🗞 Kings of the Jungle

August 04, 2020

G'day sports fans,

In homage to the first major of the year starting this week, here are some of my favourite golf expressions.

An OJ Simpson: When you hit a bad golf shot and somehow get away with it.

Worm Burner: A shot that goes very low and along the ground which nearly takes off the heads of worms.

An Adolf Hitler: When you take two shots in a bunker.

A Danny DeVito: When you hit a golf shot that is short, fat and ugly.

In today's edition of Sport Journal:

🇦🇺 Tigers are back + Previews

🏉 Super League swap deal + Previews

⚽️ Richest game in Football + A-League club for sale

⚽️ LIVE (90'): Brentford 0-0 Fulham: Fulham have had the best of it so far (58%) possession but Brentford have come into it, in the last 10 minutes. Looks to be going to extra-time.

The London rivals go head-to-head with $312m EPL spot on the line.

🇦🇺 AFL

Premier Richmond has shown its class to defeat Brisbane on Tuesday night

Wednesday Previews

Geelong Cats (1.37) v North Melbourne (3.10): The Cats are in real danger of now slipping out of the eight now, but as the market suggests, they should have no trouble bouncing back against one of the league’s worst sides. North has lost each of their last five games against Geelong dating back to 2015, four of which have come by 20-points or more.

Adelaide Crows (3.10) v Melbourne (1.37): The Dees are one of several teams looking to bounce-back this week and they have a great opportunity to do so against the winless Crows. Melbourne has won three of their last five meetings against the Crows and the stats also suggest the Dees should get the job done.

Thursday Previews

Collingwood (1.37) v Sydney Swans (3.10): Collingwood’s fall from grace continued last week in their loss to Fremantle as they now face an uphill battle to rejoin the eight. Seven points or less have separated these two sides in their last three meetings.

Gold Coast Suns (2.60) v St Kilda (1.50): The Suns find themselves with plenty of work left to do after suffering back-to-back losses. St Kilda has now won three games in a row over the Crows, Port and Swans to move within a stone’s throw of the Lions and Power on the table.

🏉 NRL

Paul Gallen has backed a mooted player swap between out of favour Dragons five-eighth Corey Norman and form...

Thursday Night Preview: Dragons (4.25) v Roosters (1.22): Norman dropped; Flanagan out. Roosters have won 6 of their last 8 night matches by 13+ pts (2.10). Matthew Dufty has scored at least one try in each of his last 6 home appearances (3.30)

Melbourne Storm have signed Ricky Leutele from the Toronto Wolfpack for the rest of the 2020 NRL season.

🐴 Racing

⛳️ Golf

First Major of the Season: US PGA

Venue: TPC Harding Park, San Francisco, California.

Course Details: Par 70, 7,234 yards.

TV: This Friday 6am (AEST) Fox Sports

Last 5 winners and approximate odds:

  • 2019 - Brooks Koepka -8 (11.0)

  • 2018 - Brooks Koepka -16 (20.0)

  • 2017 - Justin Thomas -8 (50.0)

  • 2016 - Jimmy Walker -14 (200.0)

  • 2015 - Jason Day -20 (14.00)

Bombers have won the last six US PGA Championships and given Freddie 'Boom Boom' Couples scooted up here on the Champions Tour, that Rory McIlroy beat Gary Woodland in the final of the match play here, and that big hitters, Tiger Woods and John Daly, fought out the finish to the WGC event here in 2005, we can probably expect length to be a huge factor again this week.

Stat:17 of the last 20 winners having already won an event in the season prior to success in the US PGA Championship.

Tiger Woods in confident mood for first major of year at US PGA (Guardian)

Sport Journal's 3 against the field:

  • Brooks Keopka (10.0)

  • Xander Schauffele (20.0)

  • Shane Lowry (80.0)

*ignoring my own stat 🤦🏻‍♂️

⚽️ Football

Yours for $4 million

The Central Coast Mariners may have played their last game in the A-League, with a relocation potentially on the cards after club owner Mike Charlesworth declared he was putting them up for sale.

Chief executive Shaun Mielekamp remains "optimistic" but conceded that could mean they are moved elsewhere.

The Mariners will again claim the wooden spoon this season.

While the FFA could technically reclaim their licence for finishing last in four out of the last six seasons, A-League chief Greg O'Rourke said in February that it would not do so. (TheAge)

The Wollongong Wolves would be ready to take on the Central Coast A-League licence if a buyer cannot be found.

I'm starting a rumour that Usain Bolt is putting leading a consortium to buy the club who will play half of their home games in Jamaica.

26 days, 19 games - The Return of European Football

The Champions League and Europa League resume this week.

With 26 games over two and a half weeks, it is a feast of European football - and Juventus' five-time Champions League winner Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, four times a winner with Barcelona, will both feature.

It all culminates with the Champions League final in Lisbon on 23 August, two days after the Europa League final in Cologne.

Europa League: 5/6th August (BST): remaining last-16 ties.

Champions League: Last-16 ties to finish (first-leg score) (BST dates)

  • 7 August: Manchester City v Real Madrid (2-1); Juventus v Lyon (0-1)

  • 8 August: Bayern Munich v Chelsea (3-0); Barcelona v Napoli (1-1);

🏈 Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson buys bankrupt XFL league

On HBO’s Ballers, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson plays a former NFL player who ends up buying a team. Johnson is now poised to take it a step further in reality, as he is part of a group likely buying the XFL.

Johnson is teaming up with his ex-wife and a top sports management company (RedBird) to buy the bankrupt XFL football league for $15 million. (cnn)

📺 Live sport

Wednesday

⚽️ 04:45 - Championship Play-Off Final - Brentford v Fulham (BeIN Sports 2)

🏀 06:00 - NBA - Phoenix Suns v Los Angeles Clippers (ESPN 1)

🏀 08:30 - NBA - Boston Celtics v Miami Heat (ESPN 1)

🏀 11:00 - NBA - Houston Rockets v Portland Trail Blazers (ESPN 1)

⚾️ 12:10 - MLB - Seattle Mariners v Los Angeles Angels (Sky Sports 3)

🇦🇺 17:40 - AFL - Geelong Cats v North Melb. Kangaroos (Fox Footy or Kayo Sports)

⚽️ 18:00 - A-League - Wellington Phoenix v Brisbane Roar (Fox Sports)

🏏 20:00 - England v Pakistan (Fox Cricket)

🇦🇺 20:10 - AFL - Adelaide Crows v Melbourne Demons (Fox Footy or Kayo Sports)

Thursday

🏀 08:30 - NBA - Oklahoma City Thunder v Los Angeles Lakers (ESPN 1)

🏒 08:30 - NHL - Dallas Stars v Colorado Avalanche (ESPN 2)

⚾️ 08:40 - MLB - Tampa Bay Rays v Boston Red Sox (Sky Sports 3)

🏀 10:00 - NBA - Orlando Magic v Toronto Raptors (SBS Viceland)

⚽️ 10:00 - MLS Semi-Final - Philadelphia Union v Portland Timbers (BeIN Sports 1)

🏀 11:00 - NBA - Brooklyn Nets v Boston Celtics (ESPN 1)

⚾️ 11:10 - MLB - Arizona Diamondbacks v Houston Astros (ESPN 2)

⚾️ 11:10 - MLB - San Diego Padres v Los Angeles Dodgers (Sky Sports 3)

🇦🇺 17:40 - AFL - Collingwood Magpies v Sydney Swans (Fox Footy or Kayo Sports or 7mate)

⚽️ 19:30 - A-League - Adelaide United v Sydney FC (Fox Sports More)

🏉 19:50 - NRL - St George Illawarra Dragons v Sydney Roosters (Fox League or Kayo Sports or Nine)

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

🇦🇺 20:10 - AFL - Gold Coast Suns v St Kilda Saints (Fox Footy or Kayo Sports or 7mate)

⛳️ 20:30 - European Tour, English Championship, Round 1 (Fox Sports)