Real Footy newsletter
News, results and analysis of the weekend’s big games.
Good Weekend Talks
In-depth conversations with the people fascinating Australians right now.
The Traveller Quiz
Are you an expert traveller? Test your knowledge with our weekly travel quiz.
Beyond the platform: The billion-dollar blind spot in Suburban Rail Loop’s design
Critics say Suburban Rail Loop draft plans do not include the necessary infrastructure so people can get to and from the new underground stations on foot, bicycles or e-scooters.
Premier warns protesters over bridge march as ALP members vote on AUKUS and Palestinian statehood
Anyone who intends to disrupt emergency services during a city protest on Sunday will be dealt with swiftly by police, Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan says.
Australians are working more hours, and it might be hurting our living standards
Australian workers are choosing to upgrade their lifestyles – buy fancier coffee and take more expensive holidays – rather than shortening their workdays.
‘Out of touch’: Former premier backs popular milk bar over plans for evening dining
James and Cat Laskie’s popular Barton Milk Bar has attracted a host of famous faces since it opened in this affluent area six years ago.
Inner-North California bungalow sells post auction for $1.5m
A three-bedroom house in Melbourne’s inner-north, guided at $1.5 million, received one bid of $1.48 million during Saturday’s auction.
Analysis
ALP
On Labor’s pitch for working from home, Allan finds her cause
The Victorian government’s work-from-home pledge is light on detail, but the politics are devilishly clever.
Live
AFL 2025
Young Lions roar to take down Magpies in front of bumper MCG crowd
The once rock-solid Pies are wobbly at exactly the wrong time of the season.
Vixens complete fairytale finish for their coach, win grand final by one goal
The Vixens have done the unthinkable and won the Super Netball competition from fourth on the ladder.
Graphic content
Good Weekend
‘Consent angels’, ‘female energy’: How swinging has changed
More people – including “unicorn” single women – are checking out the nation’s sex parties. One stalwart’s top tip for the curious: practise saying “no”.
Locals aghast after heritage-listed bridge restoration axed
Councils say they are too expensive to be restored. But residents insist it is worth fighting and paying for these heritage structures.
Tributes to a ‘photographic hero’ after death of former Age photographer Cathryn Tremain
Friends and ex-colleagues say the Walkley Award-winning photographer was a tough character with a creative streak and eye for detail.
Mistakes are forgotten and wishes realised at this luxe Thai hotel
Forget ‘Instagrammable’: travel for the rich is a holistic endeavour where a holiday becomes the springboard to your best self.
The thing about parenting no one tells you – how often you’ll get injured
Many new parents are caught out by the physical damage children can cause them, from strained muscles to broken toes. But there are ways to avoid injury.
Opinion
Advertising
Targeted ads are talking to me. I don’t like what they’re saying
Bulge-enhancing underwear, a T-shirt designed to hide your DadBod and endless promotions for hair transplants. If Big Tech has our data, why are targeted ads so terrible?
Thomas Mitchell
Culture reporter
Opinion
WordPlay
The colour that is tearing families apart
Taupe: do you say it like “rope” or “warp”? Pronunciations that will turn your hair a brownish-grey.
David Astle
Crossword compiler and ABC Radio Melbourne presenter
shorts
WEEKEND READS
Dicey Topics
‘Say it out loud’: Singer Josh Pyke on tackling vulnerability
The Australian singer-songwriter, author and award-winning film composer on handling anxiety, staring down a panic attack – and the cathartic power of music.
Analysis
Is Australia’s most manipulative crook dead?
He was a master of manipulation, once claiming police had provided him with the address of a hit victim because he knew dobbing in corrupt cops would get him easier jail time.
Victoria
Monash University academic charged after child abuse material allegedly shown in lecture
Monash University confirmed a 74-year-old man was suspended immediately and “removed from all teaching duties” following the alleged incident.
Welcome to ‘Promisetown’: The suburb where seven in 10 households speak a different language
It’s a place where you move for bigger, cheaper housing and stay for the community, and where a farming history and migrant roots meet thriving new industry.
The rarest of rare books and letters on show at Melbourne fair
The largest rare book fair in the southern hemisphere remains one of Melbourne’s best-kept literary secrets.
The Melbourne invention that changed McDonald’s
An award-winning author has been to Macca’s outlets in over 50 countries – here’s what makes our stores stand out (for good and bad).
Labor pledges right to work from home two days a week
The government expects to pass the laws next year, setting the stage for the 2026 state poll as the first major policy announcement to be debated in an election year.
AFL 2025
Opinion
The fractured football club behind Melbourne’s eight seconds of madness
Three star players could leave and the future of many off-field leaders is unclear. Inside the leadership vacuum at the Demons.
Caroline Wilson
Football columnist for The Age
Famous names and exciting prospects: We name the top 25 prospects for this year’s AFL draft
Some familiar surnames are expected to be called out at the top of this year’s AFL national draft.
Politics
Welcome to Country culture wars a ‘dry gully’, PM tells Garma Festival
Anthony Albanese said the government must repay and build trust with Indigenous Australians, announcing $75 million for Native Title holders.
Business
Analysis
World markets
The $8.6 trillion bank tweak that risks sparking the next financial crisis
The Trump administration is poised to make the biggest financial shake-up since the 2008 recession, and it could lead to a lot of trouble.
Szu Ping Chan
World
Epstein accomplice quietly moved to ‘luxury prison’
The family of Virginia Giuffre – the American-Australian woman who was among Jeffrey Epstein’s most well-known accusers – said the justice system was “failing victims”.
Opinion
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Property
Where you should have bought a house in Melbourne 13 years ago
Bayside home sellers made a median profit of $608,000, the highest gain across all Melbourne local government areas, as buyers chase space, schools and lifestyle.
Our 11 favourite homes for sale in Victoria right now
Looking for your next home? From a pretty 1880s Victorian with heritage details to a classic country estate, we’ve rounded up our top picks.
Good Food
Lifestyle
The move that has killed off Friday night drinks
For countless generations, workers celebrated the end of the week by heading to the local watering hole.
Culture
She’s delighted audiences for decades. Now Szubanski joins an elite list
Magda Szubanski, who has been diagnosed with mantle cell lymphoma, will be honoured on Sunday night.
Opinion
The Verdict
It’s about time someone said it: paparazzi are artists and heroes
Robert Moran
Spectrum Deputy Editor, The Sydney Morning Herald
Traveller
Drivedrive
From Our Partners
Sport
Live
AFL 2025
Neale rates McCluggage just behind Daicos as young Lions stun Magpies at MCG
The once rock-solid Pies are wobbly at exactly the wrong time of the season while Chris Fagan and Lachie Neale sung the praises of their young Lions following the win.
Blues’ Magpie rivalry ignites over McRae’s Silvagni ‘date’; relieved Goodwin thankful for extra security
Michael Voss took aim at the approach of his premiership teammate. Meanwhile, Simon Goodwin addressed the need for extra protection after last week’s ugly social media threat.
Vixens complete the fairytale finish for their departing coach, winning by a single goal
The Vixens achieved the unthinkable and won the Super Netball competition from fourth on the ladder.
Wallabies avoid a Lions series whitewash with brilliant win in Sydney
It was wet, it was wild and, most importantly, it was a win. The Wallabies scored one of their bravest victories in recent memory.
Dolphins disaster: Australia bomb out in heats of mixed 4x100m freestyle relay
Australia rested superstars Mollie O’Callaghan and Kyle Chalmers to allow them to freshen up for Saturday night’s final. There was one problem: they failed to qualify.
Opinion
AFL 2025
The fractured football club behind Melbourne’s eight seconds of madness
Three star players could leave and the future of many off-field leaders is unclear. Inside the leadership vacuum at the Demons.
Caroline Wilson
Football columnist for The Age
A mid-season competition: Footy’s next frontier, or AFLX 2.0?
There is an appetite for change at AFL House, but is a mid-season competition the right innovation for footy, and why is it suddenly on the league’s agenda?
Have Your Say
R-E-S-P-E-C-T: Find out what it means, Benny
Ben Stokes’ actions during the fourth Test against India certainly did not respect the spirit of the game.
Darren Kane
Sports Columnist
