分类： sports

AFL side Collingwood is preparing to adopt an unconventional, progressive rehabilitation strategy for its captain Darcy Moore after yet another soft tissue injury sidelined the star skipper, extending what has already been a devastating run of injuries for the club’s leader. Moore sustained a new hamstring injury during last weekend’s match against the West Coast Eagles, an issue that is expected to keep him off the pitch for as long as eight weeks. This latest setback is just one in a long string of health problems for Moore in the 2024 campaign: he already dealt with a pre-season calf injury, hamstring tightness in Round 1, combined knee bursitis and hamstring trouble in Round 3, and a concussion in Round 9. Moore is no stranger to navigating repeated soft tissue setbacks; early in his professional career, he traveled across the globe to Europe to consult leading specialists in soft tissue recovery to address his recurring issues. Speaking to reporters this week, Collingwood head coach Craig McRae acknowledged that the club’s current recovery approach has not worked, and a new path forward is non-negotiable to get Moore back to elite playing condition. “It’s been a frustrating year for him to get on the paddock and then back out on the field,” McRae said. “Clearly we need to do something different because what we’re doing right now – given his body feedback – he’s not capable of doing it at the level which is required. We’ll be progressive around his rehab.” The coach added that this unorthodox approach could include a controlled, limited stint in the Victorian Football League (VFL), Collingwood’s reserve-grade competition, as Moore builds his fitness back up. “We might just weigh up what that means in terms of, ‘OK does he need to train for a bit longer to be fit and available? Does he need to play a VFL game?’” McRae explained. “I don’t know yet, (but) we’ve got to work all that out.” A restricted run in the reserves is not off the table as the club maps out Moore’s comeback, the coach confirmed. Unfortunately for Collingwood, Moore’s injury is not the only bad news the club received this week. The Magpies’ training and medical facility became a revolving door for scans this week, with multiple key players requiring assessment. Veteran forward Jamie Elliott has been ruled out for the remainder of the season after scans confirmed he suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. Rising young star Nick Daicos also underwent assessment for a sore foot, but McRae delivered positive news on that front: Daicos has been cleared fit to line up against the Western Bulldogs in this weekend’s primetime match. Even McRae himself was caught up in the injury wave sweeping the club, revealing he also underwent scans on a sore shoulder this week. “I think everyone went in for scans this week, I popped in for a couple on my shoulder as well. That (clinic) was a revolving door,” McRae joked. Despite the season-ending injury, McRae added that Elliott remains in good spirits as he prepares for his recovery and reconstruction surgery.

The 2025 French Open at Roland Garros enters its second round of matches on Thursday, with the world’s top two male and female players gunning to secure their spots in the final 32 of the clay-court Grand Slam, bringing high stakes to the packed schedule under Paris’ unseasonably scorching skies.

Leading the men’s draw is Italian world No. 1 Jannik Sinner, who arrives in Paris with unprecedented momentum heading into his quest for a first career French Open title and a completed career Grand Slam. Fresh off becoming only the second player in tennis history — after Novak Djokovic — to claim all three clay-court Masters 1000 titles, wrapping up a full set of nine 1000-level tournament trophies, Sinner has entered the tournament as the overwhelming favorite to lift the trophy.

Sinner is already looking to improve on a standout 2024 Roland Garros run, where he pushed eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz to an epic five-set final before falling just short. This year, the path to the title is far clearer: Alcaraz, the defending champion, is sidelined with an injury, leaving few competitors capable of challenging Sinner’s red-hot form. He kicked off his 2025 campaign with a clinical first-round win under the lights on Court Philippe Chatrier on Tuesday, and will open Thursday’s main draw action on centre court against Argentina’s Juan Manuel Cerundolo, ranked 56th in the world. The pair have only met once before, a straight-sets win for Sinner in the opening round of Wimbledon three years ago.

Addressing the ongoing heat wave that has dominated the opening week of the tournament, Sinner downplayed concerns over his ability to cope with soaring temperatures. “I’m happy to play night. I’m happy to play day, whenever they put me,” he said. “I think I handled the heat very well in Indian Wells, was very hot this year, so I didn’t have issues there. We prepared in a good way. Of course here, different heat, but the humidity is not as tough as maybe in Australia or US.”

On the women’s side of the draw, world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka will also take to Court Philippe Chatrier on Thursday seeking to lock in her third-round spot, but the Belarusian arrives in Paris after a shaky start to the European clay-court season. Fresh off a dominant Sunshine Double win at Indian Wells and Miami in March, Sabalenka has looked surprisingly vulnerable on red dirt this spring: she suffered a shock quarter-final exit to Hailey Baptiste in Madrid, followed by a third-round loss to Sorana Cirstea at the Italian Open. Sabalenka blamed unfavorable wet and cold conditions in Rome for her underperformance, and has had no such complaints about the Paris heat, which suits her aggressive power game.

After a commanding straight-sets opening win over Jessica Bouzas Maneiro on Tuesday, the 28-year-old joked about the rapid shift in conditions: “I’d say that it was a bit warm. Especially compared to the first days when I first got here, it was… freezing. Now it’s boiling hot and balls are flying, everything is much faster. But physically I feel strong, so I feel like it can benefit me.” Scheduled as the third match on centre court, with temperatures again forecast to top 30°C, Sabalenka will face French wildcard Elsa Jacquemot, ranked 67th, and is heavily favored to advance.

Thursday’s schedule also features a host of other top contenders seeking second-round wins. Defending women’s champion Coco Gauff, the American No. 4 seed, will take on Egyptian qualifier Mayar Sherif on Court Suzanne Lenglen. The 2020 Roland Garros debut marked the only time Gauff has been eliminated before the quarter-final stage here, when the 16-year-old Gauff fell to Martina Trevisan.

Four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka of Japan will face Croatia’s Donna Vekic on Court Simonne Mathieu, while rising Canadian teen Victoria Mboko will test her skills against Czech Katerina Siniakova. American teen sensation Iva Jovic will go head-to-head with compatriot and former world No. 8 Emma Navarro, while Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime will look to avoid another grueling “roller-coaster” match like his opening-round thriller when he faces Argentina’s Roman Andres Burruchaga. American fifth seed Ben Shelton and French 17-year-old wildcard Moise Kouame will bookend the day’s play on Court Suzanne Lenglen, Roland Garros’ second-biggest showcourt.

In a historic night of European football at Leipzig’s Red Bull Arena, Crystal Palace claimed the first major European trophy in the club’s 120-year history with a tense 1-0 victory over Spain’s Rayo Vallecano in the 2025 UEFA Conference League final, powered by Jean-Philippe Mateta’s second-half match-winner.

The opening 45 minutes delivered a tightly contested, cagey affair, with both sides trading half-chances but failing to break the deadlock. Rayo Vallecano, who entered the final on a nine-match unbeaten run and entered the tie as underdog overachievers, carved out the first clear opportunity of the game in the 25th minute, when midfielder Alemao saw his low driven effort flash just wide of the Palace goalpost. Moments before halftime, the London side squandered a golden opening: Adam Wharton, who passed a late fitness test to start just hours after battling an ankle injury, floated a pinpoint cross over the Rayo defense that found Tyrick Mitchell unmarked at the back post, only for the full-back’s header to drift inches wide of the target.

The game sprang to life six minutes into the second half, as Crystal Palace found their rhythm and converted the breakthrough. Wharton unleashed a powerful strike from the edge of the 18-yard box that Rayo goalkeeper Augusto Batalla got both hands to, but could only parry the rebound straight into the path of Mateta. The French striker reacted instantly, tapping the loose ball into the empty net to put his side ahead, and send departing manager Oliver Glasner into his final match in charge with the lead.

Palace came tantalizingly close to doubling their advantage shortly after, when Yeremy Pino’s curling free-kick crashed against both the crossbar and the post before ricocheting off a Rayo defender and hitting the woodwork a third time. Rayo somehow cleared the ball off the line to keep the scoreline at 1-0, and the Spanish side rarely threatened an equalizer after that, with Palace’s defense holding firm to see out the win.

The result caps an extraordinary two-and-a-half year reign for Glasner, who departs the club having secured three trophies in two seasons — the most successful run in Crystal Palace’s history. After leading the club to a breakthrough FA Cup win last year and a Community Shield victory at the start of this campaign, the Austrian tactician adds the Conference League title to his collection, having already lifted the Europa League with Eintracht Frankfurt back in 2022, cementing his reputation as a knockout competition specialist.

The triumph is all the more remarkable given the off-season and mid-season upheaval Palace navigated this term. The club sold star players Eberechi Eze and Marc Guehi, the latter to Manchester City in January, and was originally set to compete in the Europa League this season before being demoted to the Conference League due to UEFA multi-club ownership regulations. Even Mateta, the hero of the final, came close to leaving the club in the winter transfer window, collapsing a move to AC Milan only after a failed medical.

Speaking after the final whistle, midfielder Adam Wharton, whose late fitness boost proved pivotal for Palace, hailed Glasner’s transformative impact on the club. “The difference he has made in two and a half years is incredible,” Wharton told TNT Sports. “Three trophies, the first European trophy in the history of the club. He’s got to be one of the best managers Palace have ever had, and he’s completely changed how we approach cup competitions — now we go into every one expecting to win.”

Mateta, who put in a tireless shift up front for Palace, echoed his teammate’s excitement: “I feel fantastic. First time we’ve competed in Europe, and we did it! I’m tired, I gave everything out there, the whole team gave everything, and that’s why we’re champions tonight. Right now I just want to celebrate with the lads.”

Palace’s win makes them the third consecutive London-based Premier League club to lift the Conference League trophy, following West Ham United in 2024 and Chelsea in 2025, a run that underscores the unmatched financial depth of the English top flight across European competition. With Aston Villa already crowned Europa League champions this term, the Premier League is on the cusp of a historic clean sweep of all three major UEFA club trophies, with league champions Arsenal set to face Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final this Saturday.

For years, a persistent cloud has hung over Nathan Cleary’s elite rugby league career: while he is widely regarded as one of the greatest club players of his generation, critics have argued he has failed to consistently deliver when the brightest lights are on the biggest representative stages, most notably the State of Origin. On Wednesday night at Sydney’s Accor Stadium, the Penrith Panthers halfback erased every last doubt in sensational fashion, producing a masterclass that delivered a stunning comeback victory for the New South Wales Blues and will leave Queensland Maroons and Brisbane Broncos supporters reliving the heartbreak for months to come.

Queensland got off to a blistering start, racing out to a commanding 20-0 lead that left the home crowd stunned into silence. The momentum shifted dramatically, however, after Queensland star Kalyn Ponga was sent from the field for a high tackle. Wet, slippery conditions did nothing to slow the Blues’ fightback, sparked by the electric form of NSW’s halves combination. When the final siren sounded, the hosts had pulled off one of the most remarkable turnarounds in recent Origin history, snatching a 22-20 win.

While rookie five-eighth Ethan Strange turned heads with a standout performance that included one scored try and another disallowed for obstruction, it was Cleary who claimed the prestigious man of the match award, pulling every playmaking trick from his playbook to turn the tide of the match. The four-time NRL premiership winner set up the Blues’ first try with a perfectly weighted grubber kick, nailed a clutch 40/20 to gain critical field position, crossed for a try of his own to cut Queensland’s lead to just four points, and then put up a perfectly placed bomb that set up captain James Tedesco’s match-winning final try.

The performance echoed Cleary’s iconic role in Penrith Panthers’ record-breaking 2023 NRL Grand Final comeback victory – a win that also played out at Accor Stadium, against the Brisbane Broncos, at the same end of the ground. That parallel has not been lost on fans or teammates, who have long pushed back against the narrative that Cleary’s playing style is ill-suited to the bruising, high-intensity nature of State of Origin football. Compounding the magnitude of Cleary’s performance was the added pressure he faced: regular halves partner Mitch Moses was ruled out of the series opener just days before kickoff with a hamstring injury, forcing Cleary to take on all playmaking responsibility, a challenge he met by landing 21 of the Blues’ 25 total kicks throughout the match.

Blues skipper and Cleary’s Panthers club teammate Isaah Yeo said he never bought into the critics’ narrative. “The 40/20 was massive for us while we were chasing points, he comes up with a try there, and had just a calm head. He attacked the game. I feel like he’s done that in so many big games before so it feels like it’s not new for me,” Yeo told reporters after the match. “I love to see him own those moments, and I thought he was outstanding tonight when we needed him most. He stepped up and provided for us, so super stoked for him. I don’t agree with some of the stuff that gets said, and there’s no bigger fan than me.”

Blues coach Laurie Daley also hit back at the criticism of Cleary, saying his performance was no surprise to those who have worked with him closely. “Not that I wanted to see it (him take full control), but I just get disappointed with the narrative that is driven,” Daley said. “He’s a champion, he’s still got a lot of footy left to play, and it was reminiscent of the grand final. He was phenomenal for us.”

Dale faces a selection headache ahead of the second game of the series, scheduled for next month in Melbourne. Moses is expected to be fit enough to return to the starting side, but Strange’s exceptional performance after being elevated from the bench for game one makes a strong case for the rookie to retain his spot. “The guys that played tonight were exceptional,” Daley said. “You know what Origin’s like, you just never know who’s available so you’ve just got to make sure you’ve got the right people and they’re playing well. I think Mitch is a big part of our team. It’s not a bad hammy so we expect him to play. If he plays then he’ll be a part of the squad for sure.”

Rugby league’s community has erupted in debate after a divisive judiciary decision cleared Queensland Maroons star Kalyn Ponga to play just days after his sending off in a dramatic opening match of the 2026 State of Origin series, where NSW Blues capitalized on their numerical advantage to steal a last-minute victory in Sydney.

The incident unfolded with 23 minutes remaining in the fixture, when referee Ashley Klein issued a red card to Ponga for a grade two shoulder charge on NSW rookie Tolu Koula. The hit left Koula unable to complete his mandatory head injury assessment, forcing the young speedster from the field. Ponga’s dismissal marked the first Origin send-off since Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii’s ejection two years prior for a similar high tackle.

What has made the ruling so contentious is a little-noticed 2022 amendment to the NRL’s judiciary code that changes how penalties are applied in representative matches. While a grade two charge would typically result in a two-match ban for NRL club games, the rule revision means Ponga only faces a financial penalty: with an early guilty plea, he will forfeit just 23 percent of his match fee for the Origin encounter, and remains eligible to play for both his club Newcastle Knights and the Maroons in upcoming fixtures. He is now cleared to take the field for Newcastle this Saturday against the Parramatta Eels.

Queensland coach Billy Slater voiced no opposition to the outcome, noting Ponga feels remorseful over the play but emphasizing the split-second nature of the tackle under wet match conditions. “He obviously feels he’s let his team down, but those things happen in games. They happen really quick. I’ve played that position, I know how hard it is and spur of the moment. It was wet out there, things happen,” Slater said, adding he remained proud of his side’s effort after playing with 12 men for nearly a full half. “I’m heartbroken for them, with the effort that they put in. They played with so much heart in that last 23 minutes… I’m super proud of our footy team.” The cleared availability of Ponga also removes any pressure on Queensland to recall star fullback Reece Walsh for the next fixture.

Reactions from the NSW camp were mixed. Blues captain Isaah Yeo defended the referee’s decision to send Ponga off, even amid reports that Bunker review official Chris Butler questioned whether a red card was warranted. “Your bias says that I think it’s a send-off. I’ve been on that side of it as well before, it was a couple of years ago here as well,” Yeo said. Blues head coach Laurie Daley declined to comment publicly on the tackle itself.

For Koula, the outcome is far less favorable. The Manly Sea Eagles speedster confirmed he is still recovering from the head knock and will miss his club’s upcoming match against the Cronulla Sharks this Friday. Recounting the incident, Koula said the collision happened in the first open space he found all game. “It all just happened so fast. There wasn’t much pain. It was just probably shock. I was out for a little bit, but once I got all my senses back, I was fine,” he said.

The result of the match saw NSW take full advantage of their extra man, with captain James Tedesco crossing for a match-winning try in the final two minutes to secure game one for the Blues. The controversial ruling has now cast a long shadow over the series, with fans and analysts continuing to debate whether the 2022 rule change has created an uneven playing field for representative football.

On a blistering hot Wednesday at Roland Garros, two of the women’s draw’s top contenders delivered dominant performances to punch their tickets to the 2025 French Open third round, with all eyes turning next to Novak Djokovic’s highly anticipated second-round clash against a French wildcard.

Four-time tournament champion Iga Swiatek, the third seed from Poland, overcame a fecy challenge from rising Czech teenager Sara Bejlek to seal a 6-2, 6-3 victory on Court Philippe Chatrier, extending her unbroken streak of reaching at least the second week at the clay-court Grand Slam. Playing her first major tournament since pairing up with Francisco Roig, the long-time former coach of 14-time Roland Garros champion Rafael Nadal, Swiatek has entered the tournament as one of the favorites to claim a seventh Grand Slam singles title, after a strong run to the Italian Open semi-finals earlier this month. She is now eyeing a return to the trophy she last lifted in 2024, but her next match could bring her toughest test yet: she will face the winner of the match between 2017 champion Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia and Polish compatriot Magda Linette, and Ostapenko holds a perfect 6-0 head-to-head record over Swiatek.

Speaking after her 93-minute victory in soaring Paris temperatures, Swiatek noted the unusual early-tournament heat, saying, “Usually the weather is quite different here, but it doesn’t matter. It’s going to change, I feel, in the second part of the tournament. So I guess this tournament is really about whoever will cope with both of these conditions will win.”

Joining Swiatek in the third round is Ukrainian seventh seed Elina Svitolina, who continued her red-hot form following her Italian Open title earlier this month with a 6-0, 6-4 win over world No. 126 Kaitlin Quevedo. Svitolina, who upset Swiatek on her way to lifting the Rome trophy — her first WTA 1000 title in eight years — endured a dramatic first-round scare earlier in the week, squeezing past Hungary’s Anna Bondar in a deciding-set tiebreaker just hours before watching her husband Gael Monfils play the final match of his Roland Garros career. On Wednesday, however, she was in complete control from the opening game, wrapping up the win after breaking Quevedo in the ninth game of the second set. Svitolina, who reached the Australian Open semi-finals earlier this year, will next face 31-year-old German Tamara Korpatsch, who booked her first ever Grand Slam third-round spot after defeating China’s 32nd seed Wang Xinyu.

Other women’s singles results on Wednesday saw former Olympic gold medalist Belinda Bencic breeze into the round of 32 for the third time in her career, dropping just four games in a 6-4, 6-0 win over American Caty McNally.

All attention now shifts to Djokovic’s afternoon centre court clash against 74th-ranked French wildcard Valentin Royer. The 39-year-old Serbian, who is chasing a historic 25th Grand Slam singles title, was forced to come from a set down to defeat another French young gun, Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, in his opening round on Sunday night. This time, he will face Royer in the hottest part of the day, and Djokovic acknowledged ahead of the match that facing a home competitor on centre court brings added pressure. “Obviously playing a French player, centre court, Roland Garros, is never so easy, you know. Obviously the crowd gets into it, and then you feel the pressure even more,” he said after his opening win.

In other men’s draw action on Wednesday, Russian 13th seed Karen Khachanov outlasted Marco Trungelliti in a four-set grueller, sealing a 7-6(7/5), 5-7, 6-1, 7-6(7/4) victory to advance. He will face Dutch lucky loser Jesper de Jong, who followed up his opening-round upset of Stan Wawrinka with a win over Federico Cina, for a spot in the round of 16 on Friday.

Two-time French Open finalist Casper Ruud, who described himself as “like a zombie” after his five-set opening-round marathon played out in the scorching sun, will return to court later Wednesday against Serbian Hamad Medjedovic, with the Norwegian desperate for a far shorter outing to conserve energy amid continuing high temperatures. Other top names set for second-round action on Wednesday include Kazakh world No. 2 Elena Rybakina, who is chasing her second Grand Slam title of the season, as she faces Ukrainian Yuliia Starodubtseva on Court Suzanne Lenglen. A crop of exciting teenage prospects, including Mirra Andreeva, Rafael Jodar and Joao Fonseca, will also play their second-round matches later in the day.