G'day sports fans,

Classic quote: "Winners are grinners, and losers can please themselves" - Teddy Whitten.

In today's edition of Sport Journal:

🏉 NRL sets comeback date, while Channel 9 go nuclear

🤖 Baseball gets Robo-fans

🏅 Olyroos predicted to medal

🏉 NRL

May 28: ARL Commission proposes date for NRL to restart

The ARL Commission has announced the NRL is planning to restart the competition on May 28 and also intends to play a full three-game State of Origin series.

In making the announcement, the NRL reiterated that the grand final would remain in its traditional format of one match, played in Sydney.

"We haven't finalised what that [competition] looks like yet. Why we want to firm up a date is to give certainty to players and their schedules, clubs and thousands of people who are out of work through clubs and millions of fans.

"The situation is changing dramatically and we need to get moving. It is in the best interests of our clubs, our players, our stakeholders and importantly our fans that the competition resumes as quickly and as safely as possible.

"It's a mark for everyone to work towards that's associated with the game."

Channel 9 issues nuclear response to Todd Greenberg

Channel 9 has now gone public with its fury that it hasn’t been consulted in the ongoing discussions for the game to return.

The Nine Network claimed in a statement it has been largely shut out of the season resumption discussions going on behind the scenes.

It leaves the NRL’s $1.8 billion broadcast deal hanging by a thread.

Nine reportedly wants to renegotiate the deal — which extends through to the end of the 2022 season.

One thing for certain, the kicking the NRL took from Channel Nine means NRL CEO Todd Greenberg can no longer survive.

When Greenberg will be moved on remains a matter for the Australian Rugby League Commission.

Unless he falls on his sword, the Commission will need to make a tough decision.

“At Nine we had hoped to work with the NRL on a solution to the issues facing rugby league in 2020, brought on so starkly by COVID-19,” the statement claimed

“But this health crisis in our community has highlighted the mismanagement of the code over many years. Nine has invested hundreds of millions in this game over decades and we now find they have profoundly wasted those funds with very little to fall back on to support the clubs, the players and supporters.

“In the past the NRL have had problems and we’ve bailed them out many times including a $50m loan to support clubs when the last contract was signed.

“It would now appear that much of that has been squandered by a bloated head office completely ignoring the needs of the clubs, players and supporters.

“We find ourselves with a contract that is unfulfilled by the code. We hoped we could talk through a long term plan.” (news.com.au)

🇦🇺 AFL

Police clear Nat Fyfe of wrongdoing after surfing amid Western Australia’s lockdown

West Australian police commissioner Chris Dawson says his officers investigated Fremantle Dockers captain Nat Fyfe for apparently surfing 270km from his Perth home in the southwest town of Margaret River while regional boundaries are in place.

West Australian police have cleared Fremantle captain Nat Fyfe of any wrongdoing after he was photographed surfing in Margaret River amid the state’s lockdown.

WA Police released a statement on Thursday night, saying Fyfe wouldn’t be fined as he didn’t breach social distancing requirements. It was deemed Fyfe had a “valid exemption” and was “compliant with directions regarding regional travel” after he was seen following a surf in the state’s southwest.

The Dockers also confirmed Fyfe had an exemption note, which states he’s an approved essential WA traveller and has been acting in accordance with its guidelines.

A police review found Fyfe was at Gas Bay, south of Margaret River, for essential business.

Police said he entered the region in order to provide transport services – he was picking up lime while working for his father’s trucking company – and was waiting for a truck to be loaded when he went surfing.

May the fourth be with them: AFL clubs aiming to return to training in a month

Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin hopes to have his players back at training within a month and is open to any ideas the AFL puts forward in regards to restarting the season.

The competition is shut down until at least May 31 because of the coronavirus outbreak, with the AFL set to announce a plan forward in late April after further consultation with relevant government and health authorities.

“That’s always been a date that’s been spoken about by the AFL and they’ll give us the guidance on the back of that,” Goodwin said.

“They’ll let us know as we get closer whether that’s realistic or not. But you can only deal with what’s in front of you and that’s the date that they’ve spoken about to the clubs and to the playing group.

“So we’ll keep working towards that date. If it shifts, it shifts. But we’re working towards that date.” (Fox)

Former Saint Sam Gilbert cops two-year anti-doping ban for positive VFL test

Former St Kilda player Sam Gilbert has accepted a two-year ban for an anti-doping violation, reports Nine.

The defender tested positive for cocaine metabolite benzoylecgonine after a VFL game in May 2019, and has been provisionally suspended since that test.

At the time Gilbert was not on St Kilda’s list, but was playing for their VFL affiliate Sandringham.

He retired from AFL level after 208 games with the Saints at the end of the 2018 season, and took on a coaching/playing role at Sandringham.

🇺🇸 USA

Tiger Woods didn't let the pandemic stop one of the greatest traditions in golf. The Masters Champions dinner.

Every year, the reigning Masters champ hosts a lavish dinner for his rival golfers at Augusta National, and the winner usually customizes the menu with meaningful food items.

Ex-NFL player accused of ordering hit

Ex-NFL star Chris Johnson is accused of funding murder-for-hire shootings that left two men dead in 2016 - this according to court docs obtained by TMZ Sports.

FYI, Johnson has not been formally charged with a crime - and adamantly denies the allegations - but officials are clearly laying out their case against the running back.

Long story short, officials believe CJ2K rewarded a gang member with cash after the guy allegedly killed two men who were suspected of gunning down Johnson's friend in 2015.

The backstory: Johnson nearly died in a shooting in Orlando, back in March 2015 when officials say someone opened fire on a Jeep that Chris was in.

Johnson suffered a bullet wound to his shoulder and made a full recovery ... but the driver of the vehicle, his friend, did not survive the attack. (TMZ)

🏀 Poker player starts up 'free-throw' challenge and plenty of people want in on the action

Do you think it could be done and would you take ($2.0)?

Apparently only 3 NBA players have a 90% record in their career, but this is an 8 month challenge!

He seems to be genuinely taking the bets.

He looks pretty bad to me me but he could well be hustlin' everyone.

I did find this YouTube video saying it's almost impossible 🤔 but there's no crowd cheering to put you off here.

🐴 Racing

2020 The Championships

I can’t believe it’s a year on from the Winx farewell party at Randwick on Saturday, when the second day of the 2020 The Championships will be run and won.

🏇🏻 Victorian trainer Danny O’Brien has one wish for Melbourne Cup winner Vow And Declare ($21.0) in Saturday’s Group I Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) at Randwick.

O’Brien wants pace in the race. And lots of it. (racenet)

🏇🏻Jamie Richards has no doubt about the quality of Addeybb and Danon Premium but he wouldn’t swap them for his Kiwi duo in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) at Randwick on Saturday.

The New Zealand trainer is eying off a Group I double on day two of The Championships and has star pairing Te Akau Shark and Melody Belle in the $2 million main event.

Bookies rate Richards’ duo as two of the main dangers of upsetting fellow international raiders Danon Premium ($3.80 fav) and Addeybb ($4.40). (racenet)

Darley to bring Blue Point, Too Darn Hot to Australia

The breeding giant adds significant firepower to its already strong roster with European champions and last season’s leading local two-year-old

Victorian breeders will have access to Europe’s Champion Sprinter Blue Point (Shamardal) this year, with Darley announcing that the three-time Royal Ascot winner will stand his first season in Australia at their Northwood Park farm in Seymour.

Darley’s already-powerful roster has been bolstered by yesterday’s announcement that Blue Point would be joined by Europe’s Champion Two-Year-Old and Champion Three-Year-Old Too Darn Hot (Dubawi) and Australia’s Champion Two-Year-Old Microphone (Exceed And Excel) in serving their first southern hemisphere books in 2020.

Both Too Darn Hot and the recently-retired Microphone will stand at Kelvinside in the Hunter Valley.

The trio collectively are “as good as any group of new stallions Darley has offered in Australia,” according to Alastair Pulford, Darley’s head of sales. (ANZ)

🌏 Rest of World

🤖 Chinese baseball robo-fans

With fans unable to attend the Chinese Professional Baseball League’s Opening Day on Saturday, the Rakuten Monkeys announced they’ll be putting robot mannequins in the seats.

“Since we are not allowed to have any fans in attendance, we might as well have some fun with it,” Monkeys general manager Justin Liu told the league’s website.

🎾 Virtual Madrid Open taking place in effort to raise money during coronavirus pandemic

A virtual Madrid Open will be held in April as top tennis players swap rackets for controllers in an effort to raise money during the coronavirus pandemic, tournament organisers have announced.

The clay-court tournament has decided to create an e-sports replica of its event titled the Mutua Madrid Open Virtual Pro which will take place from April 27-30, with a list of the participants to include: Andy Murray and other top tennis stars.

Male and female winners will both be given a prize fund of 150,000 euros (£132,000) to donate and an additional €50,000 to go to Covid-19 aid.

⚽️ Football

Arnold: We'll be the first team to win an olympic medal

Graham Arnold is setting his Olyroos hopes high for the Tokyo 2021 Olympics, predicting the current crop will be the first Australian football team to medal at the games.

FIFA recommended and the IOC confirmed that the Tokyo 2021 Olympics football tournament - usually a majority U/23 competition in the male half of the draw - has an extended age range to allow current qualifying players to take part.

This allows Arnold's current Olyroos squad, the first Australian team to qualify since 2008's Arnold led side, an extra year of preparation and experience to take into the showpiece tournament. (ftbl)

📺 Sport films

 When We Were Kings

An exquisitely paced documentary following Muhammad Ali’s training camp in Zaire leading up to his fight against George Foreman in 1974: The Rumble in the Jungle.

Endless Summer

In case, for some reason, you've never seen it.

The Endless Summer is a seminal surf movie released in 1966.

Filmmaker/narrator Bruce Brown follows two surfers, Mike Hynson and Robert August, on a surfing trip around the world.

They travel to the coasts of Australia, New Zealand, Tahiti, Hawaii, Senegal, Ghana, Nigeria and South Africa in a quest for new surf spots and introduce locals to the sport.

Friday Night Lights

You're 17, trying to have fun in small-town Texas, and everywhere you go people are saying you must win another state championship. No pressure then.

Based on a non-fiction book of the same name, this depicts the harsh reality of high-school life in "football country" through Permian's 1988 season.

You can't help but feel for coach Billy Bob Thornton and his limited youngsters.

Against a bully of an opponent, you're cheering for them to prove everyone wrong, and somewhat predictably, the season goes right down to the wire.

You can watch it on Netflix

We'll be back on Monday...wash your hands!