G'day sports fans,

Classic quote: "Strangely, in slow motion replay, the ball seemed to sail through the air for even longer." - Peter Landy

🐴 The Sport Journal Horse - Station One - has been nominated for Kyneton on Thursday - Race 5. Hoping he can show some maturity this time out.

🇦🇺 Aussie Sport

The curtain raiser, set to attract a crowd of around 80,000 at the MCG, will be a re-run of the 2021 Grand Final with reigning Premiers Melbourne taking on the Western Bulldogs.

Melbourne prevailed by 74 points in last year’s Grand Final, snapping a 57-year Premiership drought.

Check out the line-ups for tonight's season-opener between Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs

• Each of Melbourne's last five matches have gone OVER the total match points line. (159.5)

• The Western Bulldogs have lost 12 of their last 13 matches against reigning premiers.

• Ben Brown has kicked 2+ goals in seven of Melbourne's last eight matches. ($1.62)

🏏 Pakistan are tasked with producing a record fourth-innings run chase to pull off an extraordinary win against Australia on the final day of the second Test, but captain Babar Azam has led the way in keeping the mission alive.

Pakistan are 2-192 at stumps on day four and require another 314 runs to clinch victory, after Azam ended a streak of 20 century-less innings en route to reaching stumps on 102.

Pakistan's target is 506 and the highest successful fourth-innings chase in a Test in Pakistan is 314, achieved by the host nation against Australia in Karachi in 1994.

🇦🇺 Sydney superstar Lance Franklin has downplayed any celebrations following his 1000th goal, saying he hasn't given the impending milestone much thought yet.

Franklin needs five goals against Greater Western Sydney on Saturday at Accor Stadium Australia to become the sixth man to reach the historic figure.

"I think, once it is done, celebrating with the people that have been on the journey with me - my family, my close friends and the football club."

Sydney plays Geelong at the SCG in round two on Friday, March 25. (AFL)

⛳️ ICYMI: Cameron Smith claimed the biggest win of his career as a Players Championship that featured storm delays and near freezing temperatures concluded in warm sunshine at TPC Sawgrass on Tuesday AEDT.

He became the fifth Australian to win the PGA Tour's flagship event and took home $3.6m, the largest prize in golf.

Smith holed 10 birdies in a six-under-par 66 to win on 13 under, one ahead of India's Anirban Lahiri in Florida.

🏉 Storm v Rabbitohs: Storm stars return; Mitchell back for Souths (match preview)

The Storm had their work cut out for them against Wests Tigers in round one while the Rabbitohs were stung by an improved Broncos outfit.

• Melbourne has won each of its 17 previous matches against South Sydney in Melbourne.

• Latrell Mitchell has scored at least one try in five of his last six appearances.

🏏 Australia continued their march towards the Women's World Cup semi-finals with a seven-wicket demolition of West Indies in Wellington.

West Indies were hustled out for only 131, with Ellyse Perry and Ash Gardner claiming three wickets each.

Opener Rachael Haynes made an unbeaten 83 as Australia chased their target with 19.4 overs to spare.

🌍 World Sport

🐴 Fans returned to the Cheltenham Festival after missing 2021 Festival because of Covid-19, where Irish runners beat British trainers 23-5.

It was a good day for Trainer Nicky Henderson and Jockey Nico De Boinville, who bagged two winners in the Supreme Novices Hurdle: Constitution Hill (3.25F) and the Mares' Hurdle: Marie's Rock (19.0).

Super-Mare Honeysuckle retained her Champion Hurdle title for Rachael Blackmore and Henry de Bromhead.

Tomorrow sees Siskin (1.90) take on all comers in the Champion Chase. While, I can't wait to see Willie Mullins' Facile Vega come up the hill in the Champion Bumper. (although they'll have to run better than they did today)

⛳️ Sweden's Henrik Stenson will lead Europe's attempt to regain the Ryder Cup against the United States at Marco Simone in Rome in 2023.

The 45-year-old was a vice-captain to Padraig Harrington last September when Europe lost by a record 19-9 margin.

⚽️ Christian Eriksen has been named in Denmark's squad for the first time since his cardiac arrest while playing at Euro 2020 last summer.

🏈 Aaron Rodgers officially signs contract extension; Packers QB to earn $150.8M over next three years.

🏈 Buffalo Bills owner and fracking mogul Terry Pegula (worth $7B) previously threatened to move the team to Austin, Texas, if they did not receive public funding for a new stadium.

And it looks like that threat worked, with the New York Post reporting that Governor Kathy Hochul is “expected to announce in the next several days a deal in which New York State and Erie County agree to pay nearly $1 billion toward a new $1.4 billion stadium that will be located next to the current one.”

🏀 Karl-Anthony Towns had a career-high 60 points — the most scored in the NBA this season — and the Minnesota Timberwolves outlasted the San Antonio Spurs 149-139 on Tuesday (AEDT).

⚽️ Lionel Messi's father and agent Jorge has called Barcelona to discuss whether the 34-year-old Argentina forward can return after leaving last summer for Paris St-Germain. (90min)

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TODAY

⚽️ 07:00 - UEFA Champions League Man United v Atletico Madrid & Ajax v Benfica (Stand Sport)

🏀 09:30 - NCAA Tournament First Four (ESPN)

🎾 12:00 - ATP 100 & WTA 1000: Indian Wells Day 7 (BEIN Sports)

🏒 13:30 - NHL Ice Hockey Sharks v Panthers (ESPN 2)

🏏 16:00 - Test Cricket PAK v AUS: 2nd Test, Day 5

🏉 18:30 - NRL 360 (Fox League)

🇦🇺 19:10 - AFL Premiership Season Demons v Bulldogs (Fox Footy & 7)

⚽️ 19:35 - A-League Adelaide United v Wanderers (Paramount+)

THURSDAY

⚽️ 06:30 - English Premier League Brighton v Tottenham (Optus Sport 2)

🎾 07:00 - ATP World Tour Masters 1000 ATP 1000: Indian Wells Day 7 (Bein Sports 1)

⚽️ 07:00 - UEFA Champions League Juventus v Villarreal & Lille v Chelsea (Stan Sport)

⚽️ 07:15 - English Premier League Arsenal v Liverpool (Optus Sport 3)

🏀 09:30 - NCAA Tournament (ESPN)

🏀 13:00 - NBA Warriors v Celtics (ESPN2)

🇦🇺 19:25 - AFL Premiership Season Blues v Tigers (Fox Footy & 7)

🏀 19:30 - NBL Hawks v Phoenix (ESPN)

🏉 20:05 - NRL Storm v Rabbitohs (Fox League & 9)

⛳️ 21:30 - DP World Tour Steyn City Championship R1 (Fox Sports 3)