An interesting talking point for athletes is the pre-competition routine.

What do you need to get into the zone? Is it listening to a certain song or artist? Eating a particular meal? Putting a special pair of socks on?

How about having the entire team dance to *NSYNC’s ‘Bye Bye Bye’?

Well, that’s exactly what Australia’s men’s netball team did before their match against South Africa in the Fast5 series in Christchurch. It seemed to work because not only did the Aussies beat South Africa, but they went on to win the tournament.

8
The number of King Kahekili trophies Sydney diver Rhiannan Iffland has now won. The King Kahekili trophy is awarded annually to the diver who accumulates the most points in the Red Bull Cliff Diving Series. Iffland won her eighth title after taking out the final event of the 2024 Red Bull Diving series, held in Sydney Harbour. The 33-year-old former acrobat dove off a 21m platform and hit the water at speeds of up to 70km/h.

"As an athlete who has dedicated herself to this sport, it was disappointing to see this type of unprofessional commentary. This isn't the first time something like this is happening in [the] sports world. I've often chosen not to speak up, but I believe it's time to address the need for respect and professionalism in sports media.”
Czech tennis player Barbora Krejčíková after footage of Tennis Channel commentator Jon Wertheim commenting on her appearance was circulated online. The Tennis Channel told Reuters that Wertheim has since been taken off air indefinitely. He also apologised on social media, saying: "I realise: I am not the victim here. It was neither professional nor charitable nor reflective of the person I strive to be. I am accountable. I own this. I am sorry."

The mascot of Louisiana State University (LSU) in the U.S. is a tiger named Mike. Since 1936, LSU has kept a live tiger in an enclosure on campus. The current tiger on the university campus is the seventh tiger to live at LSU and is aptly named Mike VII. 

🎾 American tennis star Coco Gauff beat China’s Qinwen Zheng in the final match of the WTA Finals, winning the prestigious tournament for the first time. The 20-year-old came back from a set down to win 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (2) and become the youngest WTA Finals champion since Maria Sharapova in 2004. Gauff took home a whopping $US4.8m ($AU7.28m) for winning the event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

🎾 Australia’s top-ranked male tennis player Alex de Minaur lost his first group stage match at the ATP Finals to world number one Jannik Sinner. The Italian beat de Minaur in straight sets (6-3, 6-4). Meanwhile, Taylor Fritz beat Daniil Medvedev, also in straight sets. De Minaur will play the fourth-ranked Medvedev tomorrow. 

🏏 The Australian men’s cricket team lost the decider of a three-match ODI series against Pakistan on Sunday. Pakistan won the third and final match by a resounding eight wickets. It marks the first time Pakistan has won a series on Australian soil since 2002. The Aussies were not at full strength, as incumbent stars Pat Cummins, Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood rested up ahead of the summer’s five-Test series against India. Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh were also notable absentees, with both players on paternity leave.

🏉 The Jillaroos and Kangaroos rugby league sides won their respective Pacific Championship finals against New Zealand and Tonga on Sunday. The Jillaroos exacted revenge on the Black Ferns, who beat them in last year’s final, with a dominant 24-4 victory. Afterwards, the Kangaroos were led by a clinical Tom Dearden to hold off a late charge from Tonga and win 20-14. 

🚴‍♂️ 39-year-old cycling legend Mark Cavendish won the final race of his career at the two-day Tour de France Criterium in Singapore. Cavendish won the sprint finish to claim his 166th career win. After the race, the 35-time Tour de France stage winner said: "I’m quite emotional. I realised in the last five laps it was the last 15km of my career… I really wanted that so bad. I've always loved this sport.”

There are six AFLW teams left with a shot at winning the 2024 Grand Final, after the first week of finals saw Richmond and Essendon exit the competition.

On Saturday, in the first Elimination Final of the weekend, Fremantle beat Essendon 36-26. Mim Strom starred for Fremantle with 55 taps, 11 clearances and 26 disposals. On Sunday, Port Adelaide extended their winning streak to seven games and sent Richmond packing with an emphatic 26-point win. Ash Saint was especially impressive for Port Adelaide with three goals.

On Friday night, the minor-premiership-winning Kangaroos hung onto their undefeated record and came from behind to beat the Adelaide Crows 38-31. Bella Eddey kicked two crucial goals for North Melbourne to claim the lead and ultimately the win. On Sunday, Hawthorn were upset at home by the Brisbane Lions 38-32. Ruby Svarc was instrumental for Brisbane with 10 disposals and five tackles.

The winners of the Qualifying Finals - North Melbourne and Brisbane - have earned a bye next week with a home Preliminary Final the week after. Meanwhile, next Saturday will see two do-or-die semi-finals. In the afternoon, the Adelaide Crows will host the Fremantle Dockers. Later, Hawthorn will play Port Adelaide.

Enjoying the newsletter?

If you are, why not share the love with your friends? We’d love your help in getting the word out there.

Send them this link to sign up.

The Wallabies beat England in London on Saturday night, courtesy of Max Jorgensen’s match-winning try in the 74th minute. It's the first time since 2015 that Australia have beaten England on their home soil.

England started strongly with forward Chandler Cunningham-South scoring the opening two tries of the match. The Wallabies stayed calm and capitalised on some momentum with tries from fullback Tom Wright and captain Harry Wilson. Australia headed into half-time with a 20-18 advantage.

After half-time, the Aussies extended their lead to 28-18, before England’s fly-half Marcus Smith wrestled back control of the game by setting up two tries for winger Ollie Slieghtholme. It looked all but over for the Wallabies when England’s Maro Itoje crossed the line with two minutes to go to claim a three-point lead. However, England made a mistake off the kick-off to give the Wallabies one last chance. After several solid carries from the forward back, the ball was shifted wide to inside centre Len Ikitau who flicked the ball from the back of his left hand to Jorgensen. The 20-year-old speedster raced away untouched and scored in the corner.

Joseph Sua’ali’i made a positive start to his career in professional rugby union and was named the Player of the Match for his efforts at inside centre which included setting up Australia’s first try.

Coach Joe Schmidt said: “I felt we defeated them really well. We were really strong in the tackle and really combated for them. I'm really proud of the tries we put together."

It was a great weekend for the visiting Southern Hemisphere teams. The New Zealand All Blacks beat long-time rivals Ireland 23-13 in Dublin. Argentina outclassed Italy 50-18. Scotland couldn’t hang on against the world-champion Springboks and lost 32-15. Fiji beat Wales on home soil for the first time, winning 24-19. France was the only Northern Hemisphere team to notch a win, beating Japan 52-12.

The Wallabies will prepare to play Wales next Monday morning (AEDT) at Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. Wales have lost their last ten matches but will be hungry to redeem themselves.

ICYMI: TDA Sport has a new game on Instagram called Blurdle. IYKYK.
Today’s answer: Coco Gauff
Useless clue: Chesty cough (Get it? Email me if you do.)

AFLW - 8 years and counting

The AFLW has grown significantly since 2017, expanding from eight teams to 18, with seasons increasing from seven to 11 rounds. Player minimum salaries have jumped from $8,500 to $56,077. However, despite the encouraging growth, North Melbourne captain Emma Kearney highlights ongoing challenges, noting that players face higher injury risks due to a condensed schedule of 11 rounds in ten weeks, and that some coaches and athletes only work part-time which limits the development of the game.

Professor Pamm Phillips, director of the sports management program at Deakin University who helped develop the AFLW rulebook, stresses the importance of recognizing differences between men's and women's football. For example, one difference Kearney points out is that the AFLW uses a lighter ball, which she suggests affects kicking accuracy and leads to lower scoring games.

A recent study also revealed that 90% of elite female athletes experience online harassment, showing there's still room for improvement in women's sport. In a recent interview on ABC Listen, Pr. Phillips emphasised the importance of listening to the athletes in making changes to improve the game.

Think beyond the field. Study sport at Deakin.