The July 5 Edition
It’s hard to picture two boxers with more different physiques and clashing styles: the nuggetty, craggy-faced Paul Gallen, a formidable plodder and puncher, versus the sleek, square-jawed Sonny Bill Williams, who moves about the ring like a dancer. The pair, both veterans of the rugby league field, will meet up for a widely anticipated mega-fight on July 16. I’ll leave it to the many sweaty scholars of the boxing ring to predict who will emerge victorious but in today’s cover story, Konrad Marshall reveals that Gallen’s trademark has always been his relentless pursuit of winning, hewn during his tough, working-class upbringing. These days, Gallen is better known in NSW as a rugby league commentator and lauded as one of the greatest players for the Cronulla Sharks, the team he played with for his entire career. “Simplicity wins matches, complexity loses them,” legendary league coach Jack Gibson once declared. Which sums up the appeal of boxing, too – bare in its simplicity, whatever you think about its brutality. Greg Callaghan, acting editor.
After a sporting life of hard knocks, Paul Gallen’s going out with a bang
The former NSW State of Origin captain is shaping up for his last stand – against Sonny Bill Williams. But will it all come back to haunt him?
- by Konrad Marshall
‘A ticking time bomb’: How Australia’s reading slump is making us stupid
Low literacy. A drop in recreational reading. Students who can’t finish texts. A book industry of falling margins. The decline in reading poses a risk to us all.
- by Greg Callaghan
‘We grabbed the cat and got out’: The waterside dwellers facing rising sea levels
Living beside the beach is the ultimate Australian dream, but for some, rising tides and coastal erosion are turning it into a nightmare.
- by Erin O'Dwyer
‘I’d probably have shot them’: Why training with the cops is harder than it looks
What’s it like behind the thin blue line? At the NSW Police Academy, our reporter turned trainee officer finds out.
- by Mark Dapin
Two of Us
Two of Us
Over 34 years, Nicci and Sean have penned 27 thrillers together – under one pseudonym
Nicci Gerrard and Sean French write under the pseudonym Nicci French and live in London and Norfolk.
- by Jane Wheatley
Dicey Topics
For subscribers
Singer David Gray thought it’d be OK to ridicule Trump in the US. He was wrong
The British singer-songwriter on lucky breaks, self-care while touring and not preaching to the crowd.
- by Benjamin Law
Modern Guru
Modern Guru
My neighbour’s dog barks every night. Are earplugs the answer?
Years ago our Modern Guru lived next door to a noisy pup. Here’s his solution.
- by Danny Katz
The performance
Nicholas and Celia didn’t have kids. Their penance was to listen to their friends talk endlessly about theirs. Matters worsened when they accepted dinner invitations and – while eyeballing the charcuterie board, say – heard someone utter something chilling like, “Oh, Olivia’s got a performance she wants us to see!” They’d then be forced to watch as the poor girl twirled about like a whirling dervish with vertigo. Not wanting to be rude, and with the parents looking at them expectantly, they performed themselves, whooping and bravo-ing and encouraging the whole damn spectacle. Later, they’d drive home in silence, lost in their thoughts. Words by Paul Connolly. Illustration by Jim Pavlidis.
‘Ripping yarn’: Searching for the lead role in Baz and Tom’s Joan of Arc epic
Shooting of Jehanne d’Arc will start on the Gold Coast.
- by Andrew Hornery
It’s Jane Austen’s 250th birthday. You are cordially invited to celebrate
Jane Austen societies around the world are arranging their bonnets.
- by Justine Costigan
Helen Goh takes the viral Dubai chocolate bar and makes it even better
Inspired by the pistachio chocolate, this brownie is a textural treat in every bite.
- by Helen Goh
Review
Mixed Business Enmore
The family-run bar our critic would be stoked to have on his own street
From the fried chicken sandwich on good-on-ya-mum white bread to the puffy salt-and-vinegar potato scallops, Mixed Business Enmore is nostalgia made manifest.
- by Callan Boys
Review
TungThit
Melbourne’s most expensive banh mi costs $58. Is it a gimmick or worth it?
Ostentatious and theatrical, OTT Vietnamese steakhouse TungThit makes an impact on scruffy Victoria Street.
- by Dani Valent
Happy hours aren’t just for bars and restaurants. Here’s how to enjoy one at home
Terry Durack raises a glass to the ritual of an after-work drink and snack.
- by Terry Durack
Original URL: https://www.smh.com.au/national/the-july-5-edition-20250501-p5lvo0.html