Poor-quality housing is putting the over-50s in England who have health conditions “in harm’s way”, a charity has said, as it said living in a home that damages their health was “the norm for far too many people”. The Centre for Ageing Better said data analysed on its behalf suggested more than a fifth of people in this age group are living in a poor-quality home that could be making their existing health condition worse. It said people from black and minority ethnic backgrounds, those living in London and those who have a serious health condition or disability are more likely to be affected. Data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing covering 2022/23 was analysed by the National Centre for Social Research on behalf of the charity. It found an estimated 4.5 million people aged 50 or older in England with a health condition aggravated by the cold are living in a home with one or more serious problems. Some 2.8 million were aged between 50 and 70, while 1.7 million were aged 70 and older. Health conditions included respiratory diseases, congestive heart failure, heart disease and lung conditions, including asthma. Housing problems identified in the research included damp, water leaks, bad condensation, electrical or plumbing problems, rot and decay. While some 2.2 million people over 50 with health and housing problems owned their home outright, the biggest proportion of people (51%) with such issues lived in rented accommodation. The charity said older renters with a health condition were up to three times more likely to have five or more issues with their home than someone in the same age group who owns their home. Those with a health condition that can be affected by poor housing who had a significant issue in their homes were most likely to live in London (52%) followed by the North East (35%) and the North West (35%), the West Midlands and the East of England (both on 28%), and the South West (27%). Almost half (46%) of people aged 50 and above from black and minority ethnic backgrounds with one of the health conditions had at least one problem with their home, which the charity said amounted to almost 500,000 people. Among white people in this age group it was just under one in three (32%). The research also suggested people from black and minority ethnic backgrounds living with a health condition were also more than twice as likely to have five or more issues with their housing compared with their white counterparts – 15% compared with 6%. Dr Carole Easton, the charity’s chief executive, said not only does the research show the difficulties faced by those living in poor housing, but it is also “very bad news” for both the economy and the NHS. She said: “Our latest research shows that our poor-quality housing crisis is putting people with health conditions in their 50s, 60s and beyond, in harm’s way. “This is obviously terrible for those individuals who live in homes that carry a very real risk of making them sick, particularly when winter comes around. “But it is also very bad news for the country. Older workers living in homes that are making their health conditions worse are going to be less likely to be able to work and help grow the economy. “Older people whose serious health conditions are made worse by their homes will require treatment, putting additional winter pressures on our health system. “All could be averted if we tackled poor-quality housing with the urgency and priority it demands.” Holly Holder, deputy director for homes at the charity, said the Government must “fix this hidden housing crisis by delivering a national strategy to tackle poor quality housing across all tenures and committing to halving the number of non-decent homes over the next decade”. She added: “No-one should have to live in a home that damages their health, yet it is the norm for far too many people in England today. “By failing to address poor-quality homes we are limiting the lives of some of the country’s poorest and most vulnerable people. “Our new analysis shows that the combination of health and house problems are most likely to impact groups of people who are already disadvantaged by multiple health and wealth inequalities.” A Government spokesperson said: “Despite the challenging inheritance faced by this Government, through our Plan for Change we’re taking action to improve housing conditions across all tenures and ensure homes are decent, safe and warm – especially for the most vulnerable. “We’re consulting on reforms to the Decent Homes Standard next year to improve the quality of social and privately rented housing, and introducing Awaab’s Law to both sectors to tackle damp, dangerous and cold conditions for all renters in England. “Our warm homes plan will also help people find ways to save money on energy bills and deliver cleaner heating, with up to 300,000 households to benefit from upgrades next year.”Appalachian State hires South Carolina offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains as head coach
POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. (AP) — Elijah Lewis scored 21 points as Marist beat Binghamton 69-51 on Sunday. Lewis also had six rebounds and six assists for the Red Foxes (9-2). Josh Pascarelli added 15 points while shooting 6 for 12, including 2 for 5 from beyond the arc and grabbed seven rebounds. Jason Schofield shot 5 of 13 from the field to finish with 10 points. The Bearcats (8-7) were led by Ben Callahan-Gold, who posted 10 points. Gavin Walsh added nine points, 11 rebounds and three steals for Binghamton. Tymu Chenery had nine points and five assists. The loss snapped the Bearcats' six-game winning streak. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .Syra Health to Present at NobleCon20
For the past 14 years, Alex Vynokur, the co-founder of Betashares, has quietly built his company into one of the largest local providers of exchange-traded funds and one of the country’s fastest growing asset managers. In 2024, Betashares attracted inflows of $16 billion, lifting its total funds under management to $46 billion. “The focus for the past decade has very much been about building out the core ETF capability,” explains Vynokur. “We are now a steward of significant capital on behalf of more than 1 million Australian investors and over two-thirds of financial advisors.” Betashares now accounts for one-third of every dollar that goes into the Australian ETF industry, according to Vynokur, and is eyeing growth in Asia. Alex Vynokur, the chief executive of Betashares. Credit: Louie Douvis An ETF is a basket of securities that are pooled into one fund, which is traded on a stock exchange. An investor in an ETF doesn’t own the securities, instead owning units in the ETF, while the ETF provider owns the shares or assets. ETFs have grown in popularity with investors because they are cost-effective and offer exposure to thousands of diversified assets, such as a group of defence stocks, or the ASX200 index, or a variety of bonds. Globally, ETFs have had a banner year with more than $1 trillion invested into the sector, which is now worth an estimated $14 trillion. Vynokur and his family arrived in Australia from Ukraine more than three decades ago, at the time when ETFs launched. He was a teenager, and his family came with just a few hundred dollars in their pockets. Vynokur became a lawyer, then moved into venture capital, before co-founding Betashares with David Nathanson, also a former lawyer and investment banker, who had worked at Goldman Sachs and Macquarie. We’re definitely, very cautiously, studying opportunities outside of Australia. As with any start-up, Vynokur and Nathanson put in enormous hours to build the company to where it is today, as Australia’s second-largest ETF provider behind market leader Vanguard. Both are now multi-millionaires, though there has been a physical cost, says 46-year-old Vynokur: “I didn’t have any grey hair 14 years ago.” The pay-off for both as come in the past few years. In 2021, private equity group TA Associates became Betashares’ majority shareholder, with at least 53.5 per cent ownership. In the middle of this year, Singapore’s Temasek, one of the world’s largest sovereign wealth funds, bought a minority stake. Temasek paid $300 million for that shareholding, the size of which was undisclosed. The deal ascribed a multi-billion-dollar valuation to Betashares. It was Temasek’s first investment in a financial services business in Australia. In a global portfolio valued at $S389 billion ($459 billion), Temasek has just over half invested in private assets. “They have invested with the objective of maybe having more ownership,” says Vynokur. “We’re building this business for the long term, and they are genuinely interested in long-term value creation. We’ve never been about building something up quickly and flogging it. It doesn’t mean I’m opposed to being listed one day, but we’re definitely not in a hurry to go down that path.” The proceeds are expected to help fund Betashares’ growth into new products. In the past year, the company launched retail investment platform Betashares Direct and bought a superannuation business from Bendigo and Adelaide Bank. Vynokur also believes that Betashares has more room to expand its main ETF business. “According to the ASX data, there are 8 million Australians who invest outside their superannuation,” he says. “Also, if you think about younger Australians, who are locked out of the property ownership game, you know being smart with money outside of property is absolutely crucial. We have a real role to play in that.” There is also the opportunity for Betashares to expand its ETF business into Asia but, as for a priority, Vynokur won’t nominate a country. “We’re definitely, very cautiously, studying opportunities outside of Australia ... and that’s going to form part of our longer-term growth.” The Business Briefing newsletter delivers major stories, exclusive coverage and expert opinion. Sign up to get it every weekday morning .
Pakistani security forces have launched an operation to disperse supporters of imprisoned former prime minister Imran Khan who had gathered in the capital to demand his release from prison. The latest development came hours after thousands of his supporters, defying government warnings, broke through a barrier of shipping containers blocking off Islamabad and entered a high-security zone, where they clashed with security forces, facing tear gas shelling, mass detentions and gunfire. Tension has been high in Islamabad since Sunday when supporters of the former PM began a “long march” from the restive north-west to demand his release. Khan has been in a prison for more than a year and faces more than 150 criminal cases that his party says are politically motivated. Khan’s wife, Bushra Bibi, led the protest, but she fled as police pushed back against demonstrators. Hundreds of Khan’s supporters are being arrested in the ongoing night-time operation. Interior minister Mohsin Naqvi told reporters that the Red Zone, which houses government buildings and embassies, and the surrounding areas have been cleared. Leaders from Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, or PTI, have also fled the protest site. Earlier on Tuesday, Pakistan’s army took control of D-Chowk, a large square in the Red Zone, where visiting Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko is staying. Since Monday, Mr Naqvi had threatened that security forces would use live fire if protesters fired weapons at them. “We have now authorised the police to respond as necessary,” Mr Naqvi said Tuesday while visiting the square. Before the operation began, protester Shahzor Ali said people had taken to the streets because Khan had called for them. “We will stay here until Khan joins us. He will decide what to do next,” Mr Ali said. Protester Fareeda Bibi, who is not related to Khan’s wife, said people have suffered greatly for the last two years. “We have really suffered for the last two years, whether it is economically, politically or socially. We have been ruined. I have not seen such a Pakistan in my life,” she said. Authorities have struggled to contain the protest-related violence. Six people, including four members of the security services, were killed when a vehicle rammed them on a street overnight into Tuesday. A police officer died in a separate incident. Dozens of Khan supporters beat a videographer covering the protest for the Associated Press and took his camera. He sustained head injuries and was treated in hospital. By Tuesday afternoon, fresh waves of protesters made their way unopposed to their final destination in the Red Zone. Mr Naqvi said Khan’s party had rejected a government offer to rally on the outskirts of the city. Information minister Atta Tarar warned there would be a severe government reaction to the violence. The government says only the courts can order Khan’s release. He was ousted in 2022 through a no-confidence vote in Parliament. In a bid to foil the unrest, police have arrested more than 4,000 Khan supporters since Friday and suspended mobile and internet services in some parts of the country. Messaging platforms were also experiencing severe disruption in the capital. Khan’s party relies heavily on social media and uses messaging platforms such as WhatsApp to share information, including details of events. The X platform, which is banned in Pakistan, is no longer accessible, even with a VPN. Last Thursday, a court prohibited rallies in the capital and Mr Naqvi said anyone violating the ban would be arrested. Travel between Islamabad and other cities has become nearly impossible because of shipping containers blocking the roads. All education institutions remain closed.
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (AP) — EJ Farmer scored 16 points as Youngstown State beat Detroit Mercy 73-64 on Sunday for their seventh victory in a row. Farmer had three steals for the Penguins (9-5, 4-0 Horizon League). Gabe Dynes scored 12 points while going 4 of 5 and 4 of 6 from the free-throw line and added five rebounds and four blocks. Nico Galette had 10 points. Orlando Lovejoy led the Titans (5-10, 1-3) with 23 points and three steals. Legend Geeter and TJ Nadeau both scored eight. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .Latrell’s $1m payback bid; big heat on four coaches: Who’s most under pressure at every NRL club
Summit Power gets time to submit financial statementOTTAWA — NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says his party will not support a Liberal plan to give Canadians a GST holiday and $250 unless the government expands eligibility for the cheques, saying the rebate leaves out “the most vulnerable.” The Liberals announced a plan last week to cut the federal sales tax on a raft of items like toys and restaurant meals for two months, and to give $250 to more than 18.7 million Canadians in the spring. Speaking after a Canadian Labour Congress event in Ottawa, Singh says he’s open to passing the GST legislation, but the rebate needs to include seniors, students, people who are on disability benefits and those who were not able to work last year. Singh says he initially supported the idea because he thought the rebate cheques would go to anyone who earned under $150,000 last year. But the so-called working Canadians rebate will be sent to those who had an income, leaving out people Singh says need the help. The government intends to include the measures in the fall economic statement, which has not yet been introduced in the House of Commons. The proposed GST holiday would begin in mid-December, lasting for two months. It would remove the GST on prepared foods at grocery stores, some alcoholic drinks, children’s clothes and toys, Christmas trees, restaurant meals, books, video games and physical newspapers. A privilege debate has held up all government business in the House since late September, with the Conservatives pledging to continue a filibuster until the government hands over unredacted documents related to misspending at a green technology fund. The NDP said last week they had agreed to pause the privilege debate in order to pass the legislation to usher in the GST holiday. Singh said Tuesday that unless there are changes to the proposed legislation, he will not support pausing the debate. The Bloc Québécois is also pushing for the rebates to be sent to seniors and retirees.
Manchester City's struggles continued as Pep Guardiola's side remarkably blew a three-goal lead to draw 3-3 with Feyenoord in the Champions League on Tuesday, while Bayern Munich beat Paris Saint-Germain to leave the French club in danger of elimination. There were also big wins for Arsenal, Atletico Madrid, Atalanta and Bayer Leverkusen, while Inter Milan went top of the standings after five games and Barcelona's Robert Lewandowski reached a century of Champions League goals. However, the biggest drama came at the Etihad Stadium, where City were cruising early in the second half with a three-goal advantage as they sought to end a run of five successive defeats in all competitions. Erling Haaland opened the scoring from a penalty just before half-time, and Ilkay Gundogan's deflected shot made it 2-0 in the 50th minute. Haaland struck again to make it 3-0, but Feyenoord's comeback began on 75 minutes when Anis Hadj Moussa took advantage of hapless defending to round goalkeeper Ederson and pull one back. Substitute Santiago Gimenez bundled in to make it 3-2 on 82 minutes and the equaliser arrived a minute from the end. Ederson was again caught out with Igor Paixao going around the goalkeeper and crossing for Slovak international David Hancko to head in. "We concede a lot of goals because we are not stable," complained Guardiola. "We lost a lot of games lately. We are fragile and of course we need a victory." It is the first time that a team has gone into the last 20 minutes of a Champions League game trailing by three goals and still avoided defeat, as the point boosts the Dutch side's hopes of progressing. City are two points outside the top eight places which offer direct qualification for the last 16, while Bayern moved above them by beating PSG 1-0 in Munich. South Korean defender Kim Min-jae scored the only goal seven minutes before half-time, heading in after goalkeeper Matvei Safonov failed to clear a corner. PSG had Ousmane Dembele sent off in the second half and the French champions have just four points, and three goals, from five games. They are a lowly 26th in the 36-team league, a point adrift of the positions which offer a place in the play-off round in February. "We need to win our last three matches, otherwise we risk being eliminated," admitted PSG coach Luis Enrique. More from this section Lewandowski notched his 100th goal in the competition with an early penalty in Barcelona's 3-0 home win over French side Brest. Dani Olmo netted midway through the second half before Lewandowski sealed Barca's win at the death, his 101st goal in the Champions League -- only Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have scored more. Inter lead the standings with 13 points, a point ahead of Barcelona and Liverpool, after a 1-0 win at home to RB Leipzig which means they are also still yet to concede a goal. Castello Lukeba's own goal made the difference at San Siro, and Leipzig are one of only three teams to have lost five games out of five. Arsenal romped to a 5-1 victory away to Sporting in Lisbon, as the Portuguese side adapt to life without coach Ruben Amorim, who has departed for Manchester United. Gabriel Martinelli, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Magalhaes all scored in the first half for Arsenal, before Goncalo Inacio pulled one back shortly after the restart. Bukayo Saka converted a penalty on 65 minutes after Martin Odegaard had been brought down, and Leandro Trossard headed in to seal Arsenal's win late on. Atalanta romped to a 6-1 win over rock-bottom Young Boys in Switzerland, with Mateo Retegui and Charles De Ketelaere both scoring braces. Sead Kolasinac and Lazar Samardzic also netted for the Italians, with Silvere Ganvoula getting the hosts' reply. Florian Wirtz struck twice, including a penalty, as Leverkusen crushed Red Bull Salzburg 5-0, with Alejandro Grimaldo scoring a superb free-kick and Patrik Schick and Aleix Garcia also netting. Julian Alvarez and substitute Angel Correa each scored twice and Marcos Llorente and Antoine Griezmann once as Atletico romped to a 6-0 win away to Sparta Prague. Christian Pulisic, Rafael Leao and Tammy Abraham were the scorers in AC Milan's 3-2 win at Slovan Bratislava, whose goals came from Tigran Barseghyan and Nino Marcelli. Marko Tolic saw red at the end for Slovan, who are without a point. as/nfHow To Make Punjabi Chole Masala Powder (And Tips For Storing It)
With one of the most exciting AFL seasons done and dusted, it’s time to see how horribly wrong — or right — we were at the start of the year. Watch every ball of Australia v India LIVE & ad-break free during play in 4K on Kayo | New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited time offer. In January, we made a series of bold predictions for the 2024 season that, despite holding merit at the time, were still more likely to fail than succeed.Now it’s time to take a look back at which ones we got right and which ones were totally off the mark. BOLD PREDICTION: The Blues make the Grand Final VERDICT: Nope Carlton were one of the premiership favourites in pre-season, but their 2024 campaign was cruelled by injuries which meant they never really looked like featuring on the biggest stage of all. The Blues were bundled out in a hugely disappointing elimination final against eventual premiers Brisbane, conceding the first nine goals of the game. Twin towers Charlie Curnow and Harry McKay missed games through injury at the end of the season, while ruck Tom De Koning also missed a large chunk of the back end. Defenders Mitch McGovern, Adam Saad and Jordan Boyd all had disrupted seasons, while Adam Cerra, Zac Williams and Lachie Fogarty also spent some time on the sidelines. Overall, Carlton’s 2024 campaign was disappointing, but now all eyes turn towards whether or not they can bounce back in 2025. BOLD PREDICTION: Michael Voss wins Coach of the Year Award VERDICT: Nope There’s no doubt 2025 will be an intriguing year for the Blues, can Michael Voss find a way to get the most out of a talented group? Things were looking promising this time last year, but now the jury is out. The Blues arguably went backwards in 2024, but injuries certainly did play a part. Brisbane Lions premiership coach Chris Fagan won the award, while former Sydney coach John Longmire came runner-up. Hawthorn’s Sam Mitchell rounded out the podium after he lifted the Hawks from cellar dwellers to premiership contenders. While we don’t know the full breakdown, you’d imagine Geelong coach Chris Scott, Giants head honcho Adam Kingsley and Port Adelaide mastermind Ken Hinkley would all have finished higher than Voss. A huge 2025 looms. BOLD PREDICTION: Brodie Grundy returns to All-Australian form VERDICT: Almost... Brodie Grundy was a key contributor to Sydney’s successes in 2024, but he didn’t quite reach those All-Australian levels he has before. After a turbulent year at Melbourne, Grundy returned to the number one ruck role at Sydney and performed admirably. The star Swan averaged 18 disposals, five clearances and 4.7 tackles a game as he started to get back to some good form. Max Gawn earned a seventh All-Australian blazer, while breakout Roos ruck Tristan Xerri and Collingwood tall Darcy Cameron were the other rucks to make the All-Australian squad. St Kilda’s Rowan Marshall was also considered an unlucky omission. Grundy was probably in the next batch of talls, including Tim English and Toby Nankervis. A stronger season and an increased output than what Grundy has produced in the past couple of years, but not quite All-Australian calibre. BOLD PREDICTION: The Suns break into the top eight VERDICT: Not yet We can probably rinse and repeat this one for 2025. Surely, the Suns aren’t far off from featuring in September action. In their first season under new coach Damien Hardwick, the Suns finished 13th with a win-loss record of 11-12. It was a bizarre year for the Suns, who were a dominant force on their home decks at People First Stadium and TIO Stadium, but didn’t win a game on the road until round 22 against Essendon at Marvel. The club’s had a refresh and a rebrand and will be hoping that next year is the year they break through for their maiden finals appearance. Their talented youth will only get better with another pre-season under their belts, while the acquisitions of damaging half-backs Daniel Rioli and John Noble will add the rebound out of the back half that they struggled with so much. Is 2025 the year they finally break the drought? BOLD PREDICTION: Three teams will drop out of the top eight VERDICT: Correct We were spot on with this one and the numbers didn’t lie. It’s been two every year since the top eight began and the average is approximately 2.8 per season. BOLD PREDICTION: The Saints are one of them VERDICT: Correct As we predicted, there was a bit of a dip for the Saints in 2024. They had a focus on getting experience into their younger brigade and they also lost some games they probably should’ve won. The likes of Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera, Darcy Wilson and Mitch Owens all had strong campaigns that resulted in top 10 finishes in the best and fairest, while Mattaes Phillipou had a strong end to the season as well. They’ve attacked the draft hard again this year, securing Gippsland Power high-flyer Alix Tauru and Bendigo Pioneers product Tobie Travaglia, who both look like players for the future. The Saints will be hoping to improve on their win-loss record of 11-12 and push back towards September action in 2025. BOLD PREDICTION: But Max King returns to top form VERDICT: Nope As promising as Max King is, injuries limited the key forward to just 12 games in 2024. The Sandringham Dragons product booted 19 goals for the year at an average of 1.6 per game which was well down on his previous two years where he averaged 2.4 and 2.5 goals a match. It was the worst year of King’s career if you exclude 2019 (ACL injury so no games) and his first year in 2020, according to the AFL Player Ratings system. There’s no doubt that when fit, King is one of the most promising key forwards in the competition. The Saints have shown tremendous faith in King, extending his contract until the end of the 2032 season, can he repay that faith? 2025 will be a big year. BOLD PREDICTION: The Power also drop out VERDICT: Nope Port Adelaide strung together another strong home and away season, finishing in second spot with a win-loss record of 16-7. It was the fourth time in five years that Ken Hinkley’s side have featured in September action, yet they haven’t gone on to reach the big dance on any of those occasions. Right now, it feels like they’re home and away experts and then crumble under the finals pressure. Our bold prediction questioned how their recruits would fare and it’s fair to say they didn’t exactly fire. Brandon Zerk-Thatcher is probably a tick as a defender, while Jordon Sweet assumed the number one ruck role by seasons end. Ivan Soldo sought a trade out of South Australia after just one year and Esava Ratugolea is on the fringes of the side heading into 2025. They’re so strong at home, so expect the Power to be around the mark of the top four again in 2025, but the challenge for them is progressing further through a finals campaign. BOLD PREDICTION: And the Josh Carr handover is made official VERDICT: Not yet Six months ago, it looked like Ken Hinkley’s job was on thin ice. They’d lost three consecutive matches to the Blues, Giants and Lions but they went on to win eight of their last nine in a scintillating end to the season. Post-match after the gritty win over St Kilda, Ken Hinkley was emotional in an on-field interview with Fox Footy’s Sarah Jones, highlighting how much he loved the playing group and how much the playing group loved him. The Power were thumped in a qualifying final by Geelong but bounced back in the semi against Hawthorn, before going down to the Swans in a preliminary final. Hinkley still remains in the hot seat, but there’s a sense amongst the competition that Josh Carr will inherit that throne sooner rather than later. Hinkley is yet to reach a grand final during his time as senior coach, a role he has held for 12 years. Carr has been a part of the Power footy program for several years and the club could execute a handover similar to that at the Swans, where Dean Cox took over from John Longmire. It feels inevitable that Carr takes over, but don’t rule out the Power making a bold play and trying to poach someone if Hinkley does step aside some time in 2025. BOLD PREDICTION: The Crows take their spot VERDICT: Not even close Adelaide were one of the biggest disappointments in 2024, if not the biggest disappointment. After finishing 10th with a win-loss record of 11-12 in 2023, there were high hopes that the Crows could return to September action for the first time since 2017. While it was overall a poor season, there were a few shining lights for Matthew Nicks’ side. Midfielder Jake Soligio showed positive signs of growth, while exciting youngster Max Michalanney is going to become a serious player. Izak Rankine played some good footy and Ben Keays was joint winner of the Best and Fairest alongside captain Jordan Dawson. Draftee Sid Draper has been tearing up the training track and is on target to feature in round one, while the likes of Riley Thilthorpe, Josh Rachele and Dan Curtin should only get better with another pre-season under their belts. At the end of the day though, the Crows weren’t as good as they could’ve been in 2024, given the talent at their disposal. BOLD PREDICTION: And Jordan Dawson finishes in the top three of the Brownlow Medal count VERDICT: Also no Let’s be honest, this one was pretty bold! Dawson finished equal 16th in this year’s Brownlow Medal count, polling 18 votes, two less than last year, where he finished 13th (including ineligible players). Dawson did not poll a vote in his first five games and just one in his final six, so it was the middle part of the year where he did his best work. His inconsistent campaign was a bit reflective of Adelaide’s season as a whole. Playing mainly through the midfield, the former Swan averaged 24.5 disposals, five marks and 6.1 tackles. The Crows skipper will no doubt have a huge pre-season to try and give himself the best chance of leading the Crows to their first finals campaign since 2017 and return to some of the best form of his career. BOLD PREDICTION: Dustin Martin finishes in the top five VERDICT: Nope There was clearly a bit of nostalgia behind this one and let’s be honest, it wasn’t even close to being correct. Martin polled just one Brownlow Medal vote this year for his performance in round 11 against Essendon, where he amassed 23 disposals and three goals. Injury and then retirement meant he played just one match of the last eight of the season and he had clearly lost his edge that will see him go down as one of the greats. A superb career and one we were so lucky to be able to witness. BOLD PREDICTION: Then moves to the Gold Coast VERDICT: Still, no Wow, wasn’t this one bubbling away for some time! There were murmurings of Dusty reuniting with former coach Damien Hardwick up at the Suns, but nothing materialised and he is happily retired. He is the only three-time Norm Smith Medallist, a triple premiership player, four time All-Australian and 2017 Brownlow Medallist. He’ll go down as one of the greatest ever Tigers and a true champion of the game. BOLD PREDICTION: The Dogs come in VERDICT: Yes! The Bulldogs made the finals yet again after narrowly missing out in 2023, which was a step in the right direction. The Bulldogs are one of the biggest mysteries in the competition right now. Their list is incredibly talented, and their best football is electric, but they struggle to piece it all together for a prolonged period of time. The club continues to back in premiership coach Luke Beveridge who never backs down from a challenge and will be looking to press towards a top four berth in 2025. Their youth is exciting, but it is important that they capitalise while the likes of Marcus Bontempelli and Adam Treloar are in career-best form. BOLD PREDICTION: But the Cats miss out again VERDICT: Nope Year after year, the Cats continue to prove the footy world wrong. Chris Scott’s side made it all the way to a preliminary final in 2024, falling just short to eventual premiers Brisbane. The Cats have featured in September every year bar three since 2004. That is an absurd period of time to be featuring at the pointy end of the season. The scary thing is, you’d imagine the Cats only get better in 2025. The recruitment of former Bulldog Bailey Smith will bolster their midfield stocks dramatically, while if they can get ex-Blue Jack Martin fit, that could be a bargain. It would take a brave person to write them off again. BOLD PREDICTION: The Hawks just miss out VERDICT: Not quite Can we give this one a tick? We predicted the Hawks would surge up the ladder this year, just not all the way to a semi-final. No one saw that coming, especially after their poor start where they sat 0-5 and then 1-6. The evolution of ‘Hokball’ has been a joy to watch this season. Sam Mitchell’s side have played with plenty of dash and dare and they’ve had the celebrations to match. The scary thing? They could be even better in 2025 and are genuine premiership contenders. The core of their list is still young and will only improve, while the additions of Tom Barrass and Josh Battle will further bolster their defensive stocks. The sky is the limit for these young Hawks. BOLD PREDICTION: And Jack Ginnivan thrives VERDICT: We’ll pay this one! A move to Hawthorn under Sam Mitchell has resulted in Jack Ginnivan playing the best footy of his career. Ginnivan averaged 16.5 disposals, 3.9 marks and 2.7 tackles a game this year, booting 28 goals. He’s become an integral part of one of the best forward lines in the competition and loves to get under the skins of his opponents. He’s become an absolute fan favourite amongst the brown and gold faithful and will be key in Hawthorn’s quest for success. It’s fair to say, he’s put a messy exit from Collingwood behind him and is absolutely thriving. BOLD PREDICTION: Fremantle remains stranded outside the top eight VERDICT: Bang on We were spot on with this one, the Dockers missing out on the top eight by just two premiership points. It went down to the last game of the season, if they had been able to defeat Port Adelaide on their home deck, then they would’ve squeezed Carlton out. The general consensus right now though is that the Dockers could be the biggest risers of 2025. They’ve added former Tiger Shai Bolton to their weaponry, while young gun Murphy Reid could make an impact early on in the year, too. Fremantle have stars across every single line. In defence, Luke Ryan, Jordan Clark and Alex Pearce have been super, while the on-ball brigade of Andrew Brayshaw, Caleb Serong and Hayden Young genuinely could be the best in the competition. Their forward half improved as Josh Treacy and Jye Amiss took big strides forward and the ruck duo of Sean Darcy and Luke Jackson gives them great flexibility. It’s exciting what they could produce next year. BOLD PREDICTION: And Justin Longmuir goes VERDICT: Nope Justin Longmuir signed a one-year extension in March, tying him to the Dockers until the end of 2025. There’s no doubt that the pressure will be on Longmuir next year to try and get the best out of his side, because they are just so talented. It’s never easy entering the final year of your contract, but his future really is in his hands. A strong season will surely see him recontracted, but if the Dockers can’t feature in September, the heat will well and truly be on. BOLD PREDICTION: Finn Callaghan jumps into the All-Australian side VERDICT: Nope This was another pretty bold call, but one that didn’t eventuate. Giants youngster Finn Callaghan had a strong year but it definitely wasn’t All-Australian calibre. Callaghan took a small step forward from his 2023 campaign, lifting his disposals average (22.9), tackles (3.6) and clearances (3.4) and will be an exciting player to track in the years to come. He is clean with ball in hand, smooth-moving in traffic and has plenty of drive out of stoppage. He also managed to finally get some continuity with his body, playing 24 games for the year. Intriguingly, Callaghan did not finish in the top 10 in the club best and fairest. BOLD PREDICTION: And Jamarra Ugle-Hagan does too VERDICT: Nope A strong season for Jamarra Ugle-Hagan, but not All-Australian worthy. The former number one draft pick booted a career-high 43 goals this season and continued his steady increase year-on-year. Alongside Aaron Naughton and Sam Darcy, the Bulldogs have a three-pronged attack that is the envy of the competition. He improved his consistency this year, kicking at least one goal in 19 out of 22 appearances this season. At his best, Ugle-Hagan is flying for his marks and kicking miraculous goals. Should he continue his upwards trajectory, hitting that 50-goal mark for the first time in his career won’t be out of the question in 2025. BOLD PREDICTION: With one club offering him a 10-year contract VERDICT: We’ll pay it! We’re going to claim this one! According to the Herald Sun’s Jon Ralph, clubs were offering “lifetime deals” to Ugle-Hagan early in the season to try and lure him out of the Kennel. Ralph reported that deals “as much as 11 or 12 years” were tabled to Ugle-Hagan, but ultimately, he decided to re-sign with the Dogs. The star forward put pen to paper on a two-year contract extension in May, tying him to the club until the end of 2026. Keep an eye on what he can produce next year. BOLD PREDICTION: The grand final start time stays put VERDICT: Correct The AFL decider indeed remained in its traditional afternoon slot. Instead, the AFLW grand final had its start time moved to the evening. But, while we correctly predicted nothing would change in Andrew Dillon’s first season in charge, we did tease that an eventual tweak might be ‘inevitable’ — and that might too be the case, given the success of the night grand final in the women’s competition. “A night grand final is pretty special ... Maybe we might see it in the men’s, who knows? ... Maybe not!” said victorious North Melbourne AFLW skipper Emma Kearney post-GF. BOLD PREDICTON: Any issues with the score review system will be a thing of the past VERDICT: Tongue in cheek Admittedly this one was tongue in cheek, but the spotlight once again was on the score review system in 2024. At the start of the year, the system was being used too often and for too long and then there’s the AFLW score review system, which had a few kinks in it to begin with. An error with the new ball tracking technology in the Suns and Pies clash incorrectly recorded that the ball was touched, when the video clearly showed the ball had not been touched. The Suns went on to lose that game and the AFL issued a statement afterwards apologising for the mistake.
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