🗞 Final Countdown

September 27, 2020

G'day sports fans,

World Record: Red Bull athlete Dougie Lampkin, once pulled off a 37-mile wheelie around the Isle of Man (UK) 🤷🏽

In today's edition of Sport Journal:

🇦🇺 All the top trade targets

🏉 Week one finals week

⚽️ Aussies abroad

..and much more!

⚽️ AFL

Damian Barrett has ranked from 30-1 the most memorable finals moments of the modern era. Check 'em out

There are fewer than five weeks – 33 days, to be exact – until the post-season player movement period officially opens.

Unofficially, players, agents and clubs have been manoeuvring through conversations and offers for months.

But just how much is on the table for this year's trade targets – both contracted and uncontracted?

🏉 NRL

NRL Finals 2020: Week one dates, times, teams

The playoffs get under way at Penrith on Friday night with the Panthers hosting the Roosters with the winner advancing to week three and the losing side going into a sudden-death game in week two.

Canberra host Cronulla on Saturday in an elimination final before Melbourne take on Parramatta in the other qualifying final at the Storm's playoff venue, Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium.

The first week of the finals finishes on Sunday with Souths up against Newcastle in the other sudden-death playoff. (NRL)

Walters set to be offered Broncos coaching role

Kevin Walters looks set to be installed as the next Broncos coach with the club expected to offer him a contract this week.

NewsCorp, the club's majority owner, published two articles on Sunday night which pointed to Walters getting the nod over former Cowboys premiership winner Paul Green in the two-horse race to replace Anthony Seibold, who parted ways with the team late in the season.

Get caught up with all the talking points from round 20 of the 2020 NRL Telstra Premiership in one place.

Winners from the match preview stats in Sport Journal on Friday:

✅ Each of the Panther's last 4 matches have gone UNDER total points (1.80)

✅ The home team has won each of the last 6 between Gold Coast and Newcastle (2.40)

❌ Roosters have covered the line in each of their last 5 matches (Roosters -10.5) 👀

✅ Canberra have won 13 of their last 16 away matches (2.45)

✅ Blake Ferguson has scored in his last 3 away matches against West Tigers (1.80)

✅ The underdog has won the games between the Warriors and the Sea Eagles on the last 3 occasions (2.0)

❌ Melbourne have won their last 12 day matches (2.05)

⚽️ Football

🇦🇺 Aussies Abroad

Australian striker Nikita Rukavytsya’s form - 7 goals and 3 assists in 5 games for Maccabi Haifa this season - has likely attracted interest from clubs abroad and the eye of Socceroos coach Graham Arnold

Harry Souttar wins Man of the Match for Stoke v Preston: 3 wins from 3.

Frankfurt have paid a €1m fee for Socceroos winger Ajdin Hrustic, who will sign a multi-year contract with the Bundesliga club.

Mitch Duke scored an 86th-minute winner - his first goal for new club @AltaawounFC - to seal their place in the Round of 16 of @TheAFCCL

Adam Taggart scored a hat-trick for Suwon Bluewings today in a huge boost for their survival hopes!

Closer to home

  • Sydney close to agreeing deals with squad [SMH]

  • Adama Traore signed 1-year extension with Victory

  • Kosta Petratos signed 2-year extension with Jets

  • Makis Petratos signed 2-year extension with Jets

  • Abdul Helou set to takeover Central Coast [SMH]

  • Tony Sage in talks with 3 investors, wants to keep min. 50% of Perth

  • WSW re-signed all but 1 contracted player on new pay deals [SMH]

  • Roy Krishna rejected offers from Wellington and Western Utd

Thanks to Twitter's A-League Hub

Premier League

Man City 2-5 Leicester City: A Hat Trick of Penalties

Hat-tricks scored v Pep Guardiola's Man City:

  • Oct 2016 - Lionel Messi

  • Dec 2016 - Jamie Vardy

  • Sept 2020 - Jamie Vardy (2 pens)

🇪🇸 Luis Suarez scored twice and set up another on his Atletico Madrid debut against Granada despite only coming on in the 70th minute, in a 6-1 win.

🐴 Racing

Rothfire out of The Everest, fractured sesamoid bone

Queensland star Rothfire is out of The Everest and could need a year or more off racing after fracturing his sesamoid bone in Saturday's Group I Golden Rose.

Trainer Rob Heathcote told Racenet it was possible his Group I JJ Atkins winner would never return to his brilliant best.

There is even a chance he will never race again - and if he does he may never been the same horse.

Rothfire will go under the surgeon's knife on Monday and it is devastating news however you look at it.

"He put hoof down awkwardly in the Golden Rose, I would say he would need a year or so off," Heathcote said.

"Whether he will need surgery is unknown at the moment.

"No doubt at the 200(m) of the Golden Rose when he deviated suddenly, he suffered the injury.

"The vets post race thought it was high in the shoulder." (Racenet)

🎾 French Open

A thrilling day one continues at Roland-Garros as Wawrinka and Garcia kick things off with big wins.

⛹🏻‍♀️ Netball

Vixens top Lightning ahead of finals

After spending 13 consecutive weeks on top of the ladder, the Melbourne Vixens have secured a win in the final match of the regular season.

The high-flying Melbourne Vixens have rounded out their preparations for the finals series with a 58-54 victory over the Sunshine Coast Lightning.

Semi-final weekend kicks-off on Saturday

🚴🏼‍♂️ World Champs

Julian Alaphilippe wins Road World Championships road race

Julian Alaphilippe has won the Road World Championships men's road race in Imola, following a breakaway attack.

A great ride from a favourite of the peloton

Alaphilippe, who wore the yellow jersey for two days during the Tour earlier this month, broke away from the peloton with about 17km to go with typically aggressive riding.

A group containing Jakob Fuglsang of Denmark, Michal Kwiatkowski of Poland, Wout van Aert from the Netherlands and Switzerland's Marc Hirschi followed off the peloton and sought to hunt Alaphilippe down.

"It was a dream of my career [to win this race]," said a breathless Alaphilippe. "It's hard for me to say something, but thanks to all my team-mates who believed in me today. Everybody did a great job."

Michael Matthews (Australia) finished 53 seconds behind in 7th.

🏎 F1

Lewis Hamilton penalty hands Russian Grand Prix win to Valtteri Bottas

Lewis Hamilton's quest for the all-time record of Formula 1 wins was put on hold when he was hit with penalties at the Russian Grand Prix.

Hamilton's Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas dominated after the world champion was given a 10-second penalty for doing two illegal practice starts.

Hamilton's transgressions put him on the verge of a one-race ban because of accumulated licence penalty points.

When told of the penalty, Hamilton complained: "Where is that in the rules?"

Bottas' win means he cuts Hamilton's championship lead to 44 points.

🏀 NBA

LeBron James leads LA Lakers to NBA Western Conference Finals series victory

LeBron James helped the Los Angeles Lakers reach the NBA Finals for the first time in 10 years with a 117-107 victory over the Denver Nuggets.

It gave them a 4-1 win in the best-of-seven series.

They were led by a triple-double from James, who scored 16 of his 38 points in the third quarter and added 16 rebounds and 10 assists.

The 35-year-old has now reached the NBA Finals for the 10th time - this is the first time with the Lakers.

It is the 32nd time the Lakers have reached the championship series and they will face the winners of the Eastern Conference final between the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat, with the Heat leading 3-2 going into game six on Monday.

"Every time you put on the purple and gold you think about his legacy, you think about him and what he meant to this franchise for 20-plus years," he said.

"We're going to enjoy it tonight, but we understand we've got bigger fish to fry. We understand there's a bigger goal.

📺 Live sport

Today

🏈 06:25 - NFL - Denver Broncos v Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7mate)

🏈 06:25 - NFL - Seattle Seahawks v Dallas Cowboys (ESPN 2)

🤼‍♂️ 09:00 - WWE - Clash of Champions (Main Event)

🏀 09:30 - NBA Conference Finals - Miami Heat v Boston Celtics (ESPN 1)

⚽️ 09:30 - MLS - Philadelphia Union v Inter Miami CF (BeIN Sports 1)

⚽️ 09:30 - MLS - Toronto FC v Columbus Crew (BeIN Sports 3)

🏈 10:20 - NFL - New Orleans Saints v Green Bay Packers (ESPN 2)

⚽️ 10:30 - MLS - FC Dallas v Orlando City SC (BeIN Sports 2)

⚽️ 12:00 - MLS - Vancouver Whitecaps v Portland Timbers (BeIN Sports 1)

⚽️ 12:30 - MLS - Los Angeles FC v San Jose Earthquakes (BeIN Sports 2)

⚽️ 12:30 - MLS - LA Galaxy v Seattle Sounders (BeIN Sports 3)

🎾 18:50 - French Open Grand Slam, Round 1 (Fox Sports More)

🎾 22:30 - French Open Grand Slam, Round 1 Part 2 (Fox Sports More or SBS)

Tuesday

🏏 00:00 - Indian Premier League - Royal Challengers Bangalore v Mumbai Indians (Fox Cricket)

⚽️ 02:45 - Premier League - Fulham v Aston Villa (Optus Sport 1)

🏏 03:30 - Women's ODI Series - England v West Indies (Fox Cricket)

🏉 04:45 - Premiership Rugby - Harlequins v Wasps (Fox Sports More)

⚽️ 04:45 - Italian Serie A - Bologna v Parma (BeIN Sports 1)

⚽️ 05:00 - Premier League - Liverpool v Arsenal (Optus Sport 1)

🏒 10:00 - NHL Stanley Cup Finals - Dallas Stars v Tampa Bay Lightning

🏈 10:15 - NFL - Baltimore Ravens v Kansas City Chiefs (ESPN 2)

🏀 11:00 (TBC) - NBA Conference Finals - Denver Nuggets v Los Angeles Lakers (ESPN 1)

🎾 18:50 - French Open, Round 1, Day 3 (Fox Sports More)

🎾 22:30 - French Open, Round 1, Day 3 - Part 2 (Fox Sports More or SBS)

🚴🏼‍♂️ 23:00 - UCI Men's World Tour, Binckbank Tour, Stage 1, 151.7km (Eurosport 1)