🗞 The only way is up, baby!

AUSSIE SPORTS
Tough Draw

⚽️ Australia faces a challenging path in the next stage of 2026 World Cup qualifying, drawn into a tough group alongside Japan and Saudi Arabia. To secure a spot in the USA, Canada, and Mexico tournament, the Socceroos must finish above at least one of these teams.

This scenario echoes the 2022 qualifying campaign, where Australia placed third in a similar group and had to navigate through an inter-confederation playoff, ultimately decided by a penalty shootout.

Additionally, Graham Arnold's squad will contend with Bahrain, China, and Indonesia, the lower-seeded nations in the AFC's third round of qualifying.

🏉 New Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt admitted he feels "underprepared" with no clear lineup or captain just nine days before their clash with Wales. Following a four-day camp in Brisbane, Schmidt is assessing 38 players to form his first team.

“… I’m happy to be nervous because it just encourages me to work a bit harder and engage a bit quicker and a bit more often with the players so that we can try to be on the same page.”

Despite feeling daunted by the task, Schmidt remains optimistic about the squad's potential. He plans to select his captain after finalising the team and expects some experimentation in the upcoming matches.

The only way is up for the Wallabies, following a disastrous run under Eddie Jones.

💰 Impoverished Olympians and Paralympians will have their campaigns fast-tracked, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese set to announce a record quarter-of-a-billion-dollar funding boost.

Australia’s contingent for the Paris Olympics is expected to be near the 500-strong yet again.

Here’s a complete list of all the athletes that have qualified (Olympics.com)

🏀 The WNBL is officially changing hands, after being acquired by The Wollemi Capital Group Syndicate (WCGS) and the NBL. 

While Basketball Australia has previously held ownership of the league, as of 2025 the ownership will change hands, bringing it in line with the NBL as Australian basketball continues to grow.

NRL NEWS
History Made

🙋🏼‍♀️ History was made as the Maroons clinched the inaugural Women's Origin three-game series with a commanding 22-6 victory over the Sky Blues on Thursday night.

After a tough start and a dramatic Game Two, where a clutch field goal by Lauren Brown kept their hopes alive, Queensland delivered a dominant performance in front of 22,819 fans at Queensland Country Bank Stadium to secure state bragging rights.

Evania Pelite was all smiles post-match after being crowned Player of the Match. The centre finished the match with a try, 10 runs and 135 metres gained.

"I'm so proud of the girls. We didn't play our best in game one and fought through in game two. But we've come out [tonight] and showed everyone what we're all about," Pelite told Nine post-match.

🏉 Blues winger Zac Lomax has revealed how he had fluid drained from his knee on the eve of a starring performance (18 points) at the MCG he described as the highlight of his career so far.

“It’s just an inflamed bursa, it just swelled up. There is a bit of a hematoma there and it swelled up, so I got it drained,” Lomax said.

After performing media interviews in the NSW dressing room with ice on the injury, Lomax hobbled into the medical room in obvious discomfort to seek treatment from Blues doctor Nathan Gibbs.

📄 NRL TEAMS: The Broncos' are set to head to New Zealand without any of their three Origin representatives - Reece Walsh, Pat Carrigan and Payne Haas. (NRL.com)

Bulldogs: Skipper Stephen Crichton remained in the squad when it was cut to 19 and is a chance of backing up from Origin II.

Eels: Mitch Moses has been named to back-up after starring in Origin II and is expected to play, while Maika Sivo is also set to return.

Storm: Ryan Papenhuyzen is in doubt with a foot injury after making his return from injury last week.

AFL NEWS
Super Tall

📄 TEAMS: Pies load up, Dogs go big, Crow returns: The teams are in for round 16's Friday and Saturday matches, plus squads for Sunday. (AFL.com)

Collingwood: Jordan De Goey, Scott Pendlebury and Brody Mihocek all back from injury.

Adelaide: Taylor Walker and Reilly O'Brien have been recalled for Adelaide

Western Bulldogs: will go super tall against North Melbourne with Aaron Naughton and Sam Darcy both selected.

Brisbane: Coach Chris Fagan has confirmed Will Ashcroft will return at AFL level on Friday night. Fagan has been sidelined fro 12 months following knee reconstruction.

🤕 George Wardlaw, the current frontrunner for the Rising Star award after recent suspensions affected other contenders, has entered concussion protocols. Wardlaw was Initially evaluated for a shoulder injury after training, later identified symptoms related to a head knock during the same incident.

As a result, he will be unavailable for Saturday’s game against the Bulldogs and the Roos' round 17 fixture against Gold Coast.

WORLD NEWS
It’s Furphy Time

🏏 T20 World Cup: South Africa ended their run of semi-final heartache by thrashing Afghanistan to reach their first men's T20 World Cup final.

The Proteas, who had failed to progress from all seven of their previous World Cup semi-finals across formats, dismissed Afghanistan for 56 in 11.5 overs on a difficult pitch on their way to a nine-wicket win in Trinidad.

Looking to join SA in the final, England are currently chasing India’s 171-7 in the second semi-final, which was impacted by some adverse weather.

📺 Here's England bowler Ollie Robinson being smashed for a record 43 runs off a single over in the County Championship. (Twitter)

🏀 icymi: The Atlanta Hawks selected teenage French forward Zaccharie Risacher with the first overall pick of the NBA draft.

It is the second year running that a French player has been chosen first.

Last year there was little doubt Victor Wembanyama would be the number one pick, whereas this year Risacher and fellow Frenchman Alexandre Sarr have frequently traded places atop mock drafts over the past month.

Risacher, 19, is 6ft 9in and weighed in at 195 pounds at the draft combine in May, having most recently played in the French top flight for JL Bourg-en-Bresse.

"[It's] so exciting," he told ESPN. "There's a lot of feelings and emotions right now. I don't know what to say, I'm so blessed."

🏀 The second round of the 2024 NBA Draft got underway at 6am AEST this morning and all eyes are on when Australian prospect Johnny Furphy has his name called.

ESPN ranked Furphy as its 18th overall ranked player in this year’s class but he isn’t expected to have to wait much longer in the second round, with the 19-year-old expected to be taken early. 

Toronto, Utah and Milwaukee are the first three teams on the board and there is also the possibility another team could trade up to take Furphy, surprised that he is still available given the Kansas wing was projected as a mid-to-late first-round pick.

Elsewhere, later in the draft attention will turn to whether LeBron James’ son Bronny is drafted, with the Lakers selecting at 55th overall.

🏉 Former Australia and Argentina boss Michael Cheika has been announced as the new Leicester Tigers head coach.

The 57-year-old succeeds fellow Australian Dan McKellar at the Premiership side, with the former ACT Brumbies boss leaving by mutual consent last week.

🚴🏻‍♂️ Red Bull has officially announced its partnership with the Bora-Hansgrohe team before the Tour de France, which starts this Saturday.

They will now be known as Red Bull Bora-Hansgrohe and aim to win the Tour with Slovenia's Primoz Roglic at the forefront.

"Today we open a new chapter in our team's history," said the team's CEO Ralph Denk.

Budgets of teams are notoriously hard to estimate in cycling, but the introduction of Red Bull is expected to allow the German-registered World Tour team to eventually compete with road cycling's 'big three' - Ineos Grenadiers, UAE Team Emirates and Visma-Lease a Bike.

🥇 Elaine Thompson-Herah, the two-time Olympic champion in the 100m and 200m, will miss the Paris Olympics with an Achilles injury.

🎾 Jeļena Ostapenko hitting perhaps the worst double fault of all time It didn’t even make it into the wrong service box

🏎️ After months of speculation over his future,  Max Verstappen has confirmed he will remain at Red Bull in 2025, ruling out a switch to rivals Mercedes.

Verstappen has a contract with the team until 2028 but has consistently been linked this year with a move to Mercedes.

The rumours were forged amid tensions at Red Bull earlier this season that stemmed from an investigation into team principal Christian Horner over allegations of inappropriate behaviour.

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff did nothing to disguise his interest in Verstappen as his team assessed its options to replace Lewis Hamilton, who will leave Mercedes for Ferrari at the end of this season.

SHARE SPORT JOURNAL

The best thing you can do to help us grow, is share Sport Journal with your friends & colleagues, even that bloke at the pub…

📲 Share it with the group chat via WhatsApp HERE

🧑🏻‍💻 Share the link with a friend to sign up HERE