🗞 A Clean Record

G’day Sports Fans,

Today’s headlines;

• 🪓 Jason Demetriou axed

• 😅 Daly Cherry-Evans free to play

• 🏀 LeBron James undecided on NBA future

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🏉 South Sydney ousted Jason Demetriou as head coach following a board meeting on Tuesday night. David Furner was initially anticipated to take over temporarily, but the club has confirmed Ben Hornby will serve as interim coach for the remainder of 2024. The decision was reached after a series of meetings throughout the day.

Demetriou coached Souths to 31 wins from 60 games for a win percentage of 51.67%, including one preliminary final appearance in 2022.

🏉 Sea Eagles captain Daly Cherry-Evans breathed a sigh of relief after successfully pleading for a downgrade at the NRL judiciary, preserving his clean record of never being suspended.

Both Cherry-Evans and teammate Haumolo Olakau'atu faced grade two dangerous throw charges for a tackle on Parramatta's Shaun Lane.

While Olakau'atu accepted a two-match suspension, Cherry-Evans risked a three-match ban by seeking a downgrade. "There is definitely a relief," Cherry-Evans remarked after the decision.

🇦🇺 St Kilda forward Jack Higgins will miss three weeks after failing to reduce his suspension for a dangerous tackle on Port Adelaide's Aliir Aliir.

Higgins pleaded not guilty at the AFL Tribunal, arguing his actions weren't unreasonable and citing exceptional circumstances. Despite this, the tribunal upheld the original three-match ban.

Aliir's concussion from the incident will keep him out of Port Adelaide's next game against Adelaide.

🏉 🔁 The uncertainty around the Melbourne Rebels' future could lead to Wallaby  Carter Gordan making the switch to rugby league.

According to The Sydney Morning Herald, Carter Gordon's management met with the Gold Coast Titans with the flyhalf's contract ending at the end of the season with the Rebels and Rugby Australia.

However, the word is that interest from the Titans reportedly has waned due to a $700,000-a-season asking price from his management (not to mention the fact he's hardly played rugby league).

🏀 Josh Giddey starred for the Oklahoma City Thunder as they completed an NBA playoffs clean-sweep against the New Orleans Pelicans.

The superstar Australian was at his electric best, while teammates Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams also produced quality displays in the 97-89 win.

⚽️ Socceroos striker Jamie Maclaren says it will be "bittersweet" to leave Melbourne City after a wildly successful A-League Men stint.

The competition's record goal-scorer is yet to announce where he will play next season, but Maclaren confirmed on Tuesday his imminent departure from City.

🇦🇺 Geelong confirmed captain Patrick Dangerfield will miss up to six weeks with his hamstring injury.

Dangerfield limped off during the third quarter of the Cats’ win over Carlton on Saturday.

It is the second time the 34-year-old has strained his hamstring this year, after also suffering the same injury in Round 2 against Adelaide.

🏉 Round 9 of the NRL season kicks off with three big games, with the Rabbitohs up against the Panthers, the Sea Eagles hosting the Raiders and the Broncos taking on the Roosters. (TEAMS)

• Eels: Parramatta's horror injury run has continued, with confirmation fullback Clint Gutherson will miss the next month of footy after a knee operation.

• Storm: Confirmed a minor hamstring strain for Xavier Coates - likely return in Round 10.

• Broncos: Ezra Mam (finger) and Selwyn Cobbo (shoulder) return after missing the Round 8.

🏏 Cricket Australia unveiled its new plan to grow the game for women and girls, hoping the approach will increase revenue and participation in the sport. 

The Women and Girls Action Plan was announced on Tuesday.

The Women's Big Bash League will be reduced to a 40-match regular season — in line with the men's BBL — while a new domestic women's T20 competition will be introduced.

The WBBL will have all matches televised, with half of the regular season games broadcast by the free-to-air Seven Network.

The plan sets out the following goals to be reached by 2034:

• 600,000 average annual attendance for all women's cricket in Australia

• Growing total revenue from women's cricket to $121 million (an increase of $100 million)

• Increasing participation by 5–12-year-old girls from 25,000 to 100,000

• $500 million invested in infrastructure for women's and girls' cricket

• At least 40 per cent female representation in key positions across Australian Cricket (including executives, boards and community cricket roles)

• Winning gold medals at the 2028 and 2032 Olympics

⚽️ Liverpool fully expect Mohamed Salah to stay this summer and are planning on the basis of the 31-year-old Egypt striker being part of their squad next season. 

Incoming Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes will lead talks over a new contract for Salah, whose current deal runs until 2025.

🏀 LeBron James said he is undecided on his NBA future following the Los Angeles Lakers' 108-106 loss in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series against the Denver Nuggets.

James said his immediate focus will be on his family and that his sights then will shift to training camp for USA Basketball ahead of the Paris Olympics this summer.

👊🏻 New UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria looks to have turned down a rematch with former champ Alex Volkanovski, which would have taken place at UFC 305 in Perth.

Topuria, who resides and trains in Spain, reportedly declined the opportunity for a rematch, denying Volkanovski the chance to reclaim his title in his home country.

🏀 This is objectively freaking insane from Kyrie Irving, if he did this in 1960s, they would have accused him of witchcraft…⬇️

💰 Premier League clubs have voted in favour of developing plans to introduce a spending cap.

Sixteen clubs approved proposals for the Premier League to complete the final economic and legal analysis needed to create a spending-cap model.

Manchester City, Manchester United and Aston Villa opposed the possible introduction of a spending cap, while Chelsea abstained.

The league's current financial rules, under which Everton and Nottingham Forest were penalised eight and four points respectively this season, have been criticised for favouring clubs with the highest revenues.

A spending cap would limit clubs' outlay on transfers, wages and agents' fees.

🏈 Travis Kelce has signed a new two-year contract with the Kansas City Chiefs that makes him the NFL's highest-paid tight end.

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes celebrated the news by writing: "I told y'all I'll never let him leave!! Congrats my guy!" on X.

🏊🏼‍♀️ Two key bodies which represent US athletes have written to the country’s drug tsar calling for a “truly independent investigation” after it emerged 23 Chinese swimmers were cleared to compete at the Tokyo Games, despite testing positive for a banned substance.

TODAY 
05:00 - UEFA Champions League Semi-Final - Bayern Munich v Real Madrid (Stan Sport)
11:30 - NHL Playoffs First Round - Winnipeg Jets v Colorado Avalanche (ESPN 2)
19:00 - A-League Men - Central Coast Mariners v Adelaide United (Paramount+)
00:00 - Indian Premier League - Chennai Super Kings v Punjab Kings (Fox Cricket)

THURSDAY
05:00 - UEFA Champions League Semi-Final - Borussia Dortmund v Paris Saint-Germain (Stan Sport)
09:30 - NBA Playoffs First Round - Boston Celtics v Miami Heat (ESPN)
11:40 - MLB - Arizona Diamondbacks v Los Angeles Dodgers (ESPN 2)
12:00 - NBA Playoffs First Round - Los Angeles Clippers v Dallas Mavericks (ESPN)
19:30 - AFL - Adelaide Crows v Port Adelaide Power (Fox Footy or 7mate)
19:50 - NRL - South Sydney Rabbitohs v Penrith Panthers (Fox League or Channel 9)