From the Pocket: Voss coached the way he played and his brutal football failed Carlton

When John Elliott died in 2021, the old, dark, imperial Carlton was dead. The new Carlton was grounded on “respect, humility and integrity”. The new president was a master networker. The new chief executive was the best administrator in football. The new coach had been one of the great players of his generation

Cleary to finish up as Panthers coach and end greatest modern-day NRL dynasty

Ivan Cleary has 18 months remaining in his current role at the Penrith Panthers before the four-time premiership-winning NRL coach steps aside and his assistant Peter Wallace takes over.The 55-year-old announced on Wednesday he would not renew his contract when it expires at the end of next season, but will remain in Penrith in an advisory role beyond 2027.He said he had mulled over the decision for the past 12 months.“It’s a decision that I haven’t taken lightly,” Cleary said. “But I’ve thought about [it] for quite a long time

Billy Knight obituary

Billy Knight, who has died aged 90, was a stalwart of British tennis long before Andy Murray changed the landscape of the game in the UK.During the 1950s and 60s – an era that saw his compatriots Mike Davies, Bobby Wilson and Mike Sangster struggle to challenge the dominance of Australian and American players – Knight racked up 47 singles titles, won 21 of his 34 Davis Cup matches and earned a grand slam title at Roland Garros by teaming up with Mexico’s Yola Ramirez to win the French mixed doubles crown. Earlier he had been a Wimbledon and Australian junior champion.Unusually for a British player, Knight was a clay court specialist. With a game based on powerful ground strokes and an effective left handed serve, he won the British Hard Court Championships at Bournemouth three times (in 1958, 1963 and 1964) and, on the slowest of red clay courts in Hamburg, took the German title over the South African No 1, Ian Vermaak, in 1959

Rory McIlroy claims he knew LIV was in trouble and breakaway tour was always a ‘risk’

Rory McIlroy has revealed he heard rumblings of impending trouble for LIV Golf weeks before Saudi ­Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) ­confirmed it would withdraw funding for the circuit. The Masters champion believes the PIF approach highlights the danger of sport ­becoming reliant on anything that can be affected by world affairs.LIV is engaged in a race against time to survive with PIF, which has bestowed more than $5bn (£3.7bn) on the tour, to exit at the end of 2026. News of that, which emerged in the immediate aftermath of ­McIlroy’s ­successful defence at Augusta National last month, shocked those within LIV but not the Northern Irishman

Jake Paul admits broken jaw from Anthony Joshua fight may have ended boxing career

Jake Paul has admitted the broken jaw he suffered during his loss to Anthony Joshua in December may have ended his boxing career.The YouTuber turned boxer was stopped during December’s fight after a brutal shot from former world champion Joshua. Paul said the injury is still being monitored five months later.“We’ll see what my doctors say,” Paul told Uncrowned on Monday. “I’ll be able to get a more accurate timeframe, or can I even fight again? That is definitely in the realm and possibilities of things [that I can’t]

The Breakdown | Frontrunners’ defeats hint at twists and turns to come in Prem Rugby finale

There are small but significant moments in every league campaign. Until the weekend it was widely assumed that Northampton and Bath, the two frontrunners in the English Prem, were all but nailed on for home semi-finals and, by extension, would almost certainly meet in the grand final at Allianz Stadium in Twickenham on 20 June.That could still happen but, suddenly, others are entering the chat. Not only did Saints and Bath lose at the weekend but both were well beaten, 41-17 by Leicester and 35-12 by Exeter respectively. Bath, including their Champions Cup semi-final in Bordeaux, have lost three games on the trot

Too many of us were traumatised by sport at school – but it’s never too late to change | Cath Bishop

There is a disconnect between the proliferation of reports recommending we should be more active and actual levels of activity, that are scarcely budging. Sports councils, health bodies, charities and thinktanks are piling up the evidence that sport and physical activity help us live healthier, happier lives, improve academic attainment at school and productivity at work, connect our communities and help prevent crime and reoffending. Why can’t we turn this into reality?Reports often call for better coordination, including the recent House of Commons inquiry Game On: Community and School Sport. But sport and physical activity remains poorly linked among schools, sports clubs, community organisations, parks and playgrounds. In an era of superintelligence and rockets flying around the moon, surely we could do better?Structural change and innovation is needed

Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman … Gout Gout: Australian sprint star features on 60 Minutes in US

It has previously been an honour reserved for the likes of Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman. Now, sprint sensation Gout Gout has joined an elite club of Australian A-listers to be the focus of a story on respected US current affairs programme 60 Minutes.The 18-year-old was interviewed this week by long-time Sports Illustrated writer Jon Wertheim, who also spoke to coach Di Sheppard for the 13-minute story.The programme is one of the most popular in the USA and can attract audiences of more than 10m Americans, highlighting the growing phenomenon of Gout, who became the fastest teenager to run 200m last month in Sydney.The story has been shared widely online, and drew attention from the athletics community

‘I’m unique’: Dyson Daniels on his NBA niche, missing three-pointers… and investing tips

He is a shooting guard that doesn’t often shoot. A wing deployed less for lift than pressure. The style of Australia’s best basketballer, Dyson Daniels, is difficult to describe. “It’s kind of hard for me to describe it too,” he says. “It’s unique