G'day sports fans,

Classic quote: "Could we end some careers? I hope so." - Nathan Lyon baited England ahead of the Ashes.

In today's edition of Sport Journal;

🏉 NRL restart cops a boost with Warriors given an exemption to travel ban

⚽️ Has Football in Australia progressed?

🏉 A Rugby 'Nations Championship' is back on the table

🏉 NRL

NRL restart cops massive boost as Warriors given green light from NZ government

The NRL's plan for a May 28 restart has received a huge boost from New Zealand with the nation's government granting the Warriors an exemption to travel to Australia.

According to the Sun-Herald. the team has been granted special permission to allow the them to head back to Australia.

The Kiwis now need the Australian government to give them an exemption from strict hotel quarantine rules upon entering the country.

The NZ team has targeted a recreational facility called Lake Ainsworth at Lennox Head on NSW's far north coast with the venue to be proposed to the Australian government as a potential base.

If the Queensland premier doesn't ease the restrictions, the Warriors may have to relocate to Sydney. (nine)

'The cue is on the rack': Gorden Tallis casts doubt on Sonny Bill Williams' potential impact on NRL

Rugby league legend Gorden Tallis has warned clubs against throwing large sums of money at Sonny Bill Williams, suggesting he can no longer survive the physicality of the NRL.

Williams is one of a number of players who have been linked with a potential code switch to the NRL along with former Wallabies star Quade Cooper.

"I love Sonny Bill Williams," he said.

"I think he's one of the greatest forwards I've ever watched on a footy field and he's done amazing in his career, but I've watched him play a couple of times and I think the cue is on the rack.

"How hard he's played and what he's put his body through, I think it's time for him."

While he thought Williams was no longer worth the investment, Tallis admitted that Cooper could still offer something for NRL clubs.

"I think he's a great attacker and when Queensland rugby union was at its best five years ago, Quade was a big part of that," he said.

"I don't know if he's played enough footy, if your side is struggling and you need a bit of X-factor, Quade could offer something."

🇦🇺 AFL

Victoria a quarantine hub option: AFL boss

AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan says Victoria remains a viable option to host a quarantine hub as the league edges closer to restarting the 2020 season.

McLachlan revealed on Saturday that he has a tentative return date in his mind and that players should be optimistic about the situation, with the league to announce a return-to-play plan by the end of the month.

The hub concept, which would see teams split into three groups and isolated in different states to limit their exposure to COVID-19, is increasingly likely to come into play.

Western Australia, South Australia and Queensland had been viewed as key states to that strategy, but a drop off in new cases in Victoria has improved chances the state could host a hub.

"Victoria has extraordinary proximate facilities, so there are obviously opportunities, like there are in every state to various levels," McLachlan told Fox Footy. (nine)

Fixture Throwback: Watch the highlights from old classics

In the absence of live action, the AFL (via AFL.tv and the app) will be airing classic matches from years gone by featuring the teams that were initially set to do battle in round five of the 2020 Toyota AFL Premiership Season.

The historic encounters start on Friday and continue until Monday. 

Starting with: Game eight: Round six, 2009: Hawthorn 16.10 (106) defeated Carlton 15.12 (102)

A genuine shoot-out that ended in the Hawks' favour after a late miss by Carlton star Brendan Fevola. Fevola missed a simple set shot at goal from 15 metres out in the final two minutes as the Blues fell to the reigning premiers Hawthorn by two points.

It would have been a match-winning ninth goal for Fevola, with the Blues running rampant late in the game having been 25 points down at the 18-minute mark of the final term. Jarryd Roughead was the hero for the Hawks with eight goals. (AFL)

🐴 Racing

McEvoy happy despite Sunlight defeat at Morphettville

Despite Sunlight being soundly beaten by Gytrash in the R N Irwin Stakes in Adelaide, trainer Tony McEvoy believes the mare did enough to suggest she is on track for upcoming Group I targets.

Sunlight finished three lengths second to emerging sprint star Gytrash in Saturday's Group III 1100m-race at Morphettville.

It was her first start since November after which she had surgery to remove a bone chip from the outside of a splint bone in a hind leg.

"I thought it was probably equal to her best first-up run," McEvoy, who trains in partnership with his son Calvin, said.

"Her run in the Lightning and yesterday were both very good.

"We were beaten which was not the plan but I think we were beaten by a very good horse who has really found his mojo. (racenet)

🏌🏻‍♂️ Long-Drive Championship

I went down a rabbit hole with this and lost about an hour and a half watching guys hit a golf ball a long way!

There's nothing more to it than that but I couldn't turn away. Ball speed of over 200mph, backspin of around 1,500 RPM 💪🏼

Here's the 2019 Champion Kyle Berkshire, hitting a balls 4 football fields or 419yds.

⚽️ Football

Australian football legends fear the game has “gone nowhere”

Australian football legends fear the game has “gone nowhere” in the country for a decade and want drastic change at junior and professional level to turn it all around.

Socceroos greats Mark Schwarzer, Mark Viduka, John Aloisi, Craig Moore, Josip Skoko, and Vince Grella discussed the health of soccer Down Under in a Facebook live chat for Optus Sport.

Key points:

• Schwarzer says there’s a disconnect between the FFA, professional clubs, lower division clubs and junior systems.

• All football should be played at the same time to allow a flow from the NPL

• Align Australian football with Asia. (Fox)

Danish Club FC Midtjylland Planning 'Drive In Football' As Solution To Behind Closed Doors Fixtures

The Danish Super League have alternative plans to ensure their supporters as involved as possible for home games.

They are hoping to set up two big screens for 10,000 fans to watch games from 2,000 cars that will be allowed to park around the MCH Arena.

If a test involving 2,000 cars works, they will look at allowing even more supporters to turn out. The club have confirmed they been in regular dialogue with the police and the health authorities over their plans.

To add to the 'Drive-in football' experience, the Danish outfit are also planning have the audio from the TV commentary transmitted to the radio waves in the vehicles via a specified frequency.

Football News:

Manchester City have agreed a deal to sign 16-year-old Peruvian defender Kluiverth Aguilar from Alianza Lima.

Aguilar will remain with his current club until he turns 18 in May 2021.

Borussia Dortmund will give England winger Jadon Sancho, 20, a 4m euro (£3.5m) pay rise if he turns down a move to the Premier League. (Bild, via Mirror)

Paris St-Germain prepare '£640k-a-week contract' to convince Brazil forward Neymar to snub Barcelona return. (Daily Star)

Stoke City are interesting in signing Australian striker Lyndon Dykes from Scottish club Livingston.

🏉 Rugby

Beaumont confident of revised Nations Championship and says coronavirus is a 'reality check'

World Rugby boss Sir Bill Beaumont says he is confident a revised Nations Championship will be launched in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic. 

"You are pretty foolish if you don't learn lessons," said Beaumont.

Speaking to BBC 5 Live's Guest List show, he said: "In the past where people have been quite protective about what they have got, I think what we are looking at now is that this is probably a reality check in the sport [in terms of] are we doing things correctly? 

"There is a real feeling I get now that there will be some variant of the Nations Championship that will come back on the table."

This could bring much needed cash flow to both Tier 1 and 2 nations.

A Nations Championship would see the results from regular competitions like the Six Nations and the Rugby Championship count towards a league, as would 'home and away' cross-hemisphere matches. (BBC)

Ep 5: The Season: The biggest day in this Australian rugby school's history

🏈 NFL

2020 NFL Draft: Beginner's guide to life-changing week for college prospects

The lives of 32 US college prospects will be transformed forever on Friday as the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft gets underway. 

Draft week will forever remain a special part of the sporting calendar. Hundreds of unique backgrounds and stories embarking on an overnight transition from university graduate to professional NFL player.

Sky Sports guide (here)

We'll have more detail in the run up to it in Wednesday's newsletter.

⚾️ Wiffle Ball

The game of Wiffle ball is a variation of baseball. The Wiffle ball is designed for indoor or outdoor play in confined areas, where there isn't access to a full-field.

The game is played using a perforated, plastic ball and a long, typically yellow, plastic bat...and these guys LOVE IT!!

🎯 Darts

PDC Home Tour: Luke Woodhouse throws nine-dart finish in his kitchen

Darts fans were treated to a little slice of history at the weekend - the second day of a new event in which players compete in their own homes.

With the usual tournaments suspended amid a lockdown because of the coronavirus pandemic, the Professional Darts Corporation has launched a 'Home Tour'.

And Englishman Luke Woodhouse threw the competition's first perfect nine-dart finish as he averaged 114 in a 5-0 victory over Wales' world number three Gerwyn Price.

Woodhouse later took on Austrian Rowby-John Rodriguez, who said he 'heard' Woodhouse's achievement while he was on the toilet.

Amid lockdown restrictions, the Austrian said he needed permission from his neighbours in Vienna to play past 8pm.

Woodhouse hit 177 twice before a 147 checkout sealed the nine-darter, prompting Price to shout 'well done, son'.

Former World Champion, Gary Anderson has withdrawn form the event due to the poor quality of wifi in his house 🤣

We'll be back on Wednesday!