G'day sports fans,

Classic quote: "I can play in the centre, on the right, and occasionally on the left side." - David Beckham, when asked if he considered himself "volatile." (not versatile)

In today's edition of Sport Journal:

🐴 Nature Strip booked for the Everest

🏉 Players want assurances before proposed return

⚽️ A-League committed to completing season

🏉 NRL

NRL players could refuse to return to training if agreement isn't reached

NRL players will refuse to return to training next Monday if a pay agreement isn't reached for the revamped season.

NRL training was meant to resume on May 4, ahead of the season's planned restart on May 28. Those plans have been thrown into doubt by the players' stance.

"The reason is they do not have a new pay deal with the NRL. The players were promised by the NRL that by yesterday they would receive many things, including all the biosecurity details, all the new rules they had to live by; also, a new pay deal," Breen said on Nine News. (nine)

'Our position hasn't changed': James Graham insists boycott WILL happen unless 'assurances' met.

St George Illawarra veteran James Graham has confirmed NRL players won't show up for work on Monday unless they see "a list of assurances" from the governing body. (Fox)

RLPA chief denies player revolt exists despite training boycott reports

ARL Commission chairman Peter V'landys is confident the NRL have put forward a new pay deal to the Rugby League Players Association that is too good to refuse.

V'landys is confident next week's plan will go ahead with a new pay deal to hit players with just a 20 per cent cut to their contracts.

"We've given an indication to the CEO of the players' association, that we're targeting 80 per cent of their contracts which would be a big win for the players," V'landys said.

"They were informed by the NRL that wouldn't be able to be given to them for about a week, because while they had agreement with the broadcasters - Nine and Fox Sports - to start the season on May 28, they don't have commercial agreements with the broadcasters. They're toing and froing over how much money they will pay."

Meetings between the NRL and players will continue today as a National Cabinet takes place in Canberra to decide if the Warriors can enter Australia and whether or not they accept the game's biosecurity plans. (nine)

🤕 Brisbane star David Fifita to miss Broncos' NRL return match. "He won't be right for May 28 but I won't give any time frame after that," Seibold told NRL.com.

🐴Racing

Deal done on Nature Strip in The Everest

A deal has been struck for gun sprinter Nature Strip to become the first horse locked in for The Everest in 2020.

Slot holders TAB.com.au, who sponsor the lucrative sprint, confirmed Chris Waller’s star as its runner on Thursday afternoon.

Nature Strip is the $4 favourite with the bookmaker for the 1200m Randwick feature after a dominant autumn in Sydney. (racenet)

Coolmore announce stud fee for The Everest winner

Coolmore have put a $38,500 price tag on The Everest winner Yes Yes Yes as he prepares for his first season at stud.

The Rubick colt will stand in 2020 after retiring from racing in February. Yes Yes Yes won four of his eight career starts, including the Group II Todman Stakes, before becoming the first three-year-old to win The Everest last October.

The $14 million feature proved to be his last race. Connections had plans to target the Sydney Autumn Carnival and potentially Royal Ascot with Yes Yes Yes before having to pull the pin due to a tendon issue. (racenet)

⚽️ Football

FFA boss James Johnson says clubs 'should be able to get through'

FFA chief executive James Johnson has admitted it's too early to say if all 11 existing A-League clubs will survive the COVID-19 pandemic.

Johnson is refusing to follow the lead of the NRL by laying down a date for the league's resumption.

"Do I think that all the clubs will make it through? I think that's too early to say at the moment," Johnson told AAP.

"But I am confident that the league will start again soon so naturally the clubs should be able to get through. All clubs should be able to get through."

Macarthur FC's position also remains unclear with the expansion club expected to join the league in 2020-21.

"Player health and safety and then the logistical issues with state and federal border restrictions need to be softened so that we're able to get the sport going," he said.

"We've still got quite a long window between now and then in which to complete a season which could take less than two months."

Adopting an isolation hub option, as has been mooted by the AFL, was one of the options being discussed.

The A-League remains committed to completing the 2019-20 season.

🇫🇷 Paris St-Germain have been awarded the Ligue 1 title after it was announced the season would not resume because of the coronavirus pandemic.

PSG were 12 points clear at the top of the table, with a game in hand, when French football was suspended indefinitely on 13 March.

Didier Quillot, chief executive of the French League, said: "We have decided there would be two promotions and two relegations.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 English top-flight clubs will hold further talks on how the season can be restarted at their next shareholders' meeting on Friday.

Part of the "Project Restart" discussions will centre around the use of approved venues, which may mean teams playing on neutral grounds and immediately throws up questions over competition integrity.

🇪🇸 Football in Spain was suspended indefinitely in March because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Spain has announced a four-phase plan to lift the country's stringent lockdown and, during 'phase zero' from 4-11 May, professional sports leagues can go back to training.

🇮🇹 Serie A sides can return to individual training on 4 May and team training on 18 May after the Italian prime minister announced the first steps in lifting the country's coronavirus lockdown.

🇦🇺 AFL

'Suck it up' on AFL hubs, says Lions coach

The AFL's next move hinges on a national cabinet meeting on Friday, which is set to lay out frameworks for a return for all sports around Australia.

The federal government meeting will decide how to advise states on whether sports can return and in what form.

The AFL Players' Association will meet with players today to get a more detailed understanding of their concerns.

Patrick Dangerfield (AFL Players' Association president) says those players with children aren't keen on the worst-case scenario, which will see teams isolated for a total of 20 weeks.

Brisbane Lions coach Chris Fagan was vocal on Thursday, saying players need to "suck it up" and do what's right for the game.

Fagan invoked the plight of former Melbourne coach Neale Daniher as he presented the case for the hub plan.

Fagan says a recent text from Daniher, who is fighting a high-profile battle with motor neurone disease, helped him approach the AFL's plan to restart the season with renewed perspective. (nine)

🎰 Classic Story

In 2004, Ashley Revell sold everything he owned (including clothes), travelled to Las Vegas and bet it all on one spin of the roulette wheel.

He bet $136,000 dollars and this is what happened...

🇺🇸 'Merica

Michael Jordan once rejected $150 million for two-hour appearance, agent reveals

With "The Last Dance" documentary dominating the sports pages in America, everyone is looking for Jordan stories.

Here's one...Michael Jordan once turned down $100m USD for a two-hour appearance, his agent has revealed.

"Some woman in the Philippines offered me seven million dollars for one day, wanted him to play in a golf tournament. And he turned it down."

“I brought him a deal three years ago for 100 million dollars ($A153m).

“And all he had to do, other than give his name and likeness, was make one two-hour appearance to announce the deal. And he turned it down.”

Despite being no stranger to high-profile endorsements and marketing events, the NBA legend is known for selecting his associations very carefully.

With a net worth of ($A3.15bn), largely down to his majority stake in the Charlotte Hornets NBA team. He can do what he wants, I guess.

The NBA could make their own Space Jam

The NBA are considering Walt Disney World Resort as a possible location to finish the season, (The Athletic reports) If it is deemed safe to finish the NBA season amid the coronavirus pandemic, the league may host the remainder of games at the Walt Disney World Resort property in Orlando, Florida.

🚲 ⚽️ Cycle-ball

Cycle-ball, also known as "radball", (best name ever) is a sport similar to football played on bicycles.

• The two people on each team ride a fixed gear bicycle with no brakes or freewheel.

• The ball is controlled by the bike and the head, except when defending the goal.

• It was invented in America but primarily played in Europe and Japan for the last 120 years.

🗞 We'll catch you on Monday!