Tonight marks the beginning of the AFL and NRL seasons.

Take a deep breath and savour the moment because before you know it, it’ll be a blustery Friday in late September and we’ll be preparing for two Grand Final weekends in a row.

23
The consecutive number of years that the NRL’s Melbourne Storm have won their opening match of the season. The last 22 have been under the guidance of coach Craig Bellamy. The Storm will look to extend the streak to 24 matches when they host the Parramatta Eels in Round One tonight. Kick-off is at 8pm. 

"Tonight was not ‌a choke. I thought it was a bloody walloping. In order for you to choke, you must have had ‌a sniff in the game. We didn't have a sniff."
South Africa men’s cricket Shukri Conrad speaking after his side was defeated by New Zealand by nine wickets in last night’s T20 World Cup semi-final.  Before the match, South Africa had gone through the tournament unbeaten, including a victory over New Zealand in the group stages. New Zealand’s victory was powered by batter Finn Allen, who hit 100 runs in 33 balls, the fastest century in T20 World Cup history. The second semi-final to see who joins the Black Caps in the final will be played between England and India tonight. 

Legendary American golfer Arnold Palmer has a drink named after him, involving a mix of iced tea and lemonade. In the 1960s,  Palmer ordered the combination at a club, and when a woman nearby asked for “that Arnold Palmer drink,” the name stuck.

⚽ Vietnam left it late to defeat India 2-1 in their Women’s Asian Cup Group C clash in Perth. Ngan Thi Van Su scored twice, including a dramatic winner in the fourth minute of stoppage time, after substitute Sanfida Nongrum had earlier equalised for India. The result gives Vietnam an important early victory as the group stage continues. Earlier, two-time champions Japan defeated Taiwan 2-0 in the other Group C match.

🏀 South East Melbourne Phoenix have powered into the NBL Playoffs with a dominant 111-94 win over the Perth Wildcats in their Seeding Qualifier. The Phoenix’s trademark full-court pressure forced 17 turnovers and helped them attempt 28 more shots than Perth. Nathan Sobey led the way with 24 points as South East Melbourne set up a playoff series against the Adelaide 36ers. Perth still have another chance to progress on Saturday when they host a sudden-death Play-In against the winner of tonight’s Play-In Qualifier between Melbourne United and the Tasmania JackJumpers.

⚽ Wrexham will face Liverpool in a pre-season friendly at New York’s Yankee Stadium in July as the Welsh club continues to grow its presence in the United States. Owned by Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, Wrexham will also play Leeds United and Sunderland during the tour. The fixture comes amid the club’s rapid rise since the 2021 takeover, climbing three divisions in English football and now sitting just one step away from the Premier League, England’s top professional football league.

Canberra is calling

The Canberra Times Marathon Festival is back 11–12 April 2026 – and it’s bigger than ever. Australia’s oldest city marathon is entering a bold new two-day era, with 5K, 10K and Kids 2K races on Saturday, and the Half (21.1K) and full Marathon (42.2K) on Sunday. Expect closed roads past Parliament House and Lake Burley Griffin, plus a buzzing event village celebrating the best of Canberra.

Register now at canberramarathon.com and join @solemotive.

The 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Paralympics officially begin tomorrow morning with the Opening Ceremony in Verona beginning at 6am (AEDT).

Here’s what to know before they begin.  

Australia will send a 14-athlete team to the 2026 Winter Paralympics in Milan and Cortina, marking one of the nation’s largest squads in the event’s history. The team will compete across four sports: Para alpine skiing, Para snowboard, Para biathlon, and Para cross-country skiing.

The squad includes a mix of experience and fresh faces. Eight athletes, including two sighted guides, will make their Paralympic debut, while snowboarder Sean Pollard will captain the team.

There are also several historic milestones. Amanda Reid will become Australia’s first Indigenous Winter Paralympian, while 16-year-old Liana France is the youngest female Winter Paralympian the country has ever sent to the Games. 

At the other end of the spectrum is Australia’s most decorated Winter Paralympian, 52-year-old Michael Milton, who will return to the event for the first time in two decades. The 11-time medallist is set to become Australia’s oldest Winter Paralympian and compete at a seventh Paralympics (six Winter, one Summer).

The Milano Cortina Winter Paralympics will run for nine days until 15 March. The 2026 Games mark the 50th anniversary of the event. 

Like this year’s Winter Olympics, competition will take place across venues in Milan and the alpine town of Cortina d’Ampezzo in northern Italy.

The Milano Cortina Winter Paralympics will be available to watch on Channel 9 and Stan Sport.

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The 2026 Formula One season begins this weekend at Melbourne’s Albert Park with the Australian Grand Prix. It marks the opening round of the championship and the first look at how teams stack up after the off-season. 

Here’s what you need to know ahead of lights out.

Oscar Piastri enters the season as one of the leading contenders on the grid. The Australian won seven races in 2025 and held a 34-point championship lead with nine rounds to go, only to finish third after teammate Lando Norris surged late to claim the title.

A home victory would be historic. No Australian has won the Australian Grand Prix since Alan Jones claimed the event in 1980, back when it was still a non-championship race (i.e. before it joined the official Formula One calendar). Piastri will be hoping to change that in front of a packed Albert Park crowd.

The McLaren driver was cautious about expectations ahead of the weekend, saying the team appears competitive but stopping short of calling them favourites. 

Mercedes, Ferrari, and Red Bull all showed strong pace during pre-season testing.

One of the biggest pre-race talking points involves Aston Martin. The team has confirmed neither of its drivers, Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll, are expected to finish Sunday’s race due to a severe vibration problem in their Honda engine.

The issue sends heavy vibrations through the chassis and into the steering wheel. Alonso believes he could manage no more than 25 laps before risking permanent nerve damage to his hands, while Stroll has indicated he could last only around 15.

It is a major setback for Aston Martin, which entered the new era with high ambitions after appointing legendary former Red Bull designer Adrian Newey as team principal.

The grid is also expanding this year. U.S. team Cadillac makes its debut as Formula One grows to eleven teams for the first time in more than a decade, while German manufacturer Audi enters the sport by taking over the former Sauber operation.

Another storyline is the arrival of British teenager Arvid Lindblad. The 18-year-old joins Racing Bulls, Red Bull’s secondary team, after becoming the youngest race winner in both Formula 3 and Formula 2.

TDA sat down with Lindblad at Albert Park ahead of his F1 debut. He said he’s “always believed” he could be in Formula One, “from the moment I started this journey when I was five.” 

Asked to describe himself in three words, the only rookie on the grid this year said: “Young, exciting, and different.” 

Lindblad will race with three flags on his helmet, representing his British, Swedish, and Indian heritage. He told TDA: “All three cultures have really been a massive part of my upbringing and shaped who I am today.”

“I went to Sweden a lot when I was young. My grandparents, who are Punjabis from India, moved to the UK. I spent a lot of time with them. And obviously, I lived in the UK. Those values of hard work, humility, and always giving your best have shaped me as a person and as a driver. That's why I'm so proud to carry [the flags] on my helmet, because it's who I am.”

The 2026 season introduces some of the biggest technical changes Formula One has seen in years. The cars have been redesigned to be smaller and lighter, to make them more agile, with the hope of improving wheel-to-wheel racing.

Engines will run on a combination of 100% sustainable fuel and electricity. The overtaking aid (DRS) is being replaced by active aerodynamic wings that adjust depending on whether the car is on a straight or cornering, alongside a new electrical ‘boost’ system that provides drivers with a burst of power when attempting an overtake.

Drivers will complete 58 laps of the 5.3km Albert Park circuit, covering a total of 306km.

Five drivers on the current grid have won here before: Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton (2008 and 2015) and Charles Leclerc (2022), Red Bull’s Max Verstappen (2023), Williams’ Carlos Sainz (2024), and McLaren’s reigning world champion Lando Norris (2025). 

Qualifying will take place on Saturday at 4pm.

The main race starts at 3pm on Sunday (AEDT). You can watch the Australian GP on Channel 10, Foxtel, and Kayo.