Essendon to celebrate flags, rivalry with Hawthorn
A clash with Hawthorn offers the dream start to the season for Essendon, who will celebrate their 1984 grand final comeback before the first bounce at the MCG.
A clash with Hawthorn offers the dream start to the season for Essendon, who will celebrate their 1984 grand final comeback before the first bounce at the MCG.
Joe Schmidt has brought veteran Brumbies coach Laurie Fisher back into the Wallabies' fold as one of his assistants.
Two of Queensland's best recent performers go head-to-head in Townsville when North Queensland centre Valentine Holmes battles Newcastle veteran Dane Gagai.
Luckless Richmond defender Josh Gibcus will need a knee reconstruction and is out for the season, with Tigers coach Adem Yze saying it is "gut-wrenching".
South Sydney will give Jack Wighton his club debut next week against the Sydney Roosters but coach Jason Demetriou says he alone won't solve the side's issues.
Brisbane will take a cautious approach with captain Adam Reynolds after he aggravated an earlier injury in Thursday's 28-18 win over South Sydney.
Fullback Reece Walsh outplayed Latrell Mitchell in Brisbane's 28-18 win over a woeful South Sydney as Broncos captain Adam Reynolds re-injured his knee.
Carlton have held off a brave Richmond to win an MCG thriller by five points, six days after storming home to pip the Brisbane Lions.
Brownlow medallists Lachie Neale and Tom Mitchell have been sidelined, while a handful of top-10 draft picks will make their first AFL appearance in round one.
Justin Longmuir has two more years to show he is the man to guide Fremantle to long-term success after being handed a contract extension at the Dockers.
Damien Hardwick reckons he lost some coaching sharpness during his brief time out of the AFL caper, but he hasn't questioned his move to the Gold Coast.
Dale Finucane will celebrate his 250th NRL game on Friday, and Cronulla coach Craig Fitzgibbon has taken the opportunity to lavish praise on the veteran.
St George Illawarra star Jack Bird says playing out of position is all part of making it in the NRL and insists out-of-sorts Zac Lomax can flourish out wide.
North Queensland fullback Scott Drinkwater has a classic battle ahead with Newcastle's Kalyn Ponga which he hopes can move him closer to a cherished NSW debut.
NSW have ended their Sheffield Shield season on a high, Ollie Davies a standout as they defeated Queensland by five wickets to snare third spot on the table.
Andrew Moloney knows what's at stake when he fights for the interim WBC super flyweight title on the George Kambosos-Vasiliy Lomachenko card in Perth.
Alex Sexton didn't fit the script when auditioning for Damien Hardwick's Gold Coast forward line, but the coach has found a role for him elsewhere.
Auckland FC will play in kits reminiscent of Italian giants Inter Milan when they join the A-League Men competition from October.
Melbourne giant Pone Fa'amausili was asked to play a different role at training as his team prepares for their Super Rugby clash against Queensland.
Matt Burton will remain Canterbury's five-eighth, with coach Cameron Ciraldo doubling down on the former Penrith centre's potential in the halves.
Parramatta players know how to topple Penrith, but are still wary of the three-time defending NRL premiers.
Raiders No.7 and Mununjali man Jamal Fogarty says Spencer Leniu's racial slur was "poor", and wants society to learn more about the impacts of racism.
Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin says midfielder Clayton Oliver is making strong progress after his well-documented woe off the field.
Graham Arnold has used the Socceroos World Cup qualifiers to take a pop at European clubs playing hard ball when it comes to Australia's Olympic squad.
Charli Jacoby will become the first American to play Super Rugby Women's when the season gets underway, while a host of Wallaroos have also found new homes.
Richmond will have to find a way to handle Carlton's twin towers Charlie Curnow and Harry McKay if they are to beat the Blues at the MCG.
NSW are still well and truly in the box seat of their Sheffield Shield clash in Brisbane despite a late fightback from the Bulls on day three.
Western Australia will host the Sheffield Shield final for a third straight season after defeating Victoria by 138 runs, jumping above Tasmania on the ladder.
Trent Robinson has declared suspended Spencer Leniu is "not racist" as the Roosters coach warned the NRL and society has a wider issue with loaded language.
The pressure is piling on Western Sydney Wanderers coach Marko Rudan after a 7-0 defeat to Melbourne City where he failed to front up post-match.
North Queensland centre Zac Laybutt has made a blistering start to the year and credits the approach of new assistant coach James Maloney for his success.