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The Brisbane Broncos kick off an NRL Sunday triple header with a clash against the Cronulla Sutherland Sharks at Lang Park.
Later, the Roosters take on the Cowboys before the Eels see out round 16 with a clash at home against the erratic Titans.
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ABC News

41 minutes ago

• ABC News

Raygun's Olympic breaking broke the internet and continues to polarise

Australia achieved its greatest-ever medal haul at the Paris Olympics, but 12 months on, the enduring memory is of a white, middle-class, 30-something B-girl in a cheap green-and-gold tracksuit crashing out of the breaking competition in the first round. Going by the name Raygun, Rachael Gunn seared herself into the collective imagination with a series of moves that failed to impress the judges but launched a torrent of memes, vitriol, and hot takes. Was she punking the Olympics? Was the routine, with its imitations of kangaroos and sprinklers, ironic – a playfully knowing appropriation of Australian iconography? Or was she simply having an off day? Whatever the case, Gunn's routine, the reaction to it, and how she subsequently carried herself, combined to create a confounding cultural moment. "To be honest, I get mental whiplash thinking about this topic," marketing strategist Christina Aventi tells Australian Story. "It's just a confusing mess. And it's hard to make sense of." There are so many strands to the Raygun phenomenon that it's hard to neatly untangle any of them. Even the initial responses to her routine were wildly varied and often contradictory. Back in Australia, some simply saw it as funny – something in the spirit of Roy and HG's The Dream – and didn't care if it was serious or a piss-take. But for others, the Olympics represent a rare opportunity for Australians to punch above their weight on the global stage, and thanks to Raygun, people all around the world were laughing at us. "It's clear that it really touched a nerve around our cultural, athletic identity," Aventi says. "It was our best performing Olympics yet, that was somewhat overshadowed by this routine that looked more eisteddfod than Olympics." There is, of course, a rich tradition of heroic Olympic failures — think Eddie the Eagle, Eric the Eel, the Jamaican bobsled team, even Australia's own Steven Bradbury, who speed-skated to victory, only because all his competitors crashed out. But as Aventi points out, Gunn does not fit neatly into that pantheon of losers. "They have backstories that people respond to really positively because they're hard-luck stories; they're against-all-the-odds stories," she says. "And in this case, we've got a uni professor who doesn't look like a breaker, who's wearing a green-and-gold tracksuit that looks like it's straight out of Lowes. "It just doesn't quite stack up to some of those other stories we love." Criticism of Raygun's routine did not just come from Australians with a bruised sense of national pride. For some in the international breaking community, her performance was insultingly amateurish. "The anger that came from Raygun's performance at the Olympics comes from a lot of different places," explains New York artist and breaking pioneer Michael Holman. "A slice of that pie came from people who knew what breaking was, saying, 'Wow, you know, that's not great breaking.'" But a bigger issue for Holman — and one that Gunn, an academic interested in the cultural politics of breaking, seemed oddly unprepared for — was that of cultural appropriation and insensitivity. "Part of the magic of hip hop culture is the fact that it was created by marginalised teenagers, poor and working-class black and Puerto Rican kids who came from nothing," Holman says. "So her being white and Australian and jumping around like a kangaroo, that's going to be a loaded gun. "Whether she intended it or not, the end result was mockery." She was ridiculed by US tonight show hosts, eviscerated by countless bloggers, and falsely accused of everything from gaming the system to being responsible for breaking not being part of the 2028 Olympics. There were concerns for her mental health in the days after the event. Australia's Olympic chef de mission Anna Meares defended Gunn publicly, calling out "trolls and keyboard warriors" for their misogyny and abuse. Even Prime Minister Anthony Albanese came to her defence, although "Raygun had a crack" was perhaps not the most ringing of prime ministerial endorsements. Initially, Gunn seemed to handle the situation well. Although the criticism clearly stung, she appeared willing to make fun of herself, breaking into an impromptu routine and throwing kangaroo poses as the Australian Olympic team prepared for the Closing Ceremony. "I think there was a sense that it was a cultural moment," says journalist Jordan Baker, who covered the Paris Olympics for The Sydney Morning Herald. "She gave an unusual performance. It was fun. We'll rally behind her." It was a musical, of all things, that changed all that. Comedian Stephanie Broadbridge didn't even watch Gunn's Olympic routine but became fascinated by how she handled herself in the aftermath. Broadbridge had been through her own social media pile-on in 2023 when a video of her trying not to laugh as a male comedian told a joke was viewed more than 150 million times, provoking a torrent of cruel and misogynistic comments. She was traumatised by the experience and found something admirable in Gunn's refusal to apologise for herself. "Raygun never backed down, and I was like, I love this. This is such an interesting thing from a woman," Broadbridge says. "Women don't usually behave like that publicly, and I was so excited that there was one around my age doing that." Broadbridge looked at the heightened emotion around the Raygun phenomenon and decided it had all the elements of a musical. "She's the hero that Australia needed; the female Shane Warne. The one that's flawed but we love her anyway," she says. "I wanted to tell that story. I wanted an Australian larrikin story that was a woman." And that's when things got weird. Days before the opening performance of Raygun: The Musical, Broadbridge received a cease-and-desist letter from Gunn's lawyers demanding that the show not go ahead because it violated her intellectual property and could damage her brand. "The dance moves were copyrighted, the silhouette was trademarked. Basically, every element," Broadbridge explains. Baker says this was "the point where a lot of people lost sympathy for Rachael". "People who had backed her the whole way felt like this was a betrayal of their support for her," she says. "When the heavy-handed legal threats started coming, it seemed mean-spirited; it seemed like she was no longer even remotely trying to lean into the joke." When Gunn addressed the outcry in an Instagram video, it only made things worse. It seems that in Australia, a far greater sin than athletic underachievement is taking yourself too seriously. "When she's trying to halt a musical, when she's trying to trademark something like a kangaroo hop, that's about her," Aventi says. "I think if she stood for something a little bit bigger – maybe resilience, strength, owning your own truth – that would have given a different centre of gravity to the story. "I know she's been through a lot, but a little bit more vulnerability might have helped people warm to her a bit more. "I feel really uncomfortable saying that. It's like Lindy Chamberlain all over again – why should we expect someone to be vulnerable? But vulnerability is something that connects and opens people up." Now the dust has settled on Raygun's cultural moment, what have we learned? That Australians don't like people who take themselves too seriously? That we like our athletes to win? That we're suspicious of academics? That the internet expects women to behave in a certain way and reacts violently when they don't? Or was it just, as Shakespeare once wrote, "a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing?" In the end, Broadbridge got to keep her musical, albeit with the lead's name changed to Spraygun and the title changed to Breaking: The Musical. And Gunn has her trademarked moves and a great story to tell someday. And after their crash course in public relations, she and her team might get the marketing right when she does. Rachael Gunn declined to be interviewed for this story. Watch Australian Story's Break It Down, 8:00pm, on ABCTV and ABC iview.

The Advertiser

an hour ago

• The Advertiser

Payten threatens axe on 'bullied' Cowboys

Todd Payten has warned he could swing the axe after admitting North Queensland were bullied by the Sydney Roosters as they fell to a second straight thrashing. Payten described the Cowboys' 42-8 loss as looking like boys against men at times, as his team conceding four tries in the space of 10 minutes in the second half. Halfback Tom Dearden also conceded he was "horrible", backing up four days after winning his first State of Origin game wearing the Queensland No.7 jersey. Semi-finalists last year, the Cowboys are now in an almighty rut. Payten's men have won just one match since Magic Round, dropping five and drawing one to Penrith. They have let in an average of 36 points a game through that period, including 100 points alone in the past fortnight to the Dolphins and Cowboys. Questions also remain around the halves pairing of Dearden and Jaxon Purdue, with the latter moved from centre to five-eighth a month ago. But their biggest issue has been a woeful completion rate through that period, with Payten labelling them the NRL's worst team for errors out of their own end. Adding to that is the fact the Cowboys have completed at above 75 per cent just twice in their past seven games. Asked after the loss to the Roosters whether changes were possible, Payten indicated it was on his mind. "We'll be considering it, definitely, off the back of the past few weeks," he said. "We'll have a look at what is underneath and then reassess and get to work." Payten also refused to use the Origin period as an excuse, with the Cowboys having four players coming in and out of camp in the past month. "It's not an excuse, far from it," Payten said. "Not a contributing factor one little bit. "You look at some other teams across the competition (who) have handled it perfectly and we have done so in the past. So it's irrelevant. "It's disappointing, and far from good enough. "We got bullied, it was men against boys there for a little bit and that's concerning." Payten's threat came as Dearden also made a scathing assessment of his own performance, which included conceding an intercept pass for a Mark Nawaqanitawase try. The Cowboys had balls hitting the ground in attack, while Dearden was responsible for five missed tackles. "The body felt good, I was ready to go," Dearden said of backing up from Origin. "I'm really disappointed in my performance. I thought I was horrible tonight." Todd Payten has warned he could swing the axe after admitting North Queensland were bullied by the Sydney Roosters as they fell to a second straight thrashing. Payten described the Cowboys' 42-8 loss as looking like boys against men at times, as his team conceding four tries in the space of 10 minutes in the second half. Halfback Tom Dearden also conceded he was "horrible", backing up four days after winning his first State of Origin game wearing the Queensland No.7 jersey. Semi-finalists last year, the Cowboys are now in an almighty rut. Payten's men have won just one match since Magic Round, dropping five and drawing one to Penrith. They have let in an average of 36 points a game through that period, including 100 points alone in the past fortnight to the Dolphins and Cowboys. Questions also remain around the halves pairing of Dearden and Jaxon Purdue, with the latter moved from centre to five-eighth a month ago. But their biggest issue has been a woeful completion rate through that period, with Payten labelling them the NRL's worst team for errors out of their own end. Adding to that is the fact the Cowboys have completed at above 75 per cent just twice in their past seven games. Asked after the loss to the Roosters whether changes were possible, Payten indicated it was on his mind. "We'll be considering it, definitely, off the back of the past few weeks," he said. "We'll have a look at what is underneath and then reassess and get to work." Payten also refused to use the Origin period as an excuse, with the Cowboys having four players coming in and out of camp in the past month. "It's not an excuse, far from it," Payten said. "Not a contributing factor one little bit. "You look at some other teams across the competition (who) have handled it perfectly and we have done so in the past. So it's irrelevant. "It's disappointing, and far from good enough. "We got bullied, it was men against boys there for a little bit and that's concerning." Payten's threat came as Dearden also made a scathing assessment of his own performance, which included conceding an intercept pass for a Mark Nawaqanitawase try. The Cowboys had balls hitting the ground in attack, while Dearden was responsible for five missed tackles. "The body felt good, I was ready to go," Dearden said of backing up from Origin. "I'm really disappointed in my performance. I thought I was horrible tonight." Todd Payten has warned he could swing the axe after admitting North Queensland were bullied by the Sydney Roosters as they fell to a second straight thrashing. Payten described the Cowboys' 42-8 loss as looking like boys against men at times, as his team conceding four tries in the space of 10 minutes in the second half. Halfback Tom Dearden also conceded he was "horrible", backing up four days after winning his first State of Origin game wearing the Queensland No.7 jersey. Semi-finalists last year, the Cowboys are now in an almighty rut. Payten's men have won just one match since Magic Round, dropping five and drawing one to Penrith. They have let in an average of 36 points a game through that period, including 100 points alone in the past fortnight to the Dolphins and Cowboys. Questions also remain around the halves pairing of Dearden and Jaxon Purdue, with the latter moved from centre to five-eighth a month ago. But their biggest issue has been a woeful completion rate through that period, with Payten labelling them the NRL's worst team for errors out of their own end. Adding to that is the fact the Cowboys have completed at above 75 per cent just twice in their past seven games. Asked after the loss to the Roosters whether changes were possible, Payten indicated it was on his mind. "We'll be considering it, definitely, off the back of the past few weeks," he said. "We'll have a look at what is underneath and then reassess and get to work." Payten also refused to use the Origin period as an excuse, with the Cowboys having four players coming in and out of camp in the past month. "It's not an excuse, far from it," Payten said. "Not a contributing factor one little bit. "You look at some other teams across the competition (who) have handled it perfectly and we have done so in the past. So it's irrelevant. "It's disappointing, and far from good enough. "We got bullied, it was men against boys there for a little bit and that's concerning." Payten's threat came as Dearden also made a scathing assessment of his own performance, which included conceding an intercept pass for a Mark Nawaqanitawase try. The Cowboys had balls hitting the ground in attack, while Dearden was responsible for five missed tackles. "The body felt good, I was ready to go," Dearden said of backing up from Origin. "I'm really disappointed in my performance. I thought I was horrible tonight."

News.com.au

5 hours ago

• News.com.au

Lewis Bishop swims the lows and highs of life on his way into Aussie Dolphins team set for the World Para Swimming Championships

Aussie World Para Swimming Championship selection, Queensland's Lewis Bishop, knows the highs and lows of life like few others. Why? Because he saw rock bottom, a near-death experience 10 years ago which motivated him to strive for one of his proudest moments - winning at bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games 'There were so many years building up to that moment, and the fact that my parents were there was special,'' said Lewis, a butterfly ace. 'It was my first team and I did not have the expectation of winning a medal so the bronze medal was almost unbelievable at the time.'' To think it was just 10 years ago when Bishop, aged nine, went to hell and back. Bishop, now 19, was living in PNG with his mum and dad, Clare and Damon, where his dad worked in the mines and his mother ran a swimming squad for locals. One day he was out on the water knee boarding with family friends when he jumped into the water and got his leg caught in the propeller. The injuries were so horrific, he was at death's door. 'I almost died,'' 19-year-old Bishop said. He was in a critical condition, flown to Townsville hospital that night, and after a week transported to Brisbane. Bishop had his leg amputated below the knee, but the wound became infected and had to be amputated higher up. That, ladies and gentlemen, is what the bottom of the barrel looks like and Bishop saw it. He then continued to push through more adversity before, 12 operations later, Bishop's life started to swing around. 'Within a few months (after the accident) I was walking again, and a few months after that I was active again back in the pool.'' A bit of tough love from mum helped him get back into the pool. 'I'd like to say mum basically tipped me out of my (wheel) chair and into the pool. 'She said 'you are not going to be sitting around because of your disability'. You are going to be active,'' Bishop recalled. 'I learned to do that (swim) before I learned to walk again.'' First stop in the rebirth of his sporting journey was the Somerville House school pool, not far from the hospital where he was staying. 'I don't remember swimming being too difficult. Obviously the kick was not as strong, but I could float and I made it to the other end, so I was happy.'' Joining Bishop in the water was his mum, Clare. 'As soon as his wounds were healed, I took him in a wheelchair up to Somerville House pool and tipped him in and it was the first time he had probably smiled since the accident,'' Clare said. 'We knew the only way forward was to keep him active the best way we could,'' said his mother Clare. 'It was hard. You want to wrap him up in cotton wool, but we also knew the only way forward was to be mentally engaged. And being a sporting boy, we needed to follow his natural inclination (of being involved in sport). 'He loved the water as a baby. I think he swam before he walked,'' Clare recalled. 'He loves a challenge and he took it.'' Bishop's love of the water came from his time in coastal Gove, the Northern Territory, when his father was working in the mines. 'It was amazing fishing,'' Bishop recalled. From there the family moved to PNG where Bishop's love affair with the water continued. So when he was looking to resume a sporting life following his accident, it was only natural that this water baby hit the pool. Bishop, who attended St Bernard's Primary School and then Clairvaux MacKillop College, trains under Josh Smith at Rackley Swimming Hibiscus. Last week his progression continued when he made the world championship squad headed to Singapore in September. Bishop is a part of the Paralympics Australia's Imagine Education Program which educates students about the Paralympic movement, the Games and Para sports. Paralympians like Bishop from the Queensland Academy of Sport visit primary schools to help break down stigma around disability. Currently, only 25 percent of people with a disability participate in sport and Bishop would like to help that to change. Having once looked up to Olympians and paralympians, Bishop is now one of those young men educating the youth of today about disability in sport. 'I hope to inspire the future generation,'' Bishop said. 'When I was in primary school (at St Bernard's School) and a Paralympian had visited, that would have been pretty special. And now I do that. It is an honour to be able to give back.'' For Bishop, he is only in the middle of his sporting dream. It all started in that Somerville House pool when he entered the water from a wheelchair 10 years ago, it continued in Paris at the Games, and it could end in Brisbane at the 2023 Olympic and Paralympic Games. 'I feel like I am just getting started. Brisbane (2032) is coming up on the horizon so I want to stay around for that.'' Bishop dares to dream because he knows dreams do come true. After all, he is alive, isn't he, he can walk and he can swim - very, very well.