Good evening!

No one ever said coaching was easy, but is it harder than being a politician? Well, Australian soccer coach Ange Postecoglou reckons it might be. The former Socceroos coach, who is now coaching Tottenham in the English Premier League, expressed his disappointment with the way managers are treated. His comments came after Southhampton manager Russell Martin was sacked following a 5-0 drubbing at the hands of guess who… Tottenham.

Here’s what he had to say:

“This job is the hardest job now in any walk of life, You can say politics but this is harder than any job. The tenure and longevity of this role means very few are going to come out of it without any scars… We have an election every weekend and either get voted in or out.”

At the end of last season, the average tenure for Premier League managers was 787 days. Relatively short!

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Stat of the day

765
The number of wickets taken by Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin across all three formats of international cricket. Ashwin, who sits seventh on the list of the most Test wickets of all time, announced his retirement in a press conference following the drawn third Test between India and Australia at the Gabba. The 38-year-old has been on tour with the Indian team but only played in the second Test in Adelaide.

Quote of the day

"Driving for Red Bull has been an unforgettable experience and I'll always cherish the successes we achieved together. We broke records, reached remarkable milestones, and I've had the privilege of meeting so many incredible people along the way.”
Mexico’s Sergio Pérez after it was officially announced he would be leaving Red Bull. Pérez joined Red Bull in 2021 and had great success, winning five races and two Constructors’ Championships alongside teammate and four-time world champion Max Verstappen. Pérez struggled to make his mark in the 2024 season and finished eighth, prompting Red Bull to end his contract early. New Zealand’s Liam Lawson is reportedly expected to replace him.

Random fact of the day

The largest wave ever surfed by paddling in (i.e. without being towed in) was a 19.2 m (63ft) wave at Jaws in Hawai’i, caught by American Aaron Gold. The same record for a woman is held by Aussie Laura Enever, who caught a 13.3m (43ft) wave at Outer Reef, also in Hawai’i.

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In case you missed it…

🏏 The first One-Day International of the Rose Bowl women’s cricket series between Australia and New Zealand was washed out. With continuous rain falling in Wellington, match officials abandoned the match at 1:30pm. The second match is scheduled to be played on Saturday at the same ground, the Basin Reserve. Australia has historically dominated the Rose Bowl, winning 22 of the 29 total series between the two sides. The Aussies are also the current title holders after winning the most recent series in 2020.

⛳ Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler paired up as Team PGA to defeat Team LIV Golf – Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka – in the "Crypto.com Showdown". The event was played at Shadow Creek Golf Course in Las Vegas and advertised as the "first-ever multi-million-dollar professional sports prize purse in CRO Cryptocurrency." The prize was reportedly worth at least $US10 million, though it will depend on the current price of the CRO cryptocurrency. McIlroy and Scheffler held the advantage throughout the entire 18-hole competition, which consisted of three six-hole formats  — best ball, alternate shot, and singles matches.

🏃‍♂️ World Athletics will offer protection for 25 “track, field and road” athletes who have recently been harassed online. The move comes after the governing body monitored online abuse directed at athletes throughout the 2021 and 2024 Olympics, and 2022 and 2023 World Championships. Data showed 809 of 350,000 posts during the Paris Games were abusive and 82% of harmful posts were received by two prominent athletes. World Athletics will use AI to combat the issue. The organisation didn’t specify how this might work.

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Bucks win NBA Cup and Lillard lands a lifetime shoe deal

The Milwaukee Bucks won the second edition of the NBA Cup, the league’s midseason tournament. Led by two-time league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Bucks beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 97-81.

What happened

Antetokounmpo recorded 26 points, 19 rebounds, and 10 assists, leading the Bucks to victory and earning the tournament MVP award. After a slow start to the season which saw the Bucks win just two of their first 10 games, the Milwaukee-based team has now won 13 of its past 16 games. For the Thunder, who are sitting atop the Western Conference ladder, the 81 points scored was the lowest all season.

For winning the NBA Cup, each player on the Bucks received $US514,971 ($AUD829,080) while Thunder players took home $US205,988 ($AUD331,722).

Damian Lillard shoe deal

Meanwhile, 34-year-old Bucks star Damian Lillard has reportedly signed a lifetime shoe contract with Adidas. The eight-time All-Star will join LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Steph Curry as the only current players with lifetime shoe contracts.

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Cruz Hewitt, son of Lleyton, will play qualifying rounds among familiar faces

Cruz Hewitt will get a chance at competing in his first grand slam after being handed a wildcard for the qualifying rounds. It comes 27 years after his father, Australian tennis great Lleyton Hewitt, qualified for the first time as a 15-year-old in 1997.

Cruz Hewitt

Hewitt is currently ranked 107th in the world on the junior circuit. As well as trying to qualify for the senior Australian Open, he is likely to play in the junior tournament too. This year, Hewitt was knocked out in the first round against the world’s 10th-ranked junior player.

Regarding the inevitable comparisons to his father, Cruz said earlier this month: "It is what it is, but I don't really mind. It just drives me to be better."

Simona Halep

Former world number one Simona Halep has also been handed a qualifying wildcard as she returns to the Grand Slam arena for the first time since 2022 following a doping ban. Earlier this year, the Romanian successfully appealed the original four-year ban she was issued for testing positive for a banned substance. Judges at the Court of Arbitration for Sport later reduced her ban.

The two-time grand slam winner spent over a year and a half on the sidelines and has seen her ranking slip to 877th in the world. Halep said: "The thought of returning to Australia after three years is exciting and I'm very grateful to the tournament for this opportunity".

Who else is trying to qualify?

On the men’s side, Cruz will be joined by ten other Australians including former world no.17 Bernard Tomic. The 32-year-old has reached the fourth round at Melbourne Park three times before. Meanwhile, 13 Australians are trying to qualify for the main draw of the women’s singles. That group is led by world no.113 Kimberley Birrell, whose best result at a grand slam came at the 2019 Australian Open where she made the third round.

When is the Australian Open on?

The qualifying rounds of the Australian Open will run between 6 and 9 January. The main draw will be contested from 12 January to 26 January.

ICYMI: TDA Sport has a new game on Instagram called Blurdle. IYKYK.
Today’s answer: Gout Gout
Useless clue: “Looks like a young me”

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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