STATE OF PLAY: PIASTRI, GREEN AND EXUM FLY AUSSIE FLAG

By Bodhi Stringer

Welcome to the first edition of the fortnightly column, Extra Time: State of play. In this article series, we will be looking into two of the biggest Australian sports stories to arise in the last two weeks. These stories or issues will be voted on by the Extra Time publication team with an opinion-based article to be published fortnightly recapping the thoughts and feelings around the big news in Australian sport.

Without further ado welcome to Extra Time: State of play. This week we look at Oscar Piastri securing P2 in Monaco, and Josh Green and Dante Exum representing the Aussies in the 2024 NBA Finals.

Piastri is P2 at the Monaco GP

Oscar Piastri celebrates with the team after finishing second in Monaco.

For those readers who are unfamiliar with Oscar Piastri he is an Australian Formula One driver who is currently driving for McLaren. Being one of two Australian drivers on the 2024 F1 grid, Piastri is the brightest young star in the sport. Piastri is coming off an impressive rookie season in 2023, where he won a sprint race and had the most successful rookie campaign since seven-time world champion Sir Lewis Hamilton entered the sport way back in 2007.

Piastri entered the 2024 F1 season with massive expectations and despite some good points finishes to start the year, he was severely unlucky not to feature on the podium before the Monaco Grand Prix, having finished fourth on three occasions in the first seven rounds including his home GP in Melbourne.

In Monaco, as all F1 fans know, it is critical to qualify well, due to the narrow nature of the circuit paired with the width of modern day F1 cars. Piastri delivered, qualifying in second place, meaning he was in prime position to finish on the podium for the first time this year. 

Qualifying in second set-up Piastri's first podium finish for 2024.

For anyone who watched the 2024 Monaco Grand Prix, you will understand the chaos that took place from turns one to four on the first lap. Piastri got away from the line slowly compared to Ferrari's Carlos Sainz, who was ahead of Oscar into the breaking zone. However, neither Sainz or Piastri wanted to concede the position and after the smallest amounts of contact, Sainz would puncture his rear right tire and Piastri would reclaim second place with a slightly damaged underbody. 

Despite Piastri and Sainz making small contact at turn one, it was Sergio Perez and Kevin Magnussen who would have a major accident between turns two and three, which resulted in a red flag, meaning Sainz and Piastri would once again face off into turn one at the restart. 

Monaco is all about track position and on the restart, Oscar was able to hold onto his second place and didn’t look back for the remaining laps, settling in and securing his first career podium at Monaco and his first podium for season 2024. 

Whilst Oscar has finished on the podium in F1 before, managing to finish P2 at the Monaco GP is something all F1 drivers look to achieve in their careers. Oscar securing his first podium of the season should dramatically improve his confidence and could enable McLaren to make a play for the second place in the 2024 Constructors Championship. 

As a whole, one podium in the course of a season isn’t a make-or-break moment in a F1 title charge. But for a second year driver to manage a race in the way Oscar did and achieve a podium finish in Monaco proves that he is worth all the hype and hopefully enables him to push himself up the standings and be one of the top six drivers come season's end.

Oscar Piastri finishing in P2 at the Monaco Grand Prix has been seen to be one of the two biggest Aussie sporting stories in the last fortnight due to the prestige behind being on the podium at Monaco and the possible implications a season setting podium finish could have on the remainder of the F1 season for Piastri.

Josh Green and Dante Exum Represent Australia in the 2024 NB Finals

Josh Green and Dante Exum playing for the Dallas Mavericks.

Australian NBA duo Josh Green and Dante Exum have made the 2024 NBA Finals as part of the Dallas Mavericks outfit. The Mavs will be looking to win their second ever NBA title in this years NBA Finals and Green and Exum could be integral parts in a winning team. 

We are becoming more and more accustomed to hearing about Aussies competing at the highest level in the NBA, and the 2023-24 season has further added to the growth in Australian Basketball. 

Josh Green who was drafted by the Mavericks with the 18th pick in the 2020 NBA Draft has become a consistent member in the Mavericks line up. Green has averaged just over eight points in 26 minuets a night in the 57 games he has played for the Mavs this season. Whilst those stats don’t jump off the page, Green is lauded for the work he does off the ball both on offence and defence. 

Dante Exum has been around the NBA circles since the 2014-15 season, when he was drafted with the fifth pick in the 2014 draft by the Utah Jazz. Exum’s time in the NBA before his Mavericks stint was a rocky one as he dealt with several injuries and struggled to find his feet at the level. However, after a two-season stint in the EuroLeague, Exum was able to work his way onto the Mavericks roster, becoming an important rotational piece in the Mavs title charge.

Green and Exum hav the chance to join a small list of Aussies with an NBA championship ring.

Both Exum and Green were members of the Boomers squad that won Bronze at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic games and both feature in the current Boomers squad for the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

Having two Australian players featuring in the NBA finals is nothing short of amazing. Green and Exum are sure to feature on court in some capacity during the Finals and could be important role players if the Mavericks are able to overcome the Boston Celtics in the seven-game series. 

Josh Green and Dante Exum featuring in the NBA finals was selected as one of the two biggest Australian sporting stories in the last fortnight due to the nature in which the achievement showcases how good Australian Basketball is right now and how important Australian players are becoming to topflight NBA teams that are challenging to win the NBA Finals. 

Both stories that have been selected in this fortnight’s edition of Extra Time: State of Play showcase how strong two sports are in Australia at the current moment. Having top class Australian athletes showcasing their talents on the world stage is incredibly important for the continued development of young sporting talent in this country as well as continuing to showcase to the world just how athletically gifted and high achieving Australia is when it comes to sport across the world.