Good evening!

Depending on how invested you were in this past weekend of sport, you may have felt anything on the emotional spectrum from pure elation to deep disappointment. Maybe you were slightly amused or not even mildly interested.

Either way. Here’s something totally different. A photo from the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series event in Antalya, Turkey. Pretty awesome.

I’ve got 10 seconds

Stat of the day

10
The number of times in a row that the U.S. men’s golf team has won the Presidents Cup. The Americans beat the International team – represented by golfers from countries outside America and Europe –  in Montreal, Canada over the weekend. Three Aussies featured on the International team — Jason Day, Adam Scott, and Min Woo Lee. The next Presidents Cup will be held at Medinah, near Chicago, in 2026.

Quote of the day

“Obviously, I’m very disappointed and also surprised of this appeal, to be honest, because we had three hearings. All three hearings came out very positively for me.”
The world’s top-ranked tennis player Jannik Sinner speaking after the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) announced it’s lodged an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). Sinner failed two drug tests in March but was cleared of any wrongdoing by a recent CAS ruling. WADA has released a statement arguing the CAS ruling was “incorrect”. It’s seeking a one to two-year ban for Sinner. 

Random fact of the day

Cole Palmer, a footballer who plays for English Premier League side Chelsea, scored four first-half goals in his side’s 4-2 victory over Brighton. Palmer is the only player in the 32-year history of the Premier League to score four goals in the opening half and the fourth to score four in a single half.

I’ve got 30 seconds

In case you missed it…

🚴‍♀️ Slovenian cyclist Tadej Pogačar has asserted himself as one of the greatest of all time after becoming the World Champion in the men’s road race in Switzerland on Sunday. The 26-year-old is just the third male cyclist to win the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia, and the World Championship all in the same season. Australia’s Ben O’Connor added to his stellar season, finishing in second place to win his first individual medal at a World Championships. In the women’s race, Belgian rider Lotte Kopecky won the World Championship in a sprint finish. 

🏏 The Australian men’s cricket team claimed a 3-2 series victory over England, after winning the fifth and final one-day international in Bristol on Sunday. Rain ended the Aussie's innings early before the visitors were declared to have won by 49 runs using the Duckworth Lewis Stern (DLS) method. Travis Head, who took four wickets and scored 36 runs with the bat was named Player of the Match and Player of the Series. According to the ICC, the DLS method is “a formula to fairly calculate the winning side when inclement weather intervenes and the match is interrupted.”

🏉 The Wallaroos won the first match of their WXV 2 campaign, beating Wales 37-5 in Cape Town, South Africa. Australia headed into the half-time break with a narrow 10-5 advantage but scored an unanswered 27 points in the second half, making a strong statement to the rest of the competition. Jo Yapp’s side will now prepare to face tournament hosts this weekend after South Africa beat Japan 31-24 on Friday. 

🏉 The Wallabies have ended this year’s Bledisloe Cup series winless, after going down to the All Blacks in Wellington 33-13. The loss marked a disappointing end to the Rugby Championship for Joe Schmidt’s side. The Aussies finished at the bottom of the table with just one win from six matches. Meanwhile, South Africa smashed Argentina 48-7 to claim the Rugby Championship for the first time since 2019.

🏏 Australia’s women’s T20 cricket side beat England by 33 runs in a World Cup warm-up in Dubai. Bowler Tahlia Mcgrath starred for the Aussies with impressive figures of three wickets for just 18 runs. The tournament gets underway between Bangladesh and Scotland on Thursday. The Aussies will face  Sri Lanka for their first World Cup match on Saturday.

🏉 The AFLW’s Rising Star nominee for week five is Port Adelaide’s Molly Brooksby. Port’s 35-point victory over Carlton on Sunday followed a 48-27 defeat to Richmond last Tuesday. While her team didn’t win on the day, Brooksby gave a career-high performance against Richmond that included 18 kicks, 20 disposals and 525 metres gained. The 19-year-old is the second Port Adelaide player to be nominated for the award this season after Shineah Goody. Port Adelaide is 10th on the ladder having won two of its six games so far this season.

I’ve got 1 minute

Rugby league preliminary finals wrap-up

The draw for this weekend’s NRL and NRLW grand finals is set after a thrilling weekend of preliminary finals. 

NRL Preliminary Finals

The Storm beat the Sydney Roosters 48-18 at home at AAMI Park on Friday to book their place in Sunday’s grand final in Sydney. Melbourne’s Nelson Asofa-Solomona was sin-binned within the first minute for a dangerous tackle. It means the Storm prop is now at risk of missing the grand final.

On Saturday night, the Penrith Panthers secured their place in a fifth consecutive grand final with a 26-6 win over the Cronulla Sharks at Sydney’s Accor Stadium. The reigning premiers led the match from start to finish with star Penrith halfback Nathan Cleary putting in a classy playmaking performance. The Panther’s captain left the field late in the match with a sore shoulder but is expected to play next week. Penrith’s victory set a new premiership record, as the club notched up its 11th straight finals win.

NRLW Preliminary Finals

The Cronulla Sharks are headed to their first NRLW grand final after upsetting minor premiers the Broncos 14-0 in Brisbane on Sunday afternoon. The Sharks held Brisbane scoreless for the first time in the Queensland club’s NRLW history. The Broncos won three consecutive NRLW premierships between 2018-2022. Remarkably, it is only the Sharks’ second season in the league.

Also on Sunday, the Sydney Roosters prevented the Newcastle Knights from a third consecutive premiership after downing the reigning NRLW champs 25-16 at Sydney’s Allianz Stadium. Roosters veteran Samantha Bremner starred for her side with two tries before half-time. The Roosters will be seeking their second NRLW title, having won the grand final once before in 2021.

Help us grow!

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.

I’ve got 2 minutes

Brisbane Lions overcome Sydney to win their first premiership since 2003

The Brisbane Lions have won their first AFL premiership in 21 years after they thrashed the Sydney Swans 120-60 in front of a sold-out MCG on Saturday. The victory marked redemption for the Lions after last year’s Grand Final loss to Collingwood by four points. For the Swans, it was their fourth consecutive Grand Final defeat, the most recent being an 81-point thumping at the hands of the Geelong Cats in 2022.

What happened

The Swans kicked the first two goals of a game that had all the makings of a tight battle, with Brisbane leading by eight points after the first quarter. However, the Lions cemented their lead in the second quarter, kicking seven goals to Sydney’s one to create a 46-point gap by half-time. By the end of the third quarter, the difference was 73 points. The Swans managed to claw some points back in the final quarter, including a three-goal effort from Luke Parker, but it was too late.

Brisbane’s Will Ashcroft won the Norm Smith medal, awarded to the player of the match in the grand final. The 20-year-old had 30 disposals and one goal. Ashcroft’s father, Marcus, was part of the Lions’ last premiership-winning team in 2003. Brisbane co-captain and two-time Brownlow Medallist Lachie Neale had a game-high 35 disposals despite playing with an injured foot. Kai Lohmann and Callum Ah Chee also had four goals each.

What they said

Lions coach Chris Fagan said, “When you're the coach of an AFL team you've got to put up with a lot of scrutiny and a lot of pressure. To come from where we've come from eight years ago, to be able to do this today is a very special moment.”

Swans coach John Longmire said, “Ultimately, we've been able to get ourselves in the position where we've had an opportunity and we haven't got it done today. We didn't pass the test. We have a group of people, right across the footy club, who are able to do that. It's very hard to win it if you're not in it.”

A message from our sponsor

Do you know where a sport science degree can take you?

From elite, professional sporting clubs to rehabilitation clinics and hospitals, a sport science degree can open the door to a range of exciting careers in the sport and health fields!

At the #1 Sport Science School in the world, Deakin looks at factors that influence physical activity, performance, and a person’s overall health through the study of anatomy and physiology, technology, behaviour, and best practices.

Our Bachelor of Exercise and Sport Science could lead to a career as a performance analyst, accredited sport scientist, or personal trainer – plus you can tailor it to your career goals by specialising in areas such as sports nutrition, strength and conditioning, or exercise physiology.

With Deakin University’s nationally accredited exercise and sport science degree, the ball is in your court.

Think Beyond The Field. Study Sport at Deakin.

Looking back…

Looking forward…(All times are AEST)

TDA asks