🗞️ Hard to Take

AUSSIE SPORTS
Shock Defeat

🏏 Australia suffered a shock semi-final exit from the T20 World Cup as South Africa raced to an emphatic eight-wicket win in Dubai.

The defending champions missed out on an eighth final appearance as the Proteas reached their target of 135 with 16 balls to spare.

Anneke Bosch struck a sensational unbeaten 74 from 48 balls while captain Laura Wolvaardt added a classy 42 in a second-wicket partnership of 96 that left Australia reeling.

The brilliantly executed run chase came after South Africa's bowlers had smartly restricted Australia to 134-5 in a curiously underwhelming innings.

After being put in to bat, Australia did not carry the usual swagger and confidence expected from the six-time winners of this tournament.

In fact, they were timid, only hitting 11 boundaries in total. That is despite the enviable batting depth that they possess which often results in them playing with much more freedom than other teams who tend to be protecting fragile, inexperienced middle orders.

Australia stand-in captain Tahlia McGrath: "It's pretty hard to take. We didn't show up tonight, you can't afford to do that in tournaments like this. Credit to South Africa.

"We've had this World Cup in our minds for a long time now, we were really well prepped, just didn't show up on the night."

🐴 It’s the biggest thing to shake up the turf in years, it’s on again this Saturday, and - after a long and tense struggle - it’s finally a Group 1.

It’s The Everest, it’s worth $20 million ($7m to the winner), and it’s the richest race on turf in the world.

A crack field of 12 outstanding sprinters has been assembled for the 1200m event, which now has official categorisation as a Group 1, or top level, race.

Joint favourite I Wish I Win, is a great story, the horse couldn’t be sold because he was born with a bung leg, has now earned $12m from 23 starts, for the old Black Caviar partnership of trainer Peter Moody and jockey Luke Nolen.

The other at the top of the market is Joliestar, an exciting young sprinting mare and has the master trainer Chris Waller and super jockey James McDonald in her corner.

• ⏰ When: Race 7 of 10 on the Randwick card, on Saturday at 4:15pm AEDT.

• 📺 Where to watch: Channel 7, or Sky Racing

🐴 We’ve also got Melbourne’s magnificent spring carnival swinging into gear in earnest on Saturday with another gripping edition of the time-honoured and wonderful Caulfield Cup.

Buckaroo is a reasonably short-priced favourite for this, but a major question remains: he hasn’t won past 1800m. The extra 600m is significant, and his only attempt at 2400m yielded a fifth of eight.

• ⏰ When: Race 9 of 10 on the Caulfield card on Saturday, at 5:15pm AEDT.

• 📺 Where to watch: Channel 7, Sky Racing, or racing.com

👊🏼 Alexander Volkanovski has "promised" he will compete at UFC 312 in Sydney next year, claiming he will do "whatever it takes" to reclaim his featherweight title.

The former champion, who was knocked out by Ilia Topuria earlier this year in stunning fashion, was on deck for the announcement of a pay-per-view on February 9.

The event will take place at Qudos Bank Arena as part of a multi-year deal between the combat sports juggernaut and the NSW Government, which was kickstarted last year when Sean Strickland shocked the world by defeating Israel Adesanya.

🏏 Steve Smith and Mitchell Starc will play their first Sheffield Shield matches in more than three years when Victoria host NSW at the MCG starting Sunday.

The pair will make a trio of internationals in action for the Blues, joining Nathan Lyon who last week took 5-47 and 3-94 in their first-up draw against South Australia.

The matches are invaluable red ball preparation for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the Test series against India beginning in Perth next month.

🏀 The NBL has admitted to a scoring error that would have been even more embarrassing if a late shot by Cairns import Rob Edwards had gone in.

In a statement released on Thursday, the NBL said the Perth Wildcats' 90-87 win over the Taipans on October 10 should have actually been 91-87.

Luckily for league officials, Edwards' three-point attempt on the buzzer missed.

NRL NEWS
Aye, Aye Captain

🔁 Eels star recruit Zac Lomax has declared he’ll be playing centre next season despite his breakout year on the wing. 

Lomax was not happy this time last year when new Dragons coach Shane Flanagan told him he’d be shifting from centre to the wing. 

The 25-year-old was so upset about what he saw as demotion that he negotiated an early release from his contract and signed with the Eels from 2025.

🙋🏻‍♂️ Adam Reynolds has declared he wants to retain the Broncos captaincy as a new dawn breaks under Michael Maguire - and it sounds like the incoming coach won’t stand in his way. 

“I don’t have any reason (to replace Reynolds as captain),” Maguire told SEN.

“I’ve had a long relationship with Adam and have got a lot of time for Adam. We won a comp together

“He is a winner. He’s taken that team to some pretty good places already, so as long as he’s fit and healthy and he is right, he is a great leader.”

AFL NEWS
Dogs & Cats

👋🏼 Bailey Smith admitted it’s been the most difficult year of his career as part of a heartfelt tribute to the Western Bulldogs following his trade to Geelong.

Smith was moved to the Cats in the final minutes of Wednesday’s trade deadline as part of a four-club trade, with the exciting on-baller on Thursday donning the blue and white hoops at GMHBA Stadium.

The 23-year old starts a new chapter of his career down the highway after 103 games for the Dogs since joining the club with Pick 7 in the 2018 National Draft.

“Thanks for taking me in as a fresh faced 18-year old and helping me along my journey. I’ll forever be grateful and will do you proud in this next chapter as you’ve played such a pivotal role in my footballing and personal life.

“I can say, without a doubt, it’s been the most difficult year I’ve experienced and one day I’ll have the courage to open up about it, but for now, I’m gonna put my head down and do what I do best — get to work.

“To those praying on my downfall, thank you… See you in 2025.”

A host of GWS Giants players have been hit with sanctions over the club's ill-fated Wacky Wednesday party.

🚨 The AFL has handed down fines and suspensions to a contingent of the squad following the end-of-year celebrations that involved problematic costumes and skits.

As first reported by Nine's chief football reporter Tom Morris, Josh Fahey will miss four games through suspension for his involvement, while a number of teammates including Toby Greene have been slapped with fines by the AFL.

Harvey Thomas, Toby McMullin, Cooper Hamilton, Jake Riccardi and Joe Fonti will all cop two-game suspensions for their involvement in the drama. (you can read the detail here nine.com.au)

WORLD NEWS
Sinner takes it all

🎾 World No 1 Jannik Sinner defeated Novak Djokovic for the second time in four days, beating the 24-time Grand Slam champion 6-2, 6-7 (0), 6-4 in the semi-finals of the Six Kings Slam in Riyadh on Thursday.

The other semi-final sees Carlos Alcaraz take on soon-to-be-retired Rafa Nadal (underway now)

⚽️ EPL: Referees' chief Howard Webb says there has been an 80% reduction in the number of video assistant referee (VAR) errors this season.

It has now been five years since VAR was introduced in the Premier League, but the system and the way it is used continues to attract plenty of debate.

According to the independent Key Match Incidents panel (KMI), there were 31 incorrect uses of VAR during the 2023-24 season.

🏏 New Zealand powered into a lead of 134 after fast bowlers Matt Henry and William O’Rourke combined to devastating effect to dismiss India for 46 (including 5 ducks) in the weather-hit first Test.

New Zealand were 180-3 at stumps with Rachin Ravindra on 22 and Daryl Mitchell on 14 when bad light stopped play in an extended session.

India’s lowest overall is 36 against Australia in a pink-ball Adelaide Test in 2020.

🏎️ Red Bull have confirmed that they have made changes to their car as a result of discussions with governing body the FIA.

Rivals had alerted the FIA to a device in the Red Bull cockpit that they believed could be used to adjust the height of the front of the car's floor.

The concern of rival teams was that this could be used to make changes to the car's set-up between qualifying and races, when they are not allowed.

A Red Bull spokesperson told BBC Sport: "Yes, [the device] exists, although it is inaccessible once the car is fully assembled and ready to run.

"In the numerous correspondence we have with the FIA, this part came up and we have agreed a plan going forward."

The F1 fastest lap bonus point is to be dropped from the 2025 season following a meeting of the FIA's World Motor Sport Council.

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