🗞 Completely Innocent

G'day sports fans,

“During my 18 years I came to bat almost 10,000 times. I struck out about 1,700 times and walked maybe 1,800 times.

You figure a ballplayer will average about 500 at-bats a season.

That means I played sever years without ever hitting the ball.” — Mickey Mantle.

🇦🇺 Aussie Sport

🇦🇺 West Coast’s Bailey Williams has overturned his rough conduct ban after a case that lasted over three hours after GWS forward Toby Bedford failed to overturn his own.

Bedford was sanctioned for his tackle on Sydney’s Oliver Florent, with the act graded careless conduct with medium impact and high contact, becoming the latest dangerous tackle grading of 2023. (Tribunal)

🏉 The Rugby League Players Association and the ARL commission will hold peace talks today in a positive step towards resolution between the two parties.

The Daily Telegraph’s Dave Riccio said the RLPA reached out an “olive branch” to the NRL, who accepted the offer to meet to attempt to get a deal done.

According to Riccio, both RLPA CEO Clint Newton and NRL boss Andrew Abdo will both be at the meeting.

🏏 Michael Clarke has renewed his gripe with selectors after Steve Smith was picked for the looming tour of South Africa, declaring it "embarrassing" that he was just about a no-show in last year's T20 World Cup and is now a member of the 20-over squad set to face the Proteas.

🐴 Trainer Bjorn Baker has confirmed Overpass is being set specifically for the $20m The TAB Everest with at least three slot-holders are negotiating to secure the sprinter for the rich Royal Randwick sprint. (racenet)

🏉 Payne Haas' contract saga looks likely to drag on past November 1 after reports he's set to reject the Broncos latest offer.

The news comes after Broncos coach Kevin Walters recently declared how confident he was of Haas accepting the club's three-year offer, said to be worth as much as $3.5 million. Watch this space.

📺 The Matilda’s last 16 victory out rated every NRL Grand Final and every Origin since 2016. And, every AFL Grand Final since 2017 [except ‘20 &’21] *excludes Optus figures.

⚽️ Australia will now face France in the quarter-finals, on Saturday, following France’s 4-0 victory over Morocco. The Matildas last met France on Bastille Day, a week out from the start of the tournament which ended in a 1-0 victory.

🏉 Round 24 of the NRL season starts with the Sea Eagles taking on the Panthers in a do-or-die clash at Brookvale, before the Broncos face the Eels on Friday and the Raiders meet the Storm in a battle for a Top 4 position on Sunday afternoon. (Team Lists)

• Titans: Captain Tino Fa'asuamaleaui returns from suspension.

• Broncos: Skipper Adam Reynolds (groin) returns.

• Roosters: Veteran forward Dylan Napa comes in for the suspended Nathan Brown.

🌎 World Sport

⚽️ Brazil forward Neymar, 31, has told Paris St-Germain he wants to leave this summer. He is chasing a return to Barcelona. Obviously Chelsea are interested. 

⚽️ Ange Postecoglou has landed a fourth signing for Spurs before the Premier League season begins this weekend.

Tottenham announced the arrival of defender Micky van de Ven from German side Wolfsburg, with the 22-year-old worth an initial 40m euros rising to a reported 50m euros ($A84m) including bonuses.

🏉 Sam Burgess will take over as head coach of Super League side Warrington Wolves from the 2024 season onwards.

🥊 Anthony Joshua will fight Robert Helenius at London's O2 Arena on Saturday as the replacement for Dillian Whyte.

Joshua's heavyweight rematch with Whyte was cancelled at the weekend after the latter failed a voluntary drug test.

Finland's Helenius, who has 32 wins and four losses, steps in at less than a week's notice.

A "devastated" Whyte, 35, said he was "completely innocent".

🏉 Fly-half Handre Pollard and centre Lukhanyo Am have been left out of South Africa's 33-man Rugby World Cup squad through injury.

Both players started in the World Cup final win over England in 2019.

⚽️ Lionel Messi at FC Miami: Four games, 7 goals, 4 MOTM awards & Inter now has more IG followers (13.4M) than every American team except the Lakers and Warriors.

🏀 Team USA completed its five-day training camp ahead of the FIBA World Cup with a 117-74 thrashing of Puerto Rico, leaving coach Steve Kerr thrilled with the work his team has put in as it begins what it hopes is a six-week quest culminating in a gold medal next month in the Philippines.

💰 In 1983, Donald Trump buys the New Jersey Generals of the USFL for $9 million ($28M) instead of the Dallas Cowboys at $50 million ($154M in today’s money) The USFL folds two years later. The Cowboys are now worth $9.2 Billion, according to @Sportico