The Big Deal Weekly: Hinkley Port deal questions, Matildas bonanza, Cam Smith cashes in again, Neymar’s huge Saudi move, Harden plays hard ball & more

Newsletter no.46, 15 August 2023

The coaching situation at Port Adelaide has been resolved, while the Gold Coast Suns also look like following suit.

The Matildas are ready and raring for their World Cup semi-final as ticketing, broadcast and economic impact reaches unprecedented heights.

Meanwhile, our netball world champions have been left with empty pockets despite their triumph.

Get into our sports business wrap on the podcast below, and scroll the key points.

Listen to the wrap and subscribe for free now on Apple Podcasts or Spotify

KEN-FIRMED: HINKLEY RE-SIGNS

Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley has extended his stay at Alberton for a further two years.

The club is saying there is no succession plan in place, but highly regarded assistant Josh Carr pulled out of the Richmond job to stay with the Power, which left some key figures at Tigerland very disappointed.

Staying true to the much talked about ‘August deadline’, Hinkley gets another chance still without having proven his ability to go all the way and lead Port Adelaide to a premiership.

The faith of the Port fans is going to be tested.

Hear from Tredders at the top of the audio wrap.

SUNS SETTLE ON HARDWICK

Three-time premiership coach Damien Hardwick is set to sign on as Gold Coast coach on a five-year, million-dollar deal.

The AFL has denied he’ll be paid ambassadorial money, yet AFLQLD, which is funded by the AFL, could still pay Hardwick the same cash should he choose to promote the game in Queensland.

The Suns have access to an extra $1million in extra promotional money that sits outside the salary cap, which could double Hardwick’s salary, should he choose to do so.

Hardwick is due to return from Europe next week.

TREDDERS’ TALKING POINTS FROM THE AFL

In this week’s audio wrap, Tredders covers off more key issues in the AFL:

• Josh Mahoney looks set for a role at the AFL after three years at Essendon; reports of a fractured relationship with recruitment boss Adrian Dodoro.

• Rory Sloane is going around again at Adelaide after penning a one-year extension at West Lakes.

• The goal review farce continues after inconclusive evidence decides a potentially top 8 rattling result between Melbourne and Carlton.

• Who should cover the cost of the goal-line tech? AFL, Seven, Foxtel?

MATILDAS MARVEL THE NATION

The Matildas had the nation in the palm of their hands on Saturday night after a gripping penalty shootout win over France.

The victory was the biggest TV audience since Cathy Freeman in the 2000 Olympics, reaching 7.2 million people with an average 4.17 million viewers.

Optus Sport said its their third biggest stream ever, plus hundreds of thousands at live sites.

Yet, the Seven Network have got an absolute steal, having paid a reported $4 million for their piece of the broadcast rights.

Now, they take on England in the semi-final tomorrow night in what is the hottest ticket in town.

So much so, the Matildas fans bought the England allocation!

Across the country, the FIFA Women’s World Cup has generated a $7.6 billion economic boost to the retail and travel sectors.

A state-by-state breakdown:

• New South Wales: $2.98 billion - hosting 11 matches

• Victoria: $2.30 billion - hosted six matches

• Queensland: $1.55 billion - hosting eight matches

• Western Australia: $663.2 million - hosted five matches

• South Australia: $160.9million - hosted four matches

The impact has also been seen at A League level, with Sydney FC’s women’s team breaking its membership record two months before the season starts.

NO CASH FOR CHAMPIONS

At the FIFA Women’s World Cup, all 732 players are guaranteed at least $44,000 AUD in individual prize money.

The team that wins? Players get a shrewd $402,000.

However, for the Netball World Cup, won by our Diamonds, they received donuts.

Not the sweet, absolutely nothing. Netball has a LONG way to go.

BOOMERS RAMP UP PREP

The Boomers’ preparation for the FIBA World Cup (yes, another World Cup) continues to ramp up as they waltzed over Venezuela 97-41 in a practice game.

The transition period from the old guard continues after Matthew Dellavedova was cut from the reduced squad.

Jock Landale also has an ankle injury but looks fine to play.

CAM’S THE MAN

Cameron Smith won his third LIV Golf tournament, and second in just five weeks, after taking out the Bedminster event on Monday.

Smith pocketed a cool $6.15million AUD, while his Aussie team won the top prize in the team event, earning him an extra $1.15 million.

He now sits on top of the LIV Golf standings for 2023.

HARRY DOES GERMANY

Tottenham Hotspur’s all-time leading scorer Harry Kane made the move to Bayern Munich for $170 million AUD, and has already played his first game.

The 30-year-old signed a four-year deal, reportedly around $20.5 million a year.

At his old club, Ange Postecoglou made his managerial debut at Spurs with a 2-2 draw at Brentford.

His next challenge? Hosting Manchester United.

Elsewhere…

• Neymar to Saudi Arabia is on the cards with PSG to pocket $170 million AUD in return … and the super star looks set to get outrageous perks on top of his $268.9 million a season, two year deal. The Brazilian star will have a private plane at his disposal, a huge house with staff, €80k bonus for every win Al-Hilal has, and €500k for every post or story he puts on social media promoting the country.

• Chelsea have continued spending, dropping $225 million AUD on Moises Caicedo from Brighton.

• In the US, the Inter Miami goalkeeper got the boot after questioning the Lionel Messi deal. You mess with the bull, get the horns.

HARDEN UP: 76ERS RELATIONSHIP WITH STAR BREAKS DOWN

James Harden’s relationship with the Philadelphia 76ers has gone up in flames.

He plans on a trade to the LA Clippers, but they look set to hold onto him.

Yet, vision came out of him slamming the team president, Daryl Morey.

“Daryl Morey is a liar and I will never be a part of an organisation that he’s a part of,” Harden said.

“Let me say that again: Daryl Morey is a liar and I will never be a part of an organisation that he’s a part of.”

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