Jack Snape

Strong FTA television audience for AFL's season opener on Thursday night. Data via VirtualOz.

Seven is still claiming it as the "third highest rated Super Bowl ever". Is this just a Taylor Swift comedown?

Surprising to see Seven's Super Bowl audience down this year, especially given the interest in Michael Dickson afterwards and the NFL buzz in Melbourne. No Mahomes? Pats fans didn't believe? Not enough casuals knew about Dickson beforehand?

Day session attendance is 21,226. Monday was 50,010.

Amazing how different the precinct looks today.

De Minaur v Alcaraz, tonight

Seven still claims a win for the day overall.

Alex De Minaur helps Nine trump Seven's BBL final on evening free to air, though with Fox/Stan data the picture may be different. Data: VOZ

Daria Kasatkina is in action tonight, her first as a local player at the Australian Open. It's scheduled for ANZ (the old Court 3) but might be changed due to Bergs/Hurkacz running long. So while we wait...

Dasha was so happy to pass her Australian citizenship test, we gave her another one.

6.40am on a Thursday, and more than 100 eager golf fans are hoping the shuttle bus at Cheltenham Station arrives in time for them to see Rory McIlroy tee off at 7.05am.

Official line from AFL: "The AFL and Stadiums Queensland continue to work together on delivering the best model for AFL and other sports and entertainment content at People First Stadium. That work continues."

Stadiums Qld directed enquiries to the AFL.

Seems too few events and limited crowds have limited upside in the 20-year deal signed in 2011, and AFL have decided to exit at a time when Stadiums Qld are seeking to consolidate operations of its venues ahead of Brisbane 2032. Here is the background to the deal from a govt report.

Have confirmed the AFL is finalising an early termination on the lease for People First Stadium, which those in the industry expect will cost millions of dollars. Suns will still play there, but AFL will no longer operate the venue.

Division and derision: how plans for an AFL stadium left Tasmania in pieces | Jack Snape Whatever parliamentarians decide this week, the acrimonious debate over the Macquarie Point plan in Hobart has been damaging

Here's what I wrote after visiting Hobart on Sunday. www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/d...

Ahead of this week's parliamentary debate in Tasmania about the Hobart stadium, one of the undecided crossbenchers has authored an article on the divisiveness on the debate. She hasn't yet revealed which way she will vote.

‘It just went boom’: NZ model shows others how to capitalise on sports betting surge A ‘virtually unheard of’ legislative quirk has opened up huge revenue streams for sports facing financial difficulties – Australia is among other countries taking note The first payment was a surprise, given it was almost double the entire annual budget of Table Tennis New Zealand. The next year, however, the money kept coming. “Over the past 18 months [Table Tennis New Zealand] has had to adapt to a set of challenges that is virtually unheard of, not just to table tennis in NZ, but amongst all but the largest sporting organisations,” its annual report said. Continue reading...

‘It just went boom’: NZ model shows others how to capitalise on sports betting surge

A parliamentary committee is exposing the close relationship between major sporting codes and the supposedly independent regulator.

Joe Montemurro, ladies and gentlemen. #matildas

Eli Katoa recovery update via Justin Rodski, chief executive at the Melbourne Storm

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Huge NRL grand final television audience. Beats AFL GF (4.18m) for the first time since 2015.

Online betting in Australia turns over $50bn a year. It’s largely regulated by six people in Darwin The Northern Territory Racing Commission wields outsize power, but critics say its practices could be a lot more transparent

Some background ahead of Four Corners tonight. www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

#nrl #nrlgf

Women's 800m semis are on tonight from 9:40pm Syd/Mel/Bris, featuring Claudia Hollingsworth, Abbey Caldwell and Jess Hull.

Jess Hull galvanises Australia’s flourishing middle distance running stock | Jack Snape With three women, including the 1500m bronze medallist, into the 800m semis at the world championships, Australia’s quality is evident Expectations around Australia’s women’s 800m runners were already high when Claudia Hollingsworth broke the national record last month in Poland. Remarkably, in the same race, her compatriot Abbey Caldwell also finished under the old mark, crossing the line just behind the 20-year-old. Then the team for the World Athletics Championships was announced, and alongside that pairing was another name, Paris 1500m silver medallist Jess Hull. Australia’s track queen had decided to attempt the middle-distance double in Tokyo on the urging of her father and coach Simon, a former national level 800m runner. Continue reading...

Jess Hull galvanises Australia’s flourishing middle distance running stock | Jack Snape

Here he is.

Gout v Tebogo let's go