The Roosters love a shiny, million-dollar back-rower. This is why they don’t need one

The Sydney Morning Herald - Sep 21, 2026

The Tricolours have long had an eye for an expensive edge recruit. But their next great batch of forwards are already wearing red, white and blue.

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[Asian Games] Kim Young-beom wins men's 50m freestyle swimming in record time

Sep 21, 2026

[Asian Games] Kim Young-beom wins men's 50m freestyle swimming in record time

TOKYO—Kim Young-beom raced to the men's 50-meter freestyle swimming gold medal in record-breaking style at the Asian Games on Monday. The 20-year-old won the shortest swimming event with a new Asian Games record time of 21.66 seconds at Tokyo Aquatics Centre in the Japanese capital. In the heats held earlier Monday, Kim had set an Asian Games record with 21.71 seconds, bettering the previous record of 21.72 seconds set by fellow Korean Ji Yu-chan when he won the 2023 Asiad gold. Just hours later, Kim broke his own mark by 0.05 second to deliver South Korea its first swimming gold of this year's Asian Games. Kim had earlier won silver in the 100m freestyle Sunday. Ji got the bronze medal this time in 21.94 seconds, with Ho Ian Yentou of Hong Kong taking silver in 21.76 seconds. Kim had a reaction time of 0.66 second, tied with two others for the fourth fastest in the 10-man final. But he beat everyone to the final pad with a mad dash down the stretch. The men's 50m freestyle was added to the Asian Games in 1990, and Kim's title gave South Korea back-to-back champions for the first time.

[Asian Games] S. Korea, N. Korea draw 1-1 in women's football at Asian Games

Sep 21, 2026

[Asian Games] S. Korea, N. Korea draw 1-1 in women's football at Asian Games

FUKUROI, Japan — An inter-Korean match in women's football at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games ended in a draw on Monday, with South Korea finishing second in Group F. South Korea and North Korea tied 1-1 in the final Group F preliminary-round match at Shizuoka Stadium Ecopa in Fukuroi, some 104 kilometers east of the main host city Nagoya. With two wins and one draw apiece, North Korea topped Group F with a plus-18 goal difference, while South Korea finished second with a plus-11 goal difference. Before Monday's match, both Korean teams had already secured berths in the quarterfinals with two wins each. At the Asian Games, 12 teams are divided into three groups, with the top two teams from each group and the two best-performing third-place teams advancing to the quarterfinals. The two Koreas exchanged several chances inside the box during the first 30 minutes but failed to score. In the 36th minute, North Korea took the lead. Chae Un-yong received the ball from Jon Ryong-jong's corner and struck it toward the goal with a quick touch. A few minutes later, Jon had a one-on-one chance on the le

[Asian Games] Teen swimmer Kim Seung-won wins bronze in women's 50m backstroke

Sep 21, 2026

[Asian Games] Teen swimmer Kim Seung-won wins bronze in women's 50m backstroke

TOKYO — Kim Seung-won grabbed the bronze medal in the women's 50-meter backstroke swimming at the Asian Games on Monday. The 16-year-old clocked 27.72 seconds at Tokyo Aquatics Centre to win her first medal in her very first Asian Games event. Wan Letian of China claimed the gold medal in 27.47 seconds, 0.19 second faster than fellow Chinese swimmer, Wang Xueer. Kim's was South Korea's fifth swimming medal at this year's Asiad. She is also slated to compete in the 100m backstroke, women's 4x100m medley relay and mixed 4x100m medley relay. Kim's reaction time of 0.56 second was tied for the second fastest in the 10-swimmer final and was 0.04 faster than Wang. But the Chinese ended up beating the South Korean for the silver, with Wan finishing ahead of both. "I worked so hard for the Asian Games here, and I am so pleased to win my first medal," Kim said, smiling ear to ear. "I was just so happy to have an opportunity to show how hard I have trained for this international event. I have more races left, and I will prepare for them the best I can."

[Asian Games] Swimming champion determined to keep pursuing bigger goals

Sep 21, 2026

[Asian Games] Swimming champion determined to keep pursuing bigger goals

TOKYO — Throughout his nine-minute interview after winning his first Asian Games gold medal on Monday, swimmer Kim Young-beom, the men's 50-meter freestyle champion, kept touching and cradling the prize around his neck, so incredulous was he that he had captured it. "Man, this thing is so heavy. I might get a neck spasm," Kim cracked. "I thought it would hit me once I put it around my neck. I still can't believe this gold medal is mine. They played our national anthem in such a big arena just to congratulate me. It was an incredible feeling. I didn't believe I had won this race even when I saw my name on the board right afterward." Kim's title-winning race at Tokyo Aquatics Centre also bordered on disbelief. He established an Asian record of 21.66 seconds, only hours after he had set one in the heats with 21.71 seconds. Rare is a swimmer who breaks a record in the heats, since athletes often save their best for the finals scheduled for later in the day. Even rarer is a swimmer who breaks his own record within the same day. "Ahead of the final, I just wanted to swim the same way I did i

[Asian Games] S. Korea loses to Japan to drop to bronze medal match in women's volleyball

Sep 21, 2026

[Asian Games] S. Korea loses to Japan to drop to bronze medal match in women's volleyball

NAGOYA, Japan — South Korea lost to Japan in the semifinals of the women's volleyball tournament at the Asian Games on Monday, dropping to the bronze medal contest against Thailand. Japan defeated South Korea in straight sets, 3-0 (25-22, 25-22, 25-16) in the semifinals at Park Arena Komaki in Komaki, just north of Nagoya. South Korea went undefeated in the group phase and eliminated Kazakhstan in the quarterfinals but could not get past the host country in its quest for its first gold since 2014. South Korea will take on Thailand at 4 p.m. Tuesday with the bronze medal on the line. South Korea missed the podium at the 2023 Asian Games and has never gone consecutive Asiads without a women's volleyball medal. South Korea stayed close in the first set. But down 14-13, South Korea fell further back on an ace and blocks by Japan. In the second set, South Korea briefly led before falling back 21-19. South Korea got a couple of points back while down 23-19 but ran out of steam. South Korea conceded four straight points in one stretch to go down 12-6. South Korea cut it to 13-11 but did not get

[Asian Games] S. Korea shuts out Chinese Taipei to begin baseball title defense

Sep 21, 2026

[Asian Games] S. Korea shuts out Chinese Taipei to begin baseball title defense

NAGOYA — South Korea blanked Chinese Taipei 5-0 to begin its quest for a fifth consecutive Asian Games baseball gold medal on Monday. Starter Gwak Been tossed six no-hit innings and struck out 10 batters, while five different batters each drove in a run in Group B action at Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park Baseball Stadium in Okazaki, some 50 kilometers southeast of the main host city Nagoya. After Gwak was lifted, Jo Byeong-hyeon tossed two hitless innings before Park Yeong-hyun pitched around a couple of hits in his one inning of work. Made up of stars from the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), South Korea will next play Hong Kong at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Toyohashi Municipal Baseball Stadium in Toyohashi, some 85 km southeast of Nagoya. The final Group C game will be against Thailand at noon Wednesday in Okazaki. The two best teams from each of the two groups will advance to the Super Round, and the top two teams from that phase will meet for the gold medal at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday in Toyohashi. With two heavy underdogs on the horizon, South Korea will likely win Group B and reach the Super Round

Nickelback and ‘grouse’ childhood memories: Behind Nick Daicos’ rise to Brownlow Medal greatness

Sep 21, 2026

Nickelback and ‘grouse’ childhood memories: Behind Nick Daicos’ rise to Brownlow Medal greatness

Follow all the reaction after Daicos set a record just two years after Patrick Cripps set his own stunning benchmark.

The elephant in the room: How Brownlow Medal night handled the suspended Swans

Sep 21, 2026

The elephant in the room: How Brownlow Medal night handled the suspended Swans

Whenever any suspended member from the Sydney Swans featured in the 2026 Brownlow Medal count, it attracted the same reaction: complete silence.

Daicos' special tribute to cancer-stricken fan

Sep 21, 2026

Daicos' special tribute to cancer-stricken fan

Brownlow Medal winner Nick Daicos pays tribute to a young fan as he battles cancer.

Collingwood superstar Nick Daicos has won the Brownlow Medal with a record number of votes

Sep 21, 2026

Collingwood superstar Nick Daicos has won the Brownlow Medal with a record number of votes

Nick Daicos wins his first Brownlow Medal with a staggering total.

Nike called Daicos’ Brownlow win ‘inevitable’. His new votes record was years in the making

Sep 21, 2026

Nike called Daicos’ Brownlow win ‘inevitable’. His new votes record was years in the making

Collingwood superstar Nick Daicos has won his first Brownlow Medal, beating a star-studded field including Marcus Bontempelli, Zak Butters and Bailey Smith.

Jim Stynes medal winner's special announcement

Sep 21, 2026

Jim Stynes medal winner's special announcement

Bailey Banfield confirms he and his partner are expecting after he won the Jim Stynes Medal.

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