🗞 Blown Away

G'day Sports fans,

Introducing Chessboxing; a combination of two traditional sports: chess and boxing. The game alternates between serious games of chess and intense rounds of boxing.

In today's edition of Sport Journal:

🇦🇺 Crowds of 10,000 from round 4

🏉 Roundd 6 wrap up

📺 A-League agree Fox deal

🇦🇺 AFL: Up to 10,000 set to flock to Gabba from R4

The Queensland government has announced that up to 10,000 supporters can enter AFL matches from next week.

From Saturday, June 27, all sports stadiums in Queensland will be able to accommodate 25 per cent of their usual crowd capacity at all matches in the state up to the Federal Government's cap of 10,000 people.

"The only thing better than having fans back at the football is having more fans back at the football," Queensland's deputy premier Steven Miles said on Sunday. (AFL)

Man of the Round: Lachie Neale. Brisbane's star midfielder was nervous that the AFL's shorter quarters wouldn't suit him as much. But after 32 possessions and two goals in the Lions' 30-point win against West Coast, the 27-year-old's fears have proved unfounded.

Key Injuries: Rory Atkins (Adel, shoulder), Lachie Whitfield (GWS, concussion), Luke Dahlhaus (Geel, concussion), Rhys Stanley (Geel, knee).

Stats: Gold Coast ended nine years of pain at the hands of Adelaide, defeating the Crows for the first time.

• The rising Suns didn't just win, they embarrassed the beleaguered South Australian club.

• Gold Coast had lost all 13 previous clashes with Adelaide by an average losing margin of 60 points.

• Stuart Dew's team knocked Richmond out of the top eight with their dominant 53-point victory at Metricon Stadium.

🏉 NRL Round 6 wrap-up:

Knights 27-6 Broncos: (match report) Saifiti shows up Broncos pack in big Knights win

Rabbitohs 40-12 Warriors: (match report) Mitchell, Walker lead Rabbitohs to big win over Warriors, running in 7 tries.

Panthers 21-14 Storm: (match report) Giant Panthers back-rower Viliame Kikau fought off injury to score the match-winner.

Titan 8-20 Dragons: (match report) The Dragons gave warhorse forward James Graham another winning farewell present with a vital victory.

West Tigers 36-20 Cowboys: (match report) Wests Tigers piled on six tries to record their equal-biggest half-time lead before staving off the fast-finishing Cowboys.

Roosters 24-10 Eels: (match report) Roosters flex muscle without Tedesco in brutal win over Eels. Parrametta looked to defend their way to victory but back-to-back premiers showed plenty of grit, recovering from the loss of Tedesco under the Fijian freight train Maika Sivo to laugh last.

🏉 Canterbury’s Dallin Watene-Zelezniak might have already taken out 2020’s Tackle of the Year:

Raiders 6-14 Sea Eagles: (match report) Star Tom Trbojevic needed just 52 minutes to inspire an injury-hit Sea Eagles to a courageous 14-6 defeat of Canberra on Sunday before joining the club's lengthy casualty list.

Sharks 20-18 Bulldogs: (match report) Kat-trick beats Dogs: Katoa flies in for three as Sharks win nail-biter.

🏉 NRL Beanie for Brain Cancer Round raises $2.55 million

Newcastle legend Mark Hughes has revealed over 100,000 beanies have been sold for the NRL’s Beanie for Brain Cancer round this year.

In a powerful display of unity during a year filled with so much uncertainty, Australians have rallied behind the Mark Hughes Foundation to raise $2.55 million across the 2020 Beanie for Brain Cancer Round.

"We are continually blown away at the support from all levels.

"I would like to acknowledge the NRL, Nine, Fox League and all the media for coming together for our cause - MHF Founder, Mark Hughes

If you haven't got yours yet and would like to support the cause, head over to markhughesfoundation.com.au

⚽️ FFA strike deal with Fox Sports as A-League moves towards winter season

• Revised contract reportedly worth about $32m to FFA

• Deal agreed a month out from resumption of season

The remainder of the 2019-20 A-League season will be shown on Fox Sports after Football Federation Australia reached agreement on a reduced deal for the coronavirus-delayed campaign.

The new deal is reportedly worth $32m and also covers the 2020-21 season, which will begin in December and finish in July next year, heralding a gradual shift back to a winter competition.

Professional football in Australia has been played across summer months since 1989.

⚽️ Premier League:

Friday: Tottenham and Man United played out a subdued 1-1 draw.

In the other game, bottom placed Norwich went down 3-0 to Southampton at home.

Saturday: Arsenal managed to snatch a loss from jaws of victory, going down 2-1 to Brighton. Maupay who was earlier the villain, shoulder barging Leno in the Arsenal goal who fell awkwardly (likely to miss the rest of the season), popped up with the winner in injury time. #ArtetaOut

Other results went pretty much to form;

• Watford 1-1 Leicester City

• West Ham 0-2 Wolves

• Bournemouth 0-2 Crystal Palace

Sunday:

• Newcastle 3-0 Sheff United - $70m striker Joelinton scored only his second Premier League goal and first since 25 August 2019, as Newcastle swept aside 10-man Sheffield United to take a huge step towards safety.

• Aston Villa 1-2 Chelsea - Hause turns home opener, Pulisic comes off the bench to level before Giroud strike.

• Everton 0-0 Liverpool - 3,535 days and counting for an Everton win in this fixture.

⚽️ La Liga:

Barcelona's 0-0 draw at Sevilla on Friday gave Real Madrid (currently 2 points behind with today's game in hand) the edge in the title race.

La Liga goes down to head to head and not goal difference if teams are level. Real won 2-0 in March with their other meeting a goalless draw.

Real are currently 0-0 with Real Sociedad. (28mins)

🐴 Royal Ascot: Frankie Dettori lands $151 treble, including two Group Ones, on day five

It saw the 49-year-old move onto 73 Royal Ascot winners - the same mark as the late Pat Eddery.

"To equal Pat Eddery's record is special," Dettori said.

"I sat next to him for 15 years, he was one of my heroes, his nickname was God so it gives me great satisfaction."

And there was history made as ($151) outsider Nando Parrado, ridden by Adam Kirby and trained by Clive Cox, became the meeting's biggest-priced winner - in the Coventry Stakes

👕 No one managed the 1-2-3 in the Diamond Jubilee tipping game. 2 people did get the first two, so well done.

🐴 Vale Graham Salisbury

The Australian racing industry has been saddened by the passing of the legendary Graham Salisbury after a long battle with cancer.

Salisbury had spent more than 40 years as a clerk of the course in Melbourne and was a hero away from the track through the tremendous amount of work he did with his best mate, 1992 Melbourne Cup winner Subzero.

🏉 Au revoir: Beale walks out on Waratahs, won't play Super Rugby AU

In a blow for NSW and Australian rugby, less than two weeks out from the start of a revamped 12-week competition, Beale won’t run out on July 3 in a sky blue jersey against the Queensland Reds.

Suspicions were raised when photos emerged of Beale on Friday, around lunch time, at a boat party organised by broadcaster and former Wallabies coach Alan Jones.

Beale has played 162 Super Rugby matches, including 14 for the Melbourne Rebels, and 92 Tests for the Wallabies.

Now he is not taking part in Super Rugby AU, Michael Hooper is the last remaining survivor of the Waratahs’ title-winning team of 2014.

🏉 Super Rugby Aotearoa: Crusaders pounce late to inflict second Hurricanes defeat

Two late tries from Richie Mo’unga and replacement David Havili - three months after undergoing emergency bowel surgery - saw the red machine win 39-25 to open their Super Rugby Aotearoa account in style on Sunday.

On Saturday, The Blues had their second impressive victory on the trot in Super Rugby Aotearoa with 24-12 victory over the Chiefs. It’s also their 5th win in a row on the road.

🏀 NBA sets dates for 2020 Draft and free agency

The NBA has firmed up the schedule for what will be a hectic time for teams this autumn, deciding on October 16 as the date for this year's Draft and saying clubs can begin talking to free agents two days later.

If the schedule for the restarted season at the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex at the Disney campus near Orlando, Florida, goes as planned, Game 7 of the NBA Finals could be held on October 13, followed by the draft three days later and then free agency almost immediately following.

🎾 Grigor Dimitrov: Bulgarian tests positive for coronavirus after Adria Tour events

World number 19 Grigor Dimitrov, who played in both of Novak Djokovic's recent Adria Tour events, has tested positive for coronavirus.

The Bulgarian, 29, withdrew from the second tournament in Zadar, Croatia on Saturday with sickness after his opening loss to Borna Coric.

"I am so sorry for any harm I might have caused," he said.

Sunday's final, which would have featured world number one Djokovic, has been cancelled.

Dimitrov wrote on Instagram: "I tested positive back in Monaco for Covid-19. I want to make sure anyone who has been in contact with me during these past days gets tested and takes the necessary precautions."

The tournaments were set up by world number one Djokovic to help players get back to match fitness after several weeks without competition because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The first event in Serbia attracted 4,000 fans.

Djokovic's coach and event director Goran Ivanisevic told fans courtside the final was off because of Dimitrov's positive test. (BBC)

Back on Wednesday!