Whakarewarewa clinched the Baywide Premier Men’s Rugby title by beating Tauranga Sports.

A pet dog has been hailed a hero after helping its elderly owners – the grandparents of Port Adelaide captain Connor Rozee's wife – escape their burning home.

Little Jack Russell Vivienne alerted elderly couple Helen and Geoff Packer when their fire alarms failed to activate after their home on Glen Avenue in Unley Park went up in flames about 3am. 

The Packers, who are grandparents of Port Adelaide captain Connor Rozee's wife Maisie Packer and members of a prominent Adelaide business family, were reportedly asleep when the fire broke out.

READ MORE: CCTV captures violent ambush in Adelaide

According to the Metropolitan Fire Service (MFS), the home's fire alarms did not activate due to the external nature of the fire's origin. 

It started in the carport before rapidly spreading to the home's roof.

The couple's house was extensively damaged by fire, with the estimated cost of damages reaching $2 million dollars.

"It's a pretty bad day for them, they've lost most of their house. However, the Jack Russell dog has woken them up and they're unscathed," MFS' Gideon Douglas said.

"Hundred per cent that dog needs some treats today," he said.

Neighbour Scott Fox tried to contain the fire with a garden house before firefighters were on scene. 

"I thought if I could get some water on the exterior of the building it might not be able to catch it but it was raging, it was pretty hot," Fox said.

The Packers, who have resided at the property for three decades, are insured, but are unsure about rebuilding due to their ages. 

This article was produced with the assistance of 9ExPress.

Police say they had no option but to euthanise the animals at the scene.

SPCA stresses national investment needed for effective desexing.

Test your brains with the Herald’s afternoon quiz.

Police say they are “extremely disappointed” in the dangerous behaviour.

Bridget Doell claims she was excluded from key decisions and faced bullying.

It’s hoped the $5m equipment will help prepare the area for future disasters.

Disgraced former deputy mayor of Auburn Council Salim Mehajer has released a statement following his release on parole after being locked up for five years.

Mehajer was sentenced to seven years and nine months behind bars for a number of crimes, including domestic violence offences against his ex-partner, and forging his lawyer's signature.

He was released on parole yesterday and posted to his private Instagram page this morning, thanking the parole board for his release.

"I wish to formally convey my deep gratitude for the opportunity granted to me by the State Parole Authority," the post reads.

"I am fully committed to fulfilling the expectations placed before me, additionally, I express my sincere appreciation for the unwavering support of my family and friends, as well as the dedication of my legal representative."

He said he couldn't comment on the matter further as he has a scheduled appeal in three weeks. 

The post included a third paragraph, saying that in his prior ten-year relationship with Aysha Learmonth, he had never been accused of violence against her, and said she had nothing to do with "present matters."

"I find it extraordinary that the media persists in referencing my prior marriage to my then long-term partner," he wrote.

Learmonth was granted an AVO against Mehajer in 2017 as video footage emerged that showed him threatening to rape her and her parents.

He was convicted of breaching the AVO in 2018.

The pair's lavish 2015 wedding put Mehajer in the spotlight, spending over $1 million on the event.

Mehajer was granted parole last month after he was found guilty in 2023 in separate trials for offences which took place between April 1, 2018 and October 4, 2020, including for domestic violence against a different former partner of Mehajer.

When it comes to survival in the animal world, many people would assume the faster animals fare better.

But a new study led by a University of Melbourne researcher turns this assumption on its head, revealing being too speedy may make Australian central bearded dragons more vulnerable to predators.

The surprising find comes off the back of a year-long study where the lizards were studied in their natural environment and wore tiny fitness trackers.

READ MORE: Depression linked to unexplained 'jet lag' symptoms in new study

The small, high-tech devices contained tiny accelerometers and temperature-sensing radio transmitters to feed back data on the lizards' body temperature and acceleration.

Similar to other lizards, the bearded dragons rely on external heat sources to regulate body temperature to grow, digest food and reproduce effectively.

"Our study confirmed that these dragons are indeed masters at optimising behaviour according to seasonal shifts in air temperature," Dr Kristoffer Wild said.

"Data showed the lizards strategically moving between sunny spots and shady retreats in a delicate balancing act called behavioural thermoregulation."

READ MORE: Radical three-way IVF could end horrific disease passed on to babies

During the study, Wild said the research team looked at the dragons' optimal temperature for achieving peak speed and how speed related to survival outcomes.

The data, which was published this week in the Journal of Animal Ecology showed that lizards with higher speeds had a greater risk of mortality.

"What we believe is happening is that speedy lizards are engaging in riskier behaviours, such as moving around more openly and frequently, making them vulnerable to predators like birds and cats," Wild said.

"We found that increased risk was especially pronounced during spring, so this would make sense with dragons moving around a lot more looking for mates.

"These findings highlight an important ecological reality, what is measured in controlled lab environments doesn't always reflect what is happening in real-world environments.

"This research reminds us that in the wild, survival isn't just about physiology, but is deeply intertwined in the interplay with behaviour, predation risk and environmental variability."

DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. Available on the Apple App Store and Google Play.