It’s Thursday, which means it’s time to get your footy tips in.

Or you might be like Orla (TDA’s video editor) and you do your tips on Monday every week.

She’s leading our office comp by nine points, so there must be something to it.

5.657 million
The total reach of last night’s State of Origin decider, which eclipsed the audience for the Matildas semi-final against England at the 2023 World Cup and became the most live-streamed program in Australian history. The Maroons jumped out to a 20-0 lead before halftime and won the match 24-12, sealing the 2025 series victory. It was a near-perfect performance from the side that was billed as the underdogs for the entire series. Halfback Tom Dearden was awarded the Wally Lewis Medal for the player of the series after scoring two tries in the decider.

"I'm super confident that the AFLW is an amazing competition already and we're only 10 seasons in, so I think we just need to keep investing, both as players and then more broadly as well, into the game."
Melbourne Demons player Kate Hore following reports the women's competition is losing $50 million a year. AFLW players have pushed for an expansion of the competition’s season so that by 2031, every team plays each other at least once. A review by league officials reported by Nine newspapers showed this could potentially come at the cost of $200 million a year. To improve television crowds and live audiences, the league has made improving the standard of football its top priority.

Originally, the haka was only performed by the All Blacks (New Zealand’s men’s rugby union team) when they played overseas. In 1986, the haka began to be performed at home matches too.

🏉 The British and Irish Lions continued their unbeaten run on Australian soil with a 36-24 victory over the ACT Brumbies. The home side put up a good fight, scoring four tries and becoming the first non-Wallabies Australian side to score three or more tries against the Lions since the 2001 Brumbies. The Lions have now played and beaten all four Australian Super Rugby Pacific sides. On Saturday, they will play a combined Australia-New Zealand XV in Adelaide. 

⚽ French football club Paris Saint-Germain defeated Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid 4-0 at MetLife Stadium in New York to advance to the final of the FIFA Club World Cup. Spanish midfielder Fabian Ruiz was named the player of the match after scoring two of PSG’s three goals in the opening half.  PSG will now face English club Chelsea, who beat Brazil’s Fluminense earlier this week, in the final at the same venue next Monday morning (AEST). 

🚴 Slovenian cyclist Tadej Pogačar leads Le Tour de France by 42 seconds after Stage 5 overnight. The three-time tour champion finished second in the stage, an individual time trial, behind Olympic time trial champion Remco Evenepoel. Pogačar’s effort saw him claim the yellow leader’s jersey as overall leader for the first time on this year’s tour, with Evenepoel sitting in second place (+42 seconds). Two-time champion Jonas Vingegaard, considered by many as the only rider in the tour who could beat Pogačar, is in fourth (+1 minute and 13 seconds).

Self-care is more than just treating yourself (although that does help)

True self-care goes beyond the surface — it starts with how you support your body every day. Blackmores Nails, Hair & Skin Rapi-Melt is an easy and convenient way to support inner beauty on-the-go.

Targeting three key areas by supporting scalp health, skin integrity and nail health.

Try habit stacking this into your daily beauty regime, during your skin-care routine, before a sauna or even while you Gua-Sha.

It’s all about those daily habits that support your inner glow.

A quick, tasty, and easy to take on the go melt that dissolves on your tongue Blackmores Rapi-Melts help you build healthy habits into your everyday routine - without it feeling like a chore.

Always read the label and follow the directions for use.

Wimbledon has reached the semi-finals stage with just four men and four women remaining in the singles draw. 

Here’s what you need to know before the world’s best battle for the prestigious grass-court grand slam title. 

Seven-time Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic came back from a set down to eliminate Italian up-and-comer Flavio Cobolli in four sets. The Serbian’s win was soured by a nasty fall late in the final set, which appeared to leave him in pain. It’s not yet clear if he will be hampered in the semi-final, where he will take on world number one Jannik Sinner. The Italian eased past 10th seed Ben Shelton in straight sets. After the match, Shelton referred to Sinner’s ability to generate significant ball speed, saying he has “never seen anything like it.”

The other semi-final will be played between two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz and fifth seed American Taylor Fritz. Alcaraz won his quarter-final against British player Cameron Norrie in straight sets, while Fritz defeated 17th seed Karen Khachanov in four sets. Alcaraz, who is seeking to become the only player after Bjorn Borg to complete a French Open and Wimbledon double in consecutive years, is the favourite. 

Five-time major winner Iga Świątek has reached her first semi-final at Wimbledon as she appears to have found some form on what has traditionally been her weakest surface. The Pole beat 19th seed Liudmila Samsonova in straight sets to earn her place in the semi-final against unseeded Swiss player Belinda Bencic. Bencic defeated teenage seventh seed Mirra Andreeva in straight sets, with both sets going to a tiebreak. She is the first Swiss woman to make the Wimbledon final four since Martina Hingis in 1998. 

Tonight’s other semi-final will be played between world number one and tournament favourite Aryna Sabalenka and American 13th seed Amanda Anisimova. Sabalenka survived a scare against Germany's Laura Siegemund to win in three sets, while Anisimova beat Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in straight sets to reach her second grand slam semi-final after the 2019 French Open.

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Red Bull team principal Christian Horner was sacked from his role with immediate effect yesterday. 

Horner has been in charge of the team since it started on the F1 grid in 2005, overseeing eight individual drivers’ world titles and six team championships. 

Here’s the context around his firing. 

Red Bull GmBH, the team’s parent company, released a statement yesterday saying it had “released Christian Horner from his operational duties with effect from today."

Horner was accused of sexual harassment and coercive behaviour by a female employee at Red Bull in February 2024. 

The 51-year-old was cleared of the claims by two separate investigations. 

In the time since the allegations, two senior personnel at Red Bull have left the team: sporting director Jonathan Wheatley and legendary F1 designer Adrian Newey.

The BBC reports Newey’s decision to join Aston Martin was a direct result of the unsettling effect the allegations against Horner had on the Red Bull team. 

In a speech to the Red Bull team, broadcast by Sky Sports, Horner said he will continue to be employed by the company, but “operationally the baton will be handed over.” He said that Red Bull’s decision had come as a shock. 

Horner also posted a statement on Instagram, part of which read: "It's been an honour to be part of this incredible era of motorsport. I leave with immense pride in what we've achieved and also with what's in the pipeline for 2026."

Red Bull announced soon after that Horner’s replacement is French engineer Laurent Mekies. The 48-year-old has led the Racing Bulls, Red Bull’s second Formula One racing team, since 2024. He previously worked as Ferrari’s race director. 

Mekies said in a statement: “It’s an honour to be part of this group of brilliant people that embody the Red Bull spirit. Together we will achieve great results, building on the incredible legacy left by Christian Horner during his two decades in charge.”

Red Bull’s racing results have been in decline since midway through last season. 

Even though Verstappen claimed his fourth consecutive world title, he only won two races in the second half of the year. 

This season, the Dutch driver has only won two races, and the team is fourth in the constructors' championship. 

Verstappen is under contract with Red Bull through to the end of 2028, but reports in the lead-up to last weekend’s British GP suggested he is being courted by Mercedes to join them next season.