One of the underrated sensory experiences of sport is the sounds that it produces.

From the sound of a tennis ball being hit at breakneck speeds inside a hushed Rod Laver Arena to the sound of Dad snoring on the couch as he “watches” the footy on Sunday afternoon.

What’s your favourite?

Reply to this email to let me know. I can share the best ones in tomorrow’s newsletter intro.

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The consecutive number of times that Australian cliff-diving star Rhiannan Iffland has claimed Red Bull cliff diving’s King Kahekili Trophy. Iffland delivered a near-perfect performance at the Stari Most bridge in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the penultimate stop on this year’s Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series, to win the title. The King Kahekili Trophy is awarded each year to the overall Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series champion. Iffland’s streak is one of the most dominant in extreme sports. This victory also marked her 44th career win and 52nd podium.

"For sure you race to win bike races, simple as that. At the moment the race is for the podium, but in the end it's a grand tour. It's three weeks long and it can be very unpredictable. I'm feeling pretty good, and in general, the Vuelta is still to play for."
Australian cyclist Jai Hindley in an interview with CyclingNews on Monday. Hindley currently sits in fourth position after 15 stages of racing at the Vuelta a España, one of cycling’s three biggest races alongside the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia. No Australian has ever won it. With seven stages remaining, the 29-year-old is three minutes and 10 seconds behind overall race leader Jonas Vingegaard of Denmark and 32 seconds behind third-placed British cyclist Tom Pidcock. 

Four months before the 1966 World Cup in England, the Jules Rimet trophy was stolen from a London exhibition. A week later, a dog named Pickles sniffed it out under a bush while on a walk with his owner. Pickles became an instant celebrity, winning “Dog of the Year,” appearing in a film, and even being held aloft by footballer Bobby Moore during England’s victory celebrations.

⚽ The U.S’ top soccer league has banned Inter Miami forward Luis Suárez from play for three matches for spitting on a Seattle Sounders staff member after the Leagues Cup final. The incident happened after the Sounders defeated Inter Miami 3-0 in the Leagues Cup final. The Major League Soccer ban is on top of a six-game ban from the Leagues Cup itself. After the incident, the Argentinian football star took to social media to apologise. He said: "It was a moment of much tension and frustration, where just after the game ended things happened that shouldn't have happened but that doesn't justify my reaction."

🏉 Dolphins star Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow has been ruled out of the Pacific Championships after scans confirmed a serious knee injury. The 24-year-old, who scored a hat-trick in the Dolphins’ final-round win over Canberra, sustained a grade three MCL tear that will sideline him for eight weeks. Tabuai-Fidow had chosen to represent Samoa at the tournament despite having previously played for the Kangaroos. The Pacific Championships will be played in October and feature the national teams of Samoa, Tonga, New Zealand, the Cook Islands, Papua New Guinea, and Fiji. The Australian team will travel to England to contest the rugby league Ashes.

⚽ Matildas and Manchester City star Mary Fowler will swap the pitch for the runway later this month. Fowler is set to make her Paris Fashion Week debut on 29 September, walking in the L’Oréal Paris Le Défilé show at the Hôtel de Ville. She will become the first professional footballer and first Australian brand ambassador to walk the event, joining a lineup that includes Kendall Jenner, Jane Fonda, Viola Davis, and Helen Mirren.

Don’t let a cough be the reason you miss a game 

We’re entering an epic season of sport, make sure you’re ahead of the game by prioritising your immune health.

Blackmores’ Immune Rapi-Melts are formulated to help the immune system fight illness and support general health and wellbeing so you can spend more time on the field and less time sniffling in bed.

Always read the label and follow the directions for use. 

Jeromey Webberley has been named as the coach for the Tasmanian Devils team set to join the VFL in 2026. 

The 37-year-old Tasmanian played 16 games for the Richmond Tigers between 2010 and 2012. 

Here’s what to know. 

Last week, the AFL announced that the Tasmanian Tigers would be fielding a team in each of the VFL and VFLW in 2026. The launch of VFL and VFLW teams will help prepare the club for its entry into the AFL and AFLW in 2028. 

Tasmania’s entry into the country’s top professional leagues depends on a new $945 million stadium in Hobart being approved. The project has backing from both major parties, but still needs to pass the upper house.

After the announcement of his appointment, Webberley said: "We're building this VFL program to underpin the AFL and AFLW program. We want to be competitive and win games, clearly, but we want to have that development mindset. These first 12 months in the program is really about laying the platform, a strong foundation.”

A coach for the VFLW team will reportedly be announced in the next few weeks. 

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The Socceroos will take on New Zealand in the second of two matches tonight as the sides compete for the ‘Soccer Ashes’. Here’s what to know before kick-off at 5:00pm. 

In the opening match on Saturday, the Socceroos scraped a late 1-0 win over New Zealand in Canberra. Max Balard was the unlikely hero, scoring in the 87th minute shortly after coming off the bench for his debut. The goal rescued what had been an otherwise scrappy display, with Australia slow to settle and struggling to break down the All Whites’ defence. 

The result of the first match means that New Zealand will need to overturn a one-goal deficit and win by at least two goals to take home the Soccer Ashes.  

Popovic has made it clear that reputation alone will not guarantee players' selection for the 2026 World Cup. Senior players are being challenged to prove their worth alongside the new wave of youngsters pushing for places. 

Popovic said: “What you did up until June… doesn't guarantee your World Cup spot. It certainly guarantees your recognition and going down in history for what you did in the qualifiers. But now you need to keep performing… the young boys have as much of an opportunity as the senior players.”

While the first leg hinted at nerves and unfamiliar combinations, the coach believes the squad will grow sharper with time together. 

The Soccer Ashes rivalry, first contested in 1922, adds extra weight to the occasion. The trophy, made in 1923, is a box made of wood from Australia and New Zealand. Inside the box is a razor case which contains the Ashes of two cigars smoked by the respective captains of the Australian and New Zealand soccer teams at the time, Alec Gibb and George Campbell. 

The trophy was played for several times before it went missing in 1954. Then, in 2023, the trophy was rediscovered, and the Soccer Ashes were held for the first time in 69 years. Australia won the only game of the series 2-0 and is the current holder. 

You can watch the match from 5:00pm on Paramount+. It is being played at Go Media Stadium in Auckland.