Chelsea match-winner! QLD avoid sweep
State of Origin: Chelsea Lenarduzzi has scored the match-winning try to give Queensland an important game three victory, avoiding a first ever sweep in a three-game Women’s State of Origin series.
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News.com.au
40 minutes ago
- News.com.au
‘Politics in front of people': Great in awe of ‘powerful words' as boss explains roadblock to Devils' stadium alternative
Devils chief executive Brendon Gale says the 'no stadium, no team' condition for Tasmania's AFL entry remains crucial, stressing Hobart and Launceston's major venues are still 'not fit' to 'underpin a team in the big league on a sustainable basis'. Gale on Fox Footy's AFL 360 on Tuesday night remained defiant his club was still 'on track' to enter the AFL in 2028, despite a state government bombshell this week casting doubt over the Devils' future. Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff on Wednesday morning was hit with a no-confidence motion, which will continue to be debated in state parliament on Thursday. FOX FOOTY, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every match of every round in the 2025 Toyota AFL Premiership Season LIVE in 4K, with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer. Opposition leader Dean Winter, who filed the no-confidence motion, wrote to AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon amid the parliamentary chaos on Wednesday and reaffirmed the Labor Party's support for the new Macquarie Point stadium build and the Devils' entry into the AFL. But Winter's move was based off claims the Rockliff Government had mismanaged the state's budget and bungled key infrastructure projects, including the proposed stadium. Should Rockliff fail to stave off the no-confidence motion, it's possible Tasmania will be pushed to a snap election, which could derail the new stadium plans and put the 19th AFL licence in jeopardy. The AFL on Wednesday reiterated it remained steadfast that a 'clear requirement' for Tasmania's inclusion is 'a new 23,000 seat roofed stadium at Macquarie Point'. That agreement is between the AFL and the state government, with the stadium needing to clear passage of both Houses of Parliament. Premiership Brisbane Lions coach – and Tasmanian football hall of fame legend – Chris Fagan said the AFL 'should let the team come in and then sort the stadium out' in the long-term, saying the Devils should just 'use facilities that are available' in Launceston and Hobart. 'It would be such a tragedy if the team itself doesn't go ahead because there wasn't a new stadium when there are other football fields down there that AFL footballers currently play on,' Fagan told the Herald Sun. 'The surfaces are fantastic. 'But I think it is only a noisy minority who don't want it (new stadium) anyway. The vast majority of Tasmanians I think do want it. 'Once you have the team in there, then these things become easier.' When asked on Fox Footy's AFL 360 if the 'no team, no stadium' policy to introduce Tassie was 'too ambitious' and that 'too many stumbling blocks' had been placed in front of the key stakeholders, Gale said: 'No, I just think it's been a difficult concept to explain. 'Firstly, there's no good time to build a stadium around the world. They're always big and they're expensive, and there's always a whole range of other priorities … Whether it's Adelaide or Perth Stadium, they're difficult to get through and get popular support. 'I guess that's compounded by the fact that people in Tasmania think: 'Well, we've got two perfectly good stadiums in Hobart and Launceston, why can't we just have those?' And they're reasonable stadiums and they've been fit for purpose. But they're not fit for the purpose of providing sustainable commercial business model to underpin a team in the big league on a sustainable basis. 'It's hard to explain in seven or 10 seconds, but once you do have the time and space to explain, you know, why it is important – and then also the whole range of other benefits that will be created and will be unlocked – people tend to come around. But it's not easy.' The anguish of the impact of the political turmoil on the Devils was personified on Wednesday by club general manager of marketing, corporate affairs and social impact Kath McCann – the Devils' longest-serving official – who broke down in tears at a press conference. 'This club is powered by our future generations, by our kids and by our grandkids,' a teary McCann said. 'It's an opportunity to bring this state together, it's an opportunity to create pathways. 'I've got 50 students out here in my sight line, they power us every single day — and they will keep doing that and we're going to play on. We want to see this team become a reality because our young people deserve it.' Premiership Eagle Will Schofield was blown away by McCann's passion and 'powerful words'. 'This is more than just a footy club. This is something for an entire state, an entire generation of Tasmanians coming up behind it,' Schofield told Fox Sports News' AFL Tonight. 'It's a real instance of politics getting in front of people. This is a move that's going to change the state – and the football followers specifically in Tasmania, the people. So whether it be adults now or kids in future generations, being able to put this stadium together and this team together, it's more than just a game of footy. 'The cheques and balances will get done, but what's really sad is it seems like politics is getting in front of the people – of which I think a lot want this stadium and this team to come through. 'Knowing how big a football state Tasmania is, it'll be really sad for that to be lost.'
SBS Australia
44 minutes ago
- SBS Australia
Why this historic home saved from demolition could hold the key to a 'lost' Chinatown
Victory House, the historic 1906 home of a Chinese-Australian goldfields family, has been restored and will reborn as a museum in Ballarat. Funds to first build the home were won in an early Melbourne Cup (sketch top right). Source: Supplied, AAP Victory House, built in 1906, was home to a Chinese mine manager family in Ballarat. After being saved from demolition, the house is being transformed into a Chinese heritage museum. Community leaders aim to revitalise the surrounding area into a Chinatown, restoring Ballarat's once-vibrant Chinese presence from the gold rush era. By 1858, Ballarat's Chinese population had peaked at nearly 10,000, accounting for about 25 per cent of the adult male population. Community groups say the restoration of a 120-year-old house is the first step towards establishing a Chinatown in Ballarat to mark the contributions of thousands of Chinese workers drawn to the area both during and after the gold rush. Located at 742 Geelong Road in the Ballarat suburb of Canadian, Victory House was built in 1906 by Chinese mine manager James Wong Chung and his wife, Margaret Wong Chung. Interestingly, the funds — 400 pounds ($17,560 in today's money) — to build the house were won by Margaret after picking the winner named Victory in the 1902 Melbourne Cup. The family lived in the home for more than a century, until it was sold in 2008. Now, plans are underway to convert the restored house into a Chinese heritage museum — the first step in a broader, 10-year plan to revive Ballarat's historic Chinatown. Local Chinese community leader Charles Zhang and the founder of the Xin Jin Shan Chinese Library, Haoliang Sun, led the restoration of Victory House. Sun said the Canadian suburb, where Victory House stands, once had the highest concentration of Chinese miners in Ballarat and was home to six Chinese village camps. Those communities have long since vanished. "Other than the Chinese gold rush display at Sovereign Hill, there's no place in Ballarat today that shows how the Chinese actually lived during that time," he said. Historical records indicate that by 1855, there were approximately 2,000 to 5,000 Chinese miners on the Ballarat goldfields. By 1858, the Chinese population had peaked at nearly 10,000, accounting for about 25 per cent of the adult male population in Ballarat. To bring that history back to life, Sun and Zhang have purchased several buildings on the same street, with more deals in the works. Their vision is to create a precinct that includes a Chinese medicine shop, teahouse, Chinese restaurant and Asian supermarket — what they refer to, for now, as a Chinatown. "We're calling it Chinatown, but the name doesn't really matter," Sun said. "What matters is that a space like this must exist." Zhang acknowledges that building a Chinatown is a bold and complex undertaking — one that will require significant support from local, state and federal governments. "Restoring one house can be done by one or two people. But rebuilding a Chinatown takes a whole team," he said. "It's not something that can be done just out of passion or impulse." Still, Zhang, now in his 70s, remains optimistic. "I hope that in my lifetime, I can devote my energy and ability to doing something meaningful for future generations of Chinese Australians — to keep our history and culture alive." The Victory House museum is currently awaiting council approval to open to the public. Ticket proceeds will go toward the museum's ongoing maintenance. For the first time since its renovation, sisters Denise Johnston and Julie Odgers returned to Victory House, their great-grandparents' former home in Ballarat. Walking past the thick cypress hedge in the front garden, Johnston, 77, said she no longer felt the fear she had as a child. "It was always dark … when the wind would come through, it was really like a haunted house," she recalled. But once they stepped inside, they were greeted warmly with open arms and homemade biscuits. "I felt really emotional when I entered. It has just brought us these beautiful childhood memories," Johnston said. The house was named after the 1902 Melbourne Cup-winning horse Margaret had picked. "Our great-grandmother (Margaret) loved horses. When we come to visit her, she'd be sitting here listening to her radio and reading the racing guide," said Odgers, 75. But sadly, no one in the family has won a race since, she added. The Wong Chung family's Australian story began with James's father, Ah Wong Chung, who migrated from Canton (now Guangzhou) in the late 19th century during the Victorian gold rush. He ran a general store in Linton, supplying goods imported from China to both Chinese and European miners. In 1868, he married Irish woman Mary Anne Baker. The couple had one son, James, the future builder of Victory House. James married Australian-born Margaret Ann Holderhead in 1896. After having six children in Linton, the couple moved to Ballarat in 1903, initially living in a small miner's cottage. At the time, James was managing the nearby Woah Hawp Canton Mine. In 1906, the family moved into the newly built Victory House and welcomed another six children. In 2022, Victory House narrowly escaped demolition when new landowners applied to redevelop the site. Four Ballarat councillors argued the home wasn't significant enough to preserve, given the city's abundance of historic buildings. But after an outpouring of support, including from over 120 Chinese-Australian organisations and descendants of the Wong Chung family, the house was saved and placed on the Ballarat Heritage Register. Mick Trembath, Odgers's son and a sixth-generation descendant, said the restored Victory House held meaning far beyond his own family. "There are very few things in Ballarat that are not only genuine reminders of Chinese culture, but any contributing culture, (including) the Croatian people, Polish people and the German people," Trembath said. "To have something like this … You can walk through it, touch it, and fill it with memories. It's a really important thing. "I was really happy that we were able to save it." Share this with family and friends
ABC News
an hour ago
- ABC News
After making history together, Nathan Cleary and Jarome Luai will face off in the NRL for the first time
As far as Jarome Luai is concerned, there are only two kinds of people on a rugby league pitch, even if he's facing Nathan Cleary. He said as much before the last time he played against Cleary, ahead of the 2022 World Cup final, a showdown the two will wage in the NRL for the first time when the Panthers face the Tigers on Sunday. "We're competitors through and through and it's going to be a great battle against one of my boys. But out there on the field, there's no friends — only brothers and enemies," Luai said. "I'm always going to look at it that way." Luai is the kind of player who talks and lives in absolutes, but if anyone could be both brother and enemy to him it might be Cleary. They first competed against each other a long time ago and Luai was the better prospect when they were boys — Cleary himself has acknowledged as much many times before, as will anyone who's been at Penrith long enough to remember the two of them running around for St Mary's and Penrith Brothers, and then for the club's junior rep sides. Luai won plenty of those early contests as well. When they first wore the black jerseys together as Under 16s players in 2013, it was Luai who started at halfback with Cleary first stuck on the bench before getting a start at hooker. Eventually, they combined for the first time in the halves later that season, and once they did it was clear their games were made for each other because even back then they were a mix of the iron will and the loudest voice, the light and the heat. The following seasons are when Cleary surged ahead — three years after he couldn't beat out Luai in a junior team, he was starting for Penrith in the big league at 18 and looking good doing it. By the time they partnered in the halves in the NRL for the first time in 2019, Cleary had already three finals series and a winning Origin campaign under his belt, as well as all the prestige and pressure that comes with being anointed as one of rugby league's young Messiahs. For Luai, it was just his ninth NRL game. That first match was against Parramatta, six years and two weeks ago at the same ground where they'll face off this Sunday. Back then, the Panthers were dead last on the ladder and talk was that Cleary could be in danger of losing his spot for New South Wales. It was a tough watch. Calling it one for the purists would offend the purists and it's strange, after what they've become, to go back and see a time when Luai and Cleary were the incomplete versions of themselves. Cleary is determined and dogged, but the game always seems a bit beyond his reach. He is grasping out desperately but cannot seize and control it the way he does so easily now. Compared to the bulletproof confidence and electricity he exudes so easily now, Luai is positively demure — he mainly shifts the ball from side to side, doesn't run it once and kicks it only twice. But one of those kicks came late, and it took a rebound off a Parramatta defender right into Cleary's path for him to score what would be the winning try. It doesn't look like much, but once you know what happened next it's a harbinger of doom. This rebounded kick in a sloppy, forgettable game is the first time Luai and Cleary clicked together in first grade and that's a clicking that didn't stop until they parted ways after last year's grand final as the most successful club halves combination of the NRL era. In the first few premiership years, Cleary fed off Luai's confidence while Luai excelled with the space Cleary learned to provide. Watching them together is to see two players in perfect harmony with one another. As the run of titles continued and their games became more complex, each began to show more of the other. Cleary learned to add more and more flourishes and subtleties to his rock-solid fundamentals as Luai learned to take the team around the park more effectively without blunting his own prodigious attacking gifts. That transformation helped drive Penrith to immortality because it meant each learned to live without the other and in a world where most teams are a strained halfback's hamstring away from collapsing, having two playmakers who can shine independently as well as together is close to priceless. Their combination took them to greatness but to stay there they had to be as effective apart as they could be together and in the last two years they have proven they can. Cleary has played many great games in his life and has many more to come but the final stages of the 2023 grand final will likely always be his finest hour, due in no small part to Luai succumbing to a shoulder injury and the weight of destiny falling almost solely on the halfback. Likewise, with hamstring and shoulder problems slowing Cleary down, last year it was Luai who came to the fore as the side's top dog, running them around the park in a style all his own. By the time the finals started, Luai (eight) had played nearly as many games at halfback as Cleary had (ten) and the Panthers were ensconced in the top four and ready for yet another premiership tilt, which they duly converted into a title that felt like it ran on muscle memory. Things are different now for Penrith. They miss Luai and James Fisher-Harris as they have not missed any of the other stars who have departed through the premiership years. They miss Luai's energy, his focus, his ability to channel his competitiveness towards victory and to inspire such efforts in others as much as they miss his skill, his cunning and his ability to work both with and without Cleary. The Panthers only moved off the bottom of the ladder last week and with a heavy Origin representation they cannot afford to drop many more games if they want to make the finals, especially against a side like the Tigers who are also fixing to be part of the logjam at the end of the top eight. Cleary is still great — his fingerprints were all over last week's win against Parramatta, as they have been for most of Penrith's best moments this year. But with so many of their players so unfamiliar with such hard times what the Panthers wouldn't give for Luai to supercharge them, to remind them of who they are, to send a bolt of lightning up their arm and get the angry blood pumping again. That is exactly what Luai is fighting hard to give his new club. At the Tigers he is starting again with a club stuck way down in the hole, trying to teach players young and old how to be great which is a lesson as hard to teach as it is to learn. This is a club still in transition, still building itself up after years in the doldrums. They have made progress this year and Luai has been a big part of it but after three straight losses and the Lachlan Galvin saga the Tigers need a win and they need it bad. Which means Luai and Cleary back where they were when they first locked horns on suburban fields across Sydney's west all those years ago. Their only previous meeting as stars was at Old Trafford in front of 60,000 with a World Cup on the line and Cleary's Australian side got the better of Luai and Samoa. But this one is more familiar to them both because it's a battle of the weekly desperation that they know so well, the knife fight in the mud that makes all the bigger days possible. Cleary and Luai both know that finals are the end of the story but wins like this are how you get there. Their mighty wills, which were united so many times through the history they made together, are now fixed on the other and for the first time in their club colours they want the same thing and only one of them can have it. Brothers fight all the time but so do enemies and after the history Cleary and Luai lived together they really can be both, even if it's just for 80 minutes at a time.
