O'Brien unsure on Ponga post-Origin
NRL: Newcastle Knights coach Adam O'Brien is unsure if Kalyn Ponga will back up following QLD's Origin 1 defeat.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
28 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Unexpected chance for Brisbane premiership frontrunner Emily Lang to score biggest career win in Group 2 Fred Best Classic at Doomben
Emily Lang is poised to snatch an incredible slice of riding history and become the first female jockey to claim the Brisbane riding title … and now she has an unexpected shot at her biggest career win. It seems inevitable that history will be created in Brisbane this season with apprentice Lang (57 wins) and Angela Jones (50 wins) leading the city title race ahead of James Orman (45) who is now riding in Hong Kong. Next in the race are Andrew Mallyon and Bailey Wheeler, both with 42 wins. Lang, who is apprenticed to champion trainer Tony Gollan, has enjoyed a breakthrough season and has won a pair of Listed races but never a Group race. She now gets an unforeseen chance to scoop her biggest career win when riding Boomtown Boss for Gollan in the rescheduled $300,000 Group 3 Fred Best Classic at Doomben on Wednesday. Blake Shinn had originally been booked to ride Boomtown Boss in the Fred Best before a foot injury last week ruled him out of the winter carnival. With Lang suspended, Ryan Maloney had been slated to step in to ride Boomtown Boss in the Fred Best at Eagle Farm last Saturday. But the race, which offers the winner a golden ticket into the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap, was been rescheduled to Doomben on Wednesday after the it was among a cluster of races postponed when jockeys opted to stop riding at Eagle Farm last Saturday due to poor visibility. It means Lang can return from suspension and take the prized mount. The duo has previously enjoyed success together including claiming the Listed Daybreak Lover. 'Emily and I are a while away from focusing on riding premierships for her, we will worry about that in July,' Gollan said. 'At the moment, this ride in the Fred Best is a good reward for her. 'Blake was on and Emily was suspended but it's great for her now to put back on the horse in a good race. 'Whether it can springboard her into something else the following weekend or later in the carnival, who knows. 'Whatever the result, I am really happy to have Emily riding this horse in this race, that is for sure.' Boom! ðŸ'¥ Boomtown Boss wins the Listed Daybreak Lover at Eagle Farm, giving @tonygollan his third winner for the day! @emilyyplang | @BrisRacingClub — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) April 19, 2025 This time last week, Boomtown Boss was a $13 chance to win the Fred Best. But with the race rescheduled and now at Doomben instead of Eagle Farm, he is a $23 chance in latest betting. 'For me, personally, I would prefer this race to be at Eagle Farm rather than Doomben,' Gollan conceded. 'I think this horse would be better at Eagle Farm with the bigger track and more room. 'The race presents a lot differently around Doomben and there's not as much room for error. 'He can have an error or two in the way he races, because he's not a finished product yet. But he's definitely up to the grade.'
News.com.au
28 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Grand Geelong mansion linked to 10 Melbourne Cup winners hits market
A grand Geelong mansion linked to multiple Melbourne Cup winners has hit the market in the city's east. The listing of St Albans Homestead gives a rare glimpse inside the historic 30-room manor set on an incredible 3.4ha estate. Vendor Geelong business owner Dean Montgomerey has meticulously restored and modernised 6-30 Homestead Drive, St Albans Park, since buying the property 15 years ago. Whitford, Newtown agent Peter Fort said with his children now grown, the time had come to sell the grand private residence. The new owners will take the reins of a significant piece of Australian racing history that produced direct lineage to 10 Melbourne Cup winners. Perhaps St Albans Stud's biggest claim to fame is secretly hiding legendary Phar Lap before his celebrated 1930 Melbourne Cup victory after a previous attempt on the racehorse's life. Mr Fort said the equine legacy continued through a substantial stable complex with 30 stalls that could form part of a future business at the property. 'Previously all those stables were agisted and it was even a wedding reception venue at one point so there's certainly lots of options,' he said. 'It's very rare to have that kind of landholding five minutes from the CBD. And when you are there you could think you were on 100 acres. 'The way the house was originally built was at the height of the hill there so you don't have anything overlooking.' The polychromatic brick homestead, built-in 1873, was designed by renowned Melbourne architect James T. Conlan. As well as the main six-bedroom residence, the property's $7m to $7.5m price tag includes a separate self-contained guesthouse, the stable complex, day paddocks, a tennis court and extensive botanical gardens. 'The owner is just a fiend for these types of properties. He had the old orphanage in Fyansford and he had some really grand homes in Ryrie St,' Mr Fort said. 'He is a real fan of that period of home and he is a real custodian. He makes the necessary changes that are required by certainly never major architectural changes. It's more restoration than renovation.'
News.com.au
33 minutes ago
- News.com.au
24-year-old drives for five days to new home only to be left ‘homeless' and scrambling
Monique Muskens drove across Australia for five days only to become 'homeless' because she couldn't move into the room she'd been promised. Ms Muskens, 24, accepted a three-month job in Perth working on a television program in the make-up department. She immediately knew she would have trouble finding a suitable short-term rental, so she went online to find a match. She found an advertisement onnline for a room for rent in Perth from a man who claimed the house was filled with 'adventure people' who are 'normal straight blokes', with the property close to all amenities. The 24-year-old and her potential housemate began messaging and negotiating logistics, such as when she could move in. Eventually, he told her, '100 per cent it'll be fine to stay here when you get here', and she was delighted. 'We had agreed on the rental rate, move-in date, and my room. He even asked me where the coffee machine should go,' she told The makeup artist claimed that she and her new housemate had texted frequently in the weeks leading up to her move-in date. 'He was texting me life updates, sending me photos, calling me, we were face-timing,' she said. 'I thought I was going to be best friends with my future flatmate.' Ms Muskens left her hometown of Sydney and embarked on a five-day drive across the country to move into her new place in Perth. 'I was five hours into the drive when I got a text that was so rogue. It was like, 'Hey, your room won't be ready until Monday',' she said. She says she immediately tried to call him, but he didn't answer. She recalled thinking it was weird, but she figured if her room wasn't ready, she could sleep on the couch until it was. When she arrived in Perth on Saturday May 31, she went to the address and asked what was going on. The 24-year-old alleges the occupant told her a bizarre story about an issue with her mattress that he had originally agreed to supply, which she said made zero sense. 'He was just like 'nah mate' and it was like 5pm on a Saturday. I was like, 'what? Where am I meant to sleep?'' she said. Ms Muskens said the long Western Australian long weekend compounded the issue, as it made it difficult to find last-minute accommodation. The makeup artist couldn't find anywhere she could stay two nights in a row, so she had to stay in two separate hotels over the weekend. On Sunday, she messaged the man and joked, 'Will I be homeless tomorrow?' and, to her shock, he replied and said she could no longer move in. 'I was just about to message you. My wife had a meltdown over me bringing a woman into the house,' the text read. 'Definitely check on a few different platforms it is f**ked because I've held the room for ages and now she's pulled this.' Ms Muskens said she was devastated. She initially thought he was joking, but he wasn't, and now she was in a brand new state with no housing. 'All my paper for this job has that address on it. I was shocked and in disbelief at first, and then I was so angry my body was shaking,' she said. 'My emotions were so high.' Ms Muskens then returned to the house to confront him because, at this point, she just wanted answers. She claims the man came to the door and confirmed that she wouldn't be living with him. She argued that she was meant to move in 'two days ago' and she was confused why the plans had changed so drastically to which she claims he responded, 'My marriage comes first mate.' The door was then shut in Ms Muskens face, she alleges, and, even now, several days later, she is couch surfing and has yet to find accommodation.
