A week ago, Australia’s U-23 women’s football team was crowned the 2025 ASEAN (Association of South-East Asian Nations) Women’s champions. 

Their younger counterparts, the U-16 women, now have the chance to play for their own ASEAN title after defeating tournament hosts Indonesia 3-0 in the semi-final on Tuesday night. Abbie Puckett starred for the Aussies, scoring two goals within five minutes. 

The Junior Matildas are set to face Thailand in the final tomorrow night.

I said it last week, and I’ll say it again. The future is bright for Australian football.

2
The number of years that remained on Newcastle Knights coach Adam O’Brien’s contract before it was announced he will be leaving the club at the end of this season. O’Brien has been at the club since 2020 and led the Knights to the first round of finals in 2020, 2021, 2023, and 2024. He said: “It has been a wonderful privilege to coach this amazing club.” The Knights currently sit 16th on the ladder, having won six of 22 matches this season.

“Any time the rugby community loses a member it is felt deeply. Shane’s passion for the game will be remembered always. Our thoughts are with Shane’s whānau [family], friends, former teammates, and community at this incredibly difficult time.”
New Zealand Rugby in a statement following the death of former player Shane Christie, who died aged 39. Christie, who played for the New Zealand Sevens and Māori All Blacks, was an outspoken advocate for further research into the impacts of concussion after suffering from the effects of head trauma in rugby. Christie told local media last year he believed he had chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), and wanted his brain to be studied after his death. CTE is a degenerative brain disease caused by repeated head trauma and can only be diagnosed posthumously. 

Lifeline 13 11 14
beyondblue 1300 22 4636

The Australian Grand Prix was first run in 1928 on Phillip Island as a 100-mile road race. The winner of the race was Arthur Waite. The race didn’t become part of the Formula One world championship series until 1985.

🏟️ Australian high jumper Nicola Olyslagers won the 2025 Diamond League title at the league’s finals in Zurich. Olyslagers cleared 2.04 metres to set a new Oceania record as well as the best mark in the world this year. The two-time Olympic silver medallist beat Ukrainian world record holder Yaroslava Mahuchikh and now heads to the World Athletics Championships as a leading gold contender. Liam Adcock also impressed with a bronze medal in the men’s long jump.

⚽ Premier League giants Manchester United have been eliminated from the Carabao Cup after losing to Grimsby Town, a team that plays two leagues below them. Grimsby won a dramatic penalty shootout (12‑11) after drawing 2‑2 in regular time. The Carabao Cup is one of England’s annual domestic knockout competitions. It sees 92 clubs from the country’s top four leagues compete against each other.

🎾 Australian tennis player Priscilla Hon pulled off a major upset at the U.S. Open by defeating 17th seed Liudmila Samsonova in three sets (4‑6, 6‑3, 6‑2). The 27‑year‑old, ranked 126 in the world, has now strung together five consecutive wins in New York across qualifying and the main draw to reach the third round. Meanwhile, fellow Aussie Jordan Thompson was knocked out, losing to French veteran Adrian Mannarino in four sets. Tonight, six Australians (Alex de Minaur, Alexei Popyrin, Daria Kasatkina, Maya Joint, Tristan Schoolkate, Adam Walton) will be playing in the second round. Popyrin will hope to emulate Hon with an upset against world number one Jannik Sinner. 

🛶 Olympic canoe slalom champion Jess Fox will miss the upcoming Canoe Slalom World Championships after undergoing surgery to remove a tumour from her left kidney. The 31-year-old said the past few weeks had been a “whirlwind,” but confirmed the operation was successful and that she is now focused on recovery at home. The Canoe Slalom World Championships is the sport’s premier annual event and is being held in Sydney in October this year. 

🏏 Test cricketer Usman Khawaja has criticised the Labor Government for moving too slowly on banning gambling advertisements in sport. He expressed particular concern for the impact it is having on young people. In an address at Parliament House, the 31-year-old said: “There are 16-year-olds with gambling accounts and they cannot watch the game without putting a bet on.” 

Always on the go? Same. That’s why we’ve been loving Blackmores Rapi-Melts

They’re these great-tasting little melts that dissolve on your tongue - no water, no pills, no hassle. Just a super easy way to support your general health and wellbeing, even when life’s moving fast.

Keep one in your bag for when you need extra support for your day - whether that’s before work, after the gym, or during the 3pm slump.

There’s one for energy, immunity, iron, and even hair, skin & nails - so whatever your body needs, there’s something for you.

Wellness that fits your routine? Yes, please.

Always read the label and follow directions for use.

The Sydney Marathon will take place this Sunday. 

You might have heard a bit more about it this year because it is debuting as a world major, joining six other iconic marathons around the world. 

Here’s what to know. 

The World Marathon Majors are a series of the biggest and most prestigious marathons held annually. Before Sydney was added, the six majors were Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago, and New York City. 

These marathons are coveted among both elites and amateurs and attract huge participation numbers. It’s expected that 35,000 runners from Australia and around the world will take on the marathon in Sydney this weekend.

The fact that the Sydney Marathon has become a world major means it has attracted top international and domestic talent. 

This year’s race will feature 2016 and 2020 men’s Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge from Kenya, and 2024 women’s Olympic champion Sifan Hassan from the Netherlands. Kipchoge has broken the world record twice before and is widely considered to be one of the greatest athletes of all time.

Enjoying the newsletter?

If you are, why not share the love with your friends? We’d love your help in getting the word out there.

Send them this link to sign up.

The Gold Coast Suns extinguished any doubt about the club making its first-ever finals series in 2025 with a 95-point drubbing of Essendon. 

The Wednesday night match capped off a dramatic regular season and sets up a thrilling finals series set to start next week. 

Here’s what to know.

The Suns dominated the match from the outset. Gold Coast’s Ben King kicked seven goals to help his side to a 153-58 victory and hand Essendon its 13th straight loss.

The Suns move from ninth on the ladder into seventh, and the Western Bulldogs drop out of the top eight and miss finals. Gold Coast will now face Fremantle in an elimination final in Perth.

Week one of the finals will also see Adelaide (1st) host Collingwood (4th) in the first qualifying final, with Geelong (2nd) playing Brisbane (3rd) in the other. 

In the other elimination final, the GWS Giants (5th) take on Hawthorn (8th).

The AFL’s finals format rewards the teams that finish in the top four with a ‘double chance’, meaning the first week of finals is not sudden death for these teams. 

First plays fourth and second plays third in the Qualifying Finals. The winners of these skip straight to week three’s Preliminary Finals, while losers get a second chance in the Semi-Finals in week two. 

As for the bottom four, fifth plays eighth and sixth plays seventh in the Elimination Finals. These finals offer no second chance, with the losers being eliminated and the winners progressing to the Semi-Finals. 

The Semi-Final winners in week two will advance to the Preliminary Finals, with the Grand Final held on the last Saturday in September (this year it’s the 27th). 

The two obvious favourites are the Adelaide Crows and Geelong Cats, who finished first and second respectively. 

The Crows produced their best ever season record of 18-5 this year but will be without key forward Izak Rankine after he was suspended for four games for a homophobic slur earlier this month. Rankine could return for the grand final if the Crows lose in week one. 

The Cats have been dominant in the back half of the season, scoring more than 100 points in every one of their past six games. Critics will point to the fact that the Cats had an easy run of fixtures to finish the regular season.

The other favourite is the Brisbane Lions, the reigning premiers who finished third this season. The Lions know already that they have what it takes to win a premiership and could see a massive boost if reports that two-time Brownlow Medallist Lachie Neale is set to return from injury for the Qualifying Final are true. 

Since 2000, the only teams to win from a position outside the top three are the Brisbane Lions (5th) in 2024 and the Western Bulldogs (7th) in 2016. While the odds are against them, the other five teams playing finals will be full of belief they can take home the flag.