🗞 Finals Footy

Jarome Luai will be forced to take less than his market value if he wants to stay at the Panthers, it has been revealed.

Author

Sport Journal
September 05, 2023

G'day sports fans,

“Boom, right in the guts,” … “I’d only been in Australia a day and already I’d committed an assault.” - Controversial UFC headliner Sean Strickland, admits he hit a fan on the streets of Bondi Junction.

Finals teams, Luai on the market, McDonald injured.

🐴 Champion jockey James McDonald will spend the next month on the sidelines after scans revealed he fractured his foot in a fall at Wyong last Friday.

The 31-year-old was thrown from Razors shortly after the gates opened and complained of pain in a foot and his shoulder, but was later cleared to ride at Randwick the following day.

Despite riding in discomfort on Saturday, he secured a double, winning on Garza Blanca and Waverider Buoy, while also partnering Nature Strip to sixth in the Group 3 Concorde Stakes, in what was to be the champion sprinter's final race.

🏉 Official team lists, updates and injury news for Week 1 of the 2023 Premiership Finals Series. (NRL)

Qualifying Final: Broncos v Storm, (Fri) - Melbourne has won each of its last 14 matches against Brisbane.

  • Broncos: Captain Adam Reynolds (calf) and lock Patrick Carrigan (foot) have been named to return.

  • Storm: Jahrome Hughes (knee) has been named. Ryan Papenhuyzen has been named on the bench.

Qualifying Final: Panthers v Warriors, (Sat) - Penrith has covered the line (-13.5) in nine of its last 10 home matches against New Zealand.

  • Panthers: Jarome Luai (shoulder) remains sidelined.

  • Warriors: Halfback Shaun Johnson returns.

Elimination Final: Sharks v Roosters, (Sat) - Each of Cronulla's last six matches have gone UNDER the total match points line.

  • Sharks: Will Kennedy looks set to return (hamstring)

  • Roosters: Joey Manu (hamstring) has been named

Elimination Final: Knights v Raiders, (Sun) - Newcastle has won each of its last four matches by a margin of 13+ points.

  • Knights: Star fullback Kalyn Ponga (shoulder) named.

  • Raiders: James Schiller comes in for Seb Kris (banned).

🇦🇺 Adelaide midfielder Matt Crouch has signed a new two-year deal that will keep him at the Crows until the end of the 2025 season.

The 2017 All-Australian has been out of favour at the Crows in recent years, playing just 11 games in 2022 and just one - as the sub - before round 19 this season.

🏉 Jarome Luai will be forced to take less than his market value if he wants to stay at the Panthers, it has been revealed.

With Luai set to become a free agent at the end of the season, the Panthers have begun the process to secure the five-eighth's signature.

But with a host of players already on lucrative deals, the club has informed Luai that they do not have the salary cap capacity to offer him more than $800k a season.

 🇦🇺 AFL Medical room: The full AFL injury list ahead of finals week one. (AFL)

Collingwood v Melbourne, (Thurs) - Six of Collingwood's last eight finals have been decided by a margin of 15 points or less.

  • Collingwood: Darcy Moore and Nathan Murphy to play.

  • Melbourne: Fritsch is no certainty to play (foot).

Carlton v Sydney Swans, (Fri) - Eight of Carlton's last 10 night matches at the MCG have gone UNDER the total match points line (158.5)

  • Carlton: Patrick Cripps and Sam Docherty are certainties to return from soreness.

  • Sydney: Tom Papley expected to be available (hamstring)

St Kilda v GWS Giants, (Sat) - St Kilda has won each of its last four matches against GWS.

  • St Kilda: Dougal Howard and Josh Battle are both available.

  • The Giants will appeal Toby Bedford’s one-match suspension (hearing on Thurs).

Brisbane Lions v Port Adelaide, (Sat) - Brisbane has failed to cover the line in seven of its last eight matches (-15.5).

  • Lions: Lincoln McCarthy will take his place.

  • Port: Trent McKenzie right in the frame to play.

🐴 Victorian Racing Club on Tuesday at Flemington revealed the 132 nominations, including 15 internationals, for the 2023 Melbourne Cup.

Champion trainers and reigning Melbourne Cup-winners Ciaron Maher and David Eustace boast 17 entries for the race that stops a nation, including Last year's winner Gold Trip and third-placed High Emocean (racenet)

⚽️ Word is that Yokohama FM Manager and ex-Socceroo Kevin Muscat is being considered by Rangers to replace Michael Beale. Muscat won the J-League with Yokohama last season. (AussieScout)

$100 Eight leg - Finals Footy Multi

  • Selwyn Cobbo has scored at least one try in seven of his last nine appearances at Suncorp Stadium.

  • Stephen Crichton has scored at least one try in four of Penrith's last five matches.

  • James Tedesco has scored at least one try in six of Sydney's last eight finals matches.

  • Kalyn Ponga has scored a try in four of his last five appearances against Canberra.

  • Taylor Adams has recorded 20+ disposals in each of his 12 previous appearances against Melbourne.

  • Charlie Curnow has kicked 3+ goals in five of Carlton's last six matches as a favourite.

  • Josh Kelly has recorded 25+ disposals in each of his last 16 away appearances.

  • Joe Daniher has kicked 2+ goals in each of his last 14 appearances in night matches at the Gabba.

Neutral Swimmers, Kidney Operation, Rousing speech

🏀 Given a reprieve (losing to Lithuania), Team USA came with more intent and force from the start, bouncing back in Tuesday's quarterfinal to oust Italy 100-63 from the medal round at Mall of Asia Arena.

Team USA will get the winner of Germany-Latvia, who play Wednesday, in the semifinals on Friday.

🏀 Serbia became reached the Basketball World Cup semi-finals after beating Lithuania 87-68 as the knockout phase got underway in Manila.

Bogdan Bogdanovic had 21 points for Serbia, who will play either Canada or Slovenia in the semi-finals on Friday.

⚽️ A Saudi Arabian delegation is in England to make one last push to persuade Liverpool to sell Mohamed Salah for AU$400m before the Pro League's transfer deadline on Friday, with the belief the 31-year-old Egypt forward is open to joining Al-Ittihad.

Athletes from Russia and Belarus will have to apply as neutrals.

🏊🏼 Swimmers and divers from Russia and Belarus can return to international competition as neutrals, says World Aquatics.

The sport's governing body had banned competitors from both nations following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Athletes will only be allowed to take part in individual events and must show they do not support the war.

They will also have to meet other specific criteria to compete.

🏀 Serbia's Borisa Simanic has had surgery to remove a kidney after suffering an injury at the Basketball World Cup.

Simanic was hit in the stomach by South Sudan's Nuni Omot as Serbia won 115-83 in the Philippines.

He had surgery on the day of the incident, but "due to complications" a second operation took place.

🏊🏼 A fight with a teammate over an ex-girlfriend has resulted in champion British Olympic swimmer Adam Peaty needing stitches.

Luke Greenbank, 25, has been dating Olympic gold medallist swimmer Anna Hopkin, 27, who was previously in a relationship with Peaty. So it’s not just Aussie swimmers.

👊🏻 The Professional Fighters League (PFL) is in talks to acquire rival mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion Bellator, according to Front Office Sports (FOS)

Paramount-owned Ballator, has been valued at as much as US$500m.

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TODAY

09:00 - CPLT20 - Trinbago Knight Riders v Guyana Amazon Warriors (Fox Cricket)

10:05 - MLB - Texas Rangers v Houston Astros (ESPN)

17:05 - NPC - North Harbour v Otago (Stan Sport)

18:45 - FIBA World Cup Quarter-Final - Germany v Latvia (ESPN)

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

22:30 - FIBA World Cup Quarter-Final - Canada v Slovenia (ESPN)

THURSDAY

09:00 - CPLT20 Group Game - Trinbago Knight Riders v Barbados Royals (Fox Cricket)

11:38 - MLB Regular Season - Los Angeles Angels v Baltimore Orioles (ESPN 2)

18:00 - FIBA World Cup Classification, 5-8 Game (ESPN)

18:00 - FIBA World Cup Classification, 5-8 Game (ESPN)

19:20 - AFL Qualifying Final - Collingwood Magpies v Melbourne Demons (Fox Footy or Channel 7)

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