🗞 He did what?

March 04, 2021

G'day sports fans,

It's a super-short edition of Sport Journal today, due to the fact I dislocated my thumb, while taking my sock off. (yes, you read that correct).

I had a few stories ready and have linked to a some others to keep you going. Just click on them to open up the full story online.

SJ Club members: I'll get a mail out to you tomorrow morning with updates on our horses etc.

Classic quote: "It's 300 kilos, that statue - it's pretty lifelike for when I played" - Shane Warne after his statue was unveiled at the MCG (2011).

In today's edition of Sport Journal:

🏉 Season Launch

🇦🇺 Rioli to return in August

🐴 Campbell Rawiller gets apprentice gig at Waterhouse

This is me right now ⬇️

🏏 Cricket

T20 Akila Dananjaya had a mixed day in the Sri Lanka v West Indies match. Takes a Hat Trick in the 4th Over, then Kieron Pollard hit him for 6 Sixes in the 6th over!

Kohli and Stokes separated by umpire in face-off: Virat Kohli and Ben Stokes have gone face to face in a heated exchange in the opening morning of the fourth Test. When Stokes took exception to a bouncer.

Australia's T20 captain made a timely return to form to steer Australia to a win that kept the T20 series alive and now has his sights set on levelling the series on Friday

⚽️ Football

🏟 Football West's State Football Centre, planned for Maniana Park in Queens Park, has been greenlit by the WAPC's Significant Development Assessment Unit. Will be built in time for 2023 Women's World Cup. Huge win for the round ball game in WA.

A False Nine Special together with Concept Football Club.

🐴 Racing

Son of a gun Campbell Rawiller will get a chance to walk in his Dad’s famous footsteps as the wheel turns full circle with the young riding gun signed up to become Gai Waterhouse’s new apprentice.

After winning the past three Group 1 Australian Cups as “underdogs”, Ben Hayes has welcomed the expectations about Fifty Stars going back-to-back in the $1.5m autumn feature.

🏉 NRL

The NRL expects to welcome back capacity crowds in NSW and Queensland by mid-March.

🇦🇺 AFL

🔙 The West Coast Eagles' Willie Rioli will reportedly be free to play AFL football from August, after a two year ban for tampering with a urine sample was backdated, with 18 months already served.

Rioli will also be allowed to train with the team prior to August.

🙌🏼 A footy hero's final wish

Queensland football legend Ross Whyte throws his arms aloft and laughs, then looks like he's about to cry.

From an ambulance stretcher bed in the middle of the Gabba Stadium today in Brisbane, he lovingly clasps his adult son's hand as they share a moment of glory from 44 years ago, writ large in sound and vision on the big screen.

Ross is dying from prostate cancer.

But the disease has not robbed him of the memory of driving that pill through the uprights to win the 1977 grand final in the Queensland Australian Football League.

"How did it feel? The pressure was released when I just saw it pretty much straight through the goals," he said. throws his arms aloft and laughs, then looks like he's about to cry.

🏉 Rugby

Round Three of Harvey Norman Super Rugby AU this weekend and all the team news.

🇺🇸 USA

There's no doubt they can ball, but life has knocked them down. Can they breathe new life into their hoop dreams? Watch trailers & learn more.

A New League

A new basketball league backed by a sports media company is entering the intensifying debate over whether student-athletes should be paid, by starting a venture offering high school basketball players $100,000 salaries to skip college.

The league, Overtime Elite, formed under the auspices of the sports media company Overtime, would compete directly with the N.C.A.A. for the nation’s top high school boys by employing about 30 of them, who would circumvent the behemoth of college sports.

Overtime will offer each athlete, some as young as 16, a minimum of $100,000 annually, as well as a signing bonus and a small number of shares in Overtime’s larger business. The company will also provide health and disability insurance, and set aside $100,000 in college scholarship money for each player — in case any decide not to pursue basketball professionally.

The trade-off is major: The players who accept the deal will forfeit their ability to play high school or college basketball. (NYTimes)

🗞 Back on Monday!

Adam here, the guy that puts Sport Journal together; It may be hard to believe but I (usually) spend a lot of time each week putting Sport Journal together.

The only thing I ask of you is that you share it with a couple of mates.

Simply hit the green button below, and WhatsApp will open on your phone.

You can select a couple of your friends or groups to share it with, and they can sign up themselves 🙌🏼