🗞 Get ready for an epic showdown!

Author

Sport Journal
May 30, 2023

G'day sports fans,

Classic State of Origin quote: “He’s a pest,” Justin Hodges of teammate Will Chambers.

🇦🇺 Aussie Sport

Get ready for an epic showdown!

📺 Tonight: 20:05 - State of Origin - Queensland v New South Wales (Channel 9).

The Queensland Maroons have caused quite a stir with their surprising team selections, deviating from their renowned loyalty policy.

Despite leaving out star players like Kalyn Ponga and Dane Gagai, they've found formidable replacements in debutant Reece Walsh and the electrifying Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow. The Maroons' back-five is bursting with talent, and their dynamic pack, featuring game-changer David Fifita, exudes aggression. But their true strength lies in the exceptional playmaking quartet of Munster, Cherry-Evans, Hunt, and Grant.

It's a force to be reckoned with! On the other side, the New South Wales Blues have their own surprises, with Tevita Pangai Jr making a debut appearance and the likes of Tom Trbojevic and Josh Addo-Carr returning from injury.

Led by Nathan Cleary, the Blues are determined to prove their mettle after a disappointing performance last year. With a well-rounded squad and a thirst for victory, they are poised to draw first blood in this gripping Origin clash.

Brace yourselves for something special.

📈 MATCH STAT PACK

Queensland has won three of its last four Origin I matches as an underdog.

Ten of the last 12 Origin I matches have gone UNDER the total match points line.

Queensland has covered the line in three of its last four Origin matches.(+2.5)

Tom Trbojevic has scored at least one try in five of his six previous Origin appearances outside of New South Wales.

Valentine Holmes has been the first try-scorer in six of his 13 previous Origin appearances.

Jarome Luai has scored a try in each of the last two Origin matches.

Ben Hunt has scored at least one try in two of the last four Origin matches.

SAME GAME MULTI: Trbojevic to score a try in the first half, Valentine Holmes to score anytime, Total points under 38.5pts 👉🏻 Boosted to $43.51 only on Dabble

🇦🇺 No Adverse findings have been made against any person as a result of the independent investigation into historical allegations of racism at Hawthorn.

Three Hawthorn officials at the time - senior coach Alastair Clarkson, assistant coach and football boss Chris Fagan and welfare manager Jason Burt - were all named in the club review that sparked the AFL's investigation.

All three have strenuously denied all allegations, and none of the three will face any charges under the AFL rules as a result of the independent investigation, which has been ended. (Full Statement)

AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan says the league will now promptly consider bringing a charge against Hawthorn — which could lead to the club being fined and stripped of draft picks — despite the conclusion of the eight-month independent investigation. (Fox Sports)

🎾 Max Purcell overcame injury to win the first all-Australian battle at the French Open in eight years, downing fellow Sydneysider and occasional doubles partner Jordan Thompson in a Roland Garros dogfight.

Purcell, who won an ATP doubles tournament with Thompson in Houston only last month, prevailed 7-5 1-6 6-4 6-4, fuelled by adrenaline which helped him ignore the knifing pain from an injured ankle and ensure he's one of the four Australian men in the second round at the Paris slam for the first time in 23 years.

Socceroos Depth Chart: Which players have impressed this season?

With most leagues around the world wrapping up, Joey Lynch takes a look the strength of every Socceroos spot, position-by-position.

🥊 Tim Tsyzu's camp insist he will be fit for the first defence of his interim boxing world title despite the fighter requiring surgery after being bitten by a dog.

The Australian is due to fight Mexico's Carlos Ocampo on June 18 on the Gold Coast to defend the interim WBO super welterweight belt he claimed in March. (espn)

🇦🇺 Adelaide gun Rory Laird and Carlton star Adam Cerra have had their one-match bans for dangerous tackles overturned at the Tribunal on Tuesday night.

But Luke Parker wasn't as lucky with the Sydney co-captain failing to overturn his own one-match ban for a dangerous tackle. (Tribunal findings)

🌎 World Sport

✍🏼 The transfer window for clubs in the Premier League next season opens on Wednesday, 14 June and closes on Friday, 1 September.

Jude Bellingham (to Real Madrid?), Lionel Messi (to Saudi Arabia?), Victor Osimhen (to Chelsea?), Declan Rice (to Arsenal?) and Harry Kane (to stay at Spurs?) are just five of the world-class players who could be on the move in what looks set to be a huge transfer window this summer.

🏀 The Philadelphia 76ers are hiring Nick Nurse as coach, tasking him with helping to deliver the franchise its first title in 40 years, sources told ESPN on Monday.

The Sixers and Phoenix Suns were engaged with Nurse and his agent, Andy Miller of Klutch Sports, throughout Sunday and Monday, leaving Nurse with a difficult decision between two contending teams, sources said.

Nurse's desire to coach MVP Joel Embiid and his history with Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey played a significant part in his decision.

🚘 Josef Newgarden navigated a wreck-filled race to win his first Indianapolis 500.

🏀 The Heat blew out the Celtics, 103-84, in Game 7 on Monday to become just the second No. 8 seed to reach the NBA Finals, joining the 1999 Knicks.

The Nuggets are ($1.24) favourites to win the NBA Finals. Game 1 tips off in Denver on Friday (AEST).

🏒 For the second time in the young franchise's six-year history, the Golden Knights are off to the Stanley Cup Final.

Vegas came out like gangbusters in Game 6, scoring three times in the first 14 minutes. Vegas never looked back from there, filling the net three more times en route to a 6-0 victory.

🏏 Cricketer MS Dhoni has announced that he will not retire after winning a record fifth Indian Premier League (IPL) title.

The former India captain, 41, was expected to retire from all forms of cricket but said that love from his fans has made him give it another try.

Led by Dhoni, the Chennai Super Kings beat the Gujarat Titans to win the trophy. CSK won the match by five wickets after Ravindra Jadeja hit a last-ball four to successfully chase down the revised target of 171 in a rain affected match.

"This is the best time to announce my retirement," he said. He, however, said he'd give it a few more months because of "the amount of love and affection I have been shown wherever I have been this year."

- MS Dhoni

🎾 Novak Djokovic has been accused of potentially inflaming tension in the Balkans by using the French Open to state that Kosovo belongs to Serbia. After his first-round win in Paris, the Wimbledon champion wrote on the TV camera: “Kosovo is the heart of Serbia! Stop violence.”

🏸 There was a 211-shot rally at the Malaysia Masters. It's believed to be the longest in badminton history.

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📺 Live Sport TV Guide

TODAY

09:10 - MLB - New York Mets v Philadelphia Phillies (ESPN 2)

20:05 - State of Origin - Queensland Origin v New South Wales Origin (Channel 9)

THURSDAY

03:30 - T20 Blast - Northants Steelbacks v Birmingham Bears (Fox Cricket)

05:00 - UEFA Europa League Final - Sevilla v Roma (GEM or Stan Sport)

11:40 - MLB - Seattle Mariners v New York Yankees (ESPN 2)

20:00 - Test Match - England v Ireland (Fox Cricket)