The Illawarra Hawks have won their second title in club history and first in 24 years after taking out the 2024-25 NBL Championship with a 114-104 victory over Melbourne United in Game 5 at the WIN Entertainment Centre on Sunday. After a tense series where neither team won on their home court in the first four games, it was the Hawks who bucked the trend to break the deadlock and secure a 3-2 series win in front of a sellout crowd of 5,686 fans. Melbourne burst out of the blocks from the tip-off, racing to an early 20-10 lead, before…
Author: Tallon Smith
Buried in the depths of the vast chasm of content on social media is a humble line in the bio of a regional sporting minnow. ‘Smallest town in the state with a rugby league team!’ This claim belongs to the Rankins Springs Dragons, a club from a dusty little town, population 208, a figure you’d swear has been inflated by a simple drive through the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it town. Sure, Dungowan in Group 4 has fewer people, but it is a locality with no defined residential area, and the vast majority of its players hail from Tamworth, just 25 minutes north. Rankins…
A day out from the polls in Australia’s first referendum in 24 years, millions of voters still remain undecided on the proposed creation of an Indigenous Voice to Parliament. The latest Newspoll shows that eight per cent of Australians are unsure on the proposed changes to the constitution, which would create a dedicated body to discuss and advise government on issues related to Indigenous Australians. About 34 per cent of respondents have said they intend to vote ‘Yes’ and 58 per cent have indicated they will vote ‘No’. UOW Law School Senior Lecturer Dr Kylie Lingard said that despite “misinformation”…
The UOW Cricket Club have started their summer in the best possible manner after scoring an eight wicket win over Wests at Figtree Oval on Saturday afternoon. After Wests won the toss and elected to bat, some brilliant bowling saw the University restrict the Devils to 8/122, before the students, led by James Biggs’ 34 not out stand, comfortably chased down the total with an over and eight wickets to spare. UOW Cricket Club President Matt Threadgate expressed his satisfaction at starting the year in the winners’ circle, highlighting the collective joy of the team’s success. “It’s always good to…
Journalism is a fundamental component of democracy. Known as the fourth estate, journalists have the important role of keeping power in check and informing the public. However, freedom of the press came under attack in 2019 with raids by the Australian Federal Police’s (AFP) on the ABC over articles alleging war crimes by Australian troops in Afghanistan, as well as the previous raids on News Corp journalist Annika Smethurst over a story on the increased domestic activities of national intelligence agency, the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD). So what triggered the raids? The ABC Raids were a direct response to the…
The Thirroul Butchers have sent shock waves through the regional rugby league community by withdrawing from their Presidents Cup match scheduled for this Saturday against Maitland at Maitland Sports Ground. The future of the competition, which pits the champions of the four strongest community level leagues in the state to crown a statewide third-tier champion, is now in major doubt in just its second year running. Thirroul Butchers president Brett Jones said that “player availability” at the end of an already arduous campaign was the main factor in the club’s withdrawal from the fixture. “We had a couple of players…
The Shellharbour Sharks have booked themselves in the Group 7 Rugby League preliminary final after a 38-22 win over Nowra-Bomaderry at Ron Costello Oval on Saturday. After finishing the regular season in third place, the Sharks bounced back from a 24-10 qualifying final loss to Gerringong, running in seven tries to four to end the Jets’ promising campaign in the second week of the finals. Shellharbour Coach Abed Atallah said he was impressed with his side’s “good performance” in the win, built around hard work. “We worked really hard early in the game, which helped set up the result in…
The Corrimal Cougars have qualified for their first Reserve Grade Grand Final since 1989 with a 13-12 Preliminary Final win over Collegians at Collegians Sports Complex on Saturday. After making the finals for the first time in 10 years last season, the Cougars have gone another step further, courtesy of a match winning field goal to captain Josh McConnell in the dying stages. Corrimal president Grant Plecas said the win “was just unbelievable” for the Cougars, who have struggled to compete with bigger clubs in recent seasons. “34 years ago was the last time we were in the Grand Final…
Collegians have secured second spot on the Illawarra Rugby League ladder with a comprehensive 28-14 win over the Western Suburbs Red Devils at Collegians Sports Complex on Saturday. The Collie Dogs’ victory sets up a highly anticipated clash with Minor Premiers De La Salle Caringbah in the Major Semi Final, with the winner going through to the Grand Final at WIN Stadium in three weeks’ time. Collegians Lock Jarrod Thompson said the win was “a huge boost of confidence” for his side, as they look to win their third successive title in 2023. “It’s always tough versus Wests, especially at…
The Corrimal Cougars have broken a 777-day long drought in the Illawarra Rugby League courtesy of a 36-18 win over Dapto at Ziems Park on Saturday. Having last won a first grade game on June 19, 2021, the Cougars washed away two years of pain in a stunning upset over the finals hopeful Canaries. The occasion saw emotions visibly getting the better of many of their players following a long-awaited and spirited rendition of their team song. Corrimal Captain and Lebanon international Jacob Karam said it was a “pretty awesome” experience to finally get their first win, and to do…