The Wrap - The Final Countdown

1. AFL - Finals. The pick of the finals football in either code was the Hawthorn v Brisbane clash. Such a tremendous contest with scintillating play and a comeback by the Hawks that was highly entertaining. The Wizard, Nick Watson, is an incredible player. Such speed. A see sawing affair and now we have a Brisbane v Fremantle Grand Final. Fourth successive Grand Final for Brisbane! Lachie Neale has had an "annus horribilis" with the publicised split from his wife and now a suspension for a 'gut punch' and set to miss his last game for the club...the GF! It was a gutless dog punch from behind. He also carried on after a legitimate clash at the kick off too. He needs to get a grip and show greater self discipline on a number of fronts.

The 11th year of no Grand Finals descends onto Hawthorn. There are a few clubs in that box with the domination of Brisbane who look rock solid for their third straight premiership. They smashed Sydney (2024) by 60 and Geelong (2025) by 50. Freo will be nervous, with or without Neale.

2. AFL - Swans. Sadly, the Swans were terrible when it mattered. Very good early, but ran out of tickets. Fitness seemed to be an issue this year. It would be good to see the head coach looking fitter in the off season as well. You can say players were out and it was a 'courageous loss', but the facts remain. The team was up by 30 on the stroke of three quarter time and they got steamrolled. No surprise after doing this v Freo earlier in the season. 

The Swans have been telling us a lot of fibs about the 'no dickhead policy' and war wounds that have healed, about three Grand Finals they are over, etc... in the end they choked here and have a bad rep around this stuff. They need some real soul searching and they need to recruit some hard heads. A top year ending in ashes when a victory was in reach.

The tactics in the final quarter were awful. They needed the ball in hand and more kicks - and more defensive marks, not just punch outs.

3. NRL. The Roosters got out of the blocks early, but the Sharks were strong in response early, before getting smashed. No Nicho disrupted their rhythm, but the Sharks' defence was weak at times almost giving up 50 points. They never really looked like scoring tries. The Roosters made a fair few errors, but they were classy when it mattered. A Roosters v Dolphins game will be interesting. So much more testing. The Roosters have a team of class players. Robert Toia is something else. What a player!

The Sharks seem to get to the same stage every year...bridesmaids. They need to re-imagine their roster. Nawaquanitawase is a complete entertainment package. What an impact player. He brings people to the game. The big question is whether they need Sam Walker at all. The Roosters were dominant.

Looking forward to seeing the Bears in 2027. They could be worse than any other start up since the South Queensland Crushers. Sean Russell and Nick Meaney in the centres could bring opponents a lot of points.

The Knights started solidly, but the Warriors stumbled into half time after early domination in front of 50,000 fans! What a year for Newcastle. No Dylan Brown or Trey Mooney, Saifiti, et al. Justin Holbrook has been the best coach in 2026, after the wooden spoon under Adam O'Brien last year.

Bradman Best is a big game player. So balanced as a runner. Fletcher Sharpe is a future origin player. Superb footwork and tough under pressure. Sandon Smith has been immense as well.

So Knights v Panthers and Roosters v Dolphins in the Preliminary Finals. What an upset! Warriors out in straight sets!

4. Cricket. A huge series win against the might of Zimbabwe this weekend. Renshaw, Connolly and 'Chop on' Head all amongst the runs. Young Oliver Peake has done well. It is hardly mesmerising stuff, but we still gave up a lot of runs with our bowlers.  Let's see how this batting line up handles their pace. Our bowling is not up to it...Stanlake, Ellis, Bartlett, Connolly, Renshaw... South Africa may think we are bowling tennis balls. South Africa will smash us if we are not careful.

5. EPL. Already Man City's Haaland is leading the goal scorers. What a player! Arsenal look invincible, but they can find a way to lose it! Their 3-0 loss to Brighton was catastrophic really. Well done to the Seagulls who found the chips this weekend.

Tottenham. In four games they couldn't score a goal, but now they can't score a winning goal losing again 2-3 to Villa. Coventry City got their first win v Notts Forest and Tottenham are second last. They narrowly avoided relegation last year but have spent $300 million since on players. Hull went down but are mixing it well with the big boys.

6. US Open Tennis. Zverev did the business and earned his second Grand Slam title. (French and US Open wins). A phenomenal match ousted the returning Alcaraz earlier, but Zverev is too consistent these days. A healthy $5.5m winning pay day!

7. Davis Cup. Australia v Poland. De Minaur won the first tie and then James Duckworth (is he our second best mans singles player?) lost the second one for 1-1. The doubles victory positioned us well for the tie victory. De Minaur iced it with a reverse singles win. He was the star! No shouting that you beat Poland in tennis, but they are better than we all think.

8. NASCAR. Shane van Gisbergen. Two NASCAR wins this season. A remarkable story and talent. He is currently in 17th spot with the . In 2025, he came 12th with 5 wins. He is a serious chance and a formidable opponent.

9. MLB. In the American League Central, the Cleveland Guardians are ahead looking for a play off position to win their division. Travis Bazzana has hit four home runs this week and 15 in his 116 games at an average of .250. An incredible story in his rookie season.

10. NBL. The 2026 competition has started...just in case you were wondering.

The Wrap - The Pythagoras Momentum Tracker

1. NRL. The win by Newcastle was superb v the Rabbits. Kaylan Ponga is electric. A super player and an even more special part was the absence of the Dylans Lucas and Brown. Such a tough win. An incredible season by their coach Justin Holbrook. Maybe the Titans should have had a little more patience with him. Souths on the other hand were ordinary. SO many excellent players all under their sombrero of their salary cap. Yet, they can't seem to dominate. Time for roster changes. Cody Walker needs to retire.

The Dolphins were outstanding against the Warriors in their shock win. The Warriors have not been very impressive in recent weeks. Herbie Farnworth is possibly one of the most exciting players in the NRL. He is such a talent and is worth $1.2 million a season at least. He is a matchwinner. The Dolphins have done what Wayne Bennett could not do = they are into the preliminary final.

The Panthers v Roosters.. Mark Nawanqanitawase is a match winner. What a supreme talent. That intercept and so many other things he has done in the NRL has set a new standard of ball playing and ball handling excellence. Liam Martin is a niggler, but Nathan is too good...ten minute sin bin on top of everything too! To think Blaize did the last big tackle to cause the error at the end...incredible after so many defensive flaws. He may have played his best ever game for the Panthers.

The Sharks v Cowboys, while entertaining, will not provide the winner of the competition. The Sharks play the Roosters and will be steam rolled. In the other game the Warriors play Newcastle next week. The Knights could surprise.

Crowds at the NRL semi finals were pretty ordinary to be honest. They have never attracted many over the years. Greedy administrators taking over grounds for finals and milking the fans. Buy a Fox subscription.

2. NRL Requests. Two huge requests for season 2027: Is Pythagoras available?

• Get rid of the VB Hard Earned Index. What else is that than a sly advertisement? Is there any logic/ formula or understanding from anyone? Joke.
• Get rid of the Red Bull Momentum Tracker. What the hell is this? More advertising.

Instead. what about some genuine stats that roll up on the screen? The 'VB Metre Eater' or the Red Bull 'Tackle Busts/ Post Contact Metres/ Line Breaks/ Offloads'... please...and Blocker to finally retire from commentary.

Also:

• Looks like Parramatta are half a chance to sign Joey Manu for six months which is available before he joins the PNG Chiefs!
• St George got the wooden spoon in 2026 for both the men and womens' teams. Ouch!

3. Semi Final Hot Heads. Latrell Mitchell, Dane Gagai, Reed Mahoney, Ronaldo Mulitalo, Selwyn Cobbo, Kurt Capewell, Liam Martin, Spencer Leniu... The best players don't get involved in this nonsense. They are calm and composed and do pain well!

4. AFL. The win by Fremantle over Geelong was dominant in the end. They quivered, but held it together late to win. Geelong meanwhile are over rated and are a team of stars, but not cohesive. Coach Scott better produce soon, or he will be gone with their open cheque book approach...missed out on Zac Butters and now look to sign up Toby Greene from GWS.

Terrific to see Zac Butters go to the Western Bulldogs. This will even things out further and position the Dogs for a repeat of their glory days a few years ago now.

Brisbane are off to play the Hawks after smashing Adelaide and Sydney play Fremantle in the Preliminary finals.

5. NFL. Opening weekend at the MCG - Rams v 49ers. The Rams were a rabble. Mocking a sleep gesture, they then confirmed they were not ready. In the NFL, you can ill afford to drop games. It is a bad start. Speaking of which, the Patriots were dreadful too. Jarryd Hayne getting on social media as an ex-player...um... not quite.

6. EPL. Coventry City and Fulham after three rounds already look specials to be relegated. Incredible to say that so early, but not a point for either team yet. Hull City on 8 points (third place) are motoring and held Chelsea 2-2 this weekend. The Man City v ManU contest is on tonight!

7. Pakistan Cricket. What a schemozzle. Crazy administrators, corruption, collapses like no other and dramatic personnel sackings. Seven players sacked after a crushing loss in England and what do you know...a second crushing loss as well! They lost the current Test series 3-0. With 130 to get, they had them 2-30 and bowl Joe Root (23) for a potential win...but it was a no ball! Terrible but it sums it all up. Didn't get another wicket!

Root and Cox batting together was an interesting batting combination of surnames.

8. US Open Tennis. Zverev is getting the better of everyone while injuries about. He won the French and looks a special to knock over Shelton and win the US Open. A bit of an upset in the womens final. Rybakina has won her third Grand Slam (just the French to add to a career slam) over Sabalenka.

9. Josh Addo-Carr.. Josh simply doesn't get it. He has been here before at the Bulldogs with cocaine and made a goose of himself then making up and denying stories. This time he should be sacked. He is fading fast and simply not big enough for the modern game. On the Parramatta social media accounts, he clowns around, goofs about and is quite unprofessional...and so it is played out with him in society, driving with drugs in his system. He needs to stop driving his car, but his surname demands it. Time for a new start, a new career and sadly, a new attitude.

At least Josh has made the greatest NRL novelty team of all time...Bumped into Glen Nissen in Port Stephens two weeks ago at work. He said he was disappointed he was not captain!

The Automotive and Transportation XIII

1. Paul Carige

2. Semi Radradra

3. Ross Windshuttle
4. Herbie Farnworth

5. Josh Addo-Carr

6. Rocky Laurie

7. Tim Pickup

8. Des Morris

9. David Hatch

10. Blake Lawrie

11. Paul Gallen (c)

12. Daniel Wagon

13. Jackson Ford

14. Col Bentley

15. Glenn Nissen (v/c)

16. Peter Ford 

17. Mark Laurie

10. F1 - Piastri. In seventh place now in the Drivers Championship and limping. Sadly Lando Norris is doing a lot better for McLaren piling on the pressure on Oscar's future. 150 points behind the young gun - Kimi Antonelli, who looks a clear 2026 winner.

The Wrap - Swan Songs

1. AFL. Sydney were immense against Brisbane. Freed of the burden of egos seemingly, a number of players have rallied and been unshackled. As predicted, it is the making of the team who now look at a week off (could be helpful for the injured Callum Mills) and a Preliminary Final at home. Their record at the SCG in 2026 of 11 wins from 12 games is incredible.

Papley, Curnow, Campbell, Gulden and McDonald were immense. Chris Fagan the Brisbane Lions coach said it best: never under estimate the human spirit! He was gracious and insightful. No wonder he has won so many competitions!

The resetting of the Swans without egos is made the difference.

The minor premiers, Fremantle were terrible... at home and lost soundly to the methodical Hawthorn team. Hawthorn could go deep this year, but Freo will have memories of Adelaide's losses last year as minor premiers and going out in straight sets. The rain didn't help, but it was there for both teams to enjoy!

Geelong belted Carlton, ending their dream run. A shame, but Geelong recruit every decent player and should have won more comps in recent seasons.

2. NRL. Ronaldo Mulitalo is a liability for the Sharks. Argumentative and ill disciplined and needs to be cut. Spencer Leniu is similar, but worse. So destructive, but so loose. The Sharks look cooked, especially with no local home ground final.

Interesting to see the Roosters and Cowboys lose by 50 on the weekend. That makes a few clubs in the 2026 semi finals who have given up 50 points in 2026. Roosters (1), Cowboys (2) and Dolphins (2). Can any of them win the comp? History says you cannot.

• The Fins looked great this week when they are full strength.
• 100 games for Jai Arrow and young Tyran Wishart, who is off to the Perth Bears. The win by Melbourne in the last seconds was outstanding!
• The Warriors have been sliding each week and sneaking through for victories. Good on them, but hardly compelling form for the semi finals. The Fins are a big chance.
• Parramatta could only lose, like they do... Up by 12 and a loss! Typical and end in 13th place. St George are filled with promise, but will need to savour the off season from a wooden spoon.
• Penrith were deserved minor premiers (fourth in seven years and sixth Grand Final in seven years looms. They have two minor premierships and two competition wins - and two competition wins when they were not minor premiers). They look on song. Yeo is incredible. What a comeback! Brian To'o demonstrated great pace and strength showing he is back to his best. When you look at Casey McLean they are potent! The Tigers and their womens' team were both thumped.
• The JJ Giltinan Shield, the Shute Shield and the Sheffield Shield are all of that old 'shield' era and all three have lost their gloss.

3. PGA Golf - Tour Players Championship. Scottie Scheffler is incredible. Wins easily in the end last week and takes $10M prizemoney to now become the highest ever winner of golf monies in history!

4. US Open Tennis. Alex di Minaur was unceremoniously dumped out of the tournament on his ear. He has struggled to crack the quarter finals, but even the great Novak lost under pressure in the first round.

The mouthy Nick Kygrios has also been banned and exonerated all at once. Cocaine consumption that sadly no one was really surprised about. 

In Sinner's absence, Alcaraz looks a really strong chance to win the US Open. Zverev survives and Medvedev won't be far away. Early days still as the Round of 16 nears.

Alcaraz stands to hit eight Grand Slam wins with a victory. He will join Lendl, Rosewall, Connors and Agassi with a win. One of the greats already and has only just turned twenty three.

5. Wallabies v Argentina. A tame draw splits the series, but a huge test awaits. The brilliant Springboks v New Zealand All Blacks series was locked at 1-1 and it was the Boks who triumphed, with a game to follow. High quality and so far ahead of us it is unbelievable. We are in for a shock.

6. EPL. Man City, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool are all undefeated and leading the pack. The excitement of the EPL is incredible win, lose or draw. Arsenal v Chelsea tonight will be pivotal to the season's final standings. Hull have two wins and a draw and are on 7 points. 35 points keeps you safe from relegation most seasons.

7. Cricket - Australia in South Africa. Starts on 24 September, but the Australian A team to travel to India has been announced. Interesting to see the selectors' thinking for the future. Still massive concerns over our batting when Kurtis Patterson is thought of as Marnus' replacement. He does not have the footwork on those fast decks (not being in either squad tells you he is front of the Test selectors' minds):

8. F1 - Piastri. A grid penalty and with it goes all hope sadly. He sits in seventh spot in the entire championship and needs some sort of luck again in the Italian Grand Prix.

9. Diamond League - Mens. Cameron Myers had a slashing victory in the Mens 1500m final in Brussels this weekend against some Olympic standards opponents. He broke the national record in June and looms as a sensation in Australian athletics, if not already there!

The Wrap - Wildcard Wonder

1. AFL. The Wildcard Weekend has been a huge success. Massive crowds and it has breathed life into the usual boring bottom team semi finals and the silly AFL week off. It is one the NRL should have moved more quickly on. Both wildcards had one of Carlton and Collingwood who are huge draw cards! 

Western Bulldogs squeaked past Collingwood who know how to lose a close one. This time it was 96-93.

Carlton (10th place) scored a cracking win v Melbourne (12 wins in their last 14 games!). They move to a semi final game v Geelong and could seriously beat them too.

2. NRL. Some much greater intensity on this weekend just gone by. Penrith really knuckled down for the win v Bulldogs. Liam Martin really steps up in these moments. For all Tom Jenkins' tries, Alex Johnston sits on top with 29 tries. Incredible. He now has 239 tries (Ken Irvine has 212)!

The Dolphins may have actually stamped themselves as the real deal (despite losing by 50 points this year already)- and have put the silly Wayne Bennett curse story to rest as well. A terrific win and an unexpected one v the Roosters. The Cowboys had it all on the line, but could not do it at home and all. The Broncos have become a complete misery too.

The Roosters Hugo Savala looks likely to return to half back to replace the injured Sam Walker. The Roosters seem to get a lot of injuries at semi final time...or maybe every good team gets injuries near semi finals. It doesn't matter for the poor teams.

The work of Parramatta v Cronulla was surprising. Parramatta tried hard to lose it. They can only play for 60 minutes with a complete lack of fitness and concentration. Apa Twidle is a great signing for the Bears, but a young guy who needs patience - and who needs to stop falling to the ground when catching bombs. Penisini has improved his intent and Ronald Volkman is taking on the line with speed and a handy step (although he misses too many tackles - he is tenth worst in the NRL which also has da Silva fourth worst in 2026...but Tallyn can score tries!). Losing five games by less than 10 points this season would have had them up there with a few of them turning their way.

How big is Ryda Talagi? He certainly ate more than Blaize at dinner time, but is equally as lazy in defence.

3. Jye Arrow. How wonderful to see him chalk up the 99th and 100th this week. What a hideous disease and rapid deterioration. A great gesture, showing there is some compassion in the game. It seemed to help Cody Walker relax and not play too intensely.

4. PGA Tournament Championship in Atlanta. Min Woo was on fire early and then turned to ash in the second round. Bounced back on moving day, but has it ahead of him. All the stars are out.in force with a $10M winning purse keeping everyone interested. Viktor Hovland (-15) has it to lose with so much low scoring on this course. 

Scottie Scheffler sits at 12 under on the run home... ominous with his form this season.  Along side of him on -12 is Adam Scott who won the tournament 20 years ago! Staggering longevity.

5. Cricket. Pakistan are struggling on the seaming English pitches like Lords, being rolled quickly by the English bowlers. Robinson, Archer, Tongue have seized the chance to impress. Luckily rain delayed the miserable end. Pakistan are hard to watch.

6. EPL. Haaland has continued his incredible goal scoring feats, hitting a brace v Crystal Palace. The demise of Tottenham continues, despite the large purchases. They are already getting desperate. They and Notts Forrest need to go. Hull City start with two wins and 6 points. They need 35 points to avoid relegation. 

7. Wallabies v Argentina. The Les Kiss Rhyming Slang era continues unabated. The first time we have won four Tests in a row since 2021! He has had the best starting draw, but they look like they are more settled, playing better more consistent patterns. The Springboks and All Blacks will test that. What a sensational series there! 

8. US Open Tennis. No Sinner, but Alcaraz returns when things kick off this week. Lots of player whinging re fitness and injuries on the ATP circuit, but no complaints about the prize money! Djokovic could just be a sneaky chance!

The Wrap - Starcus

1. Test Cricket. With no thanks to our batsmen, an equalising Test victory inside two days v the Bangladesh team. A seaming deck and a convincing win. Mitchell Starc was U/10s -like. 6/12 and 4/39 for a match figures of 10/51. Awesome. He leaps into the top ten bowlers ever, going ahead of Kapil Dev (434) and Dale Steyn (439) onto 445. He is now 10th, 74 wickets behind Courtney Walsh (519).

While Starc was Man of the Series, it is staggering to suggest it - but good on him - that Cameron Green was probably most impressive in the tough circumstances. Will it be the making of him? 

The series v top line bowlers in South Africa has everyone nervous with this batting line up. Renshaw is not the answer. Can we please have some younger players?

2. Swans. What a schemozzle... it has ruined quite a few people and rocked so many victims, noting while police have taken no action yet, there are clear concerns about what truths may still emerge. 

Ironically, it could well be the making of the club. For too long they have been soft, with weak attitudes...multiple shocking GF losses tells us that. Cleaning out a few egos in the middle demands others to step up...Sheldrick, Campbell, Gulden, Cleary, Cunningham, Stephens... the forward line is OK, it is the speed in the middle that is the problem. Bice (not that great), Jordan (already finishing up) and probably Blakey could leave soon without too much impact. 

There will be casualties but the Cox-Pavlich coaching-CEO combination is also under pressure after having both been part of the sad and deteriorating West Coast culture as well. The coaches don't seem to have taken much responsibility and the players have not fronted up...this time will come as the pressure mounts. It might have been an interesting reflective car trip home from Melbourne for the players.

Looking at the Shane Warne (various), Tiger Woods (various), Steve Smith/ Dave Warner (sandpaper), Sally Robbins (lay down), Dawn Fraser, Mark Bosnich (drugs), the Melbourne Storm salary cap scandal, Lillee-Marsh betting scandal, Matthew Johns hotel room matter, Essendon/ Cronulla Sharks peptides, Greg Chappell underarm, Shayna Jack drug ban, Sam Riley pills ban, Nick Kyrgios (various), Ash Gardner affair, Wayne Carey North Melbourne implosion, Tim Paine infidelity, Josh Addo-Carr drug taking examples, tales of sporting redemption litter world and Australian sport... tanking, drug cheats, betting scandals...with plenty of clubs prepared to take on damaged goods. (In June 2023, Dylan Brown was found guilty of two charges of sexually touch another person without consent (7 match suspension and $40K fine).

Charlie Curnow's Coleman Medal was well deserved. Interesting to see how the Wild Card game lands in the AFL. It could be the gold standard end to the season for all codes.

3. NRL. Almost as predictable as a Victor Radley high shot or a penalty given up by him, the end of season race for the JJ Giltinan Shield is close! The Roosters stumbled badly, the Warriors were not super impressive and the Panthers just did enough, as they often do....yet again.

Sione Katoa was superb and his try finish is one of the best ever! The Sharks looked better, but the Gold Coast can do this to you. Panthers v Dogs this week will be tight.

4. BMW Championship - PGA Golf. Wyndham Clark is carving it up. He is a two time US Open winner (same number of majors as Greg Norman) and has had a fabulous 2026. He won the Byron Nelson, was third in the Memorial, won the US Open and fifth in the Travelers Championship, fifth in the St Jude Fedex and now it seems a run away winner in the BMW (-17, five shots ahead of Rory). On good terms with his bank manager with $10-$12M 2026 earnings.

With his win last week, Scottie Scheffler sits $1.3M behind career earnings of the great Tiger Woods. At Tied fifth he stands to earn $1M. He will need to finish Tied second or third to catch Tiger.

5. EPL. Back underway with Arsenal looking invincible. They will be hard to beat. Hull FC beating ManU 2-0 to launch their EPL recall (a 9 year absence) with 18 year old Lucas Herrington getting a gig later. In the Championship, the West Ham Hammers are struggling after 2 games... it  is a long way back! The season is very long! Tottenham crumbling once again...

The Wrap - Cyclone Bangers

1. NRL. The Cowboys get shredded by the persistent and touch football experts, the Eels. A bad loss but good for the fringe top 8 teams trying to crack it (Storm, Manly, Raiders). The wild card concept is an impressive one, but the NRL have missed this bus (the AFL did not). There are clearly only three teams capable of winning it in 2026 - Panthers, Warriors and Roosters. There is a big gap to the rest, including the Dolphins and Sharks.

How bad have the Sharks been since winning yet another July premiership?

Parramatta avoid the spoon, but can the Broncos still win it? That would be a first...premiers to wooden spoon (without salary cap penalty issues) in the space of a year. Titans are not out of this either.

The Knights are an entertainment machine. Going better with the two Fletchers (Sharp and Hunt) than with the usual crew.

It could be time for the Roosters to cut Sam Walker free. He will fit in at PNG because he wants a cash bonanza. Their greed is starting to rival other codes. Maybe the Roosters can sign Kyle Flanagan - or Jake Arthur. Speed is king for your halfback. 

2. Test Cricket v Bangladesh. Smashed in Darwin, like Cyclone Tracy. Our winter season is about as successful as the annual Wallabies tour of Europe. We have limped and made excuses for a few seasons now. An ageing and hugely successful pace attack and a spinner who now looks busted, but it is our batting that is the huge problem. Bangladesh could not believe their luck!

Travis Head, for all his talent, has a massive issue of chopping the too close cut shot onto his stumps. He is so disappointing... a 20 or 30 score seems far too common for a super talent who should be racking up the tons. Smith is getting tied in knots and Marnus is a huge worry. Weatherald has also had a long stint and no tons that anyone can remember. He will go (224 runs at 20.36...the same batting average as Mitchell Starc).

Cameron Green is a talent, but he does not always do well under pressure. He probably ascended to the heights of cricket too quickly. He can lack substance in key moments and his bowling has gotten so much worse. His second innings ton is a welcome statement of desire to play at the top level. His third test ton. Averaging 33.69 with the bat and 38.95 with 39 wickets with the ball in Test cricket.

Marnus' Test average is down to 44.17 after 64 tests (still ahead of Travis Head on 43.28 after 66 tests) and Steve Smith is at 56.07 after 124 tests. His 37 tons look safe at present. He seems to have lost his flowing drives - and steel concentration.

Pat Cummins and Ronnie will keep calm and hug it out... are we tough enough on our players from within the team?

3.St Jude PGA Golf Championship. Scottie Scheffler's equal course record 61 in the second round was incredible. He has not won a lot this season, but top 5 finishes are regular. He stands to almost become the highest ever career earning golfer if he can win the $3.6M first prize here.

He has a two shot lead into the final round tonight. With a win he will be walking in Memphis... ten foot off a Beale!

4. AFL. Freo have the minor premiership in their keeping. The top four looks almost there now... Freo, Swans, Brisbane and Hawthorn. Then Melbourne and Geelong. The big clubs are coming to play with a round to come. Carlton v Collingwood looms as the wildcard game, but the Western Bulldogs have more fight than many believe at times.  No Bont, no problem! This final series will be a bottler as most teams are pretty close.

An AFL record was set with a second draw against the same opponent in the same season... Hawthorn v Collingwood. Incredible. 

More incredible were the two draws in the same weekend...Western Bulldogs v Carlton 82-82 too.

The Swans. Charlie Curnow looks like getting the Coleman Medal for the most goals this season. A great signing move. Second place and a home final locked in. Still too loose at times however.

5. Wallabies. Back to back wins against Japan in Australian Test rugby is refreshing, but delusional. The real tests of character and spirit lie ahead. Smaller squads and players the crowd know might help. An incredible record set v Japan. No backs scored a try in a 50+ Wallabies win - only forwards. First time ever.

6. Ange Postocoglou. Got underway on the Saudi payroll with Al Nassr. No outcry here like the LIV hysteria for supporting a violent government regime. 3-0 victory for the team in the first round. No Ronaldo yet.

7. Pan Pacific Swimming Championships. An incredible feat by Lani Pallister who beat the previously undefeated Katie Ledecky in the 800m. Outstanding!

8. Massive Transfers - and the EPL Returns. About to get underway for the 2026-2027 season very soon. Lucas Herrington has signed with Hull City for $30M. Handy cash, but not if you were the Brisbane Roar who released him to the Colorado Rapids for $500k and gave up their 'on sell' rights...which could have gotten them $7M! What about Nestory Irankunda signing with Sporting Lisbon in Portugal? $32.5M. Great coin too.

The Wrap - The Saints Come Marching In

1. NRL - Parramatta. An horrific first half v Souths saw them behind 0-28. Then a disciplined second half to get to 24-28.The greatest comeback in NRL history thwarted. Souths looked like Premiers and Wooden Spooners in the one game! Look at the Parramatta 2026 record: LWWLLLWLLWLLLWLWLLWL... zero consistency. They are fortunate that St George have been bad otherwise they would have yet another spoon. Saints play Parramatta in the final round.

We have heard it all from the Parramatta club this year. "We are not getting rid of Lomax. It's a rebuilding year... We signed Jonah Pezet because our young halves are not ready... We signed Jerome Luai for the same reason... We have had lots of injuries....We are suing our disgruntled fans for online comments and anyone looking like criticising us, including Dylan Walker". Lots of odd front office commentary.  Players are leaving en masse...Paulo, Russell, Walker, Volkman yet all sorts of possible new players have side stepped them (Lenui, Xerri, Burton, etc..).  Unfortunately, an average hooker, with more mistakes in him than most, is your top try scorer. No strike power. Coach Ryles is under a lot of pressure. Two years with minimal improvement.

2. NRL - Improvement Clubs. In contrast, have a look at Newcastle and coach Justin Holbrook. What a transformation! Even with injuries and no problems with recruitment. Playing with skill and heart.

Saints did a great job v Cronulla today. Their young forwards are awesome, but they need a king leader of the pack.

How about Nico Hynes - 32 successful goals in a row is pretty clever. The game went really bad for them. Cronulla are the June and July Premiers and looked to have turned a corner. Very disappointing.

3. Alex Johnston. What a legend! In March he got to 213 tries...he is now on 232! It may never be broken. He seems to get a hat trick against Parramatta more regularly than most.

4. AFL. The Swans looked good at home once again, pumping Port. A home final is critical for them and nearly over the line with Essendon and North Melbourne yet to play. But gee they are a worry on a big field. Brisbane belted Hawthorn and look awesome (despite the loss to Carlton last week). Freo go down again, tiring from being runaway competition leaders (like the Panthers!). The Melbourne Demons look like top four material which is quite incredible with big stars, Petracca and Oliver offloaded in the off season.

Two more rounds to go before the brand new Wildcard Finals round.

5. Bangladesh v Australia - Test Cricket. Hard to believe cricket starts already later this week. The Bangladeshi team are a competitive outfit, but they got pumped by our young South Australian left arm speedster, Campbell Thompson, all out for 54 - and a loss! Mitchell Starc will be licking his lips!

Our top four bowlers are certainly quite amazing... Lyon (567 Test wickets @ 30.15 - 6th best ever),  Starc (433 @ 26.51 - 12th best ever, with 7 more wickets taking him into the top ten best ever), Cummins (315 @ 22.05 - 33rd best ever) and Hazelwood (295 @ 24.21 - 43rd best ever).

6. The AB Medal. A few players who have won it multiple times...Ponting (4), Clarke (4), Smith (4), Warner (3), Watson (2)...now Travis Head (2). It is a flawed model but it is what it is....

7. Wallabies. Under Les Kiss, has there been much change? Just enough to beat the Japanese. They will struggle, but hopefully some consistency at the selection table makes it more stable and sensible. We might all learn some of the player's names too and cheer for them as they improve combinations incrementally.