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There were touching scenes at the MCG this afternoon as former NRL star Jai Arrow tossed the coin for the AFL's annual 'Big Freeze' match between the Melbourne Demons and Collingwood Magpies.

The Big Freeze is FightMND's annual fundraiser for research into motor neurone disease, a terminal neurological condition that causes a gradual loss of muscle strength and function. There is currently no cure.ย 

Former Melbourne coach Neale Daniher started the event in 2015 after his own diagnosis, and it has since raised more than $115 million. Today is the first Big Freeze since Daniher's death last month.

Arrow announced he had been diagnosed with the same disease last month, ending his playing career at 30. He was Collingwood's special guest, with the NRL planning a celebration for his 31st birthday next month.

You can support FightMND here.

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Stat of the day

68-0
The scoreline of yesterdayโ€™s NRL match between the Penrith Panthers and the Wests Tigers at CommBank Stadium in Sydney. It was the Panthersโ€™ biggest win in the clubโ€™s history. Halfback Nathan Cleary set up three tries and scored one of his own. Elsewhere on Sunday, the Cronulla Sharks beat the St. George Illawarra Dragons 34-12.

Paul Alamoti scores one of 12 tries for the Panthers (Getty)

Quote of the day

"I can't believe it. I'm going to cherish this for my whole life."
Australian pole vaulter Kurtis Marschall after beating Swedish world-record holder Armand โ€˜Mondoโ€™ Duplantis at the Stockholm Diamond League on the weekend. The 29-year-old cleared 5.90m to hand the Swede his first defeat in more than 1,000 days, ending a winning streak that stretched 40 competitions. It was Marschall's first Diamond League victory, almost 10 years on from his debut.

Kurtis Marschall put an end to Duplantisโ€™ remarkable win streak (Getty)

Random fact of the day

Scottish goalkeeper Craig Gordon will be 43 years old at this year's FIFA World Cup, the oldest player at the tournament and the second-oldest in its history if he takes the field. The only man to play a World Cup match at an older age is Egypt goalkeeper Essam El Hadary, who was 45 at Russia 2018. It is Scotland's first appearance in 28 years.

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In case you missed itโ€ฆ

โšฝ Danish footballer Christian Eriksen collapsed during Denmark's international friendly against Ukraine in Odense on Sunday, the second on-field collapse of his career. The 34-year-old clutched at his chest in the second half and went down before medical staff reached him. He was briefly unconscious before coming to and leaving the field on his feet. The match was abandoned, and Eriksen was taken to hospital.ย  At the 2021 European Championship, he went into cardiac arrest and has played with a defibrillator implanted ever since. Team doctor Morten Boesen said he was doing well.

Danish footballer Christian Eriksen (Getty)

๐Ÿ‰ Australia's Super Rugby Pacific season is over, with the two remaining Australian sides eliminated in the qualifying finals over the weekend. The Hurricanes overpowered the ACT Brumbies 66-12 in Wellington on Friday before the Chiefs downed the Queensland Reds 46-24 in Hamilton. It leaves an all-New Zealand semi-final lineup. The Redsโ€™ defeat doubled as a farewell for coach Les Kiss, who takes charge of the Wallabies next month. Australian teams have now lost all 22 finals they have played across the ditch. The wait goes on.

The Chiefs had the better of the Reds on Saturday (Getty)

๐Ÿ‰Australia's women's sevens team are world champions after a 26-19 win over New Zealand in the Bordeaux final on Sunday, sealing the overall title. Maddison Levi was named player of the match for Australia, defying a knee injury to score twice and produce a crucial try-saving tackle on the Black Ferns' Katelyn Vaha'akolo. New Zealand led the standings all season, but Australia won the last two of the three-leg championship to pip them by four points.ย 

Maddison Levi produced a player of the match performance for Australia (Getty)

๐Ÿ‰In the AFL on Sunday, the Sydney Swans and Carlton both produced impressive comebacks to down their respective opponents. The Swans trailed St Kilda by 33 points before Jai Serong kicked the winner with 14 seconds left to seal a 104-102 victory at the SCG. Later, Carlton rallied from 23 points down to defeat Essendon 72-67 at the MCG. It was a fourth straight win for Carlton under interim coach Josh Fraser, who has not lost since stepping into the role after Michael Voss resigned. The Swans remain second on the ladder while Carlton moves up into 13th.

Jai Serong kicks a goal to give the Swans the lead in the final minute (Getty)

Together with EA Sports

One result away from a different story.

International football is everywhere right now - and EA SPORTS FCโ„ข 26 just made it playable. The new "The World's Game" update drops a 48-team tournament mode where you pick from 53 fully licensed national teams including Australia and New Zealand, fight through the group stage, survive the knockouts, and take it all the way to the final.ย 

Play in stadiums that feel like the real thing - from Gillette Stadium to BMO Field, and Central Maw, a brand new arena built specifically to capture the atmosphere of top-tier international football.

You know that feeling after a result that doesn't go to plan? This is the answer to it.

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Kimi Antonelli has won five straight races (Getty)

Antonelli makes it five straight and becomes Monacoโ€™s youngest ever winner

Kimi Antonelli has become the youngest winner in the history of the Monaco Grand Prix, with the 19-year-old breaking a record Lewis Hamilton had held since 2008.

The Italian had to survive a chaotic afternoon of crashes and penalties that kept reshaping the result long after he crossed the line.ย 

Here's what to know.

What happened

Antonelli, who drives for Mercedes, started at the front and stayed there for his fifth win in a row. The race proceeded without much drama until 10 laps to go, when two drivers, Lance Stroll and then Charles Leclerc, crashed at the same corner.

Those incidents forced officials to stop the race.

Racing then restarted from a standstill, and Antonelli held off Ferrariโ€™s Lewis Hamilton to win. Red Bull's Isack Hadjar finished third, his first podium since joining the team.

Australian Oscar Piastri started seventh and climbed to fourth as penalties to other drivers moved him up the order. Piastriโ€™s teammate and reigning world champion, Lando Norris, did not finish for the second race running.

Standings

A driver's overall season is decided by points added up across every race, and Antonelli now leads that title race by 66 points. Hamilton sits second and Piastri fifth. The season heads to Spain next, with the Barcelona race on Sunday 14 June.

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Mirra Andreeva won the womenโ€™s final to claim her first Grand Slam title (Getty)

Two new champions emerge at the French Open after two weeks of upsets

The French Open has crowned two first-time Grand Slam champions, capping a fortnight in Paris that was thrown open by a string of early exits.ย 

In the men's draw, world No.1 Jannik Sinner and 24-time major winner Novak Djokovic both lost early, while two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz missed the tournament with a wrist injury. The women's draw was just as unpredictable, with top seed Aryna Sabalenka and four-time champion Iga ลšwiฤ…tek both falling before the final.ย 

That left the door open for new winners, and two of them walked through it.

Women's final

Russia's Mirra Andreeva claimed her maiden Grand Slam title, beating surprise finalist Maja Chwaliล„ska in straight sets (6-3, 6-2). The 19-year-old, seeded eighth, is the youngest woman to win the French Open since Monica Seles in 1992.

She said: "I would say the feeling in real life is so much better, obviously, than in your dreams โ€ฆ looking at โ€Œthis trophy and realising that this is actually true, and I can call myself a grand slam champion."

Chwaliล„ska's run was the story of the women's draw. The 24-year-old Pole, ranked 114th in the world before the tournament began, became only the second woman in the Open era (since 1968) to reach a major final through qualifying. Her ranking will now improve to world No.21.

Men's final

Germany's Alexander Zverev finally landed a Grand Slam title at the fourth attempt, wearing down Italy's Flavio Cobolli in five sets (6-1, 4-6, 6-4, 6-7, 6-1) over four hours and 16 minutes. The second seed had lost each of his three previous major finals, and is the first German man to win a major since Boris Becker in 1996.ย 

Zverev left the same court in a wheelchair in 2022 after badly injuring his ankle in a semifinal against Rafael Nadal, then lost the 2024 final to Carlos Alcaraz. He said: "Some of the best moments of my life have happened on this court, and some of the worst too.โ€

Cobolli, the 10th seed in his first major final, fell short of becoming the first Italian man to win the French Open in 50 years.

Alexander Zverev won his first major title at the fourth time of asking (Getty)

What's next

The tour now swaps clay for grass with the build-up to Wimbledon, the third Grand Slam of the year, which runs from 29 June to 12 July.ย 

Looking backโ€ฆ

AFL (Round 13)

Who: Hawthorn v Western Bulldogs
Result: Western Bulldogs won 77-71

Who: North Melbourne v Fremantle
Result: Fremantle won 155-31

Who: Gold Coast Suns v Brisbane Lions
Result: Brisbane Lions won 106-75

Who: West Coast Eagles v Port Adelaide
Result: Port Adelaide won 77-71

Who: Sydney Swans v St Kilda
Result: Sydney Swans won 104-102

Who: Essendon v Carlton
Result: Carlton won 72-67

NRL (Round 14)

Who: Storm v Knights
Result: Storm won 32-30

Who: Raiders v Roosters
Result: Roosters won 26-0

Who: Cowboys v Dolphins
Result: Dolphins won 40-14

Who: Broncos v Titans
Result: Titans won 28-23

Who: Wests Tigers v Panthers
Result: Panthers won 68-0

Who: Sharks v Dragons
Result: Sharks won 34-12

Super Netball (Round 13)

Who: NSW Swifts v Thunderbirds
Result: Thunderbirds won 66-60

Who: Firebirds v Lightning
Result: Firebirds won 66-59

Who: Vixens v Mavericks
Result: Mavericks won 59-50

Who: Giants v Fever
Result: Fever won 61-60

Super Rugby Pacific (Qualifying Finals)

Who: Hurricanes v Brumbies
Result: Hurricanes won 66-12

Who: Crusaders v Blues
Result: Crusaders won 52-31

Who: Chiefs v Reds
Result: Chiefs won 46-24

Super Rugby Women's (Round 1)

Who: NSW Waratahs v Fijian Drua
Result: Waratahs won 42-29

Who: Queensland Reds v Brumbies
Result: Brumbies won 15-12

NBA Finals (Game 2)

Who: Knicks v Spurs

Result: Knicks won 105-104 (Knicks lead series 2-0)

Looking forwardโ€ฆ (All times are AEST)

AFL

Who: Melbourne v Collingwood
Time: On now!

Where to watch: Channel 7, Foxtel, Kayo

NRL

Who: Bulldogs v Eels
Time: On now!

Where to watch: Channel 9, Foxtel, Kayo

NBA Finals (Game 3)

Who: Knicks v Spurs
(Knicks lead series 2-0)
Time: 10:30am tomorrow

Where to watch: ESPN
(via Disney+, Foxtel, Kayo)

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