‘Could have died’: Young kangaroo recovering from rescue operation after Bali stampede

“[This was] a serious, very serious life-threatening disease and he could have died from it,” Dr. Clay Colledge told 7News.

North Melbourne officials believe Curtis’ fitness and age were crucial in allowing Curtis to last through surgery with a liter of pus removed from his lungs.

The talented forward, who scored 38 goals in 19 games in 2026 to finish 10th at the club’s best and fairest, is seen as a chance to play in the first round despite his medical.

Curtis said he fought hard as he focused on the recovery of his toddler, Elijah.

“I knew I had to get healthy first to obviously take care of him,” Curtis said. “I’m so thankful for the people who helped me get back to where I am now.

Cats players fly to Dublin for their team-mate’s All-Ireland club triumph

Geelong’s Mark O’Connor fulfilled a boyhood dream to help his hometown Dingle win a thrilling All-Ireland Gaelic final in extra time at Croke Park in Dublin.

Among the crowd of 25,392 were premiership teammates Patrick Dangerfield, Mark Blicavs, Jack Henry and Cam Guthrie. A trio of current Cats made the hasty trip from Melbourne to Dublin to watch the game live.

O’Connor has been granted permission to extend his stay in Ireland for the finals, while the Cats have agreed to allow current players to take a self-funded trip to be there for the match and celebrations while they fly business class.

They were only expected to miss one practice, while the respected O’Connor missed about five.

However, the trip was worth it as Dingle launched their trademark comeback to win the game over St Brigid’s by two points after trailing at half-time. Dingle kicked the last three scores in extra time to secure a thriller, although there was controversy when St Brigids were denied a free.

Said an ecstatic O’Connor Lesser RybyGAA.cz he would be forever grateful to the Cats for supporting him and the club in their quest for victory.

“It feels like a dream to be honest. To look up and see my Geelong teammates sitting next to my family in Croke Park in the red and white of Dingle is probably something I never dreamed of as a kid because it was so outrageous,” O’Connor said.

“If they weren’t the way they were, I wouldn’t still be in Australia and I’m so grateful to them.”

O’Connor said it didn’t take much convincing for the Cats to let him play in the final.

“I think the other players probably got the ear of people at the club because they were fully involved the whole way through,” he said. “It’s not just that they let me do it… it’s like ‘we like it and we hope you want to do it’. It’s not necessarily a marketing ploy. It’s in their culture to say ‘we care about what our players care about’.”

O’Connor’s celebrations will be curtailed when he boards a plane on Tuesday to return to Geelong, the frontrunners and winners of the All-Ireland senior football championship.

The emerging Crow is worried about a knee injury

Rising Crows star Dan Curtin dislocated his kneecap during a wrestling drill at training on Monday. That was a positive diagnosis after initial fears he had suffered an ACL injury when he was carried off the field on a stretcher after writhing on the ground in agony following the accident.

The 20-year-old had a breakout season in 2025 and is expected to play a key role in the Crows’ bid to build on a 2025 season where they lost both finals after finishing the season as minor premiers. The Crows are expected to provide a formal update on Curtin this afternoon.

Both North Melbourne (Jackson Archer) and Carlton (Jesse Motlop) lost players to serious knee injuries last Monday.