🗞 Business in the front, Party in the back

G’day Sports Fans,

🗣️ “My husband, as we were coming down the hallway of the hotel to enter our room, someone had left their room service out in front of their room once they’d finished with it. 

“Corey picked up and ate half an already eaten BLT sandwich. 

“I said ‘don’t you dare’ and he picked it up, put that little silver tray back down on the thing and picked up the BLT and munched into it.” - Corey Parker’s wife Margaux on the couple arriving to their room, on their wedding night.

📧 P.S. First time reading? Subscribe here for free.

AFL News

🏟️ Match Report: Carlton marked only their second win at the Adelaide Oval in 11 years and their first victory against a South Australian team.

A dominant fourth quarter performance, where they doubled their goal tally for the game, propelled the Blues to a 16.11 (107) to 10.11 (71) win over the Power.

🇦🇺 Alastair Clarkson avoided a potential two-match AFL ban after the North Melbourne coach apologised for swearing in protest at an umpiring decision.

Clarkson will also not coach from the boundary line for the rest of the season, adding he will continue to seek help for controlling his notorious temper.

🤢 Brad Scott is optimistic that Essendon has dodged a disaster by adopting COVID-style protocols after a virus disrupted the club's preparation for the AFL clash with Gold Coast.

Scott is managing with significantly fewer staff members this week but reassured that no players would be sidelined by the virus.

The Bombers (8-2-1) aim to extend their unbeaten streak to eight matches in the game against the Suns at Carrara Stadium on Sunday.

💇🏻‍♂️ Mullet Man: A crack team of ABC reporters have crunched the numbers around the resurgence of the Mullet. A hairstyle that made a comeback during COVID. And, it hasn’t gone away.

Roughly 19% of the 788 players in the league are now mulleted. It’s most popular with the younger recently drafted (38% of 19 yr olds), while no player in the report over 31 is rocking the business up front party in the back look.

It’s no surprise the Bulldogs (14) have the most, 1 more than GWS.

Among those who had played at least three matches, players with mullets score, on average per game, slightly fewer AFL fantasy points (62.7 points) than players without mullets (65.4 points). (see full article here)

NRL News

📃 Match Report: The Parramatta Eels beat the Cronulla Sharks 34-22, ending a five-game losing streak. Mitch Moses and Clint Gutherson made strong returns, with Moses assisting a try and kicking five goals, and Gutherson running 279 metres.

Despite the Sharks' early lead, the Eels quickly took control and maintained their advantage.

🏉 Nicho Hynes has pushed his case to run out for NSW in State of Origin I after getting through a light warm-up at Blues training.

Battling to overcome a calf injury, Hynes completed brief drills with players before separating and training with second-rower Liam Martin.

✍🏼 Ben Hunt has left the door open to return to his native Queensland and join the Gold Coast Titans should he fail to agree a new deal with the Dragons.

Hunt revealed that mooted talks over a contract extension for 2026 were ‘on the backburner’ as he links up with the Maroons – but isn’t closing the door on a move to the Titans.

“Mate, I am not closing the door on anything at all,” Hunt said, per News Corp.

Aussie News

⚽️ Macarthur FC is embroiled in further scandal as two more players named in illegal bet-fixing scheme.

Matthew Millar and Jed Drew have been accused in court documents of participating in a criminal group involving three other Bulls players who have been charged over the alleged plot to receive yellow cards for money.

The details were revealed on Thursday when midfielder Kearyn Baccus, 32, became the first of the already-charged trio to face court since details of the scheme were revealed by investigators.

Neither Millar nor Drew has been charged and both the sport's Australian governing body and the club said the latter player was not considered a suspect.

🏀 The Perth Wildcats might have new owners soon. Craig Hutchison’s Sports Entertainment Group got an offer to buy the NBL club. The Wildcats confirmed on Thursday that MT Arena Capital, led by Perth tech entrepreneur Mark Arena, made a non-binding indicative offer. Arena’s a lifelong Wildcats fan.

🏉 Rugby Australia announced the Melbourne Rebels will be axed from the Super Rugby Pacific competition, rejecting a private consortium’s bid to save the club because of “a lack of transparency and significant doubts over the consortium’s proposed financial model.”

Saying: “Rugby Australia (RA) advises that the application from a Consortium seeking a Participation Agreement for the Melbourne Rebels to participate in the 2025 Super Rugby Pacific competition has been unsuccessful.”

The move may also negatively impact the MCG’s hopes of hosting the 2027 Rugby World Cup final.

🎾 Defending champion Novak Djokovic moved efficiently through the gears once again to beat Spain’s Roberto Carballes Baena and reach the French Open third round.

Serbia’s Djokovic, 37, cruised to a 6-4 6-1 6-2 victory on another rain-soaked day in Paris.

⚽️ The UEFA Champions League final between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund is set to be an exciting clash. Real Madrid, led by Carlo Ancelotti, aims for their 15th title, while Dortmund, under Edin Terzić, seeks their second.

‘Golden Boy’ Jude Bellingham (left Dortmund for Real Madrid in the summer), will surely feel like he has something to prove, as Madrid go in as heavy favourites.

🏉 Ten current and former rugby union stars have started a charity to support elite players after they retire from the game.

World Rugby and International Rugby Players are among the organisations supporting the Global Rugby Players Foundation.

Its 10 founding members include former England fly-half Jonny Wilkinson, ex-All Blacks number 10 Dan Carter and current South Africa captain Siya Kolisi.

Former Australia skipper George Gregan will chair the charity's board of trustees.

🚬 Charley Hull ripping a cig and signing autographs ahead of the @uswomensopen golf. “That’s awesome, John Daly-esque”

🏀 Dallas Mavericks rookie center Dereck Lively II's status for Game 5 of the Western Conference finals remains questionable after a 10-minute post-shootaround workout to test how his sprained neck felt while doing explosive movements.

"I was definitely moving," Lively told ESPN when asked how the workout went while he was exiting the Target Center.

It was the first time that Lively sprinted and jumped since suffering the injury early in the second quarter of Game 3, when he was inadvertently kneed in the back of the head by Minnesota Timberwolves power forward Karl-Anthony Towns.

🥊 Undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury are set to meet in a rematch on 21 December, according to the chairman of Saudi Arabia's general entertainment authority.

Usyk beat Fury by split decision to become the first undisputed champion of the four-belt era on 18 May.

A rematch was said to be in the works for October but Turki Alalshikh says the date has been pushed back to December.

"The world will watch another historical fight again," Alashikh added on X.

🏄🏻‍♀️ Brazil’s Tatiana Weston-Webb made history with the first ever ‘perfect 10’ by a woman in the infamous Teahupo’o (aka the ‘wall of skulls’) surf.

The Tahiti beach which will host the Paris Olympic Games surfing later this year was, for years, considered “too dangerous” for women with only men allowed to surf there.

The 8-12 foot waves were conquered this week however, with Weston-Webb completing what the World Surfing League described as “quite possibly one of the best barrels ever ridden in competition”.

TODAY 

05:00 - PGA TOUR - Canadian Open, Round 1 - Fox Sports

10:00 - NHL Conference Finals - New York Rangers v Florida Panthers - ESPN 2

10:30 - NBA Conference Finals - Minnesota Timberwolves v Dallas Mavericks - ESPN

11:38 - MLB - Los Angeles Angels v New York Yankees - ESPN

17:05 - Super Rugby Pacific - Crusaders v Moana Pasifika - Stan Sport

17:05 - Shute Shield - Northern Suburbs Rugby v Manly Rugby - Stan Sport

19:35 - Super Rugby Pacific - NSW Waratahs v Queensland Reds - Stan Sport

19:40 - AFL - Collingwood Magpies v Western Bulldogs - Fox Footy (7mate)

20:00 - NRL - Newcastle Knights v Canterbury Bulldogs - Fox League (Channel 9)

20:10 - Women's Friendly - Australia v China - Paramount+ (Channel 10)

20:44 - Men's World Series - Men's Madrid Sevens, Day 1, Round 8 - Stan Sport

21:00 - Friendly Match - Milan v Roma - 7TWO

SATURDAY

03:30 - T20 Blast - Somerset v Essex Eagles - Fox Cricket

04:45 - Premiership Rugby Semi-Final - Northampton Saints v Saracens - Stan Sport

04:45 - Super League - Huddersfield Giants v Hull FC - Fox Sports

05:00 - PGA TOUR - Canadian Open, Round 2 - Fox Sports

05:00 - Super League - St Helens v Catalans Dragons - Fox League

10:30 - NHL Conference Finals - Dallas Stars v Edmonton Oilers - ESPN

12:05 - Super Rugby Pacific - Fijian Drua v Rebels - Stan Sport

13:45 - AFL - Hawthorn v Adelaide Crows - Fox Footy

14:35 - Super Rugby Pacific - Hurricanes v Highlanders - Stan Sport

15:05 - Shute Shield - West Harbour Pirates v Newcastle Wildfires - Stan Sport

15:05 - Shute Shield - Sydney University Rugby v Eastern Suburbs Rugby - Stan Sport

15:05 - Shute Shield - Warringah Rugby v Gordon Rugby - Stan Sport

15:05 - Shute Shield - Southern Districts Rugby v Eastwood Rugby - Stan Sport

15:05 - Shute Shield - Randwick Rugby v Western Sydney Two Blues - Stan Sport

15:15 - NSW Cup - Penrith Panthers NSW Cup v St. George Ill. Dragons NSW Cup - Fox League

16:35 - AFL - West Coast Eagles v St. Kilda Saints - Fox Footy

17:05 - Super Rugby Pacific - Blues v Chiefs - Stan Sport

17:30 - NRL - Penrith Panthers v St. George Illawarra Dragons - Fox League

19:30 - AFL - Geelong Cats v Richmond Tigers - Fox Footy (7mate)

19:35 - NRL - Dolphins v Canberra Raiders - Fox League

19:35 - Super Rugby Pacific - Western Force v Brumbies - GEM (Stan Sport)

20:44 - Men's World Series - Men's Madrid Sevens, Day 2, Round 8 - Stan Sport

00:00 - Super League - Warrington Wolves v Wigan Warriors - Fox League

SUNDAY

00:30 - Premiership Rugby Semi-Final - Bath Rugby v Sale Sharks - Stan Sport

02:30 - Super League - Hull Kingston Rovers v Leigh Leopards - Fox League

02:30 - Super League - Leeds Rhinos v Castleford Tigers - Fox Sports More

03:30 - T20 Blast - Birmingham Bears v Notts Outlaws - Fox Cricket

04:30 - PGA TOUR - Canadian Open, Round 3 - Fox Sports

05:00 - UEFA Champions Lge Final - Borussia Dortmund v Real Madrid - 9Go! (Stan Sport)

10:00 - NHL Conference Finals - Florida Panthers v New York Rangers - ESPN 2

10:30 - NBA Conference Finals - Dallas Mavericks v Minnesota Timberwolves - ESPN

12:00 - UFC 302 Main Card - Islam Makhachev v Dustin Poirier - Main Event

13:00 - AFL - Melbourne Demons v Fremantle Dockers - Fox Footy

16:00 - AFL - Gold Coast Suns v Essendon Bombers - Fox Footy

16:05 - NRL - Sydney Roosters v North Queensland Cowboys - Fox League (Channel 9)

18:49 - Men's World Series - Men's Madrid Sevens, Day 3, Round 8 - Stan Sport