The Wrap - Bye the Bye

1. NRL. Only one thing worse than a bye....wet weather footy games in a bye round. This is the time of year when the viewers head to watch the AFL. Manly keep surging, but St George continue their rough ride. There is talent there, but Flanagan needs to go. Not quick enough and does not run deep enough into the defence. 

The Melbourne Storm are worrying and have been caught short by this current obsession with six more tackles at the whim of the ref. We've had the sin bin obsession a couple of Magic Rounds ago, the 'cynical disruptor' fascination...it must get quiet some weeks in NRL headquarters.

It would be interesting to know which refs blow these most frequently. The State of Origin this week will prove interesting - and wet. Attacking players grabbing the jerseys of defenders is a new tactic to extract a 'six again'. It could cost teams massively if in possession. Sin binnings for a professional, cynical foul?

The re-signings of Todd Payten and Kieran Foran as coaches should occur soon, or other clubs will come knocking.

2. EPL. Arsenal got an unexpected gift from Man City who stumbled in a 1-1 result v Bournemouth mid week. Arsenal win the EPL in the first time forever (2003-2004). The greatest coach in world sport, Pep Guardiola, is on the move and with it will go Man City players and their amazing record.

The greatest scheduling in world sport happens tonight when ALL EPL games start at the same time. Will Spurs win or will West Ham win and relegate Tottenham? They deserve relegation after their ridiculous decision to get rid of Ange this time last year.

If West Ham win and Spurs lose, the Hammers stay in the top flight. If Spurs get one point, they stay up in the top flight. If they don't the Hammers fans will be hoping for a win v Leeds. It all unfolds on the same day at the same time. Knife edge scheduling. 

Aston Villa had a great win midweek in the Europa League v SC Frieberg. This is the same trophy that Tottenham won last year!

Hull City also join the EPL next year too! A stunning result v Middlesboro after Southampton were ruled out of the qualifier for cheating and filming training sessions mid week! A tough sanction, but Southampton have been left in the Championship.

3. A League. Sydney FC v Auckland. A 1-0 win by Auckland who beat a gallant Sydney under ex Sydney FC man, Steve Corica. Sydney FC have 5 wins and 3 runners up as the leading A-League club since it started in 2006. It is a first win by Auckland FC.

4. NBA. In the East Conference finals, New York Knicks are 3-0 up and on the precipice of the final. Tall timber. In The West Conference final, Thunder v Spurs, the Thunder are up 2-1. A Knicks v Thunder final showdown looms!

5. NHL. The Vegas Knights are up 2-0 in the West and in the East, the Montreal Canadiens and Carolina Hurricanes are 1-1. A brutal sport.

6. AFL. Interesting to see Carlton bounce back when Josh Fraser, a new coach arrives, putting two wins together, but their hippy hippy shakes at the end of the game is a worry. Speaking of which, the Gold Coast Suns were abysmal. Up by six goals at half time and lose it on the siren. Honestly. Their club shows glimmers of excellence and then complete hopelessness.

GWS were awesome against an incredibly disappointing Brisbane (premiers?). 166-88 is an emphatic loss (and GWS win). GWS have been underperforming all year, so a significant bounce back.

Two AFL rule changes that cannot come fast enough to maximise viewer engagement:

i. If a punch out from a throw-in goes over the sidelines, it is the other team's ball.. not another throw in.

ii. If you kick it out on the full, the other team gets the ball from where it was kicked.

This will keep the ball in play and the fans overjoyed.

7. IPL. Three teams have qualified for the finals now. Royal Challengers Bengaluru (Tim David, Josh Hazelwood), Gujarat Titans (NIL),  Sunrisers Hyderabad (Travis Head, Pat Cummins) and one place up for grabs. Ricky Ponting's team will hang their heads after losing six straight but won on the weekend v the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and are one point ahead in fourth place (15 points). 

However, the Rajasthan Royals play the lowly Mumbai Indians. If Rajasthan win, they are in. The fifteen year old opener, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, (RR) looms as the highest run scorer of the IPL 2026 tournament. Incredible if he does it. He needs 70 to win the yellow hat at the age of fifteen!

LSG get the IPL spoon and coach Justin Langer is looking like getting the axe...again.

8. PGA Golf. Great play by Cameron Smith for a T4 result in the PGA Championship last week. He was impressive after a dreadful trot. Scheffler ended T14, but at the Byron Nelson, he is T2 after three rounds at -19, bouncing back well. He won it last year too.

Brooks Koepka is clawing his way back too, but a dreadful last round in the PGA Championship cost him. He sits T8 after three rounds at the Byron Nelson in Texas.

The Wrap - Pep in Your Magic Step

1. State of Origin Teams. There is some spice upcoming as there always is. So much media hype and promotion. Not sure Sam Walker has the defence needed, but NSW with Latrell Mitchell is a lot tougher for QLD. In fact Latrell has missed the first Origin game in 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, but played last year.

 A decent possible NSW squad. We will struggle in the outside backs as always.:

• Dylan Edwards/ James Tedesco
• Casey McLean/ Tolutau Koula 
• Stephen Crichton
• Katoni Staggs
• Brian To'o
• Mitchell Moses/ Ethan Strange
• Nathan Cleary
• Isaiah Yeo
• Reece Robson/ Blake Brailey/ Wade Egan
• Adam Fonua-Blake/ King/ Stefano U.
• Keaon Koloamatangi/ Hudson Young/ Olakuato
• Jacob Preston/ Dylan Lucas/ Angus Crichton
• Cameron Murray

NSW talk a big game, but rarely win. The NRL hiatus and interruption to the comp is aggravating with the Origin interruptions. The Fox is a risk. Too unreliable under the high ball. Gutho has been overlooked once again. Queensland...they will be absolute favourites as always!

2. Magic Round. A bad Roosters loss, but the Cowboys were tough. Great to see Cody Ramsay score for the Roosters, but the Cowboys were too good. Too quick. They have really toughened up lately. Michael Maguire and Todd Payten have been buried and cremated a few times yet have risen from the ashes! Top performances.

Parramatta's special brand of touch football (ex-NSW Cup) is proving to be ridiculous, but coach Ryles seems unperturbed. He has the super signing Jonah Pezet in reserve grade still while Ronald Volkman continues to miss so many tackles. In six games he has missed 26 tackles - a record. In the top 50 missed tackle list for 2026 to date, Parramatta has six players. Go figure. Ryles needs some blowtorch on the tummy. Parramatta's hooker, de Silva's last play choices continue to be really worrying...week in week out. He is not learning fast.

Brisbane were eventually entertaining but disappointing, but the Warriors were huge. Their completion rate above 90% is unbeatable. Erin Clark and Fisher-Harris were superb. 'The Fish' is an exceptional leader. Halasima is so strong too. Newcastle have now won as many games in 2026 as the whole of 2025. What a super job by Justin Holbrook to date!

3. Tigers and Bulldogs. The Tigers have now given up over 40 points in the last three weeks. No one wants to say it, but Benji needs to smile or perish. Brad Arthur would add value there. There is so much intensity and Luai is already moving on (surprisingly without too much media criticism). Benji seems incapable of correcting things at the club. One step forward...two steps backwards.

Manly are killing it and should sign Foran quickly - or the Tigers might sign him. What a remarkable turn around without Tom Trobjevic too.

Can a champion player be a great coach? Mal Meninga and Billy Slater says yes...Fittler and Daley...not so sure. Foran is testing it at present wit ha superb start.

4. AFL. Is the contested mark dead? So few with punch outs and mass packs, has turned the game into a handball fest. Not sure this helps when you get to the finals on the big grounds. Ask the Swans who beat Collingwood in a tight one.

North smashed, Carlton a win and Melbourne keep marching on in their new era. They are the surprise packets. St Kilda hum along and Freo are surging! 

5. US PGA Golf Championship. Always the poor Grand Slam cousin. Crowds are not 'Golf Major strong' at Aronimink, but it is expensive to attend. Ludwig, JR and Rory all in contention. Looking for a surge from Brooks Koepka or Scottie Scheffler who uncharacteristically was complaining about pin placements. Not a great look and then a poor third round to boot. It is anyone's to win.

6. A -League Football. Adelaide got pumped by Auckland who surge into the Grand Final for the "dunny seat" trophy. The Sydney FC v Newcastle game was interesting. Newcastle came first in the premiership and Sydney FC came fifth! Sydney FC through on penalties killing Newcastle's hopes.

7. EPL. Liverpool have dipped badly this year and Aston Villa know it, hitting a 4-2 win and making Champions League European football. Arsenal need to keep winning and in the last two rounds, Burnley and Crystal Palace should bring that. If there is a slip up, Man City have Bournemouth and Aston Villa which is a harder end.

Heartbreak for West Ham...denied an equaliser v Arsenal last week via VAR and lost 1-0. They have Newcastle and Leeds - and MUST win this weekend, or disappear.

In the Second tier English Championship, Hull play Southampton for the chance to get elevated into the EPL. Huge game!

8. FA Cup Final - Manchester City. Man City won the FA Cup Final 1-0 v Chelsea and this is now the twentieth piece of silverware for Pep Guardiola in his reign there and 41 trophies as a top flight manager! (Alex Ferguson holds the record with 49 trophies in twice as many years as Pep Guardiola's 18 years as manager). 

1x Champions League x6 Premier League x5 League Cup x3 FA Cup x3 Community Shield 1x UEFA Super Cup 1x FIFA Club World Cup

In Scotland, Celtic won a stunner to knock Hearts out at the death. Their twelfth title in thirteen years! Incredible dominance.

9. Waratahs. Thankfully they beat the Fijian Drua this weekend scoring 50 and giving up 35 points! The New Zealand teams are the top four - no surprise. The Australian teams really make up the numbers yet again in Super Rugby.

10. NBA. In the Western Conference, the Thunder and Spurs will fight it out and in the Eastern Conference final, Knicks will play the winner of Cavaliers/ Pistons (locked 3-3). Coming down to the business end of the season. The Knicks look good, but the Thunder are red hot favourites.

11. IPL. Ricky Ponting's Punjab Kings (Cooper Connolly and Xavier Bartlett) have now lost five in a row. Terrible. Their early lead has evaporated and they sit mid table. Mitchell Marsh has continued his purple patch for the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) with runs enough to be in the top five tournament run scorers so far. Cameron Green has cracked 300 runs too with 52no. He may have turned a corner, with greater maturity, picking up 5 wickets so far in the tournament too.

12. The Boston Redsox. After the capitulation of the Celtics (NBA) and Bruins (NBL), their baseball team stinks this year too. 18-26 with multiple home ground losses spells danger if you are associated with that mob. The axe will be sharp - and soon.

13. NHL - Stanley Cup. The Colorado Avalanche play the Vegas Knights in the West Conference Final. In the east the Carolina Hurricanes are in exceptional form. They play the winner of the Buffalo Sabres and Montreal Canadiens (presently locked 3-3) for the Conference win. The NBA-NHL parallel is a great feature of US sports.

14. MLB - Travis Bazzana. The Cleveland Guardians are doing well, leading the American League Central with a 25-22 standing at present. The Australian from Ryde, has had 50 at bats and has 12 hits and 1 home run. A bright start, averaging .240. He has made one error in the field with 60 chances. His future is very bright here. An amazing tale!

The Wrap - Iron Fisted Relegation

1. NRL. Sadly, some abysmal performances on the weekend. The Bulldogs, Titans, Sharks, Tigers and Cowboys...and of course St George. Dean Young has inherited a schemozzle. Gutho really struggled. 

Conversely, the Knights are electric with a really quick (Brown, Ponga and Sharpe) and powerful (Mahzew, Best) backline. They are enjoying their footy and Dylan Lucas would not surprise in the NSW Origin team. 

Wests Tigers have fallen in a heap. Knights and Cowboys have not had their byes as yet (nor has Parramatta who are on the same as the Sharks, Dolphins, Broncos and Bulldogs with that!). The Sharks are the only team who have all of their games in double figure scores for both teams (wins and losses). 

Alex Johnston keeps scoring tries and has an extraordinary record. The most tries at a single venue and the most hattricks ever in NRL history! Johnston (224 - most tries ever); Tupou (191 - third most ever) and the Fox (165 - eighth most ever).

The Panthers keep marching on. Methodical and ruthless. At the top of the table on their own, with a bye in hand! The comp is starting to stretch out a bit now.

2. AFL. GWS squeaked past Essendon in a disappointing display and the Swans had an arm wrestle v North Melbourne but won a tight one. The proliferation of scoops, tap-ons and other derivatives of throws needs to policed closely or the game changes all of a sudden.

Collingwood were disappointing and St Kilda were abysmal for a talented roster v the Suns. Melbourne coasted to victory against the West Coast. The comp has been put on notice by a resurgent Fremantle. They look to be the benchmark. The Swans were very disappointing.

3. EPL. West Ham look relegation doomed, joining Burnley and Wolves in the drop zone. Coming up, Coventry City and Ipswich will be joined in the EPL by one further team from either Middlesborough v Southampton and Millwall v Hull, who both played a home and away series. 0-0 in both games means next week will be huge! Then a final for the last promotion position!

The only hope for West Ham is that Arsenal are in the Champions League final v PSG as well soon and may be distracted. Man City also play the FA Cup final v Chelsea soon as well. Aston Villa are in the final of the Europa Cup which is a terrific effort.

Man City play their long awaited catch up with Crystal Palace this week, but absolutely blew it with a 3-3 draw with Everton last weekend, almost gifting Arsenal the title. No surprise to see coach Pep cheering for the Hammers tonight! Go Irons!

The top EPL goal scorer 'Golden Boot' for season 2025-2026 to date is Erling Haaland with another 26 goals (four ahead of his nearest rival from Brentford, Igor Thiago). He has 161 goals in all competitions for Man City in 111 games. Fourth best ever for the club.

4. NBA and NHL. Both competitions getting down to the East and West Conference Finals. In the NBA, the Oklahoma Thunder (West) and New York Nicks (East) look most dominant. In the ice hockey, the Carolina Hurricanes look sharpest winning 4-0 in their play off against the Philadelphia Flyers and now progress to the Eastern Conference final.

5. A League. Auckland and Adelaide played a 1-1 draw and Sydney FC and Newcastle FC also had a 1-1 score. The return leg next Friday and Saturday will decide the Grand Finalists. The week off is always a problem, no matter what sport.

6. Super Rugby. The Waratahs got beaten by the Highlanders in NZ and plummeted to eighth out of 11 sides. They seem to be getting worse. Changes are needed. Terrible. The Brumbies and Reds are closer to semi finals but still hovering well behind the New Zealand teams.

7. Scott Scheffler. Not playing this weekend in the Truist Championship, but Rory, Fleetwood, Fitzpatricks x 2, Luwig, Cam Young, Gotterup and many other stars are out in force. Scottie typically takes the week off before the USPGA which kicks off on 14 May. He will be primed after a string of second places in recent weeks. Second in the Masters, the Heritage and in Miami last week.

Cameron Young looks a special in the Truist Open, set to surge from two off the pace coming into tomorrow's final round.

8. IPL. A huge week for the Australians. Cooper Connolly hit 107no for the Punjab Kings, Mitch Marsh hit 111 for LSG (the Lucknow Supergiants), Cameron Green 33no for KKR (the Kolkota KnightRiders), Tim David keeps closing brilliantly for RCB (Royal Challengers Bangladore) and Pat Cummins (Sunrisers Hyderabad) gets a MOTM award for a catch and and 2/34 off four overs.

In the top ten IPL run scorers after ten games are Cooper Connolly (377), Mitch Marsh (367) and Travis Head (361).

Interested to see Sir James Anderson still bowling in County Cricket - and coming third in wickets taken. What a phenomenal cricketer. Wetherall is getting runs and Jake Lehmann (SA) and Sam Whiteman (WA) are now English cricketers, giving up on Australia and using their British passports as 'local' players. They join the great Martin McCague (WA) who did this. 

9. F1. Oscar Piastri got onto the podium in Miami (his second podium for the season and onto 43 points), but Antonelli is miles in front on 100 points. Mercedes are 1-2 with George Russell in second place. McLaren better get their engineers moving or they will perish soon. However, 18 more races to come!

The Wrap - Runs and Rosas

1. NRL. Terrible times for the Storm with seven straight losses, but after a million years of supremacy, this happens. They will probably be back in the semis. There is a long way to go. The Bulldogs have been a disappointment and simply lack pace. It will kill a lot of teams.

Newcastle looked different with Ponga, Lucas, Best and Frizell... Dylan Brown is one of the best defenders in the NRL. Latrell was awesome again. The Roosters were great and then loose...so were Newcastle. The comeback of Cody Ramsay from an horrific medical situation with his bowel was good to see. Great belief in him by the Roosters.

The table is starting to stretch out now: Souths and Tigers were disappointing, giving up a solid position on the table with their inconsistent efforts. Panthers, Warriors and Roosters are surging.

Daniel Tupou hits 190 first grade tries and goes into third place behind Ken Irvine (212). Johnston is up to 221 now! Amazing how quickly he has continued moving ahead.

2. Jerome Luai. Seems like a top person, but his behaviour with the Galvin signing fiasco last year was forgotten very quickly by the media when he unexpectedly broke ranks to sign with PNG. He speaks well and manages his emotions well, but the Tigers must be really upset. PNG will get lots of players with their tax deal. Hard to resist for a young talented player with a young family.

3. AFL. The Swans suddenly have some great depth, with Gulden to come back soon. Rosas kicking seven goals was pretty amazing! He has been an excellent pick up from the Gold Coast. Interesting to read of the impact of ex Melbourne head coach, Simon Goodwin on the Swans players. Very positive and he would have delighted in beating Melbourne this afternoon. 

4. Tszyu. Is anyone sick of the hype...Tim, Nikita? Lots of swearing and tough talk, but the Australian public are tiring of it all. Kostya, the old man, was so understated, super talented and better than the lot of them.

5. EPL - West Ham. They have been holding on after an horrific start to the season, but lost 3-0 to Brentford on the weekend consigning them to the relegation zone if Tottenham can beat Aston Villa tonight. They needed a win there and face Arsenal next week. They will need a miracle now as Leeds have stepped ahead and Notts Forest may be play Chelsea, who have lost five in a row!

Ipswich Town and Coventry City are on the way up for next year from the Championship too! One more of Millwall, Hull, Southampton or Middlesbrough to join them!

6. Boston. A terrible week for the Bostonians. While the Red Sox have been mightily disappointing this season, the Bruins (NHL) and the Celtics (NBA) have been dumped unceremoniously from their play offs. Shocking news for the locals and lots of heads destined to roll.

7. Travis Bazzana - MLB. Travis made his debut for the Cleveland Guardians this past week and was a little quiet early - understandably. He is a rich talent and got his first hit today. So good. Off to Kansas soon for the next round of games. An amazing time for his family on the biggest of stages in world sport.

8. Oscar Piastri. Just when it looked like McLaren had got their act together in the sprints, the Miami circuit was too tough for them in qualifying, now starting fourth (Norris) and seventh (Oscar). Antonelli has genuine speed and will be hard to toss.

9. Scott Scheffler. Second at the Masters, second in the playoff last week at The Heritage and in second position at The Cadillac at present. On good terms with the bank manager, as they say. Paying $8.50 to win it, but Cameron Young is six shots in front after an 8 under first round. If Scottie gets a good first round under his belt he would win everything. Not to be.

10. Waratahs. Lost to the Western Force this weekend hitting rock bottom. 11,000 attended to watch them which is a world record of support for such a disappointing team. Now third last, one point ahead of the Force. Horrific. Reds are fifth and Brumbies have slipped to sixth.

11. Marathon. How about the new world record for the marathon...breaking the magic two hour mark at 1:59:30! Worth a second look!

12. IPL. Noticed Mitchell Starc (an iron horse) has joined the IPL, alongside Hazelwood and Cummins who both made stunning injury recoveries in time for the IPL riches and four overs of effort. Cricket Australia need to pay more, so the same miracle recoveries can occur in future Ashes series.

The Wrap - Don't Want To Speak Ill of Warra

1. NRL - St George - Illawarra. A great ANZAC annual NRL event. However, Saints are a bit of a mess at present unfortunately - like many clubs before them! They could well have won in Vegas and against the Eels it must be remembered. They have some great local talent (signing Keaon Koloamatangi and Scott Drinkwater for 2026+ are massive pluses). They have done well in NSW Cup so far in 2026 and the Couchman brothers are rep players in the making. They are not the only ones in the comp whose halves are up and down. Do we have an NRL Halfback/ Five Eight Centre of Excellence yet?

They join the Eels (2), Titans, Dolphins and the Storm who have conceded 50 points and can't win the 2026 competition. Realistically, that was never going to happen anyway as Shane Flanagan refreshingly said pre season. Spare a thought for sacked NRL coaches. So public and so cruel, but that is the gig. 'Madge' was set for the scrapheap last year and earlier this year, so said the media... yet he is shining.

Some ripping results from the Broncos while injury has plagued them. No excuses, but two beaut wins v Wests Tigers and the Bulldogs. The Bulldogs are in pain. Limited pace and Montoya had his worst game for a winger since Steve Mavin played a semi final at the SCG.

Noticed Kaylan Ponga re-signed at the Knights for a few more years. Not sure they have ever gotten true value from him. He averages about 13 games a season, but what a talent.

Melbourne. Stop it. Pass the tissues. Has the new 'six again' rule broken the Bellamy approach to controlling the ruck? He has denied it, but it seems to have really upset the style of his team at this point. It has upset him too. He may feel his days are numbered too. Recruitment questions will be asked everywhere granted the speed of the ruck now.

2. NRL Referees. Suddenly fewer 'six agains' this weekend...Origin must be getting closer. The NRL continues to only check onside kickers when tries are determined. In between, you can be offside as referees obsess about escorts and cynical others. Hammering the hapless fullback is a rule they need to change. No advantage for the fullback. A caught high ball should be rewarded. It would eliminate the boring 'hit and hope' approach of uninspiring and tired teams launching bombs repeatedly. 

3. EPL. The Man City juggernaut continues. They beat Arsenal and are staring at yet another championship win, even though Arsenal won again on the weekend (they are three points behind but have a game in hand). Leicester were dropped on their heads to the third tier of the league. Ouch!

At the bottom end, Leeds and Notts Forest look safer, but there are still five games left. West Ham and Tottenham look like they are fighting each other for extinction but BOTH won on the weekend. Intriguing.

Relegation  can cost a club nearly $50 million pounds in broadcasting rights, let alone merchandise, sponsorship, players moving on.

Interesting that just when you thought the US President had other matters at his feet, he now wants Italy back into the World Cup - and Iran out. 

4. NBA. Very early days in the best of seven first round of 2025-2026 Playoffs. Teams need to win FOUR 'best of seven' series. LA Lakers are on top, but what a long journey for all the teams. It is interesting how they play 2-2-1-1-1 in the home/ away rotation too. 

5. Waratahs. Crushed by the Crusaders (almost predictably so) and fall down the bottom once again. They need to do something because fans are tiring of this same old story. Maybe the 'want to be an NRL coach', Michael Cheika, could go there again? The Brumbies have fallen into some inconsistent habits too. Rare.

6. AFL. The Swans are striding forward on the top of the table (less the injured Gulden, Campbell and Heeney is a big bonus) as some other teams are stuttering. The Gold Coast Suns are chief amongst those going backwards. Sydney, Hawthorn, Freo and an unlikely Melbourne are doing the best business. Melbourne especially as they have shed some big names in the off season and have not flinched (Petracca, Oliver). The boards and fans of AFL clubs seem a lot more patient than the rest of the world of sport with their coaches. Carlton looked better on the weekend and Port has a neat win v Geelong, who are too inconsistent.

7. French Open Tennis. Carlos Alcaraz is injured and won't contest the French Open. The Italian, Sinner has it on a platter all of a sudden. It is the one Grand Slam that Sinner has not ever won. He stands to do the 'career slam' as well when it all kicks off in late May. He would join Alcaraz, Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, Agassi and Emerson, Laver, Budge and Perry as the only Grand Slam tennis winners in history.

8. IPL. Cooper Connolly is surging as a top order hitter this season, being in the top ten IPL run scorers. He batted overnight in an extraordinary game chasing 2-264 where KL Rahul hit 152no. Handy! Connolly hit 17 and was bowled by a beautiful googly by Yadav but was hitting them crisply. Always an impressive measure if you are getting runs in India. Shane Warne in his prime would have made mince meat of most of them in the IPL.

Shreyas Iyer, the captain of Cooper Connolly, Xavier Bartlett and Ricky Ponting's Punjab Kings team, is the best player in world T20. He hit 71no to chase down 264 with seven balls to spare. Incredible. The Kings now skip ahead to a three point lead at the top of the comp.

Pat Cummins returned to cricket on the weekend as well - just in the IPL of course. Paymaster Pat would be happy as he crowds yet another brand into the bulging promotional/ advertisement/ endoresment portfolio.

However, Sanju Samson is the star of the tournament with two tons (and Kohli still of course who is the leading run scorer). Samson has five IPL tons and a long time star. He is the India brand ambassador of the EPL as well!

Names of Indian players who are not even in their Test team like Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, Abhiskek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (15 year old) are absolute super stars of the game.

9. F1. It is finally back after the Iran war significantly interrupted the season. A chance for McLaren to have gotten things right in the break after really being caught short early on. An exciting track coming up in Miami that favours Piastri it must be said. Noticed the Turkish GP is back too. A scramble and unfortunate after the events in the Middle East.

10. Ka Ying Rising. 20 wins in a row by this amazing horse! It won the Chairman's Sprint Prize over 1200m today in Sha Tin with Zac Purton on it. 9 Group 1 victories and $150 million in the bank! Hardly even used the whip. It could hit 30 straight wins to add to the Everest win! Awesome.

11. A League - Newcastle Jets. Premiers (pre semi finals) for their first ever win. The top six (/12 teams) semi final series is interesting. Two elimination finals (3 v 6 and 4 v 5)...winners play teams 1 and 2 in a two game home and away set up, before the GF. Time to channel the lyrics of those Newcastle music icons, The Screaming Jets...

They said you'd never get anywhere

Well they don't care and it's just not fair

That you know, and I know better.

Yes I do

The Wrap - Sideline Eye

1. NRL. The sympathy cards for the Melbourne Storm are flowing in. Poor things and there is so much sadness they have not been winning! It is good for the comp, if nothing else.

Manly continue to win without coach Siebold. Coach Foran has done everything correct so far.

The NRL coaches gracing the sidelines, EPL style are growing...The Dragons lose despite having the crankiest coach in the business pacing the sidelines. Flanagan is looking like he is waiting for the club to sack him. Benji stands on the sidelines looking like he has just missed a bus and Ricky stays entertaining with his sideline coaching calisthenics! 

Latrell Mitchell put on an absolute clinic on Saturday. Four tries. He would have been unstoppable as a junior. They can't get near him with his size and strength. Jayden S'ua was also sent off on Saturday night v the Bunnies which tells us another ill disciplined player will join the Eels next year. Just what they need. 

The Gold Coast got pumped by the Warriors and yet smashed the Eels. The Eels are nearly a dead club. 40 year anniversary of their last premiership this weekend, but how embarrassing for their legends. Not one of the current team would make that side. Such chaos and wastage of resources over so many years.

Panthers on top in a tight Golden Point win.. and Warriors, Tigers, Roosters and Souths all coming second.

Whoever the Panthers play, that team inevitably loses next week. Almost guaranteed. Get off the Dolphins next week!

Parramatta had some much stronger performers. Jack Williams took care of Jacob Preston. Penisini ran the ball hard and Paulo played really strongly too. Addo Carr was a great leader on the park too. A big win but who did Canterbury play last week? The Panthers.

2. NRL League TV Coverage. How utterly useless is the 'Red Bull Momentum Tracker' (Fox) or the 'VB Hard Earned' on TV? Two of the most useless stats/ graphics in modern sporting coverage. What does it show and based on what? How about some useful stats at regular intervals about most metres gained, tackle busts, tackles... something that the viewer is interested in? The rugby league coverage has not been modernised for years. The 'Sideline Eye' was the biggest innovation with Barry Ross!

What was the last TV innovation in league? The portable camera behind the posts when a goal is kicked in Rex Mossop's time? The sideline microphone?  The camera in the corner post?  The sideline microphone? The halftime commentator chat to a perplexed player Or was it the betting with Tom Waterhouse that was banished as the last thing to disrupt it all? Please... get with it and modernise.

3. AFL. Some close wins/ losses this weekend. Carlton couldn't convert after the siren v Collingwood 88-83. Hawthorn beat Port Adelaide 89-86. Adelaide beat St Kilda 103-102, who missed on the siren too. Melbourne then upset Brisbane (104-102) today. Really exciting football it must be said.

The Swans are on top of the table after a bizarre game which ended close to midnight, following lightning and storm activity. GWS are anchored in 14th place, yet have so much talent. The inaccuracy of their play on Friday night was staggering.

Port Adelaide gave cheek to Hawthorn, but fell short. So did Carlton yet again, losing to Collingwood after leading. They really know how to give up a lead.

Elijah Hollands for Carlton registered ONE disposal for the whole game. It is thought he had some sort of mental health episode, but how was he let onto the field and then replaced and put back on? Strange. The Carlton FC need to take responsibility. He played in the last quarter when the game was on the line!

North Melbourne are back in a decent shape and Alistair Clarkson should be proud. Luke Parker (ex Swans) is actually doing some excellent work for them. Richmond have hit rock bottom and like St George Illawarra, they are on zero points.

4. NBA Finals. Lakers, Knicks, Cavs and Nuggets all underway with a win each in Game 1. Young Aussie, Tyrese Proctor, from Sutherland way, didn't get on the court for the Cavs.

5. Heritage PGA Golf. How good is Scottie Scheffler (coming off a cool $2.4M from the masters' second place)? He comes screaming back to the end at The Masters to finish second. Awesome! Jason Day finished T12...and so did Brooks Koepka. Brooks will bounce back as a major winner very soon. Brooks (5 majors) is the youngest most successful prospect.

Rory (6 majors) joins Mickelson, Trevino and Faldo in this elite status. 7 majors is the place of legends (Palmer, Snead, Sazazen, Jones, Vardon). Beyond that, you have resorts, golf balls and clubs named after you!

At The Heritage, a number of players are hoping their Masters form holds up for more cash! Scheffler hits -7 in the third round for a second place at -14. Fitzpatrick can hear the drums beating! A $3.6M winning purse is up for grabs.

LIV Golf. Now we know the whole concept is on the brink of extinction. Dodgy from the start really and no peace deal was needed in the end. A long way back for the players to re-join the USPGA.

6. Cameron Green. A 79 answers a few critics, but his future is in doubt at the hapless KKR team. They are dreadful and the IPL masters of each franchise are brutal. It is a good thing to reject that private ownership of BBL teams. It sounds like a great way to compensate for terrible sports administrators.

7. EPL.  Man City v Arsenal is a critical clash tonight. The winner is likely to be the EPL champion. The record of Arsenal is dreadful, last winning it in 2003-2004. For Man City, they have won six of the last eight EPL competitions. Staggering success. Erling Haaland leads the goal scorers for Man City after 107 games with 157 goals (Sergio Aguero holds the Man City record - 184 games and 266 goals).

Leeds are now almost safe heading to with wins over Man U and now Wolves (39 points). Notts (33) v Burnley and West Ham (32) v Crystal Palace are big games tonight. Tottenham's draw (31 points) to Brighton was punishing. Five games left = 15 points for five wins available.

Burnley (20) and Wolves (16) are gone. A crashing thud too for Leicester City who look to be relegated to the third tier after this season. 

8. NHL - Stanley Cup. Finals underway and a big month ahead!

The Wrap - Rorying Through Open Doors

1. The 90th Masters. The names and places on that course are as famous as its playing history. Rae's Creek, Amen Corner, Magnolia Drive, Butler Cabin. The mystique is something else... the golf is extraordinary too. The ultimate test. It is never over, no matter how far in front you may be.

Rory's implosion on 11 and 12 in the third round opened the door for many others before his reset after Amen corner. What about Cameron Young's resurgence, Patrick Reed's touch, Scottie Scheffler's remarkable -7 in the third round, Jason Day's finesse and Shane Lowry's wedge work (becoming the first player to land multiple holes in one on the course!). The highlights keep flowing with many more ahead tomorrow. It was Rory's to lose coming into Saturday...and he opened the door. The largest lead ever after 36 holes and the decline... the pressure.

Tyrell Hatton and Shane Lowry are dead ringers for Teddy Swims. The look.

2. NRL. The topsy turvey season continues for some. As mentioned last week, the Panthers are not invincible as the Bulldogs showed. Rushing defence, sustained pressure, stopping To'o's surges from the back and working towards Blaize and Casey Maclean in the defence line...voila. Blaize still seems too small and while his defence has improved, he lacks impact. A worry for Penrith and he may be heading to the open market.

Canberra finally had a win and the Warriors showed steel against the Storm who seem to have lots of issues now. There is no sympathy. They have been very successful for a long time. The West Tigers look better, but semi finals is a bit of an early crow.

The teams look to be thinning out now. St George in a world of pain, but Parramatta are the team under most pressure and spoon bound.

3. Parramatta. A club that has given up so many points in six rounds, tells you defence is a joke - and the coaching is bad too. Ryles has gotten away with a lot early, but he may be another problem child. "Didn't see it coming" is weak. Maybe he should have used "that's not us". The problem is it is.

Compare that to Bellamy's honest assessment: "we should have gone to the pub and had a couple of beers".

 Twice giving up 50 points (52-4 v Storm and 52-10 v Gold Coast Titans) is horrific. They also gave up 48 points v Panthers. They are a club full of excuses. Injuries are there (like a lot of other clubs), but they are loose and lack structure. Moses also lacks composure and gets so frustrated, making his captaincy a worry too. 

If you give up 50 v the Gold Coast, are you the worst football club in the world? The Bears and Chiefs look more likely to win the comp. They are fully in line for yet another wooden spoon. Forget about St George, Parramatta are worse. So predictable. Jayden Su'a should get a new manager. 

4. AFL. The Swans are surging and play a brighter GWS next week too. GWS look good and then can turn bad quickly. Finn Callaghan is something else. Hawthorn, Western Bulldogs and Freo are all joining them at the top. Looks to be a sensational season ahead. The hawthorn one point win v Geelong on Easter Monday was exceptional action.

5. IPL. Cameron Green hit 32 for KKR and Xavier Bartlett (Punjab Kings) and Cooper Connolly (Punjab Kings) are also doing well. The Kings are on 7 points, one behind the Rajasthan Royals who lead the comp after four games. It is a spectacle, but really so few Australians playing in it now. No surprise, as predicted, the world's most injured fast bowler - Josh Hazelwood - was back bowling in the IPL after not representing Australia for nearly twelve months. Money is still a big motivator, especially as the years tick by for an ageing player. The media have let this one pass.

6. EPL. Arsenal seem to stumble more often than most and have done it again losing 2-1 to Bournemouth when well ahead on the table. They have not won it since 2004 and Man City now have two games in hand (v Crystal Palace and Chelsea tonight) with Arsenal next week. Nine points adrift, but highly challenging points to win! 

At the other end, West Ham move to 32 points and out of the drop zone for the first time this season. This has upset a few with Leeds, Notts Forest, Tottenham all nervous. One of these will join Burnley and Wolves in being relegated.

A huge night tonight: 

• Sunderland v Tottenham
• Aston Villa v Notts Forest
• Chelsea v Man City
• Leeds v ManU

7. Sprint Sensations. Lachlan Kennedy and Gout Gout. Kennedy broke 10 seconds twice in one weekend which is pretty amazing in a country where speed has not really been our thing. 9.96 is swift.

Gout Gout was something else. Sub 20 second 200m runs were once the thing of imagination only. Faster than Bolt at the same age, but he does look like he could develop a lot stronger frame.

Peyton Craig's fist pump with a competitor before the race was completed in the 800m heats was an extraordinary lapse... to then be pipped on the line... and miss the semi finals! Pay attention son.

The Cameron Myers run (breaking 3:30) in the 1500m was special and the Jessica Hull fall in the 1500 was a lowlight for the Olympic 1500m silver medallist. Ouch. She bounced back and won the 5000m courageously. She may also own the highest pitched voice in Australian sport!

We have some sensational signs on the track. It has never been better in our athletic lifetimes! 

8. Super Rugby. Sadly, who watches the game these days? Nearly invisible in the media based on poor broadcasting decisions. Incredibly disappointing for the viewers and the few remaining supporters of the game.