Since it’s Thursday (the day we all need a reminder to get our footy tips in), let’s test the tipping capabilities of TDA Sport’s audience.

So, whether you’re an AFL fan, an NRL fan, a fan of both, or a fan of neither. Show us your wisdom, or lack thereof.

I’ll post the results in tomorrow’s intro.

For reference: In the AFL, the Fremantle Dockers will host the Hawthorn Hawks in Perth. In the NRL, the Redcliffe Dolphins will play the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in Brisbane.

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The number of consecutive UEFA Champions League finals Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) have reached after the reigning European champions advanced to a second straight final this morning (AEST). The French side drew 1-1 with Bayern Munich in Munich, sealing a 6-5 on aggregate victory across the two-leg semi-final. PSG will now face Arsenal in Budapest on 30 May, looking to become the first club to retain the trophy since Real Madrid won a third straight title in 2018.

"Half the peloton is ill."
Maxime Bouet, sporting director of Belgian cycling team Lotto-Intermarché, after several riders fell sick following a one-day race in Belgium last Sunday. Cow manure is suspected to have splashed onto riders during the Famenne Ardenne Classic, after three Lotto-Intermarché cyclists were briefly hospitalised with abdominal pain, diarrhoea, fever and vomiting. The team's leader for this week's Giro d'Italia, Belgian rider Arnaud De Lie, was also affected. The Giro d’Italia – Italy’s answer to the Tour de France – begins on Friday in Bulgaria.

As of January this year, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James has played against over 33% of all players in the history of the NBA. The 41-year-old, now in his 23rd season with the Los Angeles Lakers, reached the milestone when he faced Portland Trail Blazers centre Yang Hansen – his 1,822nd career opponent. James, who was drafted in 2003, is also the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.

🏉 Former Melbourne premiership player Angus Brayshaw has been denied his concussion insurance payout, according to the Herald Sun. The 30-year-old retired in 2024 after a heavy collision in the 2023 qualifying final against Collingwood. Brayshaw had been seeking a seven-figure sum, but the Australian Financial Complaints Authority ruled he did not meet the policy criteria. He is the third recent AFL retiree to have a claim knocked back, after former Collingwood players Nathan Murphy and Paul Seedsman. The decision comes after AFL players lost insurance coverage for concussion, traumatic head injuries and related mental health conditions on 1 May.

🥊 Australian boxer Nikita Tszyu has moved to within one win of a potential world title shot after stopping Spain's Oscar Diaz in the sixth round at Newcastle Entertainment Centre on Wednesday night. The 28-year-old claimed the vacant WBO International super welterweight title and improved his unbeaten record to 12-0. Combined with his Hall-of-Fame father Kostya (18-0) and world champion brother Tim (23-0), the Tszyu family now holds a combined 54-0 record in professional fights on Australian soil.

⚽ Matildas star Mary Fowler and her Manchester City teammates have been crowned champions of the English Women's Super League (WSL), claiming the club's first title in 10 years. City confirmed top spot on Wednesday night without playing, watching together as Arsenal drew 1-1 with Brighton. That result put City out of reach at the top of the WSL ladder with one game to play. It also ended Chelsea's run of six consecutive WSL titles.

🏃‍♂️ An American physical therapist has become the first woman to win the overall title at the Cocodona 250 Ultramarathon in the U.S. state of Arizona, a gruelling 400km endurance race. Rachel Entrekin won the women’s race in 2024 and 2025, but this year she outdid herself by setting the course record and beating all of the men too. Entrekin completed the race in 56 hours and nine minutes, becoming the first woman ever to finish the course in under 60 hours. The route takes runners over steep mountain peaks, with a total elevation gain of 12,000 metres, and through parts of the Sonoran Desert. After the race, Entrekin said simply: “I feel fine.”

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Melbourne's Federation Square will host live screenings of this year's FIFA World Cup after the Victorian government overturned a ban announced just one day earlier. 

Here’s what to know. 

Melbourne Arts Precinct CEO Katrina Sedgwick said on Wednesday that the venue would not screen Socceroos matches, citing dangerous fan behaviour at past tournaments, including the lighting of more than 100 flares and fireworks during one game. The decision was made without consultation with Football Australia or the state government. 

Football Australia, former Socceroos captain Craig Foster, and Matildas star Sam Kerr all publicly criticised the ban, with Kerr sharing the announcement to her Instagram story and saying:  "Booooooooooo"

Football Australia CEO Martin Kugeler said: “Federation Square has created some of the most memorable moments in Australian sporting history, dating back to the Socceroos’ historic 2006 FIFA World Cup matches and the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.”

On Thursday morning, Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan announced she was reversing the decision.

"There's always a risk of bad behaviour from a few d***heads at every public gathering, but police and security will be on-site and there'll be zero tolerance for it," Allan said in a statement.

She added: “The World Cup should bring us together, not keep us apart.”

Australia plays Turkey in Vancouver on 14 June in their first group stage match. The World Cup begins on 11 June.

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Earlier this week, the AFL fined Carlton $75,000 over the club's handling of Elijah Hollands during its Round 6 loss to Collingwood, when the 24-year-old experienced an acute mental health episode on the field. The fine, donated in full to youth mental health service headspace, came alongside a package of structural reforms across the league.

The Daily Aus spoke exclusively to Headspace CEO Jason Trethowan about the AFL's response, the barriers young athletes face in seeking help, and what comes next.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Q: Do you think the AFL got this response right?

I think everything's a step forward in mental health. The AFL's approach is to look at it more as a system, as opposed to an individual instance. A greater focus on sending a message around early intervention and getting on top of those mental health challenges early is really important.

Q: Do elite athletes feel pressure to hide mental health struggles?

Yeah, I think so. Players in high-performance and elite sporting environments, whether it's perceived or real, face an added barrier to help-seeking. They've got their own inherent challenges like any other person would, but in the context of, well, if I'm going to express my vulnerability and what's going on, will that impact my selection or how I'm viewed? Whether that's real or perceived, it's still a barrier. So it's something that needs to be worked on.

Q: Do young men and women approach mental health differently?

Females in general will seek help earlier and in greater numbers. Young men will take more time to better understand what they're experiencing, what this distress and these feelings actually are, and therefore it takes a bit longer to actually talk to someone about it and seek help. And this transcends into women's sport versus men's sport. I see, for instance, the AFLW, very inclusive, when you look at the LGBTQIA+ community and how open women are about their own identities, in comparison to men's sport.

Q: When something like the Hollands incident happens, there's a lot of talk about mental health. How do you make sure these conversations continue after the headlines fade?

Actions are better than words when it comes to the next steps. The AFL has announced a whole range of steps that they're going to take. For me, it looks like a very sensible direction. It's got to be done, they've got to follow through, clearly. There will always be calls for a mental health round, and I'm generally supportive of looking into one, but really understanding the why. What people really want to feel and see is safety in having conversations and getting access to the right level of support, and that's not just at the elite level, that's through grassroots, community footy, and other sporting codes as well.

headspace supports young people aged 12 to 25 across more than 175 locations in Australia, as well as through online services and a presence in schools. It offers help with mental health, physical and sexual health, alcohol and other drugs, and work and study.

If you or someone you know is struggling, you can call Lifeline on 13 11 14.