🗞 Buck the Trend

G’day Sports Fans,

🗣️ “I do believe if I was here it would have been 4-0 to Australia,” - Nathan Lyon endearing himself to the English public while playing for Lancashire in the County Championship.

📧 P.S. First time reading? Subscribe here for free.

🇦🇺 Match Report: Seven minutes into the third quarter, Carlton led by 38 points against Melbourne. Christian Petracca, with Max Gawn's help, almost brought the Demons back, closing the gap to just one point with 40 seconds left. Despite the rain, Carlton's defense held firm.

A critical gang tackle by Nic Newman and Patrick Cripps stopped Petracca, securing a narrow 12.5 (77) to 11.10 (76) victory for the Blues at the MCG.

🏉 Match Report: A rapid three-try surge within five minutes of the first half propelled the Dolphins to a 30-24 victory over the injury-stricken Sea Eagles at Suncorp Stadium.

Losing key players like superstar fullback Tom Trbojevic to a hamstring injury and winger Jason Saab to a shoulder injury, the Sea Eagles struggled and surrendered a 12-point lead, resulting in back-to-back defeats.

🧤 Matildas goalkeeper Lydia Williams has announced she will retire from international football after the 2024 Paris Olympics. 

🇦🇺 Gold Coast Suns defender Wil Powell is handed a five-game suspension by the AFL's Integrity Unit for directing a homophobic slur towards a Brisbane opponent during Sunday's game.

🏉 According to reports from The SMH, the Sydney Roosters have secured the services of David Fifita, who is set to join them on a four-year contract starting from 2025. The deal is said to be valued at $3.3 million over the four-year period.

The news came just hours Fifita informed the Gold Coast Titans that he will not be extending his contract with them beyond the 2024 season.

🥊 George Kambosos has threatened to ‘retire’ Vasiliy Lomachenko ahead of their world title bout, with the pair needing to be separated at the press conference.

Despite only one fight since his defeats to Devin Haney in 2022, Kambosos is ready to contest the vacant crown against Lomachenko in what's expected to be an intense showdown between two formidable fighters on Sunday at RAC Arena in Perth.

🏟️ The Northern Territory has taken its next step in trying to land the AFL’s 20th team, releasing a business case which claims major economic benefits - but admits it would need AFL and government support.

A business case released on Thursday claims a new stadium in Darwin’s CBD could be built within the next seven to 10 years at a cost between $700-$735 million, allowing the team to enter a few years after the Tasmania Devils who’ll begin play in 2028.

The AFL is viewed as likely to grant a 20th license to allow the creation of a 10th weekly game, which would add millions to their media deals and help pay for the new clubs.

⚽️ Harry Kewell’s coaching career has not yet matched the heights he reached as a player but he can take a big step forward in this week’s AFC Champions League final.

Kewell’s Yokohama F-Marinos take on Al Ain of the United Arab Emirates in Saturday’s first leg, only four months after the former Leeds and Liverpool forward took over at the Japanese club.

🤸🏽‍♀️ Australia has suffered a double-injury blow ahead of this year's Paris Olympics, with gymnasts Georgia Godwin and Blake Rutherford out of the national championships.

🏉 Tonight: The Rebels will face a fired-up Queensland who have been buoyed by a rare victory over the Crusaders in Christchurch last round.

Melbourne are sitting in sixth place, one behind the Reds, but have a torrid run home against the Chiefs (4th), Brumbies (3rd) and an always-challenging away clash with Fiji (8th).

• The Queensland Reds have won seven of their last eight matches against the Melbourne Rebels in Super Rugby competitions (L1); their only defeat in that span was a 34-40 loss in March 2023.

⚽️ A-League Semi-Finals: The Mariners are A-League Premiers after a stellar season under Mark Jackson, but the table-toppers will need to buck recent trends if they are to get a leg up in the Semis.

• Sydney FC have won 18 of their last 26 games against Central Coast, losing just four times with four draws.

Sunday’s Semi-Final presents Giancarlo Italiano the chance to mastermind Wellington’s first Finals Series win since 2012. The club has gone winless in six post-season games since. Melbourne Victory will be without star midfielder Zinédine Machach for both games against Wellington after his Elimination Final red card.

• Two of their 3 head-to-heads this season have ended 1-1

🏀 Denver Nuggets centre Nikola Jokic has joined some of the NBA's all-time greats by winning the league's Most Valuable Player award for the third time.

The Serb, who was previously named MVP in 2021 and 2022 and was runner-up last year, is just the ninth man to win the award three or more times.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was named MVP a record six times, Michael Jordan and Bill Russell are five-time winners, while Wilt Chamberlain and LeBron James have claimed the award on four occasions.

Jokic joins Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and Moses Malone as three-time winners.

⚽️ Harry Kane joined Bayern Munich this year to fill his cabinet with ‘guaranteed’ trophies. Fast forward nine months, Bayern has failed to win a trophy for the first time in 47 years…

⚾️ The former interpreter of Japanese baseball star Shohei Ohtani has agreed to plead guilty to US charges that he illegally transferred nearly $17m (£14m) from the athlete's bank account.

🥊 Tyson Fury has shown off his slim physique [a change from his to his usual melted wheelie bin look] just over a week out from his fight against Oleksandr Usyk.

Fury looks to become an undisputed heavyweight champion next Saturday in Saudi Arabia when he faces Usyk. Their clash marks the first time one man will hold all four heavyweight belts since Lennox Lewis achieved the feat in 1999. Fury posted a physique reveal on social media to flaunt his ripped body as fans weighed in on his shape.

⚽️ Manchester United have spoken with Bayern Munich Manager Thomas Tuchel's advisers to gauge his interest in replacing Erik ten Hag.

🏎️ Lando Norris believes he can “absolutely” challenge for the F1 world title next year after claiming his first win in Miami.

The 24-year-old won his first race in his 110th grand prix as he capitalised on a perfectly timed safety car to beat Max Verstappen and secure McLaren’s first win since September 2021.

🏀 The Indiana Pacers have submitted 78 plays to the NBA that they felt were called incorrectly against them during Games 1 and 2 against the New York Knicks, a league source told ESPN.

Pacers coach Rick Carlisle, speaking after Indiana fell behind 2-0 in the Eastern Conference semifinals with a 130-121 loss to New York on Wednesday, said the team had identified 29 questionable calls from Game 1.

The source said the Pacers identified 49 such plays from Game 2 and submitted them overnight to the NBA office.

Carlisle said they had decided not to send the Game 1 calls to the league office for review but reversed that decision after Game 2 had similar officiating issues from their perspective. As part of NBA protocol, the clips will also be shared with the Knicks.

TODAY 

04:00 - PGA TOUR - Wells Fargo Championship, Round 1 (Fox Sports)

05:00 - UEFA Europa League Semi-Final - Bayer Leverkusen v Roma (Stan Sport)

05:00 - UEFA Europa League Semi-Final - Atalanta v Olympique de Marseille (Stan Sport)

07:05 - MLB - New York Yankees v Houston Astros (ESPN 2)

09:00 - NBA Conference Semifinals - Boston Celtics v Cleveland Cavaliers (ESPN)

09:00 - NHL Conference Semifinals - New York Rangers v Carolina Hurricanes (ESPN 2)

11:30 - NBA Conference Semifinals - Oklahoma City Thunder v Dallas Mavericks (ESPN)

11:30 - NHL Conference Semifinals - Dallas Stars v Colorado Avalanche (ESPN 2)

17:05 - Super Rugby Pacific - Moana Pasifika v Chiefs (Stan Sport)

18:00 - NRL - Penrith Panthers v Canterbury Bulldogs (Fox League)

19:10 - AFL - Geelong Cats v Port Adelaide Power (Fox Footy)

19:35 - Super Rugby Pacific - Queensland Reds v Rebels (Stan Sport)

19:45 - A-League Men Semi-Final - Sydney FC v Central Coast Mariners (10 Bold or Paramount+)

20:00 - NRL - Parramatta Eels v Brisbane Broncos (Fox League or Channel 9)

20:30 - AFL - Fremantle Dockers v Sydney Swans (Fox Sports or Channel 7)

23:30 - PGA TOUR - Myrtle Beach Classic, Round 2 (Fox Sports)

00:00 - Indian Premier League Group Game - Gujarat Titans v Chennai Super Kings (Fox Cricket)

SATURDAY

04:00 - PGA TOUR - Wells Fargo Championship, Round 2 (Fox Sports)

09:00 - NBA Conference Semifinals - Indiana Pacers v New York Knicks (ESPN)

09:00 - NHL Conference Semifinals - Boston Bruins v Florida Panthers (ESPN 2)

11:30 - NBA Conference Semifinals - Minnesota Timberwolves v Denver Nuggets (ESPN)

12:00 - NHL Conference Semifinals - Vancouver Canucks v Edmonton Oilers (ESPN 2)

12:40 - NSW Cup - St. George Ill. Dragons NSW Cup v South Sydney Rabbitohs NSW Cup (Fox League)

13:45 - AFL - Hawthorn v St. Kilda Saints (Fox Footy)

14:35 - Super Rugby Pacific - Blues v Hurricanes (Stan Sport)

15:00 - NRL - Wests Tigers v Newcastle Knights (Fox League)

15:05 - Shute Shield - (Stan Sport)

16:35 - AFL - Essendon Bombers v GWS Giants (Fox Footy)

17:05 - Super Rugby Pacific - Highlanders v Crusaders (Stan Sport)

17:30 - NRL - St. George Illawarra Dragons v South Sydney Rabbitohs (Fox League)

19:30 - AFL - Richmond Tigers v Western Bulldogs (Fox Footy or 7mate)

19:30 - AFL - Gold Coast Suns v North Melb. Kangaroos (Fox Sports)

19:35 - NRL - Melbourne Storm v Cronulla Sharks (Fox League)

19:35 - Super Rugby Pacific - NSW Waratahs v Brumbies (Stan Sport or Channel 9)

20:00 - AFC Champions League Final - Yokohama F. Marinos v Al Ain (Paramount+)

21:30 - Premier League - Fulham v Manchester City (Optus Sport 1)

21:55 - Super Rugby Pacific - Western Force v Fijian Drua (Stan Sport)

00:00 - Premier League - Newcastle United v Brighton & Hove Albion (Optus Sport 3)

00:00 - Premier League - Tottenham v Burnley (Optus Sport 4)

00:00 - Premier League - Bournemouth v Brentford (Optus Sport 5)

00:00 - Premier League - Wolverhampton Wanderers v Crystal Palace (Optus Sport 7)

00:00 - Premiership Rugby - Northampton Saints v Gloucester Rugby (Stan Sport)

00:00 - Super League - Huddersfield Giants v Wigan Warriors (Fox League)

00:00 - Indian Premier League - Kolkata Knight Riders v Mumbai Indians (Fox Cricket)

SUNDAY

02:30 - Premier League - Nottingham Forest v Chelsea (Optus Sport 1)

02:30 - Super League - Catalans Dragons v Leeds Rhinos (Fox League)

03:00 - PGA TOUR - Wells Fargo Championship, Round 3 (Fox Sports)

06:00 - PGA TOUR - Myrtle Beach Classic, Round 3 (Fox Sports)

10:30 - NBA Conference Semifinals - Cleveland Cavaliers v Boston Celtics (ESPN or Kayo Sports)

12:00 - Lightweight Title - Vasiliy Lomachenko v George Kambosos (Main Event)

12:00 - NHL Conference Semifinals - Colorado Avalanche v Dallas Stars (ESPN 2)

13:00 - AFL - Collingwood Magpies v West Coast Eagles (Fox Footy)

13:30 - The Rugby Championship U20 - South Africa U20 v Argentina U20 (Stan Sport)

14:00 - NRL - Sydney Roosters v Warriors (Fox League)

15:30 - The Rugby Championship U20 - Australia U20 v New Zealand U20 (Stan Sport)

16:00 - AFL - Adelaide Crows v Brisbane Lions (Fox Footy)

16:00 - A-League Men Semi-Final - Melbourne Victory v Wellington Phoenix (10 Bold or Paramount+)

16:05 - NRL - Gold Coast Titans v North Queensland Cowboys (Fox League or Channel 9)

20:00 - Indian Premier League - Chennai Super Kings v Rajasthan Royals (Fox Cricket)

23:30 - Women's FA Cup Final - Manchester United Women v Tottenham Women (Optus Sport 2)