Docker Simpson’s footy on hold

Fremantle are confident that Nathan Fyfe will be fit to play against the Crows despite being on crutches after their win over the Bulldogs.

Josh Simpson will take a leave of absence at Fremantle. Picture: Daniel Wilkins Source: News Corp Australia

TROUBLED Fremantle youngster Josh Simpson's playing future is under a cloud after taking an unspecified leave of absence from the club.

The 20-year-old will not be eligible for selection with the Dockers or WAFL affiliate Peel – nor train with either club – until completing his spell away from the game.

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Fremantle football operations manager Chris Bond said Simpson would embark on a "personal development program" that would address personal and professional issues outside of the sport.

"Although Josh has been endeavouring to deal with some personal and professional matters, he has not been able to consistently demonstrate the behaviour required of a player at this club," Bond said.

"We believe that it is in Josh's best interests - both personal and professional – that his strong focus be on undertaking and successfully completing the program rather than meeting playing or training commitments during this time.

"Consequently, Josh will not train or play with the club during his leave of absence but instead focus on his personal development program and benefit from the structure, supervision and support it is designed to provide."

The program will be overseen by the AFL Players Association, the Dockers, Simpson's management and counsellors.

Simpson has been fined twice this season by the club after failing to meet requirements, including missing a flight to Sydney in April after refusing to join his teammates as a travelling emergency.

The 2012 first-round draft pick (no.17) has played just two games at senior level.

Follow Chris Robinson on Twitter: @CJKRobinson

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Crewmen guilty of people smuggling

The vessel crewed by Boy Djara and Justhen that capsized between Indonesia and Christmas Island. Source: Supplied

A photo of people on the boat before it capsized. The picture was submitted as evidence during the trial of two crewmen. Source: News Corp Australia

TWO Indonesian nationals have been found guilty of people smuggling after a two-week trial in the Perth District Court.

Boy Djara and Justhen had been fighting to one charge each of assisting a group of five or more unlawful non-citizens into Australia and five charges each of assisting a group of five or more unlawful non-citizens into Australia in a way that gave rise to danger of death or serious injury.

Both men were convicted on the former charge, while Boy Djara was also found guilty of the five more serious charges after the jury returned at 2pm today. Justhen was not guilty on those five counts.

The pair are the only two surviving crew members from a June 2012 capsizing that saw more than 100 men die at sea.

The boat packed with more than 200 men from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran was half way between Indonesia and Christmas Island when it started taking on water.

Australian authorities and merchant vessel were then called in to pluck survivors and bodies from the ocean.

During the trial, the court heard from 12 of the boat's passengers.

One of those passengers, Ali Ahmadi, told the court while he and Mr Djara were waiting for rescue on the hull of the wreck, the Indonesian indicated to him he hoped a plane that had spotted them was Australian otherwise he risked being killed in his homeland.

The two men convicted men have been in custody since they were arrested in June 2012.

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Film studio dream fades to black

Murdoch University has ended negotiation with a British company to build Perth's first film studio. Source: Supplied

MURDOCH University has ended negotiations with a company that planned to build Perth's first dedicated film studio, but the university remains open to other options for its eastern precinct.

Perth producer Stephen Van Mil announced in October his production company, Impian Films, was working with British firm Extraordinary Limited to build the $50 million studio by 2016.

The facility at Murdoch University was expected to include three film studios, a film school and museum, a 260-room hotel, restaurants, bars, a cinema and nightclub.

But the university confirmed a letter of intent it signed with Extraordinary in December was now void, although it was still keen to receive expressions of interest from other parties.

It is understood Mr Van Mil is working on a proposal.

Extraordinary chief executive Chris Samwells said his company's original concept had to be changed to fit Murdoch University's long-term development plans.

WA film producer Stephen Van Mil, who was part of the film studio proposal.

"This increased the budget on the project by a factor of over 30 per cent and practically relinquished control to the university," he said.

But Murdoch's director of commercial services, Karen Schmidt, said the university never received a formal proposal from Extraordinary.

"As detailed in the letter of intent, the formal proposal from Extraordinary Limited needed to include as a minimum a business case, funding model, feasibility study, design specification and development time line," she said.

The information was supposed to be provided by Extraordinary within three months of signing the letter of intent, but that time frame lapsed in March, she said.

Ms Schmidt said the letter of intent ended in May.

Mr Samwells said there was no ill will between him and the university.

"We are deeply saddened that this wonderful project did not work out," he said.

Mr Samwells said Extraordinary intended to find another studio location in Perth.

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One thing Hawke and Howard agree on

Johnny doesn't appear to be sold on what Bob's saying. Source: News Corp Australia

The body language made clear there were two different men on the podium of the National Press Club although both were from a political style Australian voters probably are yearning to see make a comeback.

Bob Hawke (Labor Prime Minister for eight years, nine months from 1983) slouched across his chair, lips usually pursed when not open in laughter, legs crossed, a picture of cool entering its eighth decade.

John Howard (Prime Minister for 11 years, nine months from 1996) was straight-backed, feet parallel and firmly planted, his hands usually clenched on his lap as he maintained a lifetime of good posture.

Not for the first time in his life, Hawke is unimpressed with Howard. Source: News Corp Australia

The differences couldn't hide the fact these men, the most successful politicians of the past 45 years, represented a period when voters had a confidence in political leaders absent today. Back then, they followed when Labor floated the Australian dollar and removed tariffs, and when the Coalition banned many firearms and introduced a GST.

As one questioner said: "Isn't the fact of the matter that when it came to managing reform weren't both of you simply better at it than the current crop of politicians on either side?".

"Yes," laughed Bob Hawke, easily urging Mr Howard to agree.

They were at the National Press Club in Canberra to mark its 50th anniversary. They had spoken at the club a total of 57 occasions but this was their first appearance together. There was agreement not to talk of current politics and an unpopular Budget, but their feelings came through.

Still not sold. Source: News Corp Australia

John Howard said politicians have sometimes lost the capacity to respect the ability of the Australian people to absorb detailed argument rather than slogans.

"I think the Australian people normally get their politics right. I mean I would say that. I think both of us would," he said laughing with Mr Hawke.

He said voters wanted to be satisfied reform was in the national interest "because they have a deep sense of nationalism, of patriotism".

"They also want to be satisfied that it's fundamentally fair. The Australian people won't over a long period of time support something they don't think is fundamentally fair."

Bob Hawke said he was fortunate in being an Opposition Leader for just three weeks. But he said the job of Opposition was to do more than oppose.

Totally disinterested now. Source: News Corp Australia

"Take the present situation," he said while fending off any suggestion he wanted to deal with "the merits or otherwise" of the Labor Party's performance.

"You can't expect and nor should you expect from the Australian public their support to throw out an existing government and put you in unless you have done them the courtesy and the country the service of working out a coherent policy -- not necessarily of reform, but of adaptation to changing circumstances," he said.

"And that's essential. You will not just get into government by sheer opposition unless the government is going really badly. Recent events of the last couple of years [the Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd governments] support that proposition."

John congratulated Bob on floating the currency; Bob patted John as he said his gun laws were something the United States couldn't do.

In private, they probably would agree the present generation of their parties would not be able to achieve either.

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Armadale, Thornlie trains resume

Hundreds of train commuters have been left stranded after a technical issue forced services on the Armadale and Thornlie lines to be cancelled. Picture: Kate Campbell Source: Supplied

TRAINS on the Armadale and Thornlie lines are slowly returning to normal after a 'technical issue' shut down services.

Trains between Perth and Maddington on the Thornlie and Armadale lines in both directions were affected, which caused chaos for commuters as they faced a lengthy wait for replacement buses.

Just after 6pm, Transperth advised that the issue hasd been resolved and trains were moving again, although it would take some time before services were back on schedule.

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Sailor says she saw MH370 on fire

Deputy PM Warren Truss announces to parliament that the current search area is complete, and that the search for missing plane MH370 will move into a different phase.

Painful search ... the Royal New Zealand Airforce looking for objects during the search for MH370 in April. Photo: Getty Images. Source: Getty Images

A SAILOR has told Australian authorities she saw a burning Boeing 777 near Thailand the morning MH370 disappeared.

Katherine Tee said she was sailing across the Indian Ocean in March when she saw what she believes was the missing Malaysia Airlines plane MH370 billowing black smoke across the night sky.

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The British woman was sailing from Kochi, India, to Phuket, Thailand, with her husband, Marc Horn, when she saw what appeared to be a large aircraft on fire.

"I thought I saw a burning plane cross behind our stern from port to starboard, which would have been approximately north to south," Ms Tee wrote on sailing website, Cruisers' Forum.

"Since that's not something you see every day, I questioned my mind. I was looking at what appeared to be an elongate plane glowing bright orange, with a trail of black smoke behind it. It did occur to me that it might be a meteorite. But I thought it was more likely that I was going insane."

The plane that just disappeared ... students from an international school in Zhuji, China, pray for the passengers on-board Malaysia Airlines flight MH370. Source: Getty Images

On Tuesday she told Thailand's Phuket Gazette newspaper that she was on night-watch on the couple's 40 foot sloop on the night of March 7-8.

"I saw something that looked like a plane on fire. That's what I thought it was. Then I thought I must be mad. It caught my attention because I had never seen a plane with orange lights before so I wondered what they were," she said.

"I could see the outline of the plane, it looked longer than planes usually do. There was what appeared to be black smoke behind it.

"There were two other planes well above it — moving the other way — at the time. They had normal navigation lights. I remember thinking that if it was a plane on fire that I was seeing, the other aircraft would report it."

The couple arrived in Phuket two days later, on March 10, but Ms Tee didn't report her sighting to the Joint Agency Coordination Centre (JACC) until Sunday.

No closure ... a relative of a passenger on-board Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 cries at Lidu Hotel in Beijing, China. Source: Getty Images

The 41-year-old, who spent 13 months at sea, said she did not report the incident at the time because she was having marital issues and thought she might be going mad.

"So when we hit land everyone was talking about the missing plane and asking if we'd seen anything. Since I doubted what I saw and was emotionally in a bad way, I brushed over what I thought I'd seen … Besides, I thought they'd find it," she said.

But media reports at the weekend about the embattled search for the missing plane prompted the couple to recheck their sailing logs.

"But tonight I heard that they were looking in the wrong place, so HWMO (her husband) and I looked back through our GPS logs and lo and behold, what we saw was consistent with the confirmed contact which the authorities had from MH370," she said.

Mr Horn, 50, then posted maps of their yacht's route on sailing website, Cruisers' Forum, where they discovered that their yacht was in the vicinity of one of MH370's projected flight paths on the night it disappeared.

Ms Tee now believes they were near one of the projected flight paths for the aircraft.

She said a map revealed that the aircraft would have passed the yacht astern.

"This is what convinced me to file a report with the full track data for our voyage to the relevant authorities," she said.

Found no evidence of disappeared plane ... Phoenix Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) Bluefin-21 is craned over the side of Australian Defence Vessel Ocean Shield. Source: Getty Images

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Man charged, cops injured in Albany

A 24-year-old man has been flown to Perth with serious head injuries and two police officers were injured after a dramatic incident near Albany. Source: News Limited

TWO police officers were injured in a violent struggle in Albany which left a 24-year-old man in hospital with serious injuries.

A spokeswoman for WA Police said the Perth man tried to grab an officer's gun, and later snatched at their tasers, in the incident at Willyung yesterday morning.

The police officers, a male Constable and a female First Class Constable, were called to the property eight kilometres north of Albany on reports a man was acting suspiciously.

When they arrived, the Perth man allegedly attacked one of the police officers and attempted to take their gun.

He also allegedly attempted to grab one of their tasers.

A 42-year-old man, who had been called to help by a woman who lived in the house, joined the fray and helped police.

The 24-year-old man received serious head injuries and was flown to Royal Perth Hospital yesterday. A spokeswoman from RPH said he was in a stable condition.

The police officers received minor injuries and were treated at Albany Regional Hospital. PerthNow understands they received bruises and cuts.

The 24-year-old man has been charged with two counts of assaulting a police officer, going armed in a way to cause fear and causing damage.

He will have a bedside court hearing at RPH today.

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Socceroos shock: Kennedy, Wilkshire dumped

Luke Wilkshire was perhaps the biggest surprise omission from the Socceroos squad. Source: AFP

EXPERIENCED right-back Luke Wilkshire has been sensationally dumped from the Socceroos' final 23-man squad.

Striker Josh Kennedy and playmaker Tom Rogic had their World Cup dreams dashed through injury, while young Newcastle Jets keeper Mark Birighitti was the fourth player cut.

Wilkshere's omission is a shock and a clear message to the Dynamo Moscow player, considering the huge injury cloud hanging over Ivan Franjic.

The Brisbane Roar player has yet to train since copping the knee knock against South Africa last week and there are no other recognised right-backs in the squad.

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The Socceroos had a medical meeting after dinner on Monday night (early Tuesday EST) with Kennedy, Rogic and midfielder Mark Bresciano, who has also suffered back soreness, where the decision was made.

Josh Kennedy got the Aussies to Brazil but he won't be part of the squad. Source: News Limited

But it's understood that coach Ange Postecoglou and his assistants changed their minds after selecting the initial four omissions the previous night - in the end the squad announcement was delayed by three hours.

"Every step of the selection process has been difficult because the players have worked very hard since they came into camp but we have had to weigh up form, fitness and squad balance in coming up with the 23 players who will represent Australia at the 2014 World Cup," Postecoglou said.

"We've selected a squad that can do Australia proud and they will walk out onto the pitch for the World Cup in the green and gold shirt and display the characteristics that define our country.

"Our stated aim is to make our country proud, show the world what Australians are made of and test ourselves against the very best football players in the world and this group of players is capable of doing that."

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Former Socceroos goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer says the task ahead of the Socceroos at the World Cup will be exceptionally challenging, but one the young group will be eager to tackle head on.

Kennedy, who scored the goal that got Australia to Brazil, had his dreams of playing in a third consecutive World Cup dashed with a back injury that's plagued him of late and will return to Australia for treatment.

Meanwhile, a nagging groin injury has also ruled out Tom Rogic, who was hoping to feature in his first World Cup.

Birighitti will stay until the opening game against Chile on June 14 (EST) in the event that Mitch Langerak's knee doesn't hold up.

Kennedy was on course to play in the warm-up game against local second division side Parana Clube before his back seized up at the end of training.

Josh Kennedy, Tim Cahill, Archie Thompson and Tomas Rogic celebrate. Only Cahill will play in Brazil. Source: News Limited

Newcastle Jets striker Adam Taggart took his opportunity by scoring a goal in the 2-0 win and now looms as the beneficiary of Kennedy's injury with inclusion in the 23 and a chance to feature in Brazil.

Kennedy's injury is not thought to be serious, but having missed five weeks for Japanese club Nagoya Grampus on the eve of the World Cup, his back flared up during the Socceroos' high-intensity sessions.

Assistant coach Aurelio Vidmar had claimed Kennedy would be fit.

"He aggravated his back right at the end of training yesterday and he's pulled up quite well this morning so we decided not to risk it and that's why Adam played,'' he said.

"No, we had a chat to him this morning and he's very good, we just thought it was the best thing for him not to take any chances.''

Rogic has had an injury hit season and was forced off midway through the warm-up game.

Tom Rogic was below par in the Socceroos friendly. Source: News Corp Australia

AUSTRALIA WORLD CUP SQUAD

Goalkeepers: Mat Ryan (Club Brugge), Mitchell Langerak (Borussia Dortmund), Eugene Galekovic (Adelaide United).

Defenders: Ivan Franjic (Brisbane Roar), Jason Davidson (Heracles Almelo), Matthew Spiranovic (Western Sydney Wanderers), Bailey Wright (Preston North End), Alex Wilkinson (Jeonbuk Motors), Ryan McGowan (Shandong Luneng)

Midfielders: Mile Jedinak (Crystal Palace), Mark Milligan (Melbourne Victory), James Holland (Austria Vienna), Massimo Luongo (Swindon Town), Oliver Bozanic (Luzern), Matt McKay (Brisbane Roar), Mark Bresciano (Al-Gharafa)

Attackers: Tim Cahill (New York Red Bulls), Dario Vidosic (Sion), Tommy Oar (FC Utrecht), James Troisi (Melbourne Victory), Ben Halloran (Fortuna Dusseldorf), Adam Taggart (Newcastle Jets), Mathew Leckie (FSV Frankfurt).

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Boy bitten by snake in Bullsbrook

A boy is in hospital after being bitten by a snake. File picture Source: Supplied

PARAMEDICS have rushed a 12-year-old Perth boy to hospital after he was bitten by a snake.

A St John's Ambulance spokesman said the patient was picked up from bushland in Bullsbrook on the city's northeastern fringe this afternoon and transferred via helicopter to Princess Margaret Hospital.

He said the boy was in a stable condition.

…

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Death wish driver unlicensed

A man was seriously injured when he was involved in a high-speed police chase which ended when the car hit a tree in Mirrabooka and rolled onto its roof. Picture: Marie Nirme Source: PerthNow

A MAN seriously injured in a horrific car crash while fleeing from police has a lacerated liver and was unlicensed.

The 23-year-old driver slammed into a tree about 2am as police tried to pull him over in Perth's northern suburbs.

Beach Road remained closed in both directions between Alexander Drive and Honeywell Boulevard early today while police investigated the crash.

Police say officers were on patrol in Mirrabooka when they tried to stop the green Holden Commodore on Balga Ave.

A man was seriously injured when he was involved in a high-speed police chase which ended when the car hit a tree in Mirrabooka and rolled onto its roof. Picture: Marie Nirme

When the car did not stop, a pursuit started, but just minutes into the chase the Commodore struck a tree at high speed and rolled on to its roof.

The crash left debris strewn across the road, with bark and branches torn off the tree and a shoe lying discarded on the roadway.

Firefighters were called to free the trapped driver.

A man was seriously injured when he was involved in a high-speed police chase which ended when the car hit a tree in Mirrabooka and rolled onto its roof. Picture: Marie Nirme

Senior Constable Allan Mawdesley from the Major Crash Squad said today the driver was lucky to be alive.

He estimated the Holden was doing twice the speed limit at the time of the crash – about 140km/h.

Sen-Cons Mawdesley added the 23-year-old was unlicensed, but was wearing a seatbelt. He is in hospital with a lacerated liver and a fractured leg. He is yet to be interviewed.

"From what we can ascertain it appears the vehicle was travelling at well in excess of the speed limit. The driver would appear to have lost control, he's gone into a sideways slide and gone backwards into a tree," Sen-Cons Mawdesley said.

"If he had another person in the vehicle that person would not have survived.

"It's a big impact."

Sen-Cons Mawdesley said the car was not stolen but was loaned to the man by a friend.

He said "some items" were seized from the car but he would not elaborate on what those items were.

Firefighters were called in to free the trapped driver and St John Ambulance took the man to hospital with serious injuries.

Both Major Crash and Internal Affairs detectives are now investigating the incident.

Anyone with information is asked to phone Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

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