Good evening!

The bad news is it’s probably too late to get a ticket to the AFL Grand Final.

The good news is it’s not too late to catch a flight from Sydney or Brisbane.

Bad news again: a Sydney to Melbourne round trip for the grand final weekend is currently $805 and a Brisbane to Melbourne round trip is $1,091.

Eek.

I’ve got 10 seconds

Stat of the day

3
How many WNBA Most Valuable Player awards A’ja Wilson has now won. The Las Vegas Aces star was unanimously voted the season MVP on Sunday, receiving all 67 votes from the panel. Meanwhile, Indiana Fever forward Caitlin Clark was named the Rookie of the Year.

Quote of the day

"I’m not gonna lie, the absence of football has left a very deep void."
Former AFL player Angus Brayshaw in a toast to the retiring players of 2024 at the Brownlow medal awards last night. Brayshaw was forced to medically retire from football before the beginning of the 2024 season due to several concussions.

Random fact of the day

The world record for the longest slackline is 2,710m. The record was set by eight athletes who traversed a line between the summits of Puy de l'Angle and Roc de Cruzeau in France in 2022. In July this year, Estonian slackliner Jaan Roose attempted to break the record by crossing the Strait of Messina in Italy. Roose walked 3,646m, surpassing the world record, but fell 80m from the finish, disqualifying the attempt.

I’ve got 30 seconds

In case you missed it…

🏀 The WNBA playoffs are underway, with eight teams remaining in the competition. Round one of the playoffs will see four best-of-seven match-ups, after which four teams will remain. Favourites include the New York Liberty, who finished the regular season with the most wins, and the Las Vegas Aces, who are seeking a third consecutive WNBA Championship.

🏉 The AFLW Rising Star nominee for week four is Collingwood’s Lucy Cronin. The 18-year-old defender starred for her side with 20 disposals, seven marks and 511m gained. Despite Cronin’s performance, Collingwood (18th) lost by 42 points to the Western Bulldogs (16th). 

🎾 World number three Carlos Alcaraz beat Taylor Fritz in the final of the Laver Cup to seal victory for Team Europe over Team World. The Spaniard beat the U.S. Open finalist in straight sets (6-2, 7-5).  Europe has now won five of the seven total editions of the competition. 

⛳ New Zealand’s number one golfer Lydia Ko won her third LPGA title of 2024 at the Queen City Championship. Ko started the final round two shots behind Thailand’s Jeeno Thitikul but finished the tournament five shots clear of her nearest competitor.

⛳ Rory McIlroy was agonisingly close to his first win at the BMW PGA Championship since 2014, but American golfer Billy Horschel sunk an eagle putt in the playoff to snatch victory. McIlroy’s second-place is yet another near miss in 2024 just seven days after the Northern Irishman finished runner-up at the Irish Open. The 35-year-old said: “The game is testing me a little more than it has done in the past but that’s fine.”

I’ve got 1 minute

English cricket captain apologises for blackface photo

England women’s cricket captain Heather Knight has apologised for a social media photo showing her in blackface. 

What happened

The image, posted to Facebook, shows Knight at a 2012 post-season cricket event in Kent, England. The post was reported to England’s Cricket Regulator.

Knight said she was “truly sorry for the mistake...It was wrong”.

“There was no ill-intent meant,” she added.

The 33-year-old has captained the English team since 2016.

Further details

In a statement, Knight said she has “long regretted” the 2012 incident. She claimed that “back then” she was “not as educated”.

“Whilst I can’t change the past, I am passionate and committed to using my platform to promote inclusivity across the game,” Knight added.

The cricketer was handed a suspended fine of £1,000 ($AU1954). She is not obliged to pay the sanction until 2026.

Knight will continue to captain England through next month’s T20 World Cup in Dubai.

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I’ve got 2 minutes

Patrick Cripps wins second Brownlow medal

Carlton captain Patrick Cripps was awarded his second Brownlow medal last night. Cripps received 45 votes, eclipsing the record of 36 set by Richmond’s Dustin Martin in 2017 and equalled by Port Adelaide’s Ollie Wines in 2021.

What happened

Cripps was among the favourites before the night began, with the 29-year-old having led Carlton to a second consecutive finals series following his first Brownlow medal in 2022. Other favourites to win included Collingwood’s Nick Daicos, who finished second on 38 points, and the Western Bulldogs’ captain Marcus Bontempelli who finished down the leaderboard in 14th. Cripps’ record number of votes saw him clinch the medal with three rounds remaining.

How does the Brownlow work?

The Brownlow is voted on by the umpires who officiate the AFL. After every game during the regular season, three players are awarded points for their performance. The best player is awarded three points, the second-best two and the third-best one. The Brownlow medal ceremony is held on the Monday night before the AFL Grand Final.

What they said

"So many guys have great years, but I knew it was my most consistent year. It's only the third or fourth time I've played a full season. Gather Round adds an extra game, and that's why the count is probably higher than what it usually is… I'm super grateful to be up here. It's something I don't take for granted."

Goal and Mark of the Year

Two other highly anticipated awards on the night are the goal and mark of the year. West Coast rookie Harley Reid won the goal of the year, and Collingwood forward Bobby Hill won the mark of the year.

A message from our sponsor

How AI can be used to manage athlete performance

Dr Dan Dwyer, a Senior Lecturer in Applied Exercise And Sports Science at Deakin University, recently wrote an article that outlines a technology developed by Deakin University researchers called the Coach Decision Assistant (CoDA).

The CoDA is a tool powered by artificial intelligence that has the capability to provide real-time insights and decision-making suggestions based on thousands of AFL data points. The technology would allow AFL coaches to make more informed decisions or validate their thinking during a game. It would also enable coaches to simulate potential tweaks and assess the probable outcomes of their decisions before they make them.

Dwyer asserts that similar technology is already in use in sports such as the NBA (basketball) and NFL (American Football). PhD student Mitch Aarons, who has worked extensively on the project, predicted this sort of technology will soon be in use across the AFL and AFLW as well as other sporting codes in Australia.

Ultimately, CoDA has the potential to remove the guesswork from a coach’s decision-making process in situations where there are countless variables at play.

Think Beyond The Field. Study sport at Deakin.

Looking forward…(All times are AEST)

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