Accused killers of Australian brothers 'yawn, laugh' in court
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Sydney Morning Herald
25 minutes ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Un-Australian, tepid and toothless. Wallabies slammed over first Test performance
The sound in Brisbane was not of rage or rancour, merely one of bleak, sullen resignation. On a galling evening for the Wallabies, this stadium, traditionally such a cauldron for the hosts, felt more like a mausoleum, with home fans' despair at their team's inadequacies so all-engulfing that the hype man had to plead with them to 'make some noise'. After a 12-year wait for their players to collide with the British and Irish Lions once more, they had dared to expect some snarl and defiance befitting the occasion. But instead they witnessed a glaring mismatch, with the lack of cohesion on the pitch so painful that rare incursions into the tourists' 22 were greeted with bitterly ironic cheers. All told, the shift in atmosphere had taken just 42 minutes, with Dan Sheehan punishing an errant Australian line-out to put the Lions out of sight. At kick-off the scene on Caxton Street, on the approach to Suncorp Stadium, had been magnificent, with the seething convergence of red shirts an encapsulation of everything a Lions Test should be. The series opener would soon curdle, though, into a grisly reckoning for Australia, whose status as the sixth-best team in the world looked flattering in the face of the Lions' bombardment and eventual 27-19 win. While their deficiencies had been well-documented, surely they would channel some snarl, some quintessential Queensland defiance, in a city that demanded it? In all honesty, the fight materialised far too late. Australia were tepid, toothless, their only highlight coming courtesy of an inspired individual flourish from Max Jorgensen, stripping the ball from Hugo Keenan for a try against the run of play. Even Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, whose prodigious athleticism had been heralded as a game-changing factor, was anonymous for long periods. Save for an improbable late riposte, they were inferior in all departments, so traumatised by early brilliance from the Lions' all-Scottish midfield of Finn Russell, Sione Tuipolutu and Huw Jones that they could not conjure any decisive response. Their salvaging of some respectability in the scoreline, with a late try limiting the Lions' margin of victory to eight points, painted a misleading picture of this Test, in which there was not so much a gulf in class as a chasm. For all that captain Harry Wilson had been galvanised by a pep talk from one of his predecessors, the World Cup-winning John Eales, Australia were a pale imitation of the great Wallabies sides. Where Eales is celebrated as the mastermind of that memorable series triumph in 2001, Joe Schmidt's side will require a miracle to achieve anything comparable. For large swathes of this game their performance was, quite simply, un-Australian, bereft of ferocity or any apparent belief they could win. It was not just their lack of ingenuity or tendency to kick far too often in an abject first half, but their actions at the end, when they booted the ball out of play as if congratulating themselves on a bonus-point loss. How odd, too, to see them mingling happily with the Lions at the final whistle, simply relieved that they had not suffered a humiliation. So much for the notion of a defeat, any defeat, eating away at the true Australian's soul.
Sydney Morning Herald
25 minutes ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
LIVE world boxing: Tim Tszyu takes on Sebastian Fundora in world title rematch in Las Vegas
Go to latest Pinned post from 10.04am Howdy fight fans! It's a huge day of boxing as Australian Tim Tszyu attempts to become a two-time world champion in his rematch against Sebastian Fundora in Las Vegas. Tszyu is looking for redemption after a sickening head cut cruelled his chances in their first clash in March of last year. The 'Soul Taker' took their first fight on just 11 days' notice, but this time has had plenty of time to prepare for the awkward challenge that is the 197-centimetre Fundora. If that's not enough to sate the blood lust, the main event features all-time great Manny Pacquiao making his comeback in a world title fight against WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios. So whether you're too stingy to outlay the $70 to watch it or just want to tune into my hot takes, this is the place to catch all the action. 10.14am This is Tszyu's time to shine Tim Tszyu's loss to Fundora could have been the start of a slide into obscurity. The Australian fought for a world title in his next fight, a devastating loss to Russian Bakhram Murtazaliev. It was the sort of beat-down that some boxers never recover from. Yet here is Tszyu, after a win against American Joey Spencer, again fighting for a world title. It's a massive opportunity, one that may not come again. 'You dream of these moments as a young kid and to finally be here for this moment is a pleasure of mine,' Tszyu said. 'We're gonna put on one hell of a show. He shoulda killed me the first time, because this time it's gonna be a whole different story. 'With a proper preparation to see what works and doesn't work, it'll play a big part in what happens in the ring. I'm going to have a better and more intelligent performance. 'With adversity, my desire to win only grows. The past has made me who I am today and that's a dangerous fighter willing to take it all. This is a new phase I'm in. I'm smarter, hungrier and more confident.' 10.11am Usyk retains heavyweight world titles Not content with covering Paul Gallen's win against Sonny Bill Williams, or the Tszyu-Fundora fight, I got up early this morning to witness the heavyweight showdown between Oleksandr Usyk and Daniel Dubois. Usyk didn't disappoint, knocking out the Englishman in the fifth round. What a clinic.
7NEWS
25 minutes ago
- 7NEWS
Perth man Michael Shane Caola found dead in Thailand apartment hours after Swedish man dies in same building
A Western Australian man has been found dead in a Thailand apartment, just two hours after a Swedish man died in the same building. Michael Shane Caola, a 54-year-old from Perth, was found face-down in a pool of blood in a seventh-floor room at the Grand Shivalay apartment in Pattaya about 4pm on Thursday. Upon arrival, police found broken glass and scattered pill bottles across the room, while the rubbish bin was filled with discarded medication containers and a scalp vein set box. Caola had a cut on his left elbow from the broken glass, but police said there were no immediate signs of a struggle, local media reported. The alarm was raised by Caola's relatives, who contacted the apartment manager, Thanchanok Prajit, after being unable to reach him by phone for two days. When Prajit checked the room, she found it locked from the inside, with a foul odour coming from within. She then unlocked the door and called the police. Prajit said Caola is a frequent customer and was often seen exercising. According to Caola's social media, he was a regular visitor to Thailand, often travelling with a woman believed to be his wife, Phatsaya Caola, who is thought to be Thai. The most recent post showing the pair in Pattaya was shared in January. An earlier post from December 15 showed Caola writing, 'Pattaya here we come again,' alongside a photo with Phatsaya. The couple have appeared in photos taken in Thailand dating back nearly a decade. Phatsaya posted a photo of the two on Facebook on Friday, writing: 'R.I.P Michael Shane,' accompanied by crying emojis. Police said the cause of Caola's death is still unknown, pending the autopsy results. A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said the department is providing consular assistance to the family of the Australian who died in Thailand. 'We send our deepest condolences to the family at this difficult time,' the spokesperson said. 'Owing to our privacy obligations we are unable to provide further comment.' Two hours before Caola's death was discovered, a Swedish national was found dead in a room two floors below in the same building. Mika Huotari, 38, was found naked in a bathtub with a head wound after a woman was seen leaving the room with a bag. Police Lieutenant Colonel Saijai Kamjulla of the Pattaya City Police Station acknowledged the coincidence of the two deaths but said there was 'no established link' between them. 'Since they occurred in the same building within a short time frame, we're not ruling out any possibilities and will continue to investigate,' he said. Pattaya is a Thai coastal city long popular with tourists for its beaches and nightlife, including its adult entertainment scene.
