🗞️ No easing up

❤️ Australian cricket great Ian Redpath has died, aged 83. The former Test batter was inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame prior to his passing and is regarded as a crucial figure of the sport in Victoria.

Redpath played 66 games in the baggy green, scoring eight centuries for the Aussies.

🏏 Sam Konstas sent a timely reminder to Australian selectors, blasting a brilliant century (107 from 97) for the Prime Minister's XI against India.

The teenage sensation was in the mix for a Test spot before ultimately being overlooked in favour of South Australia's Nathan McSweeney for the vacant opener role.

However, after a horror performance in the series opener at Optus Stadium, pressure is mounting on Australia's top order, with Konstas giving the decision-makers some food for thought after belting India's bowling attack.

🏀 Bryce Cotton dropped a modern NBL record 59 points, and his Perth Wildcats needed almost all of them to get past the New Zealand Breakers 123-112 at RAC Arena.

The Wildcats superstar set a new 40-minute era record, scoring 20 points in the first quarter and keeping the hot hand going all afternoon.

Cotton surpassed his previous career-high of 45 midway through the third term and finished going 18 of 28 from the field, seven of 15 from deep and 16 of 17 from the foul line.

He added seven assists, three rebounds and just one turnover.

Cotton smashed the previous 40-minute era scoring high of 51 points - set by Brisbane’s James Batemon against Perth just a fortnight ago - and broke the Wildcats’ previous scoring record, 57 points by James Crawford in 1987.

Women’s Sports Update

⚽️ The Matildas came out with a vengeance but it was not enough to re-write the record as Brazil stormed to a 2-1 victory on the Gold Coast on Sunday night.

🏏 The rain couldn't stop the Melbourne Renegades on Sunday as they clinched their maiden WBBL title with a dominant win over the Brisbane Heat.

Despite only posting a modest total of 9-141 from their 20 overs, it was one-way traffic for the Renegades with ball in hand as the Heat crumpled under the pressure.

Wet weather reduced the equation to 98 runs to win from 12 overs for the Heat, but they failed to come close to the revised total at the Melbourne Cricket Ground finishing 6-90.

🏉 Dubai Rugby Sevens: Bella Nasser's first event as captain ended with a title as they took down New Zealand 28-24 in the Final. The Men’s side only managed to finish 7th.

🇦🇺 icymi: North Melbourne capped off an undefeated season with their first AFLW premiership at Ikon Park, adding a dose of revenge on last year’s winners Brisbane with a resounding 6.3 (39) to 1.3 (9) triumph in front of a crowd of 12,122.

• Libby Birch became the first player in the history (women’s and men’s) to win three premierships for three different teams.

⛷️ Jakara Anthony confirmed her place as an Australian winter sport great with a record 42nd career podium finish at a FIS World Cup event.

Anthony was beaten in Finland by France's Perrine Laffont, but her second-place finish took her past Australian aerial skier Kirstie Marshall's 41 career podiums.

NRL NEWS

✍🏼 Tigers recruit Jack Bird has confirmed there’s a chance he will be wearing the No.13 jersey in 2025, joining the club’s middle forwards in a shock move.

Bird, who signed after being released from the Dragons, has been one of the NRL’s most versatile players, featuring at lock, centre, five-eighth and in the back row in the past.

✍🏼 The Storm reportedly have a major battle on their hands to retain rising star Jonah Pezet, with the Knights desperate to secure the playmaker’s services.

However, Newcastle bosses and captain Kalyn Ponga reportedly took the halfback out for a dinner, hoping to lure him back to the Hunter region.

Pezet has previously played in the Knights junior representative teams, having played Harold Matthews and SG Ball for Newcastle between 2018 and 2020.

The Knights have reportedly tabled a deal worth around $2.5 million across four seasons, hoping to secure one of the NRL’s next crop of rising playmakers.

📺 Rugby league guru Phil Gould has led a wave of emotional messages sent to Paul Vautin following the TV icon’s shock retirement announcement on Sunday morning. 

The larrikin commentator known as “Fatty” confirmed he is stepping down at the age of 65 after 33 years on Australian TV.

“When I think about my life I have to say it’s all been a surprise; the television career, my football career. I remember thinking as a 15 or 16-year-old redheaded, freckly kid that I didn’t know what I was gonna do with my life, and then when I look at what I’ve done, I’m still surprised.” - Vaultin

AFL NEWS

✍🏼 Essendon have reportedly listed VFL defender Will Hoare as a Supplemental Selection Period train-on prospect this summer, with the mature-aged chance to compete for the sole list spot on offer at Tullamarine.

⚽️ EPL WRAP: Liverpool extended their lead at the top of the Premier League to nine points and heaped more misery on fading champions Manchester City with a fully deserved 2-0 victory at Anfield. Gakpo, & Salah (pen) getting the goals.

Liverpool were not flattered by the margin of victory, which leaves them 11 points clear of City, who not won for seven matches - losing their past four league games.

Ruben Amorim collected his first Premier League victory in emphatic fashion as his Manchester United side easily put four past lowly Everton at Old Trafford (4-0).

United have now beaten Everton 42 times in the Premier League, the highest tally of any side against one opponent in the competition.

Inconsistency struck Tottenham Hotspur again as they were held 1-1 at home by Fulham in the Premier League.

Cole Palmer shone in Chelsea’s comfortable 3-0 win over an Aston Villa side whose worrying winless run extended to eight matches.

⚽️ Socceroos striker Kusini Yengi is awaiting scan results after missing Portsmouth’s 2-2 draw with Swansea in the Championship with a knee injury.

Verstappen wins; Leclerc 2nd; Piastri 3rd

🏎️ Red Bull’s Max Verstappen won a dramatic Qatar Grand Prix that was brought to life by two mid-race safety cars and a penalty for McLaren’s Lando Norris.

Verstappen was in a tight fight with Norris throughout the race until the Briton was given a 10-second stop-and-go penalty for failing to slow for yellow flags.

Verstappen himself was instrumental in getting Norris the penalty after pointing the incident out to his team.

No easing up from Max Verstappen despite wrapping up the drivers' title in Las Vegas.

The curtain will come down on the longest F1 season next weekend with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, where one of McLaren or Ferrari will celebrate winning the constructors' championship.

⛳️ American Ryggs Johnston defied jetlag and wild weather to clinch the Australian Open title by three shots at Melbourne's Kingston Heath Golf Course on Sunday evening.

Johnston's world ranking of 953rd is set to plummet after the 24-year-old topped the field with a final score of –18.

Local hopes Curtis Luck (-15), Marc Leishman (-14) and Jasper Stubbs (-14) rounded out the podium.

Former world No.1 Jiyai Shin hit an incredible shot from the crowd on her way to securing her second Australian Open crown.

🏀 The Atlanta Hawks edged the undermanned Charlotte Hornets 107-104 despite a season-high 17 points from Josh Green in a showdown with fellow Aussie Dyson Daniels.

🏀 Stephen Curry said the tendinitis in both of his knees is something he hasn't dealt with before, but that he and the Golden State Warriors are getting ahead of it to try to make sure it doesn't become a "nagging" issue.

After missing one game due to the bilateral knee pain, Curry returned and scored 23 points in 32 minutes but couldn't keep the Warriors from dropping their fourth straight contest with a 113-105 loss to the Phoenix Suns at Footprint Center on Saturday.

🏀 Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball will miss at least the next two weeks with a left calf strain, the team announced Saturday.

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TODAY 

05:00 - NFL - New York Jets v Seattle Seahawks - ESPN 2

05:00 - NFL - Minnesota Vikings v Arizona Cardinals - 7mate

05:00 - NFL - Cincinnati Bengals v Pittsburgh Steelers - ESPN

08:00 - Men's NCAA - UAB Blazers v Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders - ESPN 2

08:05 - NFL - New Orleans Saints v Los Angeles Rams - 7mate

08:25 - NFL - Baltimore Ravens v Philadelphia Eagles - ESPN

10:00 - Global Super League - Guyana Amazon Warriors v Hampshire Hawks - Fox Sports

11:00 - NBA - Houston Rockets v Oklahoma City Thunder - ESPN 2

12:20 - NFL - Buffalo Bills v San Francisco 49ers - ESPN

TUESDAY

12:00 - NBA - Minnesota Timberwolves v Los Angeles Lakers - ESPN 2

12:15 - NFL - Denver Broncos v Cleveland Browns - ESPN

14:05 - AUS One-Day Cup - Tasmania Tigers Men v Queensland Bulls - Fox Cricket

21:00 - AFC Champions League - Pohang Steelers v Vissel Kobe - Paramount+