Author: Australian Associated Press

• Dally M Medallist named in interim coach Jess Skinner’s starting side
• Australia face Lionesses in historic women’s rugby league international

Olivia Kernick has won back her Jillaroos jersey, after the Dally M Medallist was called back into Australia’s back row for their Las Vegas Test against England. Controversially axed from the squad for the Pacific Championships last year despite being the NRLW’s best player, Kernick has been listed to start in the US.

The 24-year-old is one of two new faces to the Australian side that beat New Zealand in last year’s Pacific Championships final, replacing the unavailable Millie Elliott. Quincy Dodd has also been called onto the bench, in place of fellow hooker Keeley Davis.

• Two players and toy baseball bat involved in hotel incident
• Duo set to be named to face New Zealand Warriors on Sunday

The NRL has been dealt its first off-field behavioural issue in Las Vegas, with Canberra forwards Morgan Smithies and Hudson Young forced into explaining their actions after clashing on the opening night of the Raiders’ camp.

The two players fronted the media on Monday (Tuesday AEDT) to apologise after becoming involved in an altercation with each other after a night out, when a hotel mix up left one of them without a room.

• St George Illawarra defeat South Sydney 46-26 in Mudgee
• Sione Finau helped from field after starring with four tries

St George Illawarra have claimed a 46-26 Charity Shield victory to leave South Sydney coach Wayne Bennett with more questions than answers as he attempts to save the Rabbitohs’ NRL season before it has begun.

After a week in which Cameron Murray was ruled out for the rest of the year and Latrell Mitchell was sidelined for the first six weeks of the season, Jamie Humphreys emerged as a beacon of light for the Rabbitohs on Saturday.

• Record revenue, crowds and viewing figures announced at AGM
• Game ‘never been stronger’ financially, says Peter V’landys

The NRL has lauded the 2024 season as the most lucrative and successful in rugby league’s 117-year history in Australia.

Boasting record revenue, crowds and viewing figures, the NRL says rugby league is now the most popular sport in Australia and the Pacific.

Attendances – total: $4.79m - up 3.8%

TV viewership – total: $200.5m - up 8.6%

Participation – total: $1.03m - up 20.6%

Asset value – total: $322.4m - up 24%

• Lowest-scoring game since inception of men’s matches
• Indigenous team pip Māori in women’s All Stars thriller

The Māori claimed an attritional and gutsy 10-6 men’s All Stars rugby league win over the Indigenous team.

In the lowest-scoring game since the inception of the All Stars match in 2010, tries from Jacob Laban and Jesse Arthars cancelled out Shaquai Mitchell’s four-pointer. Arthars was the winner of the Preston Campbell medal as the best player of Saturday’s game at Commbank Stadium.