Global Pulse

标签： Oceania

大洋洲

  • Australian sharemarket slips as wage hike and Middle East uncertainty rattle investors

    Australian sharemarket slips as wage hike and Middle East uncertainty rattle investors

    Australia’s benchmark sharemarket delivered a rollercoaster trading session on Tuesday, closing with modest losses after a dramatic late recovery that erased most of an early 100-point drop, as conflicting geopolitical developments out of the Middle East and a larger-than-expected minimum wage hike created widespread uncertainty among investors.

    The ASX 200, Australia’s primary blue-chip index, finished the day down 20.60 points, or 0.24%, to settle at 8708.80. The broader All Ordinaries index fared slightly better, slipping just 3.80 points, or 0.04%, to close at 8966, a near-flat finish. The Australian dollar edged slightly higher, gaining 0.15% to trade at 71.75 US cents by market close.

    For market observers, the day’s wild swings were far from unusual. IG market analyst Tony Sycamore noted that Tuesday’s triple-digit intraday range marked the third such extreme shift in the past four trading sessions, and the ninth in just one month. “This is a clear sign of a market grappling for direction, primarily stuck within a stubborn 8500 to 8700 range,” Sycamore explained. The afternoon turnaround, he added, received partial support from U.S. President Donald Trump’s remarks downplaying rising geopolitical tensions that flared up over the weekend.

    Geopolitical volatility stemmed from mixed signals over a potential Middle East peace deal. While Trump posted on Truth Social that ceasefire talks between Israel and Hezbollah were “progressing”, and that a deal to extend the truce and reopen the strategically critical Strait of Hormuz could be reached within the next week, Iran pushed back against the prospect, threatening to suspend diplomatic relations and close the key shipping lane. The conflicting updates kept investors on edge through the first half of the trading day.

    Against this backdrop of macro uncertainty, the technology sector emerged as the clear outlier, driving the afternoon market recovery. The entire tech sector rallied 4.71% for the day, with standout gains from leading domestic tech names. Accounting software provider Xero climbed 7.47% to close at $87 per share, logistics tech firm WiseTech Global jumped 7.8% to settle at $42.23, and consumer safety tech company Life360 notched a 13.25% gain to reach $23.07 per share. Several other individual companies also posted strong gains on new contract wins: infrastructure firm SRG Global surged 16.56% to $3.66 after announcing $1.85 billion in new contracts spanning water, defence, energy, health and education; defence technology provider DroneShield gained 3.55% to $3.21 on a $24.9 million U.S. government contract; and medical imaging firm Pro Medicus rose an additional 10.81% to $160.08 following Monday’s announcement of a five-year contract with U.S.-based Visage Imaging.

    Offsetting these tech gains were broad declines across seven of the ASX’s 11 sectors. Healthcare stocks bore the brunt of the selling: biotech giant CSL fell 1.74% to $92.56, Sigma Healthcare dropped 1.71% to $2.87, and medical device maker ResMed slid 2.07% to $26.02.

    Retail and banking stocks also slumped after Australia’s Fair Work Commission announced a 4.75% minimum wage increase for the nation’s lowest-paid workers. The pay bump came in above current annual inflation of 4.2% and baseline national wage growth of 3.3%, stoking fears that higher labor costs will push inflation higher and force the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) to implement additional interest rate hikes sooner than expected.

    Major domestic retailers felt the selloff immediately: Woolworths fell 1.85% to $34.41, Coles dropped 0.74% to $21.55, and hospitality group Endeavour Group slid 1.73% to $28.40.

    AMP economist My Bui explained that while the wage adjustment was a reasonable move to prevent low-income workers from facing negative real wage growth, its broad impact across the Australian workforce could put sustained upward pressure on inflation. As a result, AMP has updated its interest rate forecast to predict a third RBA rate hike as early as November, pushing the peak cash rate for this cycle to 4.85%. Bui added that there is even a risk the hike could come sooner, in June rather than August. Prior to Tuesday’s minimum wage announcement, AMP had projected the next rate hike would not occur until August 2026.

    Despite the overall negative close, investors found some reassurance in the market’s ability to recover from early losses, with the 100-point afternoon rebound turning what looked set to be a sharp drop into a modest decline by the closing bell.

  • Albanese government allocated almost $9m to defend CFMEU administrators, hearing told

    Albanese government allocated almost $9m to defend CFMEU administrators, hearing told

    The full scale of taxpayer spending on personal security for administrators of Australia’s powerful Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) has been laid bare at a Senate estimates hearing, with total expenditures reaching almost $9 million amid credible death threats linked to organized crime networks.

    The disclosure on Tuesday laid out how public funds have been earmarked to protect two successive government-appointed administrators brought in to clean up the union after it was placed into voluntary administration in late 2024 over widespread allegations of organized crime infiltration.

    Michael Crosby, a former New South Wales union official who took over the administrator role last month, has been allocated $5.3 million over the next two years in the 2026-27 federal budget to cover 24/7 protective security services, officials told the hearing. His predecessor, Mark Irving, who held the position for just 20 months, received approximately $3.8 million in cumulative budget allocations for his personal safety.

    Australian Federal Police (AFP) assessments have confirmed that death threats against Irving were not only credible, but came from actors with both the means and motive to carry out the attacks, senior officials confirmed. Most threats did not originate from rank-and-file CFMEU members, instead coming from external organized crime groups that had previously operated illegal networks within the union. As of March 31, the AFP is running three active investigations into unlawful activity across the building and construction sector, and has already secured a number of high-profile arrests linked to the probes.

    The hearing also revealed that Environment Minister Murray Watt received close personal protection for an undisclosed period of time amid the ongoing tensions. Watt declined to share further details about his security arrangements in the public forum, noting that disclosing such information posed unnecessary safety risks. ACTU Secretary Sally McManus also received targeted security provision, but government officials confirmed that those costs were not covered by public funds.

    Watt, who defended the decision to draw on taxpayer funds rather than passing costs to CFMEU members, argued that the government carried a core responsibility to protect administrators appointed under federal legislation. The government’s move to place the CFMEU into administration disrupted the illegal business models of criminal networks and corrupt actors, many of whom held ties to both rogue union officials and unethical building employers, he explained.

    Pressed on why the CFMEU or its membership do not cover the security costs, Watt pushed back against alternative funding models. He questioned whether it would be fair to pass the costs to either construction workers (as CFMEU members) or to the broader industry of building employers, pointing out that the cleanup of criminal infiltration is a public responsibility mandated by the Australian Parliament. “Given the parliament had set up this administration scheme, there was a responsibility on government to pay for the personal protection of the person who took on that role from threats being made from outside the union,” Watt said.

  • Pay workers ‘as much as possible’, Nvidia’s Huang says

    Pay workers ‘as much as possible’, Nvidia’s Huang says

    As the global tech industry gathers in Taipei for the 2026 edition of Computex, one of the world’s largest annual technology trade shows, Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang has sparked industry-wide discussion with comments on worker compensation, just days ahead of his planned trip to South Korea. Huang’s remarks came in response to questions about a recent high-profile labor dispute at Samsung Electronics, where a looming strike by the company’s union was only avoided after leadership struck a last-minute bonus agreement with staff.

  • Eels don’t name Mitch Moses in potential Origin blow as Bulldogs star misses training

    Eels don’t name Mitch Moses in potential Origin blow as Bulldogs star misses training

    The build-up to the second State of Origin clash and this weekend’s round of the National Rugby League has been thrown into disarray, with a wave of injury updates, unexpected selection calls and Origin selection dilemmas shaking up teams across the competition.

    The most high-profile disruption hits New South Wales Blues head coach Laurie Daley, who faces a critical selection call in his playmaker group just weeks out from Origin II on June 17. Eels star Mitchell Moses, who was in line for a recall to the Blues starting side after missing the series opener with a hamstring injury, has not been named in Parramatta’s squad for their Monday night showdown against Canterbury Bulldogs. Initial assessments had suggested the injury was minor, but the latest Parramatta injury update confirms Moses is not expected to return to competitive play until either round 15 or 16.

    This timeline rules Moses out of any chance to prove his match fitness before the Blues name their Origin II squad early next week. With Moses sidelined, 22-year-old Ethan Strange, who was thrown into the starting five-eighth role last minute after Moses’ injury two days before Origin I, is now the firm favourite to retain his spot in the side for the second clash.

    Over at the Bulldogs, captain Stephen Crichton’s absence from Tuesday’s training session sparked rumours of a fresh shoulder injury ahead of both Monday’s club clash and potential Origin selection. However, the club confirmed the rest was planned, as the side is gearing up for five days of leave following the match. Bulldogs winger and potential Origin debutant Jacob Kiraz, who also took a light session on an exercise bike instead of full training, backed up his captain’s fitness.

    “I’m sure ‘Critta’ will be sweet,” Kiraz told reporters, addressing the injury rumours. The young winger, who is currently in contention to earn his first Origin cap, said planned rest was a necessary move following a string of physically demanding matches. “It’s a long turnaround. We’ve had a couple of big games the last couple of weeks, so probably the best thing is to (rest a bit),” he explained. When asked about his own potential Origin selection, Kiraz remained focused on his club commitments: “I guess it’s always nice to hear (your name in the mix). I know it’s probably the answer none of you want to hear, but being honest, I’m just worried about the Bulldogs at the moment. The Blues had a good win and I thought (Blues rookie Tolu Koula) has been outstanding.”

    In another major selection shock, Brisbane Broncos coach Michael Maguire has dropped starting five-eighth Ezra Mam following the side’s embarrassing home defeat to the previously winless St George Illawarra Dragons. Tom Duffy will step into the starting five-eighth role for the Broncos, with Xavier Willison shifting to lock, and Grant Anderson returning from injury to fill the gap left by injured starter Pat Carrigan.

    South Sydney Rabbitohs have received a major boost ahead of their upcoming clash, with star trio Brandon Smith, David Fifita and Campbell Graham all named to return to the starting side. Their returns offset the continued absence of star fullback Latrell Mitchell, who remains sidelined with his ongoing injury issue.

    The Rabbitohs’ opponents Manly Sea Eagles have been given clearance to select Blues winger Tolu Koula, who missed recent action after suffering a head knock in the opening Origin clash. Koula’s Blues teammate Haumole Olakau’atu is also set to return to the Manly side this week.

    Other key selection updates across the league include: Sydney Roosters winger Mark Nawaqanitawase has been named in the reserves, in line for an earlier-than-expected return from injury; Newcastle Knights will field Fletcher Sharpe at five-eighth after regular starter Sandon Smith was ruled out with a calf injury; defending premiers Penrith Panthers have welcomed back their entire Origin trio – Nathan Cleary, Brian To’o and Isaah Yeo – who were rested for the previous round; and Cronulla Sharks will hand a starting start to hooker Jayden Berrell after rookie Blues representative Blayke Brailey suffered a broken arm in recent action.

  • Between ballet and war: Japanese dancers pursue dreams in Russia

    Between ballet and war: Japanese dancers pursue dreams in Russia

    Deep in Russia’s historic Volga region city of Nizhny Novgorod, two Japanese ballet artists have built their entire lives around the rigorous, demanding craft they traveled halfway across the world to master – even as geopolitical upheaval and the ongoing war in Ukraine have created unexpected disruptions to their daily routines.

    Thirty-two-year-old Jotaro Kanazasi first made the decision to move to Russia 14 years ago, drawn to the country’s unrivaled legacy in classical ballet, home to world-renowned institutions like Moscow’s Bolshoi Theatre and St. Petersburg’s Mariinsky Theatre. Speaking in measured Russian, Kanazasi explains his choice was rooted in a desire to grow and reach his full potential as a professional dancer. Today, he holds the position of principal dancer at the Nizhny Novgorod Opera and Ballet Theatre, located roughly 400 kilometers east of Moscow, where he seamlessly transitions from iconic role to iconic role: the scheming sorcerer Rothbart in Swan Lake, the tragic noble Albrecht in Giselle, and more. When many foreign artists made the choice to leave Russia immediately following the start of the 2022 full-scale military campaign in Ukraine, Kanazasi made the deliberate decision to stay.

    For 20-year-old Haruka Takemi, who has now lived in Russia for six years, the draw of Russian ballet was similarly life-altering. “I love Russian ballet and I have always dreamed of being a professional dancer, but Japan does not have a national-level ballet school that offers the training I needed,” she explains. “That is why I chose to move here.”

    Both dancers say they prioritize their craft above all else, and only follow breaking news about the war in Ukraine very loosely. Takemi notes that it is her family back in Japan that monitors current events closely, constantly sharing news articles and updates to make sure she stays informed. That dynamic reflects the broader geopolitical context of their lives: Japan has stood firmly with Ukraine since the start of the Russian offensive, joining Western nations in imposing sweeping economic sanctions on Moscow, while Russia has introduced strict new censorship laws over the course of its military campaign, unmatched since the Soviet era.

    “I am either at the theatre rehearsing or performing, or at home resting – it is a constant cycle. I work all the time, and I only focus on ballet,” Takemi says, adding that her family back home is the one who carries the worry for her safety.

    Nizhny Novgorod, despite sitting more than 800 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, has not escaped the ripple effects of the conflict. In recent weeks, a major Lukoil oil refinery located in the nearby city of Kstovo was hit in a Ukrainian cross-border strike, part of Kyiv’s regular targeting of Russian military and energy infrastructure designed to weaken Moscow’s ability to sustain its offensive. The digital space has also seen significant changes: Russia has imposed sweeping new digital restrictions over recent months, particularly limiting open access to mobile internet, and many popular foreign apps are now blocked.

    “There are difficulties with internet access, so we have to use a VPN to connect,” Takemi says. “But it is important for me to stay in touch with my family, so they know I am safe.”

    Valeri Konkov, director of the Nizhny Novgorod ballet company, notes that Japanese dancers are far from an anomaly in Russia’s professional ballet scene. Many are graduates of the country’s most elite ballet academies, including the Moscow State Academy of Choreography, St. Petersburg’s legendary Vaganova Academy, and the Perm State Ballet School. For Japanese artists, building a sustainable career in classical ballet in their home country remains incredibly challenging, even now. Despite all the disruptions and uncertainties that have come with the conflict, Kanazasi says his resolve to stay has never wavered.

    “As long as I am still able to dance, I will stay here,” he says.

  • Teen, 16, dies after allegedly stolen car rolls on Stuart Hwy in the Northern Territory

    Teen, 16, dies after allegedly stolen car rolls on Stuart Hwy in the Northern Territory

    A 16-year-old boy has lost his life after a stolen vehicle, at the center of a damaging multi-vehicle crime spree through a Northern Territory town, crashed and rolled on one of Australia’s major intercity highways. The sequence of dangerous events unfolded on Monday night in Katherine, a regional community located roughly 320 kilometers southeast of Darwin, according to Northern Territory Police.

    Authorities allege the trouble began just after 10:30 p.m. Monday, when offenders broke into a residential property on Zimin Drive and stole a parked car. The group of young people driving the stolen vehicle traveled to the local Charles Darwin University campus, where they abandoned the first stolen car before stealing two additional vehicles from the area.

    Over the following hours, the young drivers engaged in reckless, threatening behavior through Katherine’s central business district, police confirmed. The occupants of the stolen vehicles taunted responding officers and hurled objects, including a hammer, at police patrol cars while driving erratically through the town center. Acting Commander Mark Grieve of NT Police clarified that officers made the decision not to initiate a pursuit, a choice driven by the extremely dangerous driving that already put innocent bystanders at risk. In a separate pre-crash incident, Grieve added, a stolen vehicle drove past a parked police car whose officers were responding to an unrelated call, and threw objects at the unoccupied patrol vehicle.

    By roughly 6 a.m. the next day, Tuesday, one of the stolen vehicles carrying a group of teenagers rolled over on the Stuart Highway just north of Katherine. First responders arrived quickly at the crash site, transporting three 14-year-olds to a local hospital for treatment of injuries. The 16-year-old driver suffered critical trauma and could not be saved, dying at the scene of the crash.

    In the aftermath of the incident, police located two additional girls near the crash site, and investigators are working to confirm how many people total were in the vehicle when it rolled. The Stuart Highway was temporarily closed to all traffic to allow for forensic crash investigation, reopening once evidence collection was completed.

    Grieve described the incident as both tragic and deeply complex, noting that the series of dangerous criminal acts put the entire local community at grave risk. “We are investigating a significant series of offences, as well as the death of a 16-year-old male following extremely dangerous driving behaviour that placed the lives of the community at risk,” Grieve told reporters. “Our investigators will work to establish the full circumstances surrounding these events, and we continue to appeal to anyone with information to come forward.”

    The acting commander also highlighted a growing, nationwide concern: rising dangerous criminal activity among young people, a trend that has impacted the Northern Territory in particular. “It’s a trend and one we’re probably starting to see more of, we’ve been seeing it for quite a bit of time, unfortunately youth engage in this type of behaviour and see it as a bit of a game,” he said. “The youth space we’re dealing with is quite complex in nature, in the NT we’re trying to grapple with an increase in youth behaviours in the criminal space. It’s not only NT but Australia-wide and it’s not just a policing problem, it needs to be a whole community approach whether education, health or parental responsibility, it’s a big question to answer.”

    NT Police are continuing to urge any member of the public with details about the sequence of events leading to the crash to contact their investigators to assist with the ongoing inquiry.

  • Western Australia leads population boom as nation’s total tops 28 million

    Western Australia leads population boom as nation’s total tops 28 million

    Australia has hit a landmark demographic milestone this week, with its total population officially crossing the 28 million threshold early Tuesday, according to real-time data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

    The ABS’s population clock, which generates continuous live estimates by tracking births, deaths and net international migration, ticked past the 28 million mark in the early hours of Tuesday. Current demographic trends show the nation adds one new resident to its population every 75 seconds on average.

    Digging into state-level growth data, Western Australia (WA) stands out as the primary engine of this national population expansion. ABS demography chief Phil Browning confirmed that WA recorded a 12-month growth rate of 2.2% between September 2024 and September 2025, outpacing every other state and territory across the country. At the opposite end of the spectrum, Tasmania recorded the nation’s slowest annual growth, with its population expanding by just 0.3% over the same period. These divergent state growth trends aligned exactly with forecasts published in last year’s annual population statement from Australia’s Centre for Population.

    While the nation celebrates the 28 million milestone, official projections paint a slowing growth picture for the coming year. The Centre for Population’s latest outlook forecasts that national population growth will cool to 1.3% for the 2025-2026 period, driven by two key factors: a projected decline in net overseas migration and a continued drop in national birth rates that is set to hit a historic new low.

    The report projects Australia’s national fertility rate will fall to a record low of 1.42 children per woman in 2025-2026 – far below the 2.1 children per woman rate required to sustain stable long-term natural population growth without migration. Net overseas migration, which surged to unprecedented highs in the post-pandemic 2022-2023 period, is also expected to continue normalizing to pre-pandemic levels, with the centre projecting net migration of 260,000 for 2025-2026. This pullback is largely attributed to a drop in temporary arrivals, particularly students and international visitors holding travel and study visas.

  • Bumper pay rise set to cost households two rate hikes

    Bumper pay rise set to cost households two rate hikes

    Starting July 1 this year, 2.8 million Australian workers — roughly one-fifth of the nation’s total workforce — will see their pay packets grow, following a landmark ruling from the Fair Work Commission announced on Tuesday. The independent industrial tribunal greenlit a 4.75% increase to the national minimum award wage, lifting hourly earnings from $24.95 to $26.44, and weekly minimum pay to $1004.90, up from $948. The adjustment applies to all workers whose pay is set by modern awards and are not covered by enterprise agreements, and it was designed to help low-income households keep pace with years of elevated cost-of-living increases.

    The final wage decision landed between the two extreme proposals put forward ahead of the ruling: trade unions had pushed for a more aggressive 6% increase to offset persistent inflation, while industry business groups argued that a more modest 3.5% bump would be manageable for already strained employers. In welcoming the outcome, Australian Treasurer Jim Chalmers framed the adjustment as a balanced, sustainable real wage increase that aligned with the federal government’s formal submission to the Fair Work Commission, noting it was a raise millions of working Australians both needed and earned.

    However, leading economic analysts have warned that the larger-than-expected pay hike could exacerbate the nation’s ongoing inflation challenges, paving the way for additional interest rate increases from the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) that will deepen financial pressure on mortgage holders across the country.

    AMP senior economist My Bui explained that while the commission’s choice to avoid negative real wage growth for low-income workers is logically understandable, the sheer scale of the workforce impacted means the adjustment will likely add broader inflationary momentum to the economy. “Tuesday’s decision is only expected to add less than 0.6 percentage points to annual wages growth next year, but the real risk is that wage pressures spill over into other parts of the private sector,” Bui noted. She added that elevated wage growth will further entrench sticky services inflation, as businesses pass higher labour and input costs through to consumers, at a time when goods prices already remain elevated.

    CreditorWatch chief economist Ivan Colhoun echoed this concern, pointing out that the pay rise will hit already struggling businesses with extra cost pressure, particularly in the four labour-intensive sectors that account for more than two-thirds of all award-reliant employment: retail, hospitality, healthcare and social assistance, and administrative and support services. “While the larger than expected minimum wage increase will be welcome for the lowest paid, many businesses and the RBA are unlikely to be as happy,” Colhoun said. “The rise will add to business costs at a time of already elevated inflation, higher interest rates and at least a temporary surge in fuel costs.” He added that the higher wage baseline will make it marginally harder for the RBA to pull inflation back to its target range of 2-3% annually.

    RBA governor Michele Bullock has already implemented three interest rate hikes this year in an aggressive effort to cool stubborn inflation. Prior to the Fair Work Commission’s announcement, AMP had forecast one final rate hike by August 2025. But in response to the wage ruling, the firm updated its outlook: AMP now expects the RBA will deliver another rate increase as early as November this year, pushing the peak cash rate for this cycle to 4.85%, with an outside risk that the hike could come even sooner than forecast.

    Inflation projections have also shifted upward. AMP now forecasts that annual inflation will climb to 4.8% by the end of the June quarter, before easing only to 4.1% by the end of 2025 — still well above the RBA’s 2-3% target range. Recent official data has already signaled that underlying inflation pressures remain persistent in the Australian economy: while annual headline inflation edged down from 4.6% in March to 4.2% in April, that decline was driven largely by temporary federal government policies including a halving of the fuel excise and a GST rebate. The RBA’s preferred trimmed mean inflation measure, which strips out volatile price swings to show underlying trends, rose to 3.4% for the 12 months to April, confirming that core price pressures are still building.

    For Australian mortgage holders, the outlook means a double whammy of financial strain: not only will higher wages fuel further inflation, but it will also force the RBA to keep tightening monetary policy, pushing monthly home loan repayments even higher just as many households are already struggling to keep up with cost-of-living increases.

  • ‘Type of player every club wants’: Connor Watson signs with the Chiefs, with star utility to spend 2027 at a rival club

    ‘Type of player every club wants’: Connor Watson signs with the Chiefs, with star utility to spend 2027 at a rival club

    In a layered player transfer deal that links three National Rugby League (NRL) clubs, versatile utility Connor Watson has secured an early release from the final year of his contract with the Sydney Roosters, clearing the way for a multi-stage move that will see him join the St George Illawarra Dragons in 2027 before linking up with the expansion Papua New Guinea (PNG) Chiefs for their historic inaugural 2028 NRL season.

    Watson, a former New South Wales representative who has built a reputation as one of the league’s most adaptable and team-first players, had been contracted to remain with the Roosters, widely known as the Tricolours, through the 2027 season. The early release approval will see him suit up for the Dragons (nicknamed the Red V) for a single 2027 campaign before his two-year deal with the PNG-based expansion side kicks in.

    The PNG Chiefs, who are preparing for their first ever NRL season in 2028, have now secured three high-profile marquee signings to build their foundational roster, following earlier acquisitions of star playmaker Jarome Luai and veteran winger Alex Johnston. Chiefs football general manager Michael Chammas emphasized that Watson’s commitment to the expansion project runs deeper than just a playing contract.

    “From the very start, Connor made it clear he wanted to be part of the PNG Chiefs and the incredible journey we’re building here,” Chammas said in a statement confirming the signing. “He and his partner Kiana recently visited Port Moresby, and they genuinely fell in love with the country, the people, and the chance to be part of something far bigger than rugby league itself.”

    Chammas highlighted Watson’s intangible and on-field value for the fledgling club, noting: “Connor is exactly the type of player every organization wants to build around. He’s selfless, tough, relentlessly professional, and commands incredible respect across the entire league. His versatility and years of top-flight experience will be absolutely invaluable as we continue putting our squad together for 2028. Every signing matters for a new club, and there’s something really exciting about watching this roster come together piece by piece. Locking in Connor as our third major signing is another key milestone in the PNG Chiefs journey. We also want to thank the Sydney Roosters for their professionalism, patience, and understanding throughout this entire process.”

    For the St George Illawarra Dragons, Watson’s one-season stint comes at a critical time, as the club is set to lose veteran starting hooker Damien Cook to the UK’s Super League ahead of 2027. Dragons chief executive Tim Watsford said the club is eager to add Watson’s proven quality to their roster, even for just one season.

    “We’re incredibly excited to welcome Connor to the club next year,” Watsford said. “He’s performed at the highest level in the toughest competitions the game has to offer, and we love everything he brings to our group. He’s a true professional, and we’re confident his addition, even for one season, will make our entire team better. We’ve identified that his combination of skill, athleticism, and versatility fills key gaps for us, and we can’t wait to see him in the Red V.”

    This structured one-year “layover” arrangement follows a similar model used in other recent NRL transfers, including deals for Jonah Pezet at Parramatta Eels and Davvy Moale at Melbourne Storm for the 2026 season. For the Roosters, the early release also creates valuable salary cap space, with the club widely expected to finalize the signing of North Queensland Cowboys winger Murray Taulagi in the coming weeks.

    In an official statement confirming Watson’s release, the Roosters said: “The Sydney Roosters today announced that Connor Watson has been granted an early release from the final year of his contract following a request from his management, allowing him to pursue an opportunity with another NRL club. Watson will remain with the Roosters for the remainder of the 2026 season and will continue to play an important role within the club’s NRL squad.”

    Watson’s arrival adds to a busy offseason of recruitment for the Dragons, who have already locked in other key 2027 signings including Luke Metcalf, Keaon Koloamatangi, Scott Drinkwater and Phil Sami.

  • ‘Messi, Maradona, Tim’: NZ footballer’s viral fan club hits 4 million

    ‘Messi, Maradona, Tim’: NZ footballer’s viral fan club hits 4 million

    A little-known New Zealand defender at the upcoming men’s FIFA World Cup has become one of the most talked-about names in global football this week, after a viral social media campaign catapulted his Instagram following from just 4,000 to more than 4 million followers in only seven days. The unexpected surge in fame comes thanks to Argentine influencer Valen “El Scarso” Scarsini, who set out last week to lift the profile of what he called the “least recognizable player” at the 2026 World Cup, zeroing in on Wellington Phoenix right-back Tim Payne, 32. By Tuesday, the grassroots social media movement had pushed Payne’s follower count past the 4 million mark, outstripping the follower base of the All Blacks — New Zealand’s world-famous national rugby union team, a cultural institution in the rugby-mad nation. If the growth continues at its current pace, Payne will soon match the total population of New Zealand, which stands at roughly 5.3 million. The viral campaign has been the top source of banter and conversation at New Zealand’s World Cup training camp in Florida, where the side is wrapping up warm-up preparations ahead of the tournament kicking off across Mexico, the United States, and Canada next week. Ranked as the lowest-placed side heading into the World Cup, New Zealand has never seen a player draw this level of global social media attention, a fact that has taken the entire squad by surprise. New Zealand head coach Darren Bazeley told local outlet Stuff.co.nz that the sudden explosion of fame has not shaken the steady 32-year-old defender, adding that Payne is handling the unprecedented attention better than most players would. “At the moment I do feel like he’s dealing with it really well, probably better than maybe some others would have,” Bazeley said. “Putting Tim up on a pedestal like that was really cool and probably not something that he, or anyone, expected.” The coach added that the squad has leaned into the lighthearted hype, with teammates constantly teasing Payne about his new celebrity status. “The players talk about it. I can hear the banter they’re having with Tim, and I think it’s amazing,” he said. Payne himself has described the outpouring of online attention as “pretty crazy,” and he is now set to meet the man who started the viral movement. Scarsini announced he would travel to Fort Lauderdale to watch New Zealand’s warm-up match against Haiti on Tuesday, with a meeting with Payne planned after the final whistle. “Guys tomorrow is the day,” Scarsini posted ahead of the match. “Let’s go watch Tim’s game v Haiti and then we’re going to meet him! Thanks to all who made it possible.” The lighthearted viral trend has spawned countless humorous memes and online comments, with many football fans drawing playful comparisons between Payne and Argentina’s two greatest football icons. One top comment on Payne’s latest Instagram post, which has racked up more than 2.1 million likes and 66,000 comments (most written in Spanish), read simply: “Messi, Maradona, Tim.”