Opening today’s newsletter with some sad news: Australian motorsport legend Alan Jones has died aged 80.

Jones raced in Formula One from 1975 to 1986 and became Australia’s second world champion after winning the title in 1980 with Williams.

During that season, he won five Grand Prix, including the Australian GP.

No Australians have won either a world title or the Australian GP since. Jones later became a broadcaster.

Vale Alan Jones.

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Nathan Cleary is set to sign a two-year contract extension with Penrith that ties him to the club until the end of 2029, according to Nine’s Danny Weidler. The deal is also expected to include a two-year player option, which would extend his stay to 2031, though that part isn’t yet confirmed. Cleary became a free agent on Sunday alongside fellow Panthers teammates Isaah Yeo, Moses Leota, and Liam Martin. The PNG Chiefs, who were eyeing off Cleary, are now expected to turn their attention to Queensland Origin halfback Sam Walker, whose contract negotiations with the Sydney Roosters fell through earlier this month.

“These are the most difficult days of my life.”
FC Andorra goalkeeper Jesus Owono in his first public statement since Tenerife forward Jesus De Miguel died of cardiac arrest, a day after the pair collided during a match in Spain’s second division. Owono deactivated his Instagram account following a wave of online abuse. His teammates and Equatorial Guinea’s football federation have since publicly defended him.

The New Zealand Knights were the first NZ-based team in the A League, joining the men’s football competition for its inaugural year in 2005. In the middle of the club’s first season, the Knights lost 11 consecutive matches, which remains an A League record. The club lasted one more season before being replaced by the Wellington Phoenix.

⛳️ LIV Golf has hit another roadblock, with multiple media reports suggesting that the proposed financial backer for the 2027 season has withdrawn its funding. The private equity firm BC Partners walked away after the league could not lock in enough player commitments ahead of the next season, according to the Financial Times. LIV already lost its Saudi backing earlier this year and filed for bankruptcy protection in September.

🎾 Australian tennis player Rinky Hijikata has produced a major upset, beating Serbia’s 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic in the second round of the Paris Masters. Hijikata lost the opening set but stormed back to win the match in three sets (2-6, 6-3, 6-3). The result means that Djokovic no longer has a shot at improving his ranking enough to play in the end-of-year ATP Finals, which features the world’s top eight players. Hijikata moves on to play Argentina’s Tomás Martín Etcheverry in the Round of 16. Etcheverry advanced to the Round of 16 by defeating Alex de Minaur in straight sets, ending the Aussie no.1’s hopes of reaching the ATP Finals.

🏉 Rugby league legend Paul Langmack has died aged 61 from a sudden heart attack. Langmack was a three-time premiership player, winning all three titles with the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs. Over the course of his career, he played more than 300 first-grade games with the Bulldogs, Western Sydney, and Sydney City. Langmack was known as one of the great characters of rugby league. His most recent role was with NSW Rugby League as a mental fitness and wellbeing manager.

🏏 The Melbourne Renegades claimed their first WBBL win of the season on Wednesday, beating the Hobart Hurricanes by four wickets in a match that came down to the last ball in Hobart. Opener Hayley Matthews top-scored for the Renegades with 59 before a middle-order collapse left the Renegades needing five runs off three balls. With runs level on the final ball, Hurricanes wicketkeeper Lizelle Lee was ruled a no-ball and handed Melbourne the winning run. The Hurricanes remain winless at the bottom of the table.

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Former St George Illawarra forward and NSW State of Origin representative Trent Merrin has been charged with manufacturing illegal peptides.

The charges follow a months-long investigation by NSW Police’s organised crime squad, with assistance from the Therapeutic Goods Administration.

Here’s what to know.

Police allege that the 37-year-old was running an unlicensed peptide operation.

In July, officers raided a property in Shell Cove and found what they described as a “clandestine peptide manufacturing facility and large quantities of restricted substances”.

Merrin has been charged with five counts of manufacturing goods for human use that cause harm or injury, and one count of participating in a criminal group.

Merrin’s solicitor said he intends to plead not guilty to all charges and has requested the full brief of evidence.

The case is due back at Wollongong Local Court on 24 November.

Last year, Merrin was also charged over the alleged theft of $140,000 in bitcoin from a former Dragons teammate. He pleaded guilty to the offence and received an 18-month conditional release order.

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Sydney Swans forward Tom Papley is facing a court appearance after a roadside stop allegedly turned up a positive preliminary drug test and a suspended licence.

Club CEO Matthew Pavlich told The Age on Thursday he is “bitterly disappointed”.

According to a statement from the club, NSW Police pulled Papley over on Monday morning for a roadside licence check. He was then issued with a court notice for driving with a suspended licence. His licence had been suspended for failing to pay a parking fine.

Police then conducted a random drug test, which returned a positive reading. A second sample has been sent for formal analysis, with results not expected for at least four weeks.

The Swans said Papley told the club about the incident immediately, and that they then notified the AFL.

Whether or not Papley faces a separate integrity process from the AFL or the Swans will likely depend on the result of the second test.

Earlier this month, Carlton player Lachie Cowan was handed a two-match ban for conduct unbecoming, following an incident where he was taken to hospital after taking an illicit substance. He also received a suspended $5,000 fine and an education order under the league’s illicit drugs policy.

It is Sydney’s second major off-field issue this year.

In August, the club suspended five players – Isaac Heeney, James Jordon, Nick Blakey, Chad Warner and Riley Bice – for a “serious breach” of its behavioural standards following a game against Essendon.

Victoria Police are separately investigating allegations of sexual assault at Melbourne’s Pullman Hotel, where the Swans were staying that night. Four players – Heeney, Jordon, Blakey and Warner – have been interviewed by police.

The club suspensions related to breaches of behavioural standards and do not mean the players have been accused of sexual assault. No criminal charges have been laid, and the players deny criminal wrongdoing.