AFTER the siren sounds on the State of Origin series opener, Mitch Barnett hopes to roll up his sleeves and lend a hand on NSW’s flood-ravaged mid-north coast. Warriors co-captain Barnett has had to watch from afar as flood waters ravaged the Manning Valley area where he was born and raised, and where his parents […]

FOR second-rower Yasmin Clydsdale bad weather in the Hunter has more impact than just keeping footy fans away from game three of women’s Origin. The recent deluge on NSW’s mid-north coast has stopped Clydsdale’s husband Adam from being able to cross a creek to get to their cows on their farm in the upper Hunter. […]

LAURIE Daley has revealed the Max King effort play that convinced him the Canterbury prop was a State of Origin player. The Maitland-educated King was a shock call up for NSW on Sunday night, named as the Blues’ only debutant after Daley’s side suffered a number of last-minute injuries. But the returning Blues coach said […]

NEWCASTLE have re-signed Mat Croker to a two-year contract as they continue preparations for life without forward pack leader Leo Thompson. Croker, 25, has played every game of a disappointing Knights NRL campaign so far and will now remain with the club through 2027. The Nabiac product had been among a handful of Knights forwards […]

WITH much unfinished business to tend to, Joe Schmidt has detailed the immense challenges confronting the Wallabies as he plots to secure Australia an all-important top-six seeding for the 2027 home Rugby World Cup. The Wallabies have 12 Test matches between July and November in which to claw their way from eighth in the international […]

THE NRL’s bunker and match review committee have disagreed on more than a third of dangerous-tackle calls this season, with alarming data showing the great disconnect. The league’s foul-play crackdown reached its zenith at the weekend, with a record 18 players sin-binned and mass confusion from coaches and former players. But perhaps the more concerning […]

  STAND-IN Australian captain Steve Smith has suffered an elbow injury just 10 days out from the first Test in Sri Lanka, potentially delaying his departure for a crucial pre-series camp. The 35-year-old damaged his right elbow while throwing in the field for the Sydney Sixers in their washed-out Big Bash League derby against the […]

    AFL North Coast’s best juniors have been selected to the QBE Sydney Swans Academy squads for 2025. Thirty-nine of the region’s juniors will benefit from the Swans Academy’s professional development program, with a record ten players chosen to be part of the Swans Academy’s top-end programs. The QBE Sydney Swans Academy exists to […]

  BRODY Faulds is pursuing his passion for speedway racing. The 19-year-old decided two years ago that he wanted to enter motor racing, so the Newee Creek driver bought his own AMCA National car. So far, he’s had fifteen race meetings in his young career, mainly at Grafton and Lismore speedways, with a best place […]