Latest news with #Townsville
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Cowboys set to part ways with playmaker as NRL rivals poach exciting young talent
North Queensland coach Todd Payten has confirmed the Cowboys are set to lose one of their playmakers and club juniors at the end of the season. It comes amid reports the Eels have poached a talented schoolboy out of the Broncos' system, who has been touted as one of the most exciting teenage forwards emerging out of Queensland. Payten's Cowboys host the Dragons in Townsville on Friday night hoping to arrest a worrying form slump that's seen them lose six of their last seven games to fall further out of NRL finals contention. The North Queensland coach has handed Tom Duffy a rare start at halfback after revealing that Jake Clifford is still not ready to return from injury, but says one of the local juniors is set to leave the club after this season. 'Ideally we would (like to keep both), but it's not going to happen,' he told . Payten did not specify which playmaker was poised to re-sign but revealed the deal was 'close' to being finalised. But he's generally preferred to start with Clifford in the halves when he's been available, and suggested that may have been the case for Friday night's game if he wasn't still troubled by a quad issue. 'Cliff' is probably another week away, I've spoken about that, (he was) touch-and-go for this week,' the Cowboys coach added. "But we need him to be able to do all parts of his game, which is kicking and running at top speed. Duff's coming back from injury. I think Jaxon (Purdue) in the centres allows us some more speed on the edges, and Duff's clear and calm when he talks and directs the team around, which is an advantage.' Payten has made it clear that he views Purdue as the Cowboys' long-term five-eighth to play alongside halfback Tom Dearden. But Clifford is arguably more suited to the utility role than Duffy and could find himself filling that slot for the Cowboys moving forward, while also providing a handy alternative option in the halves. Both players are North Queensland juniors and have been hoping for an extension beyond this season. Duffy was the 2024 Queensland Cup Halfback of the Year and started the NRL season in the halves for the Cowboys, with Clifford out injured. But Duffy failed to lock down the No.7 jersey and Clifford took his opportunity when he returned. The 27-year-old Clifford - who has been linked with a move to the English Super League - has four tries and five try assists in 10 games this season and it may be enough for him to earn a new deal. RELATED: Kevvie vows to act as three stars consider walking away from Kangaroos Madge spills family detail that has Walsh and Broncos primed for finals Panthers fans divided after Ivan Cleary forced to axe grand final hero Eels coach Jason Ryles signs gun QLD schoolboy forward Meantime, Parramatta coach Jason Ryles has reportedly signed another promising young star after raiding the Broncos for schoolboy sensation, Jackson Koina. The teenager was part of the Maroons side that won last week's national schoolboy championships and took out the award for Queensland's best player of the carnival, earning him a spot in the Australian side. The year 12 student - who is the son of former Eels player Nathan Koina - is part of the Broncos system. But reports that he's agreed to join the Eels on a three-year deal at the end of the season, in a move that will eventually see Koina transition into Parramatta's NRL squad. It's the latest move from Ryles to focus on youth at the Eels, having recruited Panthers junior Isaiah Iongi to replace former captain Clint Gutherson at fullback this season. Iongi has been a revelation in the No.1 jumper and is being tipped to have a bright future in the NRL. The Eels have also released fellow veterans Ryan Matterson and Bryce Cartwright as part of the club's overhaul, with Koina's signing another exciting addition to Parramatta's squad.
USA Today
18 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Former Iowa women's basketball star Lucy Olsen signs with WNBL's Townsville Fire
Yay!!! So excited 🤩🤩 After seldom seeing the floor so far for the Washington Mystics in her first WNBA season, former Iowa women's basketball star Lucy Olsen announced her exciting offseason plans Tuesday evening. Olsen, who was selected with the No. 23 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA draft, has been serving as a depth player off the bench for Washington, where she occasionally contributes scoring outbursts. That included Olsen's 19-point performance against the Minnesota Lynx on July 3. With the Mystics' 2025 campaign still ongoing, Olsen made her offseason plans official Tuesday evening when it was announced that the former Hawkeye would be playing for the Townsville Fire in Australia's Women's National Basketball League (WNBL). Given the financial incentives and opportunities to continue competing, it is commonplace for many WNBA players to play overseas or in another domestic league, such as Unrivaled, during the offseason. As Olsen joins the WNBL, she will have an excellent opportunity to develop and showcase her skills while contributing to a Fire squad that made it to the league championship last season. "We're really excited to add Lucy to our team. She's a skilled, versatile guard who can score at all three levels and has excellent vision to create for others. 'What really stood out to me was her character. Everyone I spoke to had nothing but great things to say about her work ethic and the kind of teammate she is. Lucy ticks a lot of boxes for us on and off the floor, and I know she will come in ready to work hard and contribute to our team's success," Fire head coach Shannan Seebobm said of Olsen. Given the new offseason opportunity, Olsen fully embraced the challenge by stating that Townsville's love for the game of basketball perfectly matches her own. 'The Fire organisation has a tremendous reputation here in the US and hearing how beautiful the Townsville area is has me more than excited to be joining this upcoming season! I love to play basketball and it sounds like Townsville loves basketball too – a perfect match! Let's go get the Championship," Olsen said in her statement. With fellow Mystics teammate Jade Melbourne also signed as a member of the University of Canberra (UC) Capitals, Olsen playfully joked that the two may have become "Frenemies" heading into the WNBL's 2025-26 season. @jade_melbourne does this mean we're frenemies now😒🤣 So far in her 19 games played for the Mystics, Olsen is averaging 3.7 points and 1.1 rebounds per game on 43.9% shooting from the floor, 40.0% from 3-point territory, and 90.9% from the free-throw line in 10:30 of playing time per contest. Townsville opens its 2025-26 season on Oct. 19 against the Bendigo Spirit. Ironically, the Fire's second game, scheduled on Oct. 25, will be in Canberra's AIS Arena against Melbourne and the UC Capitals. Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes, and opinions. Follow Scout on X: @SpringgateNews
News.com.au
2 days ago
- Business
- News.com.au
Surprise home of Australia's first Japanese consulate under offer
A historic home that was the site of Australia's first Japanese consulate is now under offer after being listed for $2.2 million. Located at 11-13 Victoria Street in North Ward, a suburb in the garrison city of Townsville, the landmark residence, known as Kardinia, was built in the 1880s. It housed the Japanese Consulate from 1896 to 1908 before it moved to Sydney. Thirty-four years later, Townsville, a vital airbase and port during WWII, was attacked by Japanese flying boats on three consecutive nights in July 1942. Today, Townsville has two sister cities in Japan - Shunan and Iwaki. 'Subsequent owners have been the Green family (associated with the Townsville Bulletin), and Paul and June Tonnoir who meticulously restored this unique colonial villa,' the listing by Janice Gallagher of Janice Gallagher Real Estate says. 'Kardinia is one of Townsville's finest examples of 19th century architecture, representing a significant slice of North Queensland's historical, diplomatic, cultural and social life.' Located on the crest of Stanton Hill with views to Pallarenda, Magnetic Island and Cape Cleveland, Kardinia sits on a 1429sq m block. It has four bedrooms, a library, a formal lounge and dining room, a family room, a timber galley kitchen, wide verandas, high ceilings, chandeliers, timber floors, French doors, and period features. Aus' shocking list of untouchable suburbs 'As the first Japanese consulate in Australia, it was connected with important events in Australian-Japanese trade and diplomatic relations, and illustrates the important connection between Japanese migration and North Queensland in the late 19th/early 20th centuries,' the Queensland Heritage Register says. 'The place is significant for its strong associations with several prominent people in Townsville, including police magistrate John Graham Macdonald and newspaper editor and proprietor David Green, and for its associations with the work of the Japanese government in establishing consular services for its nationals resident in North Queensland.'
News.com.au
4 days ago
- News.com.au
Bizarre place police find alleged arsonist after ‘suspicious' Townsville unit fire
Police have released bizarre footage of a man hiding inside a kitchen cupboard before being arrested and charged in connection to a suspicious fire. The July 3 fire ripped through units and left one woman hospitalised in Queensland's north. Queensland Police footage shows the man hiding inside a kitchen cupboard before his arrest, his legs folded up as officers order him out. 'Get out now, show me your hands right now,' an officer told the man as he cowered inside. The 44-year-old Lower Tully man was arrested and charged with one count each of arson, possess utensils or pipes and failure to appear in accordance with undertaking. He was refused bail and is due to reappear in the Townsville Magistrates Court on September 12. Police allege the fire in the block of units on Percy St in Townsville was deliberately lit. A 54-year-old woman was trapped inside one of the units. Police arrested the man at a Heatley address on July 18. Horrifying footage shows the moment the 54-year-old screams for help as the flames engulf her property. 'I just heard someone screaming in here,' AN officer said in the wild video. One officer began kicking the door to the unit, but when it failed to give way, another officer launched his body at the side of the wall, knocking it down. Officers were coughing and spluttering as they moved garbage bins out of the way to retrieve the woman, with one saying they 'can't breathe' as smoke filled the property. The woman was safely removed from the unit and taken to Townsville University Hospital, where she was treated for smoke inhalation. The officers were also treated for minor smoke inhalation and were discharged from hospital.
ABC News
4 days ago
- Politics
- ABC News
Queensland police officers involved in weekend fatal shooting weren't equipped with latest taser model
Police officers involved in a fatal shooting in Townsville were not equipped with the latest model of taser, the Queensland premier has confirmed. Police were called to a North Ward street on Saturday morning to reports a man was armed with a machete and a knife. It's alleged the man advanced towards officers while armed. After what the union has described as a "failed taser deployment", three officers fired multiple shots into the man's chest and legs. Authorities said he was provided immediate medical assistance but died at the scene. More than $47 million in funding was allocated in the state government's most recent budget for the purchase of 6,500 new taser models, known as Taser 10s. But Premier David Crisafulli said the officers in Townsville did not yet have the new equipment. "The first thing we did in our first budget was to fund the rollout of the Taser 10s that police have been crying (out) for, for a few years," Mr Crisafulli said. "It gives the officers the protection they need, but it also helps save the life of individuals as well, it works both ways. The former Labor government committed funding for 1,000 of the updated tasers last year after a trial in 2023. The Queensland Police Service (QPS) did not give an update on the progress of the rollout when contacted for comment. Instead, a police spokesperson said officers were trained to use "ongoing threat assessment and communication strategies aimed at reducing the risk of harm to the community". "Officer and community safety is paramount when police are responding to dangerous situations, with officers trained to conduct threat assessments to use the minimum force necessary to resolve an incident, with the focus on de-escalation of the situation," they said. Queensland Police Union president Shane Prior said he understood the new tasers would be available across the state from 2026, and would be safer for officers. "We're going to have the ability to stand at greater lengths, we're going to have more shots and better accuracy,' Mr Prior said. "The Queensland Police Union advocated and has continued to advocate heavily for the complete rollout of Taser 10s, that's why at the last election we lobbied both Liberal and Labor party to commit to a full rollout." 'We are very appreciative of that ... but we have to acknowledge that the delay has and may very well cost lives in Queensland.' Mr Prior said a taser was an essential piece of equipment for officers and he was looking forward to every single officer being equipped with one. He said it was particularly important given the "increasing violence" police officers were facing on the frontline. 'Never has it been as dangerous as it is right now for police in Queensland," Mr Prior said. QPS said the shooting would be investigated by the Ethical Standards Command, with oversight from the Crime and Corruption Commission. That would include examination of the officers' body-cam footage as well as CCTV.
