year-old in Australia this year.' The father-and-son Munce partnership has said that Cool Archie would be spelled for the spring and set for next autumn's $4m Group 1 Doncaster Mile (1600m) at Randwick. It comes after a gruelling winter campaign in which the colt embarked on an incredible five-race winning streak in all conditions. • Rutledge's 'omen' win on The Irish written in the stars While Cool Archie is resting, a recharged Harley will be coming down from cloud nine to reset for the 2025-26 racing season in Brisbane which starts on Friday. Looking at the bigger picture, the affable Irishman hopes to travel interstate this spring carnival for a few feature races after proving he can handle the pressure of riding in majors. 'Sydney and Melbourne are tough, there are a lot of good jockeys there, but I'll be putting my hand up for a few rides down south if I can get them,' he said. 'You can get brought back to earth pretty quickly in this game but we showed them we can score at the top level and can get the job done in high-pressure races. 'But I'm definitely not getting too far ahead of myself. I had five Group 1 winners that came pretty quick and then it took another 10 years to crack it for my other one (in the JJ Atkins).' In the meantime, Harley can look back at that memorable day on June 14 when his dream of finally winning a Group 1 in Australia became reality. 'I went into the jockeys' room that day and I can honestly tell you, there wasn't one jockey who begrudged me the win,' he said. 'They were that happy for me and that made me even more proud.'
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
Behind the scenes in Kia's Tasman Town
How many sports stars does it take to convince Australians that Kia can make a good, off-road, dual cab ute? The South Korean car manufacturer – better known for their sensible SUVs – clearly thinks the answer is a lot. Last week, for the launch of its first-ever ute, the Tasman, Kia shipped Alex Volkanovski, Lance Franklin, David Boonie, Damien Oliver, Alfie Langer, Steve Waugh, Dane Swan, Nathan Hindmarsh and Darren Lockyer to a small country town in the Central West of New South Wales. A truly impressive bevy of athletes. Some of the biggest names in Australian sport. And they were all brought together to participate in what might best be described as a night of improvisational theatre. No, really. For the launch, Kia took over Sofala, a historic gold rush town with a population of around 100 people, and transformed it into 'Tasman Town', the imaginary destination featured in their ads. I was one of a few dozen motoring writers and media types who were invited along for the event. On arrival, we were greeted as though we were newcomers to the area, interested in buying a local property. To help us get acquainted with the town, an actor, playing the local mayor, gave us a tour of the main street. Along the way, we were introduced to a few of the 'residents'. These were, of course, the athletes who were in character as … well … themselves. But versions of themselves who drove Kias, worked trades, and lived in a fake town. Frankly, I call this non-consensual improvisation. Usually, I would gnaw off my own hand to avoid it. Kia, perhaps being one step ahead of dissidents like myself, were mercifully quick to distribute beer and wine to prevent any such drastic actions. Certainly, some athletes were more comfortable in their acting roles than others. UFC Featherweight Champion Alex Volkanovski – pretending to a butcher – was a standout performer. I suppose if your actual job is beating men into a pulp with your knuckles, all other gigs are comparatively easy. A few actual Sofala residents were also involved in the show. They had the important job of walking ponies and goats up and down the street. You know, just like any ordinary country town. The rest of the locals had gathered at the pub, schooners in hand, to watch the palaver unfold. Their faces were inscrutable as the media pack shuffled past. Once the mandatory theatre component of the evening had concluded, guests and the sporting icons were free to mingle. This, I realise, would be a dream event for many Australians. Unfortunately, as someone with terrible facial memory and a dearth of knowledge on any non car-related sport, I was in a personally-tailored horror story. Every conversation was socially fraught. Did this person look familiar because I've met them at a car launch? Or are they an Australian sporting legend whom I should absolutely know? There were a million ways for a person like me to socially embarrass themselves. Inevitably, it wasn't long before I found one. During the evening's formal dinner, the person assigned to the place next to me sat down, shook my hand and asked, 'Who are you?'. This was an aggressive start to a conversation, I thought. I fired back, 'I'm Stephanie, who are you?' To which he replied, very politely, that he was Nathan Hindmarsh, one of the footy players. Also, he clarified, he'd asked me how are you, not who are you. Hindmarsh then proceeded to further shame me by being thoroughly funny and charming for the rest of the evening. The Tasman launch was an extravaganza, but I was obviously not the target audience. The fact that no female sporting stars were present – even though they featured in some of the ads – is further evidence of this fact. If Kia has a vision board for the Tasman, dead centre is a caricature of an Aussie tradesman. Their method for appealing to these men – getting high-profile sporting heroes to pretend to be tradies – is borderline patronising. But Kia is not in a position to take any serious creative risks. They need the Tasman to work in Australia. This is no small task. Kia is entering a very established, highly-competitive dual cab ute market late in the day, and with a car that is being thoroughly panned online for its boxy, brutalist design. Kia has decided to align itself with winners.
