Carlton’s Sam Docherty has announced that this Thursday’s match against Hawthorn at the MCG will be his final one in the AFL.

The veteran has made a career out of resilience, overcoming three serious ACL injuries and twice battling testicular cancer before returning to the field. The 31-year-old will finish having played 184 games.

He said: “While there has been no shortage of challenges because of what I have been through, I have been allowed to meet so many amazing people and have had the opportunity to have an impact far greater than kicking or handballing a football ever could."

45 
The age of Venus Williams, the former world number one who has made a comeback to professional tennis after a 16 month break. Williams is through to the quarter-finals of the women’s doubles draw at the Washington Open alongside fellow American Hailey Baptiste.

"This behaviour does not reflect the values of our club, and we take this matter very seriously. While it is disappointing, we recognise that Riak is at the beginning of his career and we will use this as an opportunity to provide support and education, to ensure Riak understands the impact of his words.”
Sydney Swans chief executive Tom Harley in a statement after Riak Andrew was cited for using a homophobic slur in a VFL match against North Melbourne. The AFL Integrity Unit is investigating the incident. Andrew was drafted to the Swans in 2024. He is an AFL-listed player but has been playing the VFL. Andrew is the brother of Gold Coast Suns star, Mac Andrew.

It has been 40 years since the last time a French cyclist won Le Tour de France. Bernard Hinault claimed his fifth and final title in 1985.

🚴‍♂️ After a rest day, the Tour de France continues tonight with Stage 16. The stage has been billed as one of the toughest on this year’s tour. The finish line is located at the top of Mont Ventoux, a 15.7 kilometre climb with an average gradient of 8.8%. Slovenia’s Tadej Pogačar is still the overall leader. He holds a four minutes and 13 second advantage over Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard in second.  

🏀 The Opals, Australia’s women’s basketball team, won the FIBA Women’s Asian Cup for the first time in China on Sunday. The Opals defeated Japan 88-79 to maintain an undefeated record at this year’s tournament. It comes after three bronze medals and a silver at the four previous editions of the tournament. Alex Fowler was Australia’s top-scorer in the final with 15 points. She was the recipient of the tournament’s Most Valuable Player award.

🏉 Marcus Bontempelli will remain at the Western Bulldogs until the end of 2029, after he signed a four-year extension. The six-time All-Australian was drafted to the Bulldogs in 2013 and has played 253 games with the club, including a victorious grand final in 2016. He said: "This club means so much to me, it's hard to put it into a few words to be honest. It is where I have grown as a man and spent all of my adult years coming here at 18.”

Definition of the day: habit stacking

Meaning: habit stacking is a strategy for forming new habits by attaching them to existing ones.

Instead of overhauling your entire routine, you simply pair the new habit with something you already do - like taking your vitamins right after brushing your teeth, or doing a quick stretch while your morning coffee brews.

It’s a simple yet powerful way to build consistency without relying on motivation alone.

Got a routine you never skip — like your commute, skincare ritual, or morning scroll?

That’s the perfect moment to stack your new habit.

Support general health and wellbeing with the Blackmores Rapi-Melt range - a quick, water-free format that fits into your day with ease.

Always read the label and follow the directions for use. 

The British and Irish Lions are back in action tonight as they take on a First Nations and Pasifika XV. Here’s what you need to know.

The First Nations and Pasifika XV is a squad made up of players with Indigenous and Pacific Islands heritage. The team, which has been put together for the first time, will be captained by former Wallaby Kurtley Beale. 

It will also feature Taniela Tupou and Filipo Dangunu, who have both been released from the Wallabies squad to play the match. The side is being coached by Toutai Kefu, a former Wallaby who was part of the World Cup winning side in 1999. 

The Lions will be captained by England veteran Owen Farrell, who has been named in the starting side for the first time this tour. The starting team that coach Andy Farrell has named does not feature any of the players who played in the opening Test victory over the Wallabies on Saturday. 

Even though Farrell has not selected his first-choice players, the Lions will still be expected to put forward a dominant display against a team that has had limited preparation. The Lions beat the AUNZ XV, a similar combined side of Australian and Kiwi players, 48-0 earlier this month.

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The semi-finals of the Women’s Euro will get underway tomorrow morning (AEST) as England take on Italy. 24 hours later, Germany will play Spain for the other spot in the final. Here’s what you need to know. 

England are the defending champions, but their road to the semi-final hasn’t been as smooth as they would have hoped. The Lionesses lost their opening group stage match to France (2-1) and finished runner-up in Group A after going on to beat the Netherlands (4-0) and Wales (6-1). In the quarter-final, they scraped by Sweden in a penalty shootout. 

Italy came through the group stage with a win against Belgium (1-0), a draw with Portugal (1-1) and a loss to Spain (1-3). In the quarter-final, they beat Norway 2-1 courtesy of a last-gasp goal from their captain Cristiana Girelli. Italy have never won the Euro but finished runner-up in 1993 and 1997. Italy are ranked 13th in the world, the lowest of any team left in the tournament.

The last five matches between these two side were friendlies, all of which England has won. In their most recent meeting in February 2024, England beat Italy 5-1.

Spain has gone from strength to strength in recent years. Victories at the 2023 World Cup and the 2024 Women’s Nations League tournament have made them favourites for this year’s Euro. As Spain seeks its first women’s Euro title, they face the daunting task of eight-time Euro champions Germany in the semi-final.

Spain are the only team in the semi-finals to have won all four of their matches so far. In the group stage, they produced dominant displays against Portugal (5-0), Belgium (6-2), and Italy (3-1). In the quarter-final, Spain beat tournament hosts Switzerland 2-0. 

Germany have been less consistent. The 2022 Euro runner-ups were beaten 4-1 by Sweden in their final group stage match after beating Poland (2-0) and Denmark (2-1). In the quarter-final, they defeated France in a penalty shootout thanks to the heroics of goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger, who made nine saves during the match including two in the shootout. 

England’s preparations for their semi-final against Italy have been overshadowed by online racist abuse of defender Jess Carter. 

The Football Association (FA), the governing body for the sport in England, has reportedly been in touch with the UK Police, who are investigating the matter. 

FIFA boss Gianni Infantino also condemned the abuse. He said: "We stand with Jess. We stand with every player and every individual who has suffered from racist abuse. No player should be discriminated against in any way, they should be free to be at their very best on the pitch."

You can watch the Women’s Euro on Optus Sport. Tomorrow's match will kick-off at 5:00am. The second semi-final will begin at 5:00am on Thursday.