Cleary is aiming to do a Cronk. But have Panthers already clinched the ultimate prize?

The Sydney Morning Herald - Sep 26, 2026

The star halfback will attempt to emulate Roosters great Cooper Cronk by leading his side to a premiership while carrying a serious injury. Meanwhile, the whispers over his future are getting louder.

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Socceroos 'can be better too' after poking Brazil bear

Sep 27, 2026

Socceroos 'can be better too' after poking Brazil bear

Having poked the bear in Townsville, the Socceroos are preparing for a Brazilian backlash in Brisbane.

Kohli 15,000 not out in ODIs as ton sinks West Indies

Sep 27, 2026

Kohli 15,000 not out in ODIs as ton sinks West Indies

The great Virat Kohli has become the second batter to reach 15,000 ODI runs as his unbeaten ton steered India to an eight-wicket win over the West Indies.

Snug fit: Aussie hailed in Warwickshire county triumph

Sep 27, 2026

Snug fit: Aussie hailed in Warwickshire county triumph

Beau Webster's contribution hasn't been forgotten by Warwickshire as they celebrated their county championship triumph in Birmingham.

Former FIFA vice president Chung Mong-joon makes surprise visit to Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games

Sep 27, 2026

Former FIFA vice president Chung Mong-joon makes surprise visit to Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games

Chung Mong-joon, chairman of the Asan Foundation, former president of the Korea Football Association (KFA) and vice president of FIFA from 1994 to 2011, visited Nagoya, Japan, where the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games are underway, to encourage Korea's under-23 national team. He praised the team, saying, "Korean football has been playing very good football lately." Chung made a surprise visit to Nagoya Mizuho Park Rugby Stadium on Friday to watch Korea's second group-stage match against Vietnam in the men's football tournament at the Asian Games. His appearance was unexpected, since he had personally attended the Suwon World Cup Stadium the previous day in Korea for the first match under new Korean national team coach Robert Moreno. Speaking to the Hankook Ilbo shortly after Korea's 4-0 victory over Vietnam, Chung said, "I arrived in Nagoya today," adding, "I have no particular business here other than watching football." Asked to offer a few words of encouragement for Korean football as it begins a new chapter under Moreno, Chung smiled and said, "We have been playing very good football l

S. Korea wins gold in equestrian dressage individual

Sep 27, 2026

S. Korea wins gold in equestrian dressage individual

South Korea's Nam Dong-heon won the gold medal in the individual dressage event at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Sunday, bringing home the country's first Asiad title in the event in 12 years. Nam scored 75.190 points to finish first in the event's final at Equestrian Park in Tokyo. Yu Jiayi of China won the silver medal with 75.050 points, while Aleksandra Maksakova of Palestine took bronze with 74.935 points. Sunday's gold medal marked South Korea's first title in the individual dressage event since the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon. Nam also won a silver medal in the team dressage event Friday. South Korea had swept the individual dressage gold medal from the 2002 Asian Games through 2014, with the winning streak ending in 2018. At the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, the country failed to win any medal for the first time since the event was first contested in 1986. Dressage is a form of horse riding performed in exhibition and competition, with riders executing memorized sequences and directing their horses to perform the requested movements. For each dressage movement, horses and riders are

North Korea shows weightlifting prowess in Nagoya

Sep 27, 2026

North Korea shows weightlifting prowess in Nagoya

North Korea’s Ri Won-ju claimed the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games men’s 70-kilogram weightlifting title on Saturday, showcasing overwhelming strength in the clean and jerk. With the country struggling in gymnastics, canoeing and other events, all five of its gold medals so far have come from weightlifting. Ri won the gold medal in the men’s 70kg category at the Nagoya Small and Medium Enterprise Promotion Center in Nagoya, Japan, on Saturday, lifting 151 kilograms in the snatch and 198kg in the clean and jerk for a total of 349kg. Ri finished second in the snatch after failing to lift 146kg in his first attempt before successfully lifting 146kg in his second and 151kg in his third, trailing Japan’s Masanori Miyamoto, who lifted 154kg. However, Ri staged a decisive comeback in his specialty, the clean and jerk. After easily lifting 187kg in his first attempt put himself in position for gold, Ri lifted 192kg in his second attempt and then hoisted 198kg in his third, leaving his rivals unable to catch up. Miyamoto took silver with a total of 342kg, comprising a 154kg snatch and a 18

S. Korea beats Philippines to start men's volleyball tournament

Sep 27, 2026

S. Korea beats Philippines to start men's volleyball tournament

NAGOYA, Japan — South Korea shut down the Philippines to open the men's volleyball tournament at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Sunday. Coached by Issanaye Ramires, South Korea won its first Pool D match by 3-0 (25-16, 27-25, 25-22) at Park Arena Komaki in Komaki, just north of the main host city of Nagoya. Outside hitter Lim Sung-jin led the way with 13 points, while Jeong Han-young and Im Dong-hyeok added 11 points apiece. Jeong and Im combined for eight points in the opening set, as South Korea pulled away after building an 11-9 lead. South Korea had a little tougher time in the second set, unable to close out the Philippines with a 22-21 lead. Down 25-24, though, South Korea got two quick points on the opponent's errors. In the third set, South Korea turned a 15-14 deficit into a 17-15 lead. Then from 21-20, South Korea scored on an opposition error and a serve ace by Lee Sang-hyeon en route to a straight-set victory. South Korea will next play Chinese Taipei on Monday and China on Tuesday. The top two nations from each of the four groups will advance to the quarterfinals Thursday. So

[Asian Games] S. Korea wins gold in men's street skateboarding at Asian Games

Sep 27, 2026

[Asian Games] S. Korea wins gold in men's street skateboarding at Asian Games

South Korea's 17-year-old skateboarder Kang Jun-i won the gold medal in the men's street event at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Sunday, becoming the first South Korean to win an Asiad title in skateboarding. Kang scored 180.85 points in the event's final at Aichi Sky Expo in Tokoname, some 35 kilometers south of the main host city of Nagoya, Japan. He edged out two Japanese skateboarders, Toa Sasaki and Ginwoo Onodera, who earned 172.35 and 168.11, respectively. Skateboarding made its Asian Games debut in 2018. Skateboarding involves riders performing tricks, with competitors judged on the difficulty, execution and originality of their tricks. Athletes compete in two disciplines: street, where they perform tricks on a course featuring stairs, rails and other obstacles, and park, where they compete on a course with complex shapes and transitions. In the run section, where skaters perform a series of tricks using obstacles on the course, Kang scored 88.45 points on his third attempt. In the trick section, where skaters perform individual tricks to showcase their skills, Kang failed to compl

S. Korea picks up silver, bronze in synchronized diving events

Sep 27, 2026

S. Korea picks up silver, bronze in synchronized diving events

Kim Su-ji and Kim Na-hyun teamed up for silver in the women's synchronized 3-meter springboard diving event at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Sunday, South Korea's best performance in this event since 2002. The two divers scored 254.70 points in their five attempts at Tokyo Aquatics Centre in Tokyo, finishing well behind China's Chen Yiwen and Chen Jia, who earned 328.56 points. Ker Ying Ong and Yiat Qing Lee of Malaysia got the bronze with 243.72 points. The women's synchronized 3m event was added to the Asian Games in 2002 in the South Korean host city of Busan, and China has won every gold medal since. This was Chen Yiwen's second straight gold. In that inaugural year, the host country's Kang Min-kyung and Im Sung-young won silver. South Korea was shut out of medals over the next four editions of the Asian Games before Kim Su-ji won bronze with a different partner, Park Ha-reum, in 2023. Kim Na-hyun has now bagged two medals in her Asian Games debut here, after winning bronze with Moon Na-hyun in the women's synchronized 10m platform event Saturday. In the men's event, Shin and Kim Yeo

S. Korea blows big lead to settle for silver in men's epee fencing team event

Sep 27, 2026

S. Korea blows big lead to settle for silver in men's epee fencing team event

South Korea squandered a big lead and settled for silver in the men's epee fencing team event at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Sunday. The team of Park Sang-young, Jang Hyo-min, Nam Yeon-ho and substitute Kwon O-min lost to Kazakhstan's Kirill Prokhodov, Ruslan Kurbanov, Vadim Sharlaimov and Yerlik Sertay by 43-42 at Aichi Sky Expo in Tokoname, south of the main host city, Nagoya. None of the three South Korean fencers came close to medal contention in the individual event, but they joined forces for South Korea's 12th consecutive men's epee team medal. Team fencing events are contested in nine head-to-head bouts. Each bout is three minutes long, but it ends when one team's score reaches a multiple of five. A team scoring 45 points first or having more points than the opponent at the end of the ninth bout wins the event. Park and Prokhodov each scored three points in the opening bout, and then Jang outscored Kurbanov 3-1 in the next bout for a 6-4 South Korean lead. The advantage grew to 12-9 when Nam won his bout against Sharlaimov. Park then blew the match wide open by outscoring Serta

S. Korea gets revenge on Japan, wins Asiad handball gold

Sep 27, 2026

S. Korea gets revenge on Japan, wins Asiad handball gold

After losing 29-19 to Japan in the women's handball final at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023, South Korean players had been waiting for a chance to avenge that defeat over the past three years. Three years later, at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, the two countries met again in the gold medal match on Sunday. South Korea beat Japan 27-23 in the sixth and final round of the women's handball competition to win the gold medal for the first time since 2018. "The loss made our hearts bleed three years ago, but this victory made us extremely happy," said goalkeeper Park Sae-young, who made 12 saves during the match. "We will take on Japan in future competitions, such as the Olympics, and we will keep working to win again." The women's handball competition at this year's Asiad did not feature a knockout stage. Instead, all seven teams played each other once, with medals awarded based on their final round-robin standings. Before Sunday's match, South Korea and Japan were the only undefeated teams, with five wins apiece, and the gold medal winner was decided in their sixth and final group round matc

S. Korea captures gold in women's sabre fencing team event

Sep 27, 2026

S. Korea captures gold in women's sabre fencing team event

South Korea struck gold in the women's sabre fencing team event at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Sunday, delivering the country's fourth fencing title on the sport's last day here. The team of Choi Se-bin, Jeon Ha-young, Seo Ji-yeon and Kim Jeong-mi took down Japan's Misaki Emura, Yui Sano, Yuina Kaneko and Seri Ozaki by 45-31 at Aichi Sky Expo in Tokoname, south of the main host city, Nagoya. None of the South Korean fencers won an individual medal earlier in the competition but won the team title together. Choi was on the 2023 Asian Games team that won bronze behind Uzbekistan and Japan. South Korea finished fencing with four gold medals, four silver medals and two bronze medals. Team fencing events are contested in nine head-to-head bouts. Each bout is three minutes long, but it ends when one team's score reaches a multiple of five. A team scoring 45 points first or having more points than the opponent at the end of the ninth bout wins the event. Choi opened the match by beating Emura 5-2, and Jeon took the next bout against Sano by 5-4. Seo fought off some early push from Kaneko and wo

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