Kangaroos survive Fiji scare, Silver Ferns seize the Cup and Feeney takes Gold Coast

Australian sport had no shortage of drama on Sunday, with the Kangaroos surviving a major scare against Fiji at Suncorp Stadium, the Diamonds surrendering the Constellation Cup and Broc Feeney claiming the second Supercars race on the Gold Coast. There was also a weather-enforced anticlimax at Phillip Island, where the final Australian MotoGP race at the iconic circuit was cancelled, while the NBL produced two tight contests and Australian football's national second tier delivered another round of results.

Rugby League — Kangaroos survive Fiji scare

Australia remains unbeaten at the Rugby League World Cup, but the defending champions were made to work considerably harder than expected by Fiji before eventually prevailing 36-22 at Suncorp Stadium. The Kangaroos led 12-10 at half-time but were twice forced to come from behind. Fiji went 16-12 ahead early in the second half before Australia levelled, and the Bati remained within striking distance until late in the match.

Tom Trbojevic was Australia's match-winner, scoring a hat-trick in the second half. James Tedesco was also outstanding on his return to international football, providing three try assists and running for more than 150 metres. Fiji's Semi Valemei matched Trbojevic with three tries of his own, while Kurt Donoghoe was named player of the match despite ending up on the losing side.

The result puts Australia through to the semi-finals with a game still to come against the Cook Islands. Fiji now needs to beat New Zealand in its final pool match to keep its own semi-final hopes alive. The size of the crowd was another positive for the tournament, with 41,108 at Suncorp Stadium for what was arguably the most competitive Australian performance of the World Cup so far.

Netball — Diamonds lose the Cup

The Australian Diamonds' hopes of retaining the Constellation Cup were ended in Sydney as New Zealand fought back to win 52-49, taking an unassailable 3-0 lead in the four-match series. The result caps a remarkable turnaround for the Silver Ferns, who had already won both matches of the New Zealand leg. Australia now cannot win the series, although the Diamonds will have an opportunity to avoid a clean sweep when the fourth Test is played in Melbourne.

The defeat also represents a significant moment in the world rankings. Australia entered the series as the world's No.1-ranked team, while New Zealand has been closing the gap after a strong year that included Commonwealth Games gold. For Australia, the immediate challenge is to find a response rather than allow a disappointing series to become a wider slump ahead of the next major international campaign.

NBL — United knock off reigning champions

Melbourne United claimed their first home victory of the season against the reigning champions, beating the Sydney Kings 105-95 at John Cain Arena. United produced a blistering shooting display early, making seven of their first nine three-point attempts, before gradually establishing control. Sydney stayed close through the opening half, but United created separation after the break and led by 13 entering the final quarter.

Cole Anthony was the star with 30 points and nine assists, while Josh Oduro added 27. The pair combined for 57 points as United closed out one of their best performances of the campaign. The result moved United to 4-5, while Sydney suffered only its second defeat of the season.

There was an equally tight contest in Cairns, where the Cairns Taipans edged the New Zealand Breakers 86-84. Cairns trailed by nine at quarter-time but steadily chipped away before taking control in the final period. Jonah Galloway and Jack McVeigh led the Taipans with 18 points apiece, while the result lifted Cairns to 5-4.

Football — Phoenix go top, Sydney come from behind

A League

Wellington Phoenix made history with a 2-0 victory over the Central Coast Mariners, becoming the first Wellington side to win its opening two matches of an A-League Men season. The match was goalless at half-time, but Wellington broke through in the 55th minute when Rafael Duran headed home. Corban Piper then doubled the advantage only two minutes later, giving the Phoenix a perfect start to the campaign. The victory sent Wellington to the top of the early A-League Men table.

At Allianz Stadium, Sydney FC recovered from an early deficit to beat Adelaide United 2-1.

Adelaide took the lead through Brody Burkitt in the 16th minute and carried the advantage into half-time. Sydney turned the match around after the break, with Rhys Youlley equalising in the 64th minute before Oriola Sunday completed the comeback nine minutes later. It was Sydney's first win of the new campaign and also Patrick Kisnorbo's first home victory as the club's head coach.

Australian Championship

The Australian Championship continued to provide an important window into the strength of Australia's second tier. Bayswater City defeated Sydney Olympic 2-1, maintaining their perfect start to the group stage. Sydney Olympic had entered the match looking for its first points after losing to Oakleigh Cannons in the opening round. The result leaves Bayswater in a strong position in Group C, while Sydney Olympic now has significant ground to make up in its remaining matches.

Cricket — Konstas keeps making his case

Sam Konstas remains one of the biggest selection stories in Australian cricket after another enormous domestic innings. Konstas smashed 149 from 131 balls for NSW against Western Australia in the One-Day Cup, helping the Blues post 8-371 before bowling WA out for 293 to win by 78 runs. It was his second century in four days, following a 151 not out in the Sheffield Shield, and came after another 71 in the same match against WA. The sequence has put the 21-year-old firmly back into the conversation for Australia's Test side.

For WA, Sam Whiteman's 116 was a bright spot in an otherwise disappointing result. The Warriors remain winless after four matches and their chances of progressing in the competition are fading rapidly.

Supercars — Feeney wins, three finalists eliminated

Broc Feeney won the second race of the Gold Coast 500, strengthening his position in the Supercars Finals while sending three championship contenders out of the title race.

Feeney led home Brodie Kostecki and Chaz Mostert in an eventful 85-lap race. The opening laps were chaotic, with Anton De Pasquale and Kai Allen among those caught up in incidents almost immediately.

De Pasquale eventually recovered to finish 14th, but the damage to his title prospects had already been done. Ryan Wood, Kai Allen and Jack Le Brocq were eliminated from the finals following the race. Feeney's victory also completed a strong Gold Coast weekend for Triple Eight, while Kostecki's second-place finish gave the DJR driver a valuable boost as the championship moves deeper into its decisive phase.

Motorsport — Phillip Island farewell ends in the rain

The final MotoGP race scheduled for Phillip Island ended without a race at all. Severe weather and poor visibility prevented the medical helicopter from operating safely, forcing organisers to cancel the MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3 races. Riders eventually completed a symbolic lap behind the safety car before stopping on the main straight to acknowledge the crowd.

The cancellation was particularly bitter because this was scheduled to be the final Australian MotoGP at Phillip Island before the event moves to Adelaide in 2027.

The only MotoGP-class racing of the weekend therefore remained Saturday's sprint, won by Marc Márquez. Australian rider Jack Miller finished eighth and collected points in his home sprint. For the Phillip Island crowd, however, the weather ensured the circuit's MotoGP farewell was remembered for a race that never happened.