For more than half a century, Dennis Cometti’s voice helped narrate Australian sport’s biggest moments.

The legendary commentator, best known for his work calling AFL, has died aged 76 after a 51-year broadcasting career across the ABC, Channel 7, and Channel 9.

Famous for his dry wit and iconic ‘Cometti-isms’, he became one of the most recognisable voices in Australian sport.

As outgoing AFL Commission chair Richard Goyder said: “Dennis was a voice for our game for more than 50 years, and he captured the moment perfectly every time and made it fun along the way.”

Two years
The ACT Brumbies have extended head coach Stephen Larkham’s contract by two years, locking the club legend in until the end of the 2028 Super Rugby season. Larkham was the Brumbies’ head coach from 2015 to 2017, before he returned to the club in 2023. The former Wallaby has led the Brumbies to the finals in every completed season of his tenure and currently has the side on top of the Super Rugby ladder after three straight wins to begin their 2026 campaign. 

"Footy has always reflected who we are as a community. It can also shape who we become... If everyone feels like they belong, the game gets stronger... Footy should always be loud, emotional and fierce. But it doesn’t have to be abusive.”
Mitch Brown, the first openly bisexual man in the AFL’s 129‑year history, sharing an open letter on Instagram ahead of the 2026 AFL men’s season. The former West Coast player has become a prominent advocate for inclusion since publicly sharing his sexuality with The Daily Aus in 2025.

American golfer Kathy Whitworth holds the record for the most wins on the LPGA Tour. Whitworth won 88 tournaments, including six majors, between 1962 and 1985. To put that record in perspective, Whitworth has more tournament wins than any other professional golfer in history, male or female. The most wins by any golfer currently active on the LPGA Tour is 23, held by New Zealand's Lydia Ko.

🏉 Former Wallabies coach Dave Rennie has been appointed head coach of the New Zealand All Blacks, succeeding Scott Robertson and taking on one of rugby’s biggest jobs. The 62-year-old New Zealander coached the Wallabies for three years and was sacked from the role before the 2023 Rugby World Cup. Rennie is currently coaching in Japan but will return home to prepare the All Blacks for a home series in July, which will see them take on France, Italy, and Ireland. Then, he will look to lead the side at the 2027 World Cup in Australia. 

⚽️ China PR have opened their AFC Women’s Asian Cup title defence with a 2-0 win over debutants Bangladesh in Sydney. Goals from Wang Shuang just before half-time and Zhang Rui in stoppage time sealed the result for the nine-time champions. The victory sees China join DPR Korea at the top of Group B after the Koreans defeated Uzbekistan 3-0 earlier in the day.

🏏 New Zealand’s men’s cricket team will need what captain Mitchell Santner calls a “perfect game” to stop South Africa’s unbeaten run in tonight’s T20 World Cup semi-final in Kolkata (12:30am AEDT). South Africa has won seven straight matches, including a group-stage victory over New Zealand’s Black Caps. Both sides are chasing their first men’s World Cup title (T20 or ODI), with the winner moving one step closer to breaking that drought. The other semi-final will be played between England and India tomorrow night.

⚽️ Melbourne City have secured a dramatic 1-1 draw with Buriram United in the first leg of their AFC Champions League Elite round-of-16 tie. The Thai side led after Guilherme Bissoli’s first-half strike, but substitute Ben Mazzeo headed home in the 95th minute to level the match. City will now travel to Thailand for next week’s decisive second leg, with the aggregate score locked at 1-1.

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.

Geelong midfielder Tanner Bruhn is set to play his first AFL game in 17 months. 

Bruhn returns to the sport after rape and intentional sexual touching charges against him were withdrawn.

Here’s what to know.

Bruhn was charged in early 2025, alongside friend Patrick Sinnott, over the alleged rape of an intoxicated woman after leaving a Geelong strip club in February 2023. 

A court suppression order prevented the media from identifying him or linking the case to the AFL. Suppression orders (also known as gag orders) restrict the details of a court case, such as an offender’s name. When a gag order exists, it becomes an offence to publish details the judge has asked be kept secret. 

Both men maintained their innocence throughout the proceedings.

In November 2025, prosecutors formally withdrew all charges after a key witness admitted to lying to police and under oath. The suppression order was then lifted.

At the time, Bruhn’s lawyer said: “Tanner wants to put this nightmare behind him and get on with playing football.”

In a statement, the Geelong Cats said: “While legal proceedings have been ongoing, the Club has provided professional welfare to Tanner during this time and will continue to do so.”

Bruhn returned to full training after the charges were withdrawn. 

Coach Chris Scott told reporters this week that the case was an “egregious injustice.”

Scott also confirmed this week that the 23-year-old will be selected for the Cats’ Opening Round match against Gold Coast on Friday night, marking his first AFL appearance since the 2024 preliminary final.

Reporting by Pavitra Ravi.

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The NBL Finals tip off tonight with six teams still in the hunt for the 2026 championship. While the Sydney Kings and Adelaide 36ers have already secured their places in the playoffs, four other sides must navigate the Play-In tournament to earn one of the final two spots.

The Play-In stage determines which teams join the Kings (1st) and 36ers (2nd) in the playoffs. Think of the play-offs as similar to semi-finals, where there are four teams left battling it out for two grand final spots. 

Tonight’s match is the Seeding Qualifier, where the South East Melbourne Phoenix (3rd) face the Perth Wildcats (4th). The winner will progress directly to the playoffs and will take on the Adelaide 36ers in a best-of-three series next week.

The loser of the Seeding Qualifier still has another chance. They will face the winner of Thursday’s Play-In Qualifier between Melbourne United (5th) and the Tasmania JackJumpers (6th) in what is called the Play-In Game. The loser of the Play-In Qualifier between United and the JackJumpers is eliminated.

The Play-In game will decide the fourth and final playoff team, who will then face the top-ranked Sydney Kings.

Once the four teams are confirmed, the playoffs begin with two best-of-three series, before the winners advance to the best-of-five Championship Series.

The Sydney Kings enter this year’s finals as the team to beat. After a slow start to the season, they surged home by winning 17 of their last 19 games. Their player to watch is this season’s runner-up for Most Valuable Player (MVP), Kendric Davis. 

The Adelaide 36ers also loom as a major contender, led by six-time and current league MVP Bryce Cotton. The NBL star averaged close to 26 points and eight assists in his first season with the club. The 36ers have the league's longest title drought, with their last victory in 2002.

The South East Melbourne Phoenix are the league’s most explosive offensive team, averaging more than 100 points per game and boasting seven players scoring double figures.

Meanwhile, the Perth Wildcats arrive in strong form after winning 10 of their final 12 regular-season games. 

For Melbourne United and the Tasmania JackJumpers, the road is tougher. Both must win at least two sudden-death games just to reach the playoffs.

Tonight’s Seeding Qualifier between the SE Melbourne Phoenix and Perth Wildcats begins at 7:30pm (AEDT). You can watch the match on ESPN via Disney+, Kayo, or Foxtel.