🗞 He has ‘every chance’.

G'day sports fans,

Classic quote: “He might be the only guy in the competition whose feet appear in his driver licence photo”. - Dennis Cometti on North Melbourne’s pint-sized Brent Harvey.

🏉 NRL Team News: Warriors star Shaun Johnson has only trained once this week, with the Club leaving the final decision of whether he’ll play up to the man himself. The latest is he has ‘every chance’.

The Storm have copped another injury whack ahead of their blockbuster semi-final against the Roosters, with confirmation Jahrome Hughes will not play. (Late Mail)

🏏 Cricket Australia has made it mandatory for batters to wear neck protectors on their helmets when facing fast or medium-pace bowling.

Smith complained it made him feel “claustrophobic”, and David Warner is not a fan but they’ll now have to from 1 October.

🇦🇺 AFL Finals continues, with two cut-throat semis kicking off with a massive clash between Melbourne and Carlton at the MCG.

• Melbourne faces forward challenges with van Rooyen suspended and Brayshaw's concussion uncertainty. Hibberd omitted. Inclusions: Tomlinson, Spargo, and Jordan. Carlton misses Martin and McKay due to suspension and concussion. Kennedy returns for his first match since Round 17, while Silvagni remains sidelined despite knee recovery.

• The Giants regain Stephen Coniglio for their clash with the Power in Adelaide. Xavier O'Halloran and Nick Haynes are out. Power welcomes back Charlie Dixon after injury but omits Jeremy Finlayson. Dylan Williams is sidelined due to a hamstring injury, while Trent McKenzie is fit and set to play at centre-half back.

🏀 The NBL is quickly establishing itself as the second-best basketball league in the world, and with that reputation has come an influx of players either coming from the NBA or looking to make their way back to the planet's premier basketball competition.

Whether it was Jarrell Brantley returning to the Utah Jazz, Matthew Dellavedova heading to the Sacramento Kings, the drafting of Next Stars like Ousmane Dieng and Rayan Rupert, or rostered players like Luke Travers, the NBLxNBA talent pathway has turned into a genuine two-way street. (NBL)

❤️ Tributes have flowed for the inaugural Queensland State of Origin coach John McDonald after he died at the age of 79 on Wednesday.

As well as leaving an enormous legacy on the game as a player, coach and administrator McDonald was also a professional runner and nearly the world record for the 440 yards as well as winning the Gilgandra Gift and the 880 yards at the Bendigo Gift in 1966.

💰 The Dolphins face the prospect of a $50,000 fine after an NRL investigation found the club to have contravened the league playing contract and remuneration (PCR) rules.

The NRL alleges that the breach occurred in the club's bid to sign Brisbane Broncos young gun Deine Mariner.

🏉 A Dubbo man has become a local hero pulling off an impressive tackle while taking down a knife wielding man in a shopping centre. Perfect technique, send him to France to join up with the Wallabies.

🇦🇺 Richmond fans can breathe easy after Damien Hardwick ruled out convincing Dustin Martin to play at Gold Coast next year.

Martin will see out the final year of his contract with the Tigers to extend his legendary career at Punt Rd into a 15th season.

🏉 Wallabies players will pocket $175,000 bonuses each if they can overcome the odds and win the World Cup, according to a report in the Sydney Morning Herald.

🏏 Aussie ODI World Rankings: Among the major gainers were David Warner, who has risen from fifth to fourth, Travis Head (jump of six places to 20th) and Marnus Labuschagne (up 24 places to 45th). while Adam Zampa has entered the top five for the first time after picking up four wickets in the second match against South Africa.

🐴 Racing Victoria stewards are looking into inflammatory comments Rod Douglas made about Craig Williams' ride on Giga Kick.

Douglas, racing manager for billionaire owner Jonathan Munz, said he would have "strangled" Williams for giving sprint superstar Giga Kick "a gut-buster" in the McEwen Stakes last Saturday at The Valley.

A further comment that "it wasn't all about winning that race" is likely to also come under scrutiny. (racenet)

⚽️ DEAL DONE: Man City have announced Kyle Walker’s new contract with one of the best video announcements of all time. (Twitter)

💰 TKO Group Holdings, the new company combining WWE and UFC, made its debut on the New York Stock Exchange. Next up for the brand: bringing content to streaming services and acquiring more sports companies.

⚽️ After 26 years and 137 caps Ildefons Lima played his last game for Andorra on Tuesday - ending the longest career in men's international football.

The 43-year-old made his Andorra debut aged 17 in 1997, scoring in the nation's second ever official fixture.

🏉 Scotland's Dave Cherry is out of World Cup with a concussion suffered after falling down hotel stairs.

• Former Australia fly-half Christian Leali'ifano will start for Samoa.

• South Africa hooker Malcolm Marx will miss the rest of the World Cup because of a knee injury suffered in training.

☕️ Coffee Break stat: According to UEFA there were 735 top-flight Manager dismissals across Europe in 2022-23, the second-highest on record. The average tenure was less than 16 months. ⚽️

🏉 Sam Whitelock will join Richie McCaw as New Zealand's most-capped player when he lines up against Namibia at the Rugby World Cup in Toulouse on Friday. The second row, 34, will move level with former All Blacks captain McCaw with his 148th appearance.

🏎️ Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu will stay with the Alfa Romeo Sauber team for the third consecutive year in 2024.

05:00 - Rugby World Cup - France v Uruguay (Stan Sport)

08:00 - PGA TOUR - Fortinet Championship, Round 1 (Fox Sports)

09:00 - CPLT20 - Guyana Amazon Warriors v St. Lucia Kings (Fox Cricket)

09:15 - MLB - Boston Red Sox v New York Yankees (ESPN 2)

10:15 - NFL - Philadelphia Eagles v Minnesota Vikings (ESPN)

17:05 - NPC - Hawke's Bay v Manawatu (Stan Sport)

19:30 - ODI Asia Cup Super Four - India v Bangladesh (Fox Cricket)

19:50 - NRL Semi-Final - Melbourne Storm v Sydney Roosters (Fox League or Channel 9)

19:50 - AFL Semi-Final - Melbourne Demons v Carlton Blues (Fox Footy or 7mate)

20:30 - ODI Asia Cup Super Four - India v Bangladesh (Fox Sports More)

20:55 - Cycling - Vuelta a Espana (Vice)

21:00 - ODI Series - South Africa v Australia (Fox Cricket)

21:30 - ODI Series - England v New Zealand (Fox Sports)

22:00 - Davis Cup - Australia v France (Channel 9)

05:00 - Rugby World Cup Pool Game - New Zealand v Namibia (Stan Sport)

05:00 - Super League - Warrington Wolves v St Helens (Fox League)

05:00 - Spanish La Liga - Rayo Vallecano v Deportivo Alaves (Optus Sport 2)

08:00 - PGA TOUR - Fortinet Championship, Round 2 (Fox Sports)

09:00 - Major League Baseball - MLB Strike Zone (ESPN)

09:07 - MLB - Toronto Blue Jays v Boston Red Sox (ESPN 2)

12:05 - NPC - Auckland Rugby v Waikato (Stan Sport)

14:35 - NPC - North Harbour v Northland (Stan Sport)

15:40- Group 1 Racing - Makybe Diva Stakes (Racing.com, Sky 1, Channel 7)

16:05 - NRL Semi-Final - Warriors v Newcastle Knights (Fox League or Channel 9)

17:00 - NBL Blitz - South East Melbourne Phoenix v Tasmania JackJumpers (Kayo Sports)

17:05 - NPC - Otago v Taranaki (Stan Sport)

19:30 - NBL Blitz - Brisbane Bullets v Melbourne United (Kayo Sports)

19:40 - AFL Semi-Final - Port Adelaide Power v GWS Giants (Fox Footy or Channel 7)

20:00 - Royal London Cup Final - Leicestershire v Hampshire (Fox Cricket)

20:55 - Cycling - Vuelta a Espana (Vice)

21:30 - Premier League - Wolverhampton Wanderers v Liverpool (Optus Sport 1)

22:00 - Davis Cup - Australia v Switzerland (Gem)

23:00 - Rugby World Cup - Samoa v Chile (Optus Sport 3)

00:00 - Premier League - Tottenham v Sheffield United (Optus Sport 6)

00:00 - Premier League - Fulham v Luton Town (Optus Sport 4)

00:00 - Premier League - West Ham United v Manchester City (Optus Sport 5)

00:00 - Premier League - Aston Villa v Crystal Palace (Optus Sport 2)

00:00 - Premier League - Manchester United v Brighton & Hove Albion (Stan Sport)

01:45 - Rugby World Cup - Wales v Portugal (Fox League)

02:00 - Super League - Catalans Dragons v Leeds Rhinos (Optus Sport 1)

02:30 - Premier League - Newcastle United v Brentford (Fox League)

04:30 - Super League - Hull Kingston Rovers v Salford Red Devils (Stan Sport)

05:00 - Rugby World Cup - Ireland v Tonga (Optus Sport 2)

05:00 - Spanish La Liga - Barcelona v Real Betis (Fox Sports)

08:00 - PGA TOUR - Fortinet Championship, Round 3 (Fox Cricket)

09:00 - CPLT20 - Guyana Amazon Warriors v Trinbago Knight Riders (ESPN 2)

10:10 - MLB - Colorado Rockies v San Francisco Giants (Stan Sport)

12:05 - NPC - Canterbury Rugby v Southland (Stan Sport)

12:05 - NPC - Bay of Plenty v Wellington Lions (Kayo Sports)

13:00 - NBL Blitz - Adelaide 36ers v New Zealand Breakers (Fox Sports)

14:15 - Sandown SuperSprint Race 1, Round 9 (Stan Sport)

14:35 - NPC - Tasman Mako v Counties Manukau (Kayo Sports)

15:30 - NBL Blitz - Cairns Taipans v Perth Wildcats (Fox Cricket)

18:00 - ODI Series - South Africa v Australia (Fox Sports)

19:30 - ODI Asia Cup - ODI Asia Cup Final (Fox Sports)

22:00 - Formula 1 Singapore Race, Round 16 (Optus Sport 2)

22:00 - Spanish La Liga - Getafe v Osasuna (Stan Sport)

23:00 - Rugby World Cup - South Africa v Romania (Optus Sport 1)