AFL has had its share of on-field toughness, but recently, two coaches have shown it off the field, too. 

This morning, three-time premiership-winning coach Mick Malthouse chased off armed intruders from his Melbourne home. According to the Herald Sun, Malthouse chased the group out into an alleyway before the group attacked him. The 72-year-old sustained minor injuries from the altercation.

Last year, Carlton coach Michael Voss chased down and tackled a teenage car thief. He pinned the the thief to the ground until police arrived.

P.S. Thank you to the astute readers who pointed out the error in yesterday’s newsletter. We love to see you reading all the way to the bottom!

$US60 ($AU92). 
The starting price for group-stage tickets to the 2026 men’s FIFA World Cup. The cost is expected to rise due to the dynamic pricing system, which adjusts ticket prices based on demand, meaning high-demand matches could cost significantly more than face value. FIFA said “the most exclusive” seats for the final will cost as much as $US6,730 ($AU10,300). The first phase of ticket sales for the tournament begins on 10 September.

"I felt like today was my day. I feel like there should always be a finish line… Putting us in danger isn't going to help your cause."
British cyclist Tom Pidcock after Stage 11 of the Vuelta a España finished with no winner because of pro-Palestinian protests on the course in Bilbao, Spain. Pidcock and race leader Jonas Vingegaard had broken clear of the peloton when race organisers announced in the final kilometres of the race that finish times would be recorded three kilometres before the actual line. The incident is the latest in a string of similar incidents that have disrupted the race as riders call for better security and crowd control.

When Goran Ivanišević won Wimbledon as a wildcard in 2001, one of the Croatian tennis star’s superstitions was to watch the Teletubbies every morning during the two-week campaign. In an interview with The Independent in 2004, he said: "My coach one day said: 'You have to watch this, this is so funny'. And I won my match that day. So then I couldn't stop. My favourite was the purple one, Tinky Winky."

🏉 Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt has named a side with three changes to take on Argentina when the Rugby Championship resumes this weekend. Captain Harry Wilson and fly-half Tom Lynagh both return from injury while Andrew Kellaway will start at fullback in place of Tom Wright, who will be out for the remainder of the year with an ACL injury. With Will Skelton returning to France for club rugby commitments, Tom Hooper will move into the second row as Wilson slots into the back row alongside Rob Valetini and Fraser McReight. The Wallabies kick off against Argentina at 2:30pm on Saturday in Townsville.

🏑 The Oceania Cup, a field hockey tournament held every two years, begins tonight in Darwin. Australia is set to take on New Zealand three times over the next four days in men’s and women’s fixtures. Australia is the current holder of both the men’s and women’s cups. Tonight, the Kookaburras will play the men’s Black Sticks at 6:30pm (AEST) before the Hockeyroos go up against the women’s Black Sticks at 8:30pm. The next two sets of double headers will be played on Saturday and Sunday afternoon. Every match can be streamed live on 7Plus. 

🏀 The NBA is investigating reports that the LA Clippers secretly paid star player Kawhi Leonard $US28 million ($AU43 million) in an effort to circumvent salary cap rules. According to podcast Pablo Torre Finds Out, Leonard was allegedly paid through a no-show endorsement deal via KL2 Aspire LLC, a shell company linked to the star player. NBA spokesman Mike Bass told The Athletic: “We are aware of this morning’s media report regarding the LA Clippers and are commencing an investigation.”

Endurance isn’t just built on training.

To go the distance, your body needs the right fuel – starting with key nutrients like B12 for energy, iron to fight fatigue, zinc for immune support and antioxidants to reduce inflammation and support recovery.

That’s where Blackmores’ Rapi-Melts come in. These fast-dissolving, great-tasting melts deliver targeted nutrients – no pills, no water, just quick and easy melt to support on the go wellbeing. Whether you're training, recovering, or running on empty, Rapi-Melts make it easy to stay on top of your health.

Always read the label and follow the directions for use. 

Alex de Minaur has been knocked out of the U.S. Open after losing to Canadian 25th seed Félix Auger Aliassime in the quarter-final. 

The semi-finals are now set, with the rest of the tournament set to play out over the weekend. 

Here’s what to know.

In his sixth grand slam quarter-final, De Minaur missed a golden opportunity to advance to his first semi-final after he was upset by Auger Aliassime. De Minaur won the opening set, but he went on to lose the match in four sets as Auger Aliassime roared back (6-4, 6-7, 5-7, 6-7). 

He said: “Today was an opportunity to break new ground. I was nowhere near the level I needed to be at. That's frustrating because you don't get these chances often."

Meanwhile, Auger Aliassime advances to his second Grand Slam semi-final, where he will look to continue his run of form against world number one Jannik Sinner. The 25-year-old defeated world number three Alexander Zverev in the fourth round. The other semi-final is set to be an epic between Carlos Alcaraz (2) and Novak Djokovic (7) on Friday morning (AEST).

American Amanda Anisimova pulled off a major upset to defeat world number two Iga Świątek in straight sets (6-4, 6-3). The result marked sweet payback for Anisimova after she failed to win a single game against Świątek in the Wimbledon final in July. 

Anisimova, the eighth seed, is set to face Japan’s Naomi Osaka in the semi-final. Osaka has made an astounding return to form, with the four-time major winner advancing past the third round at the U.S. Open for the first time since winning it in 2020. She defeated Czechia’s Karolína Muchová in straight sets (6-4, 7-6). 

The other semi-final will be a rematch of last year’s final between Aryna Sabalenka (1) and Jessica Pegula (4).

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The AFL Finals begin tonight with four matches set to be played throughout the weekend. Here’s what to know as we head into week one. 

Qualifying Finals

The qualifying finals are played between the top four teams in the competition. As a reward for finishing in the top four, these teams get a second chance in the finals if they lose this week. The winner earns a week off and a spot in week three of the finals. 

The first qualifying final will see the Adelaide Crows (1st) host Collingwood (4th) at Adelaide Oval from 7:40pm tonight (AEST). Adelaide head into their first finals series since 2017 off the back of nine straight wins. The Magpies, meanwhile, led most of the season before losing five of their last seven matches. 

The Crows and Magpies have played each other twice this season. Collingwood won their Round 10 match at the MCG 78-68, and the Crows defeated Collingwood 59-56 in a low-scoring thriller at Adelaide Oval in Round 23. While the Crows will be without star forward Izak Rankine after he was banned for four matches for using a homophobic slur during the Round 23 match, they come into the match as the form team and will be banking on a home crowd to help them get the job done. 

The other qualifying final will see the Brisbane Lions (3rd) and Geelong (2nd) go toe-to-toe at the MCG at 7:40pm on Friday . The Lions have had the edge over Geelong this year, beating them in both of the matches they have played. Brisbane won 70-61 in Round 3 and 92-51 in Round 15. The Lions have also won their last five matches at the MCG, including last year’s grand final against the Sydney Swans. 

Meanwhile, Geelong enter on a six-game winning streak, though all came against lower-ranked opponents. Brisbane’s strength lies in intercept play, with Harris Andrews, Jaspa Fletcher, Darcy Wilmot and Dayne Zorko among the league’s best. It’s a showdown between Geelong’s scoring power and Brisbane’s turnover-driven counterattack.

The elimination finals are played between the teams ranked fifth to eighth. These finals are do-or-die, meaning the losers are eliminated while the winners progress to week two.  

GWS (5th) will host Hawthorn (8th) in the first elimination final of the weekend at 3:15pm on Saturday. GWS have won nine of its past 10 matches but faces the pressure of a strong finals performance after finishing in the top four last year and losing two straight finals. Hawthorn has struggled to win away from home since coach Sam Mitchell took over in 2022, with just four victories (and 19 losses) on the road. The Hawks have also never won from eight attempts at ENGIE Stadium. 

These two teams last met in Round 3 when Hawthorn won 76-64 at their home away from home in Tasmania. The winner of this final will take on the loser of tonight’s match between the Crows and Magpies.

The other elimination final will be between the Fremantle Dockers (6th) and the Gold Coast Suns (7th) in Perth at 7:35pm on Saturday (AEST). The Dockers have won 12 of their past 14 matches and look primed for finals, while the Suns are playing in their first-ever finals series since joining the competition in 2011. 

In the only meeting between the two this season, the Dockers defeated the Suns 75-64 on the Gold Coast. The winner of this match will play the loser of Brisbane and Geelong. 

You can watch the AFL Finals on Channel 7, Foxtel, or Kayo.