Latest news with #Elliston
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Fine forecast as Women's State of Origin goes from strength to strength
A forecast for clear skies for Brisbane on Thursday has players and officials optimistic that women's rugby league will launch itself into a new era of prominence in the first match of this year's Women's State of Origin. Last year's series featured three contests for the first time, unprecedented television ratings and record crowds, but each clash was affected by inclement weather, giving rise to hopes of even larger attendances in 2025. Advertisement Maroons' forward Jess Elliston said the example of a near-capacity crowd in game two last year in Newcastle despite heavy rain showed fans were now committed to the women's game. Related: Welcome to country ceremonies to go ahead at Women's State of Origin and NRL's Magic Round 'Even though we were getting booed like all shit, it was the most insane atmosphere I've ever been to, you couldn't hear anyone,' she said. 'My chest was rattling from the booing, which was just so cool.' Last year's Suncorp Stadium opener attracted just over 25,000, setting a record for the series that would last just three weeks. On a day when 17.6mm of rain fell on Newcastle, 25,782 crammed into McDonald Jones Stadium for that memorable game two. Advertisement Elliston said it was frustrating during the series when the players saw the forecasts for each match, but the consistent turnouts validated the long-time efforts of predecessors such as her coach at the Titans, former Jillaroo Karyn Murphy. 'Once again, rain [was forecast] and I tell you, [I thought] 'Oh, this rain needs to bugger off',' Elliston said. 'It is getting there, but it's just because people have fought so hard to make it happen.' The average audience for Channel Nine's three broadcasts was more than 1m – an increase of 67.8% on the previous year. For comparison, no men's NRL match on Channel Nine so this year has reached the same number of people, with even the Las Vegas opener only attracting an audience of 715,000. Channel Nine is broadcasting a documentary on the rise of women's State of Origin on Wednesday night, which includes a profile of NSW winger Jaime Chapman – whose runaway try was the highlight of game one last year – and firefighter Lauren Brown, who kicked the field goal to give Queensland victory in game two. Advertisement Australian Rugby League Commission chair Peter V'landys – who will begin negotiations on a new broadcast deal this year – told the programme the code was now aware of the appeal of women's players. 'I'm proud of what they do in the communities, I'm proud that they juggle jobs, family and playing. I think they're inspirational, and we want to use them as much as we can to inspire the future,' he said. The programme also features an interview with NSW player Corban Baxter, who is unavailable after knee surgery in July. Her partner in the halves last year, Rachael Pearson, has been left out, giving the Blues – no longer the 'Sky Blues' due to trademark complaints from A-League club Sydney FC – a fresh look under new coach John Strange. Tiana Penitani Gray, who has played mostly as an outside back, has been named at No 6 alongside Newcastle's 20-year-old halfback, Jesse Southwell. Parramatta's Abbi Church is expected to debut at fullback. Another five-eighth Kirra Dibb, utility Jocelyn Kelleher and last year's fullback Emma Verran (nee Tonegato) have all been named in the 20-player squad, fuelling intrigue as to how the team will play. The final 18 will be confirmed an hour before kick-off. Advertisement Forward Kezie Apps said the Blues were taking some motivation from the pain of last year, when they were on track for a series win with a second-half lead in game II. But with a new coach in Strange and four debutants she was adamant they will not be dwelling on the past. 'For some of us who were a part of it, it still hurts how last year ended. But to be honest, it's a new feel under Strangey and we've got some new girls in the squad,' she said. 'The spine has been gelling really well together, and we've got Abbi playing fullback, she's making her debut, which I'm really excited for her about,.' Apps, 34, signed a new four-year deal with the Wests Tigers this week, more than a decade after she made her state debut. She said she has witnessed the game's accelerating progress in the past few years, but last year's opener at Suncorp Stadium still left a significant impact on her. 'That was a really special moment to see that stadium packed and they're there to support just the women, that was something so special,' she said. 'I've been around a really long time, and I've seen the progression, I've seen the changes in people's perspective and people's opinions on female rugby league. It was definitely a 'pinch me moment' running out there.'
The Guardian
29-04-2025
- Climate
- The Guardian
Fine forecast as Women's State of Origin goes from strength to strength
A forecast for clear skies for Brisbane on Thursday has players and officials optimistic that women's rugby league will launch itself into a new era of prominence in the first match of this year's Women's State of Origin. Last year's series featured three contests for the first time, unprecedented television ratings and record crowds, but each clash was affected by inclement weather, giving rise to hopes of even larger attendances in 2025. Maroons' forward Jess Elliston said the example of a near-capacity crowd in game two last year in Newcastle despite heavy rain showed fans were now committed to the women's game. 'Even though we were getting booed like all shit, it was the most insane atmosphere I've ever been to, you couldn't hear anyone,' she said. 'My chest was rattling from the booing, which was just so cool.' Last year's Suncorp Stadium opener attracted just over 25,000, setting a record for the series that would last just three weeks. On a day when 17.6mm of rain fell on Newcastle, 25,782 crammed into McDonald Jones Stadium for that memorable game two. Elliston said it was frustrating during the series when the players saw the forecasts for each match, but the consistent turnouts validated the long-time efforts of predecessors such as her coach at the Titans, former Jillaroo Karyn Murphy. 'Once again, rain [was forecast] and I tell you, [I thought] 'Oh, this rain needs to bugger off',' Elliston said. 'It is getting there, but it's just because people have fought so hard to make it happen.' The average audience for Channel Nine's three broadcasts was more than 1m – an increase of 67.8% on the previous year. For comparison, no men's NRL match on Channel Nine so this year has reached the same number of people, with even the Las Vegas opener only attracting an audience of 715,000. Channel Nine is broadcasting a documentary on the rise of women's State of Origin on Wednesday night, which includes a profile of NSW winger Jaime Chapman – whose runaway try was the highlight of game one last year – and firefighter Lauren Brown, who kicked the field goal to give Queensland victory in game two. Australian Rugby League Commission chair Peter V'landys – who will begin negotiations on a new broadcast deal this year – told the programme the code was now aware of the appeal of women's players. 'I'm proud of what they do in the communities, I'm proud that they juggle jobs, family and playing. I think they're inspirational, and we want to use them as much as we can to inspire the future,' he said. The programme also features an interview with NSW player Corban Baxter, who is unavailable after knee surgery in July. Her partner in the halves last year, Rachael Pearson, has been left out, giving the Blues – no longer the 'Sky Blues' due to trademark complaints from A-League club Sydney FC – a fresh look under new coach John Strange. Sign up to Australia Sport Get a daily roundup of the latest sports news, features and comment from our Australian sports desk after newsletter promotion Tiana Penitani Gray, who has played mostly as an outside back, has been named at No 6 alongside Newcastle's 20-year-old halfback, Jesse Southwell. Parramatta's Abbi Church is expected to debut at fullback. Another five-eighth Kirra Dibb, utility Jocelyn Kelleher and last year's fullback Emma Verran (nee Tonegato) have all been named in the 20-player squad, fuelling intrigue as to how the team will play. The final 18 will be confirmed an hour before kick-off. Forward Kezie Apps said the Blues were taking some motivation from the pain of last year, when they were on track for a series win with a second-half lead in game II. But with a new coach in Strange and four debutants she was adamant they will not be dwelling on the past. 'For some of us who were a part of it, it still hurts how last year ended. But to be honest, it's a new feel under Strangey and we've got some new girls in the squad,' she said. 'The spine has been gelling really well together, and we've got Abbi playing fullback, she's making her debut, which I'm really excited for her about,.' Apps, 34, signed a new four-year deal with the Wests Tigers this week, more than a decade after she made her state debut. She said she has witnessed the game's accelerating progress in the past few years, but last year's opener at Suncorp Stadium still left a significant impact on her. 'That was a really special moment to see that stadium packed and they're there to support just the women, that was something so special,' she said. 'I've been around a really long time, and I've seen the progression, I've seen the changes in people's perspective and people's opinions on female rugby league. It was definitely a 'pinch me moment' running out there.'
Boston Globe
28-01-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Immigration officers are operating with a new sense of mission. Now, ‘nobody gets a free pass'
The Associated Press accompanied the officers, who offered a glimpse of how their work has changed under a White House intent on deporting large numbers of immigrants living in the US without permission. Advertisement People considered public safety and national security threats are still the top priority, Elliston said. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Enter Email Sign Up That is no different from the Biden administration, but a big change has already taken hold: Under Trump, officers can now arrest people without legal status if they run across them while looking for migrants targeted for removal. Under Joe Biden, such 'collateral arrests' were banned. 'We're looking for those public safety, national security cases. The big difference being, nobody has a free pass anymore,' Elliston said. The number of collateral arrests has fluctuated, he said. By the end of Monday across Maryland, ICE had arrested 13 people. Of those, nine were targets and the other four were people ICE came across during the course of the morning. Of those 'collaterals,' one had an aggravated theft conviction. Another had already been deported once, and two others had final orders of removal. Changes to immigration enforcement under Trump The administration highlighted the participation of other agencies in immigration operations over the weekend, including the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, which are part of the Justice Department. Emile Bove, the acting deputy attorney general, observed arrests Sunday in Chicago, a sign of the Justice Department's growing involvement. ICE's daily arrests, which averaged 311 in the year ending Sept. 30, stayed fairly steady in the first days after Trump took office, then spiked dramatically Sunday to 956 and Monday to 1,179. If sustained, those numbers would mark the highest daily average since ICE began keeping records. Advertisement Trump also has lifted longtime guidelines that restricted ICE from operating at 'sensitive locations' such as schools, churches or hospitals. That decision has worried many migrants and advocates who fear children will be traumatized by seeing their parents arrested in the drop-off line at school or that migrants needing medical care won't go to the hospital for fear of arrest. Elliston pushed back on those fears, saying it's been exceedingly rare for ICE to enter one of those locations. In his 17 years on the job, he said he's gone into a school only once and that was to help stop an active shooter. He said the removal of other guidelines that had restricted ICE operations at courthouses makes a bigger difference in the agency's work. But getting rid of the sensitive locations policy does affect ICE in more subtle ways. For example, at one point Monday, the team stopped at a parking lot in hopes of catching a Venezuelan gang member who was believed to be working as a delivery driver at a nearby business. Across the street was a church, and one street over was an elementary school, which under the previous guidance would have made it off limits to park to do surveillance. Some enforcement policies have not changed What has not changed, Elliston said, is that these are targeted operations. ICE has a list of people they're going after as opposed to indiscriminately going to a workplace or apartment building looking for people in the country illegally. Advertisement 'I really hate the word 'raids' because it gives people the wrong impression, as if we're just arbitrarily going door to door and saying, 'Show us your papers,'' he said. 'Nothing could be further from the truth.' In the week since Trump returned to office, Elliston said he's constantly been on the phone, trying to dispel rumors about what ICE is doing and who is getting arrested. Since starting his job in 2022, Elliston said he's worked to build relations with elected officials and law enforcement agencies across Maryland, a state where many communities have sanctuary policies limiting their cooperation with federal immigration authorities. Elliston has reached out to cities to educate them about what ICE does and whom officers pursue. He also tries to build relationships with city officials so they feel more comfortable letting authorities know when migrants who have been detained are going to be released. That way ICE can get them. Another thing that hasn't changed? Sometimes when looking for someone, they come up empty. In one apartment building in Takoma Park, just outside Washington, three ICE officers pounded on the door of an apartment, asking whoever was inside to come to the door. 'Miss, can you open up?' the officer said. 'Can you come to the door and we'll talk to you? ... We're going to have to keep coming back until we clear this address.' Eventually a man who lived at the apartment came home and talked with the ICE officers. It turned out that the person they were looking for likely gave police the wrong address when he was arrested and he didn't live there. If they cannot find a person, Elliston said, they keep looking. Advertisement 'Looking for these guys will never stop,' he said.
