G'day sports fans,

Fantasy Team names: With the NRL returning in a few short weeks, some fantasy team name ideas (pinched from the internet):

• Rudolf the Red-Nosed Rein Dearden

• Say Aloiai to my Liddle Friend

• Haas ta la vista brailey

• Another brick in the Twal

In today's edition of Sport Journal;

📆 When will major sports return

🏉 Grand Final could be played in ANZ Stadium

🥊 Could Iron Mike make his comeback in Australia?

Get excited!

Major Australian sports planned return schedule.

🏉 NRL - Restart: 28th May - Once the season does get back underway, teams will play 18 consecutive games in a shortened 20-round season (two rounds had been completed before the suspension). The grand final will be played on 25 October.

🇦🇺 AFL - Restart: End of June - Details of what shape any resumed season will take have not yet been finalised but a more traditional home-and-away fixture is expected to be able to be completed, with the season suspended after just one round

🏉 Rugby Union - restart: July - Rugby Australia has submitted a return to play document to the federal government. It is unlikely RA will make any return-to-play announcement until next week, with the players expected to have three weeks training before any matches. Super Rugby could be trans-tasman only, for the foreseeable.

⚽️ Football - restart: August - A-League clubs are preparing for a competition restart in August with Wellington Phoenix to base themselves in New South Wales. FFA is yet to officially detail the league’s resumption, but clubs are preparing for a July training phase ahead of an August return.

⛹🏻‍♀️ Netball - restart: unknown - Super Netball has been working through scenario planning and is “open-minded to possible season models”, according to CEO Chris Symington. We could hear news by the end of this month. (I know the emoji is basketball, sort it out Tim Cook)

🏏 Cricket - restart: unknown - No official decisions made as yet. All eyes will be on how the coronavirus affects India, who are due in Australia late this year. Depending on how efforts to contain the outbreak go locally, the major domestic competitions, including the Sheffield Shield, Big Bash League and Women’s Big Bash League, may yet begin as scheduled. (from the Guardian)

🏉 NRL

NRL Grand Final could return to ANZ Stadium for 2020

The NRL Grand Final could return to ANZ Stadium instead of the SCG as initially planned.

It was announced last year the 2020 grand final would be played at the SCG with ANZ Stadium planned to be under construction at the time.

According to Nine News Sydney's Chris O'Keefe, an ANZ stadium grand final could be on the cards with the NSW government now on the verge of holding the allocated $800 million for the redevelopment.

"That way Sydney will have a showpiece stadium big enough to host the NRL Grand Final and the State of Origin this year and thwart Brisbane snatching the games.

🇦🇺 AFL

Crows investigate alleged training breach

The Crows have 16 players quarantining for 14 days in a Barossa Valley resort - which is temporarily closed to the public.

AFL players are only permitted to train in pairs to ensure teams are not disadvantaged by different coronavirus regulations in different states.

The Crows said the players may have breached the rules by allegedly having a larger group training together for part of a scheduled session on Thursday afternoon.

An AFL spokesperson confirmed it is investigating and said the league was "taking the matter very seriously".

AFL’s 2020 potential fixture re-vamp

The AFL will reportedly unveil its revised fixture next week, which will see no home games for Western Australian and South Australian sides.

The Herald Sun is reporting the fixture will only detail the first few rounds from footy’s restart, giving it flexibility should border restrictions in SA and WA be eased.

West Coast, Fremantle, Adelaide and Port Adelaide will all be forced to travel interstate to restart the season, with the Crows and Power set to recieve a quarantine exemption from the state government, allowing them to avoid 14-day quarantine after returning home from interstate matches.

Collingwood president Eddie McGuire suggested WA clubs would get to choose where they want to play their ‘home’ games, a small consolation to the sides affected.

🐴 Racing

RIP: Trailblazing indigenous jockey Darby McCarthy dies

Legendary jockey Darby McCarthy - a trailblazer and inspiration for indigenous sportspeople including the great Cathy Freeman - has died.

McCarthy was one of 13 children and was born in a sandhills camp at Cunnamulla in western Queensland, becoming one of Australia’s top jockeys in the 1960s.

⚽️ Football

Bundesliga return: German soccer season scheduled to resume on May 16. Germany's Bundesliga is returning on May 16 with games in empty stadiums without spectators, the German Football League (Deutsche Fußball Liga) announced on Thursday.

Premier League: Clubs have discussed increasing the variety of kick-off times if the season resumes. Project Restart involves the league returning in June and finishing at the end of July to fit in with Uefa's European competition plans.

Pop Quiz: How well do you know the 2019/20 season so far?

1. Which forward has scored the most headed goals this season (5)? (hint: You could Burn(ley) this in a fire.

2. Which playmaker has been fouled the most - 127 times in fact, 33 more than any other player? (hint: Turned down a big move to be Captain of his local club)

3. Which full-back has had more touches than anyone else so far this season (2983)? (hint: double-barrelled)

🏎 F1

Formula 1 may not race in 2020, say bosses

Formula 1 chairman Chase Carey has admitted that the sport's owners are preparing for "the remote possibility of no racing in 2020".

Owner Liberty Media said F1's revenue in the first quarter of 2020 was US$39m compared to $246m in the same period in 2019.

The sport has made a series of moves in recent weeks to reduce costs for teams in the wake of the coronavirus crisis.

These include delaying a major regulation change planned for 2021 until 2022, forcing teams to use their 2020 cars next season and a move to lower the budget cap to US$145m per team. (BBC)

🥊 Boxing

Mike Tyson offered $1 million for charity comeback fight in Australia, reports say

Footage of former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson training went viral in the past week as the 53-year-old showed he still has some fight left in him -- albeit in a controlled setting.

But it seems that the footage has caught the attention of the right people as Melbourne boxing promoter Brian Amatruda reportedly offered Iron Mike a million dollars to do a charity bout.

"The first thing I did was contact (celebrity agent) Max Markson and ask him to offer Tyson $1 million,' he told the Daily Mail Online. 'Max brought him to Australia in 2012. He gets on well with him and his wife but the main thing is that he got him a visa to get into the country back then and that's the key.

"We'd have to wait until the coronavirus shutdowns are over of course so the fight probably wouldn't be until early next year - as long as we can get the visa. They gave him one in 2012 and he was fine, he's a quiet family man now. He didn't cause any trouble then, so why shouldn't they let him back in?"

The fighters rumoured to potentially take on Tyson, include Barry Hall, Paul Gallen, and Sonny Bill Williams.(CBS)

I assume they mean he is to fight all of them at once? 🚑

Back on Monday!

Answers:

1. Chris Wood (Burnley) with 5 headed goals (his middle name is Grant, don't see many Grant's these days)

2. Jack Grealish (Aston Villa) getting kicked for having a stupid haircut.

3. Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool) nothing to say here, apart from he's really good.