🗞 The big-game players

October 22, 2020

G'day sports fans,

Classic quotes: "Strangely, in slow motion replay, the ball seemed to hang in the air for even longer." - Dermott Brereton

"More football later, but first let's see the first half highlights from the Essendon v Collingwood game" - Peter Landy

In today's edition of Sport Journal:

🇦🇺 & 🏉 Grand Final Previews

⚽️ Socceroos & Matilda European plans panned

🐴 Cox Plate

...and much more!

📷 Photo of the Day

🇦🇺 AFL

Richmond Tigers (1.83) v Geelong Cats (2.05)

Some 219 days after the season started without a single soul watching Richmond play Carlton live at the MCG, the strangest AFL season in history will conclude when up to 30,000 fans pack the Gabba for a historic grand final between the Tigers and the Cats.

It will be the first to be played away from the MCG since 1991, the first ever to be played outside of the state of Victoria and the first to be played at night.

As a symbol, a small patch of MCG grass was trucked from Melbourne up to Brisbane last week and will be transplanted into the Gabba turf.

• This is the third grand final between the two clubs, after previous showdowns in 1931 (won by the Cats) and 1967 (won by the Tigers).

• Up to 15 Richmond players can become three-time premiership players.

🏉 NRL

Panthers (2.20) v Storm (1.72): Kikau back on deck; Melbourne unchanged (match preview). Grand final day – it's the biggest event on the rugby league calendar.

Is a fairytale finish looming for arguably the greatest player of all time, or will youthful exuberance and confidence take a special group of kids to the top?

The Penrith Panthers are out to make history in Sunday night’s Grand Final against the Melbourne Storm. Not only are the Panthers searching for their first premiership since 2003, but they can set an NRL record of 18 straight wins in the process.

The big-game players who could decide the grand final

The Penrith Panthers and Melbourne Storm possess a host of big-name stars who could turn the 2020 grand final in an instant. In his final ever Game Plan, Matthew Elliott breaks down the games of Cameron Smith, Cameron Munster, Api Koroisau and Nathan Cleary and analyses how the parts they could play on the big stage.

📈 Grand Final Player stats:

  • Ryan Papenhuyzen has scored at least one try in five of his last six appearances with Melbourne as a favourite. (Anytime 2.70 / 1st -11.0)

  • Stephen Crichton has scored at least one try in 12 of his last 16 appearances. (2.80 / 11.0)

Breakdown of First Try scorers by position in NRL Grand Finals at ANZ Stadium (1999-2019)

Wing: 10, Fullback: 3, Centre: 2, Hooker: 2, Second Row: 2, Lock: 1, Interchange: 1

📈 Grand Final Team stats:

  • Melbourne have won the first half in 8 of their last 9 against Penrith (Melbourne / Melbourne 2.30)(Melbourne / Penrith 9.0)

  • 5 of the last six Grand Finals have gone UNDER total points line (35.5pts)

  • Penrith has won each of its last four matches as a home underdog by a margin of 1 to 12 points. (3.35)

  • Hit the Play now button below

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🏉 NRLW

Broncos (-6) v Roosters: Champions chase three-peat in NRLW decider (match preview).

The Broncos are the only team to have lifted the NRLW trophy and they're aiming for a three-peat when they face the Roosters at ANZ Stadium on Sunday.

Brisbane, who have lost just one match in their NRLW history, beat their opponents in a dress rehearsal of the decider in last week.

The teams met in the 2018 grand final, with Brisbane prevailing 34-12 before smashing the Dragons in last year's decider.

🚴🏼‍♂️ Cycling

Giro d'Italia: O'Connor wins stage 17 as Almeida leads

Aussie, Ben O'Connor claimed his first Grand Tour stage win with victory on stage 17 of the Giro d'Italia.

The NTT Pro Cycling rider broke away from a lead group of 14 riders on the final ascent of the day to win by 31 seconds atop Madonna di Campiglio.

Deceuninck-Quick Step's Joao Almeida leads Sunweb's Wilco Kelderman by 17 seconds in the overall standings.

O'Connor had finished runner-up to Jan Tratnik on the previous day's stage, missing out over the final climb, but atoned on Wednesday's 203km route, which featured four categorised ascents.

⚽️ Football

FFA scraps plans for Socceroos game against England at Wembley

Football Federation Australia has called off a training camp in Europe and scrapped plans for matches against England and the United States in London next month due to the worsening Covid-19 crisis on the continent.

UEFA Champions League

Marcus Rashford repeated his late heroics against Paris St-Germain with a superb winner (Paris SG 1-2 Man United)

Barca (5-1) and Juventus (2-0) & Man City (3-1) managed easy enough victories.

Bayern Munich 4-0 Atletico Madrid - Bayern have now scored 4 or more goals in a game under Hansi Flick on 20 occasions. He only took over in November 2019.

Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane took responsibility for "a bad night" as the 13-time European Cup winners were handed a humiliating defeat by a second-string Shakhtar Donetsk side (1-3).

Holders Liverpool started their defence with a (1-0) win over Ajax.

Every A-League to ISL move:

  • 🇦🇺 Neville: East Bengal

  • 🇦🇺 Fitzgerald: Jamshedpur

  • 🇦🇺 Donachie: Goa

  • 🇦🇺 Inman: ATKMB

  • 🇦🇺 Tratt: Odisha

  • 🇦🇺 Fox: NorthEast

  • 🇦🇺 Chianese: Hyderabad

  • 🇩🇪 Steinmann: East Bengal

  • 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Holloway: East Bengal

  • 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Le Fondre: Mumbai

  • 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Taylor: Odisha

  • 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Hooper: Kerala

  • 🇳🇴 Kristian Opseth to Bengaluru

🇪🇸 A handful of Valencia fans are so unhappy with the club directors that they've hired a Mariachi band to follow them and let them know through the power of song. This is the kind of petty we can get behind!

🐴 Racing

Cox Plate 2020 runners: Armory and Magic Wand in fitness race for Aidan O’Brien stable

Aidan O‘Brien’s stable is locked in a race against time to have Magic Wand fit for the Cox Plate but remains confident Armory will pass a crucial veterinary inspection on Friday. (racenet)

🏉 Rugby

PROP Jed Gillespie will salute retirement with a final sledge, a polished head for TV and a third premiership if his finale goes to plan for his beloved Eastwood.

Of the 14 Indigenous men that have played for the Wallabies, one characteristic stands out: the mercurial nature of their play.

🏏 Cricket

Big Head innings lifts Redbacks out of the mire

A gutsy unbeaten century to skipper Travis Head, who carried his bat on the fourth day, thwarted Tasmania as teams share the points with a draw.

NSW approves India, Aussie IPL stars' quarantine plans

The NSW government gave official approval late on Thursday for the Indian touring party and Australia's returning IPL players to quarantine and train in Sydney.

CA had planned on Brisbane being the quarantine base for Virat Kohli's side and Australia's Indian Premier League stars, who will travel from the UAE to Australia next month on a charter flight after that tournament ends on November 10.

Australia and India will play three ODIs followed by three T20s across Sydney and Canberra venues before contesting a four-Test series, which is expected to start at the Adelaide Oval in mid-December. (Cricket.com.au)

🏎 F1

Australia's Oscar Piastri to test Renault Formula One car next week

Emerging Australian star Oscar Piastri will drive a Formula One car for the first time next week, with confirmation that he'll test for Renault in Bahrain.

Piastri will drive the team's 2018 car next Friday, as part of a four-day test session that will see three members of the Renault Academy take to the track.

The 19-year-old from Melbourne follows in the footsteps of Daniel Ricciardo, who first got behind the wheel in 2009 to test a Formula One car, before his race debut in 2011, while Piastri's manager, Mark Webber, also tested for a number of teams before his grand prix debut.

🇺🇸 USA

'Don't think COVID can get me': NFL star Odell Beckham jr claims he and virus have 'mutual respect'

The Browns star had a health scare going into Week 6 of the NFL and missed two days of practice due to an illness.

With several NFL players and staff from various teams coming down with the virus, there was some concern that Beckham could be dealing with COVID-19.

Beckham self-reported his symptoms and agreed to stay away from the team's facility but tested negative multiple times and eventually played in the Brown's 38-7 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Speaking to reporters in the days after the match, the wide-out was asked whether he has genuine fears about catching the virus.

He responded in typical fashion.

"Not in an arrogant way, I just don't think COVID can get to me," Beckham jr said.

"I don't think it's going to get into this body. I don't want no parts of it, it don't want no parts of me. It's a mutual respect.

"So I wasn't really worried about the test"

📺 Live sport 👇🏼

⚽️ 06:00 - UEFA Europa League Group Stage:

  • TSG Hoffenheim v Crvena zvezda (Optus Sport 4)

  • GNK Dinamo Zagreb v Feyenoord (Optus Sport 6)

  • Tottenham v LASK Linz (Optus Sport 1)

  • Celtic v Milan (Optus Sport 3)

  • Leicester City v Zorya Luhansk (Optus Sport 2)

  • SC Braga v AEK Athens (Optus Sport 5)

⛳️ 08:00 - PGA Tour, ZOZO Championship, Round 1 (Fox Sports)

🏈 10:30 - NCAA - Appalachian State Mountaineers v Arkansas State Red Wolves (ESPN 2)

🏈 11:20 - NFL - Philadelphia Eagles v New York Giants (ESPN 1)

⚽️ 11:30 - Copa Libertadores:

  • Boca Juniors v Caracas FC (BeIN Sports 2)

  • CD Universidad Catolica v SC Internacional (BeIN Sports 1)

  • Gremio v America de Cali (BeIN Sports 3)

⚽️ 13:30 - MLS - Seattle Sounders v Portland Timbers (BeIN Sports 2)

🏉 17:05 - Mitre 10 Cup - Otago v Northland (Fox Sports)

🏍 19:55 - Aragon MotoGP Practice 1, Round 12 (Fox Sports More)

🐴 20:45 - Group 1, Manikato Stakes, 1,200m - WFA (7TWO or Racing.com or Sky Racing 1)

🎾 21:00 (TBC) - ATP European Open, Quarter-Finals, Day 5

🏎 21:00 - Portuguese F1 Grand Prix Practice 1 (Fox Sports)

⚽️ 21:00 - K League 1 - Suwon Samsung Bluewings v Seongnam FC (Optus Sport 1)

🚴🏼‍♂️ 21:25 - Giro d'Italia, Stage 19, 253km (Eurosport 1)

⛳️ 21:30 - European Tour, Italian Open, Round 2 (Fox Sports)

🎾 23:00 - WTA Ostrava Open, Quarter-Finals, Day 5 (BeIN Sports 3)

🏍 23:30 - Aragon MotoGP Practice 2 (Fox Sports More)

Saturday

🚴🏼‍♂️ 00:00 - UCI Men's World Tour, Vuelta a Espana, Stage 4, 191.7 km (SBS Viceland)

🏎 01:00 - Portuguese F1 Grand Prix Practice 2, Round 12 (Fox Sports)

🏏 01:00 - Indian Premier League - Chennai Super Kings v Mumbai Indians (Fox Cricket)

🏉 03:30 - Super League - Wigan Warriors v Salford Red Devils (Fox League)

🏉 04:00 - Super Rugby Unlocked - Pumas v Stormers (Fox Sports)

04:00 - LPGA Drive On Championship, Round 2 (Fox Sports)

🏉 05:30 - Test Match - Scotland v Georgia (BeIN Sports 3)

05:45 - English Championship - Nottingham Forest v Derby County (BeIN Sports 2)

🏉 05:45 - Super League - St Helens v Leeds Rhinos (Fox League)

⚽️ 06:00 - France Ligue 1 - Stade Rennais v Angers SCO (BeIN Sports 1)

⚽️ 06:00 - Premier League - Aston Villa v Leeds United (Optus Sport 1)

⛳️ 08:00PGA Tour, ZOZO Championship, Round 2 (Fox Sports)

🏈 10:30 - NCAA - South Florida Bulls v Tulsa Golden Hurricane (ESPN 2)

⚾️ 11:08 - World Series - Tampa Bay Rays v Los Angeles Dodgers (ESPN 1)

🏉 12:05 - Mitre 10 Cup - Bay of Plenty v Canterbury Rugby (Fox Sports)

🐴 12:50 - Non Listed, Kirkham Plate, 1,000m - SW, 2YO (7 or Sky Racing 1)

13:10 - Group 2, Moonee Valley Fillies Classic, 1,600m - SW, 3YO Fillies (7 or Racing.com or Sky Racing 1)

🐴 14:00 - Listed Race, Brian Crowley Stakes, 1,200m - SW+P, 3YO (7 or Sky Racing 1)

🐴 14:15 - Group 2, Moonee Valley Vase, 2,040m - SW, 3YO (7 or Racing.com or Sky Racing 1)

🏉 14:35 - Mitre 10 Cup - Hawke's Bay v Manawatu (Fox Sports)

🐴 14:50 - Group 2, Crystal Mile, 1,600m - WFA (7 or Racing.com or Sky Racing 1)

🐴 15:15 - Listed Race, City Tattersalls Club Cup, 2,400m - Quality, 3YO & Up (7 or Sky Racing 1)

🐴 15:30 - Group 2, Moonee Valley Gold Cup, 2,500m - SW+P, 4YO & Up (7 or Racing.com or Sky Racing 1)

🐴 15:55 - Non Listed, Bondi Stakes, 1,600m - SW, 3YO7 or Sky Racing 1

⚽️ 16:00 - J1 League - Consadole Sapporo v Yokohama FC (Optus Sport 1)

🐴 16:15 - Group 1, W.S. Cox Plate, 2,040m - WFA, 3YO & Up (7 or 7TWO or Racing.com or Sky Racing 1)

🐴 16:50 - Listed RaceWilliam Crockett Stakes, 1,200m - SW+P, 3YO Fillies (7TWO or Racing.com or Sky Racing 1)

⚽️ 17:00 - J1 League - FC Tokyo v Yokohama F. Marinos (Optus Sport 2)

🏉 17:05 - Mitre 10 Cup - North Harbour v Auckland Rugby (Fox Sports)

⚽️ 18:00 - J1 League - Gamba Osaka v Kashiwa Reysol (Optus Sport 3)

🐴 18:30 - Listed Race, Belgravia Stakes, 1,200m - SW+P, 3YO (Sky Racing 1)

🏍 19:55 - Aragon MotoGP Practice 3, Round 12 (Fox Sports More)

🐎 20:08 - 3YO Pacers G13YO NSW Breeders Challenge Final, C&G, 1,609m (Sky Racing 1)

🐎 20:43 - 3YO Pacers G1 - 3YO NSW Breeders Challenge Final, Fillies, 1,609m (Sky Racing 1)

🏎 21:00 - Portuguese F1 Grand Prix Practice 3 (Fox Sports)

🏏 21:00 - Indian Premier League - Kolkata Knight Riders v Delhi Capitals (Fox Cricket)

🐎 21:15 - 2YO Pacers G1 - 2YO NSW Breeders Challenge Final, C&G, 1,609m (Sky Racing 1)

🚴🏼‍♂️ 21:25 - Giro d'Italia, Stage 20, 198km (Eurosport 1)

🐎 21:43 - 2YO Pacers G1 - 2YO NSW Breeders Challenge Final, Fillies, 1,609m (Sky Racing 1)

⚽️ 22:00 - Spanish La Liga - Osasuna v Athletic Club Bilbao (BeIN Sports 1)

⛳️ 22:00 - European Tour, Italian Open, Round 3 (Fox Sports)

🏍 22:15 - Aragon Moto3 Qualifying, Round 12 (Fox Sports More)

⚽️ 22:30 - Premier League - West Ham United v Manchester City (Optus Sport 1)

⚽️ 22:30 - English Championship - Watford v Bournemouth (BeIN Sports 2)

🎾 23:00 (TBC) - ATP European Open, Semi-Final 1

🎾 23:00 - WTA Ostrava Open, Semi-Final 1, Day 6 (BeIN Sports 3)

Sunday

🚴🏼‍♂️ 00:00 - UCI Men's World Tour Vuelta a Espana, Stage 5 (SBS Viceland)

🏎 00:00 - Portuguese F1 Grand Prix Qualifying, Round 12 (Fox Sports)

🏍 00:15 - Aragon MotoGP Qualifying 2, Round 12 (Fox Sports More)

⚽️ 01:00 - Premier League - Fulham v Crystal Palace (Optus Sport 1)

⚽️ 01:00 - English Championship - Cardiff City v Middlesbrough (BeIN Sports 2)

⚽️ 01:00 - Spanish La Liga - Barcelona v Real Madrid (BeIN Sports 1)

🏏 01:00 - Indian Premier League - Kings XI Punjab v Sunrisers Hyderabad (Fox Cricket)

🏉 01:30 - Six Nations - Ireland v Italy (BeIN Sports 3)

🏉 01:30 - Super Rugby Unlocked - Lions v Cheetahs (Fox Sports)

⚽️ 03:00 - Italian Serie A - Genoa v Inter Milan (BeIN Sports 2)

🏈 03:00 - NCAA Regular Season - North Carolina Tar Heels v North Carolina State Wolfpack (ESPN 2)

⚽️ 03:30 - German Bundesliga - Borussia Dortmund v Schalke 04 (BeIN Sports 1)

⚽️ 03:30 - Premier League - Manchester United v Chelsea (Optus Sport 1)

⚽️ 03:30 - Spanish La Liga - Sevilla v Eibar (BeIN Sports 3)

🏉 04:00 - Premiership Rugby Final - Exeter Chiefs v Wasps (Fox Sports More)

🏉 04:00 - Super Rugby Unlocked - Bulls v Sharks (Fox Sports)

⛳️ 04:00 - LPGA Tour, LPGA Drive On Championship, Round 3 (Fox Sports)

👊🏻 05:00 - UFC 254 Main Card - Khabib Nurmagomedov v Justin Gaethje (Main Event)

⚽️ 05:45 - Italian Serie A - Lazio v Bologna (BeIN Sports 2)

⚽️ 06:00 - Premier League - Liverpool v Sheffield United (Optus Sport 1)

⚽️ 06:00 - Spanish La Liga - Atletico Madrid v Real Betis (BeIN Sports 1)

🏈 06:30 - NCAA - Texas Longhorns v Baylor Bears (ESPN 2)

🏈 06:30 - NCAA - Pittsburgh Panthers v Notre Dame Fighting IrishESPN 1

⛳️ 08:00 - PGA Tour, ZOZO Championship, Round 3 (Fox Sports)

🏏 10:20 - Women's Big Bash League - Perth Scorchers Women v Brisbane Heat Women (7mate or Fox Cricket)

🏏 10:30 - Women's Big Bash League - Adelaide Strikers Women v Hobart Hurricanes Women (Kayo Sports)

⚾️ 11:08 - World Series - Tampa Bay Rays v Los Angeles Dodgers (ESPN 1 or Sky Sports 3)

🏉 12:05 - Mitre 10 Cup - Counties Manukau v Wellington Rugby (Fox Sports More)

🏉 12:05 - Mitre 10 Cup - Tasman Mako v Southland (Fox Sports)

🏈 13:15 - NCAA - BYU Cougars v Texas State Bobcats (ESPN 2)

🏏 13:45 - Women's Big Bash League - Sydney Sixers Women v Sydney Thunder Women (Fox Cricket)

🏏 14:30 - Women's Big Bash League - Melb. Renegades Women v Melbourne Stars Women (Kayo Sports)

🏉 14:35 - Mitre 10 Cup - Waikato v Taranaki (Fox Sports)

🏉 15:00 - Shute Shield Elimination Final - Northern Suburbs Rugby v Eastwood Rugby (7TWO)

🐴 16:00 (TBC) - Listed Race Sale Cup, 1,600m - HCP (Racing.com or Sky Racing 1)

🏉 16:05 - NRLW Premiership Grand Final - Sydney Roosters Women v Brisbane Broncos Women (Fox League or Nine)

⚽️ 18:30 - K League 1 - Ulsan Hyundai v Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (Optus Sport 1)

🐴 18:35 (TBC) - Group 1, Kikuka Sho, 2,000m (Sky Racing 2)

🐴 19:00 (TBC) - Listed Race, Northam Cup, 1,600m - Quality, 3YO & Up (Sky Racing 1)

🏉 19:30 - NRL Grand Final - Penrith Panthers v Melbourne Storm (Nine)

🚴🏼‍♂️ 19:30 - UCI Men's World Tour - Paris-Roubaix, Classic, 259km (SBS Viceland)

🏏 21:00 - Indian Premier League - Royal Challengers Bangalore v Chennai Super Kings (Fox Cricket)

🏍 21:20 - Aragon Moto3 Race, Round 12 (Fox Sports More)

⚽️ 22:00 - Spanish La Liga - Real Valladolid v Deportivo Alaves (BeIN Sports 2)

⛳️ 22:00 - European Tour, Italian Open, Round 4 (Fox Sports)

⚽️ 22:30 - Italian Serie A - Cagliari Calcio v FC Crotone (BeIN Sports 1)

🚴🏼‍♂️ 22:55 - Vuelta a Espana, Stage 6, 136.6 km (SBS Viceland)

🏍 23:00 - Aragon MotoGP Race, Round 12 (10 Bold or Fox Sports More)

⚽️ 23:00 - Scottish Premiership - Aberdeen v Celtic (BeIN Sports 3)

🚴🏼‍♂️ 23:15 - Giro d'Italia, Stage 21, 15.7km - ITT (Eurosport 1)

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COVID-19 will make it difficult but if Penrith wins the grand final and has half as much fun as the 2003 Panthers outfit then Nathan Cleary and Co. are in for a treat.

COVID-19 will make it difficult but if Penrith wins the grand final and has half as much fun as the 2003 Panthers outfit then Nathan Cleary and Co. are in for a treat.

COVID-19 will make it difficult but if Penrith wins the grand final and has half as much fun as the 2003 Panthers outfit then Nathan Cleary and Co. are in for a treat.