The Wrap - Parra Guy

1. World Cup - Socceroos. The World Cup of Football is the greatest show on earth. A brilliant win v Turkey last week, but a dreadful start v USA for the Socceroos. How good would a goal or two v USA have been? Harry Souttar's air swing in front of goal didn't help. However coach Popovic has a few tricks up his sleeve. Sometimes it seems like he may be outwitting himself! Turkey have been stuffed and basted and Australia needs points v Paraguay on Friday. We need to play with more freedom and attack on Friday! Hopefully we can do the business. Any team with 'parra' in it, is able to be beaten.

2. US Open Golf. Shinnecock Hills is not close to anything much in Long Island. It is a tricky course, but not close to the quality of the Masters either (what is?)! Brutal at times and has so few players hitting under par. In fact only five after three rounds. It is also very hard to get there, so the crowds are not great. The US Open has always struggled. 

Xander Shauffele is always there, so it seems is Morikawa and the Fitzpatricks have made a strong collective name for themselves. Scottie Scheffler is always hovering and sits second after three rounds in pursuit of his golfing major Grand Slam! Wyndham Clark has nailed the course (64 was super impressive in the first round, then 69... awesome golf), but a few slip ups and it is anyone's to win. 

Adam Scott's 100th consecutive Major (incredible) ended badly for him and all the other Australians. Min Woo, Cam Smith and an injured Jason Day did not trouble the leader board and in fact were on a plane home soon after (MTC) - or at the victory parade of the New York Knicks!

It is Wyndham Clark's to lose from here...surely he can't lose from there. Wyndham will be destroying more than locker rooms if he loses from here. His win in the Byron Nelson positions him well for the final round pressure. The 2023 US Open winner stands to equal Greg Norman on two major wins if he can hold on.

3. NRL. State of Origin. Why was it so predictable for NSW? We just seemed so unlikely to win all week. There needs to be changes and Latrell and Stephen Crichton could come in immediately and excel. Crichton is a sensational player. Strange needs to play and Cameron Murray needs more minutes. Has Laurie Daley lost it? Api might think so.

Todd Payten gets two more years as Cowboys coach which is a massive comeback from earlier this year when the critics had the door to the crematorium open for his career.

Manly were horrible in the last few minutes v the Bulldogs and probably deserved to lose. Crichton's boot was better than Garrick's and it was the difference with a field goal as well. He will be welcomed back into the NSW team ASAP! A punish of a game to watch however. 

The Dolphins surge on yet again and the curse of Wayne has been defeated by a team that looks better than when he coached them! Benji's Tigers were sadly at their mediocre best. The Storm are back too! With a bye in hand they are one win outside the eight!

4. Australia v Bangladesh ODI and T20 Series. A thumping for us in the ODI series, but the T20 has seen a few flourish. Cooper Connolly's 149 in the final ODI win was extraordinary. Matt Renshaw in particular - three wickets in two T20s and 89no in the last one!

5. Test Cricket - England v New Zealand. Without Stokes, England look vulnerable. New Zealand conditions are very similar to English conditions and it is an even context. Matt Henry has 146 wickets in 35 tests at 26.92 which is good going! Ravi Rachindra averages 47.68 after 23 tests (5 tons) while Henry Nicholls has 11 Test tons at 40.00 after 59 Tests. A couple of great young stars. Joe Root keeps shining at home especially. He is what stands between victory and a draw for New Zealand.

6. NHL. The Carolina Hurricanes beat the Las Vegas Knights to win the much treasured Stanley Cup. A phenomenal competition. Brutal.

7. Super Rugby Final. In case you were wondering... 357 points scored in the final series and the Hurricanes beat the Chiefs 60-5 in the Grand Final! Embarrassing. The competition needs a reboot. We are further behind now than we were 12 months ago.

8. MLB. Travis Bazzana is stamping his class at the Cleveland Guardians, averaging .260 after 45 games. He hit two home runs this morning v the Astros from a pitcher who had not given up a home run to a left hander all season after 146 plate appearances. Travis hit him out of the park with the first pitch of the game! Sixth and seventh MLB Home Run! He is a terrific talent, possibly in the best clutch of MLB players this season! Keep an eye out for him. Played for Ryde and lives at Turramurra. Awesome story.

The Wrap - Wild Turkey and Choke

1. World Cup - Socceroos. It is the biggest sporting event in the world, edging out the Olympics! Playing Turkey (when did their new pronunciation arrive?), we were rank underdogs and almost to script one of their bigger mouthed players told the world how we were going to be crushed. Oops! Our defence was great. Rock solid and it drew Turkey into a different style of play. We capitalised beautifully on some half chances. 2-0 is pretty spectacular for the first game in the World Cup. The crowd from Australia was immense really! Great support and a wonderful moment in sport. 

The chequebooks will be opening for our goalkeeper, young Patrick Beach. How good?

2. NRL. The bye is really playing havoc with the comp. The Roosters were towelled up with seven players missing. Cronulla v Warriors was a punish to watch, but an exciting end. The superstars make a big difference. A solid win by the Eels too. Inching away from the spoon.

The Dolphins conversely are highly entertaining. Nikorima is such a talent. Pace and intuition. They are reversing the Wayne Bennett curse.

Is it an optical illusion or is the Warriors home ground short of a few lights? So many shadows. Looks like the old WD&HO Wills Craven Mild Cup at Henson Park.

Wade Egan's carry on luggage must be getting expensive after again missing out for Origin. There must be something wrong with the way NSW players train for Origin too. So many injuries in the camp. Moses, Mitchell, now Maclean and others over time. What amateur hour antics are they up to? It sometimes seems like Laurie Daley is out of touch. Bring back Madge. He might need another gig soon. He has a short term player tolerance level only. The Broncos have turned up their toes now. Terrible.

Tigers v Titans was hardly the match of the round either, but entertaining. Three tries for Luai... he is a smart businessman! The Tigers start to regather some ground, but the defence of both teams was hardly premiership material. Leichhardt Oval now retires as the Latcham Robinson Stand gets renovated.

Origin II this week. Can't wait! Hopefully Ashley Klein goes well. Dreadful addiction news for his family. We need to support the guy, unlike many in the media.

3. AFL. If the NRL was not limited enough, the AFL had a bye weekend this weekend too...West Coast v North Melbourne was torturous. A distinct lack of skill and errors galore. Harley Reid is wasted at West Coast. The Swans v Port Adelaide was better, but the Swans seem obsessed with fancy handball play when a smart kick and more marks (!) would be better. Too much finesse and cute stuff as they win their fourth game by less than 10 points this past month. St Kilda looked really good last week v Swans and were equally impressive v the GWS Giants. A great win.

4. ODI Cricket v Bangladesh. It seems to the outsider that no one really cares much anymore about any coloured clothes cricket. World Cup or the Arjuna Ranatunga Cup. We were crushed to be fair. Short, Marnus and Connolly have not furthered their chances. There is no dominant batsman and outside of Steve Smith, we have not had a dominant and consistent batsman in the last ten years. Certainly no one consistently good (eg. Travis Head, Cameron Green).

Ben Stokes is on the brink. He loves the biff. A matchwinner, but he has a huge T20 worldwide circuit ahead of him. The crowds love him, but the drinkers do not.

5. NBA. The New York Knicks have won the NBA after a 4-1 Game 4 v San Antonio. Again a final quarter comeback made it work and they won the first time since 1973. Their 53 year drought makes Parramatta's premiership drought look sick.

6. NHL. The Carolina Hurricanes are up 3-2 as well. Poised for victory coming back from 1-2. Game 4 tomorrow morning our time.

7. PGA Canadian Open. Pre US Open and largely uneventful... a fair distance for many to travel, so not the strongest of fields. Looking to put this tournament behind us and see the real stuff soon at Shinnecock Hills. Interesting to see one key name who MTC: Justin Rose. Must have had an early flight. 

8. The Grass Court Tennis Season. Hopefully a better Wimbledon and lead up than what we saw at the French Open. Nottingham, Queens and Eastbourne.... Time is running out for Alex de Minaur.

9. Matty and Volk at the White House. Incredible they would let Matty Johns near the thing. Must say that a few lads played cricket on the lawn of the Capitol Building in 1990. No fences back then, but photos to prove it. Big 80th celebrations for the USA.

10. Super Rugby. Chiefs beat Crusaders 49-12. Dominant. The Hurricanes whacked the Blues 57-21 too for a Chiefs v Hurricanes final. The defence has got worse and worse. Two semi final wins by almost 50 points! The competition has problems. The sadness is most Australians would not even know about it all. No breakdancing by the Crusaders this year!

11. F1 - The Barcelona GP. Piastri's 2026 struggles continue, but McLaren is improving. Piastri and Norris are 5th and 6th now in the Driver's Championship after last week in Monaco. It certainly is a grind for him this season. Hopefully a Stephen Bradbury pile up gives him a chance.

The Wrap - Pass the Victory Song Lyrics

1. NRL. Newcastle let a massive chance slip v Melbourne. Dynamic play in 2026, but not enough to outsmart Melbourne who are clawing their way back up the table with great resolve. The Dolphins are tremendously entertaining to watch, dazzling their way up the table now too. 

The Roosters bounced back with a crushing win over the Raiders in their backyard. Amazing how the Raiders have slipped in 2026, but they are not alone. The Broncos losing to the Titans on the back of the loss to the Dragons last week puts a few nails in their campaign now. Do the Titans own a victory song?

The performance of the Tigers was appalling. 68-0 is a disgrace. A bright start, fewer 'six agains' and now they are back to the pack. Benji is like Jason Ryles...coaches that are never under the microscope, despite some really poor performances. The Tigers have had two games where they gave up forty points as well!

The teams losing by 50 this year? Parramatta (2 v Melbourne and Gold Coast), Wests Tigers (2 v Cronulla and Penrith)), Titans (1 v Cronulla), Dolphins (1 v Manly), Melbourne (1 v Panthers) and St George (1 v Roosters).

The Panthers go into their second bye on 26 points (soon 28 points)... this is enough to make the semi finals already! Incredible dominance this year... and incredible humility too. They know their victory song well!

2. Best NRL Coaches. Some of the most successful coaches % winning record? Keiran Foran (80% - 10 games), Craig Bellamy (69% - 620 games), Norm Provan (69% - 181 games), Bob Fulton (64% - 405 games), Mal Reilly (63% - 98 games), Trent Robinson (63% - 348 games), Jack Gibson (62% - 394 games), Craig Fitzgibbon (62% - 117 games), Wayne Bennett (61% - 972 games), Phil Gould (59% - 280 games), Peter Louis (59% - 161 games), Geoff Toovey (58% 105 games), Ivan Cleary (58% - 491 games), Chris Anderson (57% - 337 games) and Roy Masters (57% - 250 games), Steve Folkes (56% - 288 games), Terry Fearnley (56% - 210 games) and Warren Ryan (56% - 415 games).

3. AFL. The greatest club game in recent memory with St Kilda really unlucky to lose in the dying seconds to the Swans. A see sawing game with a big crowd (42,000). A superb physical game and some absolute individual brilliance... Liam Ryan was outstanding. There was Wilkie, Wanganeen-Milera, Heeney, Curnow, Warner...all excellent. 104-102 was an incredible outcome for the Swans. Superb to be in the crowd there today! A very happy crowd in the end.

The Western Bulldogs have mastered the tight win and are doing it in great style. Geelong look like April-May-June premiers but lose tight ones too often. Bailey Smith is an incredible player. Outstanding Brownlow candidate with Isaac Heeney.

Fremantle continue to break their own records with their twelfth straight win added to with a crushing club record defeat of North Melbourne. They sit comfortably on top of the comp with 12 wins and one loss. North fold too easily.

4. England v New Zealand. Lords has dished up a terrible result wicket with a million wickets falling too quickly. Jamieson and Smith for New Zealand were superb with the ball. For England the talented Harry Brooks got a half century, so did their new opener, Emilio Gay, but not much else for anyone. When teams are getting sub 200 scores it can be exciting for bowlers, but more balance helps. 

Conversely, India will fill their Test cricket stockings against Afghanistan (less Rashid Khan), who were taught a huge lesson. The Indian team can bat! KL Rahul scored yet another Test century. He is a late bloomer in some respects but now has 12 Test tons (against six different nations).

Shubman Gill has also now hit over 1,000 runs as captain or India. He is second quickest (15 innings) just behind Sunil Gavaskar (14 innings) as captain to hit 1,000 runs. He scored his sixth test hundred as Indian captain (15 innings). 11 Test tons now in 41 Tests. He is a gun.

5. Cricket. If you thought losing the Melbourne Stars this week and losing the ODI series 2-1 to Pakistan this week was bad, things could be worse (noting all have played more tests than all of us!):

Not The Strongest Australian Cricket Test XI since 2010: 

• Ed Cowan
• Joe Burns
• Rob Quiney 
• Callum Ferguson 
• Aaron Finch 
• Nic Maddison
• Andrew McDonald 
• Peter Nevill (wk)
• Michael Beer 
• Xavier Doherty 
• Dan Cullen
• Ben Hilfenhaus 
• John Hastings
• Peter George

6. NBA. New York Knicks. Up 2-0 over the San Antonio Spurs now after a one point thriller in Game Two. The defence was outstanding from both teams. How athletic and what a superb demonstration of intense athleticism!

7. Super Rugby. The Brumbies were belted 66-12 by the Hurricanes. The Reds were also belted by the Chiefs 46-24. The mighty Crusaders won 52-31 over the Blues as well. 

The semi finals: Chiefs v Crusaders and Hurricanes v Blues. All New Zealand teams. Dominant. Australia is getting further and further behind the might of New Zealand rugby. Let's be honest, even when it is hard to admit.

8. NHL. Carolina Hurricanes and Vegas Golden Knights are locked in battle and one goal has divided them in all three games. The Vegas Knights are up 2-1. The Stanley Cup is the oldest professional sports trophy in North America. A huge atmosphere.

9. Football World Cup. The biggest sporting show on earth outside of the Olympics starts next weekend, but the fans are saying the seats are too expensive! It will be interesting to see the crowd size, but the intensity will be there. 

10. French Open Tennis. A lacklustre version this year sadly, with so many upsets, but the story is the female qualifier from Poland - Maja Chwalinska. The first woman to make the final of the French Open as a qualifier. An incredible story of success. She played Mirra Andreeva (8th seed) from Russia. The Central Europeans dominate. An easy win by Andreeva in the end... not a household name as yet, but one to watch.

In the men's final, the Italian Flavio Cobolli plays Alexander Zverev tonight. This is the greatest chance Zverev has of ever winning a Grand Slam. As a known hot head, he will need to stay composed to win it. No man either than Sinner or Alcaraz has won a men's final since the end of 2023, when Novak won his 24th!

11. F1 - Piastri. Struggling to make a podium this season. Hard to believe McLaren were so deeply asleep during pre season in their car preparation. Starting from grid position #7 and #8 is not going to please the McLaren investors. The Monaco GP is famous for the car at the front of the grid winning. Nearly nowhere to overtake! Antonelli is all set to expand his lead in the driver's championship.

12. US Open Golf. The Memorial Tournament is the traditional hit out before the US Open, but you only have to be fractionally off your game in a PGA event and you are cooked. Fleetwood, Rose, Fitzpatrick, Burns, McIlroy, Lowry, Scheffler and Shauffele are all there and thereabouts. Not leading, but hovering!

The Wrap - Bazzana Havana

1. MLB - Travis Bazzana. 'TBaz' continues on his merry way leading the averages now with the Cleveland Guardians. Since being called up three weeks ago, he has even come into reckoning for the MLB Rookie of the Year. They lost today v the Red Sox but he hit two doubles in their loss. 

He has such outstanding belief and talent. He has played 29 games, 104 at bats, 32 hits, including 8 doubles and 3 home runs. He is surging and is the lead off bat now. He is their leading player right now. Incredible. Averaging .308. It is very early of course, but that is an elite number at the highest level of the game.

2. NRL. Congratulations to the bye on their 200th game. They have been really dominant on the Bull Crap Momentum Tracker all season!

Key NRL questions:

• Is the six tackle repeat hooter a sign of an imminent try? The NRL would have us believe it. 
• Is the failed attacking raid in the red zone inevitably rewarded with a penalty? So it seems.
• When will there be a clear penalty for players not surrendering the ball instantly at the break down in play? The AFL have this right. Yardage penalties with scope for a quick tap.
• Should every NRL coach walk the sidelines like the NFL? It certainly adds more spice to the game. One team on either side?

The Tigers bounce back; Parramatta looked like pretenders again (still spoon favourites, especially now the Dragons can win) with coach Ryles not getting the blowtorch like many other coaches; Newcastle look so much better every week and Dylan Lucas is pure class. The Sharks also suddenly looked a tougher proposition. The Roosters and Storm was a classic game of arm wrestling defence. So hard to score a try now. The Roosters were ordinary sadly...so many errors.

Booing of Lachlan Galvin is surely overdoing it a year later. His try was clever.

St George had an excellent win, but the Broncos...dear oh dear. The Dragons have a brighter future than most. Look at the Newcastle Knights under Justin Holbrook. Coming fourth now! Awesome turn around. The Raiders continue their characteristic mid season turn around too. The colder it gets in Canberra, the more successful they become.

3. AFL. Carlton have bounced back since the change of coach to Josh Fraser and have put three successive wins together now. They had a magnificent win v Geelong who have been on fire. The Swans absolutely whacked Richmond in a record breaking afternoon at the SCG on Saturday. Charlie Curnow kicked 8 goals which is incredible. 

The Western Bulldogs scored a cracking win v Collingwood and GWS continue their recovery with a win in the Alice against Melbourne. What a spectacular ground! Finn Callaghan had a game (1km gained!). They are screaming into eighth spot now. One to watch with their big run to September after their shock loss to West Coast.

4. ODI Cricket v Pakistan. Why are we playing this series? Guaranteed that in two weeks you won't remember anything that happened. Great to see Liam Scott rewarded with an Australian gig. Ex Hunters Hill Pirates player before getting across to South Australia.

However, not selected. The pitch was woefully inconsistent, but typical sub continent...low, slow and turning. Too much for Marnus and Cameron Green. Patience must surely be shortening with both. Our bowlers were ineffective, but Kuhnemann continues his excellent form in the sub continent. That is a handy skill as lucrative IPL options may open up as well.

5. County Cricket. Who is starring from Australia? The recent Aussie turned Englishman, Jake Lehmann has hit 549 runs at 62.11. Daniel Hughes (539 at 44), Jake Weatherald (483 at 60), Nathan McSweeney (392 at 49) and Marcus Harris (366 at 45). Not spectacular.

6. IPL Final. Gotta love the IPL! The Gujrat Titans (GT) play the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the final tonight. GT have Shubman Gill, Jos Buttler, Jason Holder, Rashid Khan, Rabada and Mohammad Siraj. RCB have the legend Virat Kohli, Tim David and Josh Hazlewood. RCB should whack them. Wait for Kohli to produce under pressure. RCB won it last year too (6 other second/ third places). GT have one win and one second/ third place.

7. Super Rugby. The wheels have fallen off the Brumbies and they have a week to tighten them up. They have plummeted, losing to Pasifika, but the Reds threaten for semi final success. The Crusaders knocked over the Highlanders in a terrific win. That franchise is incredible.

With the top six in the semi finals now, the Hurricanes (1) play the Brumbies (6) next Friday in Wellington. Crusaders (3) play the Blues (4) in Christchurch and then the Chiefs (2) play the QLD Reds (5) in Waikato. Can anyone but the Hurricanes, Chiefs and Crusaders win - especially in New Zealand?

Can a semi be played on a Sunday afternoon? TV/ viewer ratings missed yet again.

8. French Open Tennis. Jannik Sinner was unceremoniously turfed out and Novak too in a tournament without Carlos Alcaraz. Alex de Minaur faded out too in the scorching heat. He seems incapable of grappling with those big opportunities, as solid a player as he is. The youth of a few players is rising finally, like young gun Fonesca and Zverev. We will finally see a new winner of a men's tennis Grand Slam.

Iva Swiatek and Sabalenka will be hard to beat in the women's as it heads to the fourth round tomorrow. Gauff was ousted in yet another upset that only the clay can bring.

9. F1 Grand Prix. McLaren are in huge trouble. A DNF for Norris and a 11th place for Oscar Piastri. In the Canadian GP, the Mercedes cars dominated. Antonelli already has four wins and leads gthe Drivers Championship on 131 points in a canter ahead by 43 from George Russell (Mercedes). Piastri is back in sixth place on 48 points.

10. EPL. Tottenham survive...just, despite West Ham winning 3-0 v Leeds. With all games finishing within an ace of each other, the drama and pressure on the field was countered by a 1-0 win by Tottenham. The Hammers join the second tier layer of English football and lose money, players and reputation. They will bounce back.

Arsenal could not ice their season, losing in penalties in the Champions League clash with Paris St Germain (PSG). Typical Arsenal. They could really have made a powerful statement there. A shame, but the EPL title is under their arm.

11. The NBA Finals. It is decided: New York Knicks v San Antonio Spurs. The Knicks were commanding winners in straight sets. They are so tall. A dauting opponent. The Spurs got through in a tight and tough Game 7. A great achievement. Starts 4 June.

12. NHL Final. The Carolina Hurricanes take on the Las Vegas Knights for the Stanley Cup. Both convincing winners in what should be a cracking final. Awesome athleticism. Starts Wednesday.

13. World Cup Soccer. It is nearly underway. The fake injury and the dodgy ref were in full flight in the Socceroos 1-0 friendly loss to Mexico. Interesting that refs don't often preside over losses to Mexico in friendlies. I suspect "a good tight loss" may be our WC mantra, but a wonderful spectacle and showcase of talent ahead.

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!