G'day sports fans,

Random sports stats:

• If Michael Phelps were a country, he'd rank No.35 in the all-time olympic gold medalist rankings, ahead of 97 nations.

• The average golf ball has 336 dimples

• A Baseball game can take around 3 hours to complete - there are 18 minutes of total action.

In today's edition of Sport Journal:

🏏 Warne's wild English summer

🇦🇺 Every AFL player to be tested

🏉 Western Force are back in Australian Super Rugby

🏉 NRL

'Untruthful': Nathan Cleary handed NRL ban over social distancing breach

• Penrith star to miss two games and fined $30,000

• Housemate Tyrone May also issued breach notice

James Hooper says Penrith playmaker Nathan Cleary is “lucky” to have only copped a two-game suspension and a $30,000 fine for lying about his whereabouts when he broke social distancing rules.

The Daily Telegraph reported on Tuesday night that the 22-year-old allegedly lied a second time to the Integrity Unit. While Cleary was at his home when the TikTok video was filmed, it’s alleged he wasn’t there for the entire day and left to pick the girls up.

The new details better explain why May had also been sanctioned with a two-game suspension and $15,000 fine. (Fox)

Cleary broke his silence earlier on Tuesday:

"I'm obviously pretty embarrassed by myself and not happy with what I've done, but I just want to apologise for my actions," he told Nine News.

"My actions were irresponsible, selfish and just pretty plain stupid to be honest.

"It brought a lot of negative attention to not only myself, but for my family, the club, the game as well and it's probably what's hurt me the most."

NRL clubs set to raid best young talent from struggling rugby

NRL clubs have begun picking at the carcass of a decimated Rugby Australia, knowing the 15-a-side game can no longer keep paying their elite juniors.

It was revealed in News Corp newspapers on Monday that Rugby Australia had blown $500m over the past four years and could be heading down the path of insolvency with no TV broadcast deal.

The NRL clubs are now poised to attack rugby’s established stars and elite pathway rookies, who had been earmarked as future Wallabies, with Jordan Petaia, Harry Wilson and Mark Nawaqanitawase the obvious targets of multimillion-dollar raids.(DailyTelegraph)

🇦🇺 AFL

Every AFL player to be tested for COVID-19 in coming days

The AFL has taken yet another step towards returning this season, with every player from the 18 clubs to be tested for COVID-19 in the coming days.

The AFL's hopes of a return were given a major boost by Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews, who announced that restrictions would be eased on today.

In hoping to ensure a safe environment for players and staff, each club will be required to nominate an internal COVID-19 Club Compliance Officer.

The league has also advised clubs of the football department expenditure limits, with each club required to employ a club doctor, a psychologist and a player development manager as a minimum. (nine)

AFL home and away format in doubt as South Australia joins WA in ruling out FIFO plans

Adelaide and Port Adelaide could be forced to relocate interstate for the resumption of the AFL season, with SA Health ruling out a relaxation of COVID-19 rules for the clubs.

One option being actively pursued at the moment is the [Adelaide] Crows and the [Port Adelaide] Power base themselves in South Australia, then they fly out for their game in another jurisdiction and then fly back," Premier Marshall told Parliament.

Key points:

• SA Health says 14-day quarantine rules will still apply to AFL players

• The decision has thrown the AFL's return-to-play plans into doubt

• The AFL has blocked players from playing in state leagues

Deputy Chief Public Health Officer Chris Lease wrote in a letter South Australian teams would not be allowed to fly into or return to South Australia without fulfilling a 14-day quarantine period. (ABC)

Graphic Designer Joey Whiting reimagines AFL x NBA. You can see all of the teams on his Instagram

🏏Cricket

Inside the wild English summer that kick-started Shane Warne's cricket journey

Australian cricket legend Shane Warne has opened up on the wild English summer that kick-started his ascension into Australia's Test XI in 1992.

Long before he became Australia's spin king, the football-crazy Warne harboured aspirations of playing in the VFL for St Kilda.

However, after his footy dreams were shattered in 1988, Warne was admittedly left aimless until he received the phone call that would change his life, and alter the trajectory of Australian cricket forever.

"My life wasn't really going anywhere. I was pretty down in the dumps, to be honest, that my dream was shattered," he told Fox Sports' A Week With Warnie.

"A friend of mine called Ricky Gough called me and said, 'why don't you have a year off footy and come play club cricket in England?'

"I was playing third or fourth grade in Australia – I was a batting number five or six, and bowling a few leggies. I maybe played a game in the seconds in 1988-89.

"The next 12 to 18 months, my life completely changed. I was going to play VFA footy for Sandringham, (but) I went to England to play cricket."

Warne revealed how he put on an incredible 20 kilograms over six months in the UK due to excessive drinking with his English teammates at the now-defunct Imperial Cricket Club.

"They said 'you Aussies can drink a bit, can't you? Well then come and have a pint.' So the ego was like you've got to have a pint, not the little half."

"I said by the end of this summer I will get to 10 pints, and I got to 10. I was pretty solid by the last few months, drinking ten pints!"

The 50-year-old also recalled the awkward in-between period between his AFL dream being shattered and his cricket career getting underway.

"I won $1,000 bucks off a bloke whose family owned a milk bar in Brighton playing poker.

"I'm delivering pizzas for extra cash, working at Patterson's jewellery doing signet rings, then I got a full-time job at Forty Winks delivering beds."

Incredibly, even after his international breakthrough in 1992, Warne still delivered pizzas due to the paltry pay packet for cricketers in those days.

"We only used to get $3,000 for a year. I couldn't afford to live on that, so I delivered pizzas on a Friday night when I wasn't playing for Australia or Victoria. (nine)

⚽️ Football

FFA suffers $6m hit after losing major A-League sponsor Hyundai

Football Federation Australia is set to suffer a further $6 million blow to its bottom line next season after losing major sponsor Hyundai.

It is the latest in a series of financial blows, which has lost three other sponsors in the past year and is facing the prospect of broadcaster Fox Sports walking away from its TV deal, worth close to $60m a year.

While COVID-19 has caused a financial crisis for several industries, Hyundai's decision not to renew its sponsorship was made before it brought businesses to a standstill in Australia.

A-League clubs were warned in February not to design jerseys with the logo of Hyundai due to uncertainty about the future of the partnership. (SMH)

A new way to train - OntheBall App

This isn't an ad but as you know we like to promote, Australian based, sports companies (like Swysh previously). I recently came across ontheball.com on Instagram

From their website, it's "an all-in-one training app that allows users to master their football game regardless their ability level" on your mobile device in the comfort of your own backyard or living room.

It features some big hitters; Archie Thompson, Andrew Nabbout, Matt Jurman, Kosta Barbarouses, Elvis Kamsoba, Chloe Logarzo, Melissa Barbieri as well as Vincent Kompany, Ian Wright, James Milner.

The drills are demonstrated by the above, so users can learn to play soccer with the exact methods the pros use.

The App, apparently has a 100k users and has acquired 13k customers in the last week due to people adapting their fitness regimes to the new social distancing rules.

They have a TV slot on Today on nine at 7am SYD/MLB, if you want to check it out.

🏎 F1

Sebastian Vettel sparks retirement rumours after confirming Ferrari exit

Four-time Formula 1 World Champion Sebastian Vettel has sparked rumours of retirement after confirming his exit from Ferrari.

Vettel's wording in the statement raised eyebrows among F1 fans as he appeared to hint at some time away from the sport.

"What's been happening in these past few months has led many of us to reflect on what are our real priorities in life," Vettel said in the statement.

"One needs to use one's imagination and to adopt a new approach to a situation that has changed.

"To get the best possible results in this sport, it's vital for all parties to work in perfect harmony," he said.

"The team and I have realised that there is no longer a common desire to stay together beyond the end of this season.

Australia's Daniel Ricciardo has long been linked to a Ferrari switch, with his time at Renault almost sure to end at the end of this season after a big-money switch. (nine)

🏉 Rugby

July start for an Australian domestic comp

The Australian incarnation of Super Rugby looks to get underway in early July.

All the mail suggests the local competition will be played over 10 or twelve weeks by the four existing Australian sides along with the welcome return of the Western Force (who have been playing in Global Rapid Rugby).

The Sunwolves would be located in either New South Wales or Queensland.

Quite what that would mean for the National Rugby Championship is anyone’s guess.

RA is giving Super Rugby clubs a Covid-19 education briefing this week, with players set to resume training on 18 May, giving them seven weeks ahead of a Friday 3 July start.

It’s all in line with New Zealand announcing it would move from level three to level two coronavirus restrictions from Thursday, which was what was needed for professional sport to return.

NZ Rugby’s announcement of their Super Rugby Aotearoa competition within their five sides, played over ten weeks from June 13, quickly followed. (theRoar)

We'll be back on Friday!

European Clubs:

A - A.S. Roma, Italy (Wiki)

B - Real Madrid, Spain (Wiki)

C - A.C. Milan, Italy (Wiki)

D - Parma Calcio, Italy (Wiki)