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The Roar •

Forget Russell Crowe and NFL stars - could Bluey be the NRL’s secret weapon to help crack the American market?

This week, the NRL released its first ads for the upcoming season about its Las Vegas season opener as the competition gears up for its second appearance in Sin City.Similar to the ads from last season, the ad showed off the best of what the sport is selling itself as the perfect offseason fix for NFL fans this time involving NFL legend Rob Gronkowski as a “rugby league expert” to help spark interest in the event.The use of NFL players like Gronkowski who are familiar to the American public cert...
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The inaugural FIFA Club World Cup draw is locked in - and there's some mouth-watering matchups to look forward to

The groups for the inaugural 32-team FIFA Club World Cup are now set with the draw taking place in Miami and it has created some interesting groups and matches between some of the world’s best teams.The draw took place despite the uncertainty of the tournament going ahead amid legal action taken by the player’s union in FIFPRO regarding their concerns about footballers playing too many matches in a calendar year.The draw also coincides with the recent agreement between football’s international g...
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'Don't know if I've been that pumped': Kokkinakis shines as Australia roar into Davis Cup semis after US upset

Australia will progress to the semi-finals of the Davis Cup after being taken to the deciding rubber in a 2-1 win over the United States of America overnight in Malaga.The result would come through victories from Thanasi Kokkinakis winning 6-1 4-6 7-6 (14) over world No.21 Ben Shelton and the doubles pair of Matthew Ebden and Jordan Thompson triumphing over the pair of Shelton and Tommy Paul 6-4 6-4.Alex de Minaur in his singles rubber would fall short after losing to Taylor Fritz in straight se...
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Euro 2024 Power Rankings - Quarter Finals - Spain could be the team to beat, the Dutch climb up and the host nation falter

With the weekend of quarterfinals now over which saw penalty shootout drama, a second-half comeback and some last-minute drama – and eight teams now become four remaining.So, with only three matches left to play for the Euros, let’s look at how the semi-finalists and the eliminated teams from the quarterfinals.     1. Spain (Previous Position: 1)With a win against the host nation to knock them out, Spain will be buoyed with confidence that they will win their fourth Euros title.With the unherald...
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Euro 2024 Power Rankings - Round of 16: Spanish class jumps to the top, Turkey surge while Italians stumble

With the first round of knockouts complete, we are now getting to the pointy end of the tournament with only eight teams remaining to win the Henri Delaunay trophy.So, with the quarterfinals beginning on Saturday morning, let’s look at the eight quarter-finalists and the eight nations eliminated in the Round of 16.1. Spain (Previous Position: 2)After conceding the first goal for the first time in the tournament in the 18th minute, Spain was in a position they had not been in all this tournament...
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Euro 2024 Power Rankings matchday 2: England fall after bore draw, Spain rise on masterclass vs Italy

We are now almost halfway with the Euros with the tournament starting to take shape.As some teams have managed to secure their place in knockouts, others are still chasing hard.After two matchdays and only one to go before we move on to the knockouts, let’s see how the 24 teams are doing coming into the final matchday.1. Germany (previous position: 1)With the game being declared a “Party of Pink” by German newspaper Kicker, Germany became the first team to ensure their place in the Round of 16 w...
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Euro 2024 Power Rankings, Matchday 1: Jamal jets Germans to No.1, England panned for 'passive' play

The Euros are officially underway and every nation has at least had one match under their belt providing some fans with optimism and some with trepidation about what is to come.We already have a scroll of the goal of the tournament contenders and some big upsets in the first matchday providing us fans with plenty of excitement for what is next to come.So, with that, let’s look at how the 24 teams are heading into the midway point of the group stage.Like any good host, Germany got their summer pa...
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Early EURO 2024 Power Rankings: Where all 24 teams stand at the start of one of football's biggest tournaments

With the club season now over, all the attention moves now to the international game. All eyes now will focus on Germany with 24 teams competing to take out the Henri Delaunay Trophy and be the best in Europe. The Euros have just gotten underway, let’s look at how the 24 teams are shaping up.1. FranceThe World Cup runners-up and favourites to win the Euros.Since that World Cup final, France has only lost two games which were both friendlies to Germany showing their strong form.Their latest victo...
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The 'Shakespearean' story of how Leverkusen became Neverkusen - and their shot to avenge the treble of tribulation 22 years later

Anyone who has been watching football this season would likely be familiar with the historic season that Bayer Leverkusen is currently undertaking.  For those unfamiliar, the German side won the Bundesliga for the first time in the club’s history. To add to this, Leverkusen did this whilst currently being undefeated with a game to go.In fact, at the time of writing, they have not lost a single game in either the Europa League or DFB Pokal going on a 50-undefeated game streak with their last comp...
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The third-tier German side that is going on a cup run for the ages … again

One of the unbridled feelings as a football fan (or even as a sports fan) is seeing your team going on an unexpected and positive run. This is especially true for cup competitions with the ability for single elimination games to provide upset results that no one sees coming.One of these stories is currently taking place on the Western border of Germany – FC Saarbrücken in the third tier. The team made football headlines in November after they shocked Bayern Munich to knock them out of the DFB-Po...
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Is the AFC Cup the A-League's best chance for continental success?

For the first time since 2016 – and second in history – there are multiple teams from the A-League competing in the knockout phase of an AFC club competition. Both Macarthur FC and Central Coast Mariners finished on top of their respective groups in the AFC Cup at the end of last year which sees them progress to the ASEAN zonal semi-finals. It also presents the opportunity that if both teams win their respective ties this weekend, they will play each other in the ASEAN zonal final. This would re...
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How the San Francisco 49ers have struck gold en route to the Super Bowl

The stage of the Super Bowl is no stranger to the San Francisco 49ers.Tied for second in all-time Super Bowl appearances, San Francisco will make their eighth appearance in the Super Bowl in Las Vegas against the Kansas City Chiefs.The 49ers have been knocking on the door of Super Bowl contention for the last couple of years. After making three consecutive NFC Championship game appearances, they beat the Detroit Lions in a second-half comeback to make the Super Bowl. So how did they get there?Fo...
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How the Chiefs have conquered their way to the Super Bowl mountain top - yet again!

At this moment in time, there seem to be only three certainties; death, taxes and Kansas City making the Super Bowl.The Chiefs are no longer strangers to playing matches in February. What was once a multi-generational 50-year drought has become an almost yearly tradition. This Super Bowl marks their fourth appearance in the space of five seasons, and it’s just the third time in history a team has achieved the feat. A win in Las Vegas would cement their dynasty within the NFL world adding a third...
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A cursed 2023, or a year to be proud of? The uncanny misfortune of Queensland sporting teams

At the end of any year, it is often a time to reflect. This is no different for sports fans looking back on the most recent seasons of our favourite sports. There have been various moments this year within the domestic sports scene that have added to the tapestry of each league’s history. While these moments might not seem connected within the space of the last twelve months, there seems to be a common thread stemming from the sunshine state that connects some of these domestic competitions in w...
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The battle of the rugby World Cup 2027 Final: Sydney or Melbourne?

Australian rugby seems to be full of contentious debates at the moment – and here is another that will gather steam over the next three years, I am sure.After the pool stage exit from the World Cup last month, Rugby Australia has many questions that it needs to ask itself to get itself in order. With the home tournament on the horizon in four years, these upcoming years will prove to be a serious crossroads for the governing body as they prepare for the tournament. We will all be in nervous anti...
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Women’s World Cup week 2 power rankings: Canada peaking at the right time?

As we are halfway through the group stage phase, let us take another look at the 32 teams after their two matches.1) USA, Group E (No change)For the first time since 2015, the USA has drawn a game in the Women’s World Cup. In their 2019 final rematch, history did not repeat itself for the USA as a Lindsey Horan header would only cancel out the Netherlands’ goal from the first half. The draw also sees their 10-game win streak come to a close which they should recontinue against Portugal.2) Sweden...
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Women’s World Cup Power Rankings: USA cruise, no Kerr no worries, Norway in freefall

With all 32 teams now playing their first match for the tournament, let’s take a quick look at how they fared.Normal service resumed for the Americans in Auckland as they played out a 3-0 win against Vietnam courtesy of a Sophia Smith double. It continues their dominance within the tournament, having not lost a game since the 2011 final against Japan and their overall win streak stands at 10 games. It doesn’t look like it’s stopping anytime soon, as they come to Wellington in a rematch of the 20...
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Is Wildcard Round - with a twist - the ace up the AFL’s sleeve?

We’ve seen it in the NBA. We’ve seen it in the MLB. We’ve seen it in the EFL. The concept of having teams who are contending for the last finals/playoffs positions to compete against one another in a mini-tournament has seemed to spread across world sports.And now, it might just appear in the AFL. Discussions have been taking place between AFL CEO-elect Andrew Dillon and the 18 club CEOs about possibly changing the finals system for the first time in 23 years as part of a fixturing revamp. It ha...
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Women's World Cup power rankings: Usual suspects occupy top 10, can first-timers cause any damage?

It is finally here. The biggest sporting event to arrive on our shores since the 2000 Olympics is now only a few days away from actually starting. The level of excitement is gathering up some speed within the place as we see the branding spread across the major cities of Australia and New Zealand. With that in mind let’s take a look at how the 32 teams are shaping up coming into the tournament.The greatest country in FIFA Women’s World Cup history will be set on writing another storied chapter i...
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Is a new stadium a necessity for Tasmania's AFL inclusion, or are there existing alternatives that would work?

It seems to be the $750 million question holding back the AFL from officially confirming that its 19th licence will be heading to the Apple Isle. The AFL has made it clear that the Tasmanian government must build a new stadium in Hobart to secure their long-awaited entry to the competition. There has been much debate within the AFL and general sporting community about whether this project should go ahead since its announcement in 2021. A decision is unlikely to be made until the federal budget i...
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Who drops out of the AFL top 8 in 2023 and why?

As it is with any AFL season, fans are often inundated with articles about what we should expect. It’s usually regarding who the winners and losers of pre-season games actually are, which coaches/players are in the hot seat, as well as the all-important top eight or ladder predictions.It’s often the latter that dominates the AFL sphere and prompts discussion and debate amongst fans. In many of these predictions, there seems to be this pre-conceived notion that the top eight either won’t change f...
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Super Bowl LVII: How Kansas City have become the Chief team in the AFC

Kansas City has once again made it to another Super Bowl. While the wait for Chiefs Kingdom was a significantly shorter three years compared to the 50-year wait last time around, it’s still as meaningful as ever for the Chiefs.Going into the season, there were doubts about their ability to reach a fifth consecutive AFC championship game in various members of the NFL community. They faced the losses of wide receiver Tyreek Hill, who was the main receiving target in the offence, as well as safety...
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Super Bowl LVII preview: How the Philadelphia Eagles have soared to new heights in 2022

Even though there has been a five-year gap between the last time the Eagles made the Super Bowl, a lot has happened in between to get this point once again. From new coaches, new players and new game plans, Philadelphia has been able to adapt to the changing landscape of the NFL and it may just lead to the ultimate success.When Jalen Hurts was picked in the 2020 Draft with the 53rd pick by the Eagles, there was a lot of peculiarity in Eagles GM Howie Roseman and coach Doug Pederson’s decision, u...
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Is SA20 the future of T20 cricket?

T20 cricket has been constantly evolving since its inception. From the hit and giggle that it was marketed as back in 2003 to the now ever-expanding juggernaut that occupies the majority of interest within cricket in 2023, it has been a needed change to help the sport to stay in touch with younger demographics and grow in the 21st century.SA20 is a newly formed competition consisting of six teams across South Africa that are all owned by IPL franchises. For instance, the Joburg Super Kings are o...
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