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The Guardian
2 days ago
- General
- The Guardian
Billy The Kid looks out of bullets as Maroons faces another Origin defeat
As the State of Origin teams were read out in front of 54,000 fans at Suncorp Stadium on Wednesday, the loudest cheer accompanied the final name on the announcer's list. That roar was bigger than for Kalyn Ponga or Cameron Munster. Throatier than the one reserved for Patty Carrigan. And the face who inspired it hasn't seen a tackle in seven years. To say Billy Slater is well-loved by Queenslanders is an understatement. As if Romeo had only a passing interest in Juliet. Or, to a fresh batch of biscuits, the Cookie Monster wouldn't say no. 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 There is good reason, too. Slater's playing career sparkles with highlights as much as honours. Millions followed his journey as humble roustabout from Nambour to the heights of rugby league, never losing his endearing identity as Billy 'The Kid'. He proved himself to be a Maroons great, one of the symbols in Queensland's most successful Origin era. Since retiring in 2018, his legend has only grown. He has shown to be an adept analyst on broadcasts, often speaking in front of AAMI Park's Billy Slater Stand. His business as a thoroughbred breeder goes from strength to strength. His performance as a horse-riding TV compère at last year's Melbourne Cup carnival was the highlight of Channel Nine's coverage. And of course, as a rookie coach, he masterminded Queensland victories in his first two Origin series. In this context, the crowd's affection for him on Wednesday night is to be expected. But after New South Wales' largely one-sided victory in the State of Origin opener, it's clear love can only do so much. 'I feel pretty flat, to be honest, about our performance', he said after the 18-6 defeat. The result was hardly a thrashing, and for Slater there were positive signs. Winger Xavier Coates was a constant aerial threat and backrower Jeremiah Nanai was a willing combatant. Debutant Robert Toia was targeted by the Blues and forced into 24 tackles (the Maroons' other centre Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow made just seven) but the rookie missed just three and was tidy with the ball. 'I thought his debut was great, so he can hold his head up high,' Slater said. But in truth, there is just as much cause for concern. The Blues went in as favourites, and were far from their best themselves. Five-eighth Mitch Moses, catalyst for the Blues' resurgence in last year's series, was mostly a bystander. Latrell Mitchell ran for just 58m, Liam Martin even less. Spencer Leniu played just 26 minutes. The Maroons coach believes the fans at Suncorp 'didn't see the best of this Queensland team' on Thursday. That 'it's definitely not a personnel thing'. That he knows 'what this team's capable of'. But it's becoming difficult to understand what he sees. In the past four Origin matches, the Maroons have scored 10 tries. Half of those came in the one match, after the Joseph Aukuso Sua'ali'i send-off in Sydney last year. Another three came in the second half of the MCG clash in which they trailed 34-0 at half-time. Wednesday's lone try came directly from a Latrell Mitchell handling error. The last time the Maroons crafted their own a four-pointer in a tight contest against a full Blues contingent was in the fifth minute of last year's series, when Ben Hunt crossed from Daly Cherry-Evans' blindside sneak. The 36-year-old halfback became the oldest Origin player on Wednesday, but admitted the poor attacking return means his place in the team is now a matter of debate. 'We've opened ourselves up to these sorts of questions,' Cherry-Evans said. 'But yeah, I'd love the opportunity to come back and correct it.' The coach said he too faces the same pressures. 'It's not just the players, it's everyone, and we'll all look at ourselves.' He said he still believes in the group, that the attitude of the squad was right even if their indiscipline let them down. And he said he feels responsible to help them find their best football. Slater has spent two decades taking rugby league by the scruff of the neck. But after three straight Origin defeats, this series might be out of his hands. 'At the end of the day,' he admitted, 'it's got to come from the players'.
News.com.au
23-05-2025
- News.com.au
‘Psychopath' jailed for life for heinous woodchipper murder of Nambour man Bruce Saunders to appeal conviction
A 'psychopath' jailed for life for the murder of her ex-partner who was fed to a woodchipper in a plot to claim his will and $750,000 life insurance policy is appealing her conviction. Convicted killer Sharon Graham's bombshell court move was revealed in court documents concerning a recent application by the public trustee, who are administering the estate of slain Nambour man Bruce Saunders. Mr Saunders, 54, died in November 2017 after being fed to a woodchipper while clearing trees at a property in Goomboorian, near Gympie. At Graham's murder trial, her former partner Peter Koenig gave evidence he saw Gregory Roser – who was Graham's partner at the time – deliver the fatal blow to Mr Saunders with a metal bar. After feeling the 54-year-old 'brush' past his arm he saw Mr Saunders on the ground, before Roser struck him in the head again. 'He (Roser) asked me to give him a hand to bring him down to the woodchipper,' Koenig said in his evidence. 'I had his legs, Greg had his arms.' The pair then fed Mr Saunders into the machine, head first. All that remained were his legs, from the top of his thighs to his feet. Koenig, who was initially charged with Mr Saunders' murder, pleaded guilty to a charge of accessory after the fact to murder in July 2022. Koenig agreed to give evidence against Roser and Graham at their respective murder trials after the Crown dropped his murder charge. All that remained of Mr Saunders were his legs, up to his thighs. At the time, Graham had been named the sole beneficiary of Mr Saunders' will and stood to inherit a $750,000 payout from his life insurance policy, along with his car, house and financial savings. She is currently serving a life sentence after a jury in 2023 found her guilty of murder. Mr Saunders' estate is being administered by the Queensland Public Trustee, which includes a $34,441.83 surplus on the sale of his home at 24 Wentworth Crt, Nambour. The four-bed, two-bathroom mortgaged to Perpetual Trustee Company Limited and sold in 2018 for $455,000. 'As Ms Graham would be ineligible to administer the estate and would not be entitled to the bequest if she murdered Mr Saunders, Perpetual paid the money into court,' court documents state. The public trustee was granted an order to administer the will in 2020. Graham has made a claim on the estate, with the court documents stating she 'asserts that she held an equitable interest in the property as a result of contributions she made'. 'She (Graham) has appealed against her conviction, but the appeal has not been heard,' the documents state. The public trustee sought orders from the Supreme Court granting them entitlement to the money from the sale of Mr Saunders' house, which was granted on May 20 by Justice Peter Davis. Roser was jailed for life after a jury found him guilty of Mr Saunders' murder in 2022. In jailing Graham for life, Supreme Court Justice Martin Burns said the 63-year-old regarded Mr Saunders as an 'inconvenience, but worse than that a source of money to secure your future'. 'There are no words for the likes of you,' he said. 'Even if there were, I do not wish to detract in any way from the statements … which have eloquently described the real horror of what you did, and the profound impact it has had, and will continue to have. 'By my observations you have displayed the hallmarks of deep-seated psychopathy. 'If at any point the authorities seriously consider your release, I ask they keep that observation firmly in mind.'
