Author: Australian Associated Press

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Julia Robinson soars for try of the year contender as Jillaroos shut out Samoa

  • Australia women crush Fetu Samoa 60-0 at Suncorp Stadium

  • Samoa men’s side turn tables to defeat Tonga 34-6 in Brisbane

Julia Robinson has become the most prolific try-scorer in Jillaroos history with a superwoman effort in a 60-0 drubbing of Fetu Samoa, before the Samoa men’s side turned the tables to defeat Tonga 34-6.

The 27-year-old Robinson notched her 20th Test try with a stunning dive to catch a Jesse Southwell bomb, flying 5m through the air to catch the ball and score in the Pacific Cup double-header at Suncorp Stadium.

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Mollie O’Callaghan breaks 200m record – again – to end stunning week at Swimming World Cup

  • Young gun betters her own short-course freestyle record set a week ago

  • Toronto meet is proving hugely successful for Australia

Mollie O’Callaghan has capped a brilliant week at the Swimming World Cup in Toronto, setting a new short-course world record in the 200m women’s freestyle. 

The 21-year-old Australian obliterated a star-studded field to touch in 1:49.36 on Friday, just seven days after setting a then new mark of 1:49.77. 

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Rookies Cooper Connolly and Matt Short help Australia to tense two-wicket ODI win over India

  • Victory hands hosts unassailable 2-0 series lead

  • Connolly’s unbeaten 61 steers Australia to target of 265

Novice batsmen Cooper Connolly, Matt Short and Mitch Owen have produced career-best ODI knocks to steer Australia to a tense two-wicket win against India.

Australia claimed a series victory after the win at Adelaide Oval on Thursday gave them a 2-0 lead in the three-match series.

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Mark Nawaqanitawase becomes dual international as Kangaroos name first Ashes Test team

  • Former Wallaby rewarded for breakout NRL season with Roosters

  • Australia debutant Reece Walsh to pose threat to England at Wembley

Australia will unleash the dazzling skills of new dual international Mark Nawaqanitawase on England at Wembley Stadium, alongside equally electrifying fellow Kangaroos debutant Reece Walsh.

The duo join Brisbane centre Gehamat Shibasaki and South Sydney powerhouse Keaon Koloamatangi as the four debutants in the opening Test of rugby league’s Ashes series on Sunday (AEDT).

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Mitchell Marsh steers Australia to big win over India in rain-hit first ODI

Mitchell Marsh hit an unbeaten 46 off 52 balls while Virat Kohli was out for an eight-ball duck as Australia crushed India by seven wickets to spare in a rain-affected ODI series opener in Perth.

Four rain delays totalling three hours and 40 minutes caused havoc as India stuttered to nine for 136 off a reduced 26 overs at Optus Stadium. Under the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method, Australia required just 131 for victory from their 26 overs, with Marsh and Josh Philippe (37 runs off 29 balls) ensuring the hosts made light work of it.

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Wallabies star Len Ikitau wins John Eales Medal after ‘exciting’ year

  • ‘Flickitau’ is first centre to win Australia’s top prize

  • Tabua Tuinakauvadra crowned top Wallaroos player

Wallabies star Len Ikitau has won the John Eales Medal, becoming the first centre to claim Australian rugby’s highest individual honour.

Ikitau enjoyed a phenomenal year in the gold jersey, opening the voting period in spectacular style by delivering the magical match-winning flick pass to Max Jorgensen in Australia’s epic win over England at Twickenham last November.

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Marnus Labuschagne firms for Test selection with fourth century in five innings

  • Right-hander hits second straight Sheffield Shield ton for Queensland

  • Place in Australia’s Ashes team all but assured with knock of 159

Marnus Labuschagne appears certain to return to Australia’s team for the Ashes, his fourth century in five innings making a compelling case to selectors.

Fresh off posting 160 in the opening round of the Sheffield Shield, Labuschagne struck 159 for Queensland at Adelaide Oval on Thursday.

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Four-time Olympic gold medallist Ariarne Titmus announces retirement from swimming

  • Titmus first Australian since Dawn Fraser in 1964 to win back-to-back gold medals in the same event

  • Swimming great steps away as the current 200m freestyle world record-holder

Four-time Olympic gold medallist Ariarne Titmus has announced her shock retirement from swimming, saying the seed was sewn by her cancer scare before the Paris Games.

The 25-year-old, who grew up in Tasmania, will retire as one of the greatest distance swimmers of all time.

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‘Counterfeiting a code’: NRL announces 10-year ban for players who engage with R360

  • Agents who take players to unregistered competitions also face ban

  • Rules will ‘protect future of the game’, ARLC chair Peter V’landys says

The NRL has vowed to ban any player who leaves the code for R360 for 10 years, as it fights to fend off the threat of the breakaway rugby competition.

In a statement on Wednesday, the NRL also threatened to ban any agent if they take a player to the rebel competition.

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AFL trade deadline day: Charlie Curnow joins Sydney from Carlton; Hawks fail in bid for Bombers’ Zach Merrett

  • Blues’ star forward gets his move despite late snag

  • Clayton Oliver to GWS, and Christian Petracca joins Suns

Carlton’s two-time Coleman Medallist Charlie Curnow will join Sydney in the biggest deal of the AFL trade period.

Despite last-minute haggling before the deadline of 7.30pm on Wednesday, Hawthorn were unable to convince Essendon to trade away captain Zach Merrett.

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Carter Gordon returns to Wallabies squad after early end to NRL stint

  • Former Gold Coast Titan flyhalf lured back by Rugby Australia

  • Coach Joe Schmidt selects 34 players for Tests starting 25 October

Carter Gordon could be the Wallabies’ flyhalf again by the end of the month after securing a release from his NRL deal to be part of Australia’s spring tour.

The 24-year-old’s move to the Queensland Reds was confirmed on Monday after Rugby Australia secured a release from the second and final year of his Gold Coast contract.

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Pat Cummins concedes he is ‘weeks away’ from bowling and unlikely to play in first Ashes Test

  • Australia captain to learn this week whether he will be fit for opener

  • Star quick says he is ‘less likely than likely’ to face England in Perth

Pat Cummins has admitted he is unlikely to play in the Ashes opener, conceding a return to proper bowling is still some time away.

Cummins is expected to learn this week whether he will be able to feature in Perth on 21 November, with officials conceding the quick is facing a narrow timeline.

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Chiefs or Pythons? NRL’s 19th team name revealed by PNG prime minister James Marape

  • Public naming competition had more than 20,000 submissions

  • Rugby league franchise joining in 2028 will be known as Chiefs

Papua New Guinea’s new team to enter the NRL in 2028 will be known as the Chiefs, the country’s prime minister, James Marape, has announced.

The club’s name was unveiled at Santos National Football Stadium before kick-off in the men’s annual match between the Australian Prime Minister’s XIII and their Pacific neighbour on Sunday.

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‘Amazing number’: Alex de Minaur hits new milestone on path to Shanghai quarters

  • Australian beats Nuno Borges 7-5 6-2 to reach 50 victories this year

  • World No 7 to face Daniil Medvedev in last eight as draw opens up

Alex de Minaur has hailed the milestone 50th tour-level victory in his best ever season as “amazing” after easing into the quarter-finals of the Shanghai Masters.

But now the Australian No 1 hopes his win – a 7-5 6-2 win over Portugal’s Nuno Borges – is just a staging post on his way to what could be his first ever ATP Masters 1000 triumph.

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Daria Kasatkina, Australia’s No 1 women’s tennis player, takes career break citing ‘mental stress’

  • Russian-born star has ‘hit a wall and can’t continue’

  • She promises to be back in 2026 and ‘ready to rock’

Australia’s women’s tennis No 1 has put her career on hold for the rest of the year stating “mentally and emotionally I am at breaking point”.

Daria Kasatkina, who switched nationality from Russia to Australia earlier this year, immediately becoming national No 1, blamed the “emotional and mental stress” related to that change, the strain of not seeing her family and the relentless schedule of the tennis circuit.

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