🗞 Everyday Hero

G'day sports fans,

"In rugby league, there's no better feeling than running out onto the field, getting hit by a 120-kilo prop, and thinking, 'This is the best sport in the world!'" - Nathan Hindmarsh (Parra Eels 1998-2012)

🇦🇺 Aussie Sport

🇦🇺 VERDICT IS IN: Essendon captain Zach Merrett will miss the Anzac Day blockbuster in a hammer blow to the Bombers' hopes of upsetting Collingwood after failing to have his one-match suspension overturned at the Tribunal.

Merrett opted to challenge his rough conduct ban for a dangerous tackle on Melbourne's Tom Sparrow on Saturday.

Collingwood midfielder Taylor Adams will also be absent after having his one-match ban upheld.

Adams was offered a week for a sling tackle on St Kilda's Seb Ross in the third quarter of Sunday's Gather Round finale.

St Kilda youngster Anthony Caminiti has been handed a three-game ban by the Tribunal after successfully proving his off-the-ball hit that concussed Collingwood's Nathan Murphy was careless, not intentional. The AFL had pushed for a five-game ban.

"At the time I was completely unaware I hit him anywhere near the head or chin, I thought it was in the chest," Caminiti said.

💪🏼 Everyday hero: A Brisbane accountant’s name will go down in history after beating the world record for the most push-ups in one hour which was officially recognized by Guinness World Records.

Lucas Helmke, 33, managed an insane 3,206 push-ups (53 a minute).

The previous record of 3,182 was set by another Aussie, Adelaide mechanic Daniel Scali, in April 2022.

🏉 Round 8 of the NRL season begins with a blockbuster Thursday night matchup as the South Sydney Rabbitohs host the Penrith Panthers. This marks the second meeting already between the two powerhouses, with the Panthers clinching a 16-10 victory back in Round 2 to make it 10 wins from their past 11 against the Bunnies.

Reigning premiers have won each of their last 19 matches played in April.

Stephen Crichton has scored a try in seven of Penrith's last eight matches against South Sydney.

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🇦🇺 Speaking on KIIS 101.1’s Jase and Lauren, Collingwood’s Mason Cox revealed he will miss the traditional Anzac Day clash against Essendon and he’d been essentially on bed rest.

“I was pretty sick but it’s literally a lacerated spleen, I had two-three litres of blood internal bleeding into the system, which is not ideal,” he said.

“Essentially the next day I woke up and went to the doctor and I was in hospital 30 minutes later. I had a little operation like a crazy operation that goes into your spleen and plugs things up and the last two to three weeks, just doing nothing.

It was information he probably wishes he had in advance after he trained the week after the injury.

“That was the dumbest thing you could do. After I had the operation, I was okay for a bit but for the first four-day period, it was kind of misdiagnosed.”

⛳️ Although LIV is controversially backed by Saudi money and seen as gimmicky with its 54-hole no-cut format, Australian golf fans have jumped at the chance to see major winners in action, as day-passes sold out.

Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson and Brooks Koepka will all tee off in Adelaide, along with home hero and British Open champion Cameron Smith.

They will do battle from Friday to Sunday at The Grange Golf Club, Adelaide for the richest tournament ever on Australian shores - US$20 million in prize money across individual and team formats.

LIV Golf is reportedly considering a second event in Australia in 2024 to capitalise on demand, with talk of a third in the future.

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🏊🏼‍♂️ Kai Taylor, the son of 1991 world champion and triple Olympian Hayley Lewis, held off a fast-finishing field to win the 200m freestyle at the national championships on the Gold Coast on Tuesday night - the event in which Lewis won her only individual world championship.

“I’m sure she would be bawling her eyes out up in a stand somewhere,” Taylor said of Lewis’s reaction if he lines up in the event at the world championships in Fukuoka later this year.

🥊 Australian boxer Brock Jarvis has split with with long-time trainer Jeff Fenech as he plans a shock move up to Las Vegas in a bid to move up in weight.

The 25-year-old Sydney-sider parted ways amicably with Fenech although they reportedly fell out over his fighting weight, with the 21-1(19KO's) fighter looking to move up.

🏉 Official team lists, updates and injury news for Round 8 of the 2023 Telstra Premiership season. (NRL)

• Rabbitohs: No Keaon Koloamatangi

• Broncos: Winger Corey Oates (jaw) is back

• Sharks: unchanged

• Knights: Kalyn Ponga is back for his first game since Round 2

• Roosters: Joseph Manu has been moved to five-eighth

🇦🇺 Sydney coach John Longmire insists the club's growing injury list won't pressure him to rush the likes of Lance Franklin back for Saturday night's Grand Final rematch with Geelong.

🏉 Brad Thorn's reign as Queensland Reds coach will end when his contract expires after the 2023 Super Rugby Pacific season.

The dual code legend has coached the Reds since 2018 and after axing several big-name players had some success in rebuilding with young, local talent.

Winning the 2021 Super Rugby AU title was a highlight but progress has since stalled and the 3-5 Reds currently sit sixth of 12 teams.

🇦🇺 More than 1000 people flocked to Victoria Park on Tuesday night for a traditional healing ceremony marking the 30-year anniversary of Nicky Winmar's proud stand against racism, including some of the game's greatest Indigenous players.

🌎 World Sport

🏏 England captain Ben Stokes has been named Wisden's leading cricketer in the world for the third time in four years.

Stokes, 31, has transformed the fortunes of the Test team and played a starring role in the T20 World Cup final win against Pakistan in November.

⚽️ Declan Rice is among several English options, including Leicester City midfielder James Maddison, 26, and Brentford forward Ivan Toney, 27, being considered by the Magpies as they target the arrival of four 'elite' players this summer.

🏃🏽‍♀️ Athletics Ireland issued an apology after the National 10km championship was measured to be only 8.5km.

The governing body said "unforeseen circumstances" were to blame.

🏈 Quarterback Jalen Hurts has agreed a new deal with the Philadelphia Eagles that makes him the highest-paid player in NFL history, according to a report.

The 24-year-old, who led the Eagles to Super Bowl 57 in February, has agreed a five-year extension to the end of 2028.

The deal is said to be worth $255m meaning his annual salary will be the highest in NFL history.

💰 Chelsea made the most expensive substitution in football history during their defeat to Brighton, taking off Raheem Sterling, Enzo Fernandez, Christian Pulisic and Wesley Fofana (total cost AU$519million), and bringing on Reece James, Joao Felix, Mateo Kovacic and Hakim Ziyech (AU$138.5m).

🏎 The FIA has dismissed Ferrari’s bid to overturn Carlos Sainz’s time penalty from the Australian Grand Prix for a collision with Fernando Alonso.

🚲🎈BMX rider and Red Bull athlete Kriss Kyle floats over 2,000 feet above ground, showcasing an array of tricks suspended in mid-air for his latest pioneering BMX film.

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19:50 - NRL - South Sydney Rabbitohs v Penrith Panthers (Fox League or Channel 9)

20:00 - Indian Premier League - Punjab Kings v Royal Challengers Bangalore (Fox Cricket)