Category Archives: Australia sport

Sam Kerr jury asked to consider difference if she had called a police officer ‘stupid and black’

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Prosecutor argues Matildas star’s claims about what happened in taxi do not make ‘one blind bit of difference to what this case is about’

Prosecutors in the trial of Australian star Sam Kerr, who called a police officer “stupid and white”, have asked the jury to consider if it would be different had she said “stupid and black”.

The 31-year-old Matildas striker is on trial charged with causing racially aggravated harassment to PC Stephen Lovell during an incident in south-west London in the early hours of 30 January 2023. Kerr denies the charges.

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Sam Kerr appears in court charged with alleged racially aggravated harassment

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The Australia and Chelsea striker, who denies the charge, appeared at Kingston crown court on Tuesday

The Matildas and Chelsea superstar Sam Kerr has appeared in court charged with alleged racially aggravated harassment of a police officer

The Australian striker attended a hearing, wearing a black coat and a white jumper, at Kingston crown court on Tuesday.

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Richmond Tigers player Noah Balta charged with assault after incident in country NSW

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Footballer who signed a seven-year AFL deal in October has been charged after 30 December incident in Riverina town of Mulwala

Richmond Tigers star Noah Balta has been charged with assault after an incident in country New South Wales.

The AFL club has released a brief statement to confirm a media report that the defender had been charged.

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Thanasi Kokkinakis and doubles pair inspire Australia to Davis Cup win over USA

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  • Doubles pair Jordan Thompson and Matt Ebden seal victory
  • Italy or Argentina await in semi-final

Inspired captaincy, a nail-biting underdog’s win for Thanasi Kokkinakis and good old-fashioned Australian doubles pedigree has powered Australia into the semi-finals of the Davis Cup in Spain.

Lleyton Hewitt outduelled his USA counterpart Bob Bryan in the key captaincy decisions of their quarter-final tie in Málaga on Thursday as Australia defeated the Americans 2-1 in the battle between the two nations who have won the men’s “World Cup of tennis” more than any other.

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Australia plan Indigenous team for ‘very special game’ against Lions

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  • Tour slot vacant after Melbourne Rebels demise
  • ‘We have some great talent with First Nations heritage’

The British and Irish Lions could face a team with Indigenous and Pacific heritage during their 2025 tour, according to the chief executive of Rugby Australia. Phil Waugh said discussions were under way with the Lions for the match to fill the gap in the tour schedule due to the Melbourne Rebels going into administration.

“We have some great talent with First Nations heritage,” he told the Sydney Morning Herald, saying the team would be made up of players from the remaining Super Rugby teams. “It was a matter of how do we will pull those ideas together to make a very special game in a massive tour?

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Australia settle on new Test opener as Nathan McSweeney named in squad to face India

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  • South Australian to debut at top of batting order in first match in Perth
  • In-form Josh Inglis also picked as batter in 13-player squad

Australia have settled on Nathan McSweeney to be Usman Khawaja’s opening partner for the start of the blockbuster Test series against India. After an outstanding start to the domestic season, McSweeney has beaten Marcus Harris for the vacant spot in the Australian XI.

McSweeney will become the first Australian player in 47 years to make his Test debut as an opener despite never having batted there at Sheffield Shield level. The 25-year-old top-scored in both innings of the first Australia A match in Mackay when batting at No 4. But he was unable to convert starts – 14 and 25 – in both innings as Australia A closed out a six-wicket win in the second match at the MCG.

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Former Olympian Nathan Baggaley eligible for parole after drug plot sentencing

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The double silver medallist and his brother given 13- and 15-year sentences but could be freed because of time served for 2018 cocaine operation

An Olympic silver medallist and his brother are eligible for parole after being sentenced over a failed attempt to import cocaine worth about $200m.

Nathan Baggaley, 48, a former champion kayaker, and Dru Baggaley, 42, faced Brisbane supreme court on Monday after pleading guilty in October to attempting to import a commercial quantity of drugs – just days before they were due to face a retrial.

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Major football codes and gambling firms directly lobbied Albanese’s office on ad ban, documents show

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NRL, AFL and betting companies intensified efforts to try to influence PM in lead-up to finals

Newly released documents show how in the lead-up to footy finals the NRL, AFL and major wagering companies accelerated and intensified their efforts to directly lobby the prime minister’s office to influence a proposed gambling ad ban.

The gambling industry’s peak body sought to bypass the responsible minister and discuss ad ban issues directly with Anthony Albanese, according to documents tabled in parliament on Friday, which revealed details of letters, emails and meeting agendas and memos.

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Rival logos go missing in photos of Nike-sponsored Melbourne Marathon festival

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Race organisers apologise after posting edited images of two runners where their Asics and Puma branding was obscured

The Nike-sponsored Melbourne Marathon festival has apologised for posting an edited image of a winning runner with the logo of a sports apparel rival obscured.

The image depicted Leanne Pompeani with her arms outstretched after she won the half-marathon but the Asics logo on her running singlet was rubbed out.

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Noise from new Hobart AFL stadium will ruin symphony orchestra’s historic concert hall, CEO fears

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Caroline Sharpen says ‘there’s no precedent in the world’ for a concert hall having to deal with 23,000-seat stadium just 170 metres from its stage

The $775m bid to bring an Aussie Rules team to Tasmania will place the state’s symphony orchestra in an unenviable world-first position, which could threaten its future existence.

The plan to build a home for the newly formed Tasmanian Devils AFL team will see a 23,000 seat capacity sports and music stadium constructed on a historic Hobart foreshore site just 40 metres from the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra’s purpose-built performing and recording headquarters, the Federation Concert Hall.

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Man charged after Olympic medals allegedly stolen from ‘Oarsome Foursome’ rower’s car in Melbourne

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Victoria police arrest 47-year-old after alleged theft of Drew Ginn’s medals in Docklands last week

A man has been charged after four Olympic medals – including three gold – belonging to one of the members of Australia’s popular “Oarsome Foursome” rowing team were allegedly stolen from a car in Melbourne.

Victoria police said Drew Ginn’s medals from four consecutive Olympics were in the back of a Land Rover that was parked on Cumberland Street in Docklands when they were allegedly stolen last week.

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Anti-gambling ads to ‘swarm’ key Labor seats during footy finals season

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Exclusive: Alliance for Gambling Reform to ramp up pressure on Albanese government to impose a full gambling ad ban

Three key Labor seats won at the last election will be targeted by a “swarm” campaign of anti-gambling ads during footy finals season.

The ads, organised by the Alliance for Gambling Reform, will run in the Parramatta, Bennelong and Gilmore electorates in an attempt to pressure the government into a full gambling ad ban.

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Carlton coach Michael Voss makes citizen’s arrest after alleged thief flees Melbourne car crash

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‘It was a bit of action,’ AFL coach says after detaining 16-year-old in Hawthorn who allegedly ran from Mercedes that had flipped on to side

Carlton coach Michael Voss has made a citizen’s arrest after seeing an alleged car thief try and flee after they allegedly crashed a stolen car in the Melbourne suburb of Hawthorn.

The AFL coach was at a cafe on Tuesday morning when the Mercedes flipped on its side on a footpath after crashing.

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Ron Coote named rugby league’s 14th Immortal ending 43-year wait

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  • Lock played for Souths and Roosters in 60s and 70s
  • He won six premierships and played in nine grand finals

Ron Coote has been named rugby league’s 14th Immortal, ending one of the longest waits to earn the status.

Coote was officially revealed as the latest Immortal at a gala dinner at the SCG on Wednesday, rewarding him for a career that dominated the 1960s and 1970s.

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USA edge past China with gold in final event of Paris 2024 to top medal table

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Plus ça change: after more than two weeks of frenetic competition across 32 sports involving more than 10,000 athletes, the US finished the Paris Olympics top of the medal table once again, although they required victory in the final event of the Games to do so.

The US entered Sunday with 38 golds, one behind China’s tally of 39, although they were heavy favourites for victory in women’s basketball, an event the Americans have won at every Olympics since 1996. The US also had chances for gold in track cycling, wrestling and volleyball, while China could add to their tally in weightlifting.

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Australia news live: Linda Reynolds tells defamation trial she felt like a ‘punching clown on the fairground’ after social media posts by Higgins and Sharaz

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Wong endorses call from Blinken for de-escalation in Middle East

The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, said she endorsed Antony Blinken’s call for de-escalation in the Middle East.

We continue to add our voice to the support for the ceasefire outlined by President Biden and endorsed by the security council.

Thank you for an incredibly productive day.

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How Sydney’s endless rain is ruining football seasons and breaking young hearts

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As Saturday after Saturday gets wiped out by bad weather, clubs are drowning in a sea of unplayed fixtures

The first thing Jamie Amendolia’s boys ask him when he picks them up from school every afternoon is the same: “Is training on? Is the game on? Has it been called off? Are we playing?”

Both of his sons, Sebastian, 10, and Alexander, eight, play football at Enfield FC in Sydney’s inner west. They’re footy fanatics. Except both have had their season thrown into chaos by the wet weather that has hit and bogged down Sydney’s weekends for months.

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Alex de Minaur lays Wimbledon ghosts to rest to reach last eight for first time

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  • Australian No 1 beats France’s Arthur Fils 6-2, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3
  • Win banishes memory of losing two-set lead in 2022

The “Demon” has slain his Wimbledon demon to reach the last eight of the grass court grand slam for the first time. But Alex de Minaur now has another bad memory to exorcise. Two years after blowing a two-set lead and two match points when on the brink of reaching the quarter-finals, the No 9 seed held his nerve as a horror repeat threatened against Arthur Fils.

De Minaur put his fans on No 1 Court – and late-night television viewers back home – through the wringer as he dropped the third set but showed Aussie grit to take the fourth on his second match point. His 6-2, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 win, in just shy of three hours, booked a last-eight meeting with Novak Djokovic on Wednesday (late Wednesday or early Thursday AEST).

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Court condemns soccer fans’ Nazi salutes at 2022 Australia Cup final

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Three men were convicted and fined $500 for ‘deliberately and intentionally’ performing the salute

Three Croatian men have been convicted and fined after separately making Nazi salutes during the 2022 Australia Cup soccer final.

Nikola Marko Gasparovic, 46, Dominik Sieben, 25, and Marijan Lisica, 45, performed the salute at Parramatta’s CommBank Stadium on October 1 2022, during the match between Sydney United 58 and Macarthur FC.

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‘I could have run faster’: Cathy Freeman expresses regret over gold medal race at Sydney Olympics

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Olympian says women’s 400 metres would have reached a whole new level if her main rival Marie-José Pérec had competed in the final

In an extraordinary confession, Olympic legend Cathy Freeman says she never completely fulfilled her potential as an athlete.

Reflecting on her remarkable career as the Paris games approach, Freeman said she could have run even faster in her career-defining 400-metres final at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

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