Loyalty

I remember an MP saying to me once that we were due for a death of an MP or Senator. We hadn’t had a death for a while, and statistically we were due one.

Ray Hopper (left):Katter wooed me with promises of more wide brimmed hats. Photo: NWN

I couldn’t help but think that we were due the defection of an MP, when I heard about Ray Hopper jumping ship. There hadn’t been a defection since Peter Slipper up here and statistically it was always going to happen.

Ray Hopper is the state MP for Condamine, which is the area out the back of Toowoomba. He was elected to Parliament as an independent – a dairy farmer who made his name at the local dairy cooperative, and prior to that a meatworker who was very active in the Meatworkers Union.

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  • fairsfair says:

    06:35pm | 27/11/12

    looking at it from an internal point of view Dave, it would be down to who brings in the most political donations. the libs will always rake that in due to their alignment with business. I think its a reality the Nats have just grown to accept. like if Energex… Read more »

  • TheRealDave says:

    03:38pm | 27/11/12

    I totally agree Fairs but the point still remains that the Nats have always been the driving Conservative voice in Qld. Even now if you broke it down there are far more Nat elected members in the LNP than Libs. I’m jsut wondering how the Nats allowed themselves to be… Read more »

 

The story of Chris Sandow is well known to those who follow even a little rugby league: he’s bloody tiny, has a heart the size of Queensland, and when he does actually make contact with opposition players, they certainly know it.

He was even more excited when he heard Parra would pay him $550k a season. Pic: Getty

He was the league’s top rookie in 2008, has won matches almost single handedly, divides critics and fans alike, and after four years, he is leaving the Souths Sydney Rabbitohs, the Club where he has made his professional debut, to join the Parramatta Eels.

I first met Chris at the southern end of Erskineville Oval as the sun set on a hard training day for the prospective Rabbitohs under 20’s side. I had been asked to meet the new group of promising juniors, and had been well backgrounded on the squad, particularly “Chrissy” as he was already known.

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  • Anthony Sharwood

    Anthony Sharwood says:

    07:51pm | 13/05/11

    Yeah, our subs were at the pub. Kinda like Fairfax’s only not as permanently. Read more »

  • Peter Holmes a Court says:

    07:07pm | 13/05/11

    Firstly, since when did a good malapropism become embarassing? They are often intentional inserted to keep readers on their toes.  Secondly, thepunch has a huge sub-editing department that was meant to catch this but apparently they went out to lunch and never came back. Read more »

 

It’s the day Cats fans have been dreading all year: their favorite son, Gary Ablett, will sign a deal to become a Sun. A Gold Goast Sun.

Ablett after losing to Collingwood in this year's finals. Picture: Michael Dodge

If you were offered $9.5 million over five years, would you take it? Would you leave the club that has made you what you are today?

If you were offered a once-in-a-lifetime deal that would shape a life of luxury, security and comfort for your family, would you take it?

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  • Peter says:

    10:49am | 01/10/10

    Since when have clubs been loyal to players? The clubs want it both ways.. Read more »

  • Lorraine says:

    04:27pm | 30/09/10

    He has just changed employers. Many of us do that. And as for the club making something of him…. he brought a lot of inate talent into the club and they received maximum benefit. He owes the club nothing. Read more »

 

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