On Saturday at 8am, 640 runners set out on the first lap of Sydney's Backyard Ultra at St Ives Showground. 

The format is simple: run a 6.7km loop every hour, on the hour, and keep going until you either fail to finish the loop within the hour or decide to pull the pin. 

More than 56 hours later, six runners are still going, having each covered 375km across 56 laps.

The venue record of 81 laps (543km), set by Australian world record holder Phil Gore, required over three days of running a lap an hour.

9.84 seconds
The time recorded by 24-year-old Australian sprinter Eddie Nketia in the men’s 100m at a college meet in the U.S. It is the fastest time ever run by an Australian, breaking Patrick Johnson’s all-conditions record of 9.88 seconds. However, the time will not count as an official national record because of an illegal tailwind of +2.8 metres per second (anything above +2.0 metres per second is not recognised for official records). Nketia, a student-athlete at the University of Southern California, only began representing Australia in December 2025 after switching allegiance from New Zealand. 

"I feel for my Samoan and Tonga brothers that we have in our team currently there on those pathways... They might not get a chance next year now. There's some really exciting kids that we have training with us that might just get overlooked now."
Moana Pasifika player William Havilli spoke to TDA following last Friday’s 29-14 loss to the NSW Waratahs. The comments come after Moana Pasifika confirmed the team will fold at the end of the 2026 season, becoming the second club in three years to exit professional rugby union due to financial reasons. The team was established in 2022 alongside the Fijian Drua to create a professional pathway for players from Samoa, Tonga, and the Cook Islands.

Identical twins Harry and Ben McKay were both drafted into the AFL in 2015 by different clubs. It then took nine years for them to actually play each other, with injuries and selection preventing the clash. The streak sparked a long-running joke online that the twins were actually the same person. They finally met when Ben's Essendon faced Harry's Carlton in round 12, 2024 at the MCG.

⚽ The Newcastle Jets have claimed their first A-League Men's Premier's Plate after second-placed Auckland FC lost 1-0 to the Central Coast Mariners on Sunday. The Jets, who drew 2-2 with Melbourne Victory on Friday night, now sit four points clear at the top with one round remaining. The Premier’s Plate is awarded to the team that finishes first at the end of the regular season.  Coached by Mark Milligan, Newcastle has been the competition's standout side, already securing the 2025 Australia Cup and a spot in next season's AFC Champions League Elite. They'll be presented with the plate after Saturday's final-round home clash against the Mariners. Elsewhere, Adelaide United beat Macarthur 3-1.

🏉 Former NRL star Zac Lomax scored his first try in rugby union as the Western Force came from 19-0 down to upset the Crusaders 31-26 in Perth on Saturday night. Making his first Super Rugby start after debuting off the bench the previous week, the former NSW State of Origin back levelled the scores in the 54th minute before prop Harry Johnson-Holmes crossed for the match-winner in his 100th Super Rugby appearance. Elsewhere, the Fijian Drua upset the ACT Brumbies 33-28 in Canberra. It marked Drua's second away win in 34 matches, denting the fourth-placed Brumbies' hopes of securing a top-three finish and a home final.

🏉 New Zealand women’s national rugby sevens beat Australia’s team 19-14 in the Hong Kong Sevens final on Sunday, securing a fourth straight title at the tournament. It marked the seventh Cup final meeting between the two sides this season,  with New Zealand winning six of those encounters. New Zealand captain Risi Pouri-Lane was named Player of the Final. Meanwhile, the Australian men were knocked out in the quarter-finals by Spain (19-5), finishing sixth overall. South Africa claimed the men's title, beating Argentina 35-7 in the final. The first round of the SVNS World Championship Series continues in Valladolid, Spain, in late May.

⛳ Australian golfer Hannah Green has won the LPGA's LA Championship for the third time, coming from six shots off the lead on the final day to beat South Koreans Sei Young Kim and Jin Hee Im in a playoff. Hitting a birdie on the first hole of the playoff, the world number eight sealed her fourth win in five starts this year and eighth LPGA Tour title. On the PGA Tour, England's Matt Fitzpatrick beat world number one Scottie Scheffler in a playoff to win the RBC Heritage. It’s the second time Fitzpatrick has won the tournament, and his second win in his past three starts on tour.

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The St George Illawarra Dragons have sacked head coach Shane Flanagan and general manager of football Ben Haran, with the club confirming the departures at a press conference on Monday. Flanagan is the second NRL coach to be sacked this season after Manly parted ways with Anthony Seibold in March.

The Dragons are yet to win a game seven rounds into the NRL season, leaving them at the bottom of the ladder. Saturday's 30-12 loss to the South Sydney Rabbitohs marked the club’s 11th consecutive loss, extending a record losing streak that began last season.

Flanagan’s departure comes just eight months after he was handed a two-year contract extension to the end of 2028. Since the deal was announced in August, the Dragons have managed just one win. Flanagan leaves with 19 victories from 55 matches in charge.

In a statement released by the club, Flanagan said: "I care deeply about this club and the playing group, and after discussions with the club, we agreed this was the right time for a change."

Dragons chairman Andrew Lancaster also addressed the media coverage surrounding the club in recent weeks: "There has been a lot of media coverage of the Dragons over these past few weeks. A lot of it absolutely deserved. Some of it poor, and some of it about personal agendas. I've been in the media longer than most. Our coverage of this great game, of this great club, should be better."

Interim coaching appointments are expected to be revealed after a board meeting on Tuesday, with assistant coaches Dean Young and Michael Ennis as leading candidates. The Dragons face the Sydney Roosters in Saturday's annual Anzac Day clash at Allianz Stadium.

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Carlton is reviewing its handling of forward Elijah Hollands during Thursday night's loss to Collingwood.

The 23-year-old appeared disoriented and displayed erratic behaviour on the field at the MCG.

The AFL is awaiting the outcome.

Hollands recorded one disposal despite spending roughly 60% of the game on the field, before being benched for most of the final quarter. A video circulated on social media appeared to show Hollands directing the middle finger at teammates and the crowd.

Collingwood defender Brayden Maynard told The Age on Monday he had heard chatter on the field about Hollands' behaviour from teammates, saying: "If I saw one of my teammates acting in such a way that Elijah was, then I would definitely say something and mention it to the hierarchy."

Carlton released a statement on Friday confirming Hollands had experienced a mental health episode, describing the situation as "complicated". The club said the 23-year-old was receiving ongoing medical and well-being support.

The AFL released its own statement on Saturday, requesting that Carlton provide the outcome of its review once complete. The AFL Players' Association is also involved, with president and Collingwood captain Darcy Moore confirming the association has been part of the process over recent days.

Carlton president Rob Priestley also released a statement on Saturday, saying the board has been working closely with club CEO Graham Wright and general manager of football Chris Davies to review the circumstances. Priestley asked that Hollands' privacy be respected.

Wright addressed media on Sunday, calling the situation "unprecedented and complex". He confirmed the club's coaching staff were aware during the game that Hollands was struggling, noting he has previously experienced anxiety and panic attacks.

Wright did not comment directly on why Hollands was not removed from the field earlier, saying the club is reviewing that question as well as the two to three weeks leading up to the match.

Wright said the club does not suspect drugs or alcohol were involved. When asked about reports, first aired by journalist Caroline Wilson on 3AW, that Hollands had told teammates he had been drinking before the match, Wright said he had not received that information from the AFL.

Hollands has been ruled out of this week's trip to Perth to face the Fremantle Dockers.

The Gold Coast Suns drafted Hollands with pick seven in the 2020 AFL draft. He was traded to Carlton ahead of the 2024 season, where he joined his younger brother Ollie.

In 2025, Hollands took personal leave from the club on two occasions and spoke publicly about his struggles with mental health and alcohol. He was delisted at the end of last season but re-added to Carlton's rookie list ahead of the 2026 campaign after training over summer.

Carlton's review is ongoing.

The central questions are how Hollands was cleared to play, why he remained on the field for as long as he did, and what systems should be in place to prevent a similar situation in the future.

If you or anyone you know needs support, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636.