🏈 Aussie Draft Prospect Is XL-ent

That flew by, it's Friday, 29 April

🔊 Sport Today Podcast

This morning, Sam Ferris and Lucy Watkin are at the mic.

Today's listen time: 9.45 minutes.

Listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify

📺 What we're watching this weekend

🏀 Friday, 7.30pm - NBL Playoffs - Hawks v Kings - WIN Sports & Entertainment Centres, Wollongong - Foxtel, Kayo

🏉 Friday, 7.55pm - NRL - Rabbitohs v Sea Eagles - Central Coast Stadium, Gosford - Channel 9, Foxtel, Kayo

🏐 Saturday, 5.00pm - Super Netball - Firebirds v Swifts - Nissan Arena, Brisbane - Foxtel, Kayo

🏁 Saturday, 8.40pm - V8 Supercars - Perth Race 1 - Wanneroo Raceway, Perth - Foxtel, Kayo

⚽ Sunday, 2.30am - EPL - Leeds v Manchester City - Elland Road, Leeds - Optus Sport

🏉 Sunday, 2.00pm - Super Rugby Pacific - Brumbies v Hurricanes - GIO Stadium, Canberra - Stan Sport

🏉 Sunday, 4.40pm - AFL - Swans v Lions - SCG, Sydney - Channel 7, Foxtel, Kayo

🏍 Sunday, 10.00pm - MotoGP - Spanish Grand Prix - Circuito de Jerez-Angel Nieto, Jerez - Foxtel, Kayo

All times are in AEST

🏈 Extra-large hype for the NFL draft 

With the first pick of Friday’s stories, the Sport Today crew has selected: the NFL Draft.

Golden points: After years of hard work in college, gridiron players from across the US now have to wait nervously to hear if their name is called at the NFL Draft.

• Las Vegas will host the big event which starts today. The Jacksonville Jaguars are set to pick first for the 2nd year in a row because they had the worst NFL record last season.

• There have been heaps of mock drafts done, and it looks like defender Travon Walker will be picked first. For once, quarterbacks aren’t high on the list.

• Remember the name Daniel Faalele. He’s an Aussie expected to be picked in the first few rounds. You won’t miss him when you see him. He’s 174kg, 198cm and wears 8XL shirts. Good luck trying to get past him.

Key click: Here’s a breakdown of what to expect over the next few days in Vegas.

Watch it: You can catch all the pageantry from 10.00am (AEST) on Foxtel and Kayo. Check out this video to see why people are so scared of coming up against Faalele.

🏏 Aussie squad set to have max impact 

Australia could turn to the ‘Big Show’ when a big squad is announced for the big tour of Sri Lanka.

Golden points: Glenn Maxwell’s 5-year wait could be over with reports the allrounder will be picked in the Test team when it’s announced today.

• The big-hitting Victorian has played 7 Tests for Australia, but his ability to play spin bowling and to bowl a bit of it has him in line for a recall.

• This will be the first time the Aussies have toured Sri Lanka since 2016. They lost that Test series 3-0.

• An Aussie ‘A’ team will also be picked for a few games over there. So expect some emerging players to get a taste of international cricket.

What’s next: The 4 squads for all formats will be announced today. The tour starts with the first T20 on 7 June and finishes with a couple of Tests.

🏉 International footy is back on the calendar

It’s been way too long since we saw some international rugby league played around here. But don’t panic, because that all ends in 8 weeks.

Golden points: We haven’t seen a game of international footy played in the southern hemisphere since before COVID started, but that will change in June with the biggest rep round we've ever seen.

• All eyes will be on Auckland on 25 June when NZ plays Tonga in men’s and women’s Tests.

• That’s followed by a double-header at Campbelltown Stadium in Sydney with a couple of Pacific Tests.

• That’s the meat in the sandwich. Rep round kicks off on Friday with Canberra hosting women’s State of Origin for the first time. Then on Sunday, it’s game 2 of the men’s series, and that’s in Perth.

Watch it: It’s been a while, so here are some highlights from Australia’s last Test against Tonga in 2019. Let’s just say some history was made.

🏉 AFL reveals next batch of fixtures 

It’s time for AFL fans to get a pen out and head over to the calendar because the next part of the draw is out. Or, you know, you could just use the app on your phone.

Golden points: The fixtures for Rounds 12-15 are in, and there are some biggies. If you’re unsure why the AFL does the draw in chunks, it's because they want to make sure the big games are in primetime so they can get the biggest ratings.

• It’s been missing for the past few weeks but Thursday night footy returns in Round 13.

• We mentioned blockbusters a bit earlier. They don’t get much bigger than top-4 teams the Demons and the Lions playing in Round 15.

• That’s gonna be a big week because there’s a double-header on the following night with games in Melbourne and Perth.

They said it: “The supporters and members are the most important people in football apart from the players, and this is not in their long-term interests or those of the clubs.” - Swans chairman Andrew Pridham doesn’t rate the floating draw.

⚽ Festival of football heads down under

The English usually like coming here in summer to get some sun. But some of their biggest football clubs are heading to Australia in winter. According to them, this is no holiday.

Golden points: Christmas has come early for football fans because there are some great games coming to town. We already knew about Brazil’s match against Argentina in Melbourne, but now the rest of the country can get excited.

• It’s been a tough old year for Aussie Manchester United supporters, but at least they get to watch their team play. The Red Devils have games against Melbourne Victory and Crystal Palace in Melbourne. They’ll also play Aston Villa in Perth.

• It’ll be a busy few days for Villa because they’ve also got the inaugural Queensland Champions Cup where they’ll play Brisbane Roar and Leeds United.

• Leeds also plays Crystal Palace in Perth so the EPL teams can get some games in before the new season starts on 6 August to accommodate a break for the World Cup that starts in November.

They said it: “The tour comes at a crucial stage of our pre-season so the fitness program and the games are important.” - Villa manager Steven Gerrard wants these games treated seriously.

👀 Quick singles

🏀 Melbourne United is one win away from a spot in the NBL Grand Final after they beat the JackJumpers last night. The defending champs were way too good defensively, winning the game 74-63.

🏉 The Tigers are expected to receive a huge boost next week with Dustin Martin expected to return against the Magpies. Martin has been on personal leave in Sydney but returned to Melbourne last week in good spirits.

⚽ The good news keeps coming for Liverpool following their 2-0 win over Villareal in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-final. Coach Jurgen Klopp has signed for another 2 years and will stay at the club until 2026.

🏉 Former NRL player Suliasi Vunivalu has suffered another injury that has seen him ruled out for the Queensland Reds. He was supposed to play the Chiefs tonight but will miss the Super Rugby Pacific game because of hamstring soreness.

⛳ There’s a new feud in golf, and it almost resulted in a fight at the Mexico Open. Kevin Na and Grayson Murray don’t like each other, and it led to some pretty tense words on the driving range.

🏏 England has a new men’s Test cricket captain. Ben Stokes was announced last night as Joe Root’s replacement.

⛳️ There's been a Tiger sighting at the Southern Hills Country Club in Oklahoma. That's where the PGA Championship will be held and Tiger Woods was spotted playing a practice round on Thursday, so we might see him teeing off against next month.

🙃 Left of field…

Eagle-eyed fans are able to pick up just about everything that goes on in the world. But this time it was a case of using Hawkeye.

Golden points: The NBA playoffs continued yesterday with the Warriors eliminating Denver. As usual, the pre-game build-up showed players getting to the game in unique ways.

• As Warriors star Klay Thompson rode his bike into the arena, people noticed former Hawks coach Alastair Clarkson going through security.

• It caused a bit of a stir on social media, but it’s not as random as you might think.

• Clarkson is good friends with Warriors coach Steve Kerr and he’s been touring with teams from smaller markets across the country to learn what it will take to get a Tasmanian team into the AFL.

Watch it: Even a 4-time premiership-winning coach like Clarko has to go through security.

📽 The highlight reel

If last night's NRL game was a State of Origin audition between Kotoni Staggs and Siosifa Talakai, then the Broncos centre got the points. He scored this terrific try and his team got the win.

📸 Photo finish

Imagine how good NBA rookie Josh Giddey would be in the AFL. Thankfully for rival teams, he was only visiting the Hawks yesterday.

🏃‍♀️ The finish line

🏆 Today's trivia answer

Maxwell made 104 against India in 2017.