It’s Thursday, which means it’s time to do your tips.

Even if your competition is being so thoroughly dominated by someone (*cough* Orla *cough*) that you don’t seem to have a chance of success.

$US83.7 million ($AU127 million)
The profits made by NFL team the Green Bay Packers in the last U.S. financial year. The team is the only one to be publicly owned, meaning it is the only clear glimpse into NFL team financing.

“While we’re naturally disappointed to see her go, we understand and respect her decision to prioritise her personal life and wish her the best in this next chapter.”
GWS Giants general manager Tim Underwood on the departure of co-captain Jamie-Lee Price at the end of this Super Netball season. Price is going to Melbourne to live with her partner, Collingwood defender Harry Perryman.

The first Summer Olympics broadcast on TV in Australia was the Melbourne Games in 1956. Two decades later, colour TV came to Australia ahead of the Montreal Summer Olympics.

🏉 The Wallabies have named three new starters for Saturday's second Test against the British & Irish Lions at the MCG, with flanker Rob Valetini returning from injury. Rugby Australia confirmed the two-time John Eales Medallist will join second-rower Will Skelton and hooker David Porecki in the forward pack, both also having recovered from recent injuries. The Lions lead the three-match series 1-0 following their 27-19 victory at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium last Saturday. The second Test kicks off at the MCG on Saturday at 8pm AEST, with the Wallabies needing a win to level the series.

⚽ English football star Marcus Rashford has officially signed with Barcelona FC on an initial 12-month loan from Manchester United. Rashford, 27, is the first English male player to sign for Barcelona since icon Gary Lineker in 1986. Rashford has scored 138 goals for Manchester United since debuting in 2016, and has been part of five trophy-winning sides. The contract gives Barcelona the option to make Rashford’s placement permanent next year.

🏉 The Melbourne Demons will appeal defender Steven May’s three-match suspension, with the AFL side to present its case to the league’s appeals board next week. Club officials said May “provided a contest in a reasonable way given the circumstances”, and did not intend to collide with Carlton forward Francis Evans. Evans was left with a concussion, a broken nose and a chipped tooth from the incident, and May was handed a three-match suspension. In his evidence, May said an “unusual bounce” of the ball led to a sharp change in direction, but the tribunal found that he had “sufficient time with an unimpeded view of what was before him” to avoid a dangerous collision. 

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England and Spain will face off in the Euro 2025 final, after Spain defeated Germany 1-0 in extra time. It’s the first time Spain will play for the Women’s Euro Championship, and is a rematch of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup Final.

Aitana Bonmatí, two-time winner of the Ballon d'Or, scored the winning goal in the 113th minute. Bonmatí was hospitalised with meningitis just weeks before the tournament began.

Spain had possession throughout most of the game, holding 67%. Germany had won nine of their past ten Euro semifinals, but couldn’t overcome a strong Spanish outfit with several recent wins under their belt.

Spain will face England in the final on Monday morning (AEST) in Basel.

England advanced with their own 2-1 extra-time victory over Italy on Wednesday, setting up a clash between the current World Cup champions and the reigning European champions.

When the two sides played in the 2023 FIFA World Cup Final, Spain won 1-0 in a close contest.

The match will be streamed on Stan Sport from 2am on Monday.

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A judge is set to announce verdicts overnight for five former members of Canada’s representative junior ice hockey team charged with sexually assaulting a woman in 2018. 

The case has already triggered an overhaul of Canada’s national hockey organisation, with tonight’s verdict bringing a multi-year, complex legal process to a close. 

In 2018, five members of Canada’s 2018 World Junior Championship team - Carter Hart, Michael McLeod, Dillon Dubé, Alex Formenton, and Cal Foote - allegedly assaulted a 20-year-old woman in an Ontario hotel room following a team celebration.

The alleged victim, referred to as ‘E.M.’ in the case, told the court she went to the hotel for consensual sex with McLeod but was “shocked” and “scared” when other players arrived to the room. She testified she “felt like [she] was in auto-pilot mode”, and felt “numb” and “outnumbered”.

While each of the five alleged offenders had their own defence representation, they generally argued that E.M. consensually participated in the sexual activities, and videos filmed on the night were evidence of her wilful participation.

When E.M. told family members about the alleged assault, they made contact with Hockey Canada - the sport’s peak governing body in Canada, which is partially government-funded - to report the incident. Hockey Canada then informed local police, and began an internal investigation. At the time, the players were not informed of the complaint or the investigations.

By 2020, both investigations had concluded. Police did not lay charges, and the details of the Hockey Canada investigation remained confidential.

It was only in May 2022 that a report by sport news outlet TSN publicly surfaced the allegations. TSN revealed that a month earlier, Hockey Canada had paid millions to settle the sexual assault claims without the players’ knowledge.

A month later, Canadian police reopened the criminal investigation based on new information. Shortly following that, Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail reported Hockey Canada had a dedicated fund settling sexual assault cases against its players. Executives later told Canada’s Parliament the organisation had paid millions across 21 cases since 1989 to alleged victims.

Over the next 12 months, Hockey Canada faced increasing scrutiny over its government funding arrangements, leadership and governance and culture. A number of key corporate sponsors, such as Nike and Scotiabank, terminated their agreements with the sport. The entire board of directors, as well as the CEO, stepped down. Government funding was slowly restored when the organisation was under new leadership, which said it would address the “systemic issues” in the culture of the organisation and sport.

In January 2024, Canadian police announced sexual assault charges against the five players, who all pleaded not guilty. The charges carry a maximum prison sentence of 10 years.

Four of the five were then part of NHL teams, with the fifth playing professionally in Switzerland. All took indefinite leave.

Court proceedings began in mid-2024, with a trial date set for April 2025. Within the first month of the trial, the jury was dismissed after a defence lawyer accidentally encountered one of the jurors during a lunch break. A new jury was selected by May, but that jury was also rejected after jurors told the judge the same defence lawyers were “judging and making fun of them”.

Justice Maria Carroccia then decided to proceed without a jury, which is a rare occurrence in the Canadian justice system.

E.M. testified for a total of nine days, including eight days of cross-examination by the five defence teams. A large tranche of video, photographic and electronic messaging evidence was presented, as well as character references speaking in support of the five defendants. Only one of the defendants chose to take the stand.

Justice Carroccia will hand down her ruling on Thursday morning (local time). Local outlets report that both sides plan to appeal the verdict depending on the outcome.

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