Victorian regulator weighs unprecedented intervention in AFL’s fight with bookmakers over gambling revenue

The Victorian gambling regulator is considering whether to make an unprecedented intervention in a dispute between the AFL and bookmakers, which could set a limit on the league’s revenue from wagering.Earlier this year, the AFL proposed a significant increase to the amount of money it receives from each bet placed on its game. The league also proposed a minimum $20,000 annual fee for all bookmakers, including small operators who focus on racing.Leaked documents seen by Guardian Australia revealed the cash grab was justified as a way to address what AFL executives termed an “unprecedented” increase in “integrity risks” posed by the wagering industry, which has exploded in popularity in recent years.The documents outlined concerns the AFL’s integrity system was seriously deficient and struggled to identify whether players, coaches and staff were using inside information to manipulate betting markets, in breach of their contracts

Lions still on red alert despite gaping holes in Australia’s team sheet | Robert Kitson

Sometimes the best place to gauge the mindset of a head coach before a big game is not the training pitch or the press conference room but the pub across the road. Which is where Andy Farrell and his wife, Colleen, were enjoying a relaxing post-team selection drink by an open window when a few of us happened to wander past en route back from dinner.There may be a huge contest looming but, the closer it draws, the more at ease Farrell is beginning to look. While the competitor in him loves the approaching whiff of cordite he is not a man who believes in sitting and fretting in his room before major contests. He likes to be out and about, getting a sense of the local mood and helping to fill the quiet before the storm

Super Bowl champion Bryan Braman dies at age of 38 after cancer diagnosis

Bryan Braman, who helped the Philadelphia Eagles win the Super Bowl in the 2017 season, has died at the age of 38.Braman’s agent, Sean Stellato, said the linebacker, who also played for the Houston Texans, died on Thursday. He is survived by his two daughters, Blakely and Marlowe, aged 11 and eight. He once described his seven NFL seasons, his Super Bowl win and his daughters as “the three greatest accomplishments in my life”.According to a GoFundMe page set up to help Braman with his medical expenses, he was diagnosed with cancer in February

‘Make it happen when it matters’ – Andy Farrell urges Lions to embrace pressure

Andy Farrell has urged his British & Irish Lions players to embrace the pressure of their billing as heavy favourites to beat Australia in the series opener on Saturday.The Lions will go into Saturday’s match as odds-on favourites after Farrell named a powerful side featuring Tom Curry at openside flanker and Sione Tuipulotu at inside-centre to face a Wallabies team missing Will Skelton, Rob Valetini and Taniela Tupou.The Lions have not won a series since the last time they faced Australia in 2013 – their only victory since 1997 – but in a demonstration of their confidence, a number of players including Ben Earl and Henry Pollock have targeted a 3-0 win this summer. Pollock has even talked about being “the best Lions team ever” – a claim that has gone down badly among a host of former Wallabies including Chris Latham.Asked if he wants his players to walk towards the pressure that comes with such expectation, Farrell said: “One hundred percent

Vintage base ball: the charm of a sport where the 1860s never ended

In New York’s Hudson Valley, a league plays by old-school rules – with underhand pitching, no gloves, and questionable facial hair – to revive the game’s early quirksThe smoke-belching locomotive screeched to a halt for its final stop along the Catskill Mountain Railroad. The Kingston Guards Base Ball club alighted from their open-topped train car and stepped over the first-base line and on to their base ball diamond.The players were clad in their woolen uniforms. Baggy, crimson and grey jerseys with three-quarter sleeves. Puffy knickerbockers

Grand slam organisers ready to make concessions for players amid dispute

Wimbledon and the three other grand slam tournaments are willing to make concessions to the players in an attempt to resolve a dispute over prize money, pensions and player representation.The Guardian has learned that during discussions with representatives of several top-10 world-ranked men and women players at Wimbledon last week, the All England Club offered to hold talks over creating a player council to give athletes a voice in decisions over scheduling, as well as indicating a willingness to contribute to their pension and healthcare provision for the first time.Similar offers are understood to have been made by the other major championships, the Australian Open, French Open and US Open, with the discussions set to resume at the final grand slam of the year in New York next month. The details have yet to be agreed with the players planning to submit a formal proposal later this year.Player representatives held two meetings with Wimbledon and French Open officials, and executives from the Australian Open and US Open, at SW19 with sources involved on all sides describing the discussions as positive