Coast unfazed by Hunt’s late arrival

May 6, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Karmichael Hunt has become a surprise rugby union hit at the wrong end of the European season for the fledgling Gold Coast AFL club.

Hunt’s strong display at five-eighth for Biarritz in their European Cup semi-final win at the weekend means the former NRL star will stay in France for a further three weeks.

He will not arrive on the Coast until the end of the month, when he will be thrown straight into action for the AFL expansion club to begin adapting to his third professional football code.

But coach Guy McKenna should not worry about Hunt being burnt out by excessive rugby games – he will not have to play again until the May 22 European Cup final against French rivals Toulouse at Stade de France in Paris.

Biarritz missed France’s Top 14 six-team play-off series, finishing seventh despite Hunt scoring a try in their final-round 27-22 loss to Racing Metro, which grabbed the last finals spot.

After playing in the centres for the bulk of an injury-affected season, the ex-Brisbane Broncos full-back was a shock choice at five-eighth against Munster in the 18-7 Cup semi-final upset but acquitted himself well, especially in defence and with his kicking.

Happy to see their big-name recruit drop-punting the rugby ball accurately, Gold Coast officials deny they are concerned about Hunt’s delayed return and pleased to see he continued to adapt quickly to different roles.

Asked whether they had crossed their fingers Biarritz would lose to Munster, Gold Coast football manager Marcus Ashcroft said: “Yes and no.”

“As a rugby union player he’s developed quickly,” he said.

“You would want him to get back here as quick as he can but for his sake it’s good for him to play a final and experience that so we have no issue with that.

“Whether he gets back two weeks earlier or two weeks later it really doesn’t affect what we’ve got for him.”

The earliest Hunt, set for just a two-game VFL debut stint, could play for Gold Coast in the VFL would be June 5 against the Northern Bullants at Princes Park.

“He’s going to get back here around the end of May,” Ashcroft said. “He’ll be with us and training straight away and we will play him after that.”

The last Australian to win a European Cup was Wallabies captain Rocky Elsom, who starred for Irish club Leinster last year before returning to Australia.

Hunt’s fellow NRL recruit Sonny Bill Williams is also enjoying success in France, impressing at inside centre for Toulon between Jonny Wilkinson and Tana Umaga.

Toulon finished second in the Top 14 and only need win their May 14 semi-final to make the May 29 final.

Big-spending Toulon, who only narrowly avoided relegation last year, have also qualified for the Challenge Cup final against Cardiff on May 23 in Marseille.

Williams’ improvement has been a major factor in Toulon’s rise and New Zealand Rugby Union is very keen to lure him back home to press for a spot with the All Blacks in the 2011 World Cup.

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Historical importance of Brighton bypass confirmed

April 27, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Melbourne, April 27 (ANI): The Brighton bypass, an Aboriginal site in the path of a major Tasmanian highway, contains the oldest evidence of human habitation in the southern hemisphere, it has been confirmed.

Nearly 3 million indigenous artefacts were found at the Jordan River levee north of Hobart.

The State Government of Tasmania asked archaeologists to examine the site after the Aboriginal community expressed concerns that construction of the Brighton bypass could damage it.

Rob Paton, the site”s archaeological director, said the final report on the dig confirms some artefacts are nearly 40,000 years old.

“They”re stone artefacts, they”re used for day to day living, cutting and sharpening. It”s that day-to-day stuff that really is rarely found,” ABC News quoted him, as saying.

Paton added: “That”s why to get a snapshot of what life was like 40,000 years ago is really quite unique, not just for Australia but for hunter-gatherer sites anywhere in the world.”

Tasmania”s Department of Infrastructure says the site will be protected.

Department Secretary Norm McIlfatrick said: “Our view is, and has always been, that we won”t carry out any work on that site until we have a full permit from the Minister for Heritage.

“Now that Minister will receive the report from us and our management plan and will also have the view of the community before he makes the decision.”

He supports the government”s alternative of building a bridge over the site.

McIlfatrick said: “Most of the heritage, or all of the heritage that we”re aware of, that is significant is under the ground.”

However, Nala Mansell-McKenna from the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre is not impressed with the plan.

She said: “Building a bridge across it, removing the artefacts, is definitely not an option.”

The archaeologists” report will now be considered by new Heritage Minister David O”Byrne. (ANI)

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Police probe petrol station blaze

March 31, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Police want to speak to two men who caused an industrial vacuum cleaner to explode at a Perth petrol station.

The men are seen on security vision using the vacuum cleaner at the Bubbles car wash on Alexander Drive in Malaga earlier this month.

The men appear to be cleaning the boot, or using the vacuum cleaner to suck something out of a jerry can, when the machine catches alight.

Detective Constable Kay McKenna says the explosion caused $20,000.

“The two males have got back into their vehicle and can be seen driving away,” she said.

“It’s a two door vehicle, there’s a scorch mark on the rear right hand side, the driver’s side of the vehicle and it’s quite distinctive.”

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McKenna keen for Hunt to join squad

March 25, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Gold Coast coach Guy McKenna will give Karmichael Hunt a wide-ranging, onfield introduction to his new sport when the code-hopping star joins the AFL franchise in May.

Hunt’s stint in French rugby ends in May, although he will not arrive back in Australia until late in the month if his club Biarritz advances to the grand final.

McKenna is sticking by his plan to play Hunt in just two VFL games this season ahead of his planned AFL debut in 2011 when the Coast join the top tier as the 17th club.

Speaking on Wednesday, McKenna could hardly contain his excitement at the prospect of slotting the former Brisbane Broncos NRL star into his team.

“I can’t wait, he’s a driven individual,” McKenna said.

“He’s probably going to teach us more about where he should play, rather than us telling him where he should play.

“I’m going to get him out there, throw him in the deep end – play him forward, play him back, play him through the midfield – and hopefully I can do that over a two-game experience for him.

“Then we can sit back and say ‘right this is where I reckon he’s going to play, this is where he felt comfortable, what does he need to do in that position?’

“I think it’d be fairly silly for us to go and pigeon-hole him right now – this is what he needs to do, this is how strong he needs to be, this is how fast he needs to run, how far he needs to run – all those sorts of things, until he’s actually played the game.

“But as I said, he’s a driven individual, he’s achieved a lot in such an early career as a footballer whether that’s in rugby league or rugby union, and I know he’s going to make this post a winner as well.”

McKenna said Hunt, 23, had fully recovered from a hamstring injury.

-AAP

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Gold Coast intent on getting the best

March 25, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Gold Coast chief executive Travis Auld has refused to buy into renewed speculation concerning the playing future of Geelong superstar Gary Ablett.

But Auld said the new franchise would go all-out to recruit the best players on offer ahead of their entry into the AFL competition in 2011.

He also brushed off comments by Cats coach Mark Thompson about the future of key target Ablett.

Thompson said on Tuesday he suspected that the Brownlow medallist – who is out of contract at the end of 2010 – had already made up his mind where he would be playing next year.

Gold Coast is believed to be prepared to offer the midfielder a deal worth $1.5 million a season for five years.

Gold Coast will be able to recruit a maximum of one out-of-contract player from each of the 16 existing clubs before entering the competition as the 17th team.

“We’ll go after the best (players) we can, we’ll probably focus on half as many as that – eight to 10,” Auld said on Wednesday.

“We are not going to leave any stone unturned to get the absolute best players.

“I know that will upset some other clubs and members of other clubs.

“That’s a great part of our game, but I’m here to represent the Gold Coast, not the other 16 clubs.

“We’ve made it pretty clear all the way through that we’re not going to speculate on individual players, we’re not going to give a running commentary.

“I know it’s causing a lot of interest in Melbourne, I understand that, I understand the people of Melbourne love their footy club and that’s a very healthy part of our game.

“But we’re not going to buy into speculation.

“Gary seems to be the front figure for uncontracted players and that’s where all the speculation has been.

“He’s certainly wearing the burden of that.”

Gold Coast coach Guy McKenna said he was more concerned with Ablett’s younger brother Nathan, who’s in doubt for Saturday’s practice match against the Brisbane Lions reserves after rolling his ankle last weekend.

- AAP

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Hitler’s first self-portrait up for auction

March 26, 2009 By Leave a Comment

London, Mar 26 (ANI): A self-portrait of Adolf Hitler is to go under the hammer.

The Nazi leader is hardly recognisable with no moustache in the picture which is thought to be the first he ever painted.

But he identifies himself with the initials AH by his head.

The amateurish painting is among 13 works by the Nazi dictator, created back in 1910 when he was just 21.

The small portrait has no nose or mouth, but the side parting hairstyle is unmistakable.

All the pictures were found in Essen, Germany, in 1945 by Company Sergeant Major Willie J McKenna. He sold them to the current unnamed owner, who kept them hidden for decades.

The pictures are expected to fetch tens of thousands of pounds at Ludlow Racecourse, Shrops, on April 23.

“There’s absolutely nothing in them to suggest the monster he became. But one can see why he didn’t make it as an artist,” The Sun quoted Richard Westwood-Brookes of Mullock’s auctioneers, as saying. (ANI)

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