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.

The Wrap - FIFA FOMO

1. The Cowboys. Todd Payten signed his contract extension at the right time a few weeks back. Having 80+ points put in your team is very unusual, but also incredibly embarrassing. Noticed Tom Dearden will now stay in North Queensland, even though his pregnant girlfriend has a successful business in the Hills District. Could have been a great signing for Parramatta! They play an open brand of football, but were sliced and diced. The Roosters have strung together a few wins now and look strong. Beating the top teams is their nemesis.

The Panthers backed up with a strong performance in Mudgee v Canberra. A complete team who have had the stutters more recently. The Knights are also such a different team this year. The coach, Justin Holbrook, has done a remarkable job. A wonderful win without a couple of Dylans v the Broncos.

Tigers v Eels. The battle for the spoon remains with an error-athon. Hard to think that Tigers and Eels are still fighting for the spoon. The Doueihi nonsense... please. The Tigers will not make the semi finals with the current coach and current chemistry in that team

St George seem to have the spoon for themselves. How bad are the Broncos? So much talent, but terrible. 

Cronulla are looking stronger and stronger. Perhaps they can do something magical this year?

2. PNG Chiefs. Wayne Bennett is absolutely right. How ridiculous that they have tax concessions and different rules to the rest of the competition. They will need every decent player they can grab, but the safety and living standards in PNG are a massive trade off. I wonder what would happen if the NZ government and the Warriors did similarly.

3. AFL. Carlton are surging and really put it to the resurgent Brisbane team. That helps the Swans. The Swans had a strong win v St Kilda, but did it tough. GWS are still alive against a Port Adelaide side that has lost five games this year by less than 15 points!

Melbourne continued the Gold Coast's misery and Essendon keep getting closer to the spoon!

4. PGA Golf. The Detroit Rocket Classic is a lesser tournament, but still offering big prize money. It ends this year after eight years. Cam Young, number 3 in the world led after two rounds but still looms large for the mid 60 scores needed to win in tomorrow's final round. 

Worth noting so far in 2026: Scottie Scheffler has 1 win yet 11 top ten finishes. No. 1 in the world.

5. Commonwealth Games. Some great performances on the track and an avalanche of gold medals for Australia. It seems we have outgrown the games. 65 gold and 158 in total!

The boxing results (men and the women especially) were outstanding for the unheralded India! An interesting development in world sport.

6. Netball - Diamonds. What a disaster losing to Jamaica...and now fighting for a bronze. Incredibly poor result. A few players and coaches may be looking in a different direction for the next team. Bad for an unstoppable team in every major tournament!

7. FIFA. What a bunch of self seeking fools. President, Gianni Infantino needs to take his governance and fundraising ideas with him out the door. His future is bleak, but he will no doubt come up with more ideas that benefit member countries and despite the current reactions, he will stay on. Money talks. The thought of missing out on more cash and being banned by member nations was enough to have the idea dropped.

8. 'Clicky' Ponting Scandal. Clicking when a batsman is beaten and claiming a wicket has been happening in the Parramatta District Cricket Association for the past 50 years. Just started in England apparently.

The Wrap - Spiders and Fires for the Wests Tigers

1. Wests Tigers. This franchise is officially totally inept. They have slumped to second last in 16th spot now, behind the Eels. They need a whole new set up - and coach sadly. 14 years without a semi final appearance and nothing looks like changing. A few blokes who have signed longer contracts will be a little anxious about their careers now. Representative football is so far away. Three losses by fifty points (Sharks, Panthers, Raiders) and two losses by high forties (Manly, Storm) tells us the club is in crisis.

Adam Doueihi should thank the gods he was not cut a few years back. He has always seen himself as a lot more talented than most. He is too slow to be a halfback and not creative enough. Tough, hard runner with good defence, but unlikely to win a comp - or make the semi finals for a club. He is a forward in the Issac Yeo style. What a performance of protest. Embarrassing, especially when the team he left is losing by 50 yet again. How you manage yourself in times of disappointment, defines you. Peace talks? Honestly, cut and run.

Let it be said, that if Parramatta sign Doueihi, every member should start supporting the PNG Chiefs. They will be done and will emphasise that they are the worst run club in the NRL. The Chiefs and Perth Bears will have a better chance at winning the comp. 

• Zac Lomax moves to the PNG Chiefs. The tax free dollars appeal to many players! Yet the Perth Bears get no such luxuries or concessions. It seems very unfair by comparison and they will get the spoon for a long time if they can't address this soon.
• Interesting to see the Roosters keep winning tight games as well, even when they are not at their sizzling best. So far in 2026, the Eels have lost four games by less than six points while the Roosters have won four games by eight points or less. A big difference on the premiership table.
• Great to see young Nick Lenaz playing for Manly today as the hooker. Coached him as a junior and never saw a kid who was tougher and who could poleaxe players in defence like him. An awesome success story after a tough time in North Queensland.
• Manly got pumped in their game against Cronulla, who have taken out the July premiership scoring so many tries in recent weeks. The Sharks look good, but have done so at this time of year before too. 'Fozball' is dead, but 'Fitzyball' is thriving!

2. Injuries. What an horrific weekend for NRL injuries... Tom Dearden, Dylan Brown, Dylan Lucas, Daniel Tupou, Harry Grant, Latrell Mitchell (ruled out for season), Dylan Edwards, Tallis Duncan, Cameron Murray, Kaylan Ponga, Noah Martin, Reed Mahoney and Cameron Munster who is out of action too.  

3. Commonwealth Games. Not that too many noticed, but the Commonwealth Games have started. We already have so many more gold medals than everyone else it is ridiculous.  Almost like a Little Athletics carnival with the big kids smashing the smaller ones. Medals are expected - and lots of them. 

We had flash backs to the old Richard Wilkins song from years ago - "Out there every morning, under windy skies and pounding thighs, it's a long hard road". See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBi4p--iUGM.  Should these games even be a thing? It seems very outdated as a concept and the hosting of them is not popular. So many better and bigger games and competitions these days.

4. AFL. Collingwood are surging. Six straight wins and crowd support of the best supporter base in Australia. The Swans bounced back v GWS who simply cannot compete with Sydney time and time again. Essendon are a misery once again after a win last week... but it is Freo who are minor premiership bound, hoping they don't go out in straight sets like Adelaide in 2025.

Carlton continue on their winning ways too, after last week's hiccup...Brisbane are still racking them up and are surging into a three-peat premiership feat. So much talent right across the field.

5. NBA. Lebron James. He heads to the Philadelphia 76ers (and maybe takes his son). Maybe they won't need Ben Simmons there now! Great for memberships, but he is 40 years old!

6. 2026 British Open Golf. A top effort from New Zealand's Ryan Fox for the victory! An incredible story of perseverance and dedication. Top composure under pressure.

The 3M PGA Championship at present is seeing some ridiculous scoring. Ten unders and Eight unders! Scheffler is six off the lead, but will still be in the mix.

7. Hungarian F1 Grand Prix. Kimi Antonelli has won six races this season already and Mercedes and Ferrari have won every race. Dominance. Interesting to see that after penalties, Piastri starts from third spot. Two McLarens in the top three...a changing of the tide?  Not many opportunities to overtake anyone in Hungary, so a podium finish is within reach! Piastri is sitting sixth overall on point ahead of the great Max Verstappen. Lewis Hamilton is sniffing around the top this year too. Such a legend of the sport.

8. Tim Tszyu. It truly is a zoo with the media frenzy... he was running out of chances, but has bounced back against an older, but wily rival. A mug's game in so many ways, but good luck to him. He was running out of support and chances, but may get another crack at a big and possibly final pay day.

The Wrap - The Rain in Spain Cries For Argentina

 1. The Open Championship (British Open). Great crowds and an intriguing course that punishes the wayward driver - or any club really. Lucas Herbert was sensational in the second round with one of the best rounds of all time in a Major tournament. Followed by the NZer, Ryan Fox in the third round. Herbert got the hippy hippy shakes in the last few holes of round two and couldn't back it up in round three, but what a performance! Sam (Carpet) Burns looks hot at present and will know the conditions well.

The Bryson blow up...predictable in some respects (bring back John Daly). However Rory shouldn't be offering his commentary on it all. Not his place. Not a good look for golf from either of them.

Royal Birkdale looks like the city dump from on high, but it is well manicured and subject to torrid coastal weather. When that wind gets up it would be murderously cold and unplayable, let alone the fog. The long grass and the scruffy look is links golf at its best. 

A shame the PGA has three Majors in the USA. Like tennis, what is stopping there being more golf or tennis majors? Surely while tradition dictates, some change there enhances the sport's popularity and profile. 

2. NRL. The Panthers have hit a mid season wall, losing a few recently. They are loading for the semi finals and we have seen this before. No panic. Re-signing a few stars will settle the camp. Mitch Kenny is now in the longer term stable, but Martin, To'o, Cleary, Yeo and Leota will seal the deal. They have nurtured a great second tier of players and signed Ray Stone from the Dolphins mid week. Top defender. The Warriors and Roosters are closing in on Penrith for the JJ Giltinan Shield now.

The Tigers have absolutely hit the wall (on the same number of points as Parramatta) and look like wooden spooners, but St George just can't seem to win despite putting together much better efforts of late. Canberra and Brisbane are hanging in there with solid backs against the wall wins. 

Manly needed a win against the Gold Coast who can play well this year...Leading 10-0 early and then...what a disappointment they can be. Tom Trobjevic must really regret doing the midnight Corso sprint all those years back.  

How different is day time football? A day time Grand Final could be an exceptional feature in dry weather game these days. The Dolphins and Cowboys are super entertaining teams.

Noticed the Gold Coast women put 50 points on Parramatta today too. Honestly.

3. Football World Cup. Always love a third v fourth World Cup playoff. Do we need it? Both teams play a little defeated or embarrassed and neither team truly wants to win or lose. 6-4 (like a wet 1970's NRL score) England v France brought much history, but also a reminder that the football powerhouses are so far ahead. Spain to win the final based on their class and composure, but the fight and steel of the Argentinians is most admirable. What a story two successive World Cup wins would be for Argentina!

4. AFL. You have to love the Collingwood crowd. Passionate, crass and fanatical! Even though they struggle at times, they are a super power of Melbourne sport - and hated for it by most. The Carlton v Collingwood clash is always epic, but a strong Collingwood victory.

The Sydney Swans continued to tumble and again fell apart late in their wet game v Adelaide. They are back pedalling while Freo find a way forward. The Swans could be in some strife table wise without a few more wins.

Brisbane struggled v West Coast, but were never losing. Melbourne were the same v North Melbourne. Richmond are dreadful...absolutely pumped by Hawthorn. Essendon edged out a gravely disappointing GWS in a good arm wrestle! A long time since we have heard their team song! A proud and excellent club, but they need a new era.

5. T20 Cricket. 

(i) The T20 Blast finals... Chris Lynn, Nathan McSweeney, Daniel Sams,  These guys are on the international T20 gravy train (a great train to be on!). Darren Lehmann's Northants team win.

(ii) The US T20 Cricket Final saw the LA Knight Riders play and beat the Washington Freedom (Steve Smith and coach Ricky Ponting) by one run. The Washington keeper, Andries Gous is a USA keeper who can play. A BBL prospect. Lots of top notch West Indian players in this league (Narine, Fletcher, Russell, Holder, et al).

(iii) The third ODI of India v England is played tonight with the series locked at 1-1. India have not been on their game of late, so England have a sniff. The great Joe Root continues to peel off big scores with 99no in Game Two for the victory.

6. Wallabies v Italy. Joe Schmidt's reign has mercifully ended in Perth (12 wins/ 33 Tests). He has not been able to deliver and needs to learn not to keep changing his combinations or his teams will never win! Rugby Australia has been too patient. Could you imagine Argentina putting up with this from their national team? 

His announcement that the great rhyming slang man will take over (Les Kiss), was made too long ago! He should have left a year ago. Six tries to one was better, but the Italian team looked and played like they did in 1980. Hopefully a new, more exciting era awaits now.

7. F1. Kimmy Antonelli is on pole yet again in Belgium. He is building a brilliant record for someone so young. Oscar starts on sixth spot... he'll be flat out getting a podium finish again. This season is getting well away from McLaren. Talk about a sudden fall in standards.

The Wrap - Paying and Playing 'Ovas'

1. World Cup of Football. FIFA corruption allegations aside (why trade your reputation for temporary placation?). the dominance of Spain and France - and ultimately Argentina was stunning. England are the spare wheel of sorts, but Jude Bellingham is really making a big impact. England could go close v Argentina. They are there and closer than usual. 

Every team has their star striker, but the journey of Norway to the final eight was something else. The Viking Row was outstanding (like the Icelandic clap). Super entertaining, even allowing for exaggerated dives and histrionics. They should earn a ten minute stint on the sideline (like the fake HIA claim in NRL). The hydration drinks break has proven to be a master stroke of resetting and preserving players in the heat.

Perhaps FIFA could concentrate on eliminating death threats against players who miss penalty shoot out opportunities, like Columbia is finding once again!

The red card penalties that go across games are ridiculous, but necessary, otherwise they face rampant poor behaviour. Trump could have sorted things out for Switzerland who in the 70th minute lost their striker Embolo. There should be more red cards for the fakers.

2. Wallabies. How we want to love them, but what a repeated tale of disappointment they are. Starting brightly, they simply cannot match others and on form should really be qualifying to get into the Rugby World Cup. Coach Joe Schmidt's winning percentage is now 36.66% (11 wins, 19 losses...including 1 win in the last ten Tests and 6 losses in a row!). Dave Rennie (38.2%) can breathe easy. A few novice rugby tips to save the code:

1. Appoint Australian coaches on merit only. Les Kiss is a good start.
2. Don't overpay for players. Sua'ali'i is yet to show his wages value.
3. Have a similar Wallabies side each game. The high rotation is a joke, especially in the halves. Injuries strike, but massive squad sizes are ridiculous. No one knows the team anymore. Think of the golden ages when people knew the players broadly.
4. Get a mainstream TV deal. No one really watches the game (outside of the GPS fraternity).
5. Speed the game up and stop the torturous TMO moments.
6. Limit the rule breaches to an explainable single set. 
7. Have referees who are consistent and not self absorbed.
8. The game is in massive decline. What is the plan? 

The defence of our outside backs was horrific. Too many soft efforts.

3. NRL. Brilliant 300 game celebration for Daniel Tupou. Three tries and a huge win. The Roosters could make a dent but need to beat Melbourne and Penrith. Not sure Walker at $1.5m per year is the best investment long term. Cherry-Evans has been solid.

Jerome Luai. He attracts too many headlines and not enough on field excellence. To think that the worst run club in the NRL, Parramatta, are even considering signing him is beyond belief. What is most disturbing (allowing for the one year Jonah Pezet signing stupidity) is that the supposed excellent young players are clearly not trusted and another year closer to moving on...the Volkman impasse is understandable (19th most missed tackles in 12 games), but we are not hearing of lots of other players moving on, unlike St George. 

They are also simply incapable of attracting any good talent (Xerri, Burton, Leniu, Farnworth have all been mentioned), but did pick up the unwanted Su'A. They need a complete reset. A shame they refused to listen to Matt Cameron when he presented the same blueprint that is succeeding at Penrith.

The Sharks were stunning v the Dolphins who join the high number of teams leaking 50+ points in a game in 2026. Parramatta (twice), Wests Tigers (twice), St George, Titans, Melbourne and now the Dolphins. There are extra teams who have conceded 40+ points in games in 2026, like Manly! The Bulldogs...honestly. Too much Gus and not enough Ciraldo. Have we seen this movie before?

How good was coach Daley? A top, rare and very unexpected Origin series win.

4. AFL. Sadly, despite some great moments in 2026, the Swans are gone. Their efforts in the second half v Freo brought back every bad memory of their successive Grand Final massacres in recent years v Western Bulldogs, Geelong and Brisbane. Lack of strength, composure and experience under pressure and a complete capitulation. Very concerning with talk of a new culture and overcoming mental demons sounding very hollow. Every struggle they have had like this is on a bigger field. They were at a complete loss.

Meanwhile, Hawthorn are regathering and the GWS comeback win over Geelong was spectacular. St Kilda look stronger than their table position indicates. Brisbane seem the most likely to win their third comp in a row.  Freo will go close. Forget the rest...Melbourne, Geelong, Adelaide, Collingwood, Western Bulldogs... all have talent, but too inconsistent. 

What has happened to the Gold Coast? Like the Wests Tigers... promise and now perishing.

5. Scottish Golf Open. Min Woo, MacIntyre, Fitzpatrick, Gotterup and Fitzpatrick (M) are leading the way after Rory's poor third round (by his lofty standards). Scheffler's run of 78 straight tournaments without being cut, ended surprisingly (after winning The Open in 2025). The fog is playing havoc, but a good prep for The Open which kicks off on 16 July later this week.

6. Wimbledon. Yes, sadly Alex de Minaur lost again. He does not seem to be improving and needs a change in his personnel or his methods. Sixth-eighth in the world is awesome, but not Grand Slam winning. 

The women's final saw Linda Noskova beat Karolina Muchova. The domination of the game by central Europeans is incredible. The '-ova' surname suffix is a familiar one these days!

Sinner destroyed Novak and will do the same to Zverev too tonight. This will be his fifth Grand Slam victory, one short of Edberg and Becker. He is a machine, especially with Alcaraz (7 Slams) injured at present.

Cruz Hewitt into the Junior Wimbledon final tonight as well. "C'mon...". A great story.

7. Conor McGregor. A bad injury to end his return, but is there not a little bit in every viewer that hopes he gets a tough opponent to close his mouth a little? A showman and a successful one, but humility is not a strength. One you may be seeking a refund for on pay per view!

The Wrap - Losing the Tight Games

1. Travis Bazzana. Travis has been named in the American League MLB All Stars game as a second baseman. This is an incredible achievement in his rookie season. He has started his career (50 games) really well,  but this was not predicted.

2. NSW Origin. It is staggering to believe how many injuries and troubles NSW have at training in the lead up to Origin games in recent seasons. Whoever is training them (and coaching them) is pushing them far too hard, too early - or something else that is strange. Last year we had Latrell break down in camp. This year Moses, Casey McLean, Crichton, Strange... whose next? 

This will be Laurie's farewell from NRL coaching ever, anywhere. His decisions to bring Lachlan Galvin and Hugo Savala into camp...after having Joash Papali'i and Blaize Talagi in camp earlier, defy belief at this stage of their brief and unproven careers. Let them play, prosper and be better club players first. This seems unecessary and adding to the pressure on these emerging players. Sadly it is looking like Queensland 13++.

3. NRL. Interesting to see Bronson Xerri turn his back on Parramatta for Melbourne... Spencer Lenui, Matt Burton, Moses Leota and Herbie Farnworth have all been pictured in mock Parramatta jerseys on social media too (they might all be suing them for defamation too). Sadly, there is every reason to reject the club: Culture. However, their efforts without Moses are often better than when he plays. Interesting.

The Tigers have hit rock bottom. A new CEO and now a huge decision to make re the coach. It is looking a lot like the past few seasons all of a sudden. Well done to Saints! Apparently Clint Gutherson is keen to continue playing at St George for another five seasons too, he runs the BBQs for the U/18s, is training the house down and looks good in the nets too.

The Broncos are a disgrace in 2026 too. So bad. They just seem to have given up. Time for 'Madge' to move on and give the reins to Trent Barrett. 

You have to give it to Justin Holbrook. What an effort with Newcastle. They have stood up at key times this year and been so much more consistent. Dylan Brown is playing freely and well. 

4. Socceroos. 1-1 v Egypt. A lot of joy has been given to us all over the past month by the Socceroos, but coach Popovic (from Fairvale way) sure can makes things complicated! Replacing the best beach in Australia with the aging Matt Ryan was either going to be master stroke - or a case of heat stroke in the hot Dallas sun. Giving the ball to our youngest player, Herrington, seemed really strange too, while more experienced players hugged their team mates in the huddle.

Egypt were far more composed and Mo Saleh shook hands with every opponent while his team celebrated. Classy. Surely there needs to be more science into spot kicks... run ups, planted foot = direction, keeping the ball on the ground or in the air? We seemed lost while Egypt had their laptops out, analysing the way we play penalty shoot outs.

Losing tight games is not good for you and should be avoided at all costs. Brazil v Norway and England v Mexico tomorrow should be close, cracking games. Mbappe and Messi lead the way on 7 goals. Harry Kane and Erling Haaland sit on 5 goals. Awesome players all.

5. Wallabies - Rugby. Speaking of  close losses, this has proven to be a specialty of the Wallabies under Schmidt who passed the coaching mantle over far too early. He should have left then. Against Ireland we had some really bright moments. Still an infuriating game with the TMO interruptions and injury stoppages. Thank goodness the Egypt football team didn't play!. Great when the ball is in play, but rugby now rivals the NFL in terms of stop start and duration. Good for the big men! We re just not good enough.

A tight and entertaining win by Ireland. A penalty after the final whistle is vintage rugby! Joe Schmidt seemed to get beaten a lot by small numbers...great guy, but the second worst Wallabies coaching record ever in our history. (39% win after 29 tests). Dave Rennie has the worst ever (36% from 33 tests).

We lost with a chance to win after the bell. However, it was closer than Harry Souttar's effort. (Noticed the NSW Waratahs coach, Dan McKellar, has left the building too. No surprise).

6. New Sporting Capital of Australia - South Australia. 

South Australia have become the best state in all domestic Australian sports:

• Current back to back Sheffield Shield cricket champions (2024-2025 and 2025-2026); 
• Current 2025-2026 Australian Baseball champions (Adelaide Giants); 
• The 2026 NBL final had Adelaide 36ers lose narrowly in the final series 3-2 to the Sydney Kings;
• In the A-League 2026, Adelaide United came second in the season proper and lost their semi final. 
• The Adelaide Crows were the AFL minor premiers in 2025.
• In the 2026 AFL season, the Adelaide Crows (equal fourth) and Port Adelaide Power (fifteenth) are pretty good too! 
• Now the Adelaide Thunderbirds win the national Super Netball championships back to back - in 2025 and now 2026.
• But, no rugby league in that state - so there!

7. AFL. The Swans looked fresh and finally have parked their handball speed game. It was very predictable for great tacticians like Chris Fagan and the Brisbane coaching team. Brisbane are surging now and look favourites to win the flag for mine...again for the three-peat. Freo got dusted by the GWS orange (due for a loss) and Carlton continued their 7 game undefeated surge under their new coach, Josh Fraser. They are in the top ten now in a "wildcard" position ... "we are the navy blues...". Hawthorn v Carlton next week may hit 100,000 in the crowd! A tight win by two points 74-72.

8. T20 Cricket. India v Ireland. India have lost their T20 series to the Irish... incredible! A close loss, but a loss all the same. Their first T20 series loss in a long while and with a full strength team! In England, they lost the first T20 as well. However the fifteen year old phenomenon, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi debuted with 14 (and two sixes). He can hit the ball!

9. T20 Womens Cricket Final. There have been ten T20 finals for women starting in 2009 (played every two years). We have played in eight finals now, winning six times, with a possible seventh win in 2026! Elyse Perry has really excelled in this tournament as our highest run scorer, but we have been pretty understated in making our seventh final. Sutherland and Gardiner have not really dominated yet - and can! No more narrow Australian losses!

10. MLB. In the American League, Texas Rangers, the Tampa Bay Rays and Cleveland Guardians lead the way. In the National League, the Dodgers continue to absolutely dominate, but the Atlanta Braves, Phillies, Brewers and Chicago Cubs also figure strongly after playing about 50/ 162 games for the season.

11. FI - Oscar Piastri. The Silverstone GP is one of the best and is on this weekend. Antonelli (179 - Mercedes), Russell (136 - Mercedes) and Lewis Hamilton (132 - Ferrari) lead the way in this year's drivers championship. Oscar is in sixth spot (82 points). Starting from eighth on the grid never ends well.

12. USPGA Golf. Scottie Scheffler lost in a tight, delayed playoff earlier this week in the Travellers v Viktor Hovland at -21 and is starting to do that a bit...but a good problem to have winning $2M still! The John Deere Classic this weekend is sadly like a Reserve Grade fixture with none of the world stars on show (why would you sponsor it?)... Lucas Glover looks strongest.

13. Fenech v Mundine. Some great banter from Jeffrey Fenech about Anthony Mundine's mouth, but Mundine is also correct. Jeff's record as a boxing trainer/ cornerman is not spectacular. He was vastly superior in the ring however!

14. Wimbledon. Alex de Minaur leaps into the round of sixteen and needs to lift when he plays the in form Italian, Flavio Coboli. Coboli made the final of the French Open two weeks ago, losing in five sets to Zverev. Hopefully he can win and get into the final eight! No narrow Australian losses.

The Wrap - Climbing the Pyramid of Football

1. Socceroos. Is the World Cup the most unifying thing we have seen for a long time in Australian sport (since the last Football World Cup or Sydney Olympics)? You have to admire the passion and commitment of the fans! The funny thing is we know we are ordinary, but knocking over South American and European teams is exciting. Australia v Egypt will be interesting. Mo Saleh will be the difference, so we will need to watch him. Hopefully we can be more attacking! Two goals in three games won't win it! A goal may be enough to conquer the pyramids of Egypt!

2. NRL. The Dolphins are warming up for a sensational semi final appearance. No Wayne Bennett legacy  impact. Classy, speedy and tough. What a lesson in recruitment that club is! Hard nosed forwards and speed. The Cowboys, Roosters and Knights all won tough arm wrestles!

Jason Taumalolo 300 games! Awesome. Not many players in the game at present over 300 games. Only Cherry-Evans (367), Ben Hunt who signed on for an extra season in 2027 (366), Josh Papali'i (334), Dane Gagai (328) and Adam Reynolds (320) are over 300 games. A rare club. Cameron Smith leads on 430 games. When will he be announced as an immortal? An incredible player.

The weekend told us a few things: Api needs to start. Ethan Strange needs to start. To'o may struggle to be picked. Bradman Best is a top shelf Origin player. Tedesco-Edwards is the toss of a coin. Olakau'atu is a must. He crushed the Storm early at Brookvale Oval. How he was dropped is staggering. Latrell will be missed but Crichton is an incredible leader and talent. Murray must start as well... Unfortunately Turbo looked like he needed leg surgery...so slow.

POSSIBLE WINNING NSW ORIGIN III TEAM:

• James Tedesco 
• Mark Nawaqanitawase
• Stephen Crichton
• Bradman Best
• Tolutau Koula
• Ethan Strange
• Nathan Cleary
• Payne Haas
• Api Korisau
• Isaiah Yeo
• Haumole Olakau'atu 
• Hudson Young
• Cameron Murray

It will be interesting to see if Laurie Daley sticks with some less exciting options (Moses, To'o, Staggs, Brailey, Robson...). His coaching career could come to an end very soon otherwise.

3. AFL. The Swans... the Swans...What to make of them? That game v Brisbane reminded us all of that horrible 2024 Grand Final effort. There is a softer underbelly there sometimes, even if the season has been very positive for them so far. Gulden's return was most welcomed! Freo continue to shine... hard, dry tracks help their style. Dominant users of the football. Hawthorn and the Cats are hovering, but it is the Brisbane Lions that impressed most this weekend...and six straight wins for Carlton!

4. England v New Zealand Test Cricket. As soon as that sun comes out in England, the game changes. This pitch is an absolute road, but overcast conditions can change the whole Test. Series locked at 1-1. A top opening stand of 317 by Tom Latham (151) and Devon Conway (157). Ben Duckett (113) scored his first ton for a long time. 7 Test tons, but 16x 50s. Lots of starts, but not many finishes for an opening Test match batsman. New Zealand are zooming in on a 2-1 Test series victory. Lots of tight bowling and loose English batting at key moments. Harry Brook is incredibly talented, but thoughtless and slap dash at bad times.

5.T20 Cricket - Ireland v India. A remarkable T20 victory for Ireland v India. Like a Shakespearean play...arrogance is the fatal flaw. Playing the IPL Orange cap winner (most runs), 15 year old, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, would be a great start. He is a superstar.

6. FI- Austrian GP. Can Piastri upset Antonelli? Probably not from seventh spot on the grid. Lewis Hamilton is the surprise packet for Ferrari. McLaren are eating plenty of humble pie this season, sitting a distant third place so far. The Ferraris look sharpest.

7. Wimbledon. It all starts on Monday. Serena Williams is back in the first round as well (last played in 2022) v Australia's Maya Joint. She has lost so many games this year, Serena is a huge chance in Round 1. In the Wimbledon lead up tournament at Queens, Alex de Minaur gets dumped out in the quarter finals. Top 8 again is his limit.

8. USPGA Golf. At the Travellers, Scottie Scheffler shot 60 to led at16 under after two rounds, but Viktor Hovland  has put pressure on him at -20 after three rounds. Incredible golf. A scintillating final round ahead.

The Wrap - Parra Guy

1. World Cup - Socceroos. The World Cup of Football is the greatest show on earth. A brilliant win v Turkey last week, but a dreadful start v USA for the Socceroos. How good would a goal or two v USA have been? Harry Souttar's air swing in front of goal didn't help. However coach Popovic has a few tricks up his sleeve. Sometimes it seems like he may be outwitting himself! Turkey have been stuffed and basted and Australia needs points v Paraguay on Friday. We need to play with more freedom and attack on Friday! Hopefully we can do the business. Any team with 'parra' in it, is able to be beaten.

2. US Open Golf. Shinnecock Hills is not close to anything much in Long Island. It is a tricky course, but not close to the quality of the Masters either (what is?)! Brutal at times and has so few players hitting under par. In fact only five after three rounds. It is also very hard to get there, so the crowds are not great. The US Open has always struggled. 

Xander Shauffele is always there, so it seems is Morikawa and the Fitzpatricks have made a strong collective name for themselves. Scottie Scheffler is always hovering and sits second after three rounds in pursuit of his golfing major Grand Slam! Wyndham Clark has nailed the course (64 was super impressive in the first round, then 69... awesome golf), but a few slip ups and it is anyone's to win. 

Adam Scott's 100th consecutive Major (incredible) ended badly for him and all the other Australians. Min Woo, Cam Smith and an injured Jason Day did not trouble the leader board and in fact were on a plane home soon after (MTC) - or at the victory parade of the New York Knicks!

It is Wyndham Clark's to lose from here...surely he can't lose from there. Wyndham will be destroying more than locker rooms if he loses from here. His win in the Byron Nelson positions him well for the final round pressure. The 2023 US Open winner stands to equal Greg Norman on two major wins if he can hold on.

3. NRL. State of Origin. Why was it so predictable for NSW? We just seemed so unlikely to win all week. There needs to be changes and Latrell and Stephen Crichton could come in immediately and excel. Crichton is a sensational player. Strange needs to play and Cameron Murray needs more minutes. Has Laurie Daley lost it? Api might think so.

Todd Payten gets two more years as Cowboys coach which is a massive comeback from earlier this year when the critics had the door to the crematorium open for his career.

Manly were horrible in the last few minutes v the Bulldogs and probably deserved to lose. Crichton's boot was better than Garrick's and it was the difference with a field goal as well. He will be welcomed back into the NSW team ASAP! A punish of a game to watch however. 

The Dolphins surge on yet again and the curse of Wayne has been defeated by a team that looks better than when he coached them! Benji's Tigers were sadly at their mediocre best. The Storm are back too! With a bye in hand they are one win outside the eight!

4. Australia v Bangladesh ODI and T20 Series. A thumping for us in the ODI series, but the T20 has seen a few flourish. Cooper Connolly's 149 in the final ODI win was extraordinary. Matt Renshaw in particular - three wickets in two T20s and 89no in the last one!

5. Test Cricket - England v New Zealand. Without Stokes, England look vulnerable. New Zealand conditions are very similar to English conditions and it is an even context. Matt Henry has 146 wickets in 35 tests at 26.92 which is good going! Ravi Rachindra averages 47.68 after 23 tests (5 tons) while Henry Nicholls has 11 Test tons at 40.00 after 59 Tests. A couple of great young stars. Joe Root keeps shining at home especially. He is what stands between victory and a draw for New Zealand.

6. NHL. The Carolina Hurricanes beat the Las Vegas Knights to win the much treasured Stanley Cup. A phenomenal competition. Brutal.

7. Super Rugby Final. In case you were wondering... 357 points scored in the final series and the Hurricanes beat the Chiefs 60-5 in the Grand Final! Embarrassing. The competition needs a reboot. We are further behind now than we were 12 months ago.

8. MLB. Travis Bazzana is stamping his class at the Cleveland Guardians, averaging .260 after 45 games. He hit two home runs this morning v the Astros from a pitcher who had not given up a home run to a left hander all season after 146 plate appearances. Travis hit him out of the park with the first pitch of the game! Sixth and seventh MLB Home Run! He is a terrific talent, possibly in the best clutch of MLB players this season! Keep an eye out for him. Played for Ryde and lives at Turramurra. Awesome story.

The Wrap - Wild Turkey and Choke

1. World Cup - Socceroos. It is the biggest sporting event in the world, edging out the Olympics! Playing Turkey (when did their new pronunciation arrive?), we were rank underdogs and almost to script one of their bigger mouthed players told the world how we were going to be crushed. Oops! Our defence was great. Rock solid and it drew Turkey into a different style of play. We capitalised beautifully on some half chances. 2-0 is pretty spectacular for the first game in the World Cup. The crowd from Australia was immense really! Great support and a wonderful moment in sport. 

The chequebooks will be opening for our goalkeeper, young Patrick Beach. How good?

2. NRL. The bye is really playing havoc with the comp. The Roosters were towelled up with seven players missing. Cronulla v Warriors was a punish to watch, but an exciting end. The superstars make a big difference. A solid win by the Eels too. Inching away from the spoon.

The Dolphins conversely are highly entertaining. Nikorima is such a talent. Pace and intuition. They are reversing the Wayne Bennett curse.

Is it an optical illusion or is the Warriors home ground short of a few lights? So many shadows. Looks like the old WD&HO Wills Craven Mild Cup at Henson Park.

Wade Egan's carry on luggage must be getting expensive after again missing out for Origin. There must be something wrong with the way NSW players train for Origin too. So many injuries in the camp. Moses, Mitchell, now Maclean and others over time. What amateur hour antics are they up to? It sometimes seems like Laurie Daley is out of touch. Bring back Madge. He might need another gig soon. He has a short term player tolerance level only. The Broncos have turned up their toes now. Terrible.

Tigers v Titans was hardly the match of the round either, but entertaining. Three tries for Luai... he is a smart businessman! The Tigers start to regather some ground, but the defence of both teams was hardly premiership material. Leichhardt Oval now retires as the Latcham Robinson Stand gets renovated.

Origin II this week. Can't wait! Hopefully Ashley Klein goes well. Dreadful addiction news for his family. We need to support the guy, unlike many in the media.

3. AFL. If the NRL was not limited enough, the AFL had a bye weekend this weekend too...West Coast v North Melbourne was torturous. A distinct lack of skill and errors galore. Harley Reid is wasted at West Coast. The Swans v Port Adelaide was better, but the Swans seem obsessed with fancy handball play when a smart kick and more marks (!) would be better. Too much finesse and cute stuff as they win their fourth game by less than 10 points this past month. St Kilda looked really good last week v Swans and were equally impressive v the GWS Giants. A great win.

4. ODI Cricket v Bangladesh. It seems to the outsider that no one really cares much anymore about any coloured clothes cricket. World Cup or the Arjuna Ranatunga Cup. We were crushed to be fair. Short, Marnus and Connolly have not furthered their chances. There is no dominant batsman and outside of Steve Smith, we have not had a dominant and consistent batsman in the last ten years. Certainly no one consistently good (eg. Travis Head, Cameron Green).

Ben Stokes is on the brink. He loves the biff. A matchwinner, but he has a huge T20 worldwide circuit ahead of him. The crowds love him, but the drinkers do not.

5. NBA. The New York Knicks have won the NBA after a 4-1 Game 4 v San Antonio. Again a final quarter comeback made it work and they won the first time since 1973. Their 53 year drought makes Parramatta's premiership drought look sick.

6. NHL. The Carolina Hurricanes are up 3-2 as well. Poised for victory coming back from 1-2. Game 4 tomorrow morning our time.

7. PGA Canadian Open. Pre US Open and largely uneventful... a fair distance for many to travel, so not the strongest of fields. Looking to put this tournament behind us and see the real stuff soon at Shinnecock Hills. Interesting to see one key name who MTC: Justin Rose. Must have had an early flight. 

8. The Grass Court Tennis Season. Hopefully a better Wimbledon and lead up than what we saw at the French Open. Nottingham, Queens and Eastbourne.... Time is running out for Alex de Minaur.

9. Matty and Volk at the White House. Incredible they would let Matty Johns near the thing. Must say that a few lads played cricket on the lawn of the Capitol Building in 1990. No fences back then, but photos to prove it. Big 80th celebrations for the USA.

10. Super Rugby. Chiefs beat Crusaders 49-12. Dominant. The Hurricanes whacked the Blues 57-21 too for a Chiefs v Hurricanes final. The defence has got worse and worse. Two semi final wins by almost 50 points! The competition has problems. The sadness is most Australians would not even know about it all. No breakdancing by the Crusaders this year!

11. F1 - The Barcelona GP. Piastri's 2026 struggles continue, but McLaren is improving. Piastri and Norris are 5th and 6th now in the Driver's Championship after last week in Monaco. It certainly is a grind for him this season. Hopefully a Stephen Bradbury pile up gives him a chance.

The Wrap - Pass the Victory Song Lyrics

1. NRL. Newcastle let a massive chance slip v Melbourne. Dynamic play in 2026, but not enough to outsmart Melbourne who are clawing their way back up the table with great resolve. The Dolphins are tremendously entertaining to watch, dazzling their way up the table now too. 

The Roosters bounced back with a crushing win over the Raiders in their backyard. Amazing how the Raiders have slipped in 2026, but they are not alone. The Broncos losing to the Titans on the back of the loss to the Dragons last week puts a few nails in their campaign now. Do the Titans own a victory song?

The performance of the Tigers was appalling. 68-0 is a disgrace. A bright start, fewer 'six agains' and now they are back to the pack. Benji is like Jason Ryles...coaches that are never under the microscope, despite some really poor performances. The Tigers have had two games where they gave up forty points as well!

The teams losing by 50 this year? Parramatta (2 v Melbourne and Gold Coast), Wests Tigers (2 v Cronulla and Penrith)), Titans (1 v Cronulla), Dolphins (1 v Manly), Melbourne (1 v Panthers) and St George (1 v Roosters).

The Panthers go into their second bye on 26 points (soon 28 points)... this is enough to make the semi finals already! Incredible dominance this year... and incredible humility too. They know their victory song well!

2. Best NRL Coaches. Some of the most successful coaches % winning record? Keiran Foran (80% - 10 games), Craig Bellamy (69% - 620 games), Norm Provan (69% - 181 games), Bob Fulton (64% - 405 games), Mal Reilly (63% - 98 games), Trent Robinson (63% - 348 games), Jack Gibson (62% - 394 games), Craig Fitzgibbon (62% - 117 games), Wayne Bennett (61% - 972 games), Phil Gould (59% - 280 games), Peter Louis (59% - 161 games), Geoff Toovey (58% 105 games), Ivan Cleary (58% - 491 games), Chris Anderson (57% - 337 games) and Roy Masters (57% - 250 games), Steve Folkes (56% - 288 games), Terry Fearnley (56% - 210 games) and Warren Ryan (56% - 415 games).

3. AFL. The greatest club game in recent memory with St Kilda really unlucky to lose in the dying seconds to the Swans. A see sawing game with a big crowd (42,000). A superb physical game and some absolute individual brilliance... Liam Ryan was outstanding. There was Wilkie, Wanganeen-Milera, Heeney, Curnow, Warner...all excellent. 104-102 was an incredible outcome for the Swans. Superb to be in the crowd there today! A very happy crowd in the end.

The Western Bulldogs have mastered the tight win and are doing it in great style. Geelong look like April-May-June premiers but lose tight ones too often. Bailey Smith is an incredible player. Outstanding Brownlow candidate with Isaac Heeney.

Fremantle continue to break their own records with their twelfth straight win added to with a crushing club record defeat of North Melbourne. They sit comfortably on top of the comp with 12 wins and one loss. North fold too easily.

4. England v New Zealand. Lords has dished up a terrible result wicket with a million wickets falling too quickly. Jamieson and Smith for New Zealand were superb with the ball. For England the talented Harry Brooks got a half century, so did their new opener, Emilio Gay, but not much else for anyone. When teams are getting sub 200 scores it can be exciting for bowlers, but more balance helps. 

Conversely, India will fill their Test cricket stockings against Afghanistan (less Rashid Khan), who were taught a huge lesson. The Indian team can bat! KL Rahul scored yet another Test century. He is a late bloomer in some respects but now has 12 Test tons (against six different nations).

Shubman Gill has also now hit over 1,000 runs as captain or India. He is second quickest (15 innings) just behind Sunil Gavaskar (14 innings) as captain to hit 1,000 runs. He scored his sixth test hundred as Indian captain (15 innings). 11 Test tons now in 41 Tests. He is a gun.

5. Cricket. If you thought losing the Melbourne Stars this week and losing the ODI series 2-1 to Pakistan this week was bad, things could be worse (noting all have played more tests than all of us!):

Not The Strongest Australian Cricket Test XI since 2010: 

• Ed Cowan
• Joe Burns
• Rob Quiney 
• Callum Ferguson 
• Aaron Finch 
• Nic Maddison
• Andrew McDonald 
• Peter Nevill (wk)
• Michael Beer 
• Xavier Doherty 
• Dan Cullen
• Ben Hilfenhaus 
• John Hastings
• Peter George

6. NBA. New York Knicks. Up 2-0 over the San Antonio Spurs now after a one point thriller in Game Two. The defence was outstanding from both teams. How athletic and what a superb demonstration of intense athleticism!

7. Super Rugby. The Brumbies were belted 66-12 by the Hurricanes. The Reds were also belted by the Chiefs 46-24. The mighty Crusaders won 52-31 over the Blues as well. 

The semi finals: Chiefs v Crusaders and Hurricanes v Blues. All New Zealand teams. Dominant. Australia is getting further and further behind the might of New Zealand rugby. Let's be honest, even when it is hard to admit.

8. NHL. Carolina Hurricanes and Vegas Golden Knights are locked in battle and one goal has divided them in all three games. The Vegas Knights are up 2-1. The Stanley Cup is the oldest professional sports trophy in North America. A huge atmosphere.

9. Football World Cup. The biggest sporting show on earth outside of the Olympics starts next weekend, but the fans are saying the seats are too expensive! It will be interesting to see the crowd size, but the intensity will be there. 

10. French Open Tennis. A lacklustre version this year sadly, with so many upsets, but the story is the female qualifier from Poland - Maja Chwalinska. The first woman to make the final of the French Open as a qualifier. An incredible story of success. She played Mirra Andreeva (8th seed) from Russia. The Central Europeans dominate. An easy win by Andreeva in the end... not a household name as yet, but one to watch.

In the men's final, the Italian Flavio Cobolli plays Alexander Zverev tonight. This is the greatest chance Zverev has of ever winning a Grand Slam. As a known hot head, he will need to stay composed to win it. No man either than Sinner or Alcaraz has won a men's final since the end of 2023, when Novak won his 24th!

11. F1 - Piastri. Struggling to make a podium this season. Hard to believe McLaren were so deeply asleep during pre season in their car preparation. Starting from grid position #7 and #8 is not going to please the McLaren investors. The Monaco GP is famous for the car at the front of the grid winning. Nearly nowhere to overtake! Antonelli is all set to expand his lead in the driver's championship.

12. US Open Golf. The Memorial Tournament is the traditional hit out before the US Open, but you only have to be fractionally off your game in a PGA event and you are cooked. Fleetwood, Rose, Fitzpatrick, Burns, McIlroy, Lowry, Scheffler and Shauffele are all there and thereabouts. Not leading, but hovering!

The Wrap - Bazzana Havana

1. MLB - Travis Bazzana. 'TBaz' continues on his merry way leading the averages now with the Cleveland Guardians. Since being called up three weeks ago, he has even come into reckoning for the MLB Rookie of the Year. They lost today v the Red Sox but he hit two doubles in their loss. 

He has such outstanding belief and talent. He has played 29 games, 104 at bats, 32 hits, including 8 doubles and 3 home runs. He is surging and is the lead off bat now. He is their leading player right now. Incredible. Averaging .308. It is very early of course, but that is an elite number at the highest level of the game.

2. NRL. Congratulations to the bye on their 200th game. They have been really dominant on the Bull Crap Momentum Tracker all season!

Key NRL questions:

• Is the six tackle repeat hooter a sign of an imminent try? The NRL would have us believe it. 
• Is the failed attacking raid in the red zone inevitably rewarded with a penalty? So it seems.
• When will there be a clear penalty for players not surrendering the ball instantly at the break down in play? The AFL have this right. Yardage penalties with scope for a quick tap.
• Should every NRL coach walk the sidelines like the NFL? It certainly adds more spice to the game. One team on either side?

The Tigers bounce back; Parramatta looked like pretenders again (still spoon favourites, especially now the Dragons can win) with coach Ryles not getting the blowtorch like many other coaches; Newcastle look so much better every week and Dylan Lucas is pure class. The Sharks also suddenly looked a tougher proposition. The Roosters and Storm was a classic game of arm wrestling defence. So hard to score a try now. The Roosters were ordinary sadly...so many errors.

Booing of Lachlan Galvin is surely overdoing it a year later. His try was clever.

St George had an excellent win, but the Broncos...dear oh dear. The Dragons have a brighter future than most. Look at the Newcastle Knights under Justin Holbrook. Coming fourth now! Awesome turn around. The Raiders continue their characteristic mid season turn around too. The colder it gets in Canberra, the more successful they become.

3. AFL. Carlton have bounced back since the change of coach to Josh Fraser and have put three successive wins together now. They had a magnificent win v Geelong who have been on fire. The Swans absolutely whacked Richmond in a record breaking afternoon at the SCG on Saturday. Charlie Curnow kicked 8 goals which is incredible. 

The Western Bulldogs scored a cracking win v Collingwood and GWS continue their recovery with a win in the Alice against Melbourne. What a spectacular ground! Finn Callaghan had a game (1km gained!). They are screaming into eighth spot now. One to watch with their big run to September after their shock loss to West Coast.

4. ODI Cricket v Pakistan. Why are we playing this series? Guaranteed that in two weeks you won't remember anything that happened. Great to see Liam Scott rewarded with an Australian gig. Ex Hunters Hill Pirates player before getting across to South Australia.

However, not selected. The pitch was woefully inconsistent, but typical sub continent...low, slow and turning. Too much for Marnus and Cameron Green. Patience must surely be shortening with both. Our bowlers were ineffective, but Kuhnemann continues his excellent form in the sub continent. That is a handy skill as lucrative IPL options may open up as well.

5. County Cricket. Who is starring from Australia? The recent Aussie turned Englishman, Jake Lehmann has hit 549 runs at 62.11. Daniel Hughes (539 at 44), Jake Weatherald (483 at 60), Nathan McSweeney (392 at 49) and Marcus Harris (366 at 45). Not spectacular.

6. IPL Final. Gotta love the IPL! The Gujrat Titans (GT) play the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the final tonight. GT have Shubman Gill, Jos Buttler, Jason Holder, Rashid Khan, Rabada and Mohammad Siraj. RCB have the legend Virat Kohli, Tim David and Josh Hazlewood. RCB should whack them. Wait for Kohli to produce under pressure. RCB won it last year too (6 other second/ third places). GT have one win and one second/ third place.

7. Super Rugby. The wheels have fallen off the Brumbies and they have a week to tighten them up. They have plummeted, losing to Pasifika, but the Reds threaten for semi final success. The Crusaders knocked over the Highlanders in a terrific win. That franchise is incredible.

With the top six in the semi finals now, the Hurricanes (1) play the Brumbies (6) next Friday in Wellington. Crusaders (3) play the Blues (4) in Christchurch and then the Chiefs (2) play the QLD Reds (5) in Waikato. Can anyone but the Hurricanes, Chiefs and Crusaders win - especially in New Zealand?

Can a semi be played on a Sunday afternoon? TV/ viewer ratings missed yet again.

8. French Open Tennis. Jannik Sinner was unceremoniously turfed out and Novak too in a tournament without Carlos Alcaraz. Alex de Minaur faded out too in the scorching heat. He seems incapable of grappling with those big opportunities, as solid a player as he is. The youth of a few players is rising finally, like young gun Fonesca and Zverev. We will finally see a new winner of a men's tennis Grand Slam.

Iva Swiatek and Sabalenka will be hard to beat in the women's as it heads to the fourth round tomorrow. Gauff was ousted in yet another upset that only the clay can bring.

9. F1 Grand Prix. McLaren are in huge trouble. A DNF for Norris and a 11th place for Oscar Piastri. In the Canadian GP, the Mercedes cars dominated. Antonelli already has four wins and leads gthe Drivers Championship on 131 points in a canter ahead by 43 from George Russell (Mercedes). Piastri is back in sixth place on 48 points.

10. EPL. Tottenham survive...just, despite West Ham winning 3-0 v Leeds. With all games finishing within an ace of each other, the drama and pressure on the field was countered by a 1-0 win by Tottenham. The Hammers join the second tier layer of English football and lose money, players and reputation. They will bounce back.

Arsenal could not ice their season, losing in penalties in the Champions League clash with Paris St Germain (PSG). Typical Arsenal. They could really have made a powerful statement there. A shame, but the EPL title is under their arm.

11. The NBA Finals. It is decided: New York Knicks v San Antonio Spurs. The Knicks were commanding winners in straight sets. They are so tall. A dauting opponent. The Spurs got through in a tight and tough Game 7. A great achievement. Starts 4 June.

12. NHL Final. The Carolina Hurricanes take on the Las Vegas Knights for the Stanley Cup. Both convincing winners in what should be a cracking final. Awesome athleticism. Starts Wednesday.

13. World Cup Soccer. It is nearly underway. The fake injury and the dodgy ref were in full flight in the Socceroos 1-0 friendly loss to Mexico. Interesting that refs don't often preside over losses to Mexico in friendlies. I suspect "a good tight loss" may be our WC mantra, but a wonderful spectacle and showcase of talent ahead.

The Wrap - Bye the Bye

1. NRL. Only one thing worse than a bye....wet weather footy games in a bye round. This is the time of year when the viewers head to watch the AFL. Manly keep surging, but St George continue their rough ride. There is talent there, but Flanagan needs to go. Not quick enough and does not run deep enough into the defence. 

The Melbourne Storm are worrying and have been caught short by this current obsession with six more tackles at the whim of the ref. We've had the sin bin obsession a couple of Magic Rounds ago, the 'cynical disruptor' fascination...it must get quiet some weeks in NRL headquarters.

It would be interesting to know which refs blow these most frequently. The State of Origin this week will prove interesting - and wet. Attacking players grabbing the jerseys of defenders is a new tactic to extract a 'six again'. It could cost teams massively if in possession. Sin binnings for a professional, cynical foul?

The re-signings of Todd Payten and Kieran Foran as coaches should occur soon, or other clubs will come knocking.

2. EPL. Arsenal got an unexpected gift from Man City who stumbled in a 1-1 result v Bournemouth mid week. Arsenal win the EPL in the first time forever (2003-2004). The greatest coach in world sport, Pep Guardiola, is on the move and with it will go Man City players and their amazing record.

The greatest scheduling in world sport happens tonight when ALL EPL games start at the same time. Will Spurs win or will West Ham win and relegate Tottenham? They deserve relegation after their ridiculous decision to get rid of Ange this time last year.

If West Ham win and Spurs lose, the Hammers stay in the top flight. If Spurs get one point, they stay up in the top flight. If they don't the Hammers fans will be hoping for a win v Leeds. It all unfolds on the same day at the same time. Knife edge scheduling. 

Aston Villa had a great win midweek in the Europa League v SC Frieberg. This is the same trophy that Tottenham won last year!

Hull City also join the EPL next year too! A stunning result v Middlesboro after Southampton were ruled out of the qualifier for cheating and filming training sessions mid week! A tough sanction, but Southampton have been left in the Championship.

3. A League. Sydney FC v Auckland. A 1-0 win by Auckland who beat a gallant Sydney under ex Sydney FC man, Steve Corica. Sydney FC have 5 wins and 3 runners up as the leading A-League club since it started in 2006. It is a first win by Auckland FC.

4. NBA. In the East Conference finals, New York Knicks are 3-0 up and on the precipice of the final. Tall timber. In The West Conference final, Thunder v Spurs, the Thunder are up 2-1. A Knicks v Thunder final showdown looms!

5. NHL. The Vegas Knights are up 2-0 in the West and in the East, the Montreal Canadiens and Carolina Hurricanes are 1-1. A brutal sport.

6. AFL. Interesting to see Carlton bounce back when Josh Fraser, a new coach arrives, putting two wins together, but their hippy hippy shakes at the end of the game is a worry. Speaking of which, the Gold Coast Suns were abysmal. Up by six goals at half time and lose it on the siren. Honestly. Their club shows glimmers of excellence and then complete hopelessness.

GWS were awesome against an incredibly disappointing Brisbane (premiers?). 166-88 is an emphatic loss (and GWS win). GWS have been underperforming all year, so a significant bounce back.

Two AFL rule changes that cannot come fast enough to maximise viewer engagement:

i. If a punch out from a throw-in goes over the sidelines, it is the other team's ball.. not another throw in.

ii. If you kick it out on the full, the other team gets the ball from where it was kicked.

This will keep the ball in play and the fans overjoyed.

7. IPL. Three teams have qualified for the finals now. Royal Challengers Bengaluru (Tim David, Josh Hazelwood), Gujarat Titans (NIL),  Sunrisers Hyderabad (Travis Head, Pat Cummins) and one place up for grabs. Ricky Ponting's team will hang their heads after losing six straight but won on the weekend v the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and are one point ahead in fourth place (15 points). 

However, the Rajasthan Royals play the lowly Mumbai Indians. If Rajasthan win, they are in. The fifteen year old opener, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, (RR) looms as the highest run scorer of the IPL 2026 tournament. Incredible if he does it. He needs 70 to win the yellow hat at the age of fifteen!

LSG get the IPL spoon and coach Justin Langer is looking like getting the axe...again.

8. PGA Golf. Great play by Cameron Smith for a T4 result in the PGA Championship last week. He was impressive after a dreadful trot. Scheffler ended T14, but at the Byron Nelson, he is T2 after three rounds at -19, bouncing back well. He won it last year too.

Brooks Koepka is clawing his way back too, but a dreadful last round in the PGA Championship cost him. He sits T8 after three rounds at the Byron Nelson in Texas.