🗞 I can see Cleary now

AUSSIE SPORTS
World Number One

🎾 Davis Cup: First up in the Davis cup finals for Australia was France. Thanasi Kokkinakis opened Australia’s account with a routine two set win (7-6, 7-6) against Arthur Fils. Alexei Popyrin looked a bit off his recent form winning just five games, going down 6-3, 6-2 to Ugo Humbert. 

Order was restored though when Matthew Ebden & Max Purcell won their opening match 7-5, 5-7, 6-3.

Team: Lleyton Hewitt (non-playing captain), Alexei Popyrin, Jordan Thompson, Max Purcell, Thanasi Kokkinakis, Matt Ebden.

After battling a hip injury on his way to making the quarter-finals at the US Open, Alex de Minaur reluctantly pulled out of the group stage matches.

“… he’s been battling since Wimbledon and he’s hasn’t really been close to 100 per cent. He was desperate to play, but in the end it really wasn’t much of a choice.” - Hewitt.

* Australia now play Czech Republic on Thursday (midnight AEST) & Spain on Sunday (7pm AEST).

⚽️ Graham Arnold insists the Socceroos’ hopes of qualifying directly for the 2026 World Cup aren’t dead yet but was once again left to lament a plethora of spurned chances in a costly 0-0 draw with Indonesia.

Needing a top-two spot to qualify directly, the winless Socceroos (0-1-1, one point) sit fifth in group C. Saudi Arabia (four points) beat China (zero) 2-1 on Tuesday night despite being reduced to 10 men at 1-0 down while Japan and Bahrain (both three points) play overnight.

☝🏼 World #1: Despite failing to win her way through the first round at the Paris Game (which were not taken into account for the rankings).

Aussie Rachael 'Raygun' Gunn sits atop the new world rankings released by the World DanceSport Federation. 

Five events counted towards the rankings, including her performance at the WDSF Oceania Championship that scored her 1000 points.

In a comical twist, none of the three medallists in Paris were listed among the top 10.

NRL NEWS
I can see Cleary now

❌ icymi: Canterbury winger Josh Addo-Carr has stood himself down on the eve of the NRL finals after allegedly returning a positive roadside test for cocaine.

The Bulldogs' general manager of football Phil Gould announced the star player's decision at a snap press conference on Tuesday morning after meeting with club bosses.

📄 TEAMS: Well here we are, the 2024 NRL season finals! Congratulations to the eight clubs and all their fans for making it to the pointy end of the season.

Panthers: Superstar playmaker Nathan Cleary returns after three games out.

Roosters: Wingers Dom Young (calf) and Daniel Tupou (rested) are back on deck.

Storm: Ryan Papenhuyzen is back in the No.1 jersey.

Sharks: Prop Oregon Kaufusi returns after being rested.

Cowboys: Veteran prop Jordan McLean returns.

Knights: The Knights take an unchanged 17 to Townsville.

Bulldogs: Centre Bronson Xerri (suspension), five-eighth Matt Burton (concussion) and winger Jeral Skelton (leg) are all back on deck.

Sea Eagles: Fullback Tom Trbojevic returns from a shoulder injury.

AFL NEWS
Injuries Galore

🚌 The AFL Grand Final Parade has been changed again - taking what the league calls a “more fan-friendly” route to allow supporters to see their favourites the day before the big game.

On the Grand Final public holiday in Melbourne, Friday September 27, hundreds of thousands of people are expected to pack the Melbourne Park and Birrarung Marr precincts to see the players and coaches from the competing sides.

🤕 Medical Room: Who's struggling, who's a test, check out the players from clubs playing finals who are a little sore.

Brisbane: Jack Payne did a light session on Tuesday, but will need to do more in the following days.

Geelong: It's bad news for Mark O'Connor, whose finals campaign is done after undergoing surgery on a ligament injury in his wrist.

GWS Giants: The Giants have made Toby Bedford (calf) available for Saturday.

Hawthorn: Sam Frost will miss the rest of the season after suffering a stress fracture in his foot.

Port Adelaide: Zak Butters has been cleared to face Hawthorn in Friday night's semi-final after training strongly on Tuesday.

Sydney: Sydney's injury list is as short as you could want it to be in September, only missing Will Edwards, Jack Buller, & Jacob Konstanty

 🔁 Three-time All-Australian Jack Macrae has joined star midfielder Bailey Smith in requesting a trade away from the Western Bulldogs. He has not nominated a club of choice.

💰 Greater Western Sydney have been handed a $20,00 fine for the on-field incident between football boss Jason McCartney and Sydney player Tom Papley.

McCartney made contact with Papley at quarter-time when an all-in melee ensued between the teams in the Giants' qualifying final.

WORLD NEWS
Greatest Sporting Event

🗣️ EPL Whispers: Manchester United are monitoring 26-year-old Crystal Palace winger Eberechi Eze and might make a move for the England forward next summer.

Liverpool might also move for Eze if Egypt forward Mohamed Salah, 32, does not sign a new deal with the club.

👊🏼 One of world sport’s most ambitious undertakings will take place in Las Vegas this weekend when UFC 306 – dubbed “Riyadh Season Noche UFC” – is held inside a famed Sphere building boasting 160,000 square feet of wraparound LED screen.

UFC megastar Sean O’Malley could appear to be fighting outside, and in various “worlds”, when he headlines Sunday’s hyped $20 million Sphere event.

Fans attending live tipped to feel the shots through ‘haptic’ seats, where force feedback is provided based on action happening both in the production and inside the Octagon.

The Main Event broadcast will also be immersed into what UFC boss Dana White is hailing “the greatest sporting event of all time”.

To ensure that happens, the UFC have employed a team boasting not only Hollywood directors and producers, but experts involved in everything from Taylor Swift tours and Super Bowl halftime shows to famed movie franchises like Toy Story and Frozen. 

Officially, the event will be headlined by O’Malley defending his bantamweight title against Merab Dvalishvili, while in the co-main, UFC flyweight queen Alexa Grasso defends against Valentina Shevchenko.

🚨 Police in Miami have released bodycam footage of a traffic stop involving American football star Tyreek Hill, who was pulled from his vehicle and handcuffed by officers.

Hill was pulled over on his way to Hard Rock Stadium in the south Florida city just hours before the opening match of the season.

Miami-Dade police say one of the officers involved in the stop has been placed on administrative duties pending an investigation.

Two of Mr Hill’s Miami Dolphins teammates, Calais Campbell and Jonnu Smith, were also involved in the incident. All three players made it to the game.

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