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Panthers stun Bulldogs and surge into NRL preliminary final with five-peat dream alive

  • Semi-final: Canterbury Bulldogs 26-46 Penrith Panthers

  • Dominant win sounds alarm for next opponent Brisbane

Penrith have sounded the alarm in their pursuit of a fifth straight premiership, destroying Canterbury 46-26 and setting up a preliminary final against Brisbane.

The Panthers produced one of the most dominant 40 minutes of football of their dynasty, blowing Canterbury out of the water with a record-breaking 36-8 first half.

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Jonathan Kuminga’s agent says qualifying offer in play, eventual trade out of Golden State likely

Three things remain true about Jonathan Kuminga and his future: 1) He wants a bigger role with a team, to be a top-two focal point, something not happening in Golden State anytime soon; 2) Kuminga remains at a stalemate with the Golden Warriors over his next contract (an issue that will be resolved by Oct. 1, one way or another); 3) A divorce between the sides seems inevitable.

All of which is why Kuminga's agent, Aaron Turner, made the media rounds recently. He made the case that if the Warriors don't up the offers to the restricted free agent — specifically giving Kuminga a player option rather than a team option on the final year of their offers — he will take the qualifying offer, play for one year, then become a free agent. Here is what Turner said on ESPN's “The Hoop Collective” podcast.

"He wants to pick where he wants to go. So the QO is real for sure."

Golden State has made three offers to Kuminga (that we know of). The most recent and largest contract is a three-year deal worth $75.2 million, with a team option for the third year. The other primary one was a two-year, $45 million offer, but with a team option on the second year and the Warriors are demanding Kuminga give up the no-trade clause that would come with this offer. The third was a three-year, $54 million deal that was well below fair market value for the forward entering his fifth season.

The first two of those are set up to make Kuminga a trade chip — but one where he has no real control. Kuminga's leverage is that he will take the Warriors' qualifying offer — he gets a no-trade clause, likely would play out the season with the Warriors, then become a free agent next summer. That comes with risk and about $16 million left on the table this season, but Turner emphasized it's in play.

"If JK wants to take [the qualifying offer], it does have upside, right? We've talked about that. You're not getting traded. You're going to have unrestricted free agency. People are going to say, 'Well, Aaron, there's not going to be 10 or 12 teams [with cap space].' Fine, there'll be six teams with cap space for the clear-cut under-35 top wing on the market. So there's a lot of upside."

One way or another, it seems the Warriors and Kuminga are headed for a split — on a team aiming to win now with Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green as natural fours, where does Kuminga fit in? Warriors coach Steve Kerr has never fully trusted Kuminga (with reason at times), and it feels like the sides are locked in. The Warriors talked trade with Sacramento and Phoenix, but no deal was reached.

The most likely outcome is a compromise contract between the Warriors and Kuminga that gets him some money, some control, but sets up a trade, something Turner talked about in an appearance on 95.7 The Game in San Francisco.

"Another point is: he's probably... there's a good chance he gets traded. Okay? There's a good chance he gets traded, and that's halfway through the year. And he has to go to some team that he doesn't necessarily know which team that's going to be, or what exactly that's going to entail. So when we look at those factors, and just the fact that he's been there for four years and it's been up and down and up and down... when you look at all that, you go, 'Okay, the player option is the signal to him that like, make this work.' And you know, for us, we view it as we see his market at a certain level right now, you know, $24 million. We could all argue about that or whatnot. But making sure that the [Warriors] can stay under the second apron? No problem. We can help with that."

It's a sticky mess of a situation, but one with an absolute deadline — Kuminga has to take the qualifying offer by Oct. 1. Either a new deal is worked out by then, or Kuminga will pick up the offer and play out this season with the Warriors, eyes forward on next summer. That's not a good situation for Kuminga or the Warriors, which is why some kind of two- or three-year contract likely gets worked out in the coming 10 days.

However it shakes out, by Oct. 1 Kuminga will have a new contract and be on a path to another team. Wherever that might be.

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Chris Wilder finds out Sheffield United’s chaos has no quick fix

Manager returning for a third stint finds the weather matching the mood as Charlton leave with three points

It is rare that you catch Chris Wilder lost for words or emotion but as Tanto Olaofe rolled the ball into the Sheffield United net late on Saturday afternoon and pandemonium erupted among the Charlton staff to his left, even Wilder didn’t really know what to do with himself.

It wasn’t supposed to be like this. Even the most pessimistic of Blades supporters would have anticipated that the return of United’s favourite son for a third stint in the dugout would have provided even the most fractional of lifts, enough to at least pick up a first point of the season against a Charlton side without a win since the opening day.

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Yankees' Giancarlo Stanton on joining 450-homers club: 'It's cool to see the names I'm catching'

Of course there was reason to doubt Giancarlo Stanton's pursuit of another milestone moment. The veteran slugger began the regular season on the indefinite injured list with sharp and constant pain in both elbows that hampered him for months. His role with the Yankees was undefined -- the same could be said about his future in the league.

But if Stanton's skeptics were a main source of motivation in his lengthy recovery, he's now silenced every last one. His knack for hitting momentous home runs never disappeared, and proof came in the form of his 450th career blast on Saturday night in the Yankees' 6-1 road win over the Orioles.

The history-making three-run shot arrived in the first inning, and Stanton had to earn it. With two strikes and two outs against Orioles starter Tomoyuki Sugano, he took a sweeper to right field that narrowly cleared Camden Yards' elevated wall. The ball didn't travel to his tape-measure standards, but it counted all the same.

"It's pretty cool [hitting No. 450]. We like round numbers," Stanton explained to the YES Network after the win. "It's cool to see the names I'm catching and tying, going above. Most importantly, it helped us win. A lot of swings away from 500. Of course, you think about it. If you bear down, I'm capable of doing it. It's just one at a time. That's all I can do."

Stanton became the 41st player in MLB history to register 450 career homers, and the fifth-fastest player to achieve the feat (1,719 games). He's also just the sixth player to hit No. 450 in a Yankee uniform, and his current mark ranks highest among active hitters.

If joining the 500 homers club grants a player access to the Hall of Fame, a willing and able version of Stanton -- who turns 36 in November -- has the chance to earn an invite before his contract with the Yankees expires following the 2027 season. There are only 28 players in the exclusive fraternity.

In the meantime, the Yankees will bask in Stanton's success at the plate. Since his season debut in mid-June (70 games), he's slashed a laudable .268/.341/.575 with 21 homers and seven doubles across 228 at-bats. Welcomed production that the team wound up needing in bunches.

"It's so unique how [Stanton] does it, how routinely hard he hits the baseball," Yankees manager Aaron Boone told YES. "But just a really cool day for him and for us as teammates. He has so much respect from all of us... Still going in what's a Hall of Fame career. It's a big number... I feel like he's got a lot left, a lot left to go..."

After the game, the Yankees revealed that one of their younger fans -- wearing Stanton's jersey, ironically -- caught the ball and wanted nothing in return. But he and his family got to meet Stanton near the clubhouse, where they exchanged one special ball for some signed memorabilia.

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For Penguins' Prospect, Training Camp Is A Family Reunion – And An Opportunity

Avery (left, gold) and Travis (right) Hayes compete in Pittsburgh Penguins' training camp during a drill. (Credit: Kelsey Surmacz - The Hockey News)

On Jun. 28, something pretty special happened for Pittsburgh Penguins' forward prospect Avery Hayes. 

Fresh off of signing a two-year entry level contract with the Penguins at the conclusion of the 2024-25 season, Hayes got to watch as his brother's name was called from the podium during the 2025 NHL Entry Draft.

Travis Hayes - selected in the fourth round (105th overall) by Pittsburgh on that day - officially became a member of the Penguins, following in the footsteps of Avery. Now, as training camp is officially underway for the 2025-26 season, the brothers get to share the ice, just as they did at the Prospects Challenge in Buffalo last week.

“It’s been awesome," Travis said. "Obviously, going to Buffalo and playing with him, then got a few shifts with him [in camp] and seeing him out here, his practice habits and stuff… yeah, it’s great.”

And Travis isn't the only family member Avery got to unite with during the first weekend of training camp. The USHL Fall Classic also took place at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in the evenings following the first three days of camp - and Avery's and Travis's, brother, Eli, is competing for the Honeybaked Hockey Club out of Detroit - a team that Penguins' forward Bryan Rust used to play for and, ironically, one that has yet another Penguins' connection. 

"Rutger [McGroarty's] dad, Jimmy, is the head coach of the team, which is funny," Hayes laughed. "So, it's pretty cool. 

Avery and Travis attended one of Eli's games on Saturday evening, and they also got to reunite with their own father at the event. 

"It’s really cool to see all of them," Avery said. "I don’t get to see them at all during the season, so it's nice."

Could This Penguins' Prospect Crack The NHL Roster Out Of Camp?Could This Penguins' Prospect Crack The NHL Roster Out Of Camp?When looking back at the past three prospects challenges for the Pittsburgh Penguins - all of which they have won - there is a common denominator.

And even if the family business is a welcome thing for Avery, he knows there is other business to attend to as well - which includes trying to stay in Pittsburgh beyond training camp.

Undrafted, Hayes initially joined the Penguins' organization when he signed a two-year AHL contract prior to the 2023-24 season. His first season was riddled with injury, but he really began to make a name for himself and the type of player he is in 2024-25.

A scrappy, effort-driven forechecking forward, he kicked off that campaign with a standout performance at the Prospects Challenge, followed by a strong training camp showing. He carried all of that momentum into the AHL regular season, when he put up 23 goals and 42 points in 60 games for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS).

The practice habits Travis referred to - as well as his skillset - are well-known to his teammates by now, as they certainly translate to game days and in trying to stand out at training camp.

“He works hard and looks really shifty out there," said forward Rickard Rakell , who is in Hayes's training camp group. "He’s hard to catch. He’s a smaller guy but quick with the puck. Good with the puck. Plays with a lot of confidence.” 

And that nod of confidence from the organization in the form of that two-year NHL contract this summer opened up an opportunity for Hayes to vye for an NHL roster spot. It's an opportunity he's grateful for and that he doesn't want to waste, and to go up against guys like Rakell and Bryan Rust in drills during camp is giving him a taste of what's expected at the NHL level.

“It’s awesome," Hayes said. "Those are the guys that you want to be going up against and playing with in the future. That’s the kind of standard to make it. So, they’re great players, and it really pushes me to be better.

"I also get to play with great players, too, which is awesome. You get to see how they kind of think the game and play off them. So, it’s a really cool experience. You don’t really want to get starstruck in the moment, you just want to go out there and play.”

And he's taking a thing or two from those great players.

“Just the details. I mean, they compete," Hayes said. "They’re guys that have been playing in the NHL for 10-plus years, some of them. They treat every rep like it’s a Game 7. So, I’d say that’s the biggest thing and just how fast-paced and competitive it is."

Top-20 Penguins' Prospects 2025: Young Forward Earns His SpotTop-20 Penguins' Prospects 2025: Young Forward Earns His SpotHeading into the 2025-26 season, the Pittsburgh Penguins have shifted the focus to youth and development.

Hayes is slated to be in the lineup for Pittsburgh's first pre-season game on Monday in Montreal against the Canadiens, and he will be competing with - and against - several forwards who figure to be in contention for a final roster spot along with him, including Tristan Broz, Rafeal Harvery-Pinard, Sam Poulin, Boko Imama, Joona Koppanen, and Robby Fabbri.

So what does Hayes need to do in order to separate himself? It's simple: just be himself and take things day-by-day.

"Just play my game and be myself," Hayes said. "I mean, it got me this far, so I just have to continue to play with confidence and just take it one day at a time, take it one practice at a time. Honestly, I’m not looking too far into the future. Just taking it one day at a time.”

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