Today’s intro is dedicated to Aussie teenagers punching above their weight on the world stage.

The Emus, Australia’s under-18 men’s basketball team, won the FIBA U18 Asia Cup. The Emus beat China 89-79 in the gold medal match in India on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Australia’s women’s under-18 water polo team became world champions for the first time after defeating Spain 9-5 in the final of the world championships in Puerto de la Cruz, Spain, over the weekend.

Finally, 18-year-old Aussie Lucas Herrington made his English Premier League debut for Hull City on the weekend, running on for his new side in the second half. Hull City went on to upset EPL giants Manchester United
2-0. It’s the first time in 59 years that Hull City have beaten Man United.

30
The number of Test matches that have been played between Australia and New Zealand in women’s rugby union. New Zealand’s Black Ferns have won all 30 Test matches, including the most recent on Saturday afternoon, in which they defeated Australia’s Wallaroos 66-19. It was the Wallaroos’ 100th Test match since their first in 1994.

“Firstly, congratulations to Mark [McVeigh]. He's a great friend of mine and I'm very proud of him that he's going to be named the coach, so good on him. From a personal point of view, it's very disappointing. I'm disappointed. I put my heart and soul into the effort, but obviously fell short and that's the way it goes.”
Former AFL footballer and coach James Hird speaking on Channel Nine on Sunday night in regard to Mark McVeigh being named as the next coach of Essendon. The club has not officially announced McVeigh’s appointment but is expected to on Tuesday. McVeigh is currently an assistant coach at the Sydney Swans. Hird, who played 253 games for Essendon and had previously coached the club, had been vocal about putting his name forward as a candidate following Brad Scott’s mid-season departure.

A humanoid robot named Tiangong Ultra has beaten Usain Bolt’s 100m world record, clocking an impressive 9.39 seconds in the heats of the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing, China. Bolt’s human record still stands at 9.58 seconds, set in 2009. Tiangong Ultra is not just a one-trick robot – it also won a half-marathon earlier this year.

🏑 The Kookaburras, Australia’s men’s hockey team, have been knocked out of the Hockey World Cup after losing 4-2 to Germany. The Aussies opened the scoring in the third minute before Germany roared back into the contest. Meanwhile, the Hockeyroos, Australia’s women’s team, have secured a spot in the semi-final after a 0-0 draw with India. The Hockeyroos will face either Argentina, Belgium or Spain on Thursday morning (AEST).

🏏 Australia has drawn its two-Test series with Bangladesh, winning the second Test in Mackay by an innings and 51 runs. Mitchell Starc was named the Player of the Match after taking 10 wickets for 51 runs, his best bowling figures on home soil. While Test matches are scheduled as five-day affairs, this Test finished within two days. It’s the third men’s Test in Australia in the last seven to take less than two days.

🏉 Code-hopping footballer Joey Manu has been named as the PNG Chiefs' seventh signing ahead of the club’s debut NRL season in 2028. Manu won two premierships with the Sydney Roosters before departing the NRL, taking his talents to rugby union in Japan and France. Manu’s French rugby deal will see him stay there until the end of the 2027 season before he joins the likes of Jarome Luai, Zac Lomax, and Brian To’o at the Chiefs.

🎾 Coco Gauff will be the woman to beat at the U.S. Open after the 22-year-old American claimed her second Cincinnati Open title on Monday morning (AEST). Gauff defeated fellow American Jessica Pegula in straight sets (6-2, 6-4) in the final. She won her first Cincinnati Open title in 2023, the same year she won her first Grand Slam at the U.S. Open. Meanwhile, in the men’s final, France’s Arthur Fils secured his first Masters 1000 title in Cincinnati. Fils beat American Frances Tiafoe in three sets. Afterwards, he said: “Wow, that feels good.”

🏉 The New Zealand All Blacks have taken a 1-0 lead in their four-Test ‘Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry’ series against South Africa’s Springboks, winning the first Test 33-16 at Ellis Park in Johannesburg. Winger Will Jordan starred for New Zealand, scoring two of his side’s five total tries. The All Blacks now turn their attention to a Tuesday night (local time) match against South African franchise side the Lions at the same venue. They will then play the second Test against the Springboks in Cape Town on Saturday (local time).

Airbnb's throwing the ultimate tailgate in Melbourne next month

Hosted by Alexander Volkanovski, completely free for you and four mates. Hot dogs, cornhole, beer pong, a slo-mo throw cam - but only 20 spots available to book from Wednesday August 26 at 9am.

Lando Norris won the Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort on Sunday as Formula One returned from a mid-season break. It was the last edition of the Dutch Grand Prix for the foreseeable future, with the race set to drop off the F1 calendar from next year.

McLaren’s Norris started the race in pole position, maintaining the lead until the race was stopped for a Max Verstappen crash. The crash, which Verstappen walked away from without injury, ruled the Red Bull driver out of contention at his home Grand Prix.

When the race restarted, Mercedes’ championship leader Kimi Antonelli got the jump on Norris, but the Brit was able to overtake the young Italian and ultimately finish 11 seconds ahead. Mercedes’ George Russell finished third to round out the podium behind his teammate.

Norris sits fourth in the overall drivers’ standings on 159 points. Antonelli leads on 242 with Russell and Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton tied for second on 183 points.

While his teammate stood atop the podium, Oscar Piastri was left to rue another disappointing performance, finishing sixth. The young Aussie qualified fourth and was in third place after an impressive overtake of Russell but was unable to capitalise. He told Sky Sports: “The first stint felt OK, and then after that I just had nothing… I don’t know why, but plenty to look into.”

The 25-year-old sits seventh in the overall standings.

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As the AFL continues to deal with the fallout of a police investigation involving five Sydney Swans players, the league is also preparing for its men’s finals after the conclusion of the regular season over the weekend.

Sydney ended the season with its first AFL/AFLW double-header.

Here’s what to know.

Sunday was the first time that either the men’s or women’s team had taken to the field since five men's players (Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner, James Jordon, Nick Blakey, and Riley Bice) were told they wouldn’t play for the rest of the season. The group were suspended for breaching club standards by staying out late and drinking following the club’s win over Essendon last week.

The players have been linked to a Victoria Police investigation into an alleged sexual assault at the Melbourne hotel where the Swans men’s team were staying.

The Swans AFLW side played in front of a club attendance record of 16,672 fans, more than double the previous best of 8,264, and beat Essendon 66-42. It marked the Swans' second win from two matches so far this season.

Afterwards, the men followed up with a 53-point win over North Melbourne to conclude their regular season. The Swans finished the season second on the ladder, earning the right to host two finals matches at the SCG.

AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon addressed the media at the launch of the AFL finals series on Monday, his first public appearance since the Sydney scandal broke.

Dillon confirmed the five suspended players will not be invited to this year's Brownlow Medal ceremony, though they remain eligible for votes.

He said: “The actions of a few don't define the actions of the entire industry”.

Dillon also made clear that the AFL will not take any action in relation to the Swans until the conclusion of the police investigation.

Now that the regular season has come to an end, it’s time to turn to the finals, with its newly introduced ‘wildcard round’.

The extra round means that the top 10 teams after the regular season will play finals; previously it was eight. The top six will advance straight to the second week of finals, while seventh to 10th play off in the wildcard round for two spots.

This year’s wildcard round fixtures will see Collingwood take on the Western Bulldogs and Carlton play Melbourne. Both matches will be played at the MCG this coming weekend.

The AFL has also set the fixtures for the second week of finals, with the two winners of the wildcard matches set to join the top six in the next round.

The favourites to take out the premiership are the Fremantle Dockers and the Brisbane Lions. The Dockers have had a stellar season, finishing on top of the table to claim the minor premiership with a club-record 19 wins and four losses. The Dockers have never won an AFL premiership.

Meanwhile, the Lions finished third with 16 wins and seven losses, and enter this finals series chasing a third consecutive premiership. Despite some uncharacteristic losses this season, including a 76-point loss to Carlton at the beginning of the month, the side’s big-game experience is expected to hold them in good stead. The last club to win three flags in a row was Hawthorn from 2013 to 2015.