🗞 Nothing but Net

AUSSIE SPORTS
Whole Lotta Trouble

🏏 Former prodigy cricketer Will Pucovski’s career has reportedly come to an unfortunate early end for medical reasons.

Nine’s Tom Morris reported the 26-year-old will retire due to a recommendation from a panel of medical experts.

Pucovski has suffered a series of head injuries with the latest concussion he suffered in March proving the final straw.

🥊 Michael Zerafa’s brother has been be banned from the national boxing scene for life after delivering a “dog shot” to popular Australian trainer Tommy Mercuri in the ring.

Already dubbed the bad boy of Australian boxing, Zerafa and his team are set to come under scrutiny from both the NSW Combat Authority and Australian promoters No Limit today after chaotic scenes inside the ICC Theatre on Wednesday night.

The fight was waved off after just a round, with Browne tearing his bicep tendon from the bone.

🥇 Remember the name Delta Amidzovski (18), from New South Wales claimed gold in the long jump at the Under-20s World Athletics Championships in Lima Peru.

🚴🏻‍♂️ Australian Ben O’Connor maintained his three minutes and 16 seconds lead over Primoz Roglic in the general classification of the Vuelta a Espana.

Pablo Castrillo claimed the biggest win of his career with a brilliant summit finish to beat Britain's Max Poole on stage 12.

🏎️ Jack Doohan says he wants to use his final months as Alpine’s reserve drive to wrap the team around him and adapt the car to his driving style to ensure he can hit the ground running in 2025.

Doohan was confirmed as Australia’s next Formula 1 driver last week, with Alpine announcing he will partner incumbent Pierre Gasly at Enstone in 2025.

🏏 The complete list of nominations for the Big Bash overseas player draft has been revealed, with 432 men and 161 women from 30 nations throwing their hat in the ring for this summer’s tournament. (complete list)

The Draft takes place this Sunday.

🎾 US OPEN TENNIS

Aussies are two from three so far today, with Chris O’Connell matching his career-best Grand Slam result, advancing to the third round at a major tournament for the third time in his career.

His reward is a third-round showdown with another Italian, world No.1 and reigning Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner.

While Jordan Thompson recorded the biggest win of his Grand Slam career.

The 30-year-old from Sydney upset world No.7 Hubert Hurkacz, running out a 7-6(2) 6-1 7-5 victor against the big-serving Pole.

RESULTS
Men’s singles, second round
Jordan Thompson (AUS) d [7] Hubert Hurkacz (POL) 7-6(2) 6-1 7-5
Chris O’Connell (AUS) d [Q] Mattia Bellucci (ITA) 6-3 6-4 3-6 6-3Nuno Borges (POR) d Thanasi Kokkinakis (AUS) 6-4 7-5 7-5

COMING UP
Men’s singles, second round
[10] Alex de Minaur (AUS) v [Q] Otto Virtanen (FIN)
Max Purcell (AUS) v [14] Tommy Paul (USA)
[WC] Tristan Schoolkate (AUS) v Jakub Mensik (CZE)

Men’s singles, third round
[28] Alexei Popyrin (AUS) v [2] Novak Djokovic (SRB)

PARALYMPICS
First of Many

🥇 Thomas Gallagher claimed Australia's first gold medal of the 2024 Paris Paralympics.

Gallagher was the fastest qualifier and rose in the final 20 metres to claim gold.

🥉 Fellow Aussie and defending champion Rowan Crothers added to Australia's tally, winning a bronze medal.

🥉 Brenden Hall is now a three-time medallist in the men's 400m freestyle S9, you could not script a better ending for the five-time Paralympian's career.

Hall qualified second fastest for the men's 400m freestyle S9 final but touched the wall in the bronze medal position.

🥈 Lakeisha 'Lucky' Patterson was edged out for gold in the women's 400m freestyle S9 final by Hungarian Zsofia Konkoly.

Patterson dominated the opening half of the race, shooting out to a decent lead before she was slowly reeled in by Konkoly. In a sprint to the line, Patterson was pipped by a margin of 0.36.

NRL NEWS
Balmain Breakaway?

📄 The Cowboys have beat a Storm side without 11 regulars but the hosts were made to work for the 38-30 victory in Townsville. 

It was hardly a performance that will fill North Queensland coach Todd Pyten with confidence on the eve of finals, but they got the job done. 

The win puts the Cowboys in the box seat to host a final and that will be confirmed if the Sea Eagles lose to the Bulldogs on Friday night. 

Melbourne were impressive considering the numbers of stars coach Craig Bellamy rested and then losing Ryan Papenhuyzen (cork) and Marion Seve (syndesmosis) in the opening 15 minutes. 

💰 icymi: Latrell Mitchell has received a one-game suspension and fined $20,000 over a leaked photo of the Rabbitohs star leaning over a white substance.

🐯 The Balmain board is plotting a shock break from the Western Suburbs that would end the Wests Tigers’ time in the NRL and see both sides of the joint venture battling to stay in rugby league’s top grade.

The NRL’s licensing agreement with its 17 clubs ends in the next four months and Balmain powerbrokers see it as the perfect time to break away from the Western Suburbs.

The hinge is that Balmain Tigers, who own 10 percent of the Wests Tigers joint venture, would refuse to stay combined with the Wests Magpies, who own 30 percent of the Holman Barnes Group. The HBG (originally Western Suburbs Leagues Club Limited) owns 90 percent of the NRL organisation currently playing in the league.

A vote is expected to be held imminently for all Balmain board members to cast ballots.

AFL NEWS
Hawthorn Win Battle

✍🏼 icymi: Josh Battle has chosen to leave St Kilda and join Hawthorn as an unrestricted free agent.

The Saints defender confirmed the move on Thursday afternoon and is expected to sign a six-year deal with the Hawks.

🏅 Marcus Bontempelli’s already colossal standing in the game has been strengthened, named All-Australian captain for the first time to cap off a remarkable AFL Awards haul for the Bulldogs superstar.

The 27-year-old on Thursday night was named in the centre of the 2024 All-Australian team – his sixth selection across his decorated career – before he was announced as skipper of a 22-man side that featured seven debutants.

It comes after Bontempelli, who also claimed the AFLPA MVP and AFLPA Best Captain awards earlier in the night, was named vice-captain of the 2021 and 2023 All-Australian teams.

ALL-AUSTRALIAN 2024 TEAM

• B: Nick Blakey (Sydney Swans), Jacob Weitering (Carlton), Luke Ryan (Fremantle)

• HB: Dayne Zorko (Brisbane Lions), Jeremy McGovern (West Coast Eagles), Dan Houston (Port Adelaide)

• C: Errol Gulden (Sydney Swans), Marcus Bontempelli (Western Bulldogs), Nick Daicos (Collingwood)

• HF: Chad Warner (Sydney Swans), Jeremy Cameron (Geelong Cats), Isaac Heeney (Sydney Swans)

• F: Jake Waterman (West Coast Eagles), Jesse Hogan (GWS Giants), Dylan Moore (Hawthorn)

• FOLL: Max Gawn (Melbourne), Patrick Cripps (Carlton), Caleb Serong (Fremantle)

• I/C: Lachie Whitfield (GWS Giants), Lachie Neale (Brisbane Lions), Adam Treloar (Western Bulldogs), Zak Butters (Port Adelaide)

🏅 The rapid rise of humble Cat Ollie Dempsey has been rewarded, crowned the 2024 Rising Star award as part of the AFL awards night.

Dempsey polled 52 votes to pip North Melbourne’s George Wardlaw (43 votes) and become just the second Geelong player after four-time premiership star Joel Selwood (2007) to win the Rising Star award.

WORLD NEWS
Warrior for Life

🏀 Having spent his entire illustrious NBA career with the Golden State Warriors, Stephen Curry is set to stay with the franchise.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski from ESPN, Curry has agreed to a one-year US$62.6 million extension.

Coupled with the current deal, Curry is set to stay with the Warriors until the conclusion of the NBA 2026-27 season.

Curry is the franchise's all-time leading scorer (23,668) and the NBA's all-time leader in three-pointers made (3,747).

⚽️ Liverpool will face Champions League holders Real Madrid on their return to the competition following the draw for the new-look format.

Manchester City and Arsenal both play Paris St-Germain in their fixtures, while Aston Villa take on Scottish champions Celtic.

Each team plays eight fixtures in the 'league phase', with this year's men's tournament seeing a radical change, including the end of a group stage.

The high-tech draw took place in Monaco on Thursday, with Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo pressing the all-important button to make a computer algorithm determine the fixtures. (Full Draw)

🏏 Joe Root’s record-equalling 33rd century ensured England did not waste the chance to bat first on the opening day of the second Test against Sri Lanka at Lord’s.

Root’s 143 took him level with Sir Alastair Cook for the most Test centuries for England and was the bedrock of the hosts’ 358-7.

⚽️ Napoli have signed Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku from Chelsea in a AU$60m deal, which could open the door for Victor Osimhen, 25 to go the other way.

⚽️ Liverpool have signed Juventus winger Federico Chiesa for AU$20m, just 18 months after Juventus bought him for AU$74m.

🏈 Louis Rees-Zammit has been added to the Jacksonville Jaguars' practice squad following his pre-season training camp with the Kansas City Chiefs.

The former Wales rugby union star missed out on the Chiefs' 53-man NFL roster and was expected to continue his contract on their practice squad.

Rees-Zammit will instead join the Jaguars' practice squad - where he has been listed as a wide receiver - after they opted to sign the 23-year-old once the waiver deadline had passed.

⛹🏻‍♀️ Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark continued her sublime debut WNBA campaign by breaking another rookie record against the Connecticut Sun.

Clark's haul (19) included her 86th three-pointer of her opening season in the WNBA, helping her to break a rookie record set by Rhyne Howard at the Atlanta Dream in 2022.

🏎️ Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff says he has an "open communication channel" with Max Verstappen regarding a potential future with the team.

Wolff has abandoned hopes of signing the Red Bull driver for next season, and Mercedes are expected to confirm soon that Italian Andrea Kimi Antonelli will race next season alongside George Russell.

But in an interview, Wolff said he had talks this year with Verstappen and his management about a move for next season.

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