🗞 Don't let this feeling go

June 27, 2021

G'day sports fans,

Classic quote: "Curling is not a sport. I called my grandmother and told her she could win a gold medal because they have dusting in the Olympics now." - Charles Barkley (American basket ball player)

In today's edition of Sport Journal:

📺 Round highlights

🚳 Cardboard sign takes out half of the field

🍓 'Strawberries and Chill' Kyrgios

🇦🇺 AFL

Watch all the best highlights from a thrilling round of football

🗣 West Coast coach Adam Simpson insists the decision to recall five key players all at once wasn't to blame for Sunday's 55-point AFL loss to the Western Bulldogs. (theWest)

😷 The prospect of an AFL hub being formed in Melbourne is gaining momentum as the league grapples with COVID-19 concerns in several cities and the subsequent shutdown of borders. (CanberraTimes)

🏉 NRL

Most dominant ever: Blues seal series win over Maroons in style

New South Wales again outclassed Queensland at home with a 26-0 victory to win the State of Origin series and set up a chance of a rare clean sweep.

Latrell Mitchell and Brad Fittler returned to the scene of their greatest Origin disappointments to achieve near perfect redemptions as the Blues laid the foundations for a NSW dynasty to rival the great Queensland sides that dominated for a decade. (NRL)

 "I can't believe it's over. They are just too good, the scoreline reflected that. It's such a shame," Cherry-Evans told Nine, wiping away tears as he spoke.

Bad to worse: Maroons playmaker Cameron Munster for the third time this season will face scrutiny from the NRL's match review committee. With Tedesco getting to the grubber-ball first, Munster struggled to slow down in time, before his knees came flying in. (nine)

Maroons seal Women's Origin: Maroons forward Chelsea Lenarduzzi is adamant she didn't milk a penalty in the late stages of the side's 8-6 victory over NSW in the 2021 Women's Origin clash.

The call was a tough way to decide a tense and tight clash played with Maroons centre Lauren Brown making no mistake from in front to hand the Maroons the win.

⚽️ Football

🏆 Melbourne City are A-League Champions for the first time in the club's 11-season history, after coming from behind to notch a comprehensive 3-1 Grand Final victory over the ten-men of Sydney FC.

The Premiers were on the back foot after Kosta Barbarouses put the visitors 1-0 up in the 21st minute but it was one-way traffic from that moment on.

Luke Brattan was treading a fine line after collecting an early yellow card for a rash challenge on O'Neill, and in the 35th minute that line was crossed for the second time by the Sydney midfielder. His second yellow & red card was brandished by referee Beath.

It was one-way traffic after that.

"It’s the proudest moment of my career. I’m sure it’s for my family as well. - Joe Marston Medal winner, Nathaniel Atkinson.

🤔 Liverpool have enquired about the availability of Paris St-Germain and France forward Kylian Mbappe, 22, who has also been linked with a move to Real Madrid. Mbappe's contract at PSG is set to expire in 2022. (Marca)

🔁 Inter Milan's Romelu Lukaku has all but ruled out a Premier League return - with the 28-year-old Belgium striker instead tipped to replace Robert Lewandowski at Bayern Munich. (Mirror Online)

🇪🇺 Czech Republic stunned the Netherlands 2-0, to set up quarter-final with Denmark. The match as turned, when the Netherlands were reduced to 10 men.

Belgium lead Portugal 1-0, thanks to this Thorgan Hazard strike.

🐴 Racing

🙏🏼 Jockey Brendan Sweeney remains in an induced coma in hospital after a three-horse fall at Darwin racetrack on Saturday. (racenet)

🐴 If there were question marks over the quality of boom stayer Incentivise, they were put to bed on Saturday after the Toowoomba galloper put in his most dominant performance yet to sign off on his time in Queensland in style. (racenet)

🌍 World Sport

🚴🏼‍♀️ Mathieu van der Poel produced two devastating attacks to win stage two of the Tour de France and claim the yellow jersey.

Defending champion Tadej Pogacar and 2020 runner-up Primoz Roglic, were second and third on the 183.5km route.

🏎 Red Bull's Max Verstappen beat Lewis Hamilton to take a dominant victory in the Styrian Grand Prix and extend his championship lead to 18 points.

It was his second and Red Bull's fourth consecutive win, as he moves into a position of control in the title race.

😷 South Africa director of rugby Rassie Erasmus said there is "no threat" to July's British and Irish Lions Tests after three of his players returned positive Covid-19 results.

The Springboks squad is isolating in Johannesburg, where the Lions play their first game on 3 July.

🏆 Harlequins general manager Billy Millard says Premiership final hero Louis Lynagh can become a star.

The 20-year-old's two late tries sealed Harlequins' first Premiership title since 2012 as they beat defending champions Exeter 40-38 in a thrilling final at Twickenham.

Lynagh, the son of former Australia captain and fly-half Michael, only made his Premiership debut in October.

"He's got a massive future and he's much-loved," Millard told BBC Sport.

🏉 Australia's men's side failed to register a win over their Olympics counterparts New Zealand and Fiji at the Oceania Sevens tournament but there were lessons to be learned. (rugby)

🏟 Rugby Australia has confirmed the first Test between the Wallabies and France will be moved from the SCG to Suncorp Stadium. (7th July)

🍓 Nick Kyrgios is ready to have some fun when he makes his competitive return at Wimbledon, with the Australian planning to "get some strawberries and chill".

The 26-year-old has left his country for the first time since the pandemic started and has not played since the Australian Open in February.

As well as playing singles, he will team up with American veteran Venus Williams in the mixed doubles.

"I'm using this as a vacation," said Kyrgios, now ranked 61st in the world.

"I've been in Australia now for a year and a half. I've reached a really nice level of freedom. Nothing fazes me at all any more."

❌ Four-time Olympic gold medallist Serena Williams has confirmed she will not play in this summer's delayed Tokyo Games.

📺 Live sport 👇🏼

TODAY

⚽️ 07:00 - Copa America Group GameBrazil v Ecuador (Optus Sport 3)

⚽️ 07:00 - Copa America - Venezuela v Peru (Optus Sport 2)

⚽️ 08:00 - MLS - New York City FC v DC United (BeIN Sports 2)

⚾️ 09:08 - MLB - Los Angeles Dodgers v Chicago Cubs (ESPN 2 or Sky Sports 3)

⚽️ 10:00 - MLS - Austin FC v Columbus Crew (BeIN Sports 2)

🏀 10:30 - NBA Conference Finals - Atlanta Hawks v Milwaukee Bucks (ESPN 1)

⚽️ 11:00 - MLS - FC Dallas v New England Revolution (BeIN Sports 1)

🎾 20:00 - Wimbledon, Round 1, Day 1 (GEM, Nine or Stan Sport)

🚴🏼‍♀️ 20:30 - Tour de France, Stage 3, 183km (SBS)

TUESDAY

⚾️ 09:05 - MLB - New York Yankees v Los Angeles Angels (Sky Sports 3)

⚽️ 10:00 - Copa America - Bolivia v Argentina (Optus Sport 3)

⚽️ 10:00 - Copa America - Uruguay v Paraguay (Optus Sport 2)

🏒 10:00 - NHL Stanley Cup Finals - Tampa Bay Lightning v Montreal Canadiens (ESPN 2)

🏀 11:00 - NBA Conference Finals - Phoenix Suns v Los Angeles Clippers (ESPN 1)

⚾️ 12:10 - MLB - Los Angeles Dodgers v San Francisco Giants (Sky Sports 3)

🎾 20:00 - Wimbledon, Round 1, Day 2 (GEM, Nine or Stan Sport)

🏏 20:00 - ODI Series - England v Sri Lanka (Fox Cricket)

🚴🏼‍♀️ 21:30 - Tour de France, Stage 4, 150.5km (SBS)