G'day sports fans,

Classic quote: "I don't need any stitches or surgery because the end of my toe was burnt when it was grinding on the road in the crash and that sealed the wound." - Hard-as-nails Australian MotoGP rider Chris Vermeulen.

In today's edition of Sport Journal:

⛳️ Woods v Mickelson 2, is on

🏝 NRL players open to island option

🐴 Big weekend of racing

🐴 Racing

Inglis to hold test online auction

Inglis will conduct a test online auction tomorrow to assist bidders unfamiliar with the platform ahead of next week’s Australian Easter Yearling Sale which will be conducted solely via the company’s website due to the coronavirus outbreak.

“This test auction on Friday will give them and everybody a chance to trial the software, get a feel for how the online auction platform works and make themselves comfortable so when the Easter Sale goes live at 10am Sunday morning, everybody will know how the process works and how simple it is.’’

TAB opened McDonald as the $1.40 favourite to win his first Nathan Berry medal since 2014

Kiwi star James McDonald is shorter odds to win another Nathan Berry Medal than any horse punters are likely to see run in this year's The Championships at Randwick.

The medal is judged on a 3-2-1 score basis from feature races across the two days of racing and McDonald holds an enviable book of rides across both meetings.(racenet)

History beckons as Bobbing chases double

More in the mould of family pet than racehorse, Bobbing is in line to achieve a feat that may never be replicated when he tackles the Country Championships Final at Randwick.

Twelve months ago, Bobbing won the Provincial version for trainer Bernie Kelly.

Kelly and his wife Anne have since relocated to the Hunter Valley, paving the way for Bobbing to qualify for Saturday's $400,000 Final for country-trained horses.

"He has given us a great ride so far and hopefully he continues to do so." - Kelly said.

💻 Sport start-up

Sports stars reach out to fans, earn for kids charities with digital start-up Swysh

A former Socceroos and Celtic star is urging more athletes to get involved with an innovative digital start-up that provides messages of support to fans while earning money for charity.

Scott McDonald, currently with Brisbane Roar, is one of the original athletes on board with Swysh. The start-up is the brainchild of Michael Roth and is partnered with children's charities Variety and the Starlight Foundation.

For a small fee (McDonald takes just $10), a personalised video message or response to a question is created by the athlete for a fan, with 20-50 per cent donated to the kids charities.

McDonald reckons the initiative could be especially valuable as Australia grapples with severe social restrictions inflicted by the coronavirus outbreak. One recent video he sent out was to a Celtic fan preparing to propose to his childhood sweetheart.

⛳️ Golf

Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson coronavirus relief golf match is on

Key Points:

• Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are planning to square off in a two-on-two golf event to help coronavirus relief efforts.

• NFL icons Tom Brady and Peyton Manning will join the superstars in a match organized by AT&T’s WarnerMedia and the PGA Tour, a person familiar with the negotiations confirmed to CNBC.

• The match pitting Mickelson-Brady against Woods-Manning would be a rare sporting event in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, which has spurred game cancellations and suspensions across professional sports. (CNBC)

⚽️ Football

Slash salary cap or halve season: Club owners mull radical plans to revolutionise A-League

A-League club owners are reportedly discussing plans to revolutionise the competition for next season, in response to the worsening impacts of the coronavirus.

The proposals, which include halving the salary cap or reducing the season length to just 11 rounds and a shortened finals format, would represent the greatest changes to the competition structure since its founding in 2005.

With the financial costs of the pandemic mounting, The Daily Telegraph reports club owners are in discussions over cost-saving measures for next season.

The report claims: “well-placed sources have told News Corp Australia that a number of club owners want to reduce the salary cap by more than 50 per cent from its current $3.2 million.”

Another bold proposal would see just 11 rounds in the regular season, down from this season’s 28, followed by a shortened finals campaign.

That would likely see each of the 12 teams – assuming Macarthur FC’s entry into the competition goes ahead as planned – face each other just once in the regular season.

According to The Daily Telegraph report, that could see the league run from January to April in order to avoid clashing with the AFL and NRL if those codes extend their currently suspended seasons to the end of the year.

Adelaide United director of football Bruce Djite told SEN SA Breakfast on Thursday: “Football will start again. What it looks like? What the A-League looks like? Nobody knows. When it starts again? Nobody knows.” (Fox)

Transfers

Barcelona hope to strike a part-exchange deal to bring Brazil forward Neymar, 28, back to the club in the summer, with France international Antoine Griezmann, 29, who they bought for $214m, joining Paris St-Germain. (Sky Sports)

Manchester United and France midfielder Paul Pogba's priority remains to join Real Madrid when the transfer window opens, because of the 27-year-old's desire to link up with Zinedine Zidane. (90min.com)

🏉 NRL

Done Deal

NRL seals revised pay deal with RLPA amid coronavirus uncertainty

Players have secured two months of pay while the competition is in hiatus, but will forego another five months' salary should the 2020 season not kick off again after an agreement was reached between the RLPA and NRL. (NRL.com)

Key features of the agreement

• A total of $24.6 million in player payments secured, which includes $5.4 million from the liquidation of the Injury Hardship Fund; 

• If play gets back underway, players will receive a minimum of 29.5% of any additional net revenues over the revised forecast received by the NRL (based on the current format under the CBA)

• The rules of the Retirement Account have been amended to allow players suffering financial hardship early access – with those wishing to do so guaranteed their full amount. 

Penrith, Wests Tigers and Parramatta are among a number of NRL clubs to have lodged their applications for JobKeeper funding this week.

NRL players open to island option

The NRL players' union have revealed they're willing to consider all the game's stars living in a bubble together to ensure the 2020 season can restart.

The most feasible current option includes players being taken to a remote location, and shipped or bussed to grounds to play without any contact with the general public.

Gladstone in central Queensland has previously been floated as one option, while Tangalooma Island Resort just off Brisbane shapes as another.

The innovation committee are due to meet again next Thursday, and NRL Chief Executive Todd Greenberg said the option of the players living in a bubble on an island was still a possibility.

"It's an option, it's certainly not off the table," Greenberg told Wide World of Sports Radio.

"One thing we have learned in this period is ... don't say no to anything until you have found out how it would work. (7News)

🇦🇺 AFL

'We'll be happy to have an asterisk': Bucks on 2020 flag

Collingwood coach says he won't care about doubters if the Magpies win the premiership.

Nathan Buckley knows some people will doubt the legitimacy of the eventual 2020 premiers, but he doesn't care if Collingwood's 16th flag comes with an asterisk.

The season has already been shortened to 17 rounds and quarters trimmed to 16 minutes plus time-on as the AFL grapples with the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

Further changes will happen once games restart following the shutdown, but Buckley doesn't think that will matter to the coach and captain who hold up this year's premiership cup, whenever and wherever that might be.

"I've heard the asterisk label bandied around and it is a different season, a different time, but we'll be happy to have an asterisk next to our name," Buckley told reporters on Thursday.

Buckley believes the shutdown period, currently until May 31, will be a critical time for clubs but as far as he's concerned, for the next month at least, it's not strictly about his players' physical conditioning. (AFL.com.au)

🎮 E-Sports

The F1 Eseries got off to a flying start with a race in Bahrain last month.

Norris and Latifi will return this week, with Ferrari star Charles Leclerc, Red Bull’s Alex Albon and Williams’ George Russell joining this weekend’s grid. England cricket player Ben Stokes, who is a Red Bull athlete, will also race.

Supercars rising star Andre Heimgartner has earned a drive for Formula One outfit Renault.

The first F1 virtual grand prix was watched by over 350,000 people across all streams and saw Lando Norris' personal Twitch feed set a new record of 100,000 concurrent viewers despite his connection dropping out ahead of the start of the race. (ESPN)

🎾 Tennis

The Wimbledon Championships will not take place in 2020

The iconic tennis tournament has been called off for the first time since the Second World War, due to concerns around the COVID-19 pandemic. Wimbledon joins the Tokyo Olympics, Euro2020 and Africa Cup of Nations in being postponed due to health concerns.

The US Open tennis is expect to continue as normal.

We'll be back on Monday!

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