Sport

Jaya Bowman's first football memories are as one of three girls in an under-9 boys' team for her former local club, the Milton-Ulladulla Panthers. Now, after a move from the South Coast to Canberra, the 14-year-old has been selected in the Junior Matildas squad ahead of the first round of the Asian Football Confederation under-17 Women’s Asian Cup 2022 qualifiers. Jaya has...

If the Australian women's hockey team wins gold at the Tokyo Olympics in August, there's no doubt Crookwell's 2641 residents will paint their streets all shades of green and yellow. The unassuming town on the outskirts of Canberra is not only famous for unearthing award-winning spuds and Farmer Wants a Wife contestant Neil Seaman, but also some of Australia's best...

Goulburn's Michael Beard has not yet found his limit as an athlete and adventurer, but he might be close. As he prepares for the Franklin River’s rugged whitewater experience in Tasmania, he gratefully looks back at the freedom his parents Stephen and Barbara gave him while he was growing up on a farm at Windellama, east of Goulburn. Roaming the...

Canberra Raiders legend Mal Meninga may be seen wearing the pale blue of the Gold Coast Titans these days, but he insists the Canberra Raiders – the club he captained to three premierships in 1989, 1990 and 1994 – is still his number-one love. Having left the national capital for his native Queensland in 2004, Meninga returned in 2013 and...

If speculation is anything to go by, the Brumbies have been on the verge of extinction at least a couple of times in their 25-year history. There has been the constant talk of a potential merger with the Melbourne Rebels. Thankfully that was put to bed by Rugby Australia last year. Prior to the Western Force being omitted from the...

As the Raiders prepare to return to Seiffert Oval for the trial against the Roosters later this month, it’s worth reflecting on its significance for the team over the years. Ricky Stuart vividly remembers as a young boy waiting outside the change room at Seiffert for the Raiders players to emerge after a game hoping for an autograph. Later in...

In the current era of professional tennis, it is hard to imagine a 13-year-old girl playing in the main draw of the Australian Open. For Helen Gourlay, it seemed like a natural progression. As a 12-year-old she was the top open women’s player in Tasmania. But in her debut at the Australian Open, Helen was drawn to play Margaret Court,...

Endorsed as an Olympic sport in 2020, 3x3 basketball is rapidly growing in popularity around the world. The game is played on a half-court with only one hoop, a slightly smaller ball to make the game faster, has a shot clock, and just three members on each team. Some of Australia's top-ranked players will be part of a demonstration event...

In 1997 a group of Canberra Raiders players, led by Ruben Wiki, David Furner and Brett Finch, rallied to help one of their own. It wasn’t a fellow player, but the beloved team mascot, Tony Wood, better known as Victor the Viking. Tony had suffered stroke-like symptoms, known as Conversion Disorder, and was admitted to hospital. While he was in...

The NSW ICC T20 World Cup Cricket Legacy Fund has donated $5000 to two community cricket projects in the Bega Valley. Member for Bega Andrew Constance said the funding will improve the participation experience for community cricket. “This final round of funding will see grassroots cricket supported, with Bega/Angledale Cricket Club and Pambula Cricket Club each receiving $2500 for new...

Who would have thought that Canberra's Nick Kyrgios would morph from tennis brat and national embarrassment to statesman of the game in such a short space of time? It seems like only yesterday that we were ready to disown Kyrgios for his on-court antics despite his prodigious talent with the racquet. Now our Nick, with a hint of maturity, a...

There was a time in the 1980s and '90s when Russell Stewart was better known on London's streets than in his home city of Canberra. When he walked into a pub in England, there was instant recognition. That’s not to say that he didn’t have a profile in Australia as he rubbed shoulders with fellow elite athletes such as Rob...

When Thomas Hewitt switched his focus from cattle and sheep farming to harness racing in the late 1970s, he did not imagine his enthusiasm for the sport would inspire the lives of two generations and all the local punters. In fact, Tom’s name became synonymous with harness racing in the Crookwell district after setting several race records and breeding numerous...