🗞 Long and Straight

G’day Sports Fans,

🗣️ Classic quote: “This is really a lovely horse, I once rode her mother.” - Racehorse Trainer Ted Walsh.

📧 P.S. First time reading? Subscribe here for free.

🏉 Magic Round is here as the entire NRL gathers in Brisbane for eight Suncorp Stadium clashes. Everyone apart from the Dragons who have the weekend off.

There will be some key clashes including the Sea Eagles facing the Broncos on Friday night and the Sharks taking on the Roosters on Saturday evening. (TEAM NEWS)

• Sharks: A huge boost for the ladder leaders with Nicho Hynes named.

• Roosters: Hooker Brandon Smith returns after missing Round 10 with a calf injury.

• Rabbitohs: Prolific tryscorer Alex Johnston returns from a hamstring injury.

• Panthers: Jarome Luai will take over at halfback in the absence of Nathan Cleary (hamstring).

🇦🇺 A fan has been suspended for the rest of the season by the AFL after an incident with West Coast player Harvey Johnston at the weekend.

Justin Witcombe - a lifelong Collingwood member - leaned over the fence and grabbed Johnston during the fourth quarter of the Magpies' clash with the Eagles.

The supporter's ban is 12 months in total, with six months suspended. Collingwood has also cancelled his membership for the remainder of 2024.

🏉 The issues surrounding Kalyn Ponga's third-party deal have been resolved, despite rumours swirling that the Sydney Roosters could be interested in the Knights captain.

The Sydney Morning Herald reported the concerns over Ponga's agreement with Blake Cannavo no longer remain after a meeting was held last week.

However, according to the same report, Newcastle officials are concerned Ponga's father Andre's approach to the third-party deal was an attempt to push for an early release from his multi-million dollar deal with the club. (Fox)

🏉 Storm captain Harry Grant was cleared of a Dangerous Contact charge, despite an NRL judiciary hearing determining that the contact he made with the kicking leg of Sharks five-eighth Daniel Atkinson was dangerous.

Grant, who was sin binned over the incident, successfully defended the Grade 1 charge at Tuesday night’s tribunal hearing. (Fox)

🏄🏻‍♀️ Australia have won the world junior surfing championships.

Australia’s team, called the Irukandjis, won the ISA world junior championships in El Salvador in a dominant performance that included gold medals to Dane Henry and Ziggy Aloha Mackenzie.

The triumph has been overshadowed by a shocking moment involving Australian competitor Willow Hardy when she was targeted by a rival in the U18 women’s repechage.

She took off on a wave, only to have Portgual’s Erica Maximo White surf across her path and deliberately run interference.

Maximo even attempted to push Hardy off her surfboard, yelled abuse at her and tried to grab the leash attached to her board. (CarveMag)

🎾 Stefanos Tsitsipas continued his domination of Aussie Alex de Minaur with a 6-1, 6-2 win at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia. The Greek raced through a 23-minute opening set and never looked back in a supreme display of clay-court tennis that mixed patience with power at all the right moments.

⚽️ If Tottenham Hotspur win or draw against Manchester City on (k.o. 5am today), it could help their rivals Arsenal win the Premier League title. And some Spurs fans are feeling conflicted.

On the one hand, Ange Postecoglou’s side are chasing Champions League football. A win would put them two points behind fourth-placed Aston Villa, with one more game to go. 

But on the other, a win would also leave their fierce rivals Arsenal - chasing their first Premier League title in 20 years - one point ahead of City at the top with one match left. Even a draw would leave Arsenal ahead on goal difference.

If Spurs lose, Pep Guardiola’s side will go two points clear at the top of the table, needing a win against West Ham on Sunday to secure a record fourth consecutive title.

Responding to reporters on Monday, Spurs boss Postecoglou said he will “never understand if someone wants their own team to lose.”

⛳️US PGA CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW: The 2024 US PGA Championship returns to the Valhalla Golf Club, Kentucky, as Major Championship golf returns this May.

Freshly renovated, Valhalla will welcome the strongest field in Major Championship golf. Last seen in 2014 when Rory McIlroy [who today announced he had filed for divorce from his wife of seven years] defeated Phil Mickelson virtually in the dark by a single shot, Valhalla is set to be a great PGA Championship venue.

Driving it long and reasonably straight should be important because that club will be in use a lot – there's even a short par-four to go at. If that sounds a little like another long, championship par 71 played just last week, it should: McIlroy loves Quail Hollow for that reason.

STAT: Since 2010 only two US PGA winners finished outside of the Top 20 in their previous tournament. (Mickelson 2021, JT 2017, Martin Kaymer 2010), and, only 50% finished outside the Top 10.

Three guys that won their last event; S. Sheffler ($5.50), R. McIlroy ($8.50), B. Koepka ($15.0).

LIV chances: Trying to pretend LIV golfers are losing a competitive edge while counting their cash is folly and Brooks Koepka showed that when winning last year's US PGA.

Koepka has to be a factor again at around $15.0 but at twice the price I like his fellow LIV defector, Bryson DeChambeau $31.0.

It's broadly true that major leaderboards tend to be populated by the same cast list when looking over a three-or-four year period and DeChambeau is definitely one of the current ensemble.

• Picks: S. Sheffler ($5.50), B. DeChambeau ($31.0), T. Pendrith ($200.0)

🏈 Super Bowl champions the Kansas City Chiefs will begin the defence of their title against the Baltimore Ravens at Arrowhead Stadium on Thursday, 5 September.

The NFL announced the 2024 season will start with a rematch of January's AFC championship game, which the Chiefs won 17-10.

The NFL had already confirmed it will stage its first game in Brazil on the opening weekend, with the Philadelphia Eagles facing the Green Bay Packers in Sao Paulo on 6 September.

The rest of the 2024 season schedule will be announced on Thursday 10am AEST.

⚽️ Saudi Pro League clubs are lining up to sign Manchester United's Brazil midfielder Casemiro, 32, and 29-year-old Portugal midfielder Bruno Fernandes.

While it’s been confirmed that Raphael Varane will leave the club when his contract runs out at the end of the season.

🥊 Like Father like Son: Tyson Fury's father was injured in a fracas with members of Oleksandr Usyk’s camp as the build-up to Saturday’s undisputed world heavyweight contest got under way in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

John Fury was left with blood running from a cut on his forehead as security separated the rival entourages.

Speaking to Sky Sports afterwards, John Fury said: "They were disrespecting my son, the best ever heavyweight to wear a pair of boxing gloves.”

If you didn’t know; In 2011, Fury was found guilty of gouging a man's eye out in a brawl in 2010. He was handed an 11-year sentence.

🏏 First ball of the British Summer. Eight slips in close.. what a grab. ⬇️

🏉 New Zealand captain Sam Cane will retire from international rugby at the end of 2024 after signing a three-year deal with Japanese side Suntory Sungoliath.

🏀 In the aftermath of his cardiac arrest and a procedure to repair a congenital heart defect nine months ago, USC's Bronny James has been medically cleared to be drafted by the NBA's Fitness to Play Panel.

🏈 The Detroit Lions are signing quarterback Jared Goff to a four-year, $212 million contract extension that includes $170 million guaranteed.

The deal makes the 2016 No. 1 pick the highest-paid player in franchise history.

TODAY 

05:00 - Premier League - Tottenham v Manchester City (Optus Sport 1)
05:30 - Spanish La Liga - Real Madrid v Deportivo Alaves (Optus Sport 2)
06:00 - Spanish La Liga - Girona v Villarreal (Optus Sport 3)
09:00 - NHL Conference Semifinals - Florida Panthers v Boston Bruins (ESPN 2)
11:30 - NHL Conference Semifinals - Edmonton Oilers v Vancouver Canucks (ESPN 2)
12:30 - NBA Conference Semifinals - Denver Nuggets v Minnesota Timberwolves (ESPN)
00:00 - Indian Premier League - Rajasthan Royals v Punjab Kings (Fox Cricket)

THURSDAY

03:00 - NBA - NBA Draft Combine, Day 4 (ESPN 2)
04:45 - Premier League - Brighton & Hove Albion v Chelsea (Optus Sport 5)
05:00 - Premier League - Manchester United v Newcastle United (Optus Sport 6)
09:00 - NBA Conference Semifinals - Boston Celtics v Cleveland Cavaliers (ESPN)
10:00 - NHL Conference Semifinals - Dallas Stars v Colorado Avalanche (ESPN 2)
11:30 - NBA Conference Semifinals - Oklahoma City Thunder v Dallas Mavericks (ESPN)
11:45 - MLB - San Francisco Giants v Los Angeles Dodgers (ESPN 2)
19:30 - AFL - Gold Coast Suns v Geelong Cats (Fox Footy or 7mate)