🏉 Goodbye Gill

Happy hump day, it's Wednesday, 13 April

🔊 Sport Today Podcast

This morning, Martin Gabor and Lucy Watkin are at the mic. 

Today's listen time: 9.30 minutes.

Listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify

📺  What we're watching 

🏀 9.00am - NBA Play-In Tournament - Nets v Cavaliers - Barclays Centre, New York City - Foxtel, Kayo

🏐 8.00pm - Super Netball - Thunderbirds v Swifts - Netball SA Stadium, Adelaide - Foxtel, Kayo

⚽ 5.00am (Thu) - UEFA Champions League - Liverpool v Benfica - Anfield, Liverpool - Stan Sport

All times are in AEST

🏉 The boss has left the building... well not yet 

AFL Commission chairman Richard Goyder thought he was enjoying a relaxing plane trip back from the AFLW Grand Final. Instead, he got some news he definitely wasn’t expecting.

Golden points: There was no turbulence, but the AFL world was rocked because chief executive Gillon McLachlan is standing down at the end of the year. 

• McLachlan has been in the job since he replaced Andrew Demetriou in 2014 and he’s enjoyed a long stint with the AFL that started back in 2000.

• Things haven’t always been easy, and McLachlan has had to deal with a lot. He helped secure a massive TV rights deal and has helped AFL deal with the COVID crisis. 

• He was pretty emotional at yesterday’s press conference, but it means he’ll get to spend more time with his wife and kids. 

They said it: “The responsibility has never been lost on me and I feel good that the game's in better shape now than when I took over, but the scoreboard will be for others to judge.” - McLachlan has no regrets. 

What’s next: There’s still a lot to do before he goes. The AFL is trying to sort out a new TV rights deal and a new collective bargaining agreement. Then there’s talk of a new team in Tasmania, and of course the ongoing COVID situation.

Key click: McLachlan’s departure begs the obvious question - who replaces him? Click here to learn more about some of the candidates.

Watch it: Here's MacLachlan explaining his emotional decision and his little dig at some of the media. You've still got to work with them, Gill! 

🥇 Victory for Victoria 

Forget Raymond. It looks like everyone loves Australia. The Women’s FIFA World Cup is here next year, the Rugby World Cups look set to be played Down Under, and another big event was locked in yesterday. 

Golden points: The Commonwealth Games are coming back to Australia in 2026. Hang on, didn’t we just host them?

• Yep, Gold Coast held the Games in 2018, but now it’s Victoria’s turn. However, it’s not going to be in Melbourne like the 2006 Games.

• This time it’s going to be in regional Victoria. We’re talking towns like Geelong, Bendigo and Ballarat. But don’t worry Melbournians, the Opening Ceremony will be at the MCG.

• This is a big deal for Victoria because an event like this is just what the economy needs after a couple of years of COVID lockdowns. 

What’s next: I know you’re excited, but just chill for a sec because there’s another Commonwealth Games in Birmingham later this year. 

⚽ Sam Kerr can't stop scoring

If you didn’t already know, Sam Kerr is really good at football. 

The Score: Australia defeated New Zealand 3-1.

Golden points: The Matildas celebrated their return to Canberra for the first time since 2013 with a comfortable win over NZ.

• The Aussies left it as late as possible to win the first game on Friday, but they made it look a lot easier this time.

• Kerr scored the winner last week and she was at it again on Tuesday. She scored twice to take her international tally to 59 goals. 

They said it: “It's just so heartwarming to get so much support.” - Matildas player Aivi Luik raised more than $30,000 for charity and then shaved her head after the game to support her brother who has brain cancer.

Watch it: Check out the highlights from last night’s win.

🏉 Warrior cops 4 weeks for homophobic slur 

The NRL sent a strong message to its players last night by showing they will not tolerate any offensive slurs on or off the field. 

Golden points: Warriors winger Marcelo Montoya will miss the next 4 games after he was suspended for using a homophobic slur.

• It happened during last Friday’s game against the Cowboys when he called opponent Kyle Feldt an offensive term.

• The NRL wanted him banned for 6 games but they settled on 4 because of his good record and the fact he showed remorse.

• Ian Roberts, the game’s first openly gay professional player, said he was disappointed it took the NRL and both clubs so long to condemn the incident.

They said it: "This is a reminder to all players that the game will not tolerate such conduct." - NRL CEO Andrew Abdo says this can't happen again. 

🏉 There's no rose without a thorn

Brad Thorn spent many years beating the Wallabies. Now, there’s a whisper he could be the next man to lead the Aussie national team.

Golden points: Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. There’s been nothing official, but it's believed current Wallabies coach Dave Rennie could move on after next year’s World Cup.

• Okay, but isn’t Dan McKellar the logical choice? That’s certainly what a lot of people think. He’s leaving his role as Brumbies coach at the end of the year to join the national coaching staff.

• But don’t write off Thorn. He has previously dodged questions about his future, but the man who played 59 Tests for NZ and now coaches Queensland says he’d be honoured to coach the Wallabies. 

They said it: “I hold the Wallabies coaching role in high esteem. It’s a privilege and a responsibility. I don’t believe you should just walk in there and get the job. You have to earn the right.” - Thorn sounds fairly rosy about the role.

👀 Quick singles

⚽ It's quarter-final time in the UEFA Champions League, and Chelsea and Real Madrid have played out the game of the year. It'll be hard to top, but EPL clubs Liverpool and Manchester City are in action tomorrow as they try to qualify for the semis. 

🏉 Lauren Arnell has been announced as Port Adelaide’s inaugural AFLW coach. It means a bit of history will be made because she’s the first former player to become head coach of an AFLW team. 

🎾 Tennis player Alexander Bublik says the ATP is making the wrong decision by handing out harsher penalties to athletes who misbehave. He says players like Aussie Nick Kyrgios will be caged under the new rules and that the sport could lose fans as a result. 

⛵ Tunisian sailor Eya Guezguez has died after her boat capsized during a training accident. The 17yo competed at the Tokyo Olympics with her sister, who survived. 

🏉 Paddy Ryder will miss 2 games after he failed to win his case at the AFL tribunal. The St Kilda ruckman was suspended for his high bump on Hawthorn’s Will Day. 

🎾 Novak Djokovic’s return to tennis didn’t last long. He lost to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in 3 sets at the Monte Carlo Masters in his first match since February.

🏁 Things just keep getting worse for the Mazepin family. Nikita was sacked by his Formula 1 team in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and now his family’s mega-expensive villa has been seized. 

🏉 Payne Haas and Albert Kelly have been fined and suspended for a game for their fight that was caught on camera. The Broncos pair will miss this week’s game against Penrith.

🙃 Left of field…

We started by talking about Gill. Now, we’re finishing with a guy who basically has gills.

Golden points: You’ve probably never heard of Egyptian swimmer Omar Hegazy. That’s fine, but you won’t forget his story any time soon.

• Hegazy lost a leg when he was 25yo. He wasn’t coping well, but that changed when he turned to swimming. You could say it was a breath of fresh air. 

• He soon realised that he can hold his breath underwater for a long time. A really, really long time. 

• Last week, that became official. He swam 56.48 metres with just one breath and then went 76.7m using a fin. There’s nothing fishy because the people from the Guinness World Records were there to watch him do it.

Watch it: Take a deep breath and check out Hegazy in action.

📽 The highlight reel

An assistant football coach in Spain has shown he's willing to do anything to help his team win. And by anything, that means coming onto the field to stop the opposition from scoring. That's commitment. 

📸 Photo finish

It's getting close now. The new stadium in Moore Park in Sydney is 90% done and we're basically just waiting for the grass to grow. 

🏃‍♀️ The finish line

🏆 Today's trivia answer

Thorn had 2 stints with the Brisbane Broncos. He also represented Queensland and Australia.