Latest news with #DavidKing
News.com.au
2 days ago
- Sport
- News.com.au
Alastair Clarkson accused of failing to improve North Melbourne after shellacking by Geelong
North Melbourne coach Alastair Clarkson stands accused of failing to advance the Kangaroos in any measurable way after suffering the biggest loss of the 2025 season and having recorded just 10 wins across his three seasons in charge. Two-time Kangaroos premiership player David King said he was 'confused' watching his old side, which was demolished by 101 points by Geelong, asking questions about what four-time premiership winning mentor Clarkson was 'building'. In his post-match appraisal of the loss, Clarkson said he wouldn't get caught up in the 'hysteria around results' and 'we know where we are as a footy club'. King, however, said it was merely more lip service and he was genuinely worried about where the Kangaroos were heading, with Clarkson three years into a five-year contract. 'You have to be worried don't you?' he said on Monday. 'Nothing has changed defensively, and when nothing changed what are you building? 'Clarko for five years was perfect, but I thought there would be a more significant improvement in the third year.' King wasn't calling for change but questioned whether Clarkson was really aware of the problems his team faced. 'In my own heart of hearts, this club desperately need stability,' King told SEN. 'It's been through turmoil. It's spat out coach after coach for six or seven years. 'But we're still here. It's just so confusing trying to watch them and work out what they're doing. 'From a personal point of view I always wonder if the coach is telling the absolute truth or is it just words to appease a 10-minute press conference. Or is this what he really feels? 'I feel like sometimes they're words; I'm not going at Alastair, I'm not. It's just so confusing.' The Kangaroos brought in premiership-winning players Caleb Daniel and Luke Parker to help the young list, but King said Daniel in particular was not delivering. 'I didn't expect to be here at this point. There is so much work to do. I get confused with how they reward Caleb Daniel with selection – it baffles me,' he said. 'I haven't seen him do one thing that blows my mind. Defensively, he causes confusion for the rest of them. 'I would love them to honestly talk to us about it. It has not improved defensively. 'There's massive questions. I don't want to hear about what other clubs have done; I want to see North do it.'
News.com.au
3 days ago
- Sport
- News.com.au
Roos' identity crisis amid Clarko question as ‘sickening' loss lays bare failed draft trade gamble
Questions continue to be asked of North Melbourne's on-field identity after a 'sickening' 101-point loss to Geelong on Saturday night amid more evidence of a failed draft gamble. The Kangaroos finished a staggering -41 for inside-50s, -10 for clearances, -16 for contested possessions, and -18 for marks inside 50 on a night they couldn't come close to halving the territory battle nor begin to contain the Cats' purring forward line, with superstar Jeremy Cameron running riot for 11 majors. It was North Melbourne's 14th-straight defeat at the hands of Geelong and its fifth-straight loss as it remains with a measly four wins to its name for the season. 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. 'For North Melbourne fans, that would've been a sickening watch; incredibly frustrating. You feel sorry for the Kangaroos fans, who have watched this for six years,' the Herald Sun's Jay Clark told Fox Footy's Super Saturday Live post-match coverage. Dual All-Australian and two-time Kangaroos premiership player David King pondered the machinations of the club's game plan and lamented its inability to adequately defend. 'This (the North Melbourne rooms) would be an awful place to be, at the moment. It's a tough one, because when you watch them play, it's kind of difficult to work out what they're trying to execute,' he began. 'Are they handballing when the options are available, and then run and gun? Or is it take territory and get numbers to drop of ball? Is it a mix of both? I don't know what they're doing defensively; that's just not working at all — 40 (Geelong) scores tonight.' The Cats scored 27 times from 58 intercepts on Saturday night, exemplifying the ease of which they were able to transition and punish the Roos on the counter. 'They just smashed them; they walked through them. The amount of times Jeremy Cameron was out the back by himself, and it'd be uncontested possession, uncontested possession, goal,' King continued. 'I'd love to ask Alastair Clarkson 'what are you trying to achieve?' Show us what it should look like, and then we can at least enjoy the ride. Because we just go from week to week and not see it. We have seen it in patches throughout the year, but we're not seeing it now. 'I know the ruckman's (Tristan Xerri) not there, I know Nick Larkey's not there, but that shouldn't have as big an effect as what it does on their ability to stop the opposition moving the ball full length of the ground.' Patrick Dangerfield was tactically substituted out of the game, his 200th for Geelong, and the sight of the veteran sitting on the bench munching on a kebab while the game was still going on would have rubbed salt into the wound for North fans. Serious questions continue to be asked of the Roos' direction under Alastair Clarkson in the third year of the four-time premiership coach's reign, with the club benefitting from top picks for the better part of the past six years. In 55 games under Clarkson, North Melbourne is 10-44-1. The club has finished 17th on the ladder in consecutive seasons and currently sits 17th with four games left to go this season. Asked when the pressure on Clarkson genuinely gets turned up, King answered: 'It's a great question; it's hard to answer. I think you have a blind faith in the club that the decision-makers will get it right. 'Words are cheap; it's really hard to just listen to the same conversation over and over and over. It's a tough place to be, there's no doubt about that ... third year in, a penny for his thoughts, is he able to do what he once thought he could do with this group? Are there any doubts there? 'You walk off the ground tonight, you have to doubt your own plan. You've got (Jack) Darling, (Luke) Parker and (Caleb) Daniel to the club to try and stiffen up with a bit of seniority; that doesn't look like it's working as well as it probably should.' North Melbourne fielded eight former top-12 draft picks against Geelong, as King declared the club's issues didn't revolve around an absence of talented players. 'It's not a talent issue; it's a system problem,' he said. 'You can be really brutal and say 'it's coaching', right, but it's also performance of that system. 'Where's the disconnect? Are the players not understanding? Are they not prepared to work hard enough to ensure the system works? I think they're good enough, and I don't think they're that young that they can't compete defensively. That's not really a talent issue. 'I'm the same as all those people in the room and all those watching on, I don't understand the system, because I see so many flaws in it, so many holes in it. 'I don't see it; it's not consistent enough to say 'this is their identifiable brand'. And I think when you see 150 points against, I think even they'd say 'you wouldn't be able to see it tonight'.' Speaking post-game on Saturday night, Clarkson, who lamented glaringly obvious deficiencies in contest, clearance and territory, made it a point to highlight the discrepancy in experience between the sides. 'The Geelong forward line versus the North Melbourne backline, just see the void that sits there in terms of just experience and exposure,' he said. 'And I don't want to make excuses for our players, but it's where we're at, though. 'And we're giving these young players some exposure and opportunity, and in our back end in particular, we're going to be left very, very vulnerable down there against a formidable forward line if we couldn't control the middle of the ground as well as we'd like. And Geelong was too good in that space.' The Roos fielded the second-youngest team in the competition in Round 20, with eight-game key defender Wil Dawson among those in royal blue and white tortured by Cameron and the Cats, who licked their lips each time they entered forward 50. 'Everyone will look at win-loss and all that sort of stuff, and making progress — and even if it is just win-loss, we have made some progress,' said Clarkson in his press conference. 'But we've had three performances that were well below our best, which (were) the Carlton game in Round 6 here, the Hawthorn game about a month ago down in Tassie, and tonight. 'But outside of that, we've been much more competitive than what we were last year, winning more quarters and being in more games at three-quarter-time than we had last year.' But while Clarkson continues to preach that non-linear progress continues to be made at Arden Street, the Roos' list management's choice to trade away the club's first-round pick this year has come back to bite hard. Last November, North Melbourne — banking on a significant uptick this season — traded its future first-round pick to Richmond to secure the No.27 selection, key-position utility Matt Whitlock, who has played just one senior game in his debut season. That future choice is currently slated to wind up as the second overall pick. Injecting young talent isn't as urgent for the Roos as it has been in previous seasons, but given the stagnancy of this season, it's premium draft capital they'd absolutely love to have this off-season. 'I think they thought they would be further progressed, because they did trade that pick away,' Clark said on Fox Footy. 'Would they have traded that No.2 pick away if they thought they were going to finish second-last on the ladder? No way. They thought they would be up the ladder; they thought they would improve, that's why they gave that pick away. 'So, it tells you that they thought they would be better than they're at; that's really clear.' The Roos are currently slated to make their first draft choice this November at No.20, holding a pair of picks at the top of the second round.
Daily Telegraph
3 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Telegraph
AFL 2025: David King analyses North Melbourne 101-point loss to Geelong Cats, failed draft gamble, Alastair Clarkson press conference
Don't miss out on the headlines from AFL. Followed categories will be added to My News. Questions continue to be asked of North Melbourne's on-field identity after a 'sickening' 101-point loss to Geelong on Saturday night amid more evidence of a failed draft gamble. The Kangaroos finished a staggering -41 for inside-50s, -10 for clearances, -16 for contested possessions, and -18 for marks inside 50 on a night they couldn't come close to halving the territory battle nor begin to contain the Cats' purring forward line, with superstar Jeremy Cameron running riot for 11 majors. It was North Melbourne's 14th-straight defeat at the hands of Geelong and its fifth-straight loss as it remains with a measly four wins to its name for the season. 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. 'For North Melbourne fans, that would've been a sickening watch; incredibly frustrating. You feel sorry for the Kangaroos fans, who have watched this for six years,' the Herald Sun's Jay Clark told Fox Footy's Super Saturday Live post-match coverage. Dual All-Australian and two-time Kangaroos premiership player David King pondered the machinations of the club's game plan and lamented its inability to adequately defend. 'This (the North Melbourne rooms) would be an awful place to be, at the moment. It's a tough one, because when you watch them play, it's kind of difficult to work out what they're trying to execute,' he began. Questions are being asked of North Melbourne after the 101-point loss (Photo by) 'Are they handballing when the options are available, and then run and gun? Or is it take territory and get numbers to drop of ball? Is it a mix of both? I don't know what they're doing defensively; that's just not working at all — 40 (Geelong) scores tonight.' The Cats scored 27 times from 58 intercepts on Saturday night, exemplifying the ease of which they were able to transition and punish the Roos on the counter. 'They just smashed them; they walked through them. The amount of times Jeremy Cameron was out the back by himself, and it'd be uncontested possession, uncontested possession, goal,' King continued. 'I'd love to ask Alastair Clarkson 'what are you trying to achieve?' Show us what it should look like, and then we can at least enjoy the ride. Because we just go from week to week and not see it. We have seen it in patches throughout the year, but we're not seeing it now. 'I know the ruckman's (Tristan Xerri) not there, I know Nick Larkey's not there, but that shouldn't have as big an effect as what it does on their ability to stop the opposition moving the ball full length of the ground.' Patrick Dangerfield was tactically substituted out of the game, his 200th for Geelong, and the sight of the veteran sitting on the bench munching on a kebab while the game was still going on would have rubbed salt into the wound for North fans. Patrick Dangerfield eats a kebab after getting subbed out. Photo: Fox Footy. Serious questions continue to be asked of the Roos' direction under Alastair Clarkson in the third year of the four-time premiership coach's reign, with the club benefitting from top picks for the better part of the past six years. In 55 games under Clarkson, North Melbourne is 10-44-1. The club has finished 17th on the ladder in consecutive seasons and currently sits 17th with four games left to go this season. Asked when the pressure on Clarkson genuinely gets turned up, King answered: 'It's a great question; it's hard to answer. I think you have a blind faith in the club that the decision-makers will get it right. 'Words are cheap; it's really hard to just listen to the same conversation over and over and over. It's a tough place to be, there's no doubt about that ... third year in, a penny for his thoughts, is he able to do what he once thought he could do with this group? Are there any doubts there? 'You walk off the ground tonight, you have to doubt your own plan. You've got (Jack) Darling, (Luke) Parker and (Caleb) Daniel to the club to try and stiffen up with a bit of seniority; that doesn't look like it's working as well as it probably should.' North Melbourne fielded eight former top-12 draft picks against Geelong, as King declared the club's issues didn't revolve around an absence of talented players. 'It's not a talent issue; it's a system problem,' he said. 'You can be really brutal and say 'it's coaching', right, but it's also performance of that system. 'Where's the disconnect? Are the players not understanding? Are they not prepared to work hard enough to ensure the system works? I think they're good enough, and I don't think they're that young that they can't compete defensively. That's not really a talent issue. 'I'm the same as all those people in the room and all those watching on, I don't understand the system, because I see so many flaws in it, so many holes in it. 'I don't see it; it's not consistent enough to say 'this is their identifiable brand'. And I think when you see 150 points against, I think even they'd say 'you wouldn't be able to see it tonight'.' Speaking post-game on Saturday night, Clarkson, who lamented glaringly obvious deficiencies in contest, clearance and territory, made it a point to highlight the discrepancy in experience between the sides. 'The Geelong forward line versus the North Melbourne backline, just see the void that sits there in terms of just experience and exposure,' he said. 'And I don't want to make excuses for our players, but it's where we're at, though. 'And we're giving these young players some exposure and opportunity, and in our back end in particular, we're going to be left very, very vulnerable down there against a formidable forward line if we couldn't control the middle of the ground as well as we'd like. And Geelong was too good in that space.' The Roos fielded the second-youngest team in the competition in Round 20, with eight-game key defender Wil Dawson among those in royal blue and white tortured by Cameron and the Cats, who licked their lips each time they entered forward 50. 'Everyone will look at win-loss and all that sort of stuff, and making progress — and even if it is just win-loss, we have made some progress,' said Clarkson in his press conference. 'But we've had three performances that were well below our best, which (were) the Carlton game in Round 6 here, the Hawthorn game about a month ago down in Tassie, and tonight. 'But outside of that, we've been much more competitive than what we were last year, winning more quarters and being in more games at three-quarter-time than we had last year.' But while Clarkson continues to preach that non-linear progress continues to be made at Arden Street, the Roos' list management's choice to trade away the club's first-round pick this year has come back to bite hard. Last November, North Melbourne — banking on a significant uptick this season — traded its future first-round pick to Richmond to secure the No.27 selection, key-position utility Matt Whitlock, who has played just one senior game in his debut season. That future choice is currently slated to wind up as the second overall pick. Injecting young talent isn't as urgent for the Roos as it has been in previous seasons, but given the stagnancy of this season, it's premium draft capital they'd absolutely love to have this off-season. 'I think they thought they would be further progressed, because they did trade that pick away,' Clark said on Fox Footy. 'Would they have traded that No.2 pick away if they thought they were going to finish second-last on the ladder? No way. They thought they would be up the ladder; they thought they would improve, that's why they gave that pick away. 'So, it tells you that they thought they would be better than they're at; that's really clear.' The Roos are currently slated to make their first draft choice this November at No.20, holding a pair of picks at the top of the second round. Originally published as Roos' identity crisis amid Clarko question as 'sickening' loss lays bare failed draft trade gamble
The Independent
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Top court says countries can sue each other for climate damage – this is what to expect
The world's top court has made it easier for governments to be held legally accountable for failing to tackle the climate crisis – in an a move that experts say will have profound implications for climate-related lawsuits. In its long-awaited legal opinion – requested by small island nations facing existential threats from sea level rise – the International Court of Justice (ICJ) said states have binding obligations to act on climate change under international law, and failing to do so could constitute a "wrongful act". In an era of climate science denial and at a time when the United States, one of the world's biggest polluters, is retreating from climate action under Donald Trump, ICJ judge Yuji Iwasawa called the climate crisis an 'urgent and existential threat' and said that greenhouse gas emissions are 'unequivocally caused by human activities which are not territorially limited.' Sir David King, chair of the Climate Crisis Advisory Group (CCAG) and former UK scientific adviser, called it a 'moral reckoning', while former UN human rights chief Mary Robinson called it a 'turning point'. But experts also note that the ICJ's opinion is not itself legally binding. So what does this actually mean in real terms? Could countries that are suffering the most from the impacts of the climate crisis now sue others – developed nations in the West – that have benefited the most from the historic burning of fossil fuels? Experts say the most immediate impact of the ICJ opinion will be seen in thousands of climate cases currently being heard across the world. Joie Chowdhury, senior attorney at the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), said the ICJ opinion provides 'a clear legal blueprint to hold major emitters accountable'. 'We will see this used as persuasive authority in domestic and regional courts, and it could also form the basis of new state-versus-state litigation,' she said. She added that courts around the world already use ICJ rulings as persuasive authority and will likely cite this latest opinion when interpreting binding law within their own jurisdictions. Yet it is also clear that one of the most significant possibilities raised by the ICJ ruling is the potential for international legal action between states. Small island nations and African countries – already suffering from the withdrawal of international aid funding – and which have contributed the least to global emissions, could now explore legal action against larger polluters. While litigation between states is complex and expensive, Chowdhury said the court's ruling has "laid the legal pathway" for such cases. "If major polluters do not adjust their conduct based on the court's very clear guidance on what is permissible and what is not, absolutely, they can be sued. This will depend on jurisdictional issues and other technical criteria, but we may well see cases at the ICJ or other forums," she said. That opens the door to legal action over exported emissions, fossil fuel subsidies, or licensing of polluting projects by one state that affects another's territory or citizens. More than 2,600 climate-related cases have already been filed globally, against governments, fossil fuel companies, or both, ranging from youth-led lawsuits in Europe to frontline communities seeking compensation for damages. Chowdhury says the outcome could 'supercharge climate litigation' with more cases coming up against governments and polluters. The court explicitly stated that climate-destructive conduct includes not just emissions but policy-making, licensing and subsidies that fuel the crisis. In other words, governments can now be held responsible if they fail to regulate or curb emissions-intensive industries. One key section of the judgment states: 'Failure of the state to take appropriate action to protect the climate system from GHG emissions including through fossil fuel production, fossil fuel consumption, the granting of fossil fuel exploration licenses, or the provision of fossil fuel subsidies may constitute an internationally wrongful act.' Chowdhury called the opinion 'one of the most consequential legal rulings of our times, just because of the scope of the issues it covers'. 'The ICJ has now drawn a legal red line: continuing harmful conduct, including licensing fossil fuel exploration or failing to cut emissions, is not just dangerous – it could be unlawful.' 'This puts the fossil fuel industry on notice,' Chowdhury said. 'It establishes that allowing these activities without proper mitigation or phaseout plans may amount to a breach of international law.' The 500 page long opinion also touched upon a crucial question central to the survival of small island states: If global sea level rise swallows their land, do they still have the right to be called a state? The ICJ said the disappearance of one element of a state, such as territory due to rising seas, does not undermine its legal statehood. This offers powerful support to low-lying countries like Tuvalu and Vanuatu who have been exploring legal remedies to protect their sovereignty and maritime rights. During the hearings, held in December last year, the court heard testimonies from almost 100 countries and 12 international organisations. Countries like Tuvalu and Zambia used their time before the court to detail the existential threats posed by sea-level rise and climate-linked drought. ' Tuvalu will not go quietly into the rising sea,' its delegation told the court. In the decade up to 2023, sea levels rose by a global average of around 4.3 centimetres (1.7 inches), with parts of the Pacific rising higher still. The world has also warmed 1.3 degrees Celsius (2.3 Fahrenheit) since preindustrial times because of the burning of fossil fuels. The ICJ ruling could also significantly influence how countries negotiate new emissions targets, finance pledges and loss and damage mechanisms at the next UN climate summit in Brazil. Andreas Sieber, associate policy director at said the ruling 'raises the stakes' for the upcoming round of negotiations. 'As we head into COP30, this ruling raises the stakes, this is not the time for vague pledges, it's time to start delivering real, legally grounded climate action. That means NDCs must collectively add up to this threshold,' he said. Chowdhury said the ruling dismantles one of the most common arguments used on climate action by powerful nations. "A major approach big players take is to say, 'The Paris Agreement is the only treaty that matters, and it doesn't require us to do very much.' But the court said unequivocally that multiple and complementary legal sources, from human rights law to the Law of the Sea, all apply, and there are binding obligations to act," she said. The ruling could also help unlock progress on climate finance and loss and damage – areas where negotiations have often stalled. Small island states, for example, have long demanded clearer legal backing for financial support and reparations from rich polluters. The ICJ said that countries must act with the 'highest possible ambition' to limit warming to 1.5C. Beyond litigation, the ruling affirms that climate justice is inseparable from human rights. It found that climate change-induced displacement, harm to health, and sea-level rise all trigger protections under existing law. 'This is about survival, dignity, and justice,' Chowdhury said. 'The ICJ has clarified what the law already requires – and now it is up to governments, courts, and communities to make that law real.'
Cision Canada
22-07-2025
- Business
- Cision Canada
Robert Half named by Forbes as one of Canada's Best Recruiting and Temporary Staffing Firms 2025
TORONTO, July 22, 2025 /CNW/ - Global talent solutions and business consulting firm Robert Half has been named one of Canada's Best Professional Recruiting Firms, Executive Recruiting Firms, and Temporary Staffing Firms in Forbes ' inaugural ranking of Canadian staffing and recruiting firms. The rankings were produced in partnership with market research firm Statista. The lists are based on survey responses from more than 15,000 participants in Canada—composed of human resources managers, hiring managers, recruiters and employees who recently worked with a recruiting firm. The survey was conducted between mid-February and mid-April 2025. "Being named to Forbes' first list of Canada's best recruiting companies is an honour, and makes us enormously proud", said David King, Senior Managing Director, Robert Half, Canada and South America. "Receiving this recognition underscores the importance we place on being a trusted advisor, providing access to world-class talent, diverse hiring solutions for our clients and the professionals we represent, as well as leadership within the larger industry." Robert Half connects companies with skilled talent and helps job seekers find roles from entry-level to executive positions, on both contract and permanent bases. Through its award-winning AI capabilities, the company has enhanced the candidate discovery, assessment and selection process, increasing its ability to staff critical roles faster. Robert Half is also recognized by Fortune as one of the 2025 World's Most Admired Companies. Robert Half is among a select group of companies to be honoured as a Fortune Most Admired Company for 28 consecutive years and is the only in its industry to achieve this distinction. About Robert Half Robert Half is the world's first and largest specialized talent solutions firm that connects opportunities at great companies with highly skilled job seekers. Offering contract and permanent placement solutions in the fields of finance and accounting, technology, marketing and creative, legal, and administrative and customer support, Robert Half has more than 300 locations worldwide. Robert Half is the parent company of Protiviti ®, a global consulting firm that provides internal audit, risk, business and technology consulting solutions. Robert Half, including Protiviti, has been named to the Fortune ® Most Admired Companies ™. Explore our comprehensive solutions, research and insights at
