It's the final countdown

AUSSIE SPORTS
Jumped or Pushed?

🏉 The Brisbane Broncos have terminated head coach Kevin Walters’ contract effective immediately after the club’s end of season review.

The Courier Mail reported the Broncos terminated the contract of the club legend on Thursday night, while an anonymous source with knowledge of the situation told SMH that it was a mutual decision. 

Broncos later put out a statement claiming it was Walters’ decision to quit the club.

The Broncos had a shocking end to the season, missing the finals in the season after making it all the way to the grand final.

“We feel deeply for Kev,” he said. “He will always be a respected guy and a legend of the Broncos and he will always be treated that way. - Broncos chairman Karl Morris

“Of course I am shocked. This is a huge job and a pressure job at the Broncos. We have great appreciation for Kevvie’s efforts and wish him well.”

The players were reportedly told of Walters’ exit on Thursday evening.

Incredibly, the 56-year-old Walters was given a one-year extension in March, which should have taken him up to the end of the 2026 season.

Walters spoke about his exit in a statement on the Broncos website.

“Aside from playing here, it’s been the greatest thrill and honour of my life to have coached the Broncos,” Walters said.

“Coaching in the NRL takes a toll, not just on the coach but also their family – it’s time for me to step away and spend some quality time with my loved ones, who have supported me all the way over the last four years.

“I’m grateful to the club for providing me with the opportunity to be head coach and we have come a long way from the wooden spoon to last year’s run to the Grand Final.

“I wish the team and the club all the best.”

🇦🇺 Brisbane has confirmed a recall for Darcy Fort in place of the injured Oscar McInerney, but both Brisbane and Sydney are otherwise unchanged for the 2024 Toyota AFL Grand Final.

Fort comes in for just his third AFL game this season and first since April, with McInerney ruled out due to a shoulder injury. (TEAMS) - GF Preview below

🎨 If first impressions of a new logo are any indicator, the Adelaide Crows may want to go back to the drawing board.

Ahead of the club’s 35th season, the club announced it was going through a full rebrand as it prepares for a move to a new home base at Thebarton Oval by late 2026.

The Adelaide Advertiser reported in August that the club had been investigating new branding for about 18 months to replace the blue Crows head, which has been the logo since 2010.

But a first leak of the logo has been met with some mixed at best — brutal at worst — reviews. What do we think?

🐴 The Ladbrokes Manikato Stakes headlines a huge Friday night under lights at The Valley!

With one eye on The Everest next month, I Wish I Win steps out alongside the likes of Hayasugi, Estriella and exciting up-and-comer, Growing Empire, and it truly does profile as one of the race’s best editions in recent memory.

⛳️ The 15th edition of the Presidents Cup is underway at Royal Montreal Golf Club in Montreal, Canada.

"It was a funny one, I went to one (hairdresser) downtown right near the hotel," - Min Woo Lee said.

"And just to not sound weird, I was like: 'Hey, do you know there's a golf tournament happening, USA versus Internationals?'

"He's like: 'Yeah, yeah, I think so.

"I was like: 'Well, I'm on that team so could you write I-N-T on the side of my head?

🥊 Tim Tszyu has received the heavyweight backing of some of the biggest names in Australian sport ahead of his upcoming world title fight.

NRL and AFL superstars Latrell Mitchell and Nick Daicos, UFC legend Alexander Volkanovski and Aussie cricket great Usman Khawaja feature in a spine-tingling new promo released ahead of Tszyu’s blockbuster boxing showdown with Russian Bakhram Murtazaliev for the IBF super welterweight title next month. (watch)

📺 Nick Riewoldt has been confirmed as the newest member of the 7AFL team for 2025 and beyond...

🏎️ Daniel Ricciardo has been replaced at RB by Liam Lawson for the remainder of the 2024 season.

The 35-year-old Australian has been dropped with six races to go because Red Bull management have been unconvinced by his performances.

Giving Lawson the seat allows him to be assessed over the remaining races before Red Bull finalise their plans for 2025.

RB team principal Laurent Mekies said: "Daniel has brought a lot of experience and talent to the team with a fantastic attitude, which has helped everyone to develop and foster a tight team spirit.

"He has been a true gentleman both on and off the track and never without that smile. He will be missed, but will always hold a special place within the Red Bull family."

Lawson, 22, came in for five races last season after Australian Ricciardo broke his wrist in a crash at the Dutch Grand Prix.

The New Zealander scored two points with a ninth-place finish at the 2023 Singapore Grand Prix.

🏉 Storm owner Matt Tripp has declared he wants gun hooker Harry Grant to finish his career in Melbourne, despite the possibility of the Origin star becoming a free agent come November 1.

Grant has one year remaining on his contract and an option for the 2026 season, which he’s expected to activate according to The Daily Telegraph.

However, the 26-year-old would become a free agent for the 2026 season if he fails to do so, but Tripp is planning for Grant to be the club’s linchpin for years to come.

“He is our captain, he is right up there in terms of his on and off field leadership. He has matured unbelievably since being handed the captaincy. He is a priority for us.”

🏉 Nathan Cleary looks set to miss the upcoming Pacific Championships, with the superstar halfback expected to have surgery on his troublesome shoulder.

Finals Previews
Final Countdown

🇦🇺 Set to write their names into the history books, the Sydney Swans (1.75) and Brisbane Lions (2.10) will meet in the 2024 Grand Final at the MCG on Saturday afternoon.

The first iterations of these clubs last met in the league’s decider during 1899, when Fitzroy defeated South Melbourne 27-26 at the Junction Oval.

Since departing Victoria they’ve met just once in the finals, seeing Brisbane triumph 100-56 in the 2003 preliminary final en route to its third straight premiership.

The Lions got the better of the Swans in their solitary 2024 matchup, overturning a 15-point three-quarter-time deficit to win 79-77 at the Gabba during Round 19.

• Brisbane has won the first quarter in 14 of its last 15 matches.

• Logan McDonald has kicked 3+ goals in each of Sydney's last three matches at the MCG.

🏉 Minor premiers, the Melbourne Storm (1.23), will come into this preliminary final against the Sydney Roosters (3.90) well rested from the week off after a ruthless 37-10 victory over the Sharks during Week 1 of the finals. 

The Storm have been in irresistible form lately, with three wins by margins of at least 27 points in their last four outings. Meanwhile, the Roosters avoided a straight-sets exit with a comprehensive display against Manly. The Storm have won their past five over the Roosters while these two have met five times in finals, with Sydney leading 3-2. Craig Bellamy and Trent Robinson have both named the same lineups as last time out. The Roosters are clear outsiders for this match, but they will be desperate to avenge their 2023 semi-final defeat to Melbourne.

• Xavier Coates has scored at least one try in each of his last four appearances against Sydney.

• Melbourne has won 10 of its last 11 matches against Sydney.
  

🏉 The Cronulla Sharks (4.10) finally broke their finals hoodoo with a 26-18 victory over the Cowboys to move into their first preliminary final since 2018. They will be looking to snap another when they face the three-time reigning champion Penrith Panthers (1.24) at Accor Stadium on Saturday night. The Panthers have shut out the Sharks in their last two encounters and won seven of their past eight. The Panthers humbled the Sharks 42-0 on their home deck earlier this season. Both clubs enter with settled lineups, however, Penrith could still swing a late change with Scott Sorensen named as a reserve as he races the clock to be fit.

• Brian To'o has been the first try-scorer in three of Penrith's last four finals matches.

• Penrith has won five of its last seven matches against Cronulla by a margin of 13+ points.

WORLD NEWS
Thanks Derrick

🏀 Former NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) Derrick Rose, 35, announced his retirement on Thursday from the game of basketball after 16 years.

Rose, who was selected by the Chicago Bulls as first overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft out of the Memphis Tigers, was named the youngest MVP in the league in 2011 at the age of 22.

He also played for several other franchises including the New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Minnesota Timberwolves and the Detroit Pistons.​​​​​​​

👊🏼 The UFC's parent company TKO Group has agreed a $375m settlement in relation to one of two legal cases affecting about 1,200 former UFC athletes.

The group of former fighters claim the UFC's contracts suppressed athletes' abilities to negotiate other promotional options.

⚽️ EPL Whispers: Liverpool are considering a summer move for Rodrygo (Real Madrid), Manchester United will try again for Jarrad Branthwaite (Everton) and Chelsea are targeting Castello Lukeba (RB Leipzig).

⚽️ Former Arsenal and Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud scored as Los Angeles FC beat Sporting Kansas City 3-1 to win the US Open Cup.

⚾️ Farewell, Oakland: The Warriors left Oakland in 2019. The Raiders left in 2020. Now the A's are saying goodbye. They play their final home game there today.

💰 History for sale: Shohei Ohtani's 50th home run ball will be sold at auction by Goldin, with bids starting tomorrow at US$500,000. There's also a $4.5 million buy-it-now option.

💰 Many of the world's top women's track athletes are set to compete for record prizes when the inaugural Athlos NYC gets under way today.

American Olympic 200m champion Gabby Thomas and Kenyan 1,500m world record holder Faith Kipyegon are among the stars in action at the women's-only track invitational.

Alexis Ohanian - Reddit co-founder and husband of 23-time Grand Slam tennis champion Serena Williams - has launched the event which boasts a record US$500,000 prize pool, external for a women's track meet.

Winners across six disciplines will receive $60,000 (double what’s received for the overall winner of a diamond league event).

In June, American legend Michael Johnson announced the launch of a lucrative new athletics league starting in April 2025 called Grand Slam track, with a total of US$12.6m in prize money.

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