Category Archives: Australia sport

Kyrgios and Djokovic set dinner date side bet ahead of Wimbledon clash

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During an Instagram chat, the two tennis stars agreed to go for a meal after the grand slam final with the winner footing the bill

Nick Kyrgios and Novak Djokovic have agreed to a tasty side bet alongside the £2m ($A3.5m) they’ll be playing for in the Wimbledon final.

The unlikely but evidently blossoming “bromance” between the pair, which has come to light as they prepare to do battle in Sunday’s final, took a new tongue-in-cheek twist on the eve of the match when the pair indulged in an Instagram chat, doubtless to the delight of their millions of followers.

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Sri Lanka offer resistance with bat against Australia amid protests in Galle

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  • Australia 364; Sri Lanka 184-2 (63 overs) at stumps on day two
  • Thousands march in protest during second and final Test

Sri Lanka rediscovered their fight amid the chaos of loud protests and firecrackers in Galle to go to stumps on day two at 184-2 in response to Australia’s 364.

Bolstered by their efforts to run through Australia’s tail and leave Steve Smith stranded on 145 not out, the hosts enjoyed their best day of the series in the second and final Test.

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Australia 17-25 England: second rugby union Test – as it happened

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Pretty much what you’d expect from Australia’s players and staff in front of the press.

England did the media rounds during the week, and I am full of admiration for Ellis Genge’s straightforward contribution. “We’ve got to be better everywhere,” he said. “We’ve got to be better because we lost.” Brilliant. More of this please media officers.

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Nick Kyrgios says Australian tennis greats have ‘sick obsession’ with tearing him down

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Remarks come after Pat Cash accused Kyrgios of ‘cheating, manipulation and abuse’ at this year’s championships

The Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios has said that Australia’s tennis legends have a “sick obsession with tearing [him] down”.

The 27-year-old claimed he was “the outcast” of his compatriots before describing himself as an inspiration to others who have been surrounded by “negative headlines and clouds”.

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‘A bit of pub talk’: Scott Morrison denies push for job in rugby league

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Former PM says he didn’t tell powerbrokers he would like to join the Australian Rugby League Commission

The former prime minister Scott Morrison has denied making a bid to join the Australian Rugby League Commission, describing the reports as “a bit of pub talk”.

The Nine Network reported on Thursday that Morrison had spoken to “powerbrokers” in rugby league and made it “quite clear to them that he would like to be a part” of the commission, which runs the code, despite there not being a vacancy.

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‘Till next time’: Nick Kyrgios wishes Nadal well as focus turns to Wimbledon final

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  • Nadal recovering from abdominal strain that ended title hopes
  • Australian will contest maiden grand slam final on Sunday

Nick Kyrgios has wished Rafa Nadal well in his recovery from the injury that forced the Spaniard out of the Wimbledon semi-final and gifted the Australian a place in his first grand slam final.

Kyrgios was handed a walkover into Sunday’s final against either Novak Djokovic or Cam Norrie when Nadal, who played through an abdominal tear sustained during his quarter-final win against Taylor Fritz, admitted defeat and pulled out on Thursday.

Reuters and Australian Associated Press contributed to this report

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Australian veteran Simon Clarke triumphs at the death in drama-strewn Tour de France stage

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  • Clarke left in tears after edging final sprint
  • Terrible day for other Australians Haig, O’Connor and Ewan

Australian cycling veteran Simon Clarke has earned a magnificent, last-ditch Tour de France triumph to crown 20 years of slog on Europe’s roads after a brutal, crash-strewn cobbled stage.

But while the 35-year-old Israel-Premier Tech rider was left in floods of joyous tears after edging a lung-bursting sprint to win the fifth stage in a photo-finish on Wednesday, it proved a calamitous day for Australia’s biggest hitters on the Tour.

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Ajla Tomljanović survives epic final set to reach Wimbledon quarter-final again

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  • Australian defeats France’s Alize Cornet 4-6, 6-4, 6-3
  • Final game includes a 26-stroke rally on deuce

Ajla Tomljanović has continued to fly the Australian standard handed over by Ash Barty at Wimbledon, surviving a nervy final set to reach the quarter-finals.

Watched from the stands by Margaret Court, the new national No 1 battled back from losing the first set to defeat French giant-killer Alizé Cornet 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 on Monday.

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Out of luck, out of time. David Noble’s prize is a North heading south

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One win all year and 11 straight losses by 40+, the latest an 18 goal flogging. North Melbourne’s David Noble is coaching a club under siege

In November last year, the greats of the North Melbourne Football Club gathered at Arden Street. Legends of the club mingled with former captains, coaches, presidents, and sponsors. The mood was buoyant. The club’s debt had been wiped. Dani Laidley had been welcomed back. The number one draft pick looked ready made. “You can feel the energy, and feel the excitement in the air,” the outgoing chairman said.

But little has gone right since. The signs were there in the first practice match. North have since regressed in every area worth measuring. Their only win came against the Covid-ravaged Eagles. They’re the first team in VFL/AFL history to lose 11 straight games by more than 40 points. On Saturday night, they lost by 18 goals.

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Australian spinners rip through Sri Lanka to wrap up first Test inside three days

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  • Sri Lanka 212 & 113; Australia 321 & 10-0 (0.4 overs)
  • Australia win by 10 wickets in Galle to take 1-0 series lead

Australia have thrashed Sri Lanka by 10 wickets in Galle, bowling the hosts out in a session and claiming their fastest Test victory in 20 years. In a comprehensive display, Australia took only 22.5 overs to roll through Sri Lanka for 113 in their second innings on Friday, with Nathan Lyon and Travis Head taking four wickets each.

That left Australia needing five runs to win, with David Warner (10 not out) finishing the job inside an over with a four and a six. The win came in 153.2 overs for the Test match, Australia’s fastest since they demolished Pakistan in Sharjah in 2002.

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Cameron Green bats Australia to safety after storm causes first Test chaos in Sri Lanka

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  • Sri Lanka 212; Australia 313-8 (69 overs) | Australia lead by 101
  • Day two delayed after wild weather causes stand to collapse

Cameron Green helped bat Australia to the safety of a 101-run lead in the first Test in Galle, after a morning of chaos caused by heavy rain and wild winds. Green’s 77 was the highlight of day two for Australia, before they went to stumps at 313-8 in reply to Sri Lanka’s 212 as bad light stopped play.

It came after more than two hours of play were lost to a morning storm that caused the roof of a makeshift grandstand in Galle’s International Stadium to collapse. Sightscreens were also torn down and a glass panel in a marquee smashed, as gusts of more than 60kph thrashed the coastal city.

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Thanasi Kokkinakis ‘can’t wait’ to meet Novak Djokovic after maiden Wimbledon win

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  • Australian beats Poland’s Kamil Majchrzak 7-6 (7-5), 6-2, 7-5
  • Kokkinakis the only Australian winner on day one in SW19

Thanasi Kokkinakis “can’t wait” after breaking his Wimbledon hoodoo to set up a second-round blockbuster with three-time defending champion Novak Djokovic.

Five long years since his last appearance at the All England Club, Kokkinakis continued his 2022 renaissance with a watershed 7-6 (7-5), 6-2, 7-5 victory over Poland’s Kamil Majchrzak on Monday.

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Nathan Cleary stars as NSW rout Queensland to level State of Origin series

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Outfoxed by a rookie coach, widely criticised for his team selection and ultimately ambushed and humiliated in front of a record crowd at home, Brad Fittler had both feet in the furnace. But the Blues coach held his nerve all week and now has his mojo back as NSW dominated their old foes to level the State of Origin series with a thumping 44-12 Game 2 victory.

In Sydney Billy Slater pulled a card from the Cameron Smith playbook and slowed the ruck. The Blue cogs got sticky, sending Cleary off his kicking game. Without their talisman – and a Plan B by Fittler – it all unravelled. Fittler swung the axe, picked a running side with a majority-Penrith spine and put starch back in the defensive line.

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State of Origin 2022 Game 2: NSW Blues 44-12 Queensland Maroons – as it happened

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  • NSW level series at 1-1 with comprehensive win in Perth
  • Nathan Cleary sets up two tries and scores two of his own

While you’re waiting for the action to get underway, enjoy lifelong Bears tragic Sam Perry keeping the dream alive.

Speaking earlier of the NSW changes to the ruck, Billy Slater reckons they’ve made the Blues a more dangerous proposition, telling Nine: “I see a huge strength in their dummy half position. Firstly with Apisai Koroisau starting the game, he’s got a great craft around dummy half area and then we’re anticipating Damien Cook to come on somewhere late in that first half. So when he gets there, he’s an explosive runner. So that’s what we’ve worked hard on this week. It will be a big strength of their game.”

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O’Callaghan’s hat-trick of gold, as mixed relay smash world record

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  • Mollie O’Callaghan leads mixed relay team to WR time in 4x100m
  • Kaylee McKeown takes gold in 200m backstroke at world championships

Mollie O’Callaghan has made it a hat-trick of golds while leading the mixed 4x100m relay quartet to Australia’s first global landmark at this year’s world swimming championships.

And Kaylee McKeown has underlined her standing as one of Australia’s marquee swimmers with her first world championship triumph in the 200m backstroke in Budapest on a milestone penultimate day for the Dolphins.

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Collingwood star Jordan De Goey on personal leave after apologising for Bali behaviour

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  • AFL club says De Goey won’t play against GWS on Sunday
  • Leave comes after player hit with $25,000 suspended fine

Controversial Collingwood star Jordan De Goey has been given personal leave by the AFL club, with no time frame set on his return.

It comes a day after he was hit with a $25,000 suspended fine and he apologised for his “disrespectful” conduct while partying in Bali.

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Transgender swimming ban: Cate Campbell backs Fina restrictions

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  • Australian ‘wrestled with myself’ before airing views
  • Maddie Groves and trans advocacy groups criticise ruling

Australian Olympic champion Cate Campbell has supported Fina’s vote to restrict transgender women from taking part in elite female swimming competitions, saying she had “wrestled long and hard” with her views on the polarising issue before concluding that fairness is a “cornerstone” of professional sport.

Fina’s historic decision has also elicited criticism; the policy shift has been slammed by transgender advocacy groups and swimmer Maddie Groves described it as “discriminatory and unscientific”.

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Australian relay women win 4x100m gold at world championships

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  • Elijah Winnington claims 400m freestyle gold in Budapest final
  • Women’s relay win 4x100m gold with fifth-fastest time in history

Elijah Winnington has powered to his first global gold while the all-conquering 4x100m relay women won again to give Australia the perfect flying start to the world swimming championships.

Winnington earned redemption after his Olympic disappointment, speeding to an emphatic victory in the 400m freestyle, the first final of the entire week-long programme in Budapest, on Saturday.

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Wallaroos defeated by Canada in stormy Pacific Four finale

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  • Australia fly home from Pacific Four tournament winless
  • Wallaroos face back-to-back Tests against Black Ferns in August

Australia’s womens rugby team, the Wallaroos, have been defeated 22-10 in a brave performance against world No 4 Canada in the wild weather of Whangarei, on New Zealand’s North Island.

The world No 8 ranked Wallaroos led the Pacific Four game early, after pushing the ball to the edges where winger Lori Cramer kicked ahead for halfback Layne Morgan to chase it down, snatch it up and win a penalty five metres out. A good leap at the line-out from lock Michaela Leonard secured possession for a fine forward drive for the line and hooker Ashley Marsters duly planted it over the stripe.

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Wildcard Kyrgios cruises into Halle semis after blowing away Busta

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  • Kyrgios into semis after defeating Pablo Carreno Busta 6-4 6-2
  • Australian No 2 on the verge of reaching his first grass-court final

With no histrionics and no dramas, just pure, no-nonsense enjoyment, Nick Kyrgios has roared into the semi-finals of the Halle grass-court tournament.

The Australian, so often sidetracked from his own brilliance by unnecessary distractions, was the model of businesslike concentration on Friday - with just the odd showman’s trick chucked in - as he blew away Top 20 baseliner Pablo Carreno Busta 6-4 6-2.

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