The hits keep coming for Dave Hughes.

The Australian comedian has been re-admitted to hospital six weeks after breaking five ribs and puncturing a lung in the AFL Legends match.

Hughes was playing for Victoria when he collided with former AFL players including Andrew Embley, Daniel Gorringe, and Mitch Robinson.

Back in hospital with fluid on his lungs, Hughes hasn’t lost his humour, telling fans the worst part wasn’t the pain but the non-stop beeping of machines.

525,000
The approximate population of Cabo Verde, a West African island nation that has become the second smallest country (by population) to qualify for the men’s FIFA World Cup. Cabo Verde qualified for its first World Cup overnight by beating Eswatini 3-0. The smallest country to qualify for a World Cup is Iceland, which qualified for the first time in 2018 and has a population of 389,000.

“One of the hardest decisions I’ve had to make in my swimming career. Being offered millions of dollars, having a young family, is pretty enticing. My legacy in sport is too important, I feel like I’ve still got more that I want to achieve.”
Australian Olympic swimming champion Kyle Chalmers in an interview with Channel 10 on his decision to knock back an offer to join the Enhanced Games. The 26-year-old is a three-time Olympic medallist in the men’s 100m freestyle (one gold, two silver) and has set his sights on competing at LA2028. The Enhanced Games is an event set to take place in May next year, which will see athletes compete in swimming, athletics, and weightlifting events without anti-doping restrictions. Sporting bodies have widely condemned the event for its encouragement of the use of banned substances.

At the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics, Australian rower Henry ‘Bobby’ Pearce stopped mid-race to let a family of ducks cross his lane, and still won gold in the men’s single scull. Pearce went on to claim gold again in 1932, becoming the first single sculler to win back-to-back Olympic titles.

🚴‍♂️ Tadej Pogačar capped one of the greatest seasons in cycling history over the weekend, winning Il Lombardia for the fifth straight year to equal Italian cycling legend Fausto Coppi’s record of five victories. The 27-year-old Slovenian attacked on the Passo di Ganda climb to finish first by nearly two minutes. He is now the second rider ever to win the Tour de France, a world title, and three of the five one-day Monuments races in the same season. Australian Michael Storer finished third, becoming only the second Australian ever to make the podium at the race.

🏏 Nadine de Klerk has guided South Africa to a thrilling three-wicket win over Bangladesh at the Women’s Cricket World Cup, sealing victory with a four and a six in the final over. Chasing 233, the Proteas recovered from 5-78 thanks to half-centuries from Chloe Tryon and Marizanne Kapp before de Klerk finished on 37 runs. The win was South Africa’s third straight after losing their opening match to England, lifting them to third on the table ahead of their clash with Sri Lanka on Friday. Tonight, New Zealand play Sri Lanka at 8:30pm (AEDT). 

🏉 Hull KR have ended a 40-year title drought by beating Wigan Warriors 24-6 in the Super League final, the top rugby league competition in the United Kingdom. The win sealed a historic treble for Hull (winning the Challenge Cup, League Leaders’ Shield and Super League title) and a farewell for 36-year-old rugby league veteran Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, who retired after the match. The former Sydney Roosters prop starred for Hull, running for 94 metres and making 15 tackles in his final game.

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With a little over a day remaining in the AFL Trade Period, several potential blockbuster deals remain unresolved. 

Here’s what to know.

Sydney has emerged as the frontrunner to land Carlton star Charlie Curnow, who toured the Swans’ facilities on Monday. Carlton remains reluctant to release their key forward despite an offer from Geelong and noise around Sydney.

Essendon captain Zach Merrett is also weighing a move to Hawthorn, while Christian Petracca and Clayton Oliver could both depart Melbourne, with Gold Coast and GWS leading their respective pursuits.

Elsewhere, Jamarra Ugle-Hagan is expected to leave the Western Bulldogs for the Gold Coast Suns, while Geelong continue to chase St Kilda’s Rowan Marshall. 

Yesterday saw minor moves with Richmond defender Tylar Young joining West Coast and Fremantle’s Will Brodie heading to Port Adelaide. Meanwhile, Brisbane secured a major retention win, extending dual Norm Smith Medal-winning midfielder Will Ashcroft until 2030. 

With the deadline looming on Wednesday night, the focus now turns to whether clubs can strike the creative, multi-team deals needed to unlock the market’s biggest names.

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Australia is tightening its defences against illegal offshore betting and organised crime as it prepares for a decade of major tournaments, culminating with the 2032 Brisbane Olympics and Paralympics. 

Here’s what to know.

Sport Integrity Australia (SIA) and Victorian bodies, including the police and the sport department, are co-hosting the nation’s largest sports integrity symposium in Melbourne this week. 

The summit brings together police, sporting bodies, wagering companies and legal experts to address the growing threat of offshore betting syndicates and match-fixing.

According to The Guardian, the event will also help establish a major events task force, designed to share intelligence quickly across agencies and respond to suspicious betting activity in real time. 

Organised groups are increasingly using island nations such as Vanuatu, where gambling licences can be purchased with cryptocurrency. 

Australia has already felt the impact. Earlier this year, A-League Men players from Macarthur and Western United were charged over alleged match-fixing linked to overseas betting operations.

According to The Guardian, SIA’s James Moller said: “You could have athletes arriving in Western Australia, in New South Wales, in Queensland, you could have gambling happening in a different state or territory, and the sports betting environment is truly global.”

Next year’s Women’s Asian Cup will be the first major test for the new taskforce. Australia is also hosting the men’s and women’s Rugby World Cups in 2027 and 2029 and the men’s T20 cricket World Cup in 2028, before the 2032 Olympics in Brisbane. 

Assistant Commissioner Cindy Millen said: “Investigations into this type of criminality require law enforcement agencies both across the country and internationally to respond with a coordinated approach, incorporating all our partners.”

The keynote speaker at the conference is former New Zealand cricketer Lou Vincent, who received 11 life bans for match-fixing and now works with police and sporting bodies to strengthen integrity frameworks.