Good evening!

Yesterday, I happened to be in the car for the epic conclusion to the Sea Eagles and Bulldogs elimination final. With my eyes on the road, I begrudgingly turned to the radio.

I was forced to use my ears and imagination in a particular way that has become increasingly unfamiliar for me (and I assume most of us?)… and I loved it.

It was refreshing to experience a sporting moment through an alternate medium and I certainly wouldn’t discourage anyone from tuning in via the radio in future.

And if you’re shaking your head in disbelief… yes, you’re right, I’d probably still choose to see a game with my own eyes, but next time I have to turn to the radio, it might be with cheery enthusiasm.

I’ve got 10 seconds

Stat of the day

1000
The number of points A’ja Wilson has scored for the Las Vegas Aces this season. She’s now the first player in the WNBA to score 1000 points in a single season. Wilson scored 29 points in today’s win over the Connecticut Sun.

Quote of the day

“That was the longest hour and a half of my life. I’m not going to lie. It just felt like it was never going to end. Just really nerve-wracking. You felt pretty helpless.”
Captain of the American Solheim Cup team Stacy Lewis after the U.S. beat Europe for the first time since 2017. The Solheim Cup is a golfing match played every two years which sees the best women’s golfers from Europe and the U.S. face off against each other.

Random fact of the day

Deep-water soloing is a form of rock climbing that sees climbers attempt to scale cliffs without a rope above deep water. Deep water soloing began on the island of Majorca, Spain in the 1970s and is often described as the purest form of climbing. 

I’ve got 30 seconds

In case you missed it…

🏉 The Wallaroos, Australia’s women’s rugby team, were beaten 36-10 by Ireland on Saturday in Belfast. Irish flanker Aoife Wafer was named the Player of the Match after she crossed the line for two tries. Australia’s next fixture is against Wales on Saturday 21 September at Rodney Parade in Newport, Wales.

🎾 Australia lost their final Davis Cup group stage match to Spain. The team, which has finished runners-up for the past two years, will still advance to the quarter-final after winning their first two matches against France and Czechia. Australia will join seven other countries as part of the final eight in November. 

⚽ Cristiano Ronaldo has become the first person to accumulate one billion followers on social media. The Portuguese football star’s followers are spread across Instagram (639 million), Facebook (179m), X (113m), and YouTube (61m). 

🎾 Olivia Gadecki is now Australia’s top-ranked female tennis player after she finished runner-up to Poland’s Magdalena Fręch at the Guadalajara Open in Mexico. Before the beginning of the tournament, she was ranked 152nd in the world. She is now ranked 88th. The 22-year-old is the first Australian to make a WTA 500 final since Ash Barty in 2022. 

🏉 The Newcastle Knights and Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs have both been eliminated from the 2024 NRL finals series, after losses to the North Queensland Cowboys and the Manly Sea Eagles, respectively. Week two of finals will see four teams in action vying for two spots in the Preliminary Finals against the Penrith Panthers and Melbourne Storm in two weeks. The Sharks will play the Cowboys on Friday night and the Roosters will play the Sea Eagles on Saturday night. 

⚽ Erling Haaland scored two goals for Manchester City against Brentford on Sunday. The Norwegian striker has now scored nine goals in the first four games of the Premier League season, surpassing Wayne Rooney’s record of eight goals set in the 2011/12 season.

I’ve got 1 minute

Port Adelaide and Brisbane Lions advance to AFL Preliminary Finals

The weekend saw two teams, the GWS Giants and Hawthorn, exit the AFL finals. It leaves four teams to play in two Preliminary Finals next weekend.

Port Adelaide v Hawthorn

On Friday night, Port Adelaide had the better of Hawthorn by only three points, winning 75-72 at Adelaide Oval in front of a crowd of 51,000. 

Mitch Georgiades starred for the home side with three goals, as Port held off Hawthorn to advance to their fourth Preliminary Final since 2012 under coach Ken Hinkley. 

The AFL fined Hinkley $20,000 for taunting Hawthorn’s Jack Ginnivan on the field following his side’s win. 

Next week, Port Adelaide will play the Swans - who they’ve beaten in every one of their last eight encounters - at the SCG for a place in the AFL Grand Final.

GWS Giants v Brisbane Lions

On Saturday night, the Brisbane Lions showed composure to reel in a 44-point Giants lead, winning the match 105-100 and earning their place in the Preliminary Final against the Geelong Cats next Saturday. 

Joe Daniher broke GWS hearts with two goals in the final four minutes to seal the win for the Lions. 

GWS will be looking for answers after successive losses in this finals series. The team led their games 90% of the 240 minutes they played, but couldn’t convert that to victories. 

Now, the Brisbane Lions will turn their attention to Geelong at the MCG, where they will have the opportunity to make a second consecutive grand final.

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McLaren takes lead in Constructors Championship as Oscar Piastri wins Azerbaijan GP

Oscar Piastri won his second Formula One race in Baku, Azerbaijan on Sunday night, moving McLaren into the lead in the Constructors’ Championship with seven races remaining in the 2024 season. 

What happened

Pisatri was second-fastest in qualifying and started the race alongside Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc who took pole position. 

Piastri’s teammate Lando Norris started the race in 15th, just days after McLaren made it known to the public that Piastri would be playing second fiddle to the Brit in the team’s bid for the Constructors and Individual Championships. 

Leclerc led the race through the streets of Baku until the 20th lap where Piastri overtook him on the inside of turn one. 

Piastri was able to hold on under immense pressure from Leclerc and drive to his second victory in Formula One. 

Norris moved from 15th to fourth place, overcoming rival Max Verstappen in fifth, to keep his chances of winning the Individual Driver Championship this season alive. 

There was late drama as Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and Red Bull’s Sergio Pérez collided. 

Standings

McLaren now leads Red Bull in the Constructors Championship by 20 points. The change in lead marks the first time Red Bull has not led since May 2022. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen is still on top in the Driver Standings, ahead of Norris by 59 points. 

What they said

Piastri said: “That ranks as proba­bly the best win of my career. Trying to soak up that pressure for so long, that was incredibly tough. I saw an opportunity or half an opportunity after the pit stop and knew I had to try and take it. I knew that getting to the lead was going to be one thing, but I knew I had my work cut out for me after that.”

Norris said: “It was a good result for us as a team. Oscar, I’m even happier for. For McLaren to be on top of the constructors’ [standings] for the first time in many, many years. To play a part in that is fantastic.”

What’s next?

Formula One now heads to Singapore to race on the Marina Bay Street Circuit next Sunday 22 September.

A message from our sponsor

The Paralympics' impact on accessibility in sport

Samantha Lilly, a Graduate Researcher at Deakin University and an elite athlete with a disability explores in a recent article how the Paralympics enhance accessibility in sport at all levels.

The first Paralympics took place in Rome in 1960 and the Games have grown in scope and influence since then. This growth has improved the global awareness of disabled sports which in turn has helped improve accessibility.

The Paralympics can be attributed to driving innovations in assistive technology to help para-athletes perform. For example, the evolution of running blades for amputee athletes from basic prosthetics to advanced carbon fiber designs. Australia encourages this sort of innovation with over 100 funding schemes for assistive technology.

Increased investment in disabled sports has also led to better training facilities. For example, the NSW Institute of Sport in Sydney is designed to accommodate and develop athletes with various disabilities.

Beyond tangible benefits, the Paralympics has fostered global discussions about inclusion and accessibility and the achievements of Paralympians continue to challenge perceptions of disability concerning sport and athleticism.

Despite the progress that has been made, Lilly notes that accessible sport is often seen as a secondary priority. She urges that accessibility should be integral to sports clubs and society and not just an afterthought.

Think Beyond The Field. Study sport at Deakin.

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