It’s 50 days to go, friends.

That’s right - in 50 days time, we’ll be watching the Opening Ceremony of the Paris Olympics (the first Opening Ceremony in Olympic history to be held not in a stadium, with a reported 326,000 tickets sold for spectators who will line the ‘Floating Parade’ along Paris’ River Seine.

If you need a more short-term sport fix, Game Two of the NRLW State of Origin is on tonight - keep reading for a quick what-you-need-to-know.

I’ve got 10 seconds

Stat of the day

16
The age of soccer player Lily Yohannes, who scored in her first game for the US Women’s National Team (USWNT) last night. Yohannes scored the third of three goals for the U.S. who beat South Korea in a friendly. Yohannes is the third-youngest USWNT player to score for the team.

Quote of the day

“I left my heart out there, I did everything I could, and it just wasn’t good enough. I’m still happy with the way I showed up … [and there is] lots to learn from.”
Alex de Minaur after he was knocked out of the French Open by fourth seed Alexander Zverev in straight sets (6-4, 7-6, 6-4). De Minaur’s quarter final appearance has boosted his world ranking from 11th to eighth, which will give him a favourable draw at Wimbledon in July if he maintains it.

Random fact of the day

Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest is the world’s most prestigious event for competitive eating (yes, it’s a sport). Joey Chestnut, widely considered to be the ‘GOAT’ of competitive eating, holds 16 contest titles and the world record of 76 hot dogs in ten minutes. Watch Joey’s 2023 contest victory here.

I’ve got 1 minute

Queensland defeated New South Wales 38-10 in game one of the 2024 men’s State of Origin last night. The match was played in front of a crowd of 77,000 at Accor Stadium in Sydney.  

Sua’ali’i send-off

Blues centre Joseph Sua’ali’i played eight minutes of his first Origin appearance before being sent off for the remainder of the game. He was penalised for a dangerous high tackle on Queensland fullback Reece Walsh who did not return to field following a head injury assessment. Sua’ali’i’s absence defined the game as NSW struggled to defend against a talented Queensland backline with just 12 men.

Sua’ali’i, just the sixth man to be sent off in Origin history, will now face at least a four-game ban. Following concussion protocol, Walsh will return to rugby league after a mandatory 11-day stand down period.

Player of the match

Queensland star Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow moved from centre to fullback in Walsh’s absence and had a stellar performance scoring three tries. However, it was 35-year old QLD captain Daly Cherry-Evans who was named player of the match. The veteran halfback dictated the momentum of the game through his kicking and had two crucial try assists.

Game two will be played on neutral ground at the MCG in Melbourne on 26 June, where NSW will look to tie the series.

Women’s State of Origin tonight

The Women’s State of Origin series continues tonight with game two to be played in front of a sold-out crowd at McDonald-Jones Stadium in Newcastle. The NSW Sky Blues lead the series 1-0 after defeating the Maroons 22-16 in game one.

30,000 are expected in Newcastle, which would be a record for a standalone women’s rugby league match in Australia (25,000 were in attendance for Game One, which was also a record).

The game will kick off at 7:45pm tonight (AEST) and can be watched on Channel 9 and 9Now.

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Tomorrow, the Dallas Mavericks will play the Boston Celtics in the first of the best-of-seven NBA Finals Series in Boston, Massachusetts. Here are the storylines you need to know before game one tomorrow.

Head to Head this season

The Mavericks and Celtics played each other twice during the regular season. The Celtics won both encounters. Since those two games, Mavericks coach (and former player) Jason Kidd has made changes to his starting five which dramatically improved the team’s regular-season performance.

The Celtics had the best regular season record in the league for the year, winning 64 of their 82 games, while the Mavericks won 50.

Finals History

The Mavericks have appeared in the NBA finals twice before and won their sole Championship in 2011. The Celtics on the other hand have a rich NBA finals history having won 17 championships from 22 appearances. Their last win was back in 2008.

This year’s NBA Finals series will be the first time the Mavericks and Celtics have met in the NBA playoffs.

Personalities

The two teams in this year’s finals are led by two dominant pairings.

For the Mavericks it is the duo of Luka Dončić and Kyrie Iriving. Dončić, a 25-year old Slovenian, led the NBA in scoring this year with an average of 33.9 points per game. Irving, who is 32, is an eight-time all-star and has already starred in an NBA Championship victory with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016.

Notably, Irving is widely disliked by Celtics’ fans after leaving the team for the Brooklyn Nets following just two seasons in 2019. (He was fined $US50,000 ($AU75k) in 2022 for flipping his middle finger at Celtics fans during his tenure at the Nets.)

The Celtics’ are led by All-NBA wings Jayson Taytum and Jaylen Brown. Brown and Taytum are seeking redemption after losing together in the 2022 finals to the Golden State Warriors. Brown was awarded the NBA’s first $US300 million ($AU450m) contract last year and Taytum is expected to be awarded one of his own this

Trivia…

It is the first NBA Finals series since 1975 to feature two Black coaches, Dallas’ Jason Kidd and Boston’s Joe Mazzulla.

How to watch

You can watch the game at 10:30am AEST tomorrow on Kayo or Foxtel.

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In Conversation with Deakin University Elite Athlete: Jo Weston

Jo Weston is a professional netballer with Melbourne Vixens and the Australian Diamonds, with two premierships and two gold medals (from both the Commonwealth Games and Netball World Cup) under her belt. She is the President of the Australian Netball Players Association and is currently studying a Master of Communication at Deakin.

What’s your sporting schedule like?

We currently train about four times a week and play either in Melbourne or interstate on weekends. In preseason we train more, with 7/8 sessions a week.

What is one of the hardest aspects of studying and being an elite athlete?

Time management is very challenging especially with travel and some commitments being added last minute. I also find the physical nature of training draining which means concentrating in class can be more difficult.

What appealed to you most about the Deakin Elite Athlete program and how has it helped you?

The understanding and flexibility offered to me is what was most appealing… I have received help finishing assignments to the best of my ability with the flexibility offered through the program.

Looking back…

Looking forward…

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