Brisbane can win a third AFL title in a row on Saturday. Their star midfielder is banned for the final unless an appeal on Thursday frees him.

The stories

19 on this beat today.

Every story told the same way: what happened, who is involved, why it matters, how it works, the truth and the good news.

1. 01

   Brisbane can win a third AFL title in a row on Saturday. Their star midfielder is banned for the final unless an appeal on Thursday frees him.

   1 match

   Neale's ban, and the match it covers is the Grand Final

   the tribunal upheld it after four and a half hours on Tuesday night [1]

   10 of 10

   gut punches this AFL season that ended in a one-week ban

   the count comes from Greg Swann, the league's head of football [1]

   1995

   the year Fremantle joined the league, which they have never won

   their only other Grand Final, in 2013, ended in a 15-point defeat [4]

   100,000

   people expected at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Saturday

   fans in Western Australia have decorated homes and shops in Fremantle purple [3]

   What happened

   • Brisbane Lions play Fremantle on Saturday in the Grand Final of the AFL, Australia's top league for Australian rules football, at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. [3]
   • About 100,000 people are expected, and Brisbane are trying to win the title for a third year in a row. [3]
   • Fremantle, from Western Australia, joined the league in 1995 and have never won it.
   • Their only other Grand Final, in 2013, was lost to Hawthorn. [3][4]
   • Lachie Neale, Brisbane's star midfielder, was given a one-match ban for punching Hawthorn's Jack Ginnivan in the stomach during last Saturday's preliminary final, one of the two matches that decide who reaches the Grand Final. [1][2]
   • Greg Swann, who runs football at the AFL, said there had been ten punches like it this season, and every one ended in a one-week ban. [1]
   • A new rule this year lets a player with a clean record argue for a fine instead.
   • It had been used once, for Collingwood's Scott Pendlebury in March. [1][2]
   • Neale had never been banned in 15 years.
   • On Tuesday night the tribunal still refused to use the rule for him, after a hearing of four and a half hours. [1]
   • The tribunal's chair, Jeff Gleeson, said Neale's evidence did not match the video.
   • He also said Pendlebury's charge was careless rough conduct, while Neale's was a deliberate strike. [1]
   • Brisbane's last chance is the AFL appeals board on Thursday afternoon.
   • The club must show an error of law, or a punishment that is plainly too harsh. [1]
   • One ESPN writer said the ban must stand whatever match it lands on.
   • Another said the same punch would have been a fine last year. [5]
   • Neale is widely expected to leave Brisbane after the season and join Collingwood on a three-year deal. [2]

   10 of 10

   gut punches in the AFL this season that ended in a one-week ban

   Who is involved

   • Lachie Neale Brisbane's star midfielder, twice winner of the league's best-player medal; banned for the Grand Final and appealing
   • Jeff Gleeson the lawyer who chairs the AFL tribunal; he found Neale's evidence did not match the video
   • Greg Swann the AFL's head of football; he said all ten gut punches this season drew a ban
   • Scott Pendlebury a long-serving Collingwood midfielder; the only player whose ban has been cut to a fine under the new rule

   How it unfolded

   1. March Pendlebury's one-match ban is cut to a 3,000-dollar fine under the new clean-record rule [2]
   2. Sat 19 Sep Neale punches Jack Ginnivan in the preliminary final against Hawthorn [1]
   3. Tue 22 Sep the tribunal upholds the one-match ban [1]
   4. Thu 24 Sep the appeals board hears Brisbane's case at 4pm [1]
   5. Sat 26 Sep Brisbane play Fremantle in the Grand Final [3]

   Why it matters

   Watch the appeals board on Thursday.

   If the ban stands, Brisbane chase a third title in a row without Neale.

   If it is cut, the clean-record rule will have saved a player for the second time this season. [1]

   The truth

   • What is really going on Every gut punch in the AFL this season has drawn a one-match ban, ten out of ten.Lachie Neale's happens to fall on the Grand Final, so Brisbane is asking the league to use a new exception for players with clean records, which let Collingwood's Scott Pendlebury off with a fine in March. [1][2]
   • Why it works on people A famous name with a spotless 15-year record makes one punch look small, while the league's own count is ten punches and ten bans. [1]
   • Who gains Fremantle — If the ban stands, they face a Brisbane side without Neale, a two-time winner of the league's best-player medal. [1][3]
   • Who gains Collingwood — Neale is widely expected to join them on a three-year deal once the season ends, whatever happens on Saturday. [2]
   • Who pays Lachie Neale — A ban the same length as nine others this season costs him the one match that decides the title. [1]
   • Nobody knows yet

     Whether Neale plays on Saturday.

     The appeals board sits on Thursday afternoon, and Brisbane must show an error of law or a punishment that is plainly too harsh, a higher bar than at the tribunal. [1]

   • Nobody knows yet

     How many gut punches have been banned this season.

     The AFL's head of football, Greg Swann, said ten, all banned for a week. [1] An ESPN writer put the number at six, two days after the match. [5] We use the league's figure, and cannot check either.

   Good news

   • Fremantle have played in the AFL since 1995 and never won it. This week homes and shops across their city are decorated in the club's purple before Saturday's Grand Final.

1. 02

   Manchester United earn a record and still lose money

   What happened

   • Manchester United, one of England's biggest football clubs, reported record income of 677.6m pounds for the year to June on Wednesday. [9][11]
   • It still lost 43m pounds, up from 33m pounds a year earlier and its seventh loss in a row. [11][12]
   • The main reason was 69.6m pounds of finance costs, which the club blamed mostly on losses from exchange rates. [9][10]
   • Its wage bill fell to 302m pounds, the lowest in six years. [9]
   • It expects 740m to 760m pounds this season, now that it is back in the Champions League. [11]

   Income677.6 m pounds

   Finance costs69.6 m pounds

   Loss43 m pounds

   Why it matters

   Most of the debt dates from the Glazer family's takeover in 2005, which was paid for with borrowed money. [9]

   The club also spent 63.5m pounds of new borrowing on land for a new stadium, while fans complain the squad got too little. [10]

   The truth

   • Who gains Manchester United's accounts — Ruben Amorim, the manager it sacked in January, took a job at AC Milan in June, so the club paid out about 8m pounds instead of about 16.5m. [10][13]
   • Who pays Manchester United's squad and fans — The club spent 148m pounds on players this summer, less than a third of Manchester City's 458m, while 63.5m pounds went on stadium land. [10]
   • Who pays Manchester United — Finance costs of 69.6m pounds wiped out its first operating profit since before the pandemic. [9][10]
   • Nobody knows yet

     What Manchester United did with the rest of its new borrowing.

     The club added about 94m pounds to its debt in the summer, and its borrowing rose to 583m pounds. [10][12] It says it spent 63.5m pounds on land for a new stadium, and has not said where the rest went. [10]

   • Nobody knows yet

     How much Manchester United lost on exchange rates.

     Finance costs rose to 69.6m pounds, and the club blamed most of the rise on exchange rates without giving a figure. [10] Its full accounts have not yet been published. [9]

2. 03

   Barcelona pass a billion euros

   What happened

   • Barcelona, the Spanish champions, said on Wednesday that their income last season reached a club record of 1.06bn euros. [14]
   • That is 66m euros more than the year before. [14]
   • Only Real Madrid, their biggest rival, had passed one billion euros before, according to the consulting firm Deloitte, which ranks clubs by income. [14]
   • Barcelona still made a loss of 18m euros, and expect a very small profit this season. [14]

   Why it matters

   Manchester United expect to join them this season. [8]

   Sportico, a sports business site, counts only Real Madrid, Barcelona, the Dallas Cowboys and the Los Angeles Dodgers as teams that had passed a billion dollars in a year. [8]

3. 04

   Infantino does not answer US lawmakers

   What happened

   • Democrats on the US House Judiciary Committee told The Athletic this week that FIFA has not handed over the records they asked for. [35]
   • In July, Jamie Raskin, the committee's senior Democrat, asked Gianni Infantino, FIFA's president, for all of FIFA's contacts with President Trump, his government and his family's company, the Trump Organization. [35]
   • A committee spokeswoman said FIFA's cooperation was woefully inadequate. [35]
   • Democrats are the minority in the House, so they cannot force Infantino to appear. [35]

   Why it matters

   FIFA, which runs world football, made about 15bn dollars from this summer's World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada, Raskin's letter said. [35]

   Infantino is so far the only candidate in FIFA's election in March, and challengers have until 18 November to come forward. [35]

   The truth

   • Nobody knows yet

     Whether Gianni Infantino will ever answer the House committee.

     Democrats are in the minority and cannot force him to appear, so it depends on who controls the House after November's elections. [35]

4. 05

   Formula One races will get shorter

   What happened

   • Formula One, the FIA, which governs motor racing, and the teams agreed to cut grand prix races from 305km to a maximum of 290km from 2027. [15]
   • That removes two or three laps, about five minutes of racing. [15]
   • This year's engines take about half their power from a battery, so drivers sometimes slow down on purpose to recharge it. [15]
   • Next year the split moves towards fuel, and the cars would need more fuel to finish a full-length race. [15]

   Why it matters

   Shorter races mean teams do not have to redesign their cars for bigger fuel tanks, which would cost millions one year into the rules. [15]

   Fernando Alonso said this week the new engines ruined several tracks, and he is still discussing the rules, and his future, with F1's bosses. [16]

   The truth

   • Who gains Formula One's teams — Shorter races let them use this year's cars under next year's engine rules, instead of spending millions on bigger fuel tanks. [15]
   • Who pays Formula One viewers — Every grand prix from 2027 loses two or three laps, about five minutes of racing. [15]
   • Nobody knows yet

     Whether shorter races will make Formula One better to watch.

     The change was made so teams avoid redesigning their cars, and several drivers have questioned whether next year's engine changes go far enough. [15][16]

5. 06

   A record Brownlow Medal for Daicos

   What happened

   • Nick Daicos, a 23-year-old Collingwood midfielder, won the Brownlow Medal, the AFL's award for the season's best and fairest player, on Monday night. [6]
   • He polled a record 47 votes, beating the 45 that Patrick Cripps set in 2024. [6][7]
   • The umpires cast the votes, and this year they were allowed to look at match statistics for the first time. [6]
   • Daicos had been the favourite four years running. [6]

   Nick Daicos47 votes

   Bailey Smith36 votes

   Marcus Bontempelli34 votes

   Why it matters

   Bailey Smith of Geelong was second with 36 votes and Marcus Bontempelli of the Western Bulldogs third with 34. [7]

   Daicos also said he hoped Brisbane's Lachie Neale, expected to join him at Collingwood, would win his appeal and play on Saturday. [2]

   Good news

   • Nick Daicos was the favourite for the Brownlow Medal four years in a row and had never won it. This week he won it with 47 votes, the most anyone has polled.

1. 07

   The Lynx lose and still finish top

   What happened

   • The Minnesota Lynx trailed the Indiana Fever by 29 points on Tuesday, and their coach Cheryl Reeve rested her starters for the whole second half. [18]
   • They lost, but still took the WNBA's top seed later that night, when the Golden State Valkyries lost in overtime to the Portland Fire. [18][19]
   • The top seed means home court through all of the playoffs. [22]
   • The playoffs begin on Sunday 27 September. [23]

   Why it matters

   Olivia Miles, the Lynx rookie who leads the team in points and assists, missed the game with a calf injury, and her coach said she is a game-time decision on Thursday. [18]

   The Lynx will open against the eighth seed, either the New York Liberty or the Dallas Wings. [22]

   How it works

   Why a one-match ban is bigger in September

   A ban is counted in matches and every match counts as one, but the match it lands on can be worth a whole season.

   The twist

   Neale's ban is one match long, like the other nine gut-punch bans this season. A ban in round 10 costs a player one ordinary game. This one costs him the Grand Final.

   The picture

   1 matchA ban in round 10

   vsvs

   1 matchA ban in Grand Final week

   Step by step

   1. 1 The rulebook sets a punishment as a number of matches
   2. 2 Every match counts as one, whether it is round 10 or the final
   3. 3 But a Grand Final decides the whole season, and round 10 does not
   4. 4 So the same ban takes far more from a player who gets it in September
   5. 5 That gap creates pressure for exceptions near the end
   6. 6 And every exception gives the next player something to argue about

   The same force, elsewhere today

   Where this chain is also running, in today's other stories.

   • The Lynx lose and still finish top

     Once the Lynx had the top seed, Thursday's last game was worth nothing to them, while the same game can still give the Fever fourth place and home court.

   • Ohtani comes back before the playoffs

     The Dodgers had already won their division, so the games Ohtani missed cost them less than a playoff game would, and they brought him back with five left to be ready.

   Where you've seen this

   Fines in Finland

   Speeding fines there are set as a share of the driver's daily income, so the same offence takes a similar bite from a rich driver and a poor one.

   School detentions

   A detention costs a pupil more on the day of the school trip than on an ordinary Tuesday.

   A late train

   Ten minutes late is nothing on a normal day, and it costs the whole journey when it makes you miss the last connection.

   The catch

   A ban that grew or shrank with the size of the match would need someone to decide how much each match matters, and that would start an argument over every case.

   And the whole of it

   Neale, his teammates, the Fremantle players and the fans in Perth all live under the same rule, and each sees a different part of what it costs. The tribunal sees ten cases that look alike. Neale sees the one match his whole season was building towards.

   The truth

   • Nobody knows yet

     Whether the Lynx will have Olivia Miles for the playoffs.

     She missed Tuesday's game with a calf injury, and her coach called her a game-time decision for Thursday. [18]

1. 08

   Atlanta push the Liberty onto the road

   What happened

   • The Atlanta Dream beat the New York Liberty 95-84 in New York on Monday. [20]
   • Jordin Canada scored 19 points, and Angel Reese had 18 points and 10 rebounds. [20]
   • The result ended the Liberty's chance of a top-four seed, so they will start the playoffs away from home. [20][21]
   • The top four host the first and, if needed, third games of each best-of-three first-round series. [23]

   Why it matters

   The Liberty brought back their three biggest stars and added Satou Sabally this season, and now have to win the title the hard way. [21]

   Atlanta take fourth place, and home court, by beating New York again or if Indiana loses. [22]

   The truth

   • Who pays The New York Liberty — Losing to Atlanta on Monday means they open the playoffs away from home. [20][21]
2. 09

   The White Sox close in on the playoffs

   What happened

   • The Chicago White Sox lost at least 100 games in each of the last three baseball seasons. [24]
   • On Tuesday they beat the Kansas City Royals 14-11 to reach 81 wins and 76 losses. [24]
   • A win on Wednesday plus a Texas Rangers loss would clinch at least a wild-card place, one of the spots for good teams that did not win their division. [24]
   • They are one game behind Cleveland in their own division. [24]

   Why it matters

   Four White Sox players hit home runs on Tuesday, including Munetaka Murakami, and the team has won all nine games this season in which it hit four or more. [24]

   Texas are three games behind them for the last American League place. [24]

   Good news

   • The Chicago White Sox lost at least 100 games in each of the last three seasons. This week they are within a win or two of a playoff place.
3. 10

   The Phillies' party is put off

   What happened

   • The Philadelphia Phillies planned a playoff celebration on Wednesday and lost 4-1 to the Milwaukee Brewers instead. [26]
   • It was Milwaukee's 99th win, the best record in the National League. [26][28]
   • The Phillies and the Chicago Cubs are level at 87-71 in the wild-card race, one game behind San Diego. [26]
   • The Cubs had lost 8-2 in 12 innings to Miami on Tuesday, with one hit in 18 chances with runners in scoring position. [25]

   Why it matters

   The Arizona Diamondbacks kept their own slim chance alive by winning again on Wednesday. [26]

   Four days earlier Pavin Smith, who Arizona dropped from its roster in July and sent down to its minor-league team, won a game against the New York Yankees with a home run in the ninth. [29]

4. 11

   Wheeler reaches 2,000 strikeouts

   What happened

   • Zack Wheeler of the Philadelphia Phillies struck out the first seven Milwaukee batters on Tuesday, and 11 in all, in a 6-4 win. [27]
   • It took him past 2,000 strikeouts in his career, the 96th pitcher in Major League history to get there. [27]
   • No Phillies pitcher since 1900 had struck out the first seven batters of a game. [27]
   • The record is nine, held by Pablo Lopez. [27]

   Why it matters

   Wheeler thanked the catchers and coaches who had helped him get there. [27]

   The win took Philadelphia to the edge of a playoff place, which they then failed to clinch a night later. [26]

5. 12

   Ohtani comes back before the playoffs

   What happened

   • The Los Angeles Dodgers were due to bring Shohei Ohtani back from the injured list on Wednesday, their manager Dave Roberts said. [28]
   • Ohtani had knee, arm and neck problems in the second half of the season. [28]
   • In mid-September he went on the list for the first time as a Dodger. [28]
   • Roberts said that if Ohtani had been a five out of ten, he was now an eight or a nine. [28]

   Why it matters

   The Dodgers had already won their division and were chasing a first-round bye. [28]

   A bye would give Ohtani and several other injured players almost a week of rest before their first playoff series. [28]

   How it works

   The Dodgers had already won their division, so the games Ohtani missed cost them less than a playoff game would, and they brought him back with five left to be ready.

   The idea, in story 07: Why a one-match ban is bigger in September →
6. 13

   Aaron Donald plays again at 35

   What happened

   • Aaron Donald, three times the NFL's defensive player of the year, played his first game in more than two years on Monday night. [30]
   • The Los Angeles Rams beat the New York Giants 28-6, and Donald made three tackles, one of them behind the line. [30]
   • He said afterwards that the game was not as fast as he had expected. [30]
   • He had come out of retirement to rejoin the Rams. [30][31]

   Why it matters

   The Rams had lost their opening game badly, and their other stars returned to form around him. [31]

   Next they play the Denver Broncos. [30]

   Good news

   • Aaron Donald had not played in more than two years. On Monday night, at 35, he played for the Los Angeles Rams again, and they won 28-6.
7. 14

   The Eagles call back Zach Ertz

   What happened

   • The Philadelphia Eagles signed Zach Ertz, 36, to their practice squad, the group of spare players a club keeps on hand, on Monday. [32]
   • Their tight end Dallas Goedert sprained a knee ligament on Sunday and is expected to miss several weeks. [32]
   • Ertz was drafted by the Eagles and last played for them in 2021. [32]
   • He tore a knee ligament late last season and spent the summer unsigned. [32]

   Why it matters

   He is expected to play against the Chicago Bears in the Eagles' next game. [32]

   In 2024 he caught 66 passes for the Washington Commanders, who reached the NFC Championship game, one step from the Super Bowl, for the first time since 1991. [32]

   Good news

   • Zach Ertz tore a knee ligament late last season and went unsigned all summer. At 36 he is back with the Philadelphia Eagles, the club that drafted him.
8. 15

   Quarterbacks take 17 of the top 20 pay packets

   What happened

   • The NFL's 20 highest-paid players will earn 1.07bn dollars this season, 7% more than last year, according to Sportico. [33]
   • The top 15 are all quarterbacks, and 17 of the 20 are. [33]
   • Patrick Mahomes of Kansas City leads for a second year, with 88.8m dollars including 32m from sponsors and businesses. [33]
   • Baker Mayfield of Tampa Bay jumped from 20th to fourth. [33]

   17 of 20

   of the NFL's 20 highest-paid players this season are quarterbacks

   Why it matters

   Only three players who are not quarterbacks made the list: Micah Parsons, Travis Kelce and Charles Cross. [33]

   Money from outside football makes up only 16% of the total. [33]

   The truth

   • Who gains NFL quarterbacks — They hold the 15 best-paid places in the league, and 17 of the top 20. [33]
9. 16

   Eriksen leaves Wolfsburg after his collapse

   What happened

   • Christian Eriksen, the Danish midfielder, left the German club Wolfsburg by agreement on Wednesday, with a year left on his contract. [34]
   • In June his heart starter, an implanted device that corrects dangerous heart rhythms, shocked him during a Denmark friendly against Ukraine, and he collapsed. [34]
   • He walked to the ambulance and has not played since. [34]
   • The device was fitted after he suffered a cardiac arrest at the European Championship in 2021. [34]

   Why it matters

   Eriksen, 34, said it is important for him to be close to his family in Denmark. [34]

   Wolfsburg are trying to win their way back into the Bundesliga, Germany's top division. [34]

10. 17

    A 15-year-old asks to leave Manchester United

    What happened

    • JJ Gabriel, a 15-year-old forward, has asked Manchester United in a formal letter to release him, a club he has been with since he was nine. [36]
    • Real Madrid have been working on signing him for months, and Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich are also interested. [36]
    • FIFA has strict rules on transfers of players under 18. [36]
    • Madrid want him to start in their reserve team. [36]

    Why it matters

    Some in the game think United may be losing a future 100m-pound player. [36]

    The split began when he was picked for the under-19s rather than for the first team's Champions League game the same day. [36]

    The truth

    • Nobody knows yet

      Whether JJ Gabriel leaves Manchester United, and for where.

      Real Madrid have worked on a deal for months, but he is 15, FIFA has strict rules on transfers of players under 18, and United are still trying to keep him. [36]

11. 18

    Ocon says he is free for 2027

    What happened

    • Esteban Ocon, who drives for the Formula One team Haas, said on Wednesday that he is a free agent for 2027. [17]
    • He has scored three points this season to his teammate Oliver Bearman's 18. [17]
    • Rafael Camara, 21, a Brazilian in Formula 2, the series below F1, is seen as the favourite for the seat. [17]
    • Red Bull confirmed that Isack Hadjar will stay alongside Max Verstappen next year. [17]

    Why it matters

    Most teams are keeping their drivers, so Ocon may be the first big move of a quiet year. [17]

    A seat at Cadillac may be the only one left open to him. [17]

12. 19

    Germany and Britain reach the Davis Cup finals

    What happened

    • Germany and Britain reached the Davis Cup Final 8, the last stage of tennis's men's team competition between countries, on Sunday. [37]
    • Alexander Zverev, the world number two, beat Croatia's Dino Prizmic 6-2, 6-4 to seal a 3-1 German win in Halle. [37]
    • Britain beat Ecuador 3-0 when Henry Patten and Neal Skupski won the doubles. [37]
    • The final eight meet in Bologna, Italy, in November. [37]

    Why it matters

    Zverev won both the US Open and the French Open this year, and still played for his country in September. [37]

    Prizmic was ranked more than 100 places below him. [37]