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AUSSIE SPORTS
Sixth Time Lucky

🏉 The Brumbies, who reached the semi-finals in the last three Super Rugby seasons, aim to return to the Grand Final. However, they've struggled in semi-finals lately, losing five consecutive games since 2013. Their next challenge is against the Blues at Eden Park, a formidable opponent with a flawless record at home.

Despite the intensity of finals rugby, the Blues' dominance, highlighted by their 46-7 win over the Brumbies in April, suggests a tough battle ahead for the Australian team.

Today 17:05 - Blues v Brumbies (Stan Sport)

⚽️ Chelsea striker Sam Kerr has signed a two-year contract extension.

The 30-year-old Australia captain, whose contract was due to expire this summer, has scored 99 goals in 128 matches since joining from Chicago Red Stars in 2019.

Kerr has won five consecutive Women's Super League titles, three FA Cups, two League Cups and the Community Shield at Chelsea.

🐴 Queensland's racing extravaganza is here!
The $3 million Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap takes center stage in a nine-race lineup at Eagle Farm this Saturday. Alongside the Group 1 Ladbrokes JJ Atkins and the Group 2 Q22, every race boasts black-type significance, promising a thrilling day of action!

🏊🏼 Australian sprint champion Kyle Chalmers secured his berth for his third Olympic Games on Thursday night, overcoming significant obstacles to compete. Battling bulging discs and a degenerative spine, which were only disclosed after the race, Chalmers faced immense challenges leading up to Australia's Paris 2024 trials.

Despite requiring four cortisone injections and multiple daily physiotherapy sessions, he triumphed in the men's 100m freestyle final at Brisbane Aquatic Centre, clocking 47.75 seconds and securing his place on the Dolphins team.

Australian swimming champion Emily Seebohm's bid to become a five-time Olympian in Paris is over, but the Olympic debut of a rising star now awaits.

Seebohm, 32 and a first-time mum, fell short in the women's 200m backstroke final at Australia's Paris 2024 trials on Thursday night.

But in the same race before a raucous crowd at Brisbane Aquatic Centre, a 17-year-old by the name of Jaclyn Barclay secured her pass for an Olympic debut.

For the second time at the meet, Kaylee McKeown came ridiculously close to breaking her own world record, this time just 0.16 seconds away in the 200m backstroke final.

🏍️ It's Honda or nothing for Australian MotoGP rider Jack Miller, as his hopes to stay with KTM's second team in 2025 were dashed on Thursday.

Miller, facing replacement by Spanish rookie Pedro Acosta at the factory KTM team due to his poor performance this season, missed out on a spot with the newly-named Red Bull KTM Tech3 outfit for next year.

🏏 The Melbourne Stars pulled off a surprise by snagging the No. 1 pick for the Big Bash League Draft for the second year running.

NRL NEWS
Flash Gordon

🔁 Wallabies fly half Carter Gordon has made the stunning decision to code hop to rugby league with the 23-year-old signing a two-year-deal with the Gold Coast Titans from next season. (nine)

📄 Maroons' standout Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow spearheaded the Dolphins to a surprising 30-28 victory over the Sharks at PointsBet Stadium on Thursday night. Supported by centre Herbie Farnworth and five-eighth Kodi Nikorima, the Dolphins surged to a 22-0 lead early on.

Despite conceding their advantage, they reclaimed it with a remarkable performance by Tabuai-Fidow, securing the win even amidst a late scare as Nicho Hynes failed to force golden point.

🗣️ Dragons winger Mikaele Ravalawa has copped a four-match ban for verbally abusing an official in St. George-Illawarra’s NSW Cup loss last Friday night.

📺 Worth 11 mins of your time: The Rise and Fall of Ben Barba ⬇️

AFL NEWS
300 Not Out

🐯 Richmond coach Adem Yze expressed confidence that Dustin Martin will play out the rest of the season beyond his 300-game milestone, emphasizing that discussions about Martin's future beyond 2024 have not been on the agenda.

Yze praised Martin's leadership qualities, suggesting that he could excel as a coach in the future due to his positive influence on his teammates. A video tribute is planned as part of the lead-up to Martin's milestone match against Hawthorn, although Martin himself has as always refrained from giving interviews before the game. Yze hopes for a “big win” against the Hawks, after which Martin is expected to address the media.

🤔 Limited game time in 2024 has led Will Phillips to seek consistent senior opportunities, with rival clubs keeping an eye on his situation.

Speculation arises about potential suitors, with Richmond and West Coast among those mentioned. Both clubs could benefit from Phillips' talents, especially as they look to strengthen their midfield for the future. (ZeroHanger)

WORLD NEWS
Olympic Amigos

🎾 Rafael Nadal has announced he will not play at Wimbledon this year in order to focus on the Olympics in Paris.

Spaniards Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal will team up to be doubles partners at next month's Olympic Games.

The tennis will be played on clay at Roland Garros - home of the French Open - where 21-year-old Alcaraz was victorious last week, securing his third Grand Slam title.

Nadal won an Olympic gold at Beijing in 2008, but Alcaraz will be making his Games debut.

⚽️ West Ham have signed Brazilian winger Luis Guilherme for £25.5m from Palmeiras on a five-year contract.

The 18-year-old is manager Julen Lopetegui's first signing since taking charge last month.

💰 While Wimbledon will have a record AU$96m total prize money next month, with the two singles champions taking home AU$5.18m each.

🏈 The New England Patriots are to retire Tom Brady's number 12 shirt and build a statue of their legendary former quarterback.

The franchise made the announcement while inducting the 46-year-old into their Hall of Fame.

After being selected by the Patriots with the 199th pick of the 2000 draft, Brady led them to six Super Bowl wins. Here’s his speech (Twitter)

“To be successful at anything, the truth is you don’t have to be special. You just have to be what most people aren’t: consistent, determined and willing to work for it.”

🚴🏻The UCI will trial yellow cards to make professional cycling a "safer sport".

David Lappartient, president of the sport's governing body, said the cards will be issued "for any offence likely to pose a risk" to safety on a trial basis, from 1 August until 31 December in men's and women's professional road races.

Two yellow cards in a one-day or stage race will result in a seven-day ban.

⚽️ EURO 2024 PREVIEW: Europe’s best footballers will converge on Germany over the next month to crown the continental champion.

A lot has changed across the board since Italy’s dramatic penalty shootout victory over England at Wembley to wrap up Euro 2020 in 2021 and the reigning champions will be eager to defend their crown.

They will have stiff competition across the board from England, World Cup finalists France, hosts Germany and perennial challengers Spain.

The squads have been named, the coaches have had the chance to tinker with their lineups and we are closing in on kickoff - 05:00 with Germany v Scotland (Optus Sport 1).

WINNER: There are significant concerns surrounding England, with Gareth Southgate already discussing the consequences of failure in this tournament. While they may finally break through and win, at $4.50, they're not worth backing as favorites, especially given some warning signs in the lead-up.

France are rightly the most obvious choice, but if Mbappe isn't at his best, can they rely on Giroud and Griezmann to step up? Additionally, Deschamps' habit of playing favourites could hinder their overall success.

Although not as dominant as they were 12 years ago, the Spanish team ($8.0) looks promising. They have quality across the field, even without a true superstar like France or England. Key players like Pedri and Rodri will guide them through the Group Stage and prepare them for a tough knockout phase. Ultimately, Spain's collective play gives them a chance in every match.

I would be surprised if Kylian Mbappe doesn’t go close in the Player of the Tournament. He was immense for France at the World Cup and has only gotten better in the 18 months since, not to mention his star power will draw plenty of attention from the voters.

There is an angle for a “thanks for the memories” vote here with Luka Modric - Coming off another Champions League title, Modric looks like phenomenal value at $81.0 and the story of him guiding Croatia on another deep run will be too good to avoid.

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