‘Things are bigger than cricket’: Blair Tickner ready to enjoy New Zealand return

More than two years have passed since Blair Tickner last played for New Zealand, two years in which his life was thrown into chaos, his career into doubt, his family into crisis. “Obviously people haven’t seen me as much, but I feel like I’ve been doing all the right things for the last two years,” he said of his call-up, one game into the ODI series against England. “So nothing’s really changed. I’m still the same guy.” This is not true

The Breakdown | Farrell’s return boosts Ireland for Autumn Nations Series with plenty at stake

One minute we’re winding the clocks back an hour, the next we’re hurtling forwards into rugby union’s maddest month. Welcome to the whistle-stop world of the Autumn Nations Series, which, this year, has arrived as abruptly as a cat burglar in the Louvre. Sides that take time to settle into familiar old routines are about to experience a short, sharp shock.Of course there is the flip side: the main southern hemisphere powers have been smashing away at each other for weeks and certain individuals must be slightly weary. In terms of cohesion and collective readiness to pick up where they left off last time out, however, there is barely a comparison

‘Drugs quieted my inner loathing’: Todd Marinovich on the NFL, addiction and the power of art

Marcus Allen knew, and tried to help. So did Howie Long. But many of Todd Marinovich’s teammates on the Los Angeles Raiders of the early 1990s had no idea their young quarterback was using drugs.Marinovich had come to the Raiders from USC, where he had guided the Trojans to a Rose Bowl victory as a freshman. By that time, he had accumulated two nicknames: “Robo Quarterback,” after the legendarily demanding training regimen instilled by his father, former Raiders player and assistant coach Marv Marinovich, intended to foster excellence in athletes

Jannik Sinner calls out grand slams for delaying welfare and prize money talks

Jannik Sinner has criticised the grand slam tournaments for failing to engage with repeated requests from the world’s top stars to discuss prize money and welfare benefits for lower-ranked players.The Guardian has learned that detailed proposals from the world’s top 10 male and female players over alterations to prize money were rejected by the grand slam tournaments in August, while their request for a meeting to discuss their concerns at the US Open was also turned down.However, the grand slam tournaments are understood to have told the players that they cannot hold substantive talks until a separate legal case brought by the Professional Tennis Players Association has been resolved. They also referenced ongoing negotiations over the tennis calendar and plans for a so-called Premium Tour.Sinner expressed frustration at the refusal of grand slam tournaments to discuss welfare benefits in particular, as well as repeating the players’ call for greater prize money

Freeman’s walk-off homer lifts Dodgers over Blue Jays in 18-inning World Series epic

It took Freddie Freeman three chances to get it just right.When the Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman drove a fastball deep into centerfield in the bottom of the 13th inning, the home fans at Dodger Stadium groaned as the ball nestled into Toronto Blue Jays center fielder Daulton Varsho’s glove – making Game 3 of the 2025 World Series just the fifth World Series game to ever reach the 14th inning. Two innings later, Freeman hit the ball even harder, but not quite high enough as Varsho chased it down before it could reach the center field wall. The two teams were now playing the second-longest World Series game of all time.ScheduleBest-of-seven series

Socceroos fans divided over new FA+ paid membership offering fast access to World Cup tickets

Football Australia has launched a new paid membership tier giving Socceroos fans priority access to tickets for next year’s World Cup.But if there are more paid members than Australia’s ticket allocation for the tournament in North America, there is no guarantee that stumping up the $99 annual fee will secure a seat.The new offering FA+, which is being marketed primarily as the “gateway to the 2026 World Cup”, has drawn a mixed response from Socceroos fans, with some reluctant to pay a premium without the promise of a certain ticket.The deal also includes discounted tickets to Socceroos and Matildas home matches and Australia Cup and Australian Championship games, “special access” at open training sessions, a $20 merchandise voucher, invitations to events, partner discounts and insider content.After the World Cup draw on 6 December when the Socceroos will learn against who and where they will play their group stage games, members of the new scheme will be able to enter a ballot in a bid to secure tickets