NORTH Queensland coach Paul Green has baulked at claims Jason Taumalolo’s NFL trial is a cynical attempt to boost his NRL market value.
At least 16 NFL scouts will watch Taumalolo and Cronulla’s Valentine Holmes attend the weekend drills session at the University of Southern California. Sceptical Sharks captain Paul Gallen claimed this week it may be a ploy for the pair to add a few more dollars to their next NRL contract.
Both are off contract in 2017 and share the same manager.
Asked about the theory, Green said: “I am not sure — you will have to ask his management group.”
However, the Cowboys coach added: “But I think there is a bit of genuine interest (from the NFL).
“After what Jarryd Hayne did I think it piqued interest in our game and Jason is an unbelievable athlete so he fits the mould.
“But he is a little fish in a big pond over there.
“It will be interesting to see how he goes.”
Asked if he wasn’t too concerned Taumalolo would be lost to the NFL, Green said: “I don’t want to lose him.
“He will play for us next year so we don’t lose anything to that extent.
“But we would __like to extend Jason (contract) for longer — hopefully that is the case for the club.”
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Shriners Hospitals For Children Open - Final Round
ADD Rod Pampling to the list of drought-breaking winners in 2016.
Pampling, ranked 451 in the world, collected just over $1.5 million for his win, earned direct passage in next year’s Masters at Augusta and secured his US playing card for the next two seasons.
“It’s a great feeling. It’s amazing,” Pampling said
“It’s extremely rewarding ... coming back from what we had the last few years is phenomenal.
“I don’t want to go out thinking, oh, Pampling, he’s still out here just throwing in numbers. I knew I could still win out here, and this is fantastic, and it justifies the hard work we’ve put in. So I’m looking forward the next few years.”
Rod Pampling celebrates with his trophy after winning the Las Vegas tournament. Picture: GettySource: AFP
Pampling only got in to the event because of a clerical error. The field was only supposed to have 132 players after a date change to November, but it was never made official and Pampling was one of 12 who made up the usual 144 starters.
He made the most of it too, shooting an opening round of 11-under 60, going within centimetres of a 59 after just missing a final hole birdie.
The field caught Pampling by Sunday and he endured a rollercoaster final round, before making birdies on four his final six holes, and a crucial par on the 5, 16th hole.
Pampling had a one-shot lead going to the 18th after Glover made bogey on 17, and holed a 10m birdie putt on the last hole to put the victory beyond doubt.
“The week got off to a fantastic start. Dream of those sorts of starts. And then to finish it was just another dream on top of the first round,” he said.
“It was — to make a putt __like that on the last is, I don’t know how often as kids we do that to ourselves on the putting green trying to make a putt on the last to win the tournament.
Rod Pampling reacts as he birdies the 18th hole to clinch victory. Picture: GettySource: AFP
Pampling’s last victory was the 2008 Aussie Masters, but he hadn’t won in the US since 2006 at the Bay Hill Invitational.
He lost his US tour card after the 2013 season, spent the next two years on the secondary Web.com tour, and after a poor season back on the main tour last year, winning just $185,000 in 18 events, he used the Web.com finals to get his card back.
“I didn’t think it would take this long after ‘06, but it’s a funny game, and things happen,” he said.
“There was a few chances, didn’t work out. But to come back after last three or four years and to get this again is a huge reward.”
The leaderboard was full of Aussies with Geoff Ogilvy finishing tied for fourth, Cameron Smith tied 10th and reigning Austarlian Open champ Matt Jones tied for 15th.
ANTHONY Mundine is planning to spend the next month training with all-time great Roy Jones Jr and his father Roy Sr in Florida before basing himself in Brisbane ahead of his February 3 superfight with Danny Green at Adelaide Oval.
In Australia, Mundine will use Brisbane’s world No.12 Trent Broadhurst as his main sparring partner. Broadhurst, who has 18 wins in 19 fights, and fought Poland’s Michal Ludwiczak (14 wins in 18 fights) at the Eaton’s Hill Hotel on Saturday night.
Danny Green famously knocked out Roy Jones Jnr. Picture: Sam MooySource: News Limited
“Trent is the perfect sparring partner for Choc (Mundine),’’ said Broadhurst’s trainer Chris McCullen who is also an assistant trainer for Mundine.
“He is about the same size as Danny and has a very similar style – a big thumping left jab, a fast left hook and a big right over the top.
‘‘Trent and Choc have done a lot of rounds together over the years and they were sparring just before the fight was officially announced.
‘‘Choc knows he has to be battle hardened and very fit for this fight. He needs real physical hardness to cope with Danny’s power. Danny is a big, strong guy and no one ever has it easy against him.’’
McCullen said Mundine’s decision to base himself in Florida for a month at the start of his preparation was ideal.
‘‘He is preparing himself for a war,’’ McCullen said, ‘‘so he wants no distractions. Roy Jones Sr was in Choc’s corner when he beat Danny the first time and Choc relies very heavily on confidence for big fights. He will use different sparring partners over there and then knuckle down with Trent back in Brisbane.’’
Broadhurst is coming off a big win over American Shawn Miller at Eatons Hill on August 20.
He said that in his first sparring sessions with Mundine before that fight, the former world champ had been faster than he had been for many years following a hip operation in England.
“If Choc shows that speed against Danny again he’ll win the rematch, too,’’ Broadhurst said. ‘‘Danny looked very slow in his last fight (against Melbourne’s Kane Watts).’’
Supplied Unknown Supercars driver Jamie Whincup apologises to team mate Shane van Gisbergen after the two spun dur
MARK Winterbottom and Jamie Whincup claimed the race wins at Pukekohe Park but series leader Shane van Gisbergen wore the biggest smile after emerging from the weekend with an iron grasp on his first Supercars title.
The two title contenders entered the final day of racing tied on points for the Jason Richards Memorial Trophy, while the home crowd’s hero maintains a 148-point lead in the standings.
See how the drama unfolded below.
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Mark Winterbottom and Jamie Whincup claimed the race wins at Pukekohe Park but series leader Shane van Gisbergen wore the biggest smile after emerging from the weekend with an iron grasp on his first Supercars title.
The Aucklander lapped up the affection from his home crowd as he claimed the Jason Richards Trophy for best points haul from the New Zealand meet, roaring to a 191-point championship lead with just two season-ending Homebush races to come.
Van Gisbergen will need only to finish 16th in each Sydney race to claim the crown, the first for a Kiwi since Jim Richards did so in a Nissan in 1991. For perspective, the 27-year-old hasn’t done so badly at a meet since Perth in 2014.
But there was a moment in Auckland when the title race hung in the balance. Desperately seeking any improvement in his championship deficit, Whincup dive- bombed his teammate around the turn eight hairpin, t-boning van Gisbergen. Both Red Bulls spun into the grass.
Van Gisbergen re-emerged in eighth, steadily climbing through the pack to finish third.
Whincup redressed behind his teammate and was served a drive-through penalty and finished 25th, ceding another 49 points to his sole title rival. If the racing was explosive, the meeting of the two teammates in pit lane afterwards was anything but.
Whincup meekly apologised for his misstep, and van Gisbergen quickly accepted - along with the huge advantage in the title race it gave him. Team boss Roland Dane told Fox Sports he wasn’t surprised to see Whincup resort to the most desperate of measures, given the six-time champion was guaranteed second place in the overall standings.
“It was going to happen at some point ... Jamie probably felt he had nothing to lose,” he said.
After sharing a pair of race wins and one-two results on Saturday, the dominant Red Bulls combined again for another one-two in Sunday’s second race. Scott McLaughlin claimed third place.
The Volvo man’s duel with Craig Lowndes for third place in the overall standings will be one of the hottest contests at Homebush.
McLaughlin arrived 76 points in arrears to the 42-year-old but cut the deficit to just 21 points after besting the veteran in three of the four New Zealand races.
Winterbottom claimed Sunday’s opening race after powering from the second row of the grid past van Gisbergen and Scott Pye.
“I might be old but I do alright off the line,” the reigning champion said. Pye went on to finish second, DJR Team Penske’s best result in the series in two years.
Results from Race 4 in the Auckland, the 13th round of the series, at Pukekohe Park Raceway (circuit: 2.915km) today:
Race 4 (35 laps) 1. Jamie Whincup (Holden) 37mins37.1619sec 2. Shane Van Gisbergen (Holden) 37:45.8985 3. Scott McLaughlin (Volvo) 37:56.6399 4. Chaz Mostert (Ford) 37:57.0606 5. Mark Winterbottom (Ford) 37:57.8116 6. Craig Lowndes (Holden) 37:58.2968 7. Garth Tander (Holden) 37:59.0881 8. Fabian Coulthard (Ford) 38:00.7310 9. Scott Pye (Ford) 38:01.5646 10. James Moffat (Volvo) 38:02.5212 11. Todd Kelly (Nissan) 38:03.1037 12. Michael Caruso (Nissan) 38:05.5570 13. Will Davison (Holden) 38:08.2376 14. James Courtney (Holden) 38:08.8822 15. Lee Holdsworth (Holden) 38:09.2918 16. Tim Slade (Holden) 38:12.3505 17. Cameron Waters (Ford) 38:14.4354 18. Dale Wood (Nissan) 38:14.9670 19. Jason Bright (Holden) 38:22.3422 20. Tim Blanchard (Holden) 38:23.0351 21. Nick Percat (Holden) 38:23.4807 22. Chris Pither (Ford) 38:33.3017 23. Shae Davies (Holden) +1 Lap 24. Rick Kelly (Nissan) +1 Lap 25. David Reynolds (Holden) +2 Laps 26. Andre Heimgartner (Holden) DNF
Results from Race 3 in the Auckland, the 13th round of the series, at Pukekohe Park Raceway (circuit: 2.915km) today:
Race 3 (35 laps) 1. Mark Winterbottom (Ford) 38mins6.2689sec 2. Scott Pye (Ford) 38:16.4185 3. Shane Van Gisbergen (Holden) 38:19.2616 4. Craig Lowndes (Holden) 38:20.1635 5. Fabian Coulthard (Ford) 38:21.6818 6. Chaz Mostert (Ford) 38:22.5722 7. Scott McLaughlin (Volvo) 38:24.3027 8. Will Davison (Holden) 38:26.8415 9. Rick Kelly (Nissan) 38:27.1280 10. Garth Tander (Holden) 38:27.9822 11. James Courtney (Holden) 38:28.8614 12. James Moffat (Volvo) 38:29.6880 13. Michael Caruso (Nissan) 38:30.1005 14. Lee Holdsworth (Holden) 38:30.5888 15. Todd Kelly (Nissan) 38:31.4737 16. Jason Bright (Holden) 38:35.3428 17. David Reynolds (Holden) 38:36.0480 18. Nick Percat (Holden) 38:36.4103 19. Tim Slade (Holden) 38:36.7392 20. Cameron Waters (Ford) 38:40.6786 21. Dale Wood (Nissan) 38:44.1541 22. Andre Heimgartner (Holden) 38:44.9879 23. Chris Pither (Ford) 38:50.5895 24. Shae Davies (Holden) 39:01.1118 25. Jamie Whincup (Holden) +1 Lap 26. Tim Blanchard (Holden) +1 Lap
INDIANA Pacers forward Paul George has been fined $US15,000 ($A19,300) for kicking the ball into the stands that hit a fan in the face.
Paul George #13 of the Indiana Pacers reacts to a call.Source: AFP
George, who won a men’s basketball gold medal with Team USA at the Rio Olympics in August, is averaging a team-leading 20.4 points for a Pacers team that have struggled to a 3-4 start to the NBA’s 2016-17 season.
.@Pacers' Paul George sends flowers, apology note to fan he accidentally hit with basketball https://t.co/iiz1VGTlPR pic.twitter.com/nKvxZ8DlIJ
USYD updates looks into the Vanlife movement that's prompting young Australians to leave traditional homes for a minimalist life on the road. Credit: USYD Update
September 22nd 2016
9 days ago
/video/video.news.com.au/Life/
Imagine waking up to this — it’s easy to see why vanlife is appealing. Picture: Mitch Cox
Kirrily Schwarznews.com.au
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IT’S NO secret Australia’s housing market is seriously unaffordable for young people. There’s constant speculation the real estate bubble will burst, but prices keep creeping up.
Some milennials have consigned themselves to a lifetime of renting.
Others are mooching off their parents to save a deposit.
A few have chucked everything in to live in a van.
THE VANLIFE MOVEMENT
Our Vanlife @rebelonarainbow 'rent free 12 month experiment' is up! It has its challenges for sure but we can't go back to normal living now. We are heading to New Zealand for a couple of months adventuring then back in the van exploring more of our beautiful country in 2016. Thank you to all our friends and family that have given us a bed for a few nights here and there, a shower, allowed us to use your washing machine or Internet. We are blessed that you are supporting us in this lifestyle choice that has allowed us to follow our passions of music, hiking, surfing, sharing creative communities/individuals and ideas along the way. Hopefully catch some of you down the road soon ✌🏼️🌈
A photo posted by Jonny Dustow (@dustybootsmusic) on
“It started over coffees. We’d seen the hashtag ‘Vanlife’, but no-one had really set it up as anything. There was no Instagram showing the whole community.”
Jonny Dustow is one of the minds behind Vanlife Diaries, a digital movement that started in Australia and is followed by nearly a quarter of a million people around the world.
“It’s about people, the environment and sharing stories,” he told news.com.au.
“The key to starting was to support our community and share adventures and stories, and creative ideas about how to survive on the road.”
He and his friends Jared and Sam knew there were a lot of people who would be interested, however, prior to Vanlife Diaries there wasn’t a platform to allow them to do so.
Jonny and his wife Jess are both teachers, and they live in a Mercedes Sprinter.
They started doing basic van trips on the weekends because it was a cheap way to travel.
At the time, they held two mortgages, but a decision to sell-up allowed them to build a new lifestyle around their shared interests in travel, surfing, film and music.
“We didn’t want to be paying a mortgage for 30 years that took most of our wages and limited our current lifestyle,” Jonny explained.
It seems the pair hasn’t looked back.
“It’s the best feeling to wake up in a forest or at the beach, next to the ocean or a stream and listen to the wildlife or take a swim,” they wrote on their blog, Rebel on a Rainbow.
While they always plan to keep a van, Jonny told news.com.au they would ideally like an off-grid tiny house or shack as a more permanent base in the long-term.
“In saying that the cost of living with rents and mortgages has become out of control so we are steering clear of committing to massive mortgages in the foreseeable future.”
A photo posted by Great Northern Exposure 🔭 (@greatnorthernexposure) on
Many vanlifers are young professionals seizing the opportunity to see the world.
Sophie Lacey and Austin Allen have just returned home from a year on the road in the United States and Canada, living in a Ford Econovan called “Bernie Vanders”.
“We love travelling, and the plan had always been to go and live overseas for a while, and get out of Melbourne,” said Sophie, who works as a speech pathologist.
“We really just decided to go for it and see what would happen. We knew we wanted to see a lot of the national parks, and we kind of planned around that, about a week ahead at a time.”
They left Australia with about $20,000, earning a bit of extra cash by working along the way.
“All in all it wasn’t that expensive. Buying the van was one of the most financially sensible things we did. It’s just insurance and fuel and food,” she told news.com.au.
Yellowstone National Park was one of the highlights of their trip, and the pair cherished opportunities to see bison and bears up close.
A photo posted by Great Northern Exposure 🔭 (@greatnorthernexposure) on
“At the peak of the season, there are so many tourists the animals just disappear,” she said.
However, despite the natural wonders, settling into fulltime vanlife wasn’t easy.
“It’s crazy, and it’s really hard to do. I think maybe some people would be able to just jump in straight away, but we just like having lots of stuff,” said Sophie.
“You just get into a routine. We found how easy it is to live without all that stuff. When you don’t have it, you just don’t need it.”
Austin is a cabinet-maker, and they made the most of his skills while converting the van, ripping out the seats and building a bed with storage underneath.
They also picked up some children’s furniture from Ikea.
As far as luxuries go, they fitted the van with a gas stove and a camp shower, but both say they missed having access to a proper bathroom.
“When we moved in, it was winter, and most of the places we camped were snowy,” she said.
“But we really miss the van. We miss living that way. We could definitely do it again, easily.”
THE ULTIMATE ADVENTURE
That's one way to end the day 🙌🏽❤️🌅🍔 amazing company, homemade burgers and this sunset outside our home 🚐✌🏽️😻
A photo posted by cleocohen (@cleocohen) on
Some simply pack the bare essentials, hit the road, and make it up as they go along.
Cleo Codrington and Mitch Cox met while studying their final year of graphic design at university, and they’ve been travelling for the past two years.
“The most interesting part of our lifestyle is the freedom and ability to camp and explore anywhere we want for as long as we want,” Cleo told news.com.au.
“If we love a certain area there is no limit to how long we spend exploring it.”
So far, their travels have taken them to every corner of New South Wales, as far north as the Daintree Rainforest, through the outback to Darwin and down to Alice Springs.
“The hardest part would be planning around the weather as this is one of the few restrictions we can’t control,” Cleo said.
“Spending a week travelling around in the rain can sometimes not be the most enjoyable experience!”
Living in a van has definitely changed their idea of conventional housing, in that they now see larger-scaled homes as an unnecessary waste of space and resources.
“After living with extremely limited amounts of water and power it has made us realise how wasteful society can be,” Cleo told news.com.au.
She said while they do look forward to owning a house in the future, it’s “unrealistic” for them at this point in time.
“The way the housing market is going, it seems almost impossible to afford to buy without becoming hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt.”
To survive on the road, they’ve become incredibly efficient at budgeting, from finding the cheapest meals, to camping for free and minimising daily expenses.
“We also make a bit of money on the road doing occasional graphic design work and license photos to tourism companies,” she explained.
They have an incredible amount of talent — sharing almost 120,000 followers on Instagram.
“What inspired us to live in a van is how affordable it is as a means of travel as well as how much ground you can cover.
“A plane might get you from A to B but you miss out on all those amazing places in between!”
They’re currently working their way around South Australia, with plans to explore Victoria and Tasmania before heading home for Christmas.
“Some of our favourite beaches are still within a three-hour drive from our home in Sydney!”
Preparing for our next big trip on the road has me thinking back to where it all started 2 years ago - a two week road trip up the east coast in a very simple version of what is now our home 🙌🏽🚐😝🌴 Glad we did a few shorter trips to test possible layouts to know what works best where 👊🏼 Bring on 5 months straight on the road😻 // Location: Coffs Harbour, NSW
A photo posted by cleocohen (@cleocohen) on
WHY IT’S GROWING
In some ways, vanlife is a throwback to the days of kombi vans and tie-dyed shirts.
“People have been travelling in vans since the 60s, and having that chilled-out simple lifestyle,” said Jonny.
“Basically anyone from any walk of life can do it. You don’t have to be super rich. You don’t even have to own a van, you can rent one. We see it as a better way to travel.”
He thinks the movement took off because it’s more than just an Instagram account and a website: it offers members a platform to meet other vanlifers and travel together.
“We didn’t expect it to get as big as quick, as fast,” said Jonny.
“We’ve let people make it their own community. A lot of other people have tried to start social media accounts on Vanlife, but we really go the extra mile with gatherings.”
It’s paying off, and there are more big things to come.
Vanlife Diaries is currently working on a documentary with Sydney filmmaker Jim Lounsbury, and members are planning to travel to the United States next year to connect with the growing community in North America.
Find out more about Vanlife Diaries on their website.
EPL: Belgian forwards Romelu Lukaku and Christian Benteke star in Everton and Crystal Palace's 1-1 result
October 1st 2016
18 minutes ago
/video/video.news.com.au/Sport/Football/EPL/
Romelu Lukaku of Everton (R) scores their first goal.
AFP
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GOALS by Belgian international strikers Romelu Lukaku and Christian Benteke saw Everton and Crystal Palace draw 1-1 in their Premier League clash on Friday.
Lukaku struck with his fifth of the season in the first-half before Benteke, who endured a disappointing spell at Liverpool before moving to Palace in the summer, levelled with a superb header in the second-half.
The draw was enough for Everton to put an end to a two-match losing run in all competitions and lift them up to third whilst Palace -- who have not lost at Goodison since 2005 -- remain seventh after extending their unbeaten run to four games.
Everton made a bright start to the match forcing Palace to concede several corners in quick succession with Yannick Bolasie torturing his former team-mates with some deft footwork down the left flank.
Christian Benteke of Crystal Palace celebrates with James McArthur.Source:Getty Images
However, it took till the 19th minute for the hosts to force a save from Palace keeper Steve Mandanda, Lukaku firing straight at him.
Lukaku, though, broke the deadlock in the 36th minute, curling a pearler of a free-kick over the Palace wall, leaving Mandanda rooted to the spot for his fifth of the season.
The free-kick had been awarded in controversial circumstances as there was a suspicion Everton defender Phil Jagielka handled the ball before Palace’s veteran captain Damien Delaney raised his boot too high in the challenge.
Romelu Lukaku of Everton (C) celebrates with team mates Ross Barkley (L) and Seamus Coleman (R).Source:Getty Images
Four minutes into the second-half Palace were level as Benteke produced a superb header, from Joel Ward’s cross, to beat Maarten Stekelenburg for his third of the campaign.
Everton stormed back almost immediately and a wonderful piece of skill by Bolasie teed up Idrissa Gueye but he fluffed his lines as Martin Kelly blocked his goalbound shot.
The visitors thought they had taken the lead when Delaney, making his 600th league appearance, had the ball in the net but it was ruled out for offside although the scorer did not appear to be in an offside position.
A pulsating match then saw Gareth Barry’s flicked header cleared off the line by Palace defender Jason Puncheon.
Palace came back at Everton and James Tomkins was presented with a great chance but his header was gathered by Stekelenburg.
Romelu Lukaku of Everton (2R) celebrates with Ronald Koeman manager of Everton.Source:Getty Images
