🏀 David Dares To Dream

Time to party, it's Friday, 6 May

🔊 Sport Today Podcast

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

Today's listen time: 9.30 minutes.

Listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify

📺 What we're watching this weekend

🏉 Friday, 5.00pm - Rugby Union Test - Wallaroos v Fijiana Drua - Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane - 9Gem, Stan Sport

🏀 Friday, 7.30pm - NBL Grand Final Game One - Kings v JackJumpers - Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney - Foxtel, Kayo

🏉 Friday, 7.55pm - NRL - Panthers v Eels - BlueBet Stadium, Sydney - Channel 9, Foxtel, Kayo

🏉 Saturday, 1.45pm - AFL - Tigers v Magpies - MCG, Melbourne - Foxtel, Kayo

🏐 Saturday, 5.00pm - Super Netball - Vixens v Firebirds - John Cain Arena, Melbourne - Foxtel, Kayo

🏀 Sunday, 10.30am - NBA Playoffs - Warriors v Grizzlies - Chase Centre, San Francisco - Foxtel, Kayo

⚽ Sunday, 9.00pm - FA Women's Super League - Chelsea v Manchester United - Kingsmeadow, London - Optus Sport

🏁 Monday, 5.30am - Formula 1 - Miami Grand Prix - Miami International Autodrome, Miami - Foxtel, Kayo

All times are in AEST

🏀 What is this? A story centred on ants? 

Never underestimate an ant. After all, they are pound for pound one of the strongest creatures in the world.

Golden points: The JackJumpers hope that strength translates to the basketball court when they play the Sydney Kings for the NBL title. This really is a modern telling of David v Goliath.

• Plenty of people were quick to write off the JackJumpers at the start of the season. After all, the team from Tassie were the new kids on the block.

• They lost 6 of their first 8 games to justify the scepticism, but that’s all changed. They flew home, snuck into the playoffs and then came from 1-0 down to eliminate the defending champs.

• But they now face the Kings, and they’re really good. They won 13 games in a row this season, they’ve got home court advantage and they also have the league’s MVP.

What are the chances… the JackJumpers win? It really would be a Cinderella story. No expansion team has ever won the comp in their first season, but hey, they keep rewriting the record books.

Watch it: It all starts tonight at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney. Game one tips off at 7.30pm (AEST) on Foxtel and Kayo freebies. Here’s the full schedule for the rest of the series.

⚽ Real deal to play the lads from Liverpool

You don’t usually see too many noise complaints at 7.00am on a Thursday. But there would’ve been a few people screaming into their cereal yesterday after a manic semi-final in Madrid.

Golden points: Manchester City were minutes away from booking their spot in the UEFA Champions League final. But nobody told Rodrygo.

• Real Madrid’s super sub came on and scored in the 90th and 91st minutes to make it 5-5 on aggregate.

• It didn’t take long for Madrid to hit the lead in extra-time thanks to Karim Benzema. His penalty made it 3-1 on the night and took his tally to 43 goals this season.

• That was it for City who were knocked out in brutal fashion. It means they’ve still never won Europe’s most prestigious club football comp.

What’s next: It’ll be a rematch of the 1981 final when Real Madrid play Liverpool at the same venue in Paris on 29 May (AEST). No team has won more titles than Real Madrid (13). Liverpool have 6 and are into their 3rd final in 5 years.

Watch it: Sit back and enjoy the highlights from yesterday’s match.

⚽ Aussies clash for English title

Caitlin Foord is on fire but it’s Sam Kerr’s Chelsea who are in pole position heading into a super Sunday in the UK.

Golden points: Things couldn't be any tighter. Well, technically they could be level. But it’s Chelsea on top of the FA Women’s Super League with one game to go.

• They lead Arsenal by a point after the Gunners kept the pressure on thanks to a 3-0 win over Tottenham.

• Aussie Caitlin Foord was the star. She scored 2 goals including a cracker from long range that features in our highlight reel later in the newsletter.

What are the chances… Arsenal win the title? They’ve been in great form but they have to beat West Ham. They then need Manchester United to defeat or draw with Chelsea. That won’t be easy because Chelsea beat Man Utd 6-1 earlier in the season. Sam Kerr scored twice that day.

Watch it: The final round of matches all kick-off at 9.00pm (AEST) on Sunday. You can watch them all on Optus Sport.

🏉 DM slides back into Richmond's team

They’re the 3 little words every Richmond fan wants to hear. Hot tip, it’s not “I love you”.

Golden points: Dusty is back! The Tigers superstar was named last night in the team that’ll play Collingwood at the MCG on Saturday. This is a big deal.

• Martin hasn’t played since Round 1. He’s been on personal leave but returned to training 2 weeks ago.

• It normally takes a while for players to get their fitness back, but Dusty is a 3-time Norm Smith Medal winner and is still one of the best in the league even if he’s a little bit rusty.

• This is great timing for the Tigers. They are 9th at the moment and are just one win behind the Magpies.

They said it: “He's in a good space but it's like anyone that's had a loss of their best mate and their father, there'll be ups and downs.” - Richmond coach Damien Hardwick is putting no pressure on his star.

🏉 World Cup journey starts tonight

The wait is finally over for Wallaroos fans. It’s been 3 years since their last rugby Test, but they are finally back in action tonight as they get ready for the World Cup.

Golden points: Like many sports, you can blame COVID for the extended break. But it’s okay now, we can watch the Aussies play Fijiana tonight in Brisbane.

• Don’t call it a revenge game. Well, maybe you should. There are 15 NSW players in the squad and they want to win after they lost to the Drua in the Super W Grand Final.

• It’s going to be a big night for rookies. There are 11 players in line to make their debut. That’s so they can get some big-game experience before the World Cup.

• Hang on, wasn’t that last year? Nah, COVID postponed that as well. But that means we get another big tournament in October.

Watch it: This is the first of 7 Tests for the Aussies before the World Cup. You can watch it on 9Gem and Stan Sport from 5.00pm (AEST).

👀 Quick singles

🏀 Aussie NBA star Ben Simmons has suffered another setback after he failed to play a game this season. He’s set for surgery on his back and reports are it’ll take 3-4 months to recover.

🏉 The Broncos have moved ahead of the Rabbitohs on the NRL ladder after they beat them for the 2nd time this season. Former South Sydney skipper Adam Reynolds was the difference in his first game against his former side.

⚽ The Wellington Phoenix are through to the A-League Men finals after they beat the Wanderers last night. The 2-1 result means Sydney FC will miss the playoffs for the first time since 2016.

🏁 It’s time to renew that Netflix subscription because Drive To Survive has been locked in for another 2 seasons. The show has seen F1 rise in popularity and gives fans a behind-the-scenes look at how things are done on and off the track.

🏏 The view from the top looks pretty good for the Australian cricket team. They’ve extended their lead at the top of the ICC Test rankings, while England has fallen to their lowest rating since 1995.

🏉 The NRLW could look a lot different next year with up to 4 new teams joining the comp. The original plan was to add 2 new teams but the Australian Rugby League Commission is thinking about going from 6 up to 10.

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🙃 Left of field...

There’s no Marlon Brando, but the Formula One is about to head On The Waterfront for the race in Miami. The problem is, there’s no water.

Golden points: F1 heads to Florida this weekend for the 5th race of the season. Hot, humid and full of colour, it’s expected to be a massive event in the States. And being in Miami means plenty of water, right?

• Well, that was the original plan. Organisers wanted the track to run alongside the water.

• But things don’t always work out. The course now runs through the Hard Rock Cafe which is about 15 km from the ocean.

• Never fear, fake water looks just like the real thing and they’ve spared no expense building their fake harbour. The boats are real, but everything else is fake and fans have had a fun time mocking it.

Watch it: You can watch the race on Foxtel and Kayo from 5.30am (AEST) on Monday. As you can see, it's pretty easy to float.

📽 The highlight reel

We teased it a bit earlier, so here's Caitlin Foord's stunner that has Arsenal in the hunt for the English title.

📸 Photo finish

It's a good thing these guys didn't bring all their trophies to the photo shoot. I wonder what Lewis Hamilton and Tom Brady spoke about in Miami...

🏃‍♀️ The finish line

🏆 Today's trivia answer

Chelsea is out in front with 5. Arsenal has 3.