Latest news with #PaulCurtis
News.com.au
23-05-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
AFL 2025: Alastair Clarkson ‘pretty certain' AFL will make MRO grading change
North Melbourne coach Alastair Clarkson foresees a shift to the match review officer's grading following the controversial ban to star forward Paul Curtis. Curtis returns to the Kangaroos side this week after serving a three-match suspension for his run-down tackle on Port Adelaide's Josh Sinn. Curtis was sanctioned through the severe and high-impact measures as Sinn was concussed in the tackle. The four-time premiership coach says the Curtis ban is 'done and dusted' for the 'Roos now but still expects the system to undergo change at season's end. 'I think Laura (Kane) went public when she said 'there's probably a flaw in the system',' Clarkson said. 'Somewhere in there there's just no scope for a two-week suspension or a one-week suspension on these sort of tackles. 'We thought he should have got off all together but we can sort of half cop and understand what they're trying to do when you get a week. 'For the system to not allow that to be the case and it be a three-week ban, I think the whole competition was sitting back and saying 'geez, somewhere that needs to change'. 'I would be pretty certain that there would be some sort of modification to that grading system with the MRO at the end of the year.' Clarkson is content with his stance on the timing of changes and hopes no team suffers the 'injustice' of a similar sanction in finals. 'My argument was 'if you know it's flawed now, change it now' – there's other things in the game we change mid-term,' he said. 'What happens if the Paul Curtis thing happens to a team in the finals or a player in the finals and they miss three weeks because of it? 'That would be a real injustice, I feel. Anyway, they will address it at the end of the year. 'It's done and dusted for us, we've got Paul back now, we're pleased he's back and it's unfortunate he's missed the three week.' Curtis is a welcome addition for Clarkson's men, who tackle ladder-leaders Collingwood at Marvel Stadium on Saturday night. Clarkson says facing any top side can be a 'daunting' challenge but is itching to see how his Kangaroos stack up against the well-drilled and experienced Magpies.
Herald Sun
28-04-2025
- Sport
- Herald Sun
AFL news 2025: Latest updates, injury lists, Alix Tauru, Paul Curtis tackle
While Paul Curtis faces the impossible task of overturning his three-game ban, a Saint has copped an even greater suspension. Plus the MRO's verdict on a Blues gun and Jack Ginnivan here. Carlton midfielder Adam Cerra has been handed a one-match ban for striking Geelong's Jack Bowes during the Blues' 18-point win at the MCG on Sunday. Cerra's right hand appeared to collect Bowes in the head as the pair tussled during a ball-up in the third quarter, with the Cats midfielder falling to the ground grabbing at his face following the incident. Match review officer Michael Christian graded the incident as intentional conduct, low impact and high contact. Carlton can accept the one-match ban or choose to challenge at the AFL tribunal on Tuesday. The Blues are already set to lose Jack Silvagni (broken hand) and Zac Williams (calf) to injury ahead of Saturday's trip to Adelaide to face the Crows. — AFL (@AFL) April 28, 2025 A further four players from the Blues-Cats clash were handed fines. George Hewett ($5000), Jeremy Cameron and Silvagni ($1500) were all ruled to have made careless contact with an umpire and offered fixed financial sanctions. Carlton forward Lachie Fogarty was offered a $3000 fine for tripping Geelong's Max Holmes during the second quarter. Meanwhile, Hawthorn forward Jack Ginnivan has escaped suspension for his kick at West Coast's Jack Graham during the first quarter of Sunday's match at Marvel Stadium. Vision which circulated on social media on Sunday showed Ginnivan lashing out at Graham while on the ground, appearing to first make contact with the Eagles midfielder's groin region and then his leg. The MRO graded the offence as intentional conduct, low impact and body contact. The 22-year-old was instead slapped with a $6250 fine, which can be brought down to $3750 with an early plea. It is the second cited kicking offence of Ginnivan's career. Eagles midfielder Liam Baker was also fined $1500 for misconduct. SAINT COPS HUGE BAN AS CURTIS PREPARES FOR 'IMPOSSIBLE' TASK Paul Curtis faces an impossibly high bar to overturn a three-match ban at the tribunal on Tuesday night given the judiciary's own explanation of its shock Patrick Dangerfield verdict last year. It comes as St Kilda's young top 10 pick Alix Tauru has been hit with a four-week VFL suspension that will deny him the chance to make his AFL debut this weekend. The AFL world has hit out at the suspension that will see Curtis sidelined after he pinned the arms of opponent Josh Sinn in a tackle that saw the Port Adelaide defender concussed. Curtis will appeal the verdict and hope to be available for games against North Melbourne, Brisbane and Richmond as he continues a hot start to the season. RECAP ALL THE DAY'S FOOTY NEWS BELOW Subscribe to CODE Sports for breaking news and deeper coverage of your favourite clubs for only $1 for your first month On the same weekend, Nick Watson's chase-down tackle on Harley Reid was largely identical but the Eagles star was able to soften the blow by driving his knee into the ground to escape head-high contact. Sinn pitched forward at the waist and made heavy contact with the Adelaide Oval turf. But while Curtis might feel hard done by, he pinned both of Sinn's arms and put him in a vulnerable position. Dangerfield was initially suspended for a week for a tackle last year that saw him pin both of Sam Walsh's arms as the Carlton star's head hit the ground. But he was able to overturn the verdict after he successfully argued he swung his legs forward of Walsh and pulled back with what the tribunal labelled 'considerable force' to try to minimise head-high contact. In that case, the tribunal set a standard for what it deems rough conduct from dangerous tackles. Tribunal head Jeff Gleeson said of rough conduct: 'It will be a rare, even exceptional case where a player who tackles with significant forward motion, who pins both arms and who could have but does not release one or both arms will not have engaged in rough conduct. This is such a case.' So while Dangerfield was able to escape suspension, it is hard to see how Curtis will have his three-match ban overturned given he has met that standard with a pinned-arm tackle with significant forward motion. He did not try to roll Sinn even in the split second he had before his head hit the ground and he did not release one of his arms. In 2023 Dan Butler was also able to overturn suspension because he made the decision to release opponent Nick Blakey's arm just before his head hit the turf. So Curtis will argue his case, aware of how challenging it will be to convince the tribunal of his innocence. Under the AFL match review table of offences, Sinn's concussion meant Curtis had to be suspended for three weeks once he committed a reportable act. West Coast midfielder Liam Baker is also facing a misconduct fine after he tore off the headband of Hawthorn forward Mabior Chol in the first quarter on Sunday. In 2022 Hawthorn star James Sicily was fined $1000 for misconduct after he tore off Aaron Naughton's headband so there is a direct precedent for the AFL. Young Saint Tauru could be out of all action until mid-June given Sandringham has a VFL bye this week and then the week he would return in round 11, meaning his next VFL game would be on the weekend of June 13-14. He was taken at pick 10 in the national draft and had built imposing form in recent weeks after working his way back from a stress fracture. The 194cm defender jumped off the ground to hit Brisbane player Curtis McCarthy, brother of Lions player Lincoln, with a high bump to the head. It was a brutal hit from Tauru given he did not make a play on the ball. The VFL tribunal judged the severe impact hit was worth four or more games, but under their system he can accept four games with an early discount. It is shocking timing given the Saints would have been keen to hand him a debut as early as this weekend against Fremantle. The player dubbed the Flying Viking had won 17 possessions in his third VFL game of the season as well as eight marks, two intercept marks, five tackles and five spoils. Originally published as AFL Now: Latest updates, injury lists, tribunal and team news on Monday ahead of round 8 AFL Tarryn Thomas is assessing his legal options in his quest to return to football despite a lack of interest from clubs at all levels. Jon Ralph has the latest on the disgraced former Roo. AFL Melbourne's strong fortnight just got better, with its first-round draftee putting his name in contention to win the Rising Star.
The Independent
21-02-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Tesco reveals surprising vegetable surging in demand
Tesco has revealed customer demand for out-of-season forced rhubarb has rocketed by 200 per cent compared with the same time last year. The UK supermarket said the increased demand had resulted in a boom in rhubarb-flavoured products. Forced rhubarb — made to grow early through use of warmth and darkness — is widely considered to be the more tender and sweeter variety. However, it is only available from January until around March, with the field variety grown from April until October. Tesco supplier Place UK, a grower based in Tunstead near Norwich, has also reported that demand for forced rhubarb has soared by more than 170 per cent since 2019. The supermarket has almost 40 different products that feature rhubarb in some form. These include flavoured spirits such as vodka and gin, dessert pies, rhubarb and custard sweets, anti-bacterial spray, tea lights, and the latest product to hit the shelves – rhubarb and custard hot cross buns. Tesco rhubarb buyer Paul Curtis said: 'Rhubarb has very much become the flavour of the moment and besides being a classic dessert in crumble form with custard, is now considered one of the most popular flavourings and scents in many food, drink and household products. 'Who would ever have thought that one day there would be rhubarb scented washing up liquid, candles and even loo paper. 'Right now is the peak of the forced rhubarb season, which lasts from the end of January until late March and it's when rhubarb is at its sweetest and most flavoursome. 'And the current trend is creating record demand.' Production of forced rhubarb has expanded beyond the so-called rhubarb triangle around Wakefield, Morley and Rothwell in West Yorkshire, with its popularity encouraging more UK producers to grow it. Norfolk grower Place UK now produces more than 25 tonnes of early season forced rhubarb per year. Place UK head of fresh operations Dan Yordanov said: 'Rhubarb is a tremendously versatile vegetable, and we're not surprised to see it now gaining popularity in a wide variety of food and drink products. 'We've seen demand particularly grow for the forced variety which is currently in season and as a result we have planted around 30 per cent more in the last five years. 'To give you some example of how popular it's become, in 2019 we sold just under 25,000 packs to the food retail and manufacturing industry and last year we sold more than 65,000 packs.' Recipe for Apple and rhubarb cinnamon rolls Gousto The first English recipes for cooked rhubarb appeared in the 18th century. Legend has it that the origins of forced rhubarb were a happy accident in 1815, when labourers working at Chelsea Physic Garden accidentally buried a bed of rhubarb with soil while digging a trench. When the debris was later removed, the long pink stems of forced plants were discovered – with the findings reported in the Horticultural Society Journal and commercial growers inspired by the idea.
The Independent
21-02-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Supermarket reports surging demand for ‘flavour of the moment' rhubarb
A UK supermarket has reported that demand for forced rhubarb has rocketed by 200% compared with the same time last year, amid a boom in rhubarb-flavoured products. Tesco said that out-of-season forced rhubarb, made to grow early through use of warmth and darkness, is widely considered to be the more tender and sweeter variety. Forced rhubarb is available from January until around March, with the field variety grown from April until October. Tesco supplier Place UK, a grower based in Tunstead near Norwich, has also reported that demand for forced rhubarb has soared by more than 170% since 2019. The supermarket has almost 40 different products that feature rhubarb in some form. These include flavoured spirits such as vodka and gin, dessert pies, rhubarb and custard sweets, anti-bacterial spray, tea lights, and the latest product to hit the shelves – rhubarb and custard hot cross buns. Tesco rhubarb buyer Paul Curtis said: 'Rhubarb has very much become the flavour of the moment and besides being a classic dessert in crumble form with custard, is now considered one of the most popular flavourings and scents in many food, drink and household products. 'Who would ever have thought that one day there would be rhubarb scented washing up liquid, candles and even loo paper. 'Right now is the peak of the forced rhubarb season, which lasts from the end of January until late March and it's when rhubarb is at its sweetest and most flavoursome. 'And the current trend is creating record demand.' Production of forced rhubarb has expanded beyond the so-called rhubarb triangle around Wakefield, Morley and Rothwell in West Yorkshire, with its popularity encouraging more UK producers to grow it. Norfolk grower Place UK now produces more than 25 tonnes of early season forced rhubarb per year. Place UK head of fresh operations Dan Yordanov said: 'Rhubarb is a tremendously versatile vegetable, and we're not surprised to see it now gaining popularity in a wide variety of food and drink products. 'We've seen demand particularly grow for the forced variety which is currently in season and as a result we have planted around 30% more in the last five years. 'To give you some example of how popular it's become, in 2019 we sold just under 25,000 packs to the food retail and manufacturing industry and last year we sold more than 65,000 packs.' The first English recipes for cooked rhubarb appeared in the 18th century. Legend has it that the origins of forced rhubarb were a happy accident in 1815, when labourers working at Chelsea Physic Garden accidentally buried a bed of rhubarb with soil while digging a trench. When the debris was later removed, the long pink stems of forced plants were discovered – with the findings reported in the Horticultural Society Journal and commercial growers inspired by the idea.
