It’s Thursday so it’s time for me to remind you to get your footy tips in (and give you an update on TDA’s office tipping comp).

The leader of our comp, Orla (TDA’s video editor), has gone on a European holiday. She currently holds a four point lead over yours truly, and, to be quite frank, the rest of the office are disappearing in the rear-view mirror.

In the true spirit of competition, I hope she gets her tips in from the sun lounge.

11
The number of people who died in a crowd crush in Bengaluru, India, as cricket fans gathered outside the stadium where the Indian Premier League final was being played. The stadium has a capacity of 35,000, but according to reports, somewhere between 200,000 and 300,000 people arrived with the hope of witnessing the action.

“For sure I will go for the dream, because my dream is to win it, not to be in the semi-final. So I will try to do my best for it.”
French wildcard Lois Boisson after upsetting sixth seed Mirra Andreeva in straight sets (7-6, 6-3) in the quarter-final at the French Open. The tournament is the 22-year-old’s first-ever Grand Slam, and before last week, she had never beaten an opponent ranked in the top 90. In the fourth round, she beat the third seed Jessica Pegula before her latest triumph against Andreeva. Boisson is set to take on the second-seeded Coco Gauff, who beat fellow American Madison Keys overnight, in the semi-final. 

Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and China all compete in an ice hockey league together called the Kontinental Hockey League, or KHL. The season ended with the final playoff series late last month, with a Western Russian face-off between teams Lokomotiv and Traktor. Lokomotiv prevailed in five games.

🎾 Novak Djokovic is through to his 51st grand slam semi-final after defeating third seed Alexander Zverev in the quarter-finals at the French Open. The 24-time slam winner produced a tactical masterclass to beat Zverev in four sets and is now set to face world number one Jannik Sinner in the semi-final. Sinner, who has not dropped a single set all tournament, cruised past Kazakhstan’s unseeded Alexander Bublik in the quarter-final. The other semi-final in the men’s draw will be played between defending champion Carlos Alcaraz and eighth-seeded Italian Lorenzo Musetti. 

🏒 In the opening match of the Stanley Cup Final, the Edmonton Oilers defeated the Florida Panthers 4-3. With scores locked at 3-3 at the end of regular time, the match went to overtime, where the Oilers’ Leon Draisaitl scored the matchwinner. The Oilers now lead the best-of-seven series 1-0 and will maintain a home advantage for Game 2 before the teams relocate to Florida for Games 3 and 4. 

⚽ 38-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo still has what it takes to perform on the big stage. Ronaldo scored the match-winning goal for Portugal in the side’s 2-1 defeat of Germany in the semi-final of the UEFA Nations League. The goal extended the veteran’s international goal-scoring record to 137. Portugal will now play the winner of tomorrow morning’s (AEST) semi-final between Spain and France.

🏟️ Tasmania’s AFL team is in danger, after a no-confidence motion against Premier Jeremy Rockliff passed this afternoon. Rockliff had said ahead of the motion, supported by Labor and independents, that he would call an early election if it passed. The motion came amid doubts around the expected cost of the planned Hobart stadium, a condition of Tasmania getting its own AFL team by 2028 under the contract Rockliff signed with the league. Labor supports the stadium, but has criticised the Liberal Government’s handling of the contract and its expense.

🏝️ Heading somewhere warm this winter? Modibodi’s new period-proof swimwear has you covered - so your cycle doesn’t have to mess with your beach or pool plans!

Made from recycled materials and designed for every type of flow, these swimmers (or cozzies/togs/bathers - whatever you call them) are comfy, easy, and let you enjoy the water without the worry.

^{Transparency: This is a sponsored section of the newsletter. It's the best way we can keep this newsletter free for you}

The Socceroos play Japan tonight in the second-last matchday of the third round of World Cup qualifying. While the match isn’t do or die, a win tonight would go a long way in helping the Aussies secure a spot at the 2026 World Cup. Here’s what you need to know. 

The Socceroos have not beaten Japan in 16 years. However, the Blue Samurai have already claimed one of the two automatic qualification spots available in Group C and are fielding a less experienced team tonight. This will afford the Aussies a greater opportunity to come away with a win. 

After tonight, Australia play their final match of the round against Saudi Arabia next Tuesday. 

The Socceroos are in second place on 13 points and will also rely on the results of lower-ranked teams, Saudi Arabia (10 points) and Indonesia (9 points). If the Socceroos lose to Japan and Saudi Arabia defeat Bahrain tonight, expect a do-or-die match on Tuesday night next week.

Enjoying the newsletter?

If you are, why not share the love with your friends? We’d love your help in getting the word out there.

Send them this link to sign up.

The NBA Finals begin tomorrow morning (AEST) with the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder meeting for Game 1 in the best-of-seven series. The first two matches will be played in Oklahoma before the teams relocate to Indiana for Games 3 and 4. 

The Thunder are the favourites to win this series after proving themselves as the best team in the league with 68 wins from 82 games in the regular season, followed up by convincing wins in the playoffs. 

By comparison, the Pacers had just 50 wins and came into the playoffs as the Eastern Conference’s fourth seed (of eight). The two teams met twice during the regular season, and the Thunder won both matches. 

On their way to the NBA Finals, the top-seeded Thunder have eliminated the Memphis Grizzlies (8), the Denver Nuggets (4), and the Minnesota Timberwolves (6). 

The Pacers beat the Milwaukee Bucks (5) before going on to upset the higher-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers (1) and New York Knicks (3). 

The Pacers are led by two NBA All-Stars in Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam. Haliburton has proven especially useful for the Pacers with his incredible point-scoring ability in clutch moments. Siakam also brings NBA Finals experience after winning the championship with the Toronto Raptors in 2019.

The Thunder’s biggest weapon is without a doubt the league’s MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA). Through the playoffs, he has averaged 29.8 points and 6.9 assists per game. In addition to SGA’s attacking prowess, the Thunder are the top-ranked team in the league when it comes to defence. 

The Pacers have never won an NBA championship, and this is their second opportunity after losing to the Lakers in the 2000 NBA Finals. If the Pacers do win, they will become the first fourth-seeded team in the current playoff format to do so. The 1995 Houston Rockets, who were the Western Conference sixth seed, are the only team seeded outside of the top three since 1987 to win the Finals.

The Thunder franchise last won an NBA championship as the Seattle SuperSonics in 1979. The franchise then relocated to Oklahoma City as the Thunder in 2008 and has made one finals appearance since, losing to the Miami Heat in the 2012 series.

You can watch the NBA Finals on Kayo, Foxtel, Disney+, and NBA League Pass. Game 1 tips off tomorrow at 10:30am (AEST).