It’s Thursday, so this intro might as well serve as your weekly reminder to get your footy tips in.

And, for those who are playing along at home, Orla (TDA’s video editor) is still leading our office tipping competition.

Is it morally wrong for me to hope she forgets to tip this week?

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The number of Formula One races Jack Doohan will spend as Alpine’s reserve driver after it was confirmed he will be replaced by Argentinian Franco Colapinto. A statement from the team read: "Jack Doohan remains an integral part of the team and will be the first-choice Reserve Driver for this period of time."

"There wasn't a set of circumstances where as a government we were going to tolerate the Adelaide Lightning not continuing within the WNBL. It is also important in inspiring the younger generation of young female basketballers to continue to participate."
South Australia Premier Peter Malinauskas’s statement to the ABC, after the State Government pledged $571,000 per year for the next three years to keep the Adelaide Lightning afloat. The club’s future was in doubt after its owners, the Pelligra Group, gave up their licence to Basketball Australia in August 2024. The funding will help the club remain in the league for the next three years as it searches for new ownership.

The longest recorded boxing match, held in New Orleans in 1893, lasted 110 rounds (or 7 hours and 19 minutes). The bout, between Andy Bowen and Jack Burke, was declared a no-contest after the 110th round.

⚽ Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) are in the Champions League final after beating Arsenal 2-1 in the second leg of the semi-final this morning. It marks just the second time in the French club’s history that they have made the final of the European tournament. In 2020, they lost to Germany’s Bayern Munich 1-0 in the final. PSG will now face Italian club Inter Milan in a winner-takes-all final at Munich Football Arena on 31 May. 

🏉 England rugby union captain Maro Itoje is reportedly set to be named as the captain of the British and Irish Lions. The 30-year-old lock, embarking on his third Lions campaign, will become the first English captain of the side (which tours every four years) since Martin Johnson in 2001. Itoje started his tenure as England captain before this year’s Six Nations tournament, where England finished second. 

🏀 Australia swept New Zealand in the opening fixtures of basketball’s inaugural Trans-Tasman Throwdown, with the Boomers and Opals both recording strong wins. The Boomers, led by Adelaide 36ers captain Dejan Vasiljevic with 23 points, beat the Tall Blacks 80-68. The Opals recorded an even more convincing victory, dominating the Tall Ferns 88-70. Miela Sowah starred for the Opals on debut with 23 points. Both outfits will face New Zealand again on Friday night. 

⚽ Football Australia CEO James Johnson has resigned after five and half years in the role. Johnson oversaw a successful period for Australian football, with the Socceroos and Matildas both recording their best-ever World Cup performances in 2022 and 2023, respectively. Former Matilda Heather Garriock has been named as interim CEO. Johnson’s departure adds to a period of uncertainty for Football Australia, as the organisation continues to search for a Matildas head coach ahead of the 2026 Asian Cup.

Port Adelaide star Willie Rioli has withdrawn from Saturday’s fixture against the Adelaide Crows as the AFL investigates allegations of threats made against rival players during matches over the last 12 months.

The saga began on Saturday when the Western Bulldogs beat Port Adelaide in Ballarat. Following the match, Rioli allegedly sent an intimidating message to a Bulldogs player regarding Bailey Dale, with whom Rioli had a heated exchange during the match. The AFL did not take action on the message sent by Rioli, as he apologised to Dale. 

Since the allegations of Rioli’s message came to light, unnamed players from Essendon and Geelong have also come forward to say that Rioli made intimidating threats towards them during matches in the past 12 months. 

Port president David Koch told 5AAA radio the club was angry with Rioli but also has a responsibility to protect its Indigenous players. 

He said: "You've got absolutely no idea what they go through, both on-field and off-field. The (racist) threats we receive as a club against our Indigenous players would just horrify you.”

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It’s official: Perth will have an NRL team. 

The Western Australian Government signed off on the deal yesterday, after 18 months of negotiations with the Australian Rugby League Commission. 

WA Premier Roger Cook announced on social media yesterday that the state government will spend $65 million over the next seven years to establish the team. 

The team is expected to enter the competition in either 2027 or 2028.

It has been reported the team will be called the Perth Bears, carrying on the franchise name of the North Sydney Bears, which left the top rung of the league in 1999. 

Cook said: “Not only will this be welcome news for sports fans, it'll also be great for our economy and local jobs.”

The club will be owned by the NRL and will be a membership-based not-for-profit. Stipulations of the agreement include a guarantee that the chairman of the club will be a Western Australian.

This is not the first time that professional rugby league has attempted to secure a foothold on the West Coast, with the Western/Perth Reds playing from 1995 to 1997. 

The addition of a Perth team is set to give the NRL some leverage as it negotiates for a new broadcast deal at the end of 2027. The extra team and the time difference on the West Coast mean there will be additional games televised and alternative scheduling opportunities. 

In December, it was announced that a team based in Papua New Guinea would be joining the league in 2028. The Australian government is set to contribute $600 million over ten years in support of a PNG club.