Albanian goats apparently aren’t massive fans of cycling… that is, according to this footage from the Giro d’Italia overnight.

New Zealand cyclist Dion Smith did an excellent job of avoiding a roadside ditch as a brave goat went after him.

There are just some things in sport that no amount of training can prepare you for.

5
The consecutive number of wins the GWS Giants have recorded against Geelong at the Cats’ home ground. GWS edged out the Cats 105-101 in a thriller at GMBHA Stadium on Sunday night. Jesse Hogan starred for the away side with seven goals. The Cats and Giants now sit seventh and eighth on the ladder, respectively. 

“Had we come out in the first half with the intent we showed in the second, we probably would’ve got a very different result. It’s all about intent and fire, body language and energy. We’ll bring all that next week.”
Wallaroos captain Siokapesi Palu following the side’s 38-12 loss to the Black Ferns. The clash against New Zealand’s women’s rugby union team marked the Wallaroos’ first match of the Pacific Four tournament. Next Saturday, they will take on the U.S, who lost their opening match to Canada 26-14. The Wallaroos have never beaten the Black Ferns.

NSW MP and Olympian Dan Repacholi has been named the special envoy for men’s health going into this term of Parliament. A special envoy advises the Government on a particular area and advocates for a specific cause or group of people. Repacholi, who was elected in 2022, has represented Australia at the Olympic and Commonwealth Games. He won gold in the 10m air rifle and 50m pistol at the 2014 and 2018 Commonwealth Games, respectively. Another fun fact about Repacholi? In the last term of Parliament, he was the tallest MP, but he’s now been usurped by new Qld representative and former NBL player Matt Smith.

🚴‍♂️ Danish cyclist Mads Pedersen won the third stage of the Giro d’Italia and reclaimed the pink jersey (worn by the overall leader). It marks Pedersen’s second stage win of this year’s race, after winning the opening stage. Pedersen is nine seconds ahead of 2023 winner Primož Roglič. The highest-placed Australian in the general classification is Michael Storer who is in ninth place and just 36 seconds off the lead. 

🏀 The Indiana Pacers are one win away from eliminating the Cleveland Cavaliers from the NBA Playoffs. The Pacers beat the Cavs 129-109 in Game Four and now lead the best-of-seven series 3-1. Both teams will travel to Cleveland for Game 5 on Wednesday (AEST). In today’s other match, the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Denver Nuggets 92-87 to level the series 2-2. 

🏐 The NSW Swifts remain the only undefeated team in Super Netball after beating the Melbourne Vixens 59-51 on Sunday. The Swifts are now five from five while the other three teams in the top four (Adelaide Thunderbirds, Sunshine Coast Lightning, and West Coast Fever) have all won three of five matches. In Sunday’s other match, the Lightning beat the Giants 74-56.

The A-League Women Grand Final is set for next weekend after the Central Coast Mariners upset Melbourne City 1-0 in extra time on Sunday. The loss was defending champion City’s first of the season. The Mariners will now play Melbourne Victory next Sunday after they beat Adelaide United 3-1 in the second leg of their semi-final tie.

After a 2-2 draw in the opening leg of the semi-final last week, it took until the 121st minute for Mariners midfielder Isabel Gomez to score the first and only goal of the match.

It’s the first time the Central Coast Mariners have qualified for the Grand Final. 

Melbourne Victory advanced to the Grand Final after beating Adelaide United 6-2 on aggregate over the course of the two legs of their tie. The last time the Victory contested the Grand Final was in 2022, when they won a second consecutive title against Sydney FC. 

In the men’s competition, Western United and Melbourne Victory won their respective Elimination Finals to advance to the semi-finals. Western United defeated Adelaide United 3-2 and are now up against Melbourne City in a two-leg semi-final. Meanwhile, Victory beat Western Sydney Wanderers 2-1 and are set to take on Premiers Auckland FC in the other semi-final tie. 

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Italian tennis star Jannik Sinner is back to his winning ways after serving a three-month doping ban. Still ranked world number one, Sinner returned at the Italian Open in Rome over the weekend. After receiving a first-round bye, he beat Mariano Navone of Argentina in the second round in straight sets. Sinner is on a 22-match winning streak, which dates back to October 2024.

In August last year, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announced Sinner had recorded two positive tests for a banned substance at the Indian Wells tournament in March. It said an independent tribunal had since ruled Sinner was not at fault. Sinner tested positive for clostebol, a steroid derivative of testosterone. It’s banned due to its anabolic qualities, which can improve muscle growth. 

Sinner’s team argued it entered his system accidentally, when his physiotherapist used a topical cream containing clostebol for a wound on their finger, before treating Sinner. 

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) then lodged an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, arguing that the ITIA’s finding that Sinner bore “no fault or negligence” was “not correct”. 

The appeal was never heard in the CAS. Instead, WADA and Sinner reached a case resolution agreement whereby he would be required to serve a three-month ban from the sport.

Sinner has been embraced by Italian fans in his return to tennis. 

”It has been an amazing feeling to come [to the Italian Open] starting from the first practices with other players,” he said. 

Sinner will play the Netherlands’ Jesper de Jong in the next round.

Of the eleven Aussies (five women, six men) who started in the singles draw, only Alex de Minaur is still in contention. De Minaur is playing unseeded Bolivian Hugo Dellien in the Round of 32 tonight.