Latest news with #Fitzgibbon
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Made in Newcastle, reunited in Warrington and now ready for Wembley
Lachlan Fitzgibbon and Luke Yates came through the Newcastle Knights system together before reuniting at Warrington Wolves (Image: John Baldwin) A CONNECTION that was formed more than 10,000 miles away, reformed in Warrington and is now heading to Wembley. When Luke Yates joined Warrington Wolves midway through last year, it allowed him to reunite with a good friend from back home in Lachlan Fitzgibbon. Advertisement Indeed, his fellow Novocastrian – meaning a native of the New South Wales city of Newcastle – appears to have gone into bat for him. 'I think he got a 10 per cent fee,' Yates jokes before Fitzgibbon chirps up that he's still waiting for it. 'I think he put in a decent word for me with Gaz Chambers and Sam (Burgess) so it came to fruition pretty quick. 'I'm grateful for him being a bit of a cheerleader!' Fitzgibbon chimes in: 'He's doing himself a disservice! 'He's been churning out some great footy over here for years so for Warrington, it's great for us to have been able to get a player like Yatesy, especially mid-season. Advertisement 'He's going to be at the club for a long time, so hopefully we can get him a trophy to kick off.' Luke Yates powers forward during the recent Super League clash with Wembley opponents Hull KR (Image: Olly Hassell/ Finding themselves about to walk out onto British sport's biggest stage alongside each other will certainly be quite a moment for the two forwards who have been friends since they were teenagers. For two local lads, progressing through the ranks at Newcastle Knights to eventually turn out in the NRL was the ultimate honour. Fitzgibbon was the first to graduate into the first team at the end of 2015, with Yates taking that final step in 2017. Advertisement 'It's a full circle moment for us having come all the way from Newcastle,' Fitzgibbon says. 'I was 17 when we first started playing together, and Luke was 16 – he was the year below me. 'We've been great mates for 14 years so it's special.' Yates adds: 'It was the SG Ball comp when we first played together, which is the 18s. I played an age up. 'We went through the 20s, New South Wales Cup and then first-grade together, now we're on the other side of the world. 'It's a funny one but to get the chance to win a trophy together is really special for us as Newcastle lads.' Yates' NRL career was brief as he made the move over to England in 2019 with London Broncos. Advertisement Since then, he has carved out a reputation as one of Super League's hardest-working and most underrated forwards having moved on to Salford Red Devils and Huddersfield Giants before joining Warrington. Fitzgibbon went on to play more than 100 first-grade games for his hometown club but when he decided to take the plunge and move to Super League, he knew exactly who to turn to. 'When Yatesy moved over here, we always stayed in touch and when I was thinking about coming over, he was one of the first people I went to,' he said. 'We were speaking throughout and I was always interested in the kind of footy they played over here. Advertisement 'It made the decision much more comfortable knowing I was coming over here and having someone familiar close by.' Lachlan Fitzgibbon - seen here celebrating scoring against Leigh Leopards last year - is in the midst of his second season in England (Image: John Clifton/ And so then to Wembley – a place steeped in folklore but one both men will be desperate to create some happier memories of. While his move to The Wire came just after their loss to Wigan Warriors in last year's final, Yates experienced the national stadium at perhaps its most eery while playing for Salford. He helped them reach the 2020 final, which was played behind closed doors due to coronavirus restrictions, where they fell to an agonising 17-16 loss to Leeds Rhinos courtesy of a late Luke Gale drop goal. Advertisement 'We went for a look around the day before the game and it was empty, then it was the same again on game day,' recalls Yates, who was also on the losing side of the 2022 final as Huddersfield captain against Wigan in a game played at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. 'It was a bit of a weird thing because it took some of the emotion out of it. 'With the crowd there, they tend to lift you up and give you energy but we couldn't rely on that. 'It was amazing that we could go back and play during that period but looking back on it, it was very strange. 'I'm really looking forward to going back there with a crowd and hopefully there's a whole heap of Wire fans there to make it special.' Advertisement Luke Yates makes a tackle while playing for Salford Red Devils at an empty Wembley Stadium during the 2020 Challenge Cup Final, which was played behind closed doors due to Covid restrictions (Image: Allan McKenzie/ For Fitzgibbon, his Wembley experience lasted only 40 minutes last year as he succumbed to injury at half time during the defeat to Wigan. That set off a frustrating trend of injuries for the big back-rower that is still ongoing – having had post-season shoulder surgery, he has been plagued by rib issues throughout the year and came off against Castleford Tigers on Friday with a knee problem. However, he assured fans that he is absolutely ready to go for Saturday's showpiece against Hull KR. 'I'm going good,' he said. Advertisement 'I've had a tough six weeks or so with a few niggles so I haven't managed to play too many minutes. 'Last week was more of a precaution – I went over on my knee and it didn't look great, but it's pulled up fine. 'I'm ready to play the 80 minutes on Saturday. 'Everybody all over the world knows about Wembley so to get the opportunity to play there was incredible. 'I think there was 65,000 there and in terms of atmosphere, I've never experienced anything that came close to that. 'I've played semi-finals footy back in the NRL but nothing really compares to Wembley. 'The result wasn't great but hopefully we'll rectify that.' Advertisement Lachlan Fitzgibbon consoles teammate Matt Dufty following last year's Wembley defeat (Image: Richard Blaxall/ So after the journey through the age grades, the move to the other side of the world and all things in between, while Fitzgibbon and Yates' friendship get its ultimate high on Saturday? Neither of them has even won a major trophy, so is that about to change? 'Games like this one – it's why you play the game,' Yates said. 'Winning trophies is always the goal so if we can do that together, it will fill me with a great amount of pride.'
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Mixed Warrington Wolves injury news as Wembley nears
WHILE all the signs are pointing to George Williams being fit to lead Warrington Wolves out at Wembley on Saturday, there are a few other players whose Challenge Cup Final participation is slightly less certain. And on that front, head coach Sam Burgess reported mixed news as Lachlan Fitzgibbon, Jordy Crowther and Toby King battle to be fit to face Hull KR. Advertisement Fitzgibbon returned from a rib issue for Friday's game against Castleford Tigers but picked up a fresh knee injury during the first half. The second-rower did not return for the second half but Burgess remains confident he will be fit to feature at Wembley. He was not as certain, however, on centre King (groin) and forward Crowther (ankle) whom he says are less likely to play at this stage. 'I think he'll be okay,' Burgess said of Fitzgibbon. 'We've not practiced this week yet so we'll know a bit more about him tomorrow but all of the signs are pointing the right way. 'Toby and Jordy are a bit more of a stretch. Advertisement 'We'll give them until the last possible minute, but they're both probably a bit of a stretch.' After his head coach had declared following the Castleford game that Williams would likely be fit for Wembley, the skipper himself officially confirmed he would be fit to play at Monday's pre-match media event. And Burgess believes he will not be hindering the team by doing so. 'First and foremost, we've got to be responsible,' he said. 'He's seven-and-a-half weeks post-surgery – it's been done before so it's not groundbreaking, but he's worked really hard and pushed the boundaries. 'With any player returning from injury, there's always an element of risk. 'It's not a soft tissue injury which is higher-risk, it's more structural but he's been in full practice for the last seven days or so. 'We're pretty confident in him playing the full 80 minutes.'
Sky News AU
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Sky News AU
Coalition split ‘going to be messy' for Australian democracy
Former defence minister Joel Fitzgibbon discusses the impact of the recent Coalition split on Australian democracy. 'Without some form of Coalition, we can't have a strong parliamentary democracy,' Mr Fitzgibbon told Sky News Australia. 'I think all of us are relying upon them to sort their stuff out and start rebuilding for the next election. 'If they don't, it's going to be messy for our parliamentary democracy.'
RTÉ News
27-04-2025
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Cork cruise past 14-man Tipperary to sit atop in Munster Hurling Championship table
Cork have gone top of the Munster Senior Hurling Championship table following a comprehensive 15-point victory over Tipperary at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh. It was the most clinical of performances by Pat Ryan's side, a group that raised three green flags during the first half and charged into a 3-13 to 0-12 lead at the break. The Rebels were relentless, with the only dampener on the day being the future fitness of captain Robert Downey as the half-back was forced off with an injury in just the 19th minute. For Tipperary, it was a day that could have meant atonement after suffering an 18 point defeat to their near rivals last year on home soil and it was chance to hammer home the news of a resurrection after drawing with Limerick last weekend at Thurles. Instead it was a reminder of the hype and ability of a Cork team that hammered the Premier County 3-24 to 0-23 in the league final earlier this month. Everything started with Tipperary's Darragh McCarthy seeing red card inside 60 seconds following an off the ball incident. The Rebels took advantage of the extra man and used home comforts to blitz Tipperary by scoring 3-06 in just 16 minutes. Cork rampant now as Pat Horgan rattles the roof of the bet 📺 Watch @rte2 & @rteplayer 📻 @rteradio1 📱 Updates — The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) April 27, 2025 Declan Dalton opened the scoring from play and that was followed by Brian Hayes picking out Tim O'Mahony with a cross field pass. The midfielder buried the sliotar in at the Blackrock End and Cork led 1-01 to 0-00 inside five minutes. Darragh Stakelum opened Tipperary's account but at that point it felt like swimming against the tide as Cork were in full-flow especially when Dalton and Darragh Fitzgibbon raised white flags before Patrick Horgan goaled. The move that brought the biggest roar involved a neat passing sequence between Hayes and Fitzgibbon. They worked together to create space for an onrushing Alan Connolly, and the full-forward turned in a squared pass to make it 3-06 to 0-04. Tipperary did finish with a flourish by outscoring Cork 0-08 to 0-07 during the time left to play in the first half, with Jason Forde hitting 0-05 during that run. It wasn't enough to rattle the hosts, who went into the break leading 3-13 to 0-12. 'There's too many times where there's separation' - Liam Sheedy questions Tipp's tightness in defence 📺 Watch @rte2 & @rteplayer 📻 @rteradio1 📱 Updates — The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) April 27, 2025 The Rebel County did not falter in the second half, as talk turned to Clare's seemingly improbable 12-point comeback last weekend in Ennis. The Rebels continued to generate scores, while Tipperary had their moments in front of the posts. The game restarted with Horgan and Fitzgibbon splitting the posts and Forde replied with a free. Liam Cahill then brought on Noel McGrath, and by doing so the Loughmore–Castleiney club-man became the Tipperary player with the most championship appearances, a record previously held by Brendan Cummins. Cork remained in control as the clock ticked towards full-time, with the final cheer coming from the skill that led to Dalton's goal as the half-forward twisted free and unleashed a shot that went high and beyond Barry Hogan in the 64th minute at the Blackrock End. At that stage, the win was all but assured as the crowd totalling over 42,000 people counted down until the full-time whistle. Cork: Patrick Collins; Niall O'Leary, Eoin Downey, Seán O'Donoghue, Ciaran Joyce, Robert Downey, Mark Coleman, Tim O'Mahony (1-00), Ethan Twomey, Declan Dalton (1-06, 2f), Darragh Fitzgibbon (0-02), Séamus Harnedy (0-05), Patrick Horgan (1-09, 6f), Alan Connolly (1-00), Brian Hayes (0-02). Subs: Ger Millerick for Robert Downey (19); Luke Meade for Twomey (47), Brian Roche for Connolly (51), Robbie O'Flynn (0-2) for O'Mahony (57), Tommy O'Connell (0-1) for Joyce (66) Tipperary: Barry Hogan; Robert Doyle, Eoghan Connolly (0-01), Michael Breen, Conor Bowe, Ronan Maher, Bryan O'Mara, Craig Morgan (0-01), Darragh Stakelum (0-01), Alan Tynan, Jake Morris (0-03), Sam O'Farrell, Darragh McCarthy, John McGrath, Jason Forde (0-15, 11f). Subs: Andrew Ormond (0-1) for Bowe (42); Noel McGrath for Stakelum (42), Seamus Kennedy for Tynan (45), Gearoid O'Connor for John McGrath (51), Willie Connors (0-2) for O'Farrell (66).
Daily Mail
25-04-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
Channel Seven star's heart-breaking Anzac Day message after her brother tragically died serving Australia: 'Forever 33'
The family of a Special Forces soldier who died in a parachuting accident has joined thousands of Australians commemorating those who paid the ultimate sacrifice. Channel Seven reporter Grace Fitzgibbon - with her father Joel, a former Labor minister - took to social media on Anzac Day to pay homage to her brother Lance Corporal Jack Fitzgibbon. Jack, 33, was performing a 'routine' drill in March last year at an RAAF base in Richmond, in Sydney 's northwest, when it is understood his parachute failed to open. He suffered critical head injuries and was taken to Westmead Hospital in Sydney's west, where he died. On Thursday evening, Ms Fitzgibbon documented her attendance of Sydney's Harbour Sunset Tribute, writing on Instagram: 'Sunset tribute for my brave brother.' She then shared photos with her father and boyfriend, Az, at North Bondi RSL Club on Anzac Day - the latter was a good friend of Jack's and one of the pallbearers at his funeral. Mr Fitzgibbon also posted on LinkedIn the same day, honouring his son with a caption: 'Forever 33. Lest we forget.' 'Today, tomorrow and forever we will love you and miss you,' he said. The former Labor minister addressed the hundreds gathered at the RSL club, honouring the 'Australian soldiers [who] had given their life to our country'. The family has also set up '14 for Fitzy' on social media, a running community brought together to celebrate Jack. Ms Fitzgibbon previously paid tribute to her brother in a pre-recorded eulogy at a funeral service at St Joseph's Catholic Church in Cessnock in March last year. Hundreds of people including Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton and Defence Minister Richard Marles, attended Jack's funeral service. Soldiers also lined the streets of Cessnock to pay tribute to the Lance Corporal.
