Martin McKenzie-Murray

He might otherwise be an ordinary bloke, but there's something distinctive and rare about the ardency of Ange Postecoglou's passion and the depths of his dreams. In Vince Rugari's new biography of the first Australian to manage an English Premier League club, we learn that his enchantment – nay, fanaticism – with soccer began as a young boy and has never diminished.

SHARE Copy Link Facebook X Email LinkedIn Although cast as a tragic figure, musician Jason Molina left the world with durable songs of brutal beauty

The call from the Sport Australia Hall of Fame came a few weeks ago. There was no hint it was on its way – no signs, rumours or leaks of the news it would bring. Karen Murphy had no idea.

Professor Peter Morgan has taught European history for decades. He has a special interest in German history and literature, and his scholarship and ethical imagination have engaged the obscenity of the Holocaust. He also has a simple and strictly adhered to principle of teaching: it's like acting, he says, and you should always present yourself with grace and equanimity.

Prime minister Albanese’s reaction to the accusation of receiving special treatment is more troubling than the allegation itself

It's hard to write about the documentary film Unbreakable: The Jelena Dokic Story for several reasons, one of which is that portions were watched while weeping. Jelena Dokic was once one of our brightest tennis hopes, crowned the world's best female junior in 1998. Her male counterpart that year was Roger Federer.

Even at their peak, many didn't look like pro athletes. Now, two decades after becoming world champions and curse-breakers, the reunited group resembled bearish mechanics and happy butchers. Gathered recently at Fenway Park were the 2004 Boston Red Sox, a group dubbed “The Idiots” for their joyous cheek and disinhibition. Exactly 20 years ago, images of this raffish band of hotheads, goofballs and drinkers would rival the Pope's and JFK's for space on the lounge room walls of Boston homes. The Idiots had broken the long Curse of the Bambino, and last week they came together to remember it.

As a child, Ellie Cole dreamt of becoming a mermaid. She entered the water first as a site of rehabilitation, but it quickly became a place of comfort and affinity. Diagnosed with a rare form of cancer at just two, the following year of chemotherapy sickened her but did little to extinguish the cancer. One option was left: the amputation of her right leg from above the knee.

This week Alan Belford Jones, Australia's most successful broadcaster and famed former Wallabies rugby coach, was arrested and charged with 26 offences, including aggravated indecent assault, against nine male victims. The charges are yet to be tested in court and Jones has denied any misconduct through his lawyer.

It was billed as the co-main event, but as the preceding fight to Tyson v Paul it was obviously considered subordinate to one of the most ridiculous but globally watched bouts in modern history. Let some modest justice be done here, though: in a day of weird and gaudy hype, the Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano fight was the best of the card, and perhaps of the year.