Spot Guide: Rincon Queen, of the Coast 6 of the Heaviest Waves in the World Five Decades of Surfing, Travel and Narrative Collide in Sam George’s New Book NewsAll NewsEventsBig Wave NewsWorld Surf LeagueEnvironmentalIndustryWave PoolsPosts List Boat Get Totally Wrecked by Wave in Indonesia (Video) How To Surf Till You're 100, Brainwork: Mickey Munoz Will Surf in Gold Coast ProJulian Wilson and Sophie McCulloch are two more wildcards for the Championship Tour to deal with at Burleigh Heads The last time these Australians were on the WSL Championship Tour together was way back in 2021 But both are back as wildcards for the 2025 Gold Coast Pro Stephanie by way of an invite and Julian by winning the local trials event yesterday before the competition window opens The Gold Coast is one of the few events on tour that has a trials contest where the winner of each division gets the last wildcard in the main comp Though it’s now at Burleigh this year because of the lack of sand at Snapper Rocks the trials event went off on the new point without a hitch Julian, 36, is so eager to surf in a CT jersey again that he couldn’t wait for his 2025 Challenger Series wildcards to kick in. He won this event at firing Snapper in 2018 on a bum shoulder. Now, four years after his semi-retirement to focus on family, he's looking as spry as ever on those crisp JS boards. “I have had the privilege of winning this event and surfing in another final and I was actually getting quite emotional out there at the thought of getting another opportunity to surf at this level at this event Competing against the best surfers is what I want and I can’t believe it’s come around this quickly to get this opportunity We’re unable to load this content right now View directly on Instagram On the women’s side, Sophie McCulloch of the Sunshine Coast was the other victor. Sophie is a former CTer herself, having surfed in events before the mid-year cut in 2023 and 2024. She’s fortunately recovered from breaking her back at The Box in April 2024. She knows Burleigh well and has won a Qualifying Series event there before She's also won at a Haleiwa on the Challenger Series so expect her to swing on anything that comes through on's Burleigh sandy bottom but this one definitely takes the cake,” she said “I’m just so excited to test myself against the world’s best once again as I don’t feel I was truly surfing my best when I got my first opportunity on the CT I can get going this week and do some damage.”  Matt Jelonek Credit: Matt Jelonek/The West AustralianThis is a very disappointing result for the Liberal Party despite some missteps from politicians on the trail the party’s campaign headquarters largely did its job Voters knew who their local Liberal candidates were what the party was offering and what the problems with the Albanese Government had been cutting through is difficult and the Liberal campaign managed that Get the first look at the digital newspaper curated daily stories and breaking headlines delivered to your inbox Get the NewsletterBy continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.But the campaign also exposed a deeper challenge: the absence of a compelling Proposals like a temporary fuel tax cut and matching Labor’s health funding commitments were politically safe and designed to avoid controversy Defence policy acknowledged the need for higher investment but lacked clarity on how that funding would be spent But campaigns are about more than critiques the Liberal Party left too much space for others to define it Labor’s scare campaigns — particularly around Medicare — were predictable Broader public unease with the global conservative brand especially images of chaos and division from the US positive vision made it easier for these external forces to shape voter perceptions Had the party articulated a clearer sense of direction those attacks and anxieties would have been far less likely to stick It is critical that the Liberal Party defines itself before others do it instead A future Liberal campaign must start by setting out a positive vision — not just what the party opposes Australians want to know where the country is heading and how a Liberal government would help them and their families get there Shadow cabinet and the wider party must start that process now. With a sharper agenda and a clearer purpose, the Liberal Party can present a persuasive alternative and reconnect with Australians seeking future-focused leadership. Richard Wilson is a former WA Liberal Party president. Latest EditionEdition Edition 5 May 20255 May 2025All-powerful Anthony Albanese says give me some R.E.S.P.E.C.T You can now click/tap WATCH to start the live stream You can now click/tap LISTEN to start the live stream You can now click/tap LATEST NEWS to start the live stream Fremantle Dockers captain Alex Pearce is under scrutiny following his decision to share a controversial social media post Caroline Wilson has spoken on Pearce’s actions and has slammed the way the club have handled the situation “The club has gone to ground about this,” Wilson said on 3AW Football “It’s fascinating how everyone has run a million miles from this the player manager and now the Fremantle coach.” Perfectionism is big ask, especially after six years away. “You get to hear all the fuck ups that no one else on the tour gets to hear,” says Steven Wilson three songs into his first full solo show since March 2019 “There’s been plenty of that already tonight which explains the sense of expectancy in the air Tonight’s venue is Stockholm’s 1600-capacity Cirkus circular building has the dimensions of a big top but tonight it feels more like a grand old planetarium – fitting given The Overview’s to-infinity-and-beyond themes The album itself is a genuine modern classic a progressive record that actually looks forward rather than back it’s built to be played in its entirety from start to finish two 20-ish minute tracks one after the other – a retro notion but the very definition of to-the-stars modernity in every other respect during the second part of a show comprising two distinct halves separated by an intermission (no support act tonight unlike his four shows at the London Palladium where his openers will be a different comedian each night) an hour long – acts as both a reintroduction and a chance to make up for lost time The Harmony Codex (from the album of the same name) and King Ghost (from the brilliant yet divisive The Future Bites) Both are entirely electronic and performed by Wilson standing centre stage dwarfed by the massive hi-def screen that looms over him projecting the films that originally accompanied each song is darker and colder than its recorded counterpart The rest of the first half is more traditional even if ‘traditional’ is relative in this context Wilson joined by his full band – guitarist Randy McStine drummer Craig Blundell and keyboard player Adam Holzman – as he winds through his solo back catalogue from Luminol’s twisting jazz-prog to the graceful art-pop of What Life Brings to Harmony Korine’s exhilarating melodic rush There’s a run of concrete-encased heaviness in the shape of No Part Of Me Dislocated Day (the sole Porcupine Tree song aired tonight) and Remainder The Black Dog though it’s first-half closer Vermillioncore that sees them go full rock beast Wilson could have done things differently tonight and started by playing The Overview in its entirety but that would have stripped away some of the anticipation surrounding the show As he returns alone to usher in the album’s first track It’s an album that demands attention as it drifts and whirls before taking off for the most distant reaches of the universe Despite its themes of impermanence and perspective shifting from rolling piano and stacked vocal harmonies to breezy if existentially heavy pop-rock to McStine’s next-level guitar solo across its 23-minute duration a musical moving camera that pulls away from earth into deep space a disembodied voice (actually Wilson’s wife Rotem) intoning intergalactic markers along the way the music is accompanied by a vivid animated film that runs the gamut of imagery from a little grey alien pulling itself out of a swamp to vast imagined ring nebulae billions of miles away the ‘audio’ part of this audio-visual extravaganza is equally impressive He finishes by hitting the last remaining bases he hasn’t already hit in the shape of the emotive Pariah (from 2017’s To The Bone featuring duet partner Ninet Tayeb singing from the screen behind him) and the contrasting Ancestral (from 2015’s Hand Cannot Erase) the latter an impressive if existentially bleak climax they’re there if anyone is listening out for them the out-of-tune guitar that Wilson sends back before What Life Brings They’ll surely be ironed out within a few more shows but they prove that nobody’s perfect Set 1The Harmony CodexKing GhostLuminolWhat Life BringsNo Part of MeDislocated DayRemainder the Black DogHarmony KorineVermillioncore Set 2 - The Overview:Objects Outlive UsThe Overview Dave EverleyDave Everley has been writing about and occasionally humming along to music since the early 90s Associate Editor on Q magazine and staff writer/tea boy on Raw the Evening Standard and the totally legendary Ultrakill He is still waiting for Billy Gibbons to send him a bottle of hot sauce he was promised several years ago Ghost become first hard rock act in four years to top US album chart but miss out in the UK this seems to be a footnote in the careers of everyone involved": Mixed results as Roger Glover gets his mates in on The Butterfly Ball And The Grasshopper's Feast he had it in his head that he was going to finish it when he got home I guess we owed it to him”: Tim Smith’s Cardiacs story will end with final album LSD Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time the two teal battlegrounds of Kooyong and Goldstein are officially back to “too close to call” and I’ve been on the phone this afternoon with two election analysts – Dr Kevin Bonham and Ben Raue of The Tally Room independent Zoe Daniel is in serious strife estimates Daniel is on track to fall behind by around 900 votes once all ballots are counted Daniel is currently picking up just 35 per cent of postals – well below what she’d need to stay competitive With a sizeable chunk of postal votes yet to be processed the trajectory has her slipping further behind There’s an interesting theory doing the rounds in political circles today that could help explain the trend Kooyong independent MP Zoe Daniel and Liberal challenger – and former MP – Tim WilsonCredit: Marija Ercegovac Goldstein — like Kooyong — has one of the largest Jewish communities in Victoria Because religious Jewish voters don’t vote on Saturdays it may be disproportionately showing up in the postals I ran that theory past a well-connected source within the Jewish community I know many who traditionally receive postals,” they said “I think given how tight the margins are in both seats it’s hard to ever measure — but so many people were single-issue this time and the Coalition would have received a large share of that vote for sure.” Dr Bonham concurs that Daniel is in trouble and told me the latest figures are “not looking good.” fellow teal Monique Ryan is in a stronger – though not yet secure – position Ryan is underperforming on postal votes – but not nearly as badly About 2000 postal were counted on Monday and she currently leads by around 1000 votes Raue expects Ryan to gain votes in declaration pre-polls and absentee votes and his modelling suggests she could finish roughly 800 votes ahead when all is said and done But Goldstein – according to both Bonham and Raue – is starting to slip into Tim Wilson’s column with thousands of votes left to count across both seats the contest in Calwell is shaping as one of Victoria’s most fascinating Tally Room election analyst Ben Raue said counting there may take another two weeks as Labor’s primary vote in the north-west fringe Melbourne seat falls currently has about 30 per cent of the primary vote representing a 14.2 per cent swing against the party Raue said the AEC might need to re-calculate the leading two candidates as support for independents soars the two-candidate preferred count between Labor and Liberal is not very interesting and it’s not what’s relevant,” Raue said “What’s relevant here is you’ve got two independents Raue said the AEC might need to split the two-party preferred count three ways I don’t think I’ve ever seen a race like this where the third and the fourth candidates look like they could win And I don’t know which of them it is,” he said Independent candidates Carly Moore (a former Labor local mayor) and Joseph Youhana currently have 12.1 per cent and 11.9 per cent of the votes The AEC has said it will have to do a total recount on Tuesday Raue said multiple calculations could be completed with preferences which could mean the final result in Calwell could take up to two weeks “Each of these is not just a simple question This is moving tens of thousands of ballot papers around the table and it’s a big exercise to do work,” he said “Part of the complexity is there are heaps of candidates running.” Two other Victorian seats to watch are Flinders and Bendigo and Raue said we can expect more information on those later today If you’re obsessively refreshing the tally room feed today – you’re not alone But the bad news is the count is slowing down I just got off the phone with Evan Ekin-Smyth a spokesman for the Australian Electoral Commission who gave a clearer picture of what’s happening behind the scenes There were 100,000 AEC staffers working at polling places and on the initial count on Saturday But that number drops significantly after election day as it’s less of a wave of votes and more of a trickle Voters who applied for a postal vote have 13 days after election day to get their ballot to the AEC this year “They absolutely had to have completed their vote by the close of polls on election day “But they didn’t have to put it in the mailbox by then So they could have completed it at 5.59pm on election day and they could be coming out this morning to find a post box It’s quite generous – we have to receive it by 13 days after election day.” Ekin-Smyth said the vast majority of postal votes would arrive well before the deadline and most seats should be called before then There’s also a logistical lag: overseas ballots from 111 countries votes cast interstate at more than 600 centres verifying and allocating those ballots correctly they’re for 150 different divisions,” Ekin-Smyth said “We’ve got to stick them in all the different pigeonholes for the right division and then send them off “And even if we did have 100,000 people working again they’d just be sitting around twiddling their thumbs waiting for the mail.” So what’s happening in our hot seats today The nearly 30,000 postal votes have served a dose of political uncertainty Speaking on ABC Radio Melbourne this morning Ryan sounded far less confident than she had 36 hours earlier Monique Ryan speaking on Sunday morning after election night to her volunteers at campaign headquarters.Credit: Luis Enrique Ascui “Not at all,” she replied when host Raf Epstein asked if she was still sure of victory referring to the ABC’s respected election analyst who called the seat for Ryan on the night The ABC and our mastheads have since downgraded their calls “But postal votes have been very much pro the conservative side her Liberal opponent Amelia Hamer — who has remained silent publicly since election night — appears to believe momentum is now with her I’ve just seen an email sent by Hamer to party volunteers late on Sunday night The subject line: “We now need just 943 votes to win the seat of Kooyong.” “Last night was not the result we had hoped for the Coalition,” the email reads “We had an average 3% swing against us across the country “It is now clear there will be a swing towards us in Kooyong There are only a small handful of seats nationwide where this is the case Currently the swing to us in Kooyong is +1.5% and we have 49% of the vote That is a direct result of your efforts over the past year.” “There are still 22,000 votes to be counted “Most of the uncounted votes are postal votes They are coming in very strongly in our favour If these postal votes continue on their current TPP trajectory of 62–38 That is not blind hope — that’s the raw numbers.” Amelia Hamer casting her vote on Saturday at Balwyn Primary School.Credit: Rachael Dexter She thanked volunteers for “all your blood sweat and tears” and said the campaign had done “everything we possibly could have in the face of extremely challenging conditions.” Ryan described the Liberal campaign against her as “pretty vicious” “I have to say it’s great to see community independents succeeding interstate and I was so happy to see colleagues doing really well there,” she said “But I think that both Zoe [Daniel] and I have faced really pretty vicious battles in our electorates in Melbourne “The Liberals teamed up with the coal lobby and fossil fuel lobbies and they really came for us — really hard,” said Ryan Ryan questioned whether the Liberal Party’s focus on Goldstein and Kooyong had been the right strategic move for the conservative party “One of the things that will be interesting in the wash-up is for the Liberal Party to assess whether that’s where they should have put all their time and effort,” she said “People from Deakin and Menzies and Chisholm might think that effort could have been better placed elsewhere.” Ryan said that neither she nor Daniel was feeling “entirely comfortable” and she was bracing for a long week ahead Kooyong MP Monique Ryan was all smiles this morning after likely securing a second term in one of the most closely watched races in the country with Ryan ahead of Liberal Amelia Hamer after preferences 51 per cent to 49 per cent “We had a good night,” she said with a grin reflecting on the teal election party that took over the Auburn Hotel in Hawthorn But her attention quickly turned to what lies ahead With the Coalition “eviscerated,” Ryan believes the expanded crossbench will function as a de facto opposition in Parliament “I think it’s more important than ever that the crossbench act to hold the government to account on things that our communities want us to see them act on,” she said “We want a government that will act effectively and quickly on climate action and on their net zero transition.. The Albanese government will have no excuse not to take on the big issues and the crossbench will hold them to account on that.” The Age barrelled through a host of topics in light of the historic election outcome: she still hadn’t heard from her Liberal opponent who made a delayed appearance at her own party late last night and has not publicly conceded We’ve reached out to Hamer today but not heard back and her advisor says she won’t speak while counting continues “There are still a lot of votes to be counted including a lot of postal votes that have not yet been counted and the result has not yet been confirmed,” Ryan said “So I think it’s entirely reasonable that I haven’t heard from her yet.” Ryan described the campaign as “brutal,” singling out the volume of negative advertising directed at her But she noted a shift in tone during the final stretch between her team and the Liberal party volunteers on the ground “We actually started to work more effectively and collegially with the Liberal Party volunteers at pre-poll None of us felt comfortable with the tone — people didn’t like it It didn’t sit well with us or with our community.” She sees this as evidence that Kooyong voters are rejecting the “politics of division.” Even in the newer parts of the electorate — including former Higgins territory like Toorak and Armadale — Ryan says her message resonated “It’s clear we were able to do pretty well They want an economic strategy that’s inclusive and addresses intergenerational inequality.” Ryan says her approach in the next term will again be pragmatic and collaborative “I actually had a great deal of fun in the 47th Parliament working with people across the House — Bob Katter even Barnaby [Joyce] on Assange,” she said on the issues that matter to my community.” Asked about Peter Dutton’s shock loss in Dickson Ryan said she felt sorry for “everyone who lost their seat” She said Dutton’s loss reminded her of her former opponent Josh Frydenberg who lost the seat of Kooyong in 2022 when he was serving treasurer: “It’s probably really hard — we saw this in Kooyong last time — to have a really senior role in a political party and be a good local member People are saying they want their representatives to be local and community-based.” She said the Liberal campaign overall “has been profoundly rejected by the country” “They didn’t come to the election with meaningful policies on climate While the cost of living dominated the national narrative Ryan says climate change (which was her biggest policy platform in 2022) remains front of mind in Kooyong — and the two issues are inextricably linked groceries — all affected by climate change I do think climate action is still front of mind even if people aren’t using those exact words.” Ryan says she’ll focus on rebuilding cohesion in the community.“There are social issues in this community But she also called out senior Liberal figures for targeting Chinese Australians during the campaign – after a video emerged showing two people in Ryan campaign T-shirts handing out the teal MP’s how-to-vote cards and saying they were directed to vote for Ryan by an organisation which has been accused of working with an agency which advances the interests of the Chinese Community Party “Every time Chinese Australians got involved in politics we saw people like Jane Hume and James Paterson punch down on them And finally, for those wondering if Ryan’s crowd and George’s 21st birthday upstairs at the Auburn Hotel ended up overlapping last night half the people at the party probably knew George and his parents,” Ryan giggled “But I apologise if there was any disruption [to George’s party].” Liberal candidate Tim Wilson is “incredibly optimistic” of winning Goldstein as postal votes heavily favouring the former MP have rolled in Wilson believes he can snatch the seat back from teal independent Zoe Daniel who thought she had retained Goldstein on election night and I think it’s really important to understand this,” Wilson said in a video posted to social media late on Sunday afternoon and Goldstein went that way,” he said pointing Wilson said in Victoria there was a statewide swing against the Liberals of about 2 per cent but in Goldstein there was a primary vote swing to the Liberals of 3.8 per cent or nearly 4 per cent we have bucked the trend by nearly 6 per cent and that has come down to all of the people who have been part of this campaign willingly and bought energy and enthusiasm.” Daniel made a victory speech on Saturday night when the vote count had her ahead but since then postal votes have closed the margin “In Goldstein the largest booth is postal votes,” Wilson said “There were 27,000 postal-vote applications at the time of Wilson recording his video it had dropped to 700 votes and at 7pm it was down to 95 votes He said postal votes in Goldstein usually track in the Liberal Party’s favour by a ratio of about two-to-one “That’s the reason we remain incredibly optimistic but we are not seeking to comment on the result until we see the final results,” Wilson said Wilson declined a request for an interview but posed for photographs at Brighton Baths with his husband I’m tired and I’m elated it’s over,” he said Wilson also acknowledged the catastrophic result for the Liberal Party across Australia Liberal candidate for Goldstein Tim Wilson and his husband Ryan Bolger.Credit: PENNY STEPHENS Wilson said he wanted to honour former opposition leader Peter Dutton for his service but said: “It’s one of those times where the Liberal Party is going to have a look at itself.” now is a time to turn to each other to support each other,” he said Wilson said the Liberal Party was founded as the “front line” against political intersectional interests and vested interests “The results clearly show that is not over that there is still a lot of room for optimism and that we still have a lot of justification for hope but we are just going to have to be patient,” he said Daniel also declined an interview request today and issued a brief statement “The result in Goldstein is obviously close and it will be some days before the result is confirmed,” she said “I again thank the voters of Goldstein for their support as well as the many volunteers who worked tirelessly on my campaign.” There was a hungover delirium inside Monique Ryan’s campaign office in Glenferrie Road where more than 100 teal-clad volunteers – bleary-eyed from dancing into the wee hours at the Auburn Hotel – gathered for a morning-after regroup This was the army behind Ryan’s win in Kooyong: more than 55,000 doors knocked 2300 corflutes placed on fences and 1000 volunteers out on election day alone Monique Ryan and supporters at her campaign headquarters on Sunday.Credit: Luis Enrique Ascui Campaign manager Conal Feehely called out one volunteer who spent all of last night scrutinising results at the central counting booth there were still 10,000 postal votes to count and Feehely said there were “mathematical possibilities” Ryan could lose her hold Ryan herself added: “The prediction so far is that we’ll be OK .. The woman of the hour took the mic to address the room the result and what the community’s vote signalled about the future of Australian politics In a speech that ranged from gratitude to grim honesty Ryan said the nastiness of ground-game politics seen in Kooyong had played out nationwide – but had been rejected by voters Here is an edited excerpt from her remarks: I think we’ve woken up this morning to a country that is fundamentally different personally I feel like the country has rejected the politics of division and has said it wants us to do things differently I don’t know exactly how things are going to go We have a government with an increased majority We have an opposition that’s been eviscerated and we don’t yet know what the final shape of the parliament will be But what we do know – what you’ve all helped make clear – is that we don’t want politics as it used to be There’s been a real tendency to flood the zone in parts of Australia – and we’ve seen that in Kooyong Those of us who’ve been doorknocking or on pre-poll and polling booths in the last few weeks have come up against torrents of negativity Every household in this electorate has been letterboxed repeatedly with negative advertisements What we want is for our community to rebuild And I think most of us want politics to be more respectful and more conciliatory – to reach bipartisanship on the things that really matter and they’ve got a bigger majority – what are you going to do?’ We’re going to hold them to account They want certainty about their economic future They want to know the government cares about them – and will deliver adequate health care And that’s what the crossbench will fight for in this term of parliament.” from action group Grandmothers for Refugees Ryan hugs Davina Lipmann from action group Grandmothers for Refugees.Credit: Luis Enrique Ascui Lipmann said of Ryan: “She’s worked so hard and she’s taken on so many issues that were new for her – she didn’t know them before Lipmann hopes Ryan can deliver the influence she spoke about on the Albanese government for the issue she cares about most “The refugees who came by boat who are still living very constrained lives,” she said “Hopefully this new government will be able to reverse the barbarity and cruelty that’s happened before.” Independent teal MP Zoe Daniel says a result could be days away in Goldstein despite her having claimed victory at her election party last night with just over 74 per cent of ballots counted Daniel was leading with 51 per cent of the two-party preferred vote ahead of Liberal candidate Tim Wilson on 49 per cent Liberal candidate for Goldstein Tim Wilson and husband Ryan Bolger She was not available for interview on Sunday but issued a brief statement at midday “The result in Goldstein is obviously close and it will be some days before the result is confirmed,” she said Wilson has also declined all interview requests today act and work for me,” he said in a text message Last night Wilson said he thought he might get up on postal votes which were trending two-to-one in his favour Last night Daniel thought she had won after waiting until almost 11pm to claim victory “We just wanted to be sort of solid in the result before we spoke,” she told me after her victory speech “My team are very good on data so they spend a lot of time just crunching the numbers.” Labor and the Greens were both still hopeful of picking up Wills as counting continued at an Australian Electoral Commission site in West Footscray on Sunday Neither Labor’s Peter Khalil nor the Greens’ Samantha Ratnam would offer a view on who was ahead although there was a sense from Labor that it was more likely to do better on postal votes now being counted Both Ratnam and Khalil were at Vicki Cleary Day at the Coburg football ground on Sunday The event is organised by Phil Cleary, former independent MP for Wills, whose sister Vicki was killed in 1987 by her ex-partner Greens candidate for Wills Samantha Ratnam at the Coburg football ground on Sunday morning.Credit: Clay Lucas “It’s dedicated to all of the women we have lost to men’s violence and the women running the gauntlet of men’s violence,” Cleary said on Sunday morning Families of women killed by men spoke at the event Labor MP for Wills Peter Khalil at the football ground.Credit: Clay Lucas “There are still plenty of votes to count,” Khalil told The Age while Ratnam said she was feeling hopeful as scrutineering continued but that it would take some time before a final result was known The Liberal vote in Wills dropped by about 4 per cent Socialist Alliance candidate and Merri-bek councillor Sue Bolton was pleased to post a 5.5 per cent swing in her favour “I haven’t looked at the booth-by-booth results yet but I think it’s two things: Gaza … and the capitalist dream – that if you work hard and study hard you will get the good job and the good house – is over,” she said on Sunday morning “People are looking for more radical alternatives than the major parties offer.” Bolton said she wasn’t sure who would win Wills “It would be a positive if the seat switches from Labor to the Greens,” she added all parties in Wills urged voters to preference Labor ahead of the Greens on their how-to-vote cards It’s the morning after the election and Goldstein still hangs in the balance The dance floor was heaving when I left Zoe Daniel’s victory party just before midnight The teal independent MP claimed victory in a jubilant speech at the Elwood Bowls Club “We did it!” she told the crowd of hundreds of teal T-shirt-clad supporters But Liberal candidate Tim Wilson is not so certain As counting gets under way for a second day Just over 74 per cent of the vote was counted by 10am when Daniel led with 51 per cent of the two-party-preferred vote Wilson thinks he may get up on postal votes which he said were trending two-to-one in his favour “Daniel is welcome to claim whatever she wants – it is the voters that will decide the result,” he said last night the two teal battlegrounds of Kooyong and Goldstein are officially back to \\u201Ctoo close to call\\u201D and I\\u2019ve been on the phone this afternoon with two election analysts \\u2013 Dr Kevin Bonham and Ben Raue of The Tally Room who\\u2019s running his own projection model Daniel is currently picking up just 35 per cent of postals \\u2013 well below what she\\u2019d need to stay competitive There\\u2019s an interesting theory doing the rounds in political circles today that could help explain the trend Goldstein \\u2014 like Kooyong \\u2014 has one of the largest Jewish communities in Victoria Because religious Jewish voters don\\u2019t vote on Saturdays who confirmed it\\u2019s \\u201Cvery possible.\\u201D \\u201CReligious Jews don\\u2019t vote on Saturdays I know many who traditionally receive postals,\\u201D they said \\u201CI think given how tight the margins are in both seats it\\u2019s hard to ever measure \\u2014 but so many people were single-issue this time and the Coalition would have received a large share of that vote for sure.\\u201D and told me the latest figures are \\u201Cnot looking good.\\u201D fellow teal Monique Ryan is in a stronger \\u2013 though not yet secure \\u2013 position Ryan is underperforming on postal votes \\u2013 but not nearly as badly But Goldstein \\u2013 according to both Bonham and Raue \\u2013 is starting to slip into Tim Wilson\\u2019s column Stay tuned \\u2013 counting resumes Tuesday the contest in Calwell is shaping as one of Victoria\\u2019s most fascinating as Labor\\u2019s primary vote in the north-west fringe Melbourne seat falls the two-candidate preferred count between Labor and Liberal is not very interesting and it\\u2019s not what\\u2019s relevant,\\u201D Raue said \\u201CWhat\\u2019s relevant here is you\\u2019ve got two independents and the Liberals on 16 and Labor on 31.\\u201D I don\\u2019t think I\\u2019ve ever seen a race like this And I don\\u2019t know which of them it is,\\u201D he said \\u201CEach of these is not just a simple question and it\\u2019s a big exercise to do work,\\u201D he said \\u201CPart of the complexity is there are heaps of candidates running.\\u201D If you\\u2019re obsessively refreshing the tally room feed today \\u2013 you\\u2019re not alone who gave a clearer picture of what\\u2019s happening behind the scenes it\\u2019s less of a wave of votes and more of a trickle \\u201CThey absolutely had to have completed their vote by the close of polls on election day 6pm on election day,\\u201D Ekin-Smyth said \\u201CBut they didn\\u2019t have to put it in the mailbox by then It\\u2019s quite generous \\u2013 we have to receive it by 13 days after election day.\\u201D There\\u2019s also a logistical lag: overseas ballots from 111 countries they\\u2019re for 150 different divisions,\\u201D Ekin-Smyth said \\u201CWe\\u2019ve got to stick them in all the different pigeonholes for the right division and then send them off \\u201CAnd even if we did have 100,000 people working again they\\u2019d just be sitting around twiddling their thumbs waiting for the mail.\\u201D So what\\u2019s happening in our hot seats today The mood has shifted dramatically in Kooyong since Saturday night when Dr Monique Ryan and her supporters what looked like a confident win \\u201CNot at all,\\u201D she replied when host Raf Epstein asked if she was still sure of victory \\u201CI think it\\u2019s 50-50 in Kooyong in Antony Green we trusted,\\u201D she said referring to the ABC\\u2019s respected election analyst who called the seat for Ryan on the night \\u201CBut postal votes have been very much pro the conservative side Kooyongis still very much up in the air.\\u201D her Liberal opponent Amelia Hamer \\u2014 who has remained silent publicly since election night \\u2014 appears to believe momentum is now with her I\\u2019ve just seen an email sent by Hamer to party volunteers late on Sunday night The subject line: \\u201CWe now need just 943 votes to win the seat of Kooyong.\\u201D \\u201CLast night was not the result we had hoped for the Coalition,\\u201D the email reads \\u201CWe had an average 3% swing against us across the country \\u201CIt is now clear there will be a swing towards us in Kooyong That is a direct result of your efforts over the past year.\\u201D \\u201CThere are still 22,000 votes to be counted and we need just 943 extra votes to win.\\u201D \\u201CMost of the uncounted votes are postal votes If these postal votes continue on their current TPP trajectory of 62\\u201338 That is not blind hope \\u2014 that\\u2019s the raw numbers.\\u201D Hamer also apologised for missing any supporters at her election night event: \\u201CI missed you at the Tower last night while we waited for pre-poll to be counted,\\u201D she wrote She thanked volunteers for \\u201Call your blood sweat and tears\\u201D and said the campaign had done \\u201Ceverything we possibly could have in the face of extremely challenging conditions.\\u201D Ryan described the Liberal campaign against her as \\u201Cpretty vicious\\u201D \\u201CI have to say it\\u2019s great to see community independents succeeding interstate and I was so happy to see colleagues doing really well there,\\u201D she said \\u201CBut I think that both Zoe [Daniel] and I have faced really pretty vicious battles in our electorates in Melbourne \\u201CWe were up against not just the Liberals particularly from the [Exclusive] Brethren We had a number of other right-wing groups \\u2014 Repeal the Teal (For a rundown on those groups and who is behind them check out my colleague Cara Waters\\u2019 excellent .) \\u201CThe Liberals teamed up with the coal lobby and fossil fuel lobbies and they really came for us \\u2014 really hard,\\u201D said Ryan Ryan questioned whether the Liberal Party\\u2019s focus on Goldstein and Kooyong had been the right strategic move for the conservative party \\u201COne of the things that will be interesting in the wash-up is for the Liberal Party to assess whether that\\u2019s where they should have put all their time and effort,\\u201D she said \\u201CPeople from Deakin and Menzies and Chisholm might think that effort could have been better placed elsewhere.\\u201D Ryan said that neither she nor Daniel was feeling \\u201Centirely comfortable\\u201D and she was bracing for a long week ahead \\u201CWe had a good night,\\u201D she said with a grin With the Coalition \\u201Ceviscerated,\\u201D Ryan believes the expanded crossbench will function as a de facto opposition in Parliament \\u201CI think it\\u2019s more important than ever that the crossbench act to hold the government to account on things that our communities want us to see them act on,\\u201D she said \\u201CWe want a government that will act effectively and quickly on climate action and on their net zero transition.. and the crossbench will hold them to account on that.\\u201D she still hadn\\u2019t heard from her Liberal opponent We\\u2019ve reached out to Hamer today but not heard back and her advisor says she won\\u2019t speak while counting continues \\u201CThere are still a lot of votes to be counted and the result has not yet been confirmed,\\u201D Ryan said \\u201CSo I think it\\u2019s entirely reasonable that I haven\\u2019t heard from her yet.\\u201D Ryan described the campaign as \\u201Cbrutal,\\u201D singling out the volume of negative advertising directed at her \\u201CWe actually started to work more effectively and collegially with the Liberal Party volunteers at pre-poll None of us felt comfortable with the tone \\u2014 people didn\\u2019t like it It didn\\u2019t sit well with us or with our community.\\u201D She sees this as evidence that Kooyong voters are rejecting the \\u201Cpolitics of division.\\u201D Even in the newer parts of the electorate \\u2014 including former Higgins territory like Toorak and Armadale \\u2014 Ryan says her message resonated \\u201CIt\\u2019s clear we were able to do pretty well They want an economic strategy that\\u2019s inclusive and addresses intergenerational inequality.\\u201D \\u201CI actually had a great deal of fun in the 47th Parliament working with people across the House \\u2014 Bob Katter even Barnaby [Joyce] on Assange,\\u201D she said on the issues that matter to my community.\\u201D Asked about Peter Dutton\\u2019s shock loss in Dickson Ryan said she felt sorry for \\u201Ceveryone who lost their seat\\u201D She said Dutton\\u2019s loss reminded her of her former opponent Josh Frydenberg who lost the seat of Kooyong in 2022 when he was serving treasurer: \\u201CIt\\u2019s probably really hard \\u2014 we saw this in Kooyong last time \\u2014 to have a really senior role in a political party and be a good local member People are saying they want their representatives to be local and community-based.\\u201D She said the Liberal campaign overall \\u201Chas been profoundly rejected by the country\\u201D \\u201CThey didn\\u2019t come to the election with meaningful policies on climate Ryan says climate change (which was her biggest policy platform in 2022) remains front of mind in Kooyong \\u2014 and the two issues are inextricably linked groceries \\u2014 all affected by climate change even if people aren\\u2019t using those exact words.\\u201D Ryan says she\\u2019ll focus on rebuilding cohesion in the community.\\u201CThere are social issues in this community But she also called out senior Liberal figures for targeting Chinese Australians during the campaign \\u2013 after a video emerged showing two people in Ryan campaign T-shirts handing out the teal MP\\u2019s how-to-vote cards and saying they were directed to vote for Ryan by an organisation which has been accused of working with an agency which advances the interests of the Chinese Community Party \\u201CEvery time Chinese Australians got involved in politics It was unfair and deeply unhelpful.\\u201D for those wondering if Ryan\\u2019s crowd and ended up overlapping last night half the people at the party probably knew George and his parents,\\u201D Ryan giggled \\u201CBut I apologise if there was any disruption [to George\\u2019s party].\\u201D Liberal candidate Tim Wilson is \\u201Cincredibly optimistic\\u201D of winning Goldstein as postal votes heavily favouring the former MP have rolled in and I think it\\u2019s really important to understand this,\\u201D Wilson said in a video posted to social media late on Sunday afternoon and Goldstein went that way,\\u201D he said pointing willingly and bought energy and enthusiasm.\\u201D \\u201CIn Goldstein the largest booth is postal votes,\\u201D Wilson said \\u201CThere were 27,000 postal-vote applications and we\\u2019re watching them roll in.\\u201D \\u201CEvery single batch of votes counted it continues to collapse,\\u201D Wilson said He said postal votes in Goldstein usually track in the Liberal Party\\u2019s favour by a ratio of about two-to-one \\u201CThat\\u2019s the reason we remain incredibly optimistic but we are not seeking to comment on the result until we see the final results,\\u201D Wilson said I\\u2019m tired and I\\u2019m elated it\\u2019s over,\\u201D he said \\u201CLast night was a very challenging night but said: \\u201CIt\\u2019s one of those times where the Liberal Party is going to have a look at itself.\\u201D \\u201CNow\\u2019s not a time to turn on each other now is a time to turn to each other to support each other,\\u201D he said Wilson said the Liberal Party was founded as the \\u201Cfront line\\u201D against political intersectional interests and vested interests \\u201CThe results clearly show that is not over but we are just going to have to be patient,\\u201D he said \\u201CThe result in Goldstein is obviously close and it will be some days before the result is confirmed,\\u201D \\u201CI again thank the voters of Goldstein for their support as well as the many volunteers who worked tirelessly on my campaign.\\u201D There was a hungover delirium inside Monique Ryan\\u2019s campaign office in Glenferrie Road where more than 100 teal-clad volunteers \\u2013 bleary-eyed from dancing into the wee hours at the Auburn Hotel \\u2013 gathered for a morning-after regroup This was the army behind Ryan\\u2019s win in Kooyong: more than 55,000 doors knocked there were still 10,000 postal votes to count and Feehely said there were \\u201Cmathematical possibilities\\u201D Ryan could lose her hold Ryan herself added: \\u201CThe prediction so far is that we\\u2019ll be OK .. and I don\\u2019t take anything for granted.\\u201D the result and what the community\\u2019s vote signalled about the future of Australian politics Ryan said the nastiness of ground-game politics seen in Kooyong had played out nationwide \\u2013 but had been rejected by voters tearfully relieved,\\u201D Lipmann told The Age Lipmann said of Ryan: \\u201CShe\\u2019s worked so hard and she\\u2019s taken on so many issues that were new for her \\u2013 she didn\\u2019t know them before \\u201CThe refugees who came by boat who are still living very constrained lives,\\u201D she said \\u201CHopefully this new government will be able to reverse the barbarity and cruelty that\\u2019s happened before.\\u201D I think we\\u2019ve woken up this morning to a country that is fundamentally different personally I don\\u2019t know exactly how things are going to go We have an opposition that\\u2019s been eviscerated and we don\\u2019t yet know what the final shape of the parliament will be But what we do know \\u2013 what you\\u2019ve all helped make clear \\u2013 is that we don\\u2019t want politics as it used to be There\\u2019s been a real tendency to flood the zone in parts of Australia \\u2013 and we\\u2019ve seen that in Kooyong Those of us who\\u2019ve been doorknocking or on pre-poll and polling booths in the last few weeks have come up against torrents of negativity more conciliatory \\u2013 to reach bipartisanship on the things that really matter and they\\u2019ve got a bigger majority \\u2013 what are you going to do?\\u2019 We\\u2019re going to hold them to account They want to know the government cares about them \\u2013 and will deliver adequate health care And that\\u2019s what the crossbench will fight for in this term of parliament.\\u201D \\u201CThe result in Goldstein is obviously close and it will be some days before the result is confirmed,\\u201D she said \\u201CI\\u2019m just going to let the votes fight act and work for me,\\u201D he said in a text message \\u201CIt\\u2019ll be tight,\\u201D he said \\u201CThe whole nation went in one direction but I genuinely think I\\u2019ll get there.\\u201D \\u201CWe just wanted to be sort of solid in the result before we spoke,\\u201D she told me after her victory speech \\u201CMy team are very good on data so they spend a lot of time just crunching the numbers.\\u201D Neither Labor\\u2019s Peter Khalil nor the Greens\\u2019 Samantha Ratnam would offer a view on who was ahead \\u201CIt\\u2019s dedicated to all of the women we have lost to men\\u2019s violence and the women running the gauntlet of men\\u2019s violence,\\u201D Cleary said on Sunday morning \\u201CThere are still plenty of votes to count,\\u201D Khalil told The Age \\u201CI haven\\u2019t looked at the booth-by-booth results yet but I think it\\u2019s two things: Gaza \\u2026 and the capitalist dream \\u2013 that if you work hard and study hard you will get the good job and the good house \\u2013 is over,\\u201D she said on Sunday morning \\u201CPeople are looking for more radical alternatives than the major parties offer.\\u201D Bolton said she wasn\\u2019t sure who would win Wills but thought Khalil might \\u201Csqueak back in\\u201D \\u201CIt would be a positive if the seat switches from Labor to the Greens,\\u201D she added Aside from Bolton\\u2019s Socialist Alliance It\\u2019s the morning after the election and Goldstein still hangs in the balance The dance floor was heaving when I left Zoe Daniel\\u2019s victory party just before midnight \\u201CWe did it!\\u201D she told the crowd of hundreds of teal T-shirt-clad supporters \\u201CDaniel is welcome to claim whatever she wants \\u2013 it is the voters that will decide the result,\\u201D he said last night as well as a fondness for a good gin martini Remove items from your saved list to add more Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime ShareAustralian author and podcaster Sarah Wilson’s book I Quit Sugar came out in 2012 spurring her to write 11 more cookbooks and start a worldwide movement in its name in her latest release This One Wild and Precious Life purpose and meaning in a world facing significant challenges Sarah Wilson’s book I Quit Sugar was an international bestseller Wilson edited Cosmopolitan and hosted a season of MasterChef Australia in 2009 We caught up with Wilson recently to talk about her career over afternoon tea at Melbourne’s Sofitel ahead of her appearance at the Melbourne Writers Festival Sarah Wilson likes to throw frozen peas into her meals James Moffatt; STYLING: Steve PearceAdvertisementEATING INSignature dish and what is your go-to at home I make massive salads and use ingredients most people think might be wrong together. I like to combine beetroot with pear and white asparagus, and have a thing for Toulouse sausages. I put them through a salad for a protein hit. I have embraced the French love of mustard and am known to throw frozen peas into a meal – they can save just about any dish I eat three to four square pieces of 90 per cent dark chocolate every day for breakfast I also love butter and eat a block of butter every week My mum had six kids and was so good with food The wisdom I got from her is “do not peel vegetables or fruit” eat as your grandmother or great-grandmother used to eat formerly known as Sean’s Panaroma.Edwina PicklesEATING OUTAdvertisementMy favourite hometown restaurant (and go-to dish) Sean’s in Bondi It’s the closest I’ve experienced to European hospitality where you feel like you’re in someone’s home The place is also one of the few remaining places you can BYO Fratelli Paradiso consumed while sitting at the bar eating stuffed I used to live in an Airbnb above this place and would go down for a glass of wine I wrote the final chapter of This One Wild and Precious Life sitting here Wilson likes BondiTony’s in Bondi for naked burgers and sweet potato fries.Janie BarrettI also love a burger from Bonditony’s Burger Joint and would often go there with my foster kids I love Tony – the madly passionate owner – and I love the early-’90s vibe of the place M Deli Cafe Tamarama is always my stop-off before heading on a hike seeds and chocolate bars that can keep me going for hours Their quiches are also ridiculously abundant The Boathouse at Patonga does a great egg and bacon roll These are some cool spots I eat before I go out on a hike in NSW. Try Boathouse Patonga I catch the bus from Sydney to Palm Beach to connect with a ferry across to Patonga to hike around to Pearl Beach I catch the train down to Cronulla from Central then catch the ferry to Bundeena and hike the Coast Track along the whole length of the Royal National Park to Otford railway station and catch the train back to Sydney I like to stop at the vegetarian institution Pilgrims for an epic Mountain Burger you can arrive into Bundeena for a cocktail and fish tacos at The Salty Pearl I catch the train up to the Red Hands Cave circuit then eat a cheese toastie at the cafe in the old church right at the start of the walk Greek venue Kafeneion is one of Wilson’s favourite Melbourne restaurants.Jason SouthMy Melbourne favourites I like Kafeneion located above The European where I used to work when it first opened It’s a very old-school and healthy Greek food spot – order the pork and lemon with horta on the side Crumpets with hot-smoked salmon, at Heide Kitchen. Eddie JimON THE ROADFavourite food city and what I love about it I love Paris. For a classic old-school French experience, go to Chez Georges in the second arrondissement. It’s bustling and packed. They make beautiful fish with all the old-fashioned sauces, an entrecote with bone marrow, and the tarte tatin with creme fraiche is the best. I don’t eat much sugar; I will eat this. In the Marais, Au Petit Fer a Cheval is highly recommended. All the ingredients and wines are organic. The plate of the day is often vegetables; something your mum would make. I recently ate a beautiful pork meatball wrapped in prosciutto and served on shredded cauliflower with cauliflower leaves sauteed in butter for 18 euros. Highly recommend the natural wine bars in Paris – mostly those in the 9th, 10th and 11th arrondissements. It’s like those hidden laneways bars you’d find in Melbourne in the ’90s. Try Billili for really good-quality food. They’re famous for oeuf mayonnaise and sausages. If you want good gluten-free options, try Les Copains. There are three in Paris –they make gluten-free everything and I recommend the croissants. Judy Paris is a gluten-free place with Australian coffee for when you’re hankering for sunny, bright Aussie food. They have bone broth on the menu. Le Chardon is another restaurant I like. It’s a cute bistro terrace, all organic food and fresh. we can't find the page you are looking for Wilson will miss Saturday's blockbuster against the ACT Brumbies after fracturing his arm in contact with the Chiefs in Hamilton The number eight will be pushing to return for the last fortnight of the regular season, with the Reds currently sitting in third. It's a double blow for the Reds, with Filipo Daugunu managing a lower limb injury. The injuries mean Joe Brial retains his spot in the back-row at number eight, with Seru Uru returning to blindside flanker. “We saw how Joe Brial stepped up in the backrow against the Chiefs with his best performance for the Reds and he will get to show his wares at No.8 against the Brumbies,” coach Les Kiss said. Tim Ryan returns on the wing, with Sef Fa'agase and Tom Lynagh back in the starting side. For the ACT Brumbies, Tuaina Taii Tualima and Ryan Lonergan come into the side, with the club fresh off the bye. In further changes, Rob Valetini shifts to blindside flanker and Tom Hooper into the second row. The game will be filled with milestones, with Reds captain Tate McDermott and Brumbies winger Andy Muirhead set to play their 100th games for their respective sides. “Andy is a consummate professional who gives his all day in, day out for the Brumbies. He deserves recognition for reaching this milestone, it’s an incredible achievement,” coach Stephen Larkham said. “He will come full circle this Saturday in reaching 100 caps in the place where he grew up and I’m sure he will have plenty of family and friends there cheering him on. The rest of the playing group will give their all to try to make it a memorable occasion for him. “The bye week last week was welcomed, it’s given us a chance to recover and get our ducks in a row for the second half of the season. All Australian teams have been in great form this season, including the Reds, and we’re looking forward to taking them on." REDS (1-15): Sef Fa'agase, Matt Faessler, Zane Nonggorr, Josh Canham, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, Seru Uru, Fraser McReight, Joe Brial, Tate McDermott (c), Tom Lynagh, Tim Ryan, Hunter Paisami, Dre Pakeho, Lachie Anderson, Heremaia Murray Replacements: Richie Asaita, Alex Hodgman, Jeffery Toomana-Allen, Angus Blyth, John Bryant, Kalani Thomas, Harry McLaughlin-Phillips, Jock Campbell BRUMBIES (1-15): James Slipper, Billy Pollard, Allan Alaalatoa (c), Nick Frost, Tom Hooper, Rob Valetini, Rory Scott, Tuaina Taii Tualima, Ryan Lonergan, Noah Lolesio, Corey Toole, David Feliuai, Len Ikitau, Andy Muirhead, Tom Wright Replacements: Lachlan Lonergan, Blake Schoupp, Feao Fotuaika, Lachlan Shaw, Luke Reimer, Harrison Goddard, Declan Meredith, Ollie Sapsford Lainey Wilson previously told Countrytown that she wouldn't be afraid to try acting again after appearing in 'Yellowstone.' Lainey Wilson (Credit: Eric Ryan Anderson) More Lainey Wilson You’ve seen her on the small screen we’ll be seeing Lainey Wilson on the big screen According to a new Variety report the Watermelon Moonshine singer is attached to the upcoming film adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s book the film is set for release on 13 February 2026 The report states that in addition to Wilson Details of Wilson’s role in the film are scarce Monroe is set to portray protagonist Kenna Rowan Pankow will portray Rowan’s boyfriend Scotty and Withers will portray bar owner Ledger Ward Wilson made her acting debut in the television series where she played a burgeoning singer named Abby Numerous of her songs also featured in the series In a 2023 interview with Countrytown Wilson discussed how much she enjoyed her time on Yellowstone and said that if she could showcase her music in more places—including via acting—she’d leap at the opportunity Join our community with our FREE weekly newsletter They’re just incredible people; I’ve learned that I just really like being creative kind of stepping outside of my comfort zone and doing things that are a little scary because I feel like if you’re not doing that then you’re not growing,” Wilson told Countrytown songwriting is going to be my number one because that’s what got me here in the first place especially if it’s an opportunity for me to share my music with the world; then you’re damn right I’m gonna do it.” Wilson has been nominated for seven awards at this year’s ACMs. She’s received her first nomination for Artist-Songwriter of the Year, while her nominations for Song of the Year mark her fourth consecutive year being nominated and her seventh total nomination in the category. The 60th ACM Awards will stream exclusively on Prime Video on Thursday, 8 May, at 8 pm EDT/7 pm CDT/5 pm PDT from the Ford Centre at The Star, Frisco, Texas. Social media ads show former MP talking to a man in hi-vis who online viewers say closely resembles member of Liberal Goldstein campaign Australian elections have many proud traditions: democracy sausages, Akubra hats salt of the earth “tradies” in campaign ads The tradition continues down in Victoria, where a young man in an orange hi-vis vest, complete with a hard hat, makes an appearance in a campaign video for the former Liberal MP Tim Wilson He also appears to be part of Wilson’s campaign to regain the seat of Goldstein won by the teal independent Zoe Daniel in 2022 which is running on Instagram and Facebook Wilson talks about his goal of “fighting for home ownership” The clip shows the pair in conversation outside a construction site Sign up for the Afternoon Update: Election 2025 email newsletter The man’s resemblance to a member of the Liberal Goldstein campaign, Frazer Hurst, has been remarked on social media. He appears in several videos and photos on Wilson’s social media pages, and his Instagram account is tagged in one clip where he can be seen door-knocking by the candidate’s side and handing out pamphlets. Read moreAsked whether the tradie was in fact a campaign worker, Wilson referred all questions to the Coalition’s campaign headquarters, which did not respond. Hurst’s LinkedIn account says he is a student, and is involved with the Liberal party in Victoria Guardian Australia showed Hurst a screen grab of the ad where Wilson and the man in hi-vis walk side-by-side Hurst replied that “any media enquiries need to go through Liberal party headquarters” The Wilson campaign has paid up to $800 for the video as well as a shorter version to be promoted online The hi-vis cameo recalls the “fake tradie” discourse over the appearance of Sydney metalworker Andrew MacRae in a 2016 Liberal party election campaign advertisement. Sign up to Afternoon Update: Election 2025 Free daily newsletterOur Australian afternoon update breaks down the key election campaign stories of the day, telling you what’s happening and why it matters Read moreMacRae told the Sydney Morning Herald at the time that he ended up in the clip because he had “done tradesman work at the advertising agency” which put the project together would you like to do an ad’ and I said ‘why not’,” he said In 2022, clips promoting Victorian Liberal David Southwick also featured voters who in fact turned out to work for the MP Wilson won Liberal preselection for the bayside seat against two female challengers and will face off for the second time against Daniel 2:32Voting 101: How do you enrol to vote in Australia's 2025 federal election – videoA Facebook account under the name Frazer Hurst has previously waded into the comments on the page of Wilson’s rival “Independence has failed Goldstein,” it said in now-deleted comments in response to a post on Daniel’s page Wilson held Goldstein between 2016 and 2022, and was one of six Liberal MPs who lost once-safe Liberal seats to a wave of progressive independents last election Daniel, a former ABC journalist, now holds Goldstein on a slim margin She won in 2022 with a primary vote of 34.5% while Wilson’s primary vote slipped by more than 12% Additional reporting by Stephanie Convery The four-year deal emphasises the influential No.8’s commitment to success with the Reds and the Wallabies in their run at the 2027 Rugby World Cup. The news is a huge boost ahead of the Reds’ SMARTECH Super Rugby Pacific opener against Moana Pasifika at Suncorp Stadium on Friday night. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Harry Wilson (@harrywilson_56) Wilson, 25, captained the Wallabies in seven of their last eight Tests in 2024 to lift his tally of Test caps to 22. He enters his eighth season as a Red with 74 caps to his name and the ambition for many more. "This is the only place I wanted to be. I want to give the best years of my rugby career to being part of success in the Reds and the gold jersey," Wilson said. "Being part of a home World Cup is something you dream about.” In a powerful statement of his loyalty, Wilson said the decision became an easy one. "I didn't speak to another club. I didn't want to be a Wallabies captain shopping himself around the world,” Wilson said. "I'm the current Wallabies captain. Who am I to tell others to stay in Australia if I'm not signed, sealed and delivered myself. "I'm delighted. There's no background noise entering the season. I can just play footy and it doesn’t get much better than a Friday night at Suncorp Stadium. "My manager said he'd get the deal done before the Reds' first game and he has. It's going to be a beauty against Moana Pasifika on Friday night." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Queensland Reds (@redsrugby) Reds head coach Les Kiss was delighted with the Wilson decision. "It's a great vote of confidence in our Reds program from Harry. What a guy to have as a mentor of our young forwards," Kiss said. "He's a natural leader. The difference he makes in the locker room is palpable. This news will be welcomed by fans, stakeholders and the whole locker room." A Gunnedah Red Devils junior before making the move to Queensland, Wilson is proudly Wallaby No. 933 for making his Test debut in 2020 against the All Blacks. Peter Horne, Rugby Australia’s Director of High-Performance, said: “Harry has developed into a strong No. 8, an astute leader and a great asset for the Wallabies and Reds. “Harry’s re-commitment to Australian Rugby is a positive development for the game as we head into an extraordinary runway of events, headlined by the British and Irish Lions tour this year and a home Rugby World Cup in 2027. “At just 25, Harry has many years of great rugby ahead of him and we are delighted his growth trajectory will continue with the Wallabies and Reds.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Queensland Reds (@redsrugby) Test debut: 2020 v New Zealand in Wellington Super Rugby debut: 2020 v ACT Brumbies in Canberra The looming end to Australia’s $40bn hybrid securities market represents a big opportunity for stockbroking veteran Geoff Wilson who has built his own hybrid-style listed fund with the promise of a steady income stream for inves­tors caught short by the shake-up The WAM Income Maximiser is aiming to raise $510m mostly from retail investors through a fund that holds a combination of Australian shares and debt According to a prospectus lodged with ASIC and seen by The Australian the Wilson Asset Management-backed fund is targeting payment of the Reserve Bank cash rate plus 2.5 per cent and franking credits That would be the grossed up equivalent of 6.6 per cent at current settings Dividends are scheduled to be paid monthly WAM has priced shares in its new Income Maximiser at $1.50 each with the latest addition to Wilson’s $6bn family of listed funds aimed squarely at retail investors The move sees Wilson taking on Don Hamson’s Plato Investment Management which pioneered the retail income space with a $800m fund is one of the few ASX-listed funds that consistently trades above its asset backing suggesting it has strong support among investors The WAM fund will be 60-70 per cent equity and the balance in high quality debt it is initially targeting a core portfolio of high-yielding blue chip shares debt held by the fund will be issued by the big four banks The Wilson fund has the option of holding cash and hybrids and corporate bonds according to a presentation sent to brokers Taylor Collison and Morgans as arrangers and joint lead managers CommSec and Canaccord are also on the ticket Wilson says the demise of the hybrid market will sharply reduce options for investors looking for lower-risk income through a diversified vehicle hybrids are a combination of debt and listed equity They pay a yield over the benchmark rate and have a maturity where they are redeemed or converted into equity Bank regulator APRA last year called time on the hybrid market saying that in times of crises the instruments might not provide the capital cushion that banks needed From 2027 the regulator will allow existing hybrids to remain active Not all hybrids are backed by banks but lenders make up the lion’s share of the market Banks have already started to pull back on issuance The hybrid market has over $40bn outstanding and around half of that is held by retail investors As much as $7bn in hybrid funds alone are set to roll off in the coming year “That’s got to find a home and be redirected into other income options,” Wilson says The offer is set to open from March 19 and close a month later with the shares in the WAM income fund to list at the end of April The income fund will be overseen by Wilson’s lead portfolio manager Matt Haupt and Damien Boey the former Credit Suisse and Barrenjoey Australian equities strategist It will charge a base fee in line with Wilson’s other funds plus an outperformance if it passes return hurdles This is the first move by WAM into an income style fund; it currently offers a range of listed options across growth There will be scope to scale up the fund across time You must not copy this work without permission Shareholder advocacy If you are a wholesale investor please contact Investment Specialists Martyn McCathie at [email protected] or on 0433 312 603 If you are a wholesale investor please contact Portfolio Managers Oscar Oberg at [email protected] or on 0401 495 081 and Tobias Yao at  [email protected] or on 0431 127 044. the Liberal candidate for Goldstein is unusually divisive What lies behind the man whom you can thank for your franking credits SaveLog in or Subscribe to save articleShareCopy link Share via...Gift this articleSubscribe to gift this article Gift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe Ousted Liberal Tim Wilson stood in front of the preselectors in Goldstein Gift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe. 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Stay on current site or go to US version playZach Wilson back to AFC East after signing with Dolphins (0:28)Adam Schefter reports on Zach Wilson agreeing to a deal with Dolphins MIAMI GARDENS -- For the past three seasons, backup quarterback for the Miami Dolphins has been a more high-profile job than it is for most teams Not just because of the games starter Tua Tagovailoa has missed -- 11 combined in 2022 and 2024 -- but because of the drastic drop in production from an otherwise explosive offense whenever Tagovailoa is not on the field To help mitigate the difference, Miami signed a quarterback it hopes can keep its offense running if Tagovailoa is forced to miss time this season -- former No. 2 overall pick Zach Wilson Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said the team made this move based on the physical traits he has seen from Wilson dating to his time at BYU This was something that was on our mind for a considerable amount of time and it goes back to everybody has a different circumstance but we drafted a quarterback in San Francisco the year he came out," McDaniel said "I watched every snap of his collegiate play and he was a phenomenal talent that in my opinion didn't have reps in an NFL pocket yet Like at BYU he was launching it from about 10 and 11 yards deep and you're not in the phone booth there was going to be some nuanced growth to his game that I think it is close to impossible to excel that early in that new form of football that he was playing (in the NFL)." Tagovailoa missed a career-high six games in 2024 with a concussion and a hip injury Miami's offense ranked 31st in expected points added dead last in quarterback rating and scoring The Dolphins' offense didn't take off upon Tagovailoa's return but was a far more efficient seventh in EPA and ninth in scoring during his healthiest stretch from Week 8 to Week 16 Tagovailoa ranked ninth in the NFL in touchdown to interception ratio during that span and led the league in completion percentage After the season, Grier said the team held an affinity for the homegrown Thompson, who won a playoff-clinching game as a rookie in 2022 and lost a close playoff game to the Buffalo Bills on the road a week later But he also admitted the Dolphins had tried to address the position last offseason "We were in on a number of top-flight backup quarterbacks in the league," Grier said "We were runners-up for a couple of them that we wanted to get here and for some financial restraints and compensatory pick stuff We were working through that the entire offseason and the fact that some of those guys were willing to come here at what we could pay them shows in how they believe in Mike The Dolphins own 10 picks in this month's draft and despite myriad other roster holes the team is still interested in taking a quarterback if the right opportunity presents itself "That's a position we will always focus on and it will be a position that we will focus on this offseason," he said During the first week of free agency last month Miami agreed to a one-year deal with Wilson to become its new primary backup -- assuming he beats out anyone the team might draft His salary makes him the fifth highest-paid backup quarterback in the league Thompson was the 48th highest-paid non-starting quarterback in the NFL Wilson didn't mention the potential to play but instead focused on Tagovailoa's development and his admiration for Miami's offensive coaching staff Wilson joins a Dolphins team that was let down by its backup QBs last season. Photo by Elsa/Getty Images"What's not to like Extremely explosive offense and I think they do a great job and it starts from coach McDaniel and goes all the way down," Wilson said "I'd just say the offensive staff as a whole has done a great job You've seen how Tua's development has gone and I think I'm just excited to be with those guys." Wilson said his experience as a backup in 2024 helped him with his processing and pocket awareness and that his understanding of the game has improved over the past year McDaniel said Wilson was a "direct calculated target" for Miami in free agency But one of McDaniel's mantras is "adversity is opportunity," and he admires the adversity Wilson has faced in his young NFL career "What I see in Zach is the experience of being the second pick in the draft being the starter Week 1 and then not fulfilling the rookie contract; that is behind him," McDaniel said that's an exciting prospect because you can't put a measurement on that human ability that is huge at the quarterback position Not comparing the players at all -- on the record not comparing the players -- Tua found that this environment helped him through that process we want to offer literally everything to his game and I'm excited about where he's at based upon him." Wilson's new album is unlike anything he’s done before a very proggy space odyssey that takes the listener on a journey to the outer reaches of the universe… “It’s a big chunk of conceptual rock music about the cosmos and why not?” Steven Wilson says as we settle in on our Zoom call The Future Bites (2021) and The Harmony Codex (2023) veered instrumentally more towards electronica But The Overview sees the instrument return to central focus, and even includes a four-minute long epic guitar solo from Wilson’s Porcupine Tree touring companion The central concept on which the album is based concerns the effect that viewing our planet from space has on both astronauts and space tourists alike with just two tracks spanning its 43-minute duration What was it that brought you back to progressive-rock concept albums I’ve always had a concept around every record I think the difference here is that it’s structured into a single flow of music ‘What drew me back to that?’ I think the answer is “I think when you’re dealing with a subject like this it didn’t make sense to me to write 10 separate songs It made sense to create a feature film for the ears; something in the long-form that would really allow me to take the listener on a musical journey from Earth onto the other side of the universe.” What was your starting point for the album “The starting point is always the same for me it’s ‘What can I do that’s different What can I do that is not going to be simply more of the same What can I do that is a reaction against what I’ve done before What can I do that will confront and surprise the expectations of the audience?’ And I think one of the things I’d not done for a while was something more in the long-form “The second part of that answer would be the actual starting point for the concept – deciding that I wanted to do something where I could maybe create music for a video or an installation or a film of some kind I set up meetings with a few people and one of the people I met with was Alex Milas from Space Rocks which is an organization dedicated to bringing together the worlds of astronomy and science and music.” ‘Have you heard of this thing called the Overview Effect?’ And he went on to explain that it’s a recognized phenomenon: the first time that astronauts go into space and they look back at the Earth they have this very profound moment of understanding and perspective and for some people it’s very positive “I was immediately fascinated with that idea and straight away it was kind of a light bulb moment and this is a situation where I’ve got both of these things in place before I’ve written a single lyric and a single note of music.’ So the music flowed fairly swiftly and over about a six-week period I mapped out the basic shape of these two long pieces.” The album sounds like it was always going to be best appreciated in spatial audio Did you have a Dolby Atmos version in mind when you were putting the album together I’m always aware that I’m going to be doing an Atmos mix and I’m trying to raise the bar in terms of what’s possible with spatial audio But at the same time I’m always having to acknowledge to myself that 99 per cent of people will only ever get to hear this in stereo and so I’m primarily focused on making an audiophile stereo experience I do believe there’s an audience out there that still cares about dynamics and they’re prepared to immerse themselves “I do believe there’s an audience out there that still cares about dynamics and they’re prepared to immerse themselves in listening to an album from beginning to end and really engage with it So I’m very committed to this idea of making records that sound beautiful “And I think it would be naïve to concentrate too much on the spatial audio aspect of that at the expense of creating something that sounds beautiful in stereo which is what most people ultimately are going to hear you’re going to be doing an Atmos mix,’ and does that influence some of the production decisions I make knowing that these things will sound great when I get to that stage of the process.” Last time we spoke you said you thought the guitar had very little relevance in modern music and yet you’ve made a return to it with The Overview. There’s a lot of acoustic and electric guitar on there and you have Randy McStine playing some epic guitar solos there’s nothing wrong with Comfortably Numb; I think it’s the greatest guitar solo of all time We need to create something that has the same sense of drama but we’re going to do it in a way that sounds like it could only have been done in 2025 So the goal here was to try to bring back the guitar but in a more modern context.” It sounds like a great deal of digital processing has been used with the guitar sounds “It’s a gift for someone like me who thinks of himself primarily as a producer that there’s never been more ways to process the two worlds of the vintage and the modern I’m not interested in getting vintage tones for the sake of it But I’m a massive fan of what you can do in the digital realm particularly with an old-fashioned – quote but essentially it’s an instrument that belongs to the 20th century in many ways what can you do to try to reinvent that vocabulary to make it seem relevant It was really fascinating to go down that road with him where we tried to create something in the tradition of the epic guitar solo but in a way that perhaps was fresher to people who’ve heard that before.” So are you principally playing acoustic guitar on the album “No, I play most of the electric parts, too, but the solos are Randy and he also contributes a few other parts. Because the album came together so quickly and I had such a strong idea about what I wanted, I pretty much ended up playing all the bass most of the guitar parts and most of the keyboard parts myself It was just easier to do that than try to explain to somebody else what I wanted came in at the end to provide those kind of solo voices the collaborative side of things was pretty much the last part of the process.” and I bought myself a beautiful Custom Shop 1963 Telecaster but what I love about the Telecaster is that you don’t have to drive it very hard for it to sound aggressive It’s just got that natural kind of bite It’s that Townshend/Syd Barrett/Joe Strummer type thing where you don’t have to drive it very hard for it to cut through I find myself putting less and less gain on the guitars when I’m tracking them and I think a lot of that is down to the Tele just having a naturally aggressive How did you process the acoustics and the electrics that you played “I love processing. My favorite plug-in these days which I use on almost all the guitars and a lot of the keyboards is one that makes things sound like they’re coming off a cassette tape “It’s a $20 plug-in made by Aberrant DSP called SketchCassette [SketchCassette II is currently $36] Sometimes the problem with digital sounds is they just lack a little bit of character and a little bit of what you would think of as an imperfection can make things have character “I love it because sometimes the problem with digital sounds is they just lack a little bit of character I just load up this cassette plug-in and add a little bit of flutter or warble or saturation or just make it sound like it’s coming off a tape that’s been recorded over three or four times It gives the sound just a little bit more grain and that organic quality that you associate with analog tape “This is what I mean when I’m talking about using the best of both worlds: using the best of digital technology but then also bringing in some of the characteristics of analog that we love so much I used that plug-in just to give them a little bit more grain and character.” David MeadWith over 30 years’ experience writing for guitar magazines including at one time occupying the role of editor for Guitarist and Guitar Techniques David is also the best-selling author of a number of guitar books for Sanctuary Publishing As a player he has performed with blues sax legend Dick Heckstall-Smith played rock ’n’ roll in Marty Wilde’s band duetted with Martin Taylor and taken part in charity gigs backing Gary Moore An avid composer of acoustic guitar instrumentals you will then be prompted to enter your display name ‘Do you want to play with Joe?’ Before I could say ‘yes’ or ‘no,’ he brings Joe over and tells him ‘Jason wants to play a set’”: Jason Sinay on jamming with Joe Bonamassa – and why his early sessions with Mike Campbell were a struggle “I remember there was a video of Gary Moore and he played Red House on this Fiesta Red Strat and I thought it was just the most incredible thing”: Is Toby Lee Britain’s next blues-rock superstar Free Eddie Van Halen mini-documentary explores the origins of Eruption and his two-hand tapping technique – and it’s partly narrated by the man himself Melbourne United’s stars have put together some strong performances across the globe over the past seven days who torched the nets for the Melbourne Tigers in the NBL1 South on Thursday in a nail-biting matchup with the Nunawading Spectres While his efforts weren’t enough to pick up a victory Wilson’s 30 points kept the guard on top of the league’s scoring leaderboard (28 points per game) Tanner Krebs battled assistant coach David Barlow and the Sandringham Sabres seven-assist performance helped keep the Hawks in the game however it was the Sabres who came away with the win Kyle Bowen continued his strong season for the Canterbury Rams The bruising forward did a bit of everything for the ladder-leaders in a 53-point demolition of Auckland Shea Ili was also effective on Sunday for Wellington playing his brand of stout defence and fast-paced offence in a back-and-forth battle with Hawkes Bay finishing with 17 points and eight rebounds the Saints had their winning-streak snapped by the Hawks Chris Goulding split his pair of games for the Cangrejos in Puerto Rico while Fabijan Krslovic came up short in his German ProA contest Melbourne 76 def by Nunawading 77 (NBL1 South)Wilson - 30 points Canterbury 131 def Auckland 78 (NZNBL)Bowen - 6 points Cangrejos 78 def Vaqueros de Bayamon 71 (BSN)Goulding - 3 points Hagan 86 def by Jena 90 (German ProA)Krslovic - 2 points Ringwood 97 def by Sandringham 104 (NBL1 South)Krebs - 23 points Wellington 75 def by Hawkes Bay 87 (NZNBL)Ili - 17 points Cangrejeros 93 def by Gigantes 112 (BSN)Goulding - 11 points To keep up to date with all of United’s Free Agency news, keep your eye on our Offseason Hub and download the Melbourne United app on iOs or Google Play. In her unsettling and sharply constructed debut Chloe Elisabeth Wilson dissects the seductive promise of transformation through beauty Marnie Sellick once dreamed of writing screenplays barely holding it together at her job at an inner-city Melbourne spin studio and nursing the wounds of a problematic relationship When she’s offered a job with the cult beauty brand rytuał cosmetica Marnie finds herself pulled into a world that promises more than glowing skin The novel is high-concept and psychologically rich Though the premise suggests familiar critiques of beauty culture Rytual goes further – unpacking the brand’s mission to reject masculine norms emotionally detached and unsure of herself becomes the perfect conduit for exploring the power of belief and suggestion a fiercely loyal employee – propel the novel as the stakes quickly spiral the book touches lightly on how belief takes hold and some readers may need to suspend disbelief as events escalate ideology and the fragile boundaries between empowerment and manipulation Its open ending is sure to spark discussion (and possibly outrage) making it ideal for book clubs and readers drawn to provocative fiction Books+Publishing reviewer: Jess Lomas is reviews editor for Books+Publishing Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews Books+Publishing pre-publication reviews are supported by the Copyright Agency Cultural Fund Category: Friday Unlocked reviews Reviews Melbourne United have added another exciting piece to our NBL26 roster with the addition of scoring guard Tom Wilson on a one-year deal Having returned to basketball full-time last NBL1 season Wilson had re-established himself as one of the most dangerous local guards in the competition Wilson previously suited up for the Sydney Kings in NBL19 following a standout junior career which saw him lead Australian to a silver medal at the 2014 U17 FIBA World Championships alongside former United stars Jack White and Isaac Humphries and a pair of appearances for the Boomers during the 2019 Asia Cup Qualifiers The guard would ultimately leave the sport for four years joining the Collingwood Magpies in the AFL before returning in 2023 Wilson couldn’t be happier to get another chance to contribute to winning basketball with United it feels like a dream come true,” he said It’s not an opportunity that a lot of people get I was out of the game for five years but had a connection with (United Assistant Coach) Rhys Carter and he and the group always made me feel really welcome coming into Hoop City “I’m excited about the basketball player I can become with this team I think the experiences I’ve had in basketball and in footy are only going to help me moving forward.” Through his first four games of the NBL1 South season United Head Coach Dean Vickerman said seeing how he’s been able to perform both in the NBL1 as well as as a practice player for portions of NBL25 he believes the 27-year-old guard is ready to be back in the NBL “In his second year back in the NBL1 he’s just playing at a really elite level,” Vickerman said “It’s been great to see him re-discover a love for the game and you can see that on the court He’s been dominant against high level competition “We had the opportunity to have him practice with us last season and I was really impressed with the guard skill set that he had Seeing him play in our building against our guys gave us confidence that he was ready to return to the league.” Fabijan Krslovic and Dash Daniels as rostered players for the NBL26 season READ MORE: Nick Mason on Pink Floyd At Pompeii: “We had no idea of how good is was…” Now, with its soundtrack restored by Steven Wilson – in a mix that is more detailed than the 2016 versions of five tracks featured on box set The Early Years 1965-1972 – it sparkles anew The funky jam section of Echoes sounds punchier than ever while the 12-minute-plus unedited version of A Saucerful Of Secrets is starker and stranger The new set also includes Mademoiselle Nobs Meddle’s Seamus with a different dog barking along to the wailing blues harmonica READ MORE: “The 12-year-old me would have barely been able to conceive that…” Steven Wilson on remixing Pink Floyd At Pompeii. Pink Floyd At Pompeii – MCMLXXII is out May 2 on Legacy ORDER: Amazon | Rough Trade | HMV Pompeii IntroEchoes Part 1Careful With That Axe EugeneA Saucerful of SecretsOne of These DaysSet the Controls for the Heart of the SunMademoiselle NobsEchoes Part 2Careful With that Axe Eugene - Alternate TakeA Saucerful of Secrets – Unedited Get the latest issue of MOJO to read the full story behind the making of Pink Floyd At Pompeii. Plus! Pulp’s first interview in 23 years, Nick Drake unheard, David Johansen remembered, Smokey Robinson reinvents soul, Alison Krauss, Peter Murphy, Small Faces, Billy Nomates, Chip Taylor, Viagra Boys, Hüsker Dü, all back to Billy Idol’s place and more! More info HERE Company number 01176085; Bauer Radio Limited Company number: 1394141; Registered office: Media House Peterborough PE2 6EA and H Bauer Publishing Company number: LP003328; Registered office: The Lantern H Bauer Publishing are authorised and regulated for credit broking by the FCA (Ref No: 845898) With over 27 years at Wilson Asset Management we have invested in many exceptional founder-led companies Our research shows that these companies outperform Today, we are excited to launch the new Wilson Asset Management Founders Fund which will invest in ASX founder-led companies As part of the Wilson Asset Management family we would like to offer you the opportunity to invest in this restricted size Fund with commitments received from founders and management To learn more about this unique opportunity please watch the short video from Portfolio Managers of the Founders Fund To learn more, please register for the Founder Fund Q&A webinar on Wednesday 12 February 2025 Discover the latest insights on the launch of the Founders Fund—read exclusive coverage in The Australian Financial Review and The Australian today WAM Alternative Assets Investment insights Wilson Asset Management Founders Fund If you are a wholesale investor please contact Investment Specialists Martyn McCathie at [email protected] or on 0433 312 603 If you are a wholesale investor please contact Portfolio Managers Oscar Oberg at [email protected] or on 0401 495 081 and Tobias Yao at  [email protected] or on 0431 127 044. the first week of pre-season is described as being the first week back at school You don’t feel like you’re the baby - I’m not the Year 7 anymore!” it’s hard to get your head around that the two have now officially been at IKON Park for a year Selected five picks apart in the 2023 AFL Draft they now all of a sudden have younger teammates who are coming to them for guidance he feels as though there’s one piece of advice in particular which he can provide - and it was one he received quite a few times himself “The first year is a learning year: I wish I knew how much of a learning year it was,” Wilson said “I’ve explained to the new guys to take it all in and enjoy the ride I probably put a bit too much pressure on myself last year.” You get drafted and while you’re not expected to nail everything straight away “Then it’s like ‘what am I doing stuffing up you realise there are guys like Sam Walsh that are still getting better now “I’m not putting too much stress on myself this year it’s pretty simple for me: it’s just to come back better stronger and a better version of what I was last year.” Wilson played 13 of 18 available games in the VFL last season There were clear instances - particularly as the year progressed - of the combination of speed and ball use which had the Blues quickly calling out his name with pick No.34 in the draft last year The majority of those five games on the sidelines were due to a lingering knee injury while he also had a few games where he came out of the action at half time Here's a snapshot of some of Billy Wilson's best work for the Carlton Reserves in year one But it’s all part of that learning experience “I didn’t have a lot of playing time in the legs he took his debut with both hands which was pretty cool to watch he earned his opportunity pretty soon after he started What that time did do was allow Wilson to foster closer relationships with his new teammates particularly with some senior Blues who took him under their wing from the outset there’s arguably nobody better for Wilson to learn from than Adam Saad… and a red-and-black connection in a very very distant past life makes it all the more significant for the 19-year-old We get along really well and he’s been really good for me “I was a Bombers man and I absolutely loved watching him play Getting to play with him and learn from him “In terms of watching vision and then on-field We chat about the half-back role quite a bit but it’s a similar role to the one I want to play “The interest of midfield is definitely still there for me but it’s trying to nail the one role first before having that secondary option.” Billy moved in with the co-vice captain on a temporary basis immediately post-draft “I think I did hang around longer than I was meant to I was there for a couple of months — longer than all the other draftees were in It’s great having Charlie there for me: the way he looked after me throughout that whole time was amazing.” Those familiar with Carlton Media channels will know all about Jason Boyd - Jordan’s old man who lives and breathes his football travelling far and wide to watch his son in action there may be a challenger to that throne in the form of Aaron Wilson he’d do anything to be around… he’s somewhat around the mark of Boydy’s old man “I actually played for the same three local clubs as Dad did I’d be either playing for Red Hill or Dromana juniors but then I’d be going back on Saturdays to watch Rosebud play Then I had the opportunity to play for Rosebud a couple of times growing up when I was at the Stingrays The Carlton Reserves went down to a surging Coburg Lions outfit Michael Voss reviews a disappointing day in Adelaide Carlton has fallen to Adelaide by 60 points Summer is in session: Ashton Moir kicks off season three of the Carlton Media podcast The Carlton Football Club is proud to reveal its 2025 Indigenous guernsey designed by Yorta Yorta siblings and founders of Bayadherra Hudson O'Keeffe had his most commanding performance of his VFL career to date in the Carlton Reserves' Round 6 clash with coburg Watch the best of the Carlton Reserves in the VFL Round 6 clash with Coburg AFL Senior Coach Michael Voss joined media following the Round 8 clash with Adelaide See what Michael Voss had to say ahead of Carlton's Round 8 clash with Adelaide Carlton Football Club acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land on which IKON Park is located The Club also acknowledges and pays its respects to their Elders past and present and the Traditional Owners of the many lands on which we play our great game Controversial umpire Joel Wilson has been dumped from the International Cricket Council’s Elite Panel weeks after citing Australian spinner Matt Kuhnemann for a suspected illegal action for which he was later cleared The ICC confirmed on Tuesday evening that Wilson and Michael Gough would not have their contracts renewed for 2025-26 after an annual review The Trinidadian umpire became the subject of scrutiny after routinely making questionable decisions in international cricket players would often successfully have his initial decisions overturned More than a third of Wilson’s decisions that were referred to DRS in 2024 – 35.4 per cent – were overturned Wilson is remembered by Australian fans as the umpire who gave Ben Stokes not out against the bowling of Nathan Lyon - when replays showed the ball was hitting the stumps - during the tense final stages of the 2019 Ashes Test at Headingley when England needed just two runs for victory Australia had already used all their reviews meaning the incorrect decision stood as the home side won a thrilling match minutes later I must admit,” Australian captain Tim Paine said at the time “I can’t fathom why or how that wasn’t given out at the time because England had two referrals left.” Wilson also made several contentious decisions that went against Australia – some of which were overturned – during the fourth Test against India at the MCG in December Wilson turned down Australia’s caught behind appeal when Yashasvi Jaiswal appeared to get bat on ball down the leg side gave Virat Kohli not out from the first ball he faced after Steve Smith dived forward in the slips and scooped up a catch to Marnus Labuschagne in the gully Wilson thought the ball had touched the ground but a number of former Test greats disagreed “You can see his fingers clearly under the ball,” former Australian captain Ricky Ponting said in commentary for Channel Seven Wilson was also involved in Australia’s recent Test series against Sri Lanka in Galle as one of the match officials who reported Kuhnemann for a suspected illegal action who took 16 wickets at an average of 17.18 in the two Tests was cleared of any wrongdoing and is free to continue bowling Kuhnemann’s mentor, John Davison, told this masthead last month Australia’s best left-arm orthodox spinner had been made a “scapegoat” by officials Joel Wilson chats to Pat Cummins during the 2023 Ashes series “I’d be encouraging Joel Wilson to get his decisions right rather than get too involved in other parts of the game,” Davison said Kuhnemann spoke about the impact of being cited in an interview with this masthead last week. “I was lucky I had a great support network around me to deal with it because it was so public but there’s definitely better ways to do it and if it doesn’t have to be public then so be it.” During the Boxing Day Test between Australia and Pakistan in 2023 Wilson had two decisions overturned in two balls prompting former Pakistan fast bowler Wasim Akram to declare Wilson was having a “shocker” 140 one-day internationals and 71 T20 Internationals ICC chair Jay Shah thanked Wilson and congratulated incoming umpires Allahudien Paleker (South Africa) and Alex Wharf (England) on being added to the panel “We would … like to place on record our sincere thanks to both Joel and Michael for their services to the world game over a number of years,” Shah said in a statement Australia has two umpires on the international panel; Rod Tucker and Paul Reiffel Controversial umpire Joel Wilson has been dumped from the International Cricket Council\\u2019s Elite Panel weeks after citing Australian spinner Matt Kuhnemann for a suspected illegal action for which he was later cleared More than a third of Wilson\\u2019s decisions that were referred to DRS in 2024 \\u2013 35.4 per cent \\u2013 were overturned I must admit,\\u201D Australian captain Tim Paine said at the time \\u201CI can\\u2019t fathom why or how that wasn\\u2019t given out at the time because England had two referrals left.\\u201D Wilson also made several contentious decisions that went against Australia \\u2013 some of which were overturned \\u2013 during the fourth Test against India at the MCG in December Wilson turned down Australia\\u2019s caught behind appeal when Yashasvi Jaiswal appeared to get bat on ball down the leg side \\u201CYou can see his fingers clearly under the ball,\\u201D former Australian captain Ricky Ponting said in commentary for Channel Seven Wilson was also involved in Australia\\u2019s recent Test series against Sri Lanka in Galle as one of the match officials who reported Kuhnemann for a suspected illegal action Australia\\u2019s best left-arm orthodox spinner had been made a \\u201Cscapegoat\\u201D by officials \\u201CI\\u2019d be encouraging Joel Wilson to get his decisions right rather than get too involved in other parts of the game,\\u201D Davison said Kuhnemann spoke about the impact of being cited \\u201CI was lucky I had a great support network around me to deal with it because it was so public but there\\u2019s definitely better ways to do it and if it doesn\\u2019t have to be public then so be it.\\u201D prompting former Pakistan fast bowler Wasim Akram to declare Wilson was having a \\u201Cshocker\\u201D \\u201CWe would \\u2026 like to place on record our sincere thanks to both Joel and Michael for their services to the world game over a number of years,\\u201D Shah said in a statement Russell Wilson to the New York Giants almost happened a year ago. Now, it's reality -- and this time Wilson is the team's projected starting quarterback Wilson visited the Giants just over a year ago. At the time, the Giants had starter Daniel Jones and wouldn't offer Wilson anything more than the backup job. Wilson ended up signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers The Giants went 3-14 last season and the pressure is on general manager Joe Schoen and coach Brian Daboll to produce better results can be their stopgap for a potential rookie draft pick and play well enough early in the season to prove the roster is competitive Schoen wasn't shy at the NFL combine in saying the Giants needed to add a veteran quarterback. They made a serious run at Matthew Stafford but came up empty The pivot was finding quarterbacks who can serve as a bridge and possibly mentor a quarterback acquired through the draft What are the broader implications of the Wilson move ESPN's team of NFL reporters weighed in on the most pressing questions for the Giants The Wilson and Winston signings don't prevent the Giants from finding their future franchise quarterback in the draft They are merely short-term stopgaps at this point It makes no difference that this is the same Wilson who was once a top-tier QB and Super Bowl winner He's not that level of a quarterback anymore with his reduced athleticism and mobility hasn't been a full-time starter in five years The Giants are still expected to address the quarterback position in the draft by moving up in the back end of the first round or on Day 2 owner John Mara made it abundantly clear the top priority this offseason was to find a quarterback of the future The pursuit of Stafford and the eventual signing of both Winston and now Wilson is an admission that the Giants are trying to straddle a rebuild and compete in 2025 at the same time Schoen all but acknowledged this several weeks back when he said the Giants were going to look for "the best player available that can help us win games in '25." Turns out That rookie can then spend the upcoming season learning behind Wilson and Winston That's a question only Wilson himself can answer Despite a decline in performance in the Steelers' five-game losing streak to close the season Wilson reiterated a desire to play for five to seven more years but he didn't appear to have the physical drop-off of other quarterbacks playing into their late 30s though his accuracy and decision-making weren't always consistent Wilson's biggest obstacle to continuing his career with quality quarterback play is accepting direction from his coaches and making smart The bigger question is whether his leadership style and larger-than-life persona would be effective with a younger quarterback I'm not sure how to be enthusiastic about adding Wilson given what we've seen from him over the past few seasons The Giants represent his third team in the past four years He joined the Broncos as a big-money trade acquisition and immediately underperformed; he joined the Steelers as a steadying veteran presence to ride an elite defense to the postseason that's what the Giants are pursuing now: a reliable veteran presence in their quarterback room if they were drafting a young quarterback next month It's not impossible that a team would sign two potential veteran starters and draft a quarterback early -- it's just not usually done it's unlikely that he holds the starting job for a full season over Winston with his quality of play; doubly unlikely if a rookie is waiting in the wings Wilson is a big name but a small impact on any roster he joins Wilson and Winston on the same sideline will be mandatory viewing on Sundays While signing a bridge starter and a bridge QB2 with starter's potential could be seen as unusual -- especially when factoring in the team's No 3 selection in next month's draft -- the presence of Wilson and Winston is an upgrade from last year's depleted quarterback room "They'll both give you enough to be functional as an offense," one AFC executive said Giants fans who watched last season will understand the importance of that line Wilson's signing does not preclude them from selecting a passer with the top-three pick but some around the league do concede there's a chance this is the Giants showing their hand in how they feel about this quarterback class "Odd couple," a different AFC exec said of the Wilson-Winston signings "and it would tell you they ain't taking Sanders." -- Jeremy Fowler REA Group has announced that CEO Owen Wilson will retire from his role in the second half of 2025 who has been at the helm for six years and with REA for a decade will step down from full-time executive duties Wilson’s tenure as CEO has been marked by robust financial performance and transformative growth for REA Group Under his leadership, REA Group expanded its operations and global investments significantly Wilson served as REA Group’s chief financial officer where he managed the company’s finance portfolio Wilson has more than 30 years of experience across the information technology, recruitment, and banking industries. His career includes roles at ANZ, where he was the COO of ANZ’s Institutional and Investment Bank and managing director of retail banking and international partnerships in Asia He also held positions at KPMG and Chandler MacLeod Group before his tenure at REA Group Wilson’s academic background includes a bachelor of commerce in accounting and computer science from Deakin University He is also a director of the Hawthorn Football Club REA Group chairman Hamish McLennan praised Wilson’s leadership “After more than 10 glorious years at REA Group Owen has decided to retire,” McLennan said “His stellar leadership leaves the company exceptionally well positioned and REA is one of the best home-grown technology companies which has flourished into being a global leader.” News Corp CEO Robert Thomson also lauded Wilson's achievements “Owen has shown extraordinary leadership in building a global success story at REA which has become the gold standard for digital platforms,” Thomson said the board has initiated a comprehensive process to select a new CEO evaluating both internal and external candidates Wilson will remain with REA Group to ensure a smooth transition “It has been a privilege to lead REA Group for the past six years and I am proud of all our team has accomplished,” Wilson said “The business is in excellent shape as evidenced by the results we have announced today.” See the REA Group announcement. Also read Wilson’s leadership profile at the REA Group website. Mogul skier Charlotte Wilson has stunned the FIS World Cup circuit, claiming her first career victory in the dual moguls event on the site of the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Livigno, Italy, next February. We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of all the lands on which we are located. We pay our respects to ancestors and Elders, past and present. We celebrate and honour all of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Olympians. The Australian Olympic Committee is committed to honouring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ unique cultural and spiritual relationships to the land, waters and seas and their rich contribution to society and sport. CNN and the BBC World Service which is copyright and cannot be reproduced AEST = Australian Eastern Standard Time which is 10 hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) Caitlin Clark and Arike Ogunbowale headline everyone's fantasy draft lists but Andre Snellings thinks Angel Reese deserves more attention Only five players averaged 39.5 FP/G or better last season: Wilson (50.3 FP/G), Collier (41.1 FP/G), Clark (40.4 FP/G), Arike Ogunbowale (39.7 FP/G) and Stewart (39.6 FP/G) No other player that played at least half their games averaged more than 34.5 FP/G leaving a clear delineation between the top five and the rest of the league Create or join a league today to get started • Sign up for free! Ogunbowale and Collier are both veteran players that set their career-bests in fantasy scoring last season which makes it unlikely they could close the large production gap with Wilson this season Stewart averaged a career-high 44.4 FP/G in 2023 so there is some possibility she could bounce back to that level in 2025 But with Stewart preparing for her ninth season while coming off knee surgery the likelihood is that Wilson would still be the better fantasy draft prospect this season She was the only rookie ranked in the top-5 in fantasy points per game and accomplished those numbers despite having a relatively slow start to the season as she acclimated to the pro game But she caught fire after the All-Star and Olympic break 9.8 APG and 5.6 RPG in the last 22 games of the regular season With that as a springboard to her sophomore campaign there is a very realistic chance that she could maintain those numbers for the season how likely is Wilson to replicate her production from last season Because if she averages near 50 FP/G or above again she is exceedingly likely to lead the league again Wilson might not put up the same scoring numbers this year Wilson remains the Aces primary interior presence on both offense and defense And while Gray and Loyd might eat slightly into her shot volume they also should open space for Wilson to increase her shot efficiency Wilson shot a career-best 55.7% from the field playing more often as the primary big in an otherwise small-ball lineup is exactly what led to Wilson's career year in blocks and boards so she has the potential to even improve on those this season While Wilson is projected to slightly regress across the board the highest projected mark in the league by almost five FP over Clark's projected 41.2 FP/G and Stewart's 40.9 FP/G While there is logical reason to believe these projections could shift a bit in either direction the odds are that Wilson still maintains a reasonable gap between her production and everyone else she should maintain her well-deserved designation as the top pick in fantasy women's basketball this season Luke Otto is a Content Producer for the Epson Tour He is a Professional Golf Management grad from Ferris State University and has spent three years in professional golf 'understands' the Giants signing Russell Wilson (1:34)Stephen A Smith is ambivalent over the Giants signing Russell Wilson to a one-year deal EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Russell Wilson is coming to the New York Giants with the expectation that he will be the starting quarterback It's no different than the approach he has taken every year of his illustrious career which includes a Super Bowl victory and multiple Pro Bowls Wilson officially signed with the Giants on Wednesday, less than a week after the team added veteran quarterback Jameis Winston as a free agent. New York also re-signed Tommy DeVito earlier this offseason None of that has altered Wilson's mentality I expect to be the starter and come in here and be ready to rock and roll every day," Wilson said during an introductory news conference via video when asked how the situation was laid out by the Giants "I think this team's really looking for somebody to lead them in every way." Wilson, 36, started 11 games last season for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He has been a starter every year of his career, even as a rookie third-round pick by the Seattle Seahawks in 2012 But at this point of his career, he had to wait until the second tier of free agency to find the right spot. Wilson had interest in returning to the Steelers and also visited with the Cleveland Browns He agreed to terms with the Giants on Tuesday night after being stuck in a quarterback waiting game that seemed to revolve around Aaron Rodgers The Giants and Steelers were among the teams interested in Rodgers Pittsburgh is still waiting for an answer from Rodgers "Aaron Rodgers is a tremendous football player," Wilson said "He's done some amazing things in this league I've been fortunate to be able to do some great things And really what I'm focused on is right now and what we can do here That's been my focus since I've signed and everything else along the way is finding a place that continues to believe in you." One caveat for Wilson is that the Giants are still believed to be in the market for a quarterback in this year's draft. They have the No. 3 pick and Colorado's Shedeur Sanders could be in serious consideration they could grab a quarterback with a later pick either by moving into the back end of the first round or on Day 2 of the draft Owner John Mara said earlier this year that finding a quarterback of the future was the organization's "No considering Wilson and Winston are not signed long term and both are well into their respective careers At the start of Wilson's professional journey he won the starting job over a newly signed Matt Flynn in Seattle Wilson was asked Wednesday how he would manage a similar situation in which a rookie could be added to the quarterback room we will make sure that he does everything he can to be ready to go and be prepared with his mentality," Wilson said what I can do as a quarterback of the New York Giants to help us win and to do everything that we can to lead." As the Giants searched for a veteran quarterback this offseason part of the allure seemed to be that they could help a young quarterback obtained through the draft as a mentor of sorts This could be a role that Wilson and Winston are asked to play if the Giants elect to add to the quarterback room in the draft I think the first thing is you always handle yourself first You always get yourself prepared at the highest level and control what you can control," he said "And part of that is doing everything I can to be my best every day they see your mental habits and how you go about it And so I'm excited about the opportunity to continue to lead Wilson noted the players in the Giants locker room as a key factor in his decision to sign He downplayed any notion that he and his wife chose New York because of all that comes with being under the bright lights in the big city The Super Bowl-winning quarterback said his decision was "about football." The Giants' situation offered an opportunity to start and an intriguing roster Among the many players that Wilson mentioned was wide receiver Malik Nabers The prospect of playing with the second-year receiver seemed to energize him "He's an explosive athlete," Wilson said of Nabers who had 109 catches and 1,204 yards as a rookie The Wallabies skipper will become the 129th captain of Queensland in a rugby history spanning more than 140 years when he runs on for this Round Six clash in SMARTECH Super Rugby Pacific. He will join an illustrious list of influential No.8s to captain Queensland, the likes of Mark Loane and Dallas O’Neill in the amateur era and Toutai Kefu, John Roe and Scott Higginbotham in the professional era of Super Rugby. Wilson steps up from the team’s leadership group with Tate McDermott, Liam Wright and Fraser McReight not travelling to Dunedin. “I feel very privileged to be able to captain Queensland,” Wilson said. “I’ve always liked to lead in my own way and help the team in any way I can. It just happens I’ll have the (c) next to my name this week. “A week later I’ll probably be back to my normal role. “I definitely feel more relaxed in this captaincy situation because of the Wallabies experiences I had last year. I just want to really enjoy this with a squad that has the opportunity to go to New Zealand and get a win in a city where we haven’t done so for 12 years.” Halfback McDermott and lock Ryan Smith are being game-managed and will be available for the following week’s match against the Western Force at Suncorp Stadium on March 29. In Dunedin, John Bryant will step up at openside flanker for the injured McReight while Kalani Thomas, a 54-game club regular, will get to start in the No.9 jersey for the first time this season. Bryant performed admirably last season at openside against the Highlanders and Blues when McReight was under suspension and built his experience significantly through the Reds International Program with games against Wales, Tonga and Ulster. “’JB’ played very well with his opportunities at No.7 last year against the Highlanders and Blues. Kalani has made a difference every time he’s come off the bench this season,” Wilson said. “We pride ourselves on players being ready to step up when chances come and on big performances away from home.” Wallabies lock Lukhan Salakaia-Loto has been selected for his first game of the season off the bench after beating a leg injury. Reds head coach Les Kiss said facing a Highlanders side with power in the pack and speed on the edges was a challenge the team was eager to accept under the roof at Forysth Barr Stadium. “There’s going to be some really rowdy students in the stands under the roof. It’ll be a good atmosphere and a challenge to enjoy,” Kiss said. “We have a game we think we can win with. We just have to put it on the park with the balance we have been working on. “Harry has been part of our leadership group from the start this season and his presence in the locker room makes him the ideal man for the captaincy this week. “Guys like John Bryant and Joe Brial step up for us with lots of qualities and Lukhan is a massive addition who will add leadership as well.” 1 Sef Fa’agase - Sunnybank – Shailer Park State High – Beaudesert Warriors 2 Richie Asiata - Sunnybank – Anglican Church Grammar School 3 Zane Nonggorr - Bond University – The Southport School – Gold Coast Eagles 4 Josh Canham – Bond University - Brighton Grammar, Melb - Harlequins RC, Melb 5 Angus Blyth – Bond University – The Southport School – Casuarina Beach RC 6 Seru Uru - Wests - Ratu Kadavulevu School, Fiji – Namoli RC, Fiji 7 John Bryant - Souths - St Laurence’s College - Souths 8 Harry Wilson (c) - Brothers – St Joseph’s College Gregory Terrace – Gunnedah Red Devils 9 Kalani Thomas – University of Queensland – Ipswich Grammar School - Souths 10 Tom Lynagh – University of Queensland – Epsom College – Richmond RC, UK 11 Tim Ryan – Brothers – St Patrick’s College, Shorncliffe 12 Hunter Paisami – Wests – Mangere College, Auckland 13 Filipo Daugunu – Sunnybank - Dogotuki District School, Fiji 14 Lachie Anderson – University of Queensland - Oakhill College, Sydney – Dural RC 15 Heremaia Murray - TBC – Auckland Grammar - Te Rarawa RC, NZ 16 George Blake - Bond University – The Southport School – Fasi Maufanga Eels, Tonga 17 Alex Hodgman - Sunnybank – Mt Albert Grammar, Auckland – Suburbs RFC, Auck 18 Massimo De Lutiis - Wests – The Southport School – Surfers Paradise Dolphins 19 Lukhan Salakaia-Loto – Souths – John Edmondson HS, Sydney 20 Joe Brial – University of Queensland – Scots College – Easts, Sydney 21 Louis Werchon - Wests – Sunshine Coast Grammar – Maroochydore Swans 22 Harry McLaughlin-Phillips – Wests – Brisbane Boys’ College – Gunnedah Red Devils 23 Dre Pakeho – Brothers – Anglican Church Grammar School Unavailable through injury: Jock Campbell, Matt Faessler, Josh Flook, Matt Gibbon, Frankie Goldsbrough, Mason Gordon, Isaac Henry, Will McCulloch, Fraser McReight, Josh Nasser, Liam Wright Free agent quarterback Zach Wilson reached agreement with the Miami Dolphins on a one-year fully guaranteed deal that could grow to $10 million sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Monday The move brings Wilson, drafted No. 2 by the New York Jets in 2021, back to the AFC East and gives the Dolphins a veteran backup behind starter Tua Tagovailoa Wilson spent last season with the Denver Broncos who traded a sixth-round pick to the Jets for Wilson and a seventh-rounder last April The Broncos believed he could bounce back from his struggles in New York Wilson, 25, was in a three-way competition for the starting job with rookie Bo Nix and Jarrett Stidham throughout Denver's offseason program and early in training camp Coach Sean Payton then pared it down to a two-man competition between Nix and Stidham a week into camp Wilson threw for 251 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for a score a performance that showed the Broncos that he'd be unlikely to clear waivers if they wanted to add him to their practice squad Wilson remained on the roster as the third quarterback for the season Wilson's pregame workouts with quarterback coach Davis Webb when he consistently flashed the arm strength that made him a first-round draft pick Advance scouts from other teams could be seen keeping an eye on Wilson's work before games late in the season but Payton consistently lauded his work with the hope "you put a guy in position to make a lot of money." Wilson was also credited as being a key component to Nix's development as a rookie Nix called Wilson a reliable voice and sounding board given his 33 NFL starts had more interceptions (25) than touchdown passes (23) and completed only 57% of his passes finishing 35th out of 36 qualified passers in QBR (33.6) over his three years the Jets granted him permission to speak to other teams about a potential trade leading to the deal with Denver just ahead of last April's NFL draft Also, the Dolphins added more depth to their line by signing former Chicago Bears offensive lineman Larry Borom ESPN's Jeff Legwold and Brooke Pryor contributed to this report Josh is the sitting member for the federal seat of Fremantle and he joins me now ADSHEAD: Just let me put that one to you then you can’t vote the way you want to vote that you’ve got to vote as part of a bloc within the Labor government I don’t know where that idea comes from I participate in the Labor Party decision making processes I’m part of the national conference process I’m part of caucus and caucus committees I’m not sure if Kate or anyone could contemplate an entire Parliament of independents How would you have an agenda that the Australian people can consider And I’ve shown in my time as the federal member for Fremantle how a local representative who grew up and has been shaped by Freo my whole life then carries those values into the national parliament Stopping the live sheep trade is probably the best example That wasn’t the Labor Party’s policy to make a sensible transition out of a marginal I worked internally to achieve the change in policy We took it to two elections and now we’ve legislated a sensible well managed end to that trade with an assistance package to make sure that Western Australian farmers take advantage of all of the benefits that we get from expanded trade opportunities with chilled and frozen meat a trade that’s grown 400% while the live sheep trade has declined by 90% that’s a Fremantle born and bred policy initiative that I have carried into the national Parliament and delivered ADSHEAD: And you’re probably on the same page there but if we go to the policy setting and you heard Kate talking about AUKUS is she wrong when she says that that’s a bad deal for the Australian people it’s a great deal for the US administration and that’s currently being run by Donald Trump and we should be worried AUKUS is not just about the acquisition of nuclear propelled submarines It is a technology sharing arrangement between ourselves and two pretty key security partners And there are some aspects of that deal that are important to our future well-being in having an Australian Defence force that is fit for purpose we have in the federal Electorate of Fremantle And I’ve stood up for Australian shipbuilding because as an island continent nation both in terms of the industrial side of it and the workforce and skills side of it And I’m glad to be part of a government that will deliver an Australian strategic fleet as an island continent nation that doesn’t want to be knocked around by changes in government or changes in administration in other parts of the world I think it goes to show that these issues are complex and serious and they need to be dealt with in a serious and responsible way I’ve been fortunate to be part of that because my community has given me the great trust and responsibility of being their representative And I’m happy to ask for that trust again ADSHEAD: I certainly think that what Kate Hulett said in relation to gas exports touches a nerve in Australia where we’re now contemplating a situation where gas may have to be imported into this country and that that could be at greater cost and could rise power prices they were certainly looking at the notion of keeping more gas in Australia What do you think your government should do about that situation where you might have to see gas coming from Middle Eastern countries over to Melbourne and Sydney it’s not a problem in Western Australia because a Western Australian Labor state government had the foresight to put in place an effective reservation policy that’s an example of what Labor governments do They see something that is in everybody’s best interests And even though at the time there were those particularly on the conservative side of the political fence who said that it wasn’t right to put a reservation policy in place And that has put Western Australia in a very good position when it comes to security of energy and prices we’ve also acted to deal with the crisis that we’ve all experienced over the last couple of years We put a cap on gas prices and coal prices to keep those pressures under control we’ve provided a significant amount of direct energy relief more than $2,000 to every household in Western Australia The Prime Minister just announced we’re going to be doing that again in the current budget we’re undertaking the work that delivers that cheaper cleaner and more self-sufficient energy future which is an energy future dominated by renewables and storage And I was with Chris Bowen announcing four new big batteries that the Australian government will invest in for Western Australia which will be the first jurisdiction in Australia to come out of coal-fired power in 2030 which I think quite rightly expects someone to roll up their sleeves and be part of that work in a detailed is looking for that kind of representative please trust me with the responsibility of continuing to do that work Considering the achievements of the government that I’m part of and the things that I personally help deliver how different a seat is it federally when you look at the demographics you look at the suburbs that Fremantle federally reaches into is it a whole new world once you sort of hit it’s not that this is not a contest between Kate Hulett and myself There’s already a number of other candidates and everyone starts off scratch I’ve got a record as a representative that I hope people consider but that doesn’t carry over into any starting vote pile I’ve lived in both Freo and Cockburn and East Fremantle All three local government areas are part of the federal electorate of Freo the largest government primary school in the state on the other side of the freeway down there in the southeast It’s a community and a landscape that I’ve lived and breathed all my life And Kate will be in the same position that I’m in please trust me with the great responsibility of being your representative in the national Parliament ADSHEAD: Does it make your work a bit harder as an observer watching what happened in Fremantle I’m not saying it’s unprecedented in Freo And if Simone hadn’t had the cushion she had when you’re in representative politics you take nothing for granted and you see things change from election to election I had an election in 2018 that was essentially just me against the Greens and a Liberal Democrat people made predictions about how that that would turn out I’m lucky to do what I regard as the most meaningful thing I could possibly do with my life And I approach every election with a massive amount of energy because I like campaigning and a massive amount of respect because I respect the process and I respect the community that I’ve grown up in and that has shaped me let me take on the responsibility of leadership and public service on your behalf maybe down the track we might get you and Kate in for a debate who’s the candidate for the Australian Citizens Party who’s the candidate for the Socialist Alliance ~ If you’d like to COMMENT on this or any of our stories, don’t hesitate to email our Editor. volunteer-assisted online magazine all about Fremantle ~ Don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE to receive your free copy of The Weekly Edition of the Shipping News each Friday View From The Round House With Martin Drum This family friendly celebration of all things maritime has become the largest.. The ACCC – the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission – has just released its latest Targeting Scams report Don’t miss the grand final of The Floor is Yours 2024 public speaking competition presented by Soroptimist International Western.. we at the Shipping News posted our first stories here’s the report on the Ordinary Council Meeting of City of Fremantle of Wednesday night © 2025 Fremantle Shipping News / Site by Super Minimal © 2025 Fremantle Shipping News / Site by Superminimal Wallabies captain Harry Wilson will lead the Queensland Reds out against the Highlanders on Saturday Wilson becomes the 129th Reds captain in their history almost seven months after being appointed Australian skipper “I feel very privileged to be able to captain Queensland,” Wilson said in a statement. “A week later, I’ll probably be back to my normal role. It comes with Tate McDermott, Liam Wright, Matt Faessler, Ryan Smith and Fraser McReight all on the sidelines. As a result, Kalani Thomas and John Bryant start for the first time in 2025, with Angus Blyth partnering with Josh Canham in the second row. Richie Asiata starts after his 20 metre rolling maul during last week’s win over the NSW Waratahs. As confirmed by Kiss, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto returns to the bench after a leg injury, with Louis Werchon and Dre Pakeho added to the bench. “We have a game we think we can win with. We just have to put it on the park with the balance we have been working on,” Kiss said. REDS (1-15): Sef Fa'agase, Richie Asiata, Zane Nonggorr, Josh Canham, Angus Blyth, Seru Uru, John Bryant, Harry Wilson (c), Kalani Thomas, Tom Lynagh, Tim Ryan, Hunter Paisami, Filipo Daugunu, Lachie Anderson, Heremaia Murray Replacements: George Blake, Alex Hodgman, Massimo De Lutiis, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, Joe Brial, Louis Werchon, Harry McLaughlin-Phillips, Dre Pakeho Wilson had yo-yoed in and out of national contention since his 2020 debut with injuries and form slumps reducing the Queenslander to just 16 Test appearances Now, Wilson finds himself Australia's incumbent number eight and captain heading into a massive 2025 with Super Rugby Pacific, a British & Irish Lions Series, The Rugby Championship and another Spring Tour on the horizon. With his sixth Super Rugby campaign mere weeks away, Wilson sat down with rugby.com.au to reflect on his "whirlwind" year in Wallaby gold and preview the Reds' upcoming season. Before we talk Wallabies, you've now played 70-odd games for Queensland. How does it feel being one of the old bulls around the club at just 25? HW: It’s quite funny, I was talking to Fraser (McReight) and someone else else about this the other day - I feel like we forget how young we still are. You see people starting their careers at 25 but obviously we’re heading into our sixth year of Super Rugby and it’s our seventh with the squad. It’s different but it’s exciting, you’ve got more influence in the team and you feel you can offer more where in past years you’re more worried about yourself and your own game. It’s awesome to know that those younger boys, you know, two or three years ago I was in  the exact same spot as them. But we can’t be that old - just look at James Slipper. He’s almost 10 years older than me. I sent him a message and asked him how he went that first week back of pre-season. I told him I’m struggling and he just goes "mate, don’t get me started" but he’s tough as nails. Tell us more about James Slipper and that relationship. What role did he play for you through 2024? HW: He was amazing for me. Him, AAA (Allan Alaalatoa) and Whitey (Nic White) all helped me out with the (Wallabies) captaincy but I’ve had a relationship with him since 2018 when we played Queensland Country together. I didn’t have many mates as the young guy in that team and he was the old guy who didn’t have many mates so we have this unique bond from then and we’ve kept in touch frequently since. Last year, being thrust into a position which I wasn’t used to or had much experience with, I leant on him so much and those three boys, how much they helped me was unbelievable. They helped me with stuff I was uncomfortable with, helped me build the confidence to do it. I couldn’t have done it without those three.” We’ll talk more about the captaincy, but first tell us about your call-up. You’d been out of the Test squad for a while - how did you find out you’d been selected last year? HW: Yeah, that was quite a funny one. I saw it (July Series squad) on Instagram first but my arm was still about 80 percent at that point and I was a bit nervous about how I was going to go. They threw me into training, did a bit of light stuff and then they had to cut the squad short so (Wallabies coach) Joe (Schmidt) said go back and play a game of club footy and that was awesome for me. The arm felt back to normal, no issues there, and then I was back in the squad for Georgia. When you’re in a few squads in a row you probably take it for granted but when you haven’t been in a squad for two years, just being in the training environment again is awesome. I felt so privileged to get back into that position training with the squad. So you're back in the squad and playing through the Georgia and South Africa Tests. How and when did the Wallabies captaincy come about? HW: We were over in Argentina - it was the Tuesday morning before La Plata - and that’s where Joe asked me. When you get knocked on the shoulder by Joe on a Tuesday, it’s normally not the best news, so I was quite happy when first he said I was playing. But also to be given that honour, yeah, I was obviously a bit rocked. I wasn't expecting him to say that. I told him it would be the biggest honour I could ever have. I grew up wanting to play for the Wallabies but never grew up wanting to be a captain - I just wanted to play - so to be given that honour is something I never take lightly. Joe was awesome. He didn’t try to change me, didn’t try to make me somebody else. He just said to just keep training hard, be competitive in everything you do and just lead by actions. Your first Test as skipper was that 20-19 win against Los Pumas. How happy were you to see Ben Donaldson’s kick go over? HW: That was such a special feeling. It was a whirlwind of a week but game day is the best time of the week because you’re not worried about any captaincy stuff - once you get on the field you’re a footy player and the only thing that changed for me was to choose the right things around going for touch or scrum. Once I was out there, it felt natural and that was one of my favourite games ever to be a part of. The way the team played for each other was amazing. We just tried to bash them all game and just when we felt like we would let it slip, we got down their end late. I was stoked when we got that penalty advantage. Like I said, definitely a whirlwind of a week but then the next week you get humbled (67-27 loss in Santa Fe) and you learn a lot more from the second week than the first week. I think by the end of the year I improved as a captain. I definitely learnt a lot in every game week to week, session to session and I feel I grew a lot of confidence in that position too. Would you want to take up that Test captaincy role again in 2025? HW: The beauty of my experience in the Wallabies is I’ve been humbled quite often.  There’s been times I think I’ve played some good footy, got ahead of myself and then been dropped out of squads so I can’t be thinking about that. For me, I know I need to go out there and play well for the Reds this year. If I ever got the opportunity to captain for Wallabies again, it’d be such an honour and I’d love to do it but we’ve got a Super (Rugby Pacific) season to get through and our focus is on Round 2 against Moana Pasifika. Speaking of Super Rugby Pacific, how do you reflect on the Reds' 2024 season and what are your goals for Queensland in 2025? HW: Last year, we had some really good moments and won some big matches but we also let some very winnable matches slip. I think our goal this year is to have that ruthless attitude needed to win the games we should and win them well. It’s a happy group, the coaches are awesome. We’ve got that good core squad that have been here a while and those boys who’ve come in have only added and improved us. There’s a few good number eights going around Ballymore with guys like John Bryant and Joe Brial. Are you feeling any pressure? HW: There's no such thing as walking into a jersey. If you’re not feeling pressure, you’re complacent and then your performance will go down. That’s the beauty of having John and Joe there. They want that eight jersey, there’s pressure on the six and seven jerseys too and they want to be a part of that backrow. It makes sure you get up for every session, it makes sure you train as hard as you can and compete. We’ve always had depth but this year’s really good. There’ll never be a game where you can go out and coast because there’s someone on your heels. The awesome thing about coming back into Reds training this year was that we weren’t going down a level from Wallabies - we were ripping in trying to catch up on detail and the way we compete at training is fierce and awesome. Everyone’s so close off the field as well and I think that’s the blend you’ve got to have if you want to succeed. Finally, how do your mates and family take you down a peg after a massive year like 2024? What are they doing or saying to keep you level? HW: They don’t find that very difficult, to be honest. When I came back, I went on a trip with my school mates and I definitely wasn’t Harry the rugby player or Harry the captain there. They were into me the whole time and they all bully me. It’s funny because they’re all going well and doing awesome things in their jobs and my brothers are hitting all their goals in their jobs. They’re all proud of me and I’m proud of what they’re doing as well but they’ll still let me know about a game I lost for them in school or how my brother Will won another premiership with Brothers and I wasn’t there for it.