Global Pulse

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  • Sean O’Sullivan eyes starting NRL role after stunning Bulldogs performance

    Sean O’Sullivan eyes starting NRL role after stunning Bulldogs performance

    For nearly a decade, Sean O’Sullivan has flown under the radar as one of the National Rugby League’s most underrated talents, but a standout two-40/20 performance against the Wests Tigers on Saturday night has catapulted the experienced halfback into the spotlight, drawing widespread attention from rival clubs across the competition.

    With star Canterbury Bulldogs back Stephen Crichton sidelined by injury, O’Sullivan got the call-up to step into the Bulldogs’ halves combination, and he did not waste his opportunity. Just 60 seconds into the contest, he nailed a crucial 40/20 kick to give his side early field position, and followed it up with a second game-changing 40/20 later in the match. The veteran playmaker’s controlled performance laid the foundation for the Bulldogs to dominate a struggling Tigers side, and he forged a dangerous on-field combination with young teammate Lachlan Galvin, allowing the rookie to play his natural attacking game while O’Sullivan steered the tempo of the match.

    Now 27 years old, O’Sullivan has built a nine-year NRL career as a reliable backup playmaker, stints with six different clubs including the Sydney Roosters, Brisbane Broncos, New Zealand Warriors, Penrith Panthers, Dolphins and his current side Canterbury. Across those nine seasons, he has notched 65 first-grade appearances, but has never cracked more than 14 games in a single season, filling in as a depth option rather than the starting halfback he aspires to be.

    O’Sullivan currently holds a mutual option with the Bulldogs through 2027, but rival clubs are already gearing up to make a play for his services as his standout performance proved he has the skill set to lead a side as a starting playmaker. When asked if he coveted an opportunity to become a starting halfback at an NRL club, O’Sullivan did not shy away from his ambition.

    “I’d be lying if I said that wasn’t the case. I would love it,” O’Sullivan said post-match. “I am really super confident in what I can bring to a team, and I would obviously love that opportunity. But right now, whatever position I’m in, I just have to keep doing my role. I’m not bigger than anyone else in this club, and I’m not bigger than anyone else in this team. I can’t put my wants or needs in front of anyone else’s.”

    The veteran added that every player in the league competes to earn a starting spot, and that ambition is only natural for his career. “But of course, we’re all competitors and it’s only natural for me to obviously want to be in that position too. I understand what my strengths are, and I’ll just have to bide my time and keep working hard. Whatever happens, happens, and I just keep putting my best foot forward and keep hoping that the boys get a win because, at the end of the day, we’re fighting for a top eight finish and we need as many wins as we can. Whatever ‘Ciro’ (Bulldogs coach Cameron Ciraldo) thinks is best, he’ll do.”

    Ciraldo was quick to praise O’Sullivan’s match-winning contribution against the Tigers, but confirmed that Crichton will return straight to the halves combination for the club’s upcoming clash against the New Zealand Warriors this Saturday. For O’Sullivan, that means returning to a depth role, something he says he is comfortable with as he navigates the next chapter of his career.

    O’Sullivan says he is happy to wait for his opportunity and prioritise what is best for the Bulldogs in the short term. “I think we’re sorting through a couple of things at the moment, but again, I’ll leave that up to my manager. He’s good at that, so I’ll just keep trying to put my best foot forward at whatever position I’m in and go from there,” he said. “I think for me it’s just really what’s best for myself and my career. Obviously, I’m super happy here, and I love being a part of the Bulldogs. Me and my missus are about to have our second kid, so for me it’s just not looking too far ahead. It sounds cliche, but really I’ll just keep working hard and keep looking for that opportunity.”

  • Ferry capsizes off Guyana, authorities still searching for 66

    Ferry capsizes off Guyana, authorities still searching for 66

    A disaster has struck the South American nation of Guyana, where an over 80-year-old passenger ferry carrying 133 people capsized in Atlantic waters off its coast over the weekend, leaving 66 people unaccounted for as rescue teams work around the clock to locate survivors.

    The vessel, identified as MV Barima, departed the country’s capital Georgetown on Saturday afternoon, bound for the inland jungle town of Port Kaituma. The route, a common one for the ferry, takes travelers along Guyana’s Atlantic coast before turning upriver into the Essequibo region, a vast 160,000-square-kilometer territory that has emerged as a major oil-rich area in recent years. According to initial official assessments, the accident occurred after the aging vessel was struck by an unusually large wave, which caused it to flip over.

    By Sunday, rescue teams had pulled 67 people from the water, Public Works Minister Juan Edghill confirmed in an official social media update. Prime Minister Mark Phillips later released a breakdown of the rescued: 41 men, 11 women, six boys, and nine girls, including 15 children in total. Among the survivors is 18-year-old Wayne Kitson, who recalled the tragedy unfolding late Saturday night while most passengers were asleep. Kitson, who suffered only minor injuries to his arm, leg, and neck after spending six hours adrift in open water before being pulled out, said he fears his wife and young daughter are among the missing.

    Crucially, both the captain and first mate of the ferry survived the incident, and have returned to the disaster zone to support search and rescue teams with on-the-ground context, Phillips noted. Authorities have notified all relatives of recorded passengers and crew, and have so far classified the 66 unaccounted-for people as missing rather than deceased, holding out hope that more survivors may be found.

    The MV Barima was constructed all the way back in 1939, according to global shipping vessel tracking database VesselFinder. Official records confirm the vessel was carrying 116 passengers and 17 crew members when it departed, and was outfitted with 250 life jackets, two full lifeboats, and six inflatable rafts. Edghill added that a distress call from the ferry was received roughly eight hours after it began its voyage. As of Sunday, search operations were ongoing, with private local vessels joining government-led rescue teams to comb the area for any sign of the missing passengers.

  • Collapses retailer Stax leaves staff, ATO and creditors reeling with $6.7m in losses

    Collapses retailer Stax leaves staff, ATO and creditors reeling with $6.7m in losses

    Once a rising competitor to global athletic wear leaders Lululemon, Nike, and Adidas, Australian activewear brand Stax has left behind more than $6.7 million in unpaid debts after its sudden collapse this year, new regulatory filings have confirmed. The brand’s rapid downward spiral began in June, when National Australia Bank pushed the retailer into receivership amid growing financial pressure. In a last-ditch effort to keep the business operating, founders Don Robertson and Matilda Murray sold off the company’s retail store network and their personal luxury vehicles, including a Lamborghini and a Porsche, the effort ultimately failed. By mid-July, Stax formally entered voluntary administration, bringing its decade-long growth story to an abrupt end.

    New documents lodged with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), the country’s corporate regulator, have laid bare the full scale of the company’s unpaid obligations ahead of its collapse. Of the total $6.7 million debt, more than $450,000 is owed directly to former Stax employees. One single staff member is owed nearly $78,600 in unpaid wages and entitlements, which break down into $89,209 in unused annual leave, $31,343 in long service leave, $63,556 in unpaid superannuation contributions, and $128,683 in promised redundancy payments across the entire workforce.

    Beyond unpaid staff wages, unsecured creditors hold almost $6.3 million in outstanding claims from the failed retailer. Major domestic and international entities are among those waiting for repayment. Shopping centre operator Scentre Group, which manages Australia’s Westfield shopping centre portfolio, is owed more than $500,000 in unpaid rent for Stax outlets across New South Wales, including locations in Miranda, Liverpool and central Sydney. Other major retail landlords Highpoint, Karrinyup and Pacific Fair also hold unpaid claims, alongside contractors Affective Building Services and Flow Logistics. Google Australia is owed roughly $500,000 for digital advertising and business services provided to the brand. Two Chinese manufacturers — Jiaxing Sky Air Sports and Ningbo Mingna Garments — hold the largest individual claims, owed more than $1 million and $1.9 million respectively in unpaid production fees. The Australian Taxation Office is also outstanding $123,858 in business activity statement payments.

    The current debt figures are drawn from director filings submitted to ASIC, and administrators note that final totals may shift once liquidators deliver their conclusive report in the coming weeks.

    Last week, the Stax founders broke their months-long silence on the collapse in a public statement posted to social media, acknowledging widespread customer anger over unfilled orders. “First and foremost, we’re truly sorry for this and for not communicating earlier,” the pair wrote. “Stax was built over more than a decade with an incredible community and knowing that so many of our customers have been impacted is something we carry every day.” They added that with the business now under the control of receivers, customers with outstanding orders will need to follow the formal insolvency process to seek resolutions. “I know that doesn’t change the frustration or disappointment so many of you are feeling,” the statement said. “If you placed an order and haven’t received it, we completely understand why you’re upset.”

    Founded in 2015 and formally registered in Western Australia in 2017, Stax grew from a small grassroots startup to become a major player in the highly competitive Australian activewear market. At its peak of operations, the brand recorded more than $30 million in annual turnover and employed a workforce of 160 people across its retail and head office operations.

  • ‘Immense’ pressure on Jewish community volunteers, royal commission told

    ‘Immense’ pressure on Jewish community volunteers, royal commission told

    As Australia’s Royal Commission into Anti-Semitism and Social Cohesion continues its public hearings, disturbing new testimony has laid bare the extraordinary burden placed on Jewish communities across the country to defend themselves from rising hate violence and harassment. Central to the hearing’s latest session is the revelation that unpaid community volunteers have contributed hundreds of thousands of hours of uncompensated work over the past four years to shore up security at Jewish spaces, with the 2025 contribution already topping 113,700 hours.

    A witness identified only by the pseudonym ACO, who represents community security organizations, told the commission that this year’s volunteer hour total marks a jump of more than 25,000 from 2024’s already record high. ACO emphasized that the 113,700 figure is almost certainly a substantial undercount, as it does not account for the many volunteers who remain on call around the clock to respond to emergency threats at short notice. The witness explained that as anti-Semitic rhetoric and attacks have intensified across Australia in recent years, community groups have ramped up their security posture to match the evolving threat landscape, putting immense strain on volunteer teams and organizational leaders.

    “ We saw the rhetoric ratcheting up. We were highly concerned by that, and we all shared the same concerns,” ACO told the commission. “We ensured that our operational standing was relevant to the threat environment.” The witness added that the unrelenting demand for security coverage has created immense pressure for all participating volunteers and paid staff.

    Beyond the massive volunteer labor contribution, counsel assisting the commission Richard Lancaster outlined the extreme financial and operational disruptions rising anti-Semitism has imposed on Jewish religious institutions. Many synagogues across the country have been forced to redirect funding from core community programs to cover security costs, and some have even cancelled weekly religious services when they cannot afford to hire additional paid security personnel. Lancaster noted that submissions received from dozens of synagogues nationwide uniformly cite security as the single largest drain on organizational time, budget, and energy that did not exist at the same scale just a few years ago.

    Commission attendees also heard of the daily harassment facing Jewish community members outside their own institutions: groups of agitators regularly gather outside synagogue gates to shout abuse at congregants entering for services. Lancaster explained that this creates an impossible Catch-22 for community leaders: if they implement strict security barriers and limit public access to protect members, they are unfairly criticized for choosing to be deliberately insular, but without those protections, congregants are left unnecessarily vulnerable to harm. This tension comes after a series of high-profile anti-Semitic attacks in 2024, including a violent assault on Melbourne’s Adass Israel Synagogue and vandalism of the Melbourne electorate office of federal Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus.

    Dreyfus, who is Jewish and whose great-grandparents were murdered in the Holocaust, testified before the commission about his own direct experiences of anti-Semitic abuse while serving in public office. He detailed two separate 2024 incidents that highlight the normalization of hate targeting Jewish public officials in Australia. In the first, Dreyfus said he offered a polite good morning to a stranger approaching him on Melbourne’s Latrobe Street, only to be called a “genocidal Zionist” and told he should be ashamed of himself. “It was so shocking and so striking to me that this should occur,” Dreyfus told the commission.

    Weeks later, Dreyfus’s office in the Melbourne suburb of Mordialloc was vandalized: perpetrators smeared red paint across the building’s front facade and scrawled the phrase “who does A-G Dreyfus serve” alongside the damage. Dreyfus told the commission that this phrase deliberately invokes centuries-old anti-Semitic tropes about dual loyalty, a false conspiracy that claims Jewish public servants answer to a foreign power rather than the Australian public. “That invokes old anti-Semitic tropes about dual loyalty, about not serving Australia, about serving some other country, all of them grossly false,” he said. “No one ever should make that suggestion about a member of the Australian parliament, let alone someone who had been sworn to administer a portfolio as the Attorney-General of the Commonwealth.”

    In his testimony, Dreyfus called for urgent legislative reform to better protect Jewish communal spaces, proposing new protest restrictions that mirror the existing buffer zone laws in place for abortion clinics across Victoria. Dreyfus clarified that the proposal does not seek to ban all political protest outside Jewish spaces, but rather to establish exclusion zones that protect congregants, students and other visitors from targeted harassment and intimidation. He argued that persistent protests outside synagogues, schools and other Jewish gathering places not only cause widespread anxiety among community members, but also create opportunities for more serious violence to occur under cover of public demonstration.

    “It’s time to consider whether we need some similar restriction on protest activity outside synagogues, on protest activity outside schools, and Jewish places of gathering,” Dreyfus said. “Not to ban political protest, not to say that people cannot express their views in our community, but rather to protect Jews … which should be free of protests occurring.” He added, “(Protests) might be cover for some worse activity, for violence, for some actual physical threat to those places or people.”

    The Royal Commission into Anti-Semitism and Social Cohesion is scheduled to continue examining a range of high-profile incidents in the coming weeks, including a controversial anti-Israel protest held on the steps of the Sydney Opera House that drew widespread condemnation for anti-Semitic rhetoric. Hearings have also been told of routine hate harassment targeting Jewish students and tutors at Australian universities, including common verbal abuse labeling Jewish people as “baby killers.”

  • AFL 2026: Essendon provides medical update on emerging star Nate Caddy

    AFL 2026: Essendon provides medical update on emerging star Nate Caddy

    Essendon Football Club has delivered a wave of positive news to its loyal fanbase, confirming that promising young talent Nate Caddy has been cleared of all medical concerns after a mid-match health scare that forced his emergency hospitalization over the weekend. The 20-year-old emerging star was pulled from the Bombers’ AFL clash against GWS Giants at Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium on Sunday afternoon after medics detected an unexpected elevated heart rate early in the first quarter of the game. The club initially listed Caddy as a late withdrawal due to illness, and he was immediately transferred to a local hospital for in-depth diagnostic testing after on-ground assessment by Essendon’s medical team.

    On Monday, Essendon’s general manager of football Dan McPherson shared the reassuring update that has been welcomed by the club’s community. “There was some legitimate concern in the first quarter when Nate’s heart rate spiked unexpectedly,” McPherson explained to reporters. “Our medical staff pulled him from the game immediately, conducted an initial assessment on site, and made the call to send him to hospital for further checks to rule out any underlying issues. He was discharged from hospital yesterday evening, returned home safe, and we fully expect he will be cleared to resume training and play this coming week without any complications.”

    The positive health update comes hot on the heels of a landmark win for the Bombers, who outplayed GWS to claim a breakthrough victory that lifted the club off the bottom of the AFL ladder. The win also marked the first victory for caretaker head coach Dean Solomon, who stepped into the role six weeks prior. Speaking after Sunday’s match, Solomon said the result was a reward for the relentless work the playing squad had put in during his tenure so far. “The players have worked unbelievably hard over the last six weeks, and for a long time that effort just hadn’t shown up on the scoreboard on game day,” Solomon noted. “As a coaching group and a club, we always knew that the results would come once their work clicked into place. This is an incredibly special win for every single person connected to Essendon Football Club.”

    Caddy, who recently signed a contract extension with the Bombers in a show of long-term commitment to the club, has been a key emerging player for Essendon this season, with fans eagerly anticipating his return to the field in the coming round.

  • ‘The Odyssey’ storms N. American Box Office

    ‘The Odyssey’ storms N. American Box Office

    One of the most anticipated film releases of the year has made a historic splash at the global box office, as Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of Homer’s ancient epic *The Odyssey* has sailed straight to the top of North American weekend box office rankings, delivering the strongest opening for any live-action movie in 2024. Industry data published Sunday confirms the epic feature pulled in $124.5 million in ticket sales across North America during its debut three-day weekend, far outpacing pre-release projections that predicted an opening haul of less than $100 million.

    Produced by Nolan’s longtime collaborator and wife Emma Thomas and distributed by Universal Pictures, the film boasts a star-studded ensemble cast headlined by A-list actors Matt Damon and Anne Hathaway. It also earned an additional $139 million from international theaters over the opening weekend, bringing its total global launch revenue to $263.5 million — a figure that already covers the project’s full reported $250 million production budget in just its first three days on screens.

    A groundbreaking creative project, *The Odyssey* marks the first feature film ever to be shot entirely on IMAX 70mm film stock. For his retelling of Homer’s 3,000-year-old poem, Nolan leaned into traditional analog filmmaking techniques to reimagine the classic story of hero Odysseus, who battles countless mythic and natural obstacles on his decade-long journey home following the end of the Trojan War.

    Veteran entertainment industry analyst David A. Gross highlighted the unique appeal of Nolan’s work in a commentary on the opening weekend results, noting: “Nolan is the only filmmaker working today who could take an ancient story like this, attract a cast as sprawling and accomplished as this, and make it a pop culture event.”

    The rest of the top five on the North American weekend box office charts saw holdover titles from major studios maintain solid traction with audiences. Disney’s animated hit *Moana* held steady in second place, adding $19 million in its second weekend of release to push its North American total to $82 million and global cumulative sales to $178 million. Universal’s *Minions & Monsters* followed closely behind in third, earning $14.8 million domestically to bring its three-week global total to nearly $357.6 million. Disney’s *Toy Story 5* dropped one spot to fourth in its fifth weekend on screens, pulling in an estimated $13 million domestically for a global total approaching $958 million. Warner Bros.’ horror release *Evil Dead Burn* rounded out the top five with a $5 million domestic haul, pushing its two-week global total to $51 million and domestic total to more than $24 million.

    The remaining positions in the weekend’s top 10 highest-grossing films were filled by: *The Invite* at $3.9 million, *Young Washington* at $3.7 million, *Obsession* at $2.5 million, *Supergirl* at $1.5 million, and *Disclosure Day* at $1.45 million.

  • Aust kicks off huge military drills in Darwin amid China tensions

    Aust kicks off huge military drills in Darwin amid China tensions

    Two weeks after China tested a nuclear-capable missile in the South Pacific, Australia has kicked off its largest-ever Indo-Pacific air combat exercise, bringing together a broad coalition of regional and global military partners to demonstrate collective commitment to regional security. The event, known as Exercise Pitch Black, was officially opened by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Monday in Darwin, the capital of Australia’s Northern Territory. Over the next three weeks, the drills will bring together 100 aircraft and thousands of military personnel from Australia and 20 partner nations, including major regional players the United States, Japan and Indonesia.

    According to an official statement from the Australian government, the core objective of the exercise is to deepen collaborative ties between allied and partner militaries by building operational interoperability through rigorous, realistic, high-end combat training. Albanese emphasized in his opening remarks that Australia maximizes its strategic strength when working hand-in-hand with regional and global partners. “Exercise Pitch Black strengthens those partnerships and demonstrates Australia’s commitment to working closely across our region to support peace, stability and security,” the prime minister said. He added that Pitch Black, which has been hosted by the Northern Territory for more than four decades, serves as another reminder of the territory’s central role to Australia’s national defense architecture and its broader regional engagement.

    China’s earlier missile test sent ripples of political concern across the Pacific. The launch came just hours after Australia and Fiji signed a new mutual defense agreement, a pact that Canberra has indicated could be expanded to other Pacific island nations in the future. Beijing has characterized the test as routine military activity, in line with standard training protocols. However, many governments and independent analysts have framed the launch as a deliberate show of force designed to project influence amid intensifying strategic competition between China and Western-aligned powers in the region. The test also drew near-universal condemnation from across the Pacific, including from several Pacific Island countries that have historically maintained closer diplomatic and economic ties to Beijing.

    Australian officials have framed the timing of the large-scale air exercise as a demonstration of coordinated resolve in response to the test. Canberra has argued that the missile launch underscores the urgent need for regional defense agreements such as the newly signed Australia-Fiji pact. Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Richard Marles, who also attended the opening ceremony for Pitch Black, stated publicly that China’s test was an intentional “message” to Australia about its expanding nuclear capabilities. Marles went on to describe Pitch Black as one of the most complex and strategically significant air exercises held across the Indo-Pacific. “Through this exercise, our Air Force is showcasing Australia’s ability to bring together partners from the region and beyond to enhance interoperability and deepen defence co-operation,” Marles said.

  • Trump lingers on stage to lap up World Cup spotlight

    Trump lingers on stage to lap up World Cup spotlight

    The 2026 FIFA World Cup final between Spain and Argentina, held on July 19 at the New York/New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford, became the stage for an unexpected political spectacle when U.S. President Donald Trump chose to linger on the awards podium long after his scheduled appearance, soaking up global attention even as the Spanish championship team prepared to celebrate their historic victory.

    Two U.S. Marine Corps helicopters, one carrying the sitting president, flew over the stadium ahead of kickoff, marking Trump’s arrival for the first World Cup match he has ever attended. Flanked by First Lady Melania Trump and FIFA President Gianni Infantino in the stands, Trump sat near two fellow North American leaders – Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney – whose nations co-hosted the 2026 tournament alongside the United States. Relations between the Trump administration and both leaders remain strained: just days before the final, Trump threatened new tariffs on Canada over wildfire smoke that drifted into the northeastern U.S. and raised air quality concerns during the event, while tensions with Mexico persist over Trump’s aggressive immigration crackdown and repeated threats of military action against cross-border drug trafficking networks. Despite these underlying frictions, the president exchanged brief pleasantries with both leaders, and also shook hands with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, even after recently criticizing Madrid for its perceived lack of support in the Iran conflict and failure to meet NATO defense spending targets.

    Before the match kicked off, Trump offered his prediction for the game, stating that Argentine superstar Lionel Messi would give his side a competitive edge. He also praised Argentine President Javier Milei – who skipped the final out of a long-held sports superstition – calling the right-wing leader “a friend of mine” who “has done a terrific job” leading his country. When the U.S. national anthem played before the match, Trump stood and offered a formal salute to the flag.

    When the final whistle blew, marking Spain’s 2026 World Cup victory over Argentina, Trump joined Infantino onstage to co-present the trophy to the winning Spanish side. As the team lifted the trophy aloft to celebrate, Infantino attempted to guide Trump off the podium to make way for the champions’ photo opportunity, but the 80-year-old president refused to leave, lingering in the spotlight and even performing a shortened version of his iconic signature dance in front of the assembled Spanish players. The moment echoed a similar controversy at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, also held at the New Jersey stadium, when Trump remained on the podium after handing the trophy to winning side Chelsea as the team tried to celebrate, and later falsely claimed the trophy was being kept in the Oval Office (FIFA later clarified it was only a replica).

    This unscripted moment at the final is far from Trump’s first high-profile intervention in the 2026 tournament. Less than two weeks before the final, Trump sparked widespread outrage over accusations of improper influence when he called Infantino directly to ask FIFA to reverse a red card issued to U.S. striker Folarin Balogun, so the player could participate in the team’s round-of-16 match against Belgium.

    Despite the repeated controversies, Trump has repeatedly lauded the 2026 World Cup as an unprecedented success. During a FIFA reception held at Trump Tower New York on the Friday before the final, Trump told attendees, “This has been the most successful sporting event maybe in the history of the world. It’s been amazing.” He added that the 104-match tournament had cemented soccer’s growing popularity in the U.S., noting, “It turned out we were a soccer country, and I think it’s going to remain.” Trump also mentioned that his 20-year-old son Barron is a passionate fan of the sport. Since returning to the Oval Office in January 2025, Trump has closely tied his political brand to the success of the co-hosted tournament, hosting Infantino at the White House on multiple occasions. The run-up to the tournament was not without its disruptions, however: Trump’s restrictive immigration policies created widespread visa delays and issues for international fans traveling to attend matches across the U.S. leg of the tournament.

  • Tasmania has announced its first ever AFL coach ahead of debut 2028 season

    Tasmania has announced its first ever AFL coach ahead of debut 2028 season

    After a closely contested selection process between three high-profile coaching candidates, Australian Rules football has marked a new chapter in Tasmania’s sporting history: veteran mentor Ken Hinkley has been officially confirmed as the first ever senior coach of the state’s upcoming Australian Football League (AFL) expansion side, the Tasmania Devils.

    Rumors of Hinkley’s appointment began circulating over the weekend, when reports emerged that he had presented to club leadership in Hobart. In the days leading up to the official announcement, the Devils fueled public speculation by sharing a cryptic social media clip showing the coach picking up an official club polo shirt, leaving fans to piece together the news before the formal reveal.

    Hinkley stepped down from his 12-season tenure as senior coach of Port Adelaide at the conclusion of the 2025 AFL season, as part of a pre-planned succession that saw long-time assistant Josh Carr take over the senior role at the Power. While Hinkley never secured a premiership title during his time at Port Adelaide, he left the club with an overall winning record and a widespread reputation for forging tight, cohesive team cultures and getting the best out of developing players.

    Speaking to media after his official unveiling in the Devils’ new team colors, Hinkley expressed overwhelming enthusiasm for the once-in-a-generation opportunity to build a new AFL club from the ground up. “This isn’t just coaching a new football club – this is building something for an entire passionate football state,” he said. “I can’t wait to lead this charge and put Tasmanian football on the national map in a way it’s never been before.”

    Reflecting on his decades-long career, Hinkley added: “When I first spoke to Brendon Gale 18 months ago about this role, I told him straight: I’m a football coach. It’s what I know, it’s what my family and I have built our lives around, and there’s nothing I love more than coaching young people and helping them grow. To get to do that as the first coach of the Tasmania Football Club? It’s an incredibly special moment for this place, and for me.”

    While the Devils are not scheduled to make their competitive AFL debut until 2028, Hinkley is expected to begin his role with the club at the start of the 2026 season, to oversee the final years of preparation for the team’s entry into the national competition. Tasmania already fields a team in the second-tier Victorian Football League (VFL), and the side has already exceeded expectations this season, drawing massive, record-breaking crowds to its home matches. The strong turnouts have silenced early critics and confirmed the deep existing appetite for top-level professional football across the Apple Isle.

    Hinkley emerged as the top candidate for the role beating out two other experienced AFL coaches: Nathan Buckley and John Longmire. Buckley, a former Collingwood senior coach, returned to coaching this season as an assistant mentor with Geelong, a move widely interpreted as a preparation run for the Tasmanian role. Longmire, who stepped down from his senior post at Sydney Swans following the club’s 2024 grand final loss to Brisbane, has worked as a football media commentator since leaving his coaching role.

  • Messi denied dream farewell as abject Argentina lose World Cup final

    Messi denied dream farewell as abject Argentina lose World Cup final

    For soccer icon Lionel Messi, Sunday’s 2026 World Cup final was supposed to be the perfect coda to a legendary career: a second consecutive world title with Argentina that would silence any remaining debate over his status as the greatest men’s soccer player of all time. Instead, the 39-year-old left the pitch at MetLife Stadium in tears after a lopsided 1-0 extra-time defeat to Spain, bringing an underwhelming end to what had been billed as his final World Cup campaign.

    Messi carried Argentina through the tournament, dragging the defending champions back to the final with a standout performance that included eight tournament goals, headlined by a dramatic late comeback against England in the semi-finals that included two assists from the captain. But from kickoff, the 2026 final never went Argentina’s way. Things turned for the worse when star midfielder Enzo Fernandez was shown a red card in first-half stoppage time, leaving the South American side down to 10 men for the entirety of the second half and extra time.

    The undermanned Argentine side failed to mount any meaningful offensive pressure against a dominant Spanish side, struggling to string together coherent attacks and relying heavily on cynical fouling to disrupt Spain’s rhythm. The match stayed scoreless until the 106th minute, when Ferran Torres broke the deadlock to put Spain ahead, a lead they would not relinquish. For Messi, the match was particularly quiet: he recorded just 54 total touches on the ball, nearly half of which came in extra time, and never came close to scoring the goal that would have tied Kylian Mbappe’s all-time men’s World Cup scoring record of 22 goals.

    Down a player, coach Lionel Scaloni opted to leave Messi on the pitch as a lone striker rather than bring on fresh-legged forward Lautaro Martinez, a decision that left many questioning whether the aging captain ultimately became a liability for his already stretched team. The defeat means Argentina failed to become the first men’s national team to defend a World Cup title since Brazil in 1962, a milestone that would have capped Messi’s international legacy perfectly.

    Even in defeat, the 2026 final gave Messi a historic milestone to add to his collection. His appearance in Sunday’s match marked his third World Cup final appearance, tying the all-time record held by Brazilian great Cafu. Only Pele has won three World Cup titles, though he did not feature in the 1962 final due to injury, while Diego Maradona and Messi have both appeared in two winning and two losing finals. Critics of Messi’s GOAT status will likely point to this latest defeat, his second World Cup final loss following a 1-1 defeat to Germany in 2014.

    A full-circle subtext hung over the match, as Sunday’s final was hosted at the same MetLife Stadium where a heartbroken Messi announced his first retirement from international soccer back in 2016. That same year, after losing a third major final with Argentina (a Copa America Centenario penalty shootout defeat to Chile that ended with Messi missing a decisive spot-kick), he told reporters “For me the national team is over.” What followed was one of the most remarkable late-career revivals in sports history: Messi led Argentina to back-to-back Copa America titles in 2021 and 2024, sandwiched around the iconic 2022 World Cup victory in Qatar that cemented his international legacy.

    When the 2026 North American World Cup was announced, the tournament was framed as a victory lap for Messi, who opened his campaign with a hat-trick against Algeria and remained consistent in front of goal all tournament. He retires from World Cup play with a record 34 matches across six shared-record World Cup tournaments, and more than 200 senior caps for Argentina. With the 2030 World Cup set to take place when Messi will be in his early 40s, Sunday’s final is almost certainly the last World Cup appearance of his career. While he remains under contract with MLS side Inter Miami through 2028, leaving the door open for continued international play, this underwhelming defeat is widely seen as the quiet end to one of the greatest international careers in soccer history. It was a glorious run, but for Messi and Argentina, Sunday’s final was ultimately a step too far.