Welcome to The Wrap, a weekly podcast covering women's sports news.
And Chloe almost recorded the whole episode without hitting record on the audio,
so I'm glad we fixed that.
Bez, what have we got around the grounds this week?
The Aussie Steelers have finished with a silver medal at the wheelchair rugby world challenge.
Aussie Daria Kazakina has made it through to the fourth round of the French Open
and the New South Wales Swifts remain undefeated after eight games.
Far out. Every week we keep talking about the Swifts, they're still undefeated.
But the key story, we discuss Major League Baseball's investment
into the Athletes Unlimited Softball League in a bid to help grow the women's game.
When I first saw this on socials, I thought it was something about
Major League Baseball collabing with Australia because it's the AUSL and I was like, nice.
Interesting acronym, isn't it?
Yeah, Go Australia.
It does definitely bring up thoughts of an Australian league of some description.
Hey, the Alona Ma episode went live.
When was that last week?
Thursday morning.
Don't know what day it is.
I've had a sick baby all weekend.
I couldn't even tell you what day it is.
I just said that.
Cool, cool, cool.
We got lots of comments on Instagram asking for a YouTube version of the episode to be able to watch it.
So we delivered to the people.
Yeah, we did because that's what we're about.
So link will be in the show notes.
Go watch the, even if you've already listened, just go watch it on YouTube.
Have a bit of fun with it.
Chloe, while struggling with her words, is wearing some new merch.
You finally gave me the brown one.
The boss finally let me get a brown one.
She hasn't paid for it though.
I'll be invoicing her.
But for everyone else, make sure you jump online.
It is flying out the door, like literally flying out the door.
It's some epic new hoodies and tees and this awesome long sleeve Invest in Women sports
It's just a really comfortable long sleeve.
I really like that one.
That's one of my favorite pieces of merch, I reckon.
So get around it.
Next week is the public holiday on the Monday.
So we're going to have a week off.
Everyone's just out and about traveling, just doing different things from our team.
So we thought we're going to have the week off.
We'll give you guys the week off the wrap.
But on the Thursday, Grace Brown, Olympic champion, world champion is on the podcast.
Very good on the bike.
Very good on the bike.
So that'd be tough to say what date that is.
Do some math, Chloe.
Next Thursday, the 12th of June.
Get it in your ears.
We're recording on Gadigal land.
Let's take a look around the grounds.
The Aussie Steelers have finished with silver at the wheelchair rugby world challenge going
down in a narrow 64 to 60 loss to the Netherlands.
The fourth quarter began with the Netherlands at 47 and Australia on 46.
Those are two sides battled neck and neck through the whole game.
But in the final quarter, the Netherlands edge ahead to victory, ending the match 64
This momentous match was accompanied by another milestone for the Australian Steelers with
athlete Shea Graham reaching a hundred games with the team.
What a black, she's a bloody legend, Shea Graham.
I really rate her.
When we talk about trailblazers in...
In sport, she's absolutely up there.
Yeah, she is for sure.
Especially, I just love, you know, wheelchair rugby is just, I love the fact that it's mixed
gender and yeah, Shea is just led from the front.
So it capped off a great home tournament for the Steelers.
It was, there was coverage on Foxtel, which was amazing.
It's just such an awesome sport.
It's brutal, hey?
They did manage to beat every team except for the pesky Dutch.
What if the Dutch win something the other day as well?
Oh, they beat us in the 3x3.
What's with this basketball investment?
Basketball and rugby, similar sports.
In tennis, Aussie Daria Kasatkina has defeated Paula Badosa 6-1, 7-5 and in just over an
hour and a half to reach the fourth round of the French Open.
The victory means Australia has a player in both the men's and women's French Open last
16 for the first time in 37 years.
It ended last night.
Well, Daria's still in, so we're recording on Monday.
Oh, we just do women's sports anyway.
She played tonight, but Alexei Poporin lost last night.
Yeah, but hopefully our new Australian Daria can get past her fellow Russian, ex-fellow
Russian, she's the ex.
But they play tonight, so hopefully she can get her way into the quarterfinals.
In some rugby league news, big game.
The Maroons did stage a second half comeback to beat New South Wales 18-14 and prevent
a series whitewash.
I want to call it a blue wash.
I think we talk about this probably too much, but I'm here for this conversation because
I really wanted, yeah, I wanted it to be a blue wash.
I wanted them to have the first clean sweep.
But Riley, my partner, said, even though it's weird, she's from New Zealand and of course
she supports Queensland.
Why do you all do that?
Especially you Victorians.
I'm looking at you.
You're not from Queensland.
There's a whole state in between you and Queensland.
That's exactly right.
She was like, you know what?
I think for the game, it's way better.
Closer is always better.
And I don't know if I agree.
Totally disagree.
That is the biggest loser chat I've ever heard in my life.
Well, that's good for the game.
I hate participation awards.
I'm just going to put that out there.
Queensland, who were playing purely for pride, came out firing and were rewarded for their
When Mackenzie Wheel crashed over for the opening points, the Blues quickly responded
to level scores through star centre Jess Sergis.
And the Blues doubled down with another try via Jamie Fressard to take the lead ahead
A little bit of tension out there in this match.
Some pushy shovey.
Fressard was in the middle of a lot of it.
New South Wales extended their lead through bench utility Jocelyn Kelleher, who came up
with a show and go out a dummy half to score basically untouched.
Over Queensland set up a grandstand.
Finish with Romy Teitzel scoring.
And they just, I think watching that last 20 minutes, they were pumped to make sure
They did not want to blue wash.
They finished in the right way.
And Chelsea Lenarduzzi, that was one of those, I'm five metres out, I dare you to hold me
She just powered over.
Speaking of scoring or not scoring, Isabel Kelly is no try.
I just, just slides over the line and you see it sometimes.
And just somehow the.
There's no point of that ball touch the ground.
Which is kind of weird because the ball, like as you're diving, then almost has to be like
perfectly horizontal parallel with the ground, which I reckon is harder to do if you were
trying to do it almost.
Like dive for a try and don't ground the ball.
If you had said Isabel Kelly, yeah, do that and don't put the ball on the deck.
She wouldn't be able to do it I reckon.
Absolutely crazy.
Lenarduzzi did finish the match in the sim bin for holding a player down.
She's also pretty fired up, isn't she?
Prasad and Kennedy Charrington.
And then Lenarduzzi was getting into the crowd at full time.
Reigning Dahlia medalist Olivia Koenig backed up her stunning game two performance with
another solid outing to be awarded the Nelly Doherty medal for player of the series before
New South Wales lifted the shield and celebrated their series victory.
Can we discuss the crowd numbers at women's origin?
So there were 21,912 people at this game in Newcastle for what was a dead rubber game.
Because New South Wales, best of three series, New South Wales had won the first two.
We wanted them to win in a whitewash, blue wash, but the fact that there were that many
people there for a dead rubber game, 12 months earlier, there was a record crowd of 25,782
endured even wetter, wilder conditions with the game two win from Queensland 11-10.
And that was also in Newcastle, right?
I think there was definitely some chat after the series.
From Tani Norris, the Queensland coach, questioning again the timing of the state of origin to
say that it doesn't make a whole lot of sense that a lot of these women's first game of
the year is the biggest game of the year.
So this is really, let's be honest, this is Rugby League's World Cup.
So there was questioning around that timing, but there's timing in the season.
Like put it at the end of the season or put it in the middle of the girl's season.
Or whatever it might be.
But you can't question the fact that the NRL do a good job promoting it and putting it in a
standalone time slot that people can attend.
We keep talking about this.
Like Thursday nights, perfect.
You might miss training, play on.
It's worth it to support.
But you're not missing a game.
Like it's just a much easier sell for people to take the family to.
And yeah, Newcastle loves the Rugby League.
And also just great for TV watching.
I reckon that time, you know?
Everyone's just sitting down, having a cup of tea, a couple of Timmy Tammys.
I'm watching the Rugby League.
Timmy Tammy at Alona Mar.
In a bit of CrossFit news, Aussie weightlifter Tia Clare Toomey Orr has won the 2025 Torian Pro.
The Torian Pro is the biggest CrossFit competition in Oceania and acts as only one of 10 qualifying
events worldwide for the World CrossFit Games.
Toomey Orr was as dominant as ever.
All weekend in Brisbane, winning five of the six events, many by considerable margins, including
event one and two, which she won by more than two minutes.
She's just a freak.
She's just on another level.
You're just disgusted with her, aren't you?
That face is just like.
I just, I can't even comprehend.
She was in Rio and I climbed into a van.
I think she'd done like her first ever CrossFit Games.
I climbed into a van.
We were going to a media appearance.
And I was like, hey, I'm Chloe.
She's like, hey, I'm Tia.
Nice to meet you.
And I was like, what do you do?
She's like, I'm just here for the weightlifting.
I was like, cool.
And she was like, I just was competing in an event.
I think I think she came second, maybe in that one.
I was like, cool.
Anyway, I got back and told the girls and I was like, yeah, one of the weightlifters
was in there as well.
I hadn't heard of her before.
And then Weiwei, Amy Turner, who is obsessed, was like, are you joking that you just sat
in a van with Tia Claire Toomey and did not know who she was?
So ever since then, I've very much known who she was.
It was amazing to see her on the podium with her.
I mean, daughter's got to be under two, toddler-ish.
Yeah, I reckon under two, surely.
Like, what an athlete.
She has come back from that and is still dominating.
And some surfing news.
The wine surfer Gabrielle O'Brien has defeated our pal Katie Simmers.
17.33 to 12.84 in the final of the Margaret River Pro.
It was a really interesting final, actually.
Again, we talk about nature all the time.
It was like probably the first eight minutes, waves, and then just went nuts.
The first exchange between the pair showed, like,
they'd got two pretty different styles of surfing,
with Katie choosing to carve, whereas Gabby opts for those snaps off the top,
which she was rewarded with.
Katie got a top score of 7.17 on her first wave,
but she couldn't find a second wave to back that up,
and Gabby O'Brien got a 9.5.
So that's really where the difference was.
The best place, Aussie, was local wildcard Bronte McCauley,
who went down to Katie Simmers.
In the semifinal.
Good on her, Bronte, to make the semi.
She's one of those ones that I think retired because she didn't love the grind,
necessarily, of the tour, but...
There's always chat when she shows up at events of, like,
she should still be on the tour.
In netball, the New South Wales Swifts have mounted a stunning final quarter
comeback to snatch a dramatic 66-64 win over the Adelaide Thunderbirds.
Grace Weke got the Swifts off to a flying start,
The first two goals to give the home side an early 4-1 lead.
However, the visitors clawed back to leveled score at six apiece.
At the end of a tightly contested quarter, the Swifts held a narrow 19-17 lead.
However, the Thunderbirds were clinical in the second quarter,
boasting a 100% gain-to-goal conversion rate for the term
as Romelda Aiken-George became just the second player
to surpass 9,000 National League goals.
She's very, very good.
The visitors stormed to a commanding 19-9 quarter,
heading into halftime with an 8.
goal lead, marking the first time this season
the Swifts have been held to single digits in a quarter.
The home side edged the third quarter 19-14,
clawing back valuable ground,
but it was the visitors who remained in control,
holding a three-goal lead heading into the final term.
A game-changing intercept from Maddie Turner early in the fourth
ignited the crowd and sparked the Swifts into action
as they surged to a 6-1 start
and reclaimed the lead for the first time since the opening quarter.
A crucial tip from Helen Housby led to a Swifts goal
and her later super shot pushed the home side ahead,
In some golf news,
Sweden's Maja Stark has won golf's US Open,
beating nearly quarter by two shots
and finishing seven under par for the tournament.
It was held at a golf course called Erin Hills.
Yes, I do, and the Hills.
The highest placed Aussie was Hannah Green,
who finished tied for 12th at one under par.
In football, the Matildas have defeated Argentina 2-0
in front of over 43,000 fans.
Australia started the game on the front foot,
restricting Argentina to just one shot in the first half.
The Tillys would be rewarded for their efforts in the 38th minute
when Charlie Grant made a powerful run
from just inside Argentina's half to the edge of the area.
The cross was perfectly weighted to the back post
for the run of Carly Johnson.
Johnson's goal on debut meant that Australia went into the halftime break 1-0 up.
She was pretty pumped for that goal.
Then midway through the second half,
Caitlin Torpey found herself with the ball on the edge of the area
on the right-hand side of the field.
Can we talk about...
The look on her face when this goes in.
She's like, that was a cross, but it went in the goal.
Totally meant it.
Definitely meant it.
So yeah, for anyone that hasn't seen it,
she did attempt to cross the ball, but it went in the net.
Well, not play on, actually.
A number of late chances fell to the feet of Michelle Heyman,
but Australia were not able to add to the margin of victory,
but I think that's a solid win for the girls.
They're going again tonight.
Night of recording, Monday night in Canberra, GIO Stadium.
It'll be freezing.
Oh, actually, so day of recording.
It's a flapping, like my son, Fred,
who moves his hands like this all the time.
10 a.m. day of recording.
Joe Montemaro has been named as the new head coach of the Matildas.
Pretty poorly kept secret.
Probably the worst kept secret.
I wonder, like, the fact that Leon announced his departure
before the Tillys had the chance, like,
that I would imagine would usually be something they would collaborate
on the timing of that announcement.
I've got the you-know-whats with the whole situation there.
Like, you know what?
We're announcing this.
They've got the you-know-whats, I reckon.
Welcome home, Joe.
Welcome home, Joe.
And thank goodness that I think the whole program
and Football Australia can move forward now with a set plan
because I just can't help but feel that it's definitely affected
some of the performances of late.
I'm very keen to see how they go.
Let's take a look at the key story.
The Major League Baseball, or MLB,
has announced a new strategic investment
in the Women's Athletes Unlimited Softball League.
OZL, I'm going to call it.
I don't know what they call it, but I'm calling it OZL.
This marks the MLB's first partnership
with the Women's Professional Softball League.
While no financial details have officially been disclosed,
Sportico is reporting that the investment is worth eight figures.
I don't mind eight figures.
Nice, you doing the maths of, like, hmm.
What is eight figures?
Are we saying 10 mil plus?
It should be double mils instead of eight figures, I reckon,
which would make it the largest financial commitment
made by the league towards softball.
As part of the agreement, MLB will raise the visibility
of the OZL and its athletes across marketing,
digital, editorial, and social platforms.
This will include broadcasting select OZL games
on MLB Network and on MLB.tv.
I really like the inclusion of the broadcasting
because I think that's such a key.
It's such a key piece, right?
And it's something that, obviously, that exposure,
we know, brings investment,
but it's also something that costs an absolute, you know,
what time of money.
So if they've already got the infrastructure,
they're doing it,
I think that's a great way they can contribute.
And then they're not having to hunt for their own broadcast deal
if it's incorporated into the deal already.
And they're going to end up on MLB Network and MLB.tv.
Like, they're obviously big existing audiences
on those platforms already.
The league's financial investment will also go towards covering OZL.
I just don't think.
Well, we're saying it.
I just don't think that the MLB is going to be reaching out to us
any time soon to do some content for OZL.
It's going to be AUSL.
Let's just keep going with OZL, though.
Covering the OZLs.
It's tough when it's got an apostrophe and an S.
Operating costs and supporting key growth initiatives
ahead of the softball competition's inaugural campaign,
which commences on the 7th of June,
which is in a matter of days.
While the MLB will sit on the league's board
and acquire more than 20% of a stake,
it's believed Athletes United.
Sorry, even Athletes.
Athletes United is the basketball one.
This is interesting, isn't it?
It's believed Athletes Unlimited remains the majority shareholder.
So, Bez, you ask, what is OZL?
Launching this year, the OZL is a women's professional softball league
in the United States that will feature four teams
with games to be played in 12.
12 locations this summer.
ESPN is set to broadcast 33 games,
with 30 of them to be shown by its linear networks.
In 2026, the league plans to expand to six city-based teams.
Are you having any league of their own flashbacks here?
Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred told media,
during this extraordinarily exciting time for women's sports,
we want softball to thrive.
MLB is committed to help build a sustainable and impactful league
that doesn't just play football.
It drives fandom, serves the softball community,
and benefits all female athletes.
Manfred also told a sports business journal
that the league considered starting its own professional softball league
before electing to instead invest in and partner with the OZL
after an exhaustive review.
That, to me, is a very interesting point
because I don't know if you've seen the discussion.
I don't think we've talked about it on the wrap
around volleyball in the United States,
about how there's now multiple kind of pro leagues.
Like, I think if we look at basketball with the W,
NBA, and unrivaled example,
to me, that's a very different format of the league.
It runs at different timings.
It's not, it's all the same athletes, right?
They're not competing with each other.
I think they enrich one another.
From what I can understand what's happened in volleyball
is there's kind of great people who've come in to invest,
but into multiple different leagues,
which is going to then spread the talent, spread the funding.
Doesn't sound like it's the right plan to me.
It doesn't sound like a rising tide.
Does not sound like a rising tide.
But I think the MLB have done really well here to say,
You guys are actually already doing this pretty well.
We're just going to help you grow.
Rising tide lifts all boats, people.
Let's take a look at what to watch.
Watch some Tenny.
The French Open is heating up with the women down to the final 16.
You can watch it all live on Standsport and the Nine Network.
The Canoe Slalom World Cup is back for the first time this year
with the first event taking place in Spain from this Friday.
You can catch all the action live via YouTube on Planet Canoe
Are Jess and Noemi fit and raring to go?
I feel like Noemi.
I've seen Jess over there on her socials.
Somewhere European.
In Super Netball, the undefeated New South Wales Swifts
take on the third place West Coast Fever in round nine
of Suncorp Super Netball.
The match begins this Saturday at 7pm ASD
and you can watch it live and free on KO Freebies.
The next event on the Diamond League calendar begins this week in Rome.
I wish I was in Rome.
It'd be nice, wouldn't it?
You can catch all the action live and free on the Diamond League
YouTube channel from 2am AEST on Saturday.
In some hockey news.
When Australia take on the Netherlands in the opening round
of the FIH Pro League.
The match begins Sunday at 9.30pm AEST
and you can watch it live and free on 7+.
And surfing trestles.
Trestles is iconic.
I used to play that on Kelly Slater Pro Surfer all the time.
Did you play that?
I think we were different windows.
I was on the Commodore 64 playing a bit of...
What was that game?
It was like an Olympics game.
What's a Commodore 64?
It's an old computer, yeah.
It sounds like a car.
Was it a Holden Commodore?
It's a gaming platform.
I'm going to find a picture for you.
In surfing, there's no rest for the surfers
because they're back in the US for the Trestles Pro.
The waiting period begins this Monday, the 9th of June
with conditions checked daily
and you can watch it live and free on the WSL.
We will not see you next week.
We're taking the week off for the public holiday,
but perfect chance to go catch up on the athlete episodes
and we'll be back, I don't know, the week after that,
whatever that week is.
Grace Brown, 12th of June.
The Commodore 64, also known as the C64,
never heard it called that,
was an 8-bit home computer
introduced in January in 1982
by the Commodore International.
It's been listed in the Guinness World Records
as the highest-selling single computer model of all time.
Telephony games, that's what the game was called.