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Sydney Morning Herald
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘Your siblings don't define you': These twins took their own singular directions
When I'm overseas, I call her once or twice every day and at home we still have sleepovers; just jumping in with each other for a chat until late into the night. Debriefing with someone who knows you so well just makes you feel better. We go for a walk whenever we can, too, but Gem's got a terrible sense of direction, which annoys me. The other day, we walked to the coffee shop we've been going to for 20 years, then we went to leave and she walked the wrong way. How is that even possible? Everyone used to just see us as 'the twins', which invites comparisons, and I think Gem found that hard. As teenagers, our older sister, Sunday, was a world-class trampolinist, and I was a national-level runner, and I remember people at family events going: 'Sunday, that's amazing!' and 'Claudia, how cool!' and 'Gem, what are you up to?' That's why any time she's on stage, I'm so proud because I know how nerve-wracking it is to put yourself in front of people and perform. Whenever Gem gets up and sings, I always cry because now everyone else is seeing what I've seen for so long. Gemma: When Claudy found her love for running in primary school, we were both competitive. I'd win one race, then she would, then I would. It was always this thing – 'Which twin's gonna win?' – but I don't like running, so I dropped it while she took it to another level. When it came to choosing between studying and training, Claudy always chose training. She used to muck around and say, 'Chill out! It's just school.' She was never overly stressed, and such a socialite. Everyone loved her. Claudy can tell you her running schedule a week ahead, down to the hour, but with anything else, she's so disorganised. She loses things constantly – Airpods, make-up, shoes – and don't give her anything because you'll never get it back. She's messy, too. She won't clean until it's just a pile, like a bomb's gone off. We've probably only had one big fight. We used to skate to school and, one day, Claudy didn't bring her skateboard. I was excited to go down this big hill and she took my skateboard and went down it! I was filthy. I screamed at her, and she jumped off and hid for the rest of the walk home. I was so worried, crying, and she jumped out of the bushes to scare me and saw my tears, and she started bawling, too. It was ridiculous and over in five minutes. We both did club footy, playing Interleague, and then for the Sandringham Dragons [an AFLW feeder team], but she knew she wanted to run. I didn't get to choose. When I was 17, I snapped my ACL and MCL and couldn't walk. I remember standing outside our home in my knee brace, crying, and Claudy hugging me. Claudy is an amazing athlete, but the pressure she puts on herself can be overwhelming, and so for her to have someone who's separate from that – not a teammate, coach or parent – is probably special; it's someone she can vent and unload with. Every time she races, I'm super-nervous. It's almost like I'm ready to run. I was so proud of her at the 2024 National Championships in Adelaide. That moment had been building for so long and to come flying through and cross the line first – the best 800-metre runner in Australia – I just died. Loading There were moments, being in that box with high-achieving sisters, where you feel like you have to match these people performing on the world stage. That's why I tried so many things – I had this need to put my fingers in every pie – but your siblings don't define you. You can find your own way. When we shared a room, I used to run 'Gemma's singing school', where Claudy was my student and I'd get her to follow me, so she's always been my No. 1 supporter. Whenever I'm unsure of something I'm performing, or a new song I've written, I always sing it for Claudy first. I love the way it makes her smile.
The Age
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Age
‘Your siblings don't define you': These twins took their own singular directions
When I'm overseas, I call her once or twice every day and at home we still have sleepovers; just jumping in with each other for a chat until late into the night. Debriefing with someone who knows you so well just makes you feel better. We go for a walk whenever we can, too, but Gem's got a terrible sense of direction, which annoys me. The other day, we walked to the coffee shop we've been going to for 20 years, then we went to leave and she walked the wrong way. How is that even possible? Everyone used to just see us as 'the twins', which invites comparisons, and I think Gem found that hard. As teenagers, our older sister, Sunday, was a world-class trampolinist, and I was a national-level runner, and I remember people at family events going: 'Sunday, that's amazing!' and 'Claudia, how cool!' and 'Gem, what are you up to?' That's why any time she's on stage, I'm so proud because I know how nerve-wracking it is to put yourself in front of people and perform. Whenever Gem gets up and sings, I always cry because now everyone else is seeing what I've seen for so long. Gemma: When Claudy found her love for running in primary school, we were both competitive. I'd win one race, then she would, then I would. It was always this thing – 'Which twin's gonna win?' – but I don't like running, so I dropped it while she took it to another level. When it came to choosing between studying and training, Claudy always chose training. She used to muck around and say, 'Chill out! It's just school.' She was never overly stressed, and such a socialite. Everyone loved her. Claudy can tell you her running schedule a week ahead, down to the hour, but with anything else, she's so disorganised. She loses things constantly – Airpods, make-up, shoes – and don't give her anything because you'll never get it back. She's messy, too. She won't clean until it's just a pile, like a bomb's gone off. We've probably only had one big fight. We used to skate to school and, one day, Claudy didn't bring her skateboard. I was excited to go down this big hill and she took my skateboard and went down it! I was filthy. I screamed at her, and she jumped off and hid for the rest of the walk home. I was so worried, crying, and she jumped out of the bushes to scare me and saw my tears, and she started bawling, too. It was ridiculous and over in five minutes. We both did club footy, playing Interleague, and then for the Sandringham Dragons [an AFLW feeder team], but she knew she wanted to run. I didn't get to choose. When I was 17, I snapped my ACL and MCL and couldn't walk. I remember standing outside our home in my knee brace, crying, and Claudy hugging me. Claudy is an amazing athlete, but the pressure she puts on herself can be overwhelming, and so for her to have someone who's separate from that – not a teammate, coach or parent – is probably special; it's someone she can vent and unload with. Every time she races, I'm super-nervous. It's almost like I'm ready to run. I was so proud of her at the 2024 National Championships in Adelaide. That moment had been building for so long and to come flying through and cross the line first – the best 800-metre runner in Australia – I just died. Loading There were moments, being in that box with high-achieving sisters, where you feel like you have to match these people performing on the world stage. That's why I tried so many things – I had this need to put my fingers in every pie – but your siblings don't define you. You can find your own way. When we shared a room, I used to run 'Gemma's singing school', where Claudy was my student and I'd get her to follow me, so she's always been my No. 1 supporter. Whenever I'm unsure of something I'm performing, or a new song I've written, I always sing it for Claudy first. I love the way it makes her smile.
Perth Now
13 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Is Eagles star Harley Reid back on the market?
Speculation is mounting West Coast young gun Harley Reid has split from his AFLW star girlfriend Yasmin Duursma. Reid and Duursma — who plays for Carlton — have been together since January last year. It comes with the Eagles star at the centre of hot contract speculation, with reports emerging this week his management has put forward a deal that could keep him in Western Australia long-term. The rising star has removed Duursma's initials from his Instagram bio, while Duursma has removed pictures of the pair from her own feed. PerthNow contacted Reid for a comment. Fans flooded the comments of her recent TikTok post, where she was dancing with friends. In the background, Duursma was watching Carlton's clash with Melbourne, rather than Reid's Eagles taking on Richmond at the same time. When one commentor suggested why Duursma was not watching Reid's game, she replied: 'you watch it'. Duursma has returned to Melbourne for pre-season training after spending large parts of this year living in Perth with Reid. Zane Duursma and Harley Reid are seen in the crowd during the 2024 AFLW Round 05 match between the Carlton Blues and the North Melbourne. Credit: Dylan Burns / AFL Photos She is also the sister of Essendon player Xavier and North Melbourne's Zane, while youngest brother Willem is set to be among this year's top draft picks. The pair made their red carpet debut at last year's Brownlow Medal after going public on TikTok in April last year. Reid is the hottest property in football right now, with Victorian clubs itching to lure him back to his home State. He is contracted to West Coast for next season, but clubs are desperate to lock him down beyond that initial deal. Reid's management has reportedly put forward multiple proposals that could keep the 20-year-old at West Coast. One of the deals could shake out to a $20 million contract over 10 years. Reid also remains a target of powerful clubs from his home state Victoria, lead by Geelong — who he supported as a youngster — and Hawthorn.
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Bulldogs in double injury blow ahead of AFLW start
The Western Bulldogs will have to start their AFLW comeback without injured midfield duo Deanna Berry and Isabelle Pritchard. Just as former captain Ellie Blackburn prepares to make her long-awaited return from injury, her successor Berry will miss the opening three matches of the 12-round season after hurting her left hamstring. Pritchard, the club's reigning best and fairest winner, won't feature until round two after injuring the patella in her left knee. "During training, Pritch entered a contest and her left knee was forced into an awkward position," club physiotherapist Olivia Dawson said in a statement. Some tough news as Skip D Berry and Pritch have both sustained injuries to sideline them for the start of the season ❤️🩹Details: — WesternBulldogs AFLW (@BulldogsW) July 23, 2025 "De sustained a hamstring injury during a high-speed effort at training, with scans confirming the diagnosis and informing her recovery timeline." The Bulldogs will be out to make their first finals appearance since 2022 after winning only four of 11 games last year. Blackburn, named as one of the club's 25 greatest players of the last century, shapes as an essential figure for their chances this season after missing most of last season with a foot injury. Second-year coach Tamara Hyett's side will shake off the rust when they take on reigning premiers North Melbourne on Friday in a pre-season simulation, with the AFLW season to get underway on August 14.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
See the embarrassing mistake at the AFLW season launch that the league doesn't want you to know about
This year's AFLW campaign is just days away from kickoff and the league is celebrating an important milestone, but things didn't go quite to plan at a promotional event to launch the new season on Monday. The 2025 AFLW season will be the 10th edition of the league after it commenced in 2017, including two seasons being held in a single calendar year. The league thought it would be apt to celebrate the first goal in AFLW history to promote this year's action, which begins on Thursday night. That was booted by veteran Jasmine Garner, who was playing for Collingwood at the time and is the current North Melbourne captain. The league set her up 20 metres out from the goalposts at Melbourne's Ikon Park on Monday, directly in front, with pink-coloured smoke ready to explode as she replicated that historic goal. There was just one problem: Garner missed an absolute sitter of a shot. Lining up to kick the simplest of goals with no defenders, crowd or scoreboard pressure to put her off, Garner shanked the ball to the left of the goalposts. The vision was quickly deleted and everyone took their places again, with Garner kicking true on her second attempt and celebrating with her fellow AFLW stars. While it is a moment the AFLW would rather didn't happen, everything is always revealed on social media. North Melbourne teammate Mia King couldn't resist taking a cheap shot at Garner, commenting 'second time lucky' on an Instagram post of the successful kick. Garner replied by tagging King and posting a shushing face emoji. Sports journalist Marnie Vinall also brought up the miss on TikTok, asking Garner if she got the kick on her 'first go?'. And Carlton star Darcy Vescio asked Garner on Instagram if there were any outtakes from the promotion. 'First go,' Garner replied. 'None,' the AFLW social media account added. Pointing out that even the greats are human, Vescio replied: 'you kick 'em when it counts'. Garner said the 10th season was a momentous occasion for the league and she was honoured to be recognised for her part in the competition's history. 'I think it's a good time to reflect, I think it's pretty special to be around and still playing,' she said. 'There have been some good moments along the way and I'm really proud that I can represent the competition alongside the other players. 'Being back here and thinking how far the competition has come since that night – I remember running out and it was just packed to the brim, it was so much fun and although we didn't get the result, kicking the first goal is a moment I'll always remember.'
