Latest from Dostor
Yahoo
21 minutes ago
- Business
- Yahoo
AFL's $2 million man could be forced to take pay-cut as Hird floats huge theory
James Hird insists St Kilda's massive new contract extension for Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera and the club's big-money play for Carlton star Tom De Koning are not risks. Hird explained how a proposed change to ruck rules in 2026 could actually work in St Kilda's favour, amid suggestions from fellow AFL great Rory Sloane that Wanganeen-Milera would have to take a pay cut after the first two years of his bumper new deal. The Saints and their fans have been celebrating this week's extension of Wanganeen-Milera, who's set to become the first AFL player to earn $2 million per season after agreeing a new two-year deal. The South Australian rejected huge offers from Port Adelaide and the Crows to commit his future to the Saints, with reports the Power offered him a 12-year deal worth up to $2.5m per season and $30 million all up. But with Blues ace De Koning reportedly set to join the Saints next season on a deal worth $1.7 million a season, concerns have been raised about St Kilda committing around 20% of their salary cap on just two players. However, others say locking down one of the AFL's most exciting young talents will make St Kilda a destination club that rival stars will want to join. Hird admits he was initially concerned about the financial impact of Wanganeen-Milera's deal for St Kilda, but now sees the effect it could have on the club's recruitment. "As you think about it, you go through what it means to supporters, but then also if they can attract another couple of players and build a list off the back of it, only time will tell (how good they become)," Hird said on Nine's Footy Classified. "The other clubs that were willing to spend the amount of money, they can (also) see the talent." "Having lived through Tony Lockett going to Sydney, to see this happen was just wonderful for football." 👏👏Eddie and the panel chat Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera turning down rival interest, and sticking with the Saints.#9FootyClassified | Watch on Nine & 9Now 🖥️ — Footy on Nine (@FootyonNine) August 19, 2025 The Essendon great also believes the big-money move for De Koning is a smart play by the Saints, considering changes proposed by the AFL around ruck rules in 2026. The league looks set to bring jumping back into the contest instead of wrestling at the ruck, and Hird says it could play into De Koning and St Kilda's hands perfectly. "When you look at what's happened this week, about five on the bench which means you can play two ruckmen," he said. "You can play one on the bench, you can play one in the ruck, and then that new ruck rule, hopefully it gets brought in where players have to jump. "TDK (Tom De Koning) goes from being a good ruckman to an incredible ruckman if you can then jump. So I think it's actually foresight from St Kilda to go and get him with the ruck rule and Nasiah doing that, I think they've actually read the room and played ahead of the game." RELATED: Family dilemma as Cats premiership hero 'drawing interest' from rivals Length of Izak Rankine's suspension revealed as Rory Sloane responds AFL takes action after Collingwood denied in controversial moment Rory Sloane says Saints' $2m star will have to take a pay cut Adelaide great Sloane also sees the merits in St Kilda's mega-money deal for Wanganeen-Milera, but believes the club will eventually reach a point where salary cap constraints will prevent them from attracting more stars. Sloane agrees the $2 million a year deal will be great for St Kilda's ability to recruit players over the next two years, but believes Wanganeen-Milera will be forced to take a pay cut after that if he wants to stay at the club. "I think the two years is important because you can do that for two years, you can recruit, you can use it as a marketing ploy," he said. "But then after two years, that's where I think there's gotta be another negotiation with Nas and go, mate, if you're willing to stay and we're fighting for finals, you're going to have to take a bit of a cut and be part of the squad here."
Yahoo
21 minutes ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
The Royals' Bobby Witt Jr. hits 100th homer, joining some select company in MLB history
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Bobby Witt Jr. knew the ball was gone the moment it left his bat. Only later did the young Kansas City Royals star realize what kind of company it allowed him to join. The two-run shot in the eighth inning against Texas on Tuesday night merely padded the lead for Kansas City, which went on to a 5-2 victory. It was the fifth straight win for the Royals, who closed to within 2 1/2 games of an AL wild-card berth. But it also was the 100th career homer for Witt, making him the youngest in franchise history to reach that mark. He made it at the age of 26 years, 66 days, or more than a year earlier than Carlos Beltran when he accomplished it during the 2003 season. 'I want him up there every inning,' Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. "I mean, you look at the lineup and you're trying to figure out, 'How many times can we get to the plate? How many guys can we keep on base for him when he does come to the plate?' 'I mean, that's an immense amount of pressure on a younger player to understand that's how everybody feels about him," Quatraro said. "But he has the physical ability, the makeup and the mental capacity to handle it.' The latest no-doubt shot, which came off Texas reliever Cole Winn and landed an estimated 449 feet to dead center field, made Witt only the fourth player with at least 100 homers and 100 stolen bases through his first four big league seasons. The others are Julio Rodríguez, Darryl Strawberry and Bobby Bonds — some pretty select company. Witt also become one of six shortstops in the last 95 years to hit at least 100 homers through his age-25 seasons. That list of luminaries includes Alex Rodriguez, Cal Ripken Jr., Francisco Lindor, Carlos Correa and Hanley Ramirez; of those players, only Rodriguez and Ramirez also had 100 steals by the time they were 25 years old. 'It was special,' Witt admitted, 'just seeing the kind of names on the list or whatever they showed. But now, it's just kind of on to the next. It was special. We enjoy it. And now it's just onto the next game.' They keep getting more important for the Royals, who have won five straight and seven of their last eight. They head into the third-game of their four-game set against the Rangers on Wednesday night with a chance to inch closer to a wild-card spot, and they proved last year that they could do some postseason damage if they can only get in. Witt continues to be the catalyst of their second-half surge, too. He's hitting .291 with 18 homers and 69 RBIs. 'It's special when he goes out there,' said the Royals' Seth Lugo, who allowed just two runs on three hits while pitching into the seventh inning Tuesday night. 'I've been saying it for two years: He goes about his business the same way. He doesn't get up or down on himself. He's a master of consistency. That's what he does.' Witt also happens to be a slick fielder with a Gold Glove in his trophy case. But at the plate is where Witt has become a bona fide star. He led the majors with a .332 average last year, when he hit 32 home runs, stole 31 bases and finished with 109 RBIs. And while he may not quite replicate the average, homer total or RBI numbers in this campaign, he already has 32 stolen bases while getting caught just seven times. 'There's not too many guys that get to 100 (homers),' said Vinnie Pasquantino, who also homered Tuesday night. "And the fourth player in MLB history with 100 stolen bases? It's not a list I'll ever be on. I mean, it's kind of unbelievable. 'He's one of the best players in the league for a reason," Pasquantino said. 'A superstar.' ___ AP MLB:
Yahoo
21 minutes ago
- Business
- Yahoo
IVF clinic's embryo bungle probe stays secret
Embattled fertility treatment company Monash IVF has refused to release the contents of an independent review into two separate IVF bungles that toppled the company's CEO earlier this year. The review of embryo mix-ups in the company's Brisbane and Melbourne clinics, conducted by high-profile Victorian barrister Fiona McLeod, will remain secret 'to protect the privacy of affected patients'. In an announcement to the ASX on Wednesday morning, the fertility clinic said in both instances, the treatments and circumstances were 'non-standard' and would 'not arise in the vast majority of IVF procedures'. The review found the Brisbane incident, which resulted in IVF staff mistakenly implanting the wrong embryo into a patient in 2023, was the result of human error, Monash said in its statement. The clinic was forced to apologise in June, after the Clayton clinic in Melbourne incorrectly transferred a patient's own embryo to that same patient 'contrary to the treatment plan which designated the transfer of an embryo of the patient's partner'. In the case of the Clayton clinic mishap, Monash said the review concluded '(The) incident resulted from a range of factors that included human error at multiple stages and IT system limitations in the very limited circumstances of an embryo transfer to a partner'. No further details on either case have been shared by the company. Acting CEO Malik Jainudeen, who replaced former head Michael Knaap following his resignation just two days after the company's June admission, reassured patients and investors that the company was implementing the recommendations outlined in the review. 'To the affected patients and everyone who entrusts Monash IVF with their dreams of building a family, we are deeply sorry for the distress these incidents have caused,' he said. 'We have implemented or will be implementing the recommendations of the independent review and have taken additional measures to reduce the risk of such incidents occurring in the future.' The company is set to announce its results for the 2025 financial year on Friday, with its share price sitting at 82 cents, down more than 42 per cent over the year.
Yahoo
21 minutes ago
- General
- Yahoo
Dutch divers still haul up debris six years after container spill
Volunteer Dutch divers are still fishing debris from the North Sea six years after a disastrous shipping accident. They are trying to clear the shallow Wadden Sea where the MSC Zoe -- one of the world's largest cargo ships -- lost hundreds of containers of car parts, televisions, light bulbs, furniture and toys in a 2019 storm. Despite clean-up efforts, debris still litters the seabed of the UNESCO-listed tidal wetland, which spans the coasts of the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark. On a grey summer day they "salvaged a set of nets and debris and also I think it was electrical cables, probably from the MSC Zoe," volunteer Harold Batteram, 67, told AFP, his diving suit covered with little wriggling crustaceans. The spill also released organic peroxide, a toxic and highly flammable chemical used in plastics manufacturing. "In a split second, the whole Wadden Sea beaches were like a heap of junk," said Ellen Kuipers, the director of the CleanUpXL project. - 800 tons of waste - Set up in 2021 by four Dutch environmental groups, CleanUpXL sends rescue boats and divers to clear the 800 tons of waste still on the seabed. Kuipers said the Dutch government led much of the initial clean-up, but efforts have faded in recent years. "They did a lot of cleaning but it became more and more difficult at the end, because the things they cleaned up were only the things" traceable to the MSC Zoe, she said. In April 2024, the government published a previously confidential list revealing 6,000 locations where debris and waste might still be found. Kuipers said the focus should be not only on the MSC Zoe debris but on all waste on the seabed, since the sites are protected UNESCO World Heritage areas. "We do this to also pressure the government so that they move and clean up," she said. "And it's also for a lot of people to be aware that everything we have in our house -- furniture and that kind of stuff -- has travelled by container ship. - 'Out of sight, out of mind' - Under a choppy sea, the divers recovered a pink child's down jacket, bringing with it dozens of baby crabs and starfish. "It's a noble goal, right?" said Batteram after spending nearly three quarters of an hour 22 metres below the surface. "There's a lot of trash at the sea bottom, not too many people are aware of that," said the retired data scientist. While part of what was lost on the MSC Zoe will float, "the majority will still be at the bottom". "It's out of sight, out of mind," he said. "So we try to bring that to (people's) attention." sh/srg/fg/lb
Yahoo
21 minutes ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Orioles blow late lead, then beat Boston 4-3 in 11 on Basallo's RBI
BOSTON (AP) — Samuel Basallo drove in the go-ahead run on a groundout in the 11th inning and the Baltimore Orioles held on to beat the Boston Red Sox 4-3 on Tuesday night after blowing a two-run lead in the ninth. The Orioles won their third straight and for the sixth time in their last seven games, sweeping the two-game series at Boston but needing extra innings after Nathaniel Lowe hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth to tie it. Boston loaded the bases with one out in the 10th before a double play ended the threat. The Red Sox had another opportunity with a runner on third with one out in the 11th but couldn't get him home. The Red Sox went 0 for 13 with runners in scoring position and left 13 on base. Alex Bregman popped out to short to end it, giving Yennier Cano (2-6) the win and Corbin Martin his second save. Garret Whitlock (5-3) allowed the unearned run in the 11th. Ryan Mountcastle had an RBI single and Colton Cowser doubled in another run during the Orioles' three-run fifth inning. Key moment Boston took a 1-0 lead in the third when Tomoyuki Sugano was called for a balk with runners on second and third. Key stat Boston, which leads the majors in extra-base hits, had seven hits — all singles — before Lowe tied it with his 17th homer of the season and first since signing with Boston on Monday. Up next The Orioles are back home on Thursday for a four-game series against the Houston Astros. Baltimore has not named a starter. The Red Sox open a four-game series at the New York Yankees on Thursday. Boston has not announced a starter for the series opener. ___ AP MLB: Doug Alden, The Associated Press
