🗞 Low and Slow

G’day Sports Fans,

🗣️ “Obviously a bit disappointed, letting my fam(ily), my state, just my teammates down. I feel like that’s really the toughest thing about it. Just got to move on from now.”- Joseph Suaalii on becoming only the sixth player to be sent off in an Origin game.

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Aussie Sports News

🏏 icymi: Australia overcame an early wobble to beat Oman comfortably by 39 runs in their opening match at the T20 World Cup in Barbados.

Australia were 50-3 in the ninth over when captain Mitchell Marsh and Glenn Maxwell fell in consecutive balls.

But Marcus Stoinis capitalised on being dropped on seven, 11 and 65 to club 67 not out from 35 balls and lift his side to 164-5.

He shared a stand of 102 with David Warner, who played the anchor role for 56 to begin what is set to be his final World Cup.

After Mitchell Starc struck in the first over, Stoinis then took 3-19 in the chase as Oman, beaten in a super over by Namibia in their first game, finished on 125-9.

🩼 Negative: Mitchell Starc came off early with an apparent calf injury.

📺 Sun 03:00: Australia v England (Barbados)

A low and slow Barbados wicket block that will see heavy traffic in the first round could impact selection for both sides’ attack.

"I think we saw today that the bowler who got a few to kick was the guy who was bowling medium pace – me.” - Marcus Stoinis

⚽️ Nestory Irankunda made his Socceroos debut in a 2-0 World Cup qualifying win against Bangladesh in Dhaka. The 18-year-old, bound for Bayern Munich, struggled to make a major impact but assisted in the first goal, which deflected off a defender.

Kusini Yengi scored the second goal with a header from Jordy Bos' cross. Australia dominated possession but created few chances in challenging conditions.

They face Palestine next in Perth, having secured a spot in the third qualifying round.

🏉 Hollywood producers will surely come calling should the Rebels upset the Hurricanes in the opening round of the Super Rugby Pacific finals in Wellington on Saturday.

The Rebels licence to play in Super Rugby will not be extended beyond this season due to financial difficulties and whether they lose in the playoffs - or win the title - the men's club will be dissolved.

Uphill battle: Hurricanes have won their last 11 consecutive Super Rugby games against the Melbourne Rebels by an average margin of 26 points per game.

📺 Sat 14:35 - Hurricanes v Rebels (Stan Sport)

🐴 After three months away from racing, premiership-winning jockey David Pires is set to make his return in Hobart on Sunday.

Pires' last race ride was in early March, with a forced absence from the saddle arising due to a trackwork incident at Five Mile Beach.

"I broke five ribs, ribs eight through to twelve on the left-hand side.”

Pires is easing his way back into race riding, accepting just the one ride aboard Furneaux in the 1100m 0-62 on Sunday.

"I'll be taking a few heavy rides initially while I try to get a bit more weight off."

NRL News

❌ Joseph Suaali'i's State of Origin career could be over after just seven minutes of action unless he one day returns to the NRL (he’s to play rugby union from 2025), with the NSW star facing a four-game ban for the shot that knocked out Reece Walsh.

With an early guilty plea he won't be able to play before teams are picked for Origin III on July 17.

If he challenges his grade-two reckless high tackle charge, he will receive a five-match ban.

🙋🏼‍♀️ Lauren Brown's field goal, scored with just two minutes remaining, secured a thrilling 11-10 victory for the Maroons in a memorable State of Origin clash in Newcastle.

Despite trailing by six points with only 10 minutes left, Queensland rallied in front of a record women's Origin crowd of 25,782, showcasing their resilience to keep the series alive.

"That was one of the greatest moments in the maroons colours." - Ali Brigginshaw.

The deciding Game 3 is Thursday 27th June.

AFL News

🏟️ Match report: Richmond secured its second win of the season with an eight-point upset victory over Adelaide at Adelaide Oval. After trailing by one point at halftime, the Tigers dominated the third quarter with six goals, ultimately winning 12.7 (79) to 10.11 (71).

The win, their first since round three, dealt a blow to Adelaide's hopes, leaving them 10 points behind the top eight with just four wins in 13 rounds.

✍🏼 Interest is growing around Gold Coast Suns' free agent Ben Ainsworth as clubs like Adelaide, Carlton, Port Adelaide, and Melbourne look to bolster their front half.

Meanwhile, Hawthorn's Blake Hardwick is being linked to Collingwood and North Melbourne, with ex-mentors Alastair Clarkson and Craig McRae keen on potentially recruiting him.

🗣️ North Melbourne coach Alastair Clarkson attributes his recent bench rant to the persistent stress stemming from his team's struggles and the ongoing Hawthorn racism saga. He confirmed his return to the coach's box for the remainder of the season, acknowledging that he is actively working with a sports psychologist to manage his emotions better.

Despite avoiding sanctions for an expletive-laden outburst during a match against Port Adelaide in round 11, an AFL investigation could not ascertain if it was directed towards match officials.

Not Sport

Dream Job Alert: A Queensland man has been chosen as Domino's next pizza hand model after a nationwide search.

Matt Strain, a high school teacher from Logan, was selected for the $100 per hour job out of more than 100 applicants.

The 39-year-old will also get to taste test the food while he works on the latest campaign.

⚽️ As Man City sue the Premier League, their odds to be relegated have been slashed from $2000.0 to just $16.0. Rumours are circulating that, they could be docked up to 80 (eighty) points.

While Wolverhampton Wanderers failed to receive any support from other teams in the Premier League in their bid to get VAR scrapped, with clubs voting 19-1 to keep the video assistant.

🏎️ Canadian GP: Two weeks after one of the least eventful Formula 1 races in recent memory, it’s time to take the bad taste out of our mouths with some action from Canada.

The good news heading into the ninth event of the season is that the competition is finally alive and well with Max Verstappen getting a proper challenge from Ferrari and McLaren.

Hometown hero Charles Leclerc took the top spot on the podium for his maiden race win of the year in Monaco and it helped close the gap on the Dutch maestro in the world championship standings.

In 2023 it was Verstappen cruising to victory at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve and he will go into the race as the hot favourite.

🎾 Iga Swiatek continued her dominance over Coco Gauff to reach the French Open final and move closer to a third straight title at Roland Garros.

World number one Swiatek will face Italian 12th seed Jasmine Paolini in Saturday's final.

🎾 There’s growing speculation that Novak Djokovic’s recent injury could be a career-killer. With the player admitting he had been playing on anti-inflammatories for ‘a few tournaments’.

Djokovic last retired at a Grand Slam during the 2019 US Open, when a shoulder problem forced him to quit against Stan Wawrinka in the last 16.

However Djokovic confirmed on Thursday that he had to get surgery done on his right knee that he aggravated during the fourth round of the French Open. The Serb added that the procedure"went well".

He now faces a race against time to be fit for Wimbledon, which begins July 1. Djokovic is a seven-time winner at the All England Club, one shy of Roger Federer’s record.

🏏 Uganda captain Brian Masaba said it "doesn't get more special than this" after his side beat Papua New Guinea (by 3 wickets) to earn their first win at a T20 World Cup.

🏀 The Los Angeles Lakers are targeting Connecticut’s Dan Hurley to become the franchise’s next coach and are preparing a massive, long-term contract offer to bring the back-to-back national champion to the NBA, according to ESPN.

👊🏻 UFC 303 is a little over three weeks away, and it also marks the comeback of fan-favourite and mixed martial arts legend Conor McGregor, who will take on Michael Chandler in a highly anticipated main event. 

CEO Dana White has spoken on McGregor’s reported partying just weeks out from the fight (watch on Twitter):

“I will tell you this, and I never like to compare people to Muhammed Ali because he is like the best, but I don’t give a f *** what anybody says, Ali and Conor are both level when it comes to mental warfare. They are the two best of all time when it comes to mental warfare.” 

TODAY 

04:00 - PGA TOUR - The Memorial Tournament, Round 1 (Fox Sports)

10:30 - NBA Finals - Boston Celtics v Dallas Mavericks (ESPN)

17:05 - Super Rugby Pacific Quarter-Final - Chiefs v Queensland Reds (Stan Sport)

19:40 - AFL - Western Bulldogs v Brisbane Lions (Fox Footy, 7mate)

20:00 - NRL - St. George Illawarra Dragons v Wests Tigers (Fox League, Channel 9)

SATURDAY

04:00 - PGA TOUR - The Memorial Tournament, Round 2 (Fox Sports)

04:05 - T20 Blast - Northants Steelbacks v Worcestershire Rapids (Fox Cricket)

09:00 - Major League Baseball - MLB Strike Zone (ESPN)

13:45 - AFL - Hawthorn v GWS Giants (Fox Footy, Channel 7)

14:35 - Super Rugby Pacific Quarter-Final - Hurricanes v Rebels (Stan Sport)

15:00 - NRL - Gold Coast Titans v South Sydney Rabbitohs (Fox League)

16:35 - AFL - West Coast Eagles v North Melb. Kangaroos (Fox Footy)

17:05 - Super Rugby Pacific Quarter-Final - Blues v Fijian Drua (Stan Sport)

17:30 - NRL - North Queensland Cowboys v Warriors (Fox League)

19:30 - AFL - St. Kilda Saints v Gold Coast Suns (Fox Footy)

19:35 - NRL - Brisbane Broncos v Cronulla Sharks (Fox League)

19:35 - Super Rugby Pacific Quarter-Final - Brumbies v Highlanders (GEM, Stan Sport)

00:00 - Premiership Rugby Final - Northampton Saints v Bath Rugby (Stan Sport)

00:00 - Challenge Cup Final - Warrington Wolves v Wigan Warriors (Fox League)

SUNDAY

02:30 - PGA TOUR - The Memorial Tournament, Round 3 (Fox Sports)

02:45 - Friendly - Portugal v Croatia (Optus Sport 6)

03:00 - T20 World Cup - Australia v England (Amazon Prime)

03:10 - MLB - New York Mets v Philadelphia Phillies (ESPN)

10:00 - NHL Stanley Cup Finals - Florida Panthers v Edmonton Oilers (ESPN)

14:00 - NRL - Melbourne Storm v Newcastle Knights (Fox League)

15:20 - AFL - Sydney Swans v Geelong Cats (Fox Footy, 7mate)

16:05 - NRL - Penrith Panthers v Manly Sea Eagles (Fox League, Channel 9)

19:20 - AFL - Essendon Bombers v Carlton Blues (Fox Footy, 7mate)