Good evening!

Well, the third Test has come to an end in Brisbane with a rain delay forcing a draw between Australia and India.

One of the great songs about Brisbane (maybe), ‘Streets of Your Town’ by the Go-Betweens, could have told us all we needed to know about the weather at the Gabba this week:

“And don't the sun look good today?
But the rain is on its way”

Now, with the series still tied at 1-1, we look forward to the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne.

Hopefully, it isn’t a case of ‘four seasons in one day’.

I’ve got 10 seconds

Stat of the day

31
The number of runs scored by Sydney Thunder’s Daniel Sams in the penultimate over of the side’s BBL season opener against the Adelaide Strikers. The Thunder needed 34 runs with 12 balls remaining to win the match and were able to reach their target courtesy of Sams. 19-year-old Sam Konstas was also instrumental for the Thunder, scoring 56 runs off 26 balls and setting a club record for the fastest half-century.

Quote of the day

"He is clearly talented but there is also a need for some sensible realism here as well. The biggest challenge in coaching is taking a really talented 17 or 18-year-old into the upper echelons of the senior teams. I'm not remotely pouring cold water on what is an outstanding talent but the vast majority of people who win world junior titles don't go on to compete for their national team at senior level.”
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe about Gout Gout, the 16-year-old Australian athlete. Gout made global news after running the second fastest under-18 200m of all time. His time of 20.04 broke a 56-year-old Australian record as well as the under-16 record previously held by Usain Bolt. Gout is expected to feature on the international circuit at the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo next September.

Random fact of the day

When a rock climber completes an ascent with no mistakes on their first attempt, it is called ‘flashing’. In November, Austrian climber Babsi Zangerl became the first climber to flash one of the toughest cliff faces in the world, El Capitan in Yosemite, California. She climbed the ‘Freerider’ route, the same one taken by Alex Honnold in the documentary ‘Free Solo’, with no mistakes over four days.

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In case you missed it…

🥊 Conor McGregor announced on social media that he plans to fight internet personality Logan Paul in an exhibition match. McGregor hasn’t fought professionally since 2021. Last month, McGregor lost a civil sexual assault case and was ordered to pay the victim €248,000 ($AU406,000) in damages. Logan Paul is the brother of Jake Paul, who recently fought Mike Tyson. Logan is a professional wrestler in the WWE and has previously boxed in exhibition matches.

🏎️ New Zealand’s Liam Lawson will reportedly take Sergio Perez's place at team Red Bull in Formula One next season. Lawson replaced Australian Daniel Ricciardo at RB, Red Bull’s secondary team, in the later stages of the 2024 season. He’s accumulated 11 races of experience over the past two seasons. It is expected that Red Bull will announce Perez’s axing from the team before Christmas.

🏏 England’s women’s cricket team has won its first Test since 2014, beating South Africa by 286 runs. Pace bowler Lauren Bell was named the Player of the Match after taking four wickets and conceding 49 runs. Bell said: "It's amazing, my first Test win, and we've worked really hard as a team over the last three days". England are set to travel to Australia for the women’s Ashes series next month.

I’ve got 1 minute

Qld Government will consider law changes after Mam’s “slap on the wrist”

The Queensland Government has said it will consider changing drug driving laws, following backlash around the sentencing of NRL star Ezra Mam.

Mam was suspended from driving for 6 months after crashing his car and failing a subsequent drug test. He was also fined $850.

Qld Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie described the punishment as “disgraceful” and a “slap on the wrist”.

Context

In October, Mam failed a roadside and secondary drug test after his vehicle crossed the centre line of the road and crashed head-on into another car. A four-year-old girl was injured in the crash.

The 21-year-old, who has a five-year, $4 million contract with the Brisbane Broncos, was driving without a licence at the time.

Mam pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of a mix of drugs including cocaine, and driving without a licence earlier this week. The court fined him $850 and suspended him from driving for six months, but did not record a conviction.

The NRL Integrity Unit is still investigating the matter.

The fine imposed on Mam is less than the maximum available penalty of $2,258 and less than the maximum penalty for using a phone while driving ($1,209).

What they said

Qld Attorney-General Deb Frecklington said: Most Queenslanders would expect that the penalty for a driver who's found to have drugs in their system would be more severe than the penalty for using a mobile phone behind the wheel. I will be consulting with my colleagues… and considering what changes can be made to our laws".

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Bonmatí and Vinícius take out FIFA Best Player awards

The FIFA Player of the Year winners were named last night. Spain’s Aitana Bonmatí took out the women’s award for the second year running, and Brazil’s Vinícius Júnior won the men’s award for the first time. The awards are decided by votes from fans, current captains and coaches, and media representatives.

Best FIFA Women’s Player

The Best FIFA Women’s Player award was won by Bonmatí, who plays as a midfielder for Barcelona and Spain. The 26-year-old also won the prestigious Ballon d'Or earlier this year. Bonmatí followed up last year’s World Cup victory by guiding Spain to a Nations League title and helping Barcelona, who won 45 of its 48 matches in the 2023/24 season, to a Champions League title as well as three domestic titles.

Best FIFA Men's Player

Vinícius, a forward for Brazil and Spanish club Real Madrid, won the Best FIFA Men's Player award. The 24-year-old played a key role in Real Madrid’s Champions League and La Liga titles this season, scoring 24 goals in 39 matches. Vinícius’ win comes after he and Real Madrid boycotted the Ballon d'Or ceremony earlier this year when they learned that he wouldn’t be receiving the award.

Coach of the Year Awards

Emma Hayes, who coaches the U.S. Women’s National Team (USWNT) and Chelsea in the Women’s Super League, won the Women’s Coach of the Year award. Hayes won an Olympic gold medal with the USWNT and a fifth successive club title for Chelsea last season. Italian Carlo Ancelotti won the men’s award for his work with Real Madrid, who completed a La Liga and Champions League double last season.

What they said

Bonmatí said: "I'm very grateful for this award. As I always say, this is a team effort."

Vinícius Júnior said: “I don't even know where to begin. It was so far away that it seemed impossible to get here. I was a kid who only played football barefoot on the streets of São Gonçalo, close to poverty and crime. Getting here is something very important to me. I'm doing it for many children who think that everything is impossible and who think they can't get here”.

Ancelotti said: “I started as a professional player in 1976 —- 48 years in football, and football has given to me, and is giving me, a lot of emotion. Most of the time [it's] positive; sometimes negative. But, emotion is the only reason that after 48 years, I'm still alive.”

A message from Deakin University

Women in Sport and the Increasing Use of Anabolic-Androgenic Steroids (AAS)

This study highlights the rising prevalence of AAS use among women in sport, particularly athletes, recreational gym-goers, and bodybuilders. While overall prevalence is 4%, bodybuilders show the highest rates (16.8%).

Motivations and health risks differ from men’s, requiring tailored harm reduction strategies for women, especially bodybuilders.

However, research on women’s AAS experiences is limited. This study calls for more women-specific, regionally diverse research, targeted education, and more training for non-judgmental support.

Read more about the study here.

Looking back…

Looking forward… (All times are AEDT)

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