🗞 'What the hell am I doing?'

G'day sports fans,

🇦🇺 Aussie Sport

🏉 The 2023 NRL season opens with the Parramatta Eels hosting the Melbourne Storm at CommBank Stadium on Thursday night.

Incredibly, the Storm have not lost a Round 1 match since 2001 and will put that record to the test against the only team they’ve failed to beat over the last two seasons.

The Eels have won their last four against the Storm – an unrivalled record against one of the powerhouses of the last decade.

However, both teams will take on new looks in 2023 with plenty of arrivals and departures, especially in the forward packs.

19:50 Thurs - Eels v Storm (Fox League or Channel 9)

• The last six matches between Parramatta and Melbourne in Sydney have gone UNDER the total match points line.

• William Penisini has scored a try in Parramatta's last three home matches.

• Nick Meaney has scored a try in four of his last six appearances.

👉🏻That treble pays a tasty $23.0 on Dabble 👈🏻

🏏 Steve Smith has confessed he was furious with himself after his dismissal during the second innings of the Delhi Test against India, admitting he’s “still learning” his craft in the subcontinent.

“I don’t think there have been too many times I’ve walked off the field and I’ve gone, ‘What the hell am I doing?’” Smith told reporters in Indore on Tuesday.

Australia are yet to decide on their XI for the match at the Holkar Stadium, where Australia have played just once before, a 2017 ODI which saw a Smith-captained side, also featuring Travis Head and Peter Handscomb, lose to India by five wickets

Backdrop: The Aussies also only need a solitary victory to qualify for the final WTC, which would add a sixth Test to their tour of England with a five-Test Ashes campaign to be played through June and July.

🇦🇺 Alastair Clarkson defended his temper after his latest clash with reporter. The North Melbourne coach says his testy exchange with a female reporter at Kangaroos training was a "wake-up call", but admited he cannot guarantee it will not happen again.

🎶 Global pop superstar Ed Sheeran made a surprise appearance at St Kilda on Tuesday.

Sheeran is in Melbourne ahead of two sold-out shows at the MCG on Thursday and Friday but made time to visit the Saints at their Moorabbin training base.

“I obviously got into them through Michael Gudinski (promotor) and Shane Warne, who were both diehard St Kilda fans for life,” he said.

🏉 Wayne Bennett has pulled the trigger and dropped five-eighth Anthony Milford from the Dolphins’ Round 1 team to play the Sydney Roosters and named 19-year-old Isaiya Katoa to start at No.6 in his first-grade debut.

🇦🇺 Sydney Swans coach John Longmire has given fans a update regarding veteran superstar Lance Franklin.

The 36-year-old struggled during a recent practice match against the Brisbane Lions as the Swans suffered a 45-point loss.

“It wouldn’t be too much of a surprise to say we don’t expect him to play every week, every minute of the game … at 36, it can be a real challenge to do that,” Longmire said on RSN.

🏃🏻💨 Speedy News

🏉 Official team lists, updates, and injury news for round 1 of the 2023 Telstra Premiership season. (NRL)

⚽️ The Matildas will face fifth-ranked France (July 14th) in a final "send-off" match before co-hosting the Women's World Cup with New Zealand.

🐴 Five-time Group 1 winner Alligator Blood again confirmed his popularity among punters when topping the public voting on the All-Star Mile for the second time in 3 years. (racenet)

🙋🏼‍♀️ Australia’s best female athletes are, finally, making some real money. #1 is MinJee Lee. Here are the 20 biggest earners (news)

🏑 Australia's Women beat Argentina 2-0, while the Men lost 4-2 in a shootout (2-2 FT) against the same opponent on the opening day of the FIH Hockey Pro League in Hobart.

🌎 World Sport

🏏 England lost to New Zealand by one run in one of the all-time great finishes to the second Test in Wellington.

On a barely believable final day at the Basin Reserve, last man James Anderson was caught down the leg side off Neil Wagner when England needed two to win.

🎾 Novak Djokovic says breaking Steffi Graf’s record of 377 weeks at number one in the rankings on Monday is “surreal” and that he is proud to surpass one of the sport’s all-time greats.

The Serb will spend his 378th week at the top of men’s tennis competing in Dubai, where he will play his first tournament since capturing a 10th Australian Open crown and record-equalling 22nd Grand Slam title last month.

It’s the equivalent of more than seven calendar years at the top.

🏏 The Isle of Man (a self-governing island between the UK and Ireland) were bowled out for just ten runs against Spain. The lowest score in men's Twenty20 history.

⚽️ Manchester United remain interested in a summer deal for Tottenham's 29-year-old England striker Harry Kane. (Football Insider)

❤️ Michael Schumacher's first Formula 1 boss, Eddie Jordan, has revealed the stricken legend is "there, but he's not there" in one of the few updates on the 54-year-old's condition.

🧸 Besiktas supporters threw thousands of soft toys onto the pitch during the match against Antalyaspor to donate to children affected by the earthquakes.

More than 50,000 people have died following the earthquakes.

"Our fans organised a meaningful event called 'This toy is my friend' during the match to give morale to the children affected by the earthquake," Besiktas said.

⛳️ LIV Golf’s TV debut got fewer viewers than "World’s Funniest Animals" - LIV's opening tournament saw a TV rating of 0.2 compared to the PGA Tournament at the same time, which received 1.8. (0.2 = 0.2% of people surveyed claimed to have watched it)

📺 Live Sports TV Guide

TODAY

⚽️ 06:30 - FA Cup - Leicester City v Blackburn Rovers (Paramount+)

⚽️ 07:00 - English Championship - Luton Town v Millwall (beIN SPORTS 2)

⚽️ 07:00 - FA Cup - Bristol City v Manchester City (Paramount+)

🏀 11:30 - NBA - Memphis Grizzlies v Los Angeles Lakers (ESPN)

🏒 12:00 - NHL - St. Louis Blues v Seattle Kraken (ESPN 2)

🏀 14:00 - NBA - Los Angeles Clippers v Minnesota Timberwolves (ESPN)

🏒 14:30 - NHL - San Jose Sharks v Montreal Canadiens (ESPN 2)

🏏 15:00 - Test Match - India v Australia (Fox Cricket)

🏏 19:00 - Test Match - South Africa v West Indies (Fox Sports)

🏏 22:30 - Test Match - South Africa v West Indies (Fox Cricket)

THURSDAY

⚾️ 05:05 - MLB Pre-Season - New York Yankees v Washington Nationals (ESPN)

⚽️ 06:30 - FA Cup - Burnley v Fleetwood Town (Paramount+)

⚽️ 06:45 - Premier League - Arsenal v Everton (Optus Sport 2)

⚽️ 06:45 - FA Cup - Manchester United v West Ham United (Paramount+)

⚽️ 06:55 - FA Cup - Sheffield United v Tottenham (Paramount+)

⚽️ 07:00 - Premier League - Liverpool v Wolverhampton Wanderers (Optus Sport 3)

🏀 11:30 - NBA - Boston Celtics v Cleveland Cavaliers (ESPN)

🏀 14:00 - NBA - Portland Trail Blazers v New Orleans Pelicans (ESPN)

🏒 14:00 - NHL - Vegas Golden Knights v Carolina Hurricanes (ESPN 2)

🏏 15:00 - Test Match - India v Australia (Fox Cricket )

🇦🇺 17:10 - AFL Practice Match - Hawthorn v Collingwood Magpies (Fox Footy)

🏏 19:00 - Test Match - South Africa v West Indies (Fox Sports)

🇦🇺 19:10 - AFL Practice Match - Fremantle Dockers v Port Adelaide Power (Fox Sports)

🏉 19:50 - NRL - Parramatta Eels v Melbourne Storm (Fox League or Channel 9)

🇦🇺 20:10 - AFL Practice Match - Brisbane Lions v Geelong Cats (Fox Footy)

🏏 22:30 - Test Match - South Africa v West Indies (Fox Cricket)