Aberdeen's Milanovic eyeing Australia World Cup call
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Daily Mail
11 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Footy superstar Payne Haas leaves fans divided as he makes shock defection that will rock the sport
Broncos superstar Payne Haas has sensationally decided to defect from Australia and switch his international allegiance to Samoa, with some fans blasting the move while others said it will strengthen the game worldwide. Reports on Thursday linked the NRL 's best prop with a change in eligibility, with 25-year-old Haas set to begin putting his Samoan roots above the Kangaroos in future international fixtures. It comes after months of speculation that Haas could join the likes of Brian To'o, Stephen Crichton and Jarome Luai as superstar players to have chosen Samoa over Australia in recent years. Per International Rugby League rules, a player eligible for a tier-one nation like Australia and a tier-two nation such as Samoa can change allegiance provided they do not represent both teams in the same calendar year. Brisbane behemoth Haas' decision would clear him to be available for the post-season Pacific Championships, also ruling him out of Australia's Ashes tour. The move is a significant boost for Samoa, who underlined their status as a new powerhouse of international rugby league by making the World Cup final in 2022. The Brisbane star (pictured with partner Leilani) is arguably the best prop in rugby league Having Haas on deck for the 2026 edition of the tournament would strengthen Samoa's case for a first World Cup trophy. 'It's fantastic news if you're Samoa, they're setting up for the World Cup,' Mal Meninga told SEN. 'The attraction for going to Samoa is they believe they will be the first Samoan side to win the World Cup. 'If you're wanting to see more competitive games in the international space then it's really good.' The news looms as a blow for new Kangaroos coach Kevin Walters, who had previously indicated his hopes of convincing Haas, Jeremiah Nanai and Tino Fa'asuamaleaui to stay put in the Australian set-up. 'It's disappointing for the green and gold as he's grown up in our system,' said Meninga, who stepped down as Kangaroos coach earlier this year. '(Walters) will be disappointed.' Footy fans have been left divided by the news. 'So many leading players seem to discover their heritage after they have big NRL deal,' posted one X user. 'Hard to take it all seriously when players can change countries depending on how they feel. Are we meant to guess which players in the jersey are actually passionate about it?' replied another. Others saw the bombshell move as a good development for the game. 'That's great for Samoa. Australia will be fine,' wrote one fan.
Daily Mail
41 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Venus Williams set for remarkable US Open comeback at the age of 45 after shock return to tennis
Two-time former US Open champion Venus Williams has been handed a wild card into this month's tournament at the age of 45. The seven-time Grand Slam winner made a surprise comeback to tennis earlier this summer after more than a year out of the sport, and she will be back under the bright lights in New York later this month. Williams showed she can still compete after beating fellow American Peyton Stearns in the first round at the Washington Open last week. And now the former world No 1 is set to become the oldest singles player to compete at Flushing Meadows since Renee Richards, aged 47 in 1981. It will be Williams' 25th appearance at the New York major, 25 years after she first won it in 2000. She is also on the entry list for the new-look mixed doubles event alongside another American, Reilly Opelka. The decision to play at Flushing Meadows comes soon after she opened up on the depths of her recent health struggles, a year on from having surgery to remove fibroids from her uterus. The tennis icon, who recently confirmed her engagement to her actor boyfriend Andrea Preti, took a 16-month break from tennis due to the issue, returning to the court back in July. Now, for the first time, Williams has revealed just how much her condition was impacting her life away from tennis in a moving Instagram post 12 months on from her operation in New York. 'On this day 1 year ago I was having surgery, an open myomectomy to remove fibroids and a large focal adenomyoma that was imbedded in the muscle of my uterus,' Williams wrote on Instagram. 'What a difference a year makes! I played my first tournament in over 16 months and I am now preparing for the US Open. This post is in celebration of the last day of fibroid awareness month. There can be happy endings!'
BBC News
41 minutes ago
- BBC News
Newport must hit high standards at Grimsby
Newport County cannot let their standards drop when they travel to Grimsby Town in League Two, says boss David Exiles have made a promising start to life under Hughes by taking four points from two league games, drawing with Notts County and winning at Crawley also beat Barnet on penalties in the Carabao Cup before putting in a spirited performance when knocked out 1-0 by Championship Millwall on who left his role as Manchester United Under-21s coach for the job this summer, is encouraged by what he has seen in advance of Saturday's fixture at Blundell Park (15:00 BST)."The reaction from the supporters was really positive around the levels of intent and purpose in our play, that's really important that the crowd are with us," said the manager after the Millwall game."That's the benchmark for us, we need to know when we start a game what the expectations are and the standards that underpin the performance."Newport made eight changes to their XI to face Millwall and were also boosted by the return from injury of defender or midfielder Ciaran Brennan and winger Michael Spellman off the have made an unbeaten start to the season with an opening day 3-0 win over Crawley, 3-3 draw at Harrogate and 3-1 cup win against Shrewsbury on Tuesday.
