🗞 Just Too Good

NRL News

🏉 The Bulldogs dominated the second half with seven tries to secure a 44-12 victory over an injury-hit St George Illawarra at Accor Stadium on Thursday. Despite a 12-6 lead early in the match, the Dragons suffered further setbacks with Hame Sele (shoulder) and Jack Bird (ankle) leaving the field, contributing to their downfall.

Roosters bolter Joseph Suaalii is expected to be handed a debut Blues jersey, with coach Michael Maguire reportedly set to name the 20-year-old on the wing for Game I against the Maroons.

Suaalii, who is rugby union-bound at the end of the 2024 season, has reportedly beat out Zac Lomax and Josh Addo-Carr for one of the two Blues wing spots, according to The Daily Telegraph, partnering Panthers star Brian To’o.

The NRL has confirmed Penrith Panthers star Taylan May has been stood down indefinitely after he was arrested on Saturday over a domestic violence allegation. (Fox)

Sea Eagles coach Anthony Seibold raised the prospect of playing Tom Trbojevic at centre when he returns from injury in July in an attempt to look after his body.

AFL News

🇦🇺 Chad Warner's stellar display led Sydney to their 10th win, defeating the Western Bulldogs by 14 points on Thursday.

With four goals and impactful runs, Warner guided the Swans to a 16.6 (102) to 12.16 (88) victory at Marvel Stadium, securing their top spot before next week's bye.

Sydney built a 30-point lead midway through the final quarter, but the Bulldogs, led by Jamarra Ugle-Hagan's three goals, closed the gap to eight points with six minutes remaining.

However, a contentious 50m penalty awarded to Hayden McLean halted the Bulldogs' comeback.

🙋🏼‍♂️ Bailey Williams is the Virgin Australia Mark of the Year nominee for Round 10. ⬇️

❤️ Barry Davis, a member of the AFL Hall of Fame and a true pioneer of the sport, died at the age of 80 on Wednesday evening.

Davis played 289 games for Essendon and the Kangaroos, winning three VFL premierships in his career as a defender and ruck rover between 1961 and 1975.

He holds the incredibly rare feat of being named in both the North Melbourne and the Bombers’ Teams of the Century.

Friday Night Lights

🇦🇺 Fremantle and Collingwood, separated by two points on the ladder, go head-to-head. Last time they met in Round 18, 2023, the Magpies secured a 113-67 victory at the MCG, with Nick Daicos impressing with 36 disposals, 11 score involvements, and a goal.

Recently, the Dockers snagged their sixth win of the season, defeating St Kilda 72-55. Caleb Serong starred in that match with 30 disposals and nine clearances. Meanwhile, Collingwood continued their unbeaten streak, making it seven wins in a row by edging past Adelaide 78-74.

• Each of the last six night matches between Fremantle and Collingwood have gone UNDER the total match points line. (153.5pts)

🏉 Manly will aim to bounce from a narrow defeat against Melbourne Storm at 4 Pines Park. The Sea Eagles, with four narrow defeats out of five this season, face a depleted Storm side, missing Cameron Munster due to injury. Last time out Storm cruised to a 48-16 win over the Eels.

Manly welcomes back Jason Saab and Nathan Brown, while Tyran Wishart fills in for Munster, and Jahrome Hughes returns at halfback.

• Jason Saab has scored at least one try in three of his four previous appearances against Melbourne. (2.20 anytime)

🏉 The North Queensland Cowboys face the Wests Tigers for the first time in 2024 after contrasting clashes last season. Tigers stunned in the first meeting 66-18 before a 74-0 reversal. Benji Marshall coaches against his former team, aiming to break a seven-game losing streak.

Cowboys ended a five-match skid with a win over Souths. Coach Todd Payten maintains the same lineup. Tigers' backline sees changes, with Declan Casey and Josh Feledy replacing suspended players.

• Tom Dearden has been the first try-scorer in each of North Queensland's last two home matches against the Wests Tigers. (14.0)

Aussie Sports

⚽️ A-League Grand Final: Season 19 of the A-League wraps up this Saturday night in Gosford.

It will be the reigning champions, Central Coast Mariners ($2.20) out to defend their Grand Final title from last season, taking on the powerhouse Melbourne Victory ($3.30) who are back on the big stage for the first time since 2018.

The Mariners have played in five Grand Finals, winning in 2013 and 2023, with last year’s 6-1 destruction of Melbourne City still fresh in their memories.

While it has been six years since the Victory last appeared in an A-League decider, their last piece of silverware came in the form of the 2021 Australia Cup.

A win for the Melbourne boys on Saturday night would give them a record equalling fifth A-League Championship, bringing them level with Sydney FC in that category.

🏏 Ricky Ponting has revealed he was in discussions to take over the India head coaching role, but has knocked it back given his "lifestyle" and family commitments.

Ponting has spent the past six years coaching IPL franchise, Delhi Capitals.

"My family and my kids have spent the last five weeks over at the IPL with me and they come over every year and I had a whisper to my son about it, and I said, 'Dad's been offered the Indian coaching job' and he said, 'Just take it Dad, we would love to move over there for the next couple of years'.

"That's how much they love being over there and the culture of cricket in India, but right now it probably doesn't exactly fit into my lifestyle." (nine)

🎾 Ash Barty has seemingly backflipped on her decision to enter the commentary box, having been announced as part of the BBC’s team for Wimbledon.

BBC’s content boss Charlotte Moore revealed Barty would be joining Nick Kyrgios and former Aussie Wimbledon champ Pat Cash for the tournament.

Kyrgios has also started a podcast and interview series under Naomi Osaka’s Hana Kuma brand, interviewing the likes of Djokovic, Mike Tyson, The Office actor Rainn Wilson and celebrity chef Gordon Ramsey to name a few.

🐴 The Queensland Racing Carnival rolls on this Saturday for ten of the best on Doomben Cup Day. 

This year’s edition of the time-honoured Group 1 feature is an intriguing affair with Huetor looking to join the great champion Rough Habit as a back-to-back-to-back winner. 

⚽️ The Manager Merry Go Round continues:

Manchester United: Argentine Pochettino, 52, (who just left Chelsea) is the favourite to be the next Manchester United manager if they sack manager Erik ten Hag.

West Ham: David Moyes (out) 🔁 Ex-Spain & Wolves Manager Julen Lopetegui (In) (Confirmed)

Bayern Munich: Thomas Tuchel (out) 🔁 recently relegated Vincent Kompany (Advanced Talks)

Chelsea: Pochettino (out) 🔁 Newly crowned League Manager of the Year, and newly promoted Ipswich Manager Kieran McKenna (advanced talks).

McKenna is also on the shortlist for Manchester United (having been an assistant there), and Brighton.

🎾 Rafael Nadal will start his French Open return - and expected farewell to the tournament he has dominated - with a first-round match against German fourth seed Alexander Zverev.

Spain's Nadal, who has won the men's title on a record 14 occasions, plans to retire later this year.

Zverev, 27, is one of the favourites for the title and tuned up by winning the Italian Open last week.

🤖 Michael Schumacher's family has been awarded €200k compensation from the publishers of a magazine which printed an artificial intelligence-generated 'interview’ with the former Formula 1 driver.

German publication Die Aktuelle ran a picture of Schumacher on the front cover of its edition in April 2023.

Underneath the headline of "Michael Schumacher, the first interview" read a strapline of "it sounded deceptively real" and it emerged in the article that the supposed quotes had been produced by AI.

Schumacher, 55, has not been seen in public since suffering severe head injuries in a skiing accident in December 2013.

🏈 Controversial NFL player Antonio Brown has filed for bankruptcy and currently owes eight creditors nearly $3 million per @timesunion. Brown has earned over $88M in his career.

⚽️ Throwback: After a German football team failed to score in five straight matches, their fans decided to get clever and use giant neon arrows to remind their players where the goal was.

🏴‍☠️ Streaming and broadcast companies reportedly lost more than US$150 million in revenue for the Tyson Fury v Oleksandr Usyk heavyweight world title fight due to piracy.

According to analysis conducted by online intelligence company Yield Sec, at least 20 million fight fans around the world watched Usyk unify the world heavyweight boxing titles in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - for free - a report by The Daily Mail claims.

🏎️ Lando Norris says has said it was "about time" Max Verstappen "felt a bit of nerves again" at the front of F1 and, in a change of mindset, the McLaren driver will not be underestimating the team's prospects any longer ahead of a Monaco Grand Prix which could yet open up F1's title fight.

Norris heads into F1's most famous event on the back of the best sequence of results of his career having finished in the top-two in each of the past three grands prix, a run which included his maiden victory ahead of Verstappen in Miami.

🏆 FA Cup Final: In a replay of last season’s FA Cup Final which saw City win a tight contest courtesy of an Ilkay Gundogan double either side of a Bruno Fernandes penalty.

Between them they have played in 33 combined FA Cup Finals, with United featuring in 22 of them, winning 12.

Meanwhile, City have seven FA Cup wins to their name, with the first coming in 1904 and three since their big money takeover in 2009.

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TODAY 

06:00 - PGA TOUR - Charles Schwab Challenge, Round 1 - Fox Sports

10:00 - NBA Conference Finals - Boston Celtics v Indiana Pacers - ESPN

10:30 - NHL Conference Finals - Dallas Stars v Edmonton Oilers - ESPN 2

17:05 - Super Rugby Pacific - Chiefs v Hurricanes - Stan Sport

17:15 - Men's All-Stars Friendly - A-Leagues All Stars Men v Newcastle United - 10 Bold, Paramount+

18:00 - NRL - North Queensland Cowboys v Wests Tigers - Fox League

19:35 - Super Rugby Pacific - Brumbies v Rebels - Stan Sport

20:00 - NRL - Manly Sea Eagles v Melbourne Storm - Fox League, Channel 9

20:05 - Women's All-Stars Friendly - A-Leagues All Stars Women v Arsenal Women - 10 Bold, Paramount+

20:10 - AFL - Fremantle Dockers v Collingwood Magpies - Fox Footy, 7mate

00:00 - Indian Premier League Qualifier - Sunrisers Hyderabad v TBC - Fox Cricket

SATURDAY

06:00 - PGA TOUR - Charles Schwab Challenge, Round 2 - Fox Sports

10:00 - NHL Conference Finals - New York Rangers v Florida Panthers - ESPN 2

10:30 - NBA Conference Finals - Minnesota Timberwolves v Dallas Mavericks - ESPN

12:40 - NSW Cup - Canberra Raiders NSW Cup v Sydney Roosters NSW Cup - Fox League

13:45 - AFL - North Melbourne Kangaroos v Port Adelaide Power - Fox Sports

13:45 - AFL - Carlton Blues v Gold Coast Suns - Fox Footy

14:35 - Super Rugby Pacific - Moana Pasifika v NSW Waratahs - Stan Sport

15:00 - NRL - Canberra Raiders v Sydney Roosters - Fox League

15:05 - Shute Shield - Stan Sport

16:35 - AFL - Geelong Cats v GWS Giants - Fox Footy

17:05 - Super Rugby Pacific - Crusaders v Blues - Stan Sport

17:30 - NRL - Cronulla Sharks v Penrith Panthers - Fox League

19:35 - NRL - South Sydney Rabbitohs v Parramatta Eels - Fox League

19:35 - Super Rugby Pacific - Queensland Reds v Western Force - GEM, Stan Sport

19:40 - AFL - Richmond Tigers v Essendon Bombers - Fox Footy, 7mate

19:45 - A-League Men Grand Final - Central Coast Mariners v Melbourne Victory - Channel 10, Paramount+

23:30 - T20 Series - England v Pakistan - Fox Cricket

00:00 - Formula 1 Monaco - Formula 1 Monaco Qualifying, Round 8 - Fox Sports

00:00 - FA Cup Final - Manchester City v Manchester United - Paramount+

00:00 - Scottish Cup Final - Celtic v Rangers - Paramount+

SUNDAY

00:15 - Spanish La Liga - Real Sociedad v Atletico Madrid - Optus Sport 2

02:00 - AFC Champions League Final - Al Ain v Yokohama F. Marinos - Paramount+

03:00 - PGA TOUR - Charles Schwab Challenge, Round 3 - Fox Sports

04:00 - DFB-Pokal Final - Kaiserslautern v Bayer Leverkusen - Optus Sport

05:00 - Spanish La Liga - Real Madrid v Real Betis - Optus Sport 2

10:00 - NHL Conference Finals - Dallas Stars v Edmonton Oilers - ESPN 2

10:30 - NBA Conference Finals - Indiana Pacers v Boston Celtics - ESPN

12:05 - Super Rugby Pacific - Highlanders v Fijian Drua - Stan Sport

13:10 - AFL - Hawthorn v Brisbane Lions - Fox Footy

14:00 - NRL - Brisbane Broncos v Gold Coast Titans - Fox League

15:20 - AFL - Melbourne Demons v St. Kilda Saints - Fox Sports

16:05 - NRL - Warriors v Dolphins - Fox League, Channel 9

16:40 - AFL - Adelaide Crows v West Coast Eagles - Fox Footy

23:00 - Formula 1 Monaco Race, Round 8 - Fox Sports