Latest news with #WA
ABC News
9 hours ago
- Sport
- ABC News
Jeremy McGovern retires as one of the West Coast Eagles' all-time greats
Jeremy McGovern's footy career was a long-odds bet to begin with. McGovern, the son of former Fremantle player Andrew McGovern, was taken with pick 44 in the 2011 rookie draft. The chances of him playing 197 games, winning a flag and earning five All-Australian blazers would have been, at best, very slim. Then-Eagles recruitment boss Trevor Woodhouse admits he probably only looked at the kid from North Albany because of his surname, and decided to roll the dice. "I think back then it was probably easier to just take some speculative rookies, I don't think the scrutiny was on them like it is today," Woodhouse told Fox Sports. McGovern sat on the Eagles' rookie list for three years without playing an AFL game. Then, in early 2014 at the age of 21, he sat crying in a meeting with new Eagles coach Adam Simpson and an assortment of club staff, fearing the worst. He had relaxed a little too thoroughly during an off-season trip to Phuket and returned in sub-elite condition. McGovern's footy career looked over before it began. "They were talking about ripping contracts up, which was fair enough," he told the Backchat podcast. In the era of the AFL ultra-athlete, skin-folds and beep tests, McGovern had a refreshingly old-school frame. "I'm not the fittest-looking footballer," he once said. That 2014 meeting resulted in him being sent away to train on his own, and after regaining his condition and stringing some solid performances together for East Perth at WAFL level, he was selected to make his senior debut against Carlton in round six. Two years later he was an All-Australian, the first of five blazers he would earn. McGovern's greatest strength was his ability to read the play, and the flight of the ball through the air, better than just about anybody else. It's a trait he traces back to his boyhood, playing footy with Indigenous kids on a red-dirt oval in the remote community of Warburton, about 1,500 kilometres from Perth. "Every now and then, I'd sit back and watch how the Indigenous boys up there played footy," he told The Age. "I'd try to mimic how they were doing it. They were so good. They're just natural footballers up there. They don't get taught. "[They] probably had the best judgement I've seen. "That's where I started reading the ball." It was a trait he used to help the Eagles repel opposition attacks, and begin their own, for more than a decade. The term "intercept mark" should be renamed a "Gov", given all he's done to popularise the term. Where coaches of a bygone era might have exhorted him to punch, McGovern's vision and magnetic hands offered West Coast the perfect way of turning defence into attack. It was a trait he used to brilliant effect in the frantic final stages of the 2018 grand final. With less than three minutes to play, he read Adam Treloar's kick inside Collingwood's 50, peeled off his man and planted his knee in Brody Mihocek shoulder to mark, kick-starting one of the most famous grand final moments — up there with Wayne Harmes's knock back, or Matthew Scarlett's toe poke. "What a player," Bruce McAvaney said of him as it happened, and McAvaney has seen plenty. If reading the play was McGovern's best trait, his courage was not far behind. He needed six painkilling injections to play in that grand final, after he tore his oblique muscles during the preliminary final against Melbourne the week before. Then, during the game, his ribs were cracked. Speaking after the match about the ordeal he had endured in the week leading up to the biggest day of his football career, McGovern offered a sore smile and said: "You've got to love your footy." The site of a banged-up McGovern hauling himself up off the ground after bone-jarring collisions became routine over the years for West Australian football fans. Just when you thought his day was surely over, he would shrug off a trainer and throw himself into the fray again. Now, after the latest in what the club has described as "multiple concussions" over his career, McGovern has been advised to retire on medical grounds. When his case was referred to the AFL's "concussion panel", the writing was on the wall. With the spectre of lawsuits from former players who played after head knocks hovering over the league, it seemed unlikely the panel would advise anything else. With a long life to be lived after football, and many more memories to be made off-field, he has read the play here just as well as he did throughout a wonderful career, painful though it may be. The West Coast Eagles have produced defensive greats like Glen Jakovich, Ashley McIntosh and Darren Glass, and Jeremy McGovern more than belongs in that illustrious company. When it comes to all-time Eagles greats, he is in the very top tier. WA footy will be poorer without him patrolling the half-back line, watching his man, but always with one eye scanning ahead reading the play.
News.com.au
10 hours ago
- Business
- News.com.au
Monsters of Rock: The shape of the lithium recovery, plus copper investments ramp up Down Under
Lithium prices remain subdued, but demand continues to rise Could deficit send spodumene prices back to US$1500/t next year? Copper investments ramp up as ASX options dry up Lithium prices remain very sick indeed, with lithium carbonate barely trading above US$8000/t and spodumene concentrate, the kind of product shipped to China by WA's hard rock miners, down around US$612.50/t, according to Fastmarkets. Few miners make enough cash at those prices to generate a profit, certainly not once capital costs are accounted for. June quarterlies will make for curious reading. There's more negativity on the supply side with the entry of Chevron into the Smackover Formation, a potential oil field brine source of lithium all the energy supermajors are keen on as they look to hedge their oil and gas businesses with exposure to 'new energy'. At the same time demand is still surging. China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology reported a 68% lift in lithium ion battery output in the first four months of 2025 to 473GWh, with export values up 25% to US$21.6bn. With demand for lithium continuing to grow, a modest deficit could emerge soon, some analysts say. "Spot spodumene prices have continued to decline and we have lowered our near-term price outlook to reflect this. We believe a price recovery is likely to be rapid once the market swings to a modest deficit, but the cycle is likely to be shorter given the volume of brownfield capacity that can be brought on-line, largely in Australia," Argonaut head of research Hayden Bairstow said in a note to clients. "We now expect spot spodumene prices to peak at US$1500/t in late 2026, which is likely to trigger a re-start of existing capacity. A return to a balanced market is then forecast for 2027 before the widening deficit pushes prices higher in the long-term. The changes have driven material cuts to earnings for the spodumene miners. We retain our positive view on the sector, with most stocks factoring in weaker spot prices for longer." Argonaut has buy labels on Pilbara Minerals (ASX:PLS), IGO (ASX:IGO) and Liontown Resources (ASX:LTR), with spec buys on Core Lithium (ASX:CXO), Wildcat Resources (ASX:WC8) and Patriot Battery Metals (ASX:PMT), the latter upgraded from a hold in the most recent update. Watch this space. Aussie copper investments accelerate ASX copper investors are facing a conundrum with more and more options taken off the table and heading overseas. Those that do remain in Aussie hands are trying to ramp up as many investments as they can to hit some sort of critical mass. On the outta here list are New World Resources (ASX:NWC) and MAC Copper (ASX:MAC), though there is at least some intrigue emerging at the former. While MAC Copper is yet to pull in competition to Harmony Gold's $1.6bn bid for it and the CSA copper mine in Cobar. But PE firm Kinterra Capital has emerged as a potential challenger to NWC's takever by Central Asia Metals. The bid from CAML was ratcheted up from 5c to 5.3c, lifting its consideration from $185m to $197m, with CAML also making a $10m placement at 5.3c (~5% of NWC) to meet bonding requirements on a quicker than expected Arizona state permitting timeframe for its Antler mine in the US state, as long as no competing proposal is lodged before COB on July 4. Kinterra, which recently emerged with a ~12% stake in NWC, has taken its grievance over the placement to the Takeovers Panel, which has yet to make any interim orders. Meanwhile, capital is being splurged from the top to the bottom of the mining sector on the critical mineral, expected to play a major role in the expansion of green energy and modern technologies. BHP (ASX:BHP) this week announced plans to spend $1.5bn in an arrangement with logistics provider Aurizon Holdings (ASX:AZJ), which will see much of its haulage of copper concentrate, cathode and inbound freight shift from road to rail haulage between Pimba and Port Hedland. Rail's a lot more efficient, creating cost savings as BHP looks to nearly double the scale of its SA copper business, including Olympic Dam, Carrapateena and Prominent Hill by the mid 2030s to 500,000tpa. The mining giant says 13m kilometres of truck movements will be taken off SA's regional roads annually, or 11,000 total truck movements. At a far smaller scale, AIC Mines (ASX:A1M) in Queensland has announced a $55m placement and US$40m prepayment facility ($61m) with Trafigura, which will be used to complete a $77.6m plant expansion led by GR Engineering Services (ASX:GNG) for its Eloise copper mine. The development will grow the Eloise plant from 725,000tpa to 1.1Mtpa to increase its production capacity from ~12,500tpa of copper to 20,000tpa after commissioning in the December 2026 quarter. It will also include the installation of oversized equipment, enabling the company to ramp up to a processing rate of 1.5Mtpa in the future. This all comes as the Queensland government mulls the future of the nearby Mt Isa copper complex, with the underground mine owned by Glencore set to close in the coming month and work now going on both behind and in front of the scene to keep the smelter that is the lifeblood of the town – known as Stack City for its iconic candy striped smoke stack – open up to and beyond its planned closure date in 2030. The ASX 300 Metals and Mining index fell -4.36% over the past week. Which ASX 300 Resources stocks have impressed and depressed? Making gains Capricorn Metals (ASX:CMM) (gold) +11.2% IperionX (ASX:IPX) (titanium) +9.2% Adriatic Metals (ASX:ADT) (silver) +8.6% Newmont Corporation (ASX:NEM) (gold) +7.9% Eating losses Patriot Battery Metals (ASX:PMT) (lithium) -17.9% ioneer (ASX:INR) (lithium) -16.5% Coronado Global Resources (ASX:CRN) (coal) -16.7% Vulcan Steel (ASX:VSL) (steel) -14.8%
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
'Should be banned': AFL fans all make same complaint about 'ridiculous' move
Fans are questioning the AFL's decision to schedule a Thursday night game in Perth after Fremantle's win over Essendon at Optus Stadium. Luke Jackson produced another rucking masterclass and Josh Treacy broke his run of ducks to lift the Dockers to a 41-point win over the injury-hit Bombers. Jackson had 21 disposals to go with 48 hit-outs, 10 clearances and three goals in the 16.8 (104) to 9.9 (63) win in front of 37,570 fans. And while the strong turnout showed the Thursday night time-slot worked for the WA audience, the majority of the AFL world on the east coast were left fuming. The 6.10pm start time translated to an 8.10pm start in Melbourne and Sydney - later than the usual 7.30pm start for Thursday night games - and it didn't finish until around 11pm on the east coast. It normally wouldn't be an issue on a Friday or Saturday night, but fans on the east coast couldn't stay up late because of work and school the next day. Viewers flooded social media with angry comments questioning why a Thursday night game would be scheduled on the west coast. The AFL was likely looking to capitalise on the extra people in Perth watching State of Origin 2 on Wednesday night, but it alienated the TV audience in the eastern states. One person wrote: "Dear AFL, for future reference, Thursday night games do not work in Perth at this time slot." Another commented: "Surely Thursday night footy from Perth simply doesn't work. Most people on the East coast (who work) will go to sleep at half time. Reckon Friday night is more suitable for the later start." A third added: "They (Perth) should be banned from playing Thursday nights. The only state it helps is WA." While a fourth wrote: "Thursday night games should start at 7.30 if played at WA. They either accept it or forget it, kids go to school and to start at 8.10 is ridiculous." Thursday night games should start @730 if played at WA they either accept it or forget it, kids go to school and to start at 810 is ridiculous @AFL @AFLcomau — Rick K (@rick_k62) June 19, 2025 They should be banned from playing Thursday nights. The only state it helps is WA — Cool Reigns (@reign40402) June 19, 2025 Works alright in Perth. Probably 40,000 there tonight. Pity @freodockers had to do it on a five day break in order to get a couple home games in a row. Have a good sleep 😴 — MarkTheAndrews (@MarkTheAndrews1) June 19, 2025 Only 14 different venues to choose from and the AFL schedule a Thursday night in WA the night after a State of OriginAnd put Essendoom there to capitalise on the NSW & QLD marketsAFL House is absolutely flying though @Sammy__Edmund — Shane Donoghue (@shanedonoghue) June 19, 2025 Meanwhile, Fremantle's fifth win on the trot improved their record to 9-5 ahead of next week's home clash with St Kilda. Essendon are now 6-8 and face a major battle to turn around their fortunes, with a fourth-consecutive loss leaving them well adrift of the top eight. Jackson dominated his contest against Essendon debutant Vigo Visentini, who battled hard for 15 disposals and 17 hit-outs but was outclassed by Fremantle's star big man. "He's a special player. We love having him. He's not going anywhere," star Fremantle midfielder Caleb Serong told Fox Footy about Jackson. "He's locked in with us. I think what him and Sean (Darcy) are going to build over the next couple of months is really exciting. I can't wait to be a part of it. As a midfielder, I'm licking my lips." RELATED: Cyril Rioli continues sad stance as Buddy Franklin set for return AFL world sends flood of messages over news about Abbey Holmes Nat Fyfe earned a rare start after spending the last two games as the sub, but managed just 11 disposals and one clearance before being taken off in the final quarter. Fyfe spent periods stationed in attack to help fill the void left by Sam Switkowski (hamstring), and coach Justin Longmuir was happy with the former captain's efforts. "I thought he ran some really good patterns," Longmuir said. "I was really happy with the way he approached the role. I thought some of his physicality through the middle of the ground was great." with AAP
ABC News
17 hours ago
- Business
- ABC News
Roger Cook, Rita Saffioti deliver budget that aims to insulate WA economy from global shocks
For everything governments say about their priorities, budget papers reveal where their real intentions lie. WA Premier Roger Cook's first budget since being elected in his own right has a clear theme, and for the first time in a few years, it's not cost-of-living relief. Those immediate pressures, at least according to the budget papers, are largely in the rear-view mirror. Don't worry, the state's coffers are still overflowing with iron ore royalties, which have remained higher than expected, and huge GST payments from the Commonwealth. Cook and Treasurer Rita Saffioti's first post-election budget pays for the basics, then looks to use the rest to start re-shaping the state's economy. If it goes to plan, that will mean being less reliant on importing many products by manufacturing more locally, and diversifying what the state exports to the world. "If we don't explore these opportunities to value-add, to have more local manufacturing, then we will be filled with a lot of regret in 10 years' time," Saffioti told reporters yesterday. As you'd expect, industry is already singing the government's praises. "Just like Taylor Swift, the government's entered a new era," Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief economist Aaron Morey said. "It's moving from the roads era to the industrial era [with] significant funding in ports, water, energy — so critical to the future of the WA economy." It's a bold ambition, and one many have spent years calling for. It's also well-timed, according to the government, to see the state through the global shocks ahead. But, like everything in life, it comes at a cost. To be clear, the cost isn't as great as it might have been in other places, thanks to two of the WA budget's familiar friends: GST payments and iron ore royalties. Royalties have benefited from an iron ore price that has remained higher for longer than expected, although it is expected to fall over the years ahead. That would probably still leave the books in decent shape, but luckily for Saffioti, WA's GST take will also be rising. Together, those sources will continue to account for about a third of the state's revenue. Other states are continuing to battle deficits, and no doubt another year of seeing WA's surpluses towering over them from across the Nullarbor will be met with the usual complaints. But given Western Australia again rewarded Anthony Albanese for his deference to the state, it's unlikely he will be racing to change those arrangements, despite the significant cost to the Commonwealth budget. It gives the government financial power that many others could only dream of. That power is nothing new, of course, and especially since COVID has been focused on two areas: immediate cost-of-living relief and building the Metronet projects that helped Labor get elected in the first place. This budget effectively places both in the past. Only a portion of Metronet projects remain unfinished, and the government's headline cost-of-living measure — hundreds of dollars off households' electricity bills — has been scrapped. Instead, the bulk of the government's infrastructure spending — some 40 per cent, or $15.1 billion over the next four years — is being put towards power and water infrastructure and ports. Saffioti told parliament that infrastructure would enable private sector investment, which would help build a "fortress" around the state's economy, like the state did during the pandemic. "While not a worldwide pandemic, the global instability and volatility we now face means we must once again stand together to repel any economic threat," she said. But some West Australians will be left wondering if such a heavy focus on the future is slightly premature. The government argues economic pressures have eased, which is true, looking at key indicators. Inflation has cooled, and there are signs the rental market is stabilising, even if prices remain higher than many can afford. Saffioti said that meant the risk of global turmoil had overtaken the cost of living as the most pressing issue for the government. "We don't want WA to be collateral damage in global economic chaos," she told the ABC. But people are still doing it tough, with ShelterWA still reporting "overwhelming" demand for housing support services. "The question really has to be asked: where is the cost-of-living pressure relief, [with] the cost of water up, the cost of electricity up, the cost of emergency services levy up?" Opposition Leader Basil Zempilas said yesterday. The government's solutions are targeted, which helps with not fuelling inflation again, but means some miss out. The $337 million on offer for residential battery rebates and no-interest loans is great for those who own a home, and works into plans to develop a local battery manufacturing industry, but does nothing for renters or people without solar panels. Another round of the up-to-$250 student assistance payment would be welcome relief for families, but it means nothing for anyone without school-aged children. And capping public transport fares at one zone will save $196, but it isn't much good for people not near public transport, or who need to drive for their work. The bigger, structural relief the government is promising will take some time to come. More housing will be years away, given the long game of catch-up the construction sector is playing after a post-COVID population surge. Secure skilled local jobs will also take time to materialise as the government's money to grow local industries filters through boardrooms and into construction and jobs. And pressures on the health system look set to continue, with those on the front line having little hope that promised changes will make that big a difference. It won't be easy, even with time and money. Successive governments have tried to break WA's boom-and-bust cycle without any luck. And that global uncertainty Saffioti wants to protect the state against could arrive faster than her fortress. Luckily for the government, the next time voters will have a chance to pass judgement on their plans is in four years. By then, they should have a sense of whether that fortress has been built or crumbled under the weight of reality.
ABC News
17 hours ago
- Climate
- ABC News
Fog turns Perth into mystical winter wonderland, causing delays at Perth Airport
Perth residents awoke to a rare, mystical treat on Thursday morning, with heavy fog blanketing much of WA's west coast, causing disruption for motorists and at Perth Airport. The widespread fog shrouded areas from the state's far south west, extending up the west coast to Carnarvon and inland through parts of the Goldfields district. The murky and misty air gave Perth's CBD an eerie vibe with buildings almost invisible behind a thick cloak of fog. The conditions followed a cold front that passed through the south west region on Wednesday, leaving behind cooler overnight temperatures and cloud-free skies. Perth Airport confirmed 18 flights in and out were delayed on Thursday because of limited visibility. In a statement, it said a mix of regional interstate flights were disrupted and two had to be diverted back to their departure points. To form the perfect recipe for fog, you need four main components: moisture, cold air, light winds and clear skies overnight. Those elements typically happen when a cold front moves through, which is what we saw yesterday. The Bureau of Meteorology's Jessica Lingard said those elements were typically found behind cold fronts. "As the air cools, any of that moisture in the air, that water vapour condenses into water droplets and we end up with clouds forming on the ground," she said. "Any wind or cloud overnight is going to keep temperatures warmer and prevent that cooling that we need." It was the second morning this week that Perth has woken to misty conditions, after the city was blanketed on Monday. However, Ms Lingard said Thursday morning's fog was more extensive than normal. "We do see places like Port Hedland and through the Pilbara district that will have fog events, but this one was quite extensive because it was all one system that formed it rather than just localised patches of fog," she said. For fog to clear in the morning, the sun needs to warm the earth, which will in turn warm the air above it and dry the moisture out, lifting and clearing the cloud away from the ground. "Sometimes we have, like we did on Monday, high cloud moving in and that blocks out a bit of the sun so we see the fog lingers around for a little bit longer in the morning," Ms Lingard said. With cloudy conditions having settled in overnight ahead of another cold front, Friday morning was tipped to be fog free across much of the state. That front is set to bring a burst of wintry weather to western and south-western parts of WA over the course of Friday and into the weekend. "We're not likely to see any fog [on Friday] because we're going to have that cloud cover and it's also going to be too windy for fog to form nicely," Ms Lingard said. "But as the cloud clears, there may be opportunities for some fog to form but probably not as widespread." The Bureau of Meteorology has warned the cold front could bring severe thunderstorms and damaging winds for WA's south west and coastal regions on Friday. Some places could see rainfall totals exceed 40 millimetres, while areas further inland could be looking at 5 to 10mm. Behind the system, winds will shift dramatically to south-westerly and stay strong and blustery, making temperatures feel very chilly this weekend.
