Sport
Sydney FC smash Perth to reach decider
NOTHING can stop Sydney FC’s progress into the grand final, and the Sky Blues are now just 90 minutes from claiming the A-League championship.
Family Tragedy forces Kyrgios out of tournament
NICK Kyrgios has withdrawn from the Estoril claycourt tournament following the death of his grandfather.
Russian GP Ferrari’s Russian shock for Hamilton
FORMULA One frontrunner Sebastian Vettel has led a Ferrari one-two in Russian Grand Prix practice, appearing to have a clear edge over champions Mercedes.
The moment it all got to me: Cotchin
AFTER the most challenging season of his career, Tigers skipper TRENT COTCHIN opens up on his captaincy doubts, letting go and the day it all got too much for him.
Power rout wins back fans faith
PORT Adelaide has won back our trust in just six weeks this season and the reassurance arrived on Saturday night when a supposed danger game against Brisbane instead became a rout.
Kangaroos beat Suns to break drought
NORTH Melbourne broke through for its first win of the 2017 against Gold Coast but Suns superstar Gary Ablett stole the show with a vintage display.
Huge battle looms up forward
ADELAIDE’S league-leading forward line is bracing itself for its sternest test on Sunday as it comes up against the competition’s strongest defensive team in Richmond at Adelaide Oval.
Panic Room: Bolton’s last word on Murphy
MARC Murphy has been under a fitness cloud all week, will he play against the Swans? Plus the latest on Dustin Martin’s groin, intel on Andy Otten and SuperCoach and betting tips.
The Phantom’s R6 SuperCoach preview
THE Phantom sees options opening for SuperCoaches as the AFL enters Round 6, with young guns returning to the fray and bargains on offer.
Sharapova’s arrogant response to ‘cheat’ blast
MARIA Sharapova says she is “way above” getting into a slanging match over her controversial comeback — but don’t you dare ask if she has learnt her lesson.
Jealous hypocrites’ two-faced morality
MARIA Sharapova’s return to tennis has been plagued by jealous peers oblivious to the cold truth of the Russian’s situation.
Genie blast: ‘Cheater’ Maria deserved life ban
MARIA Sharapova made a successful return to competitive tennis overnight following her doping ban, but she failed to win over her fellow pros.
Really? Tomic pulls pin on Murray clash
IT’S the narrative becoming all too familiar with Australian tennis fans after Bernard Tomic pulled out of his second round match against Andy Murray at the Barcelona Open.
Roar culture sparks in-form Holman
HEARING about Brisbane Roar’s A-League culture was one thing, but being part of it this season has taken Brett Holman’s admiration for the three-time A-League champions to another level.
Berisha’s selfish gene part of Victory’s DNA
BESART Berisha’s thirst for goals once saw him fail to celebrate a team-mate’s strike he thought should have been his. Victory wouldn’t have it any other way.
Roar relief as stars fit to take on Victory
ROAR stars Jamie Young and Matt McKay have both been declared fit for Brisbane’s A-League semi-final clash with Melbourne Victory at AAMI Park on Sunday.
Fellaini’s crazy brain explosion in deadlocked derby
THE race for the top four remains as unpredictable as ever after both of Manchester’s giants couldn’t be split in a game headlined by Marouane Fellaini’s red mist.
’Rise’: Mal’s Kangaroos call to arms
PRIDE and passion for the green and gold jumper — that’s what Australia coach MAL MENINGA told PHIL ROTHFIELD he wants from the Kangaroos most.
Daley call gives Hayne an Origin lifeline
WHAT’S THE BUZZ I: A private phone call is the first sign that NSW coach Laurie Daley is serious about wanting Jarryd Hayne back in a Blues jersey.
Depleted Dogs down Raiders
THE Bulldogs lost James Graham and Josh Reynolds to injury but did the job against the Raiders, grinding out a 16-10 win.
NRL’s plans to keep local heroes
THE NRL is planning to halt the exodus of local players leaving clubs with a $500,000 concession to help clubs retain their fan favourites.
NCN outguns Cummins, Warner trumps Maxwell
DAVID Warner put on a six-hitting masterclass and Nathan Coulter-Nile brought the heat with the ball, but it was a poor day out for Glenn Maxwell and Pat Cummins.
Battle lines drawn as pay dispute turns ugly
IT’S obvious, in the public language alone, how far apart CA and the ACA are in pay negotiations. And it’s one which has only widened as the deadline looms.
No deal: cricketers reject CA pay offer
UPDATE: THE Australian Cricketers Association has rejected a Cricket Australia pay proposal, with the decision only heightening the clear angst between the two bodies.
Secret behind the Big Show’s Test revival
AARON Finch reveals the secret behind Glenn Maxwell’s growth from unfulfilled talent to genuine Test star, and how best to manage Steve Smith’s captaincy workload.
Waging Derby war with another Rebel
LEON Macdonald and Andrew Gluyas have unearthed another South Australian Derby prospect after Waging War’s victory in the $120,000 Group 3 Chairman’s Stakes at Morphettville.
Big guns in mix to lead Blue Army
TWO of racing’s most famous names, James Cummings and Lee Freedman, have emerged as frontrunners to take over from John O’Shea as Godolphin’s Australian trainer.
Kobayashi a real hot dog
MOMENTS after Kobayashi struck in the Thoroughbred Club Cup, Leon Corstens was mobbed by a large group of excited women, remarking: “It was a really good feeling.’’
Tiffani persuades favourite to give plenty
JOHN Zielke’s willingness to put his faith in Queensland’s leading apprentice Tiffani Brooker led to a career highlight for the young rider at Eagle Farm.
’We will have a cracking battle on our hands’
SO far it has been a season of ups and downs — a championship of highs and lows. We have had wet weather, ripped rubber, a plague of pit-lane penalties and three different winners writes JAMIE WHINCUP.
Fearless is hitting 350km/h in 6.5sec
TO fully appreciate the sheer fear one experiences on a Top Fuel Motorcycle, the fastest on earth, you need to speak to Adam Layton.
Bray’s aggressive approach in his genes
VICTOR Bray isn’t surprised by his son Ben’s win-at-all-costs mentality on the racetrack — and knows where who gets it from. ‘I remember going out there and wanting to just kick everyone’s arse.’
Fuelled by a burning ambition
It’s been a tough slog for Australian drag-racing ace Richie Crampton but the time and effort has paid off in buckets.
Tahs win the passion battle
QUEENSLAND said they owned the passion in this derby match. The Waratahs proved them wrong.
Force go down fighting against Lions
SOUTH AFRICA’S Lions survived a major scare from the endangered Western Force in their Super Rugby clash in Perth on Saturday evening to notch their sixth straight win.
Hunt heroics not enough as Reds lose to Waratahs
THE Queensland Reds have gone down to traditional rivals NSW Waratahs in a classic Australian local derby, despite a special performance from fullback Karmichael Hunt.
Future hinges on tough call
ANDREW SLACK: Even if the ARU has bungled aspects of the Super Rugby team-culling fiasco – and they’ve certainly lost the PR battle – the war may be won if they can manage to make the right decision.
Local Sport
Adelaide FL Div 1 Rd 3 preview
WHICH teams will remain undefeated in division one come Monday morning? Our writers give their predictions.
Adelaide FL Div 2 Round 4 preview
OLD Ignatians will hope to get on a bit of a roll following its first-up triumph for the season last week and a continued run of matches against lower-placed opposition.
Adelaide FL Div 3 Round 4 preview
IMPROVING Plympton will test its new-found scoring depth when it hosts unbeaten Flinders Park in their Bank SA division three game on Saturday.
Adelaide FL Div 4 Round 4 preview
COLONEL Light Gardens will aim to continue its unbeaten start to the ALDI Division four season when it travels to winless Smithfield on Saturday.
I can believe ... if Tigers win
AS AN atheist when it comes to the religion of Richmond, it’s against my better judgment to be headed to the City of Churches to pray for a miracle to prove me wrong, writes Dwayne Russell.
Consistency pays for the top teams
AND then there were two … well, there will be on Sunday night. There’s a saying, “the table doesn’t lie” and in the case of the A-League, history certainly proves that, writes John Kosmina.
Hamstrings putting strain on Crows
THE Crows’ hamstring injury record this season should have alarm bells blaring at West Lakes, no matter what coach Don Pyke claims in public, says Graham Cornes.
Netball needs independent commission
NETBALL must follow the lead of the AFL and NRL and set up an independent commission to guide its development, after an ugly power struggle at board level, says former Australian captain Natalie von Bertouch.
Paradox of ‘accidental’ Brownlow Medallists
TRENT Cotchin is a Brownlow Medallist - but is rarely referred to as such. That says something about the AFL’s actions after Jobe Watson handed his medal back, says Michelangelo Rucci.
Crows, Power showing all the right signs
IT’S tough to compare sides this early in the season, but the results generated so far by Adelaide and Port Adelaide give their fans plenty of reasons to be confident, says Mark Bickley.
Celtic smash Rangers, create 127 year first
CELTIC scored five at Ibrox for the first time in the fixture’s history as they cruised to a 5-1 thrashing of Rangers in the final Old Firm fixture of the season.
Let’s keep the family together
INJURED Dragons captain Gareth Widdop has spoken of his pain at being sidelined for the next six weeks while also endorsing a former protege to maintain the Red-V revival in his absence.
Pies promoted me too soon: Bucks
NATHAN Buckley is a revered figure at Collingwood. But the former champion player turned coach says some early honours only put more pressure on him — and the Pies.
Ronaldo’s latest feat, misses penalty in Real win
VIDEO: Cristiano Ronaldo has become the all-time top scorer in Europe’s top five leagues with his 367th goal before he MISSED a penalty in a dramatic late Real Madrid win.
Rebels’ horror season hits Super low
A SEASON of horror has hit a new low for Australia’s Super Rugby strugglers the Melbourne Rebels, who have suffered a thrashing at the hands of the lowly Kings.
It’s official: first team relegated from PL
SUNDERLAND’S 10-year stay in the EPL is over. Having fallen at home to a late Bournemouth goal, the Black Cats are the first club to have their relegation confirmed.
Live: Fight of the year explodes
THE most respected scribes in the boxing world can’t believe what they’re seeing at the Anthony Joshua-Wladimir Klitschko fight.
Internationals rank among W-League’s best
MONDAY night is Australian football’s night of nights with the Dolan Warren Medals awarded for 2016/17.
Huge battle looms up forward
ADELAIDE’S league-leading forward line is bracing itself for its sternest test on Sunday as it comes up against the competition’s strongest defensive team in Richmond at Adelaide Oval.
Tigers star injured in heartbreaking loss
WESTS Tigers skipper Aaron Woods has sustained a crippling injury on Saturday night, putting him in severe doubt for next week’s international Test.
‘I’ve got no doubt the umpire guessed’
GOLD Coast coach Rodney Eade lashed opposition fans for booing Gary Ablett and also expressed his frustration over two umpiring decisions. RECAP THE ACTION
Sydney FC smash Perth to reach decider
NOTHING can stop Sydney FC’s progress into the grand final, and the Sky Blues are now just 90 minutes from claiming the A-League championship.
Tahs win the passion battle
QUEENSLAND said they owned the passion in this derby match. The Waratahs proved them wrong.
Horror season continues for Thunderbirds
JUST when the Adelaide Thunderbirds’ 2017 nightmare seemingly could get no worse, they stooped to a new low with a 48-51defeat to an injury-hit NSW Swifts outfit on Saturday night.
Hinkley impressed with four quarter effort
PORT Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley said Saturday night’s 83-point win over Brisbane was as close to a four-quarter performance as he would want from his team which has moved to 4-2 this season.
Bash brothers not slowing down
SAM Powell-Pepper heard the external voices calling for him to be rested after his first month of AFL footy.
Vettel leads Ferrari lockout for Russian GP
SEBASTIAN Vettel topped Ferrari’s first front-row lock-out in nine years as Ferrari surged ahead of Mercedes in qualifying for the Russian GP.
How the main event was won
IT WILL be the biggest event Suncorp Stadium has ever seen, but it almost didn’t happen. This is how the planets aligned to make the Battle of Brisbane a reality.
Bulldogs suffer huge blow in comeback
THE Cantebury Bulldogs have suffered a massive blow after key man Josh Reynolds was sent to the field with an injury.
Power rout wins back fans faith
PORT Adelaide has won back our trust in just six weeks this season and the reassurance arrived on Saturday night when a supposed danger game against Brisbane instead became a rout.
Music Magnate finds winning rhythm
A CALL from media hound Andrew Bensley was the catalyst for trainer Bjorn Baker to change his mind and accept for Music Magnate ahead of his win in the Victory Stakes.
Power were good, Lions a worry
AS good as Port Adelaide were at the Gabba on Saturday, inaugural Adelaide Crows captain Chris McDermott says the result speaks more volumes about the plight of the Brisbane Lions.
Clarko warns of ‘catastrophic change’
HAWTHORN coach Alastair Clarkson has threatened “catastrophic change” and an overhaul of the game plan if his ailing team continues to deliver sub-standard effort.
Vixens show why they are top of the tree
MELBOURNE Vixens have further proven their championship credentials with an impressive win over Sunshine Coast Lightning in a top-of-the-table Super Netball clash on Saturday night.
Hawkesbury staking claim for more black type
HAWKESBURY’S stand-alone race meeting could soon have two more stakes races added to the program as early as next year.
Krakouer, Eddy star as Magpies rout Crows
IT was the Krakouer and Eddy Show on a muddy Woodville Oval as Port Adelaide overcame another horror start to chalk up its third win in succession on Saturday.
Brooker could have lost group success
CHIEF steward Allan Reardon told Tiffani Brooker her overuse of the whip could have led to her losing the Gunsynd Quality on Dreams Aplenty at Eagle Farm.
Rohan in hospital after horrifying fall
SYDNEY forward Gary Rohan is recovering in hospital after a horrible fall which left him unconscious for a number of minutes. WATCH THE INCIDENT.
Tigers stun Bulldogs in comeback win
GLENELG produced a stunning final term to come-from-behind and beat Central District by five points at Glenelg Oval on Saturday.
Conte’s Spurs proposal, fears over Hazard future
THERE are few more crucial players for Chelsea than Eden Hazard, but Antonio Conte delivered a press conference Blues fans will not enjoy.
Horror season continues for Thunderbirds
JUST when the Adelaide Thunderbirds’ 2017 nightmare seemingly could get no worse, they stooped to a new low with a 48-51defeat to an injury-hit NSW Swifts outfit on Saturday night.
Golf’s silliest rule just got dumped
GOLFERS will no longer live in fear of a minor infringement being picked up by eagle-eyed armchair fans.
Live: ‘Biggest fight since Tyson’
ANTHONY Joshua, the most terrifying athlete in the world today, is out to prove to Wladimir Klitschko he is boxing’s top dog.
Kiss cam’s horror viral moment
TWO spectators took awkward to a strange, painful new level when their connection was revealed on a live NBA playoffs kiss cam.
