🏁 The Need For Speed

Start your engines, it's Friday, 8 April

🔊 Sport Today Podcast

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

Today's listen time: 10 minutes.

Listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify

📺  What we're watching this weekend

⚽ Friday, 7.45pm - Women's Football Friendly - Australia v New Zealand - Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Townsville - 10 Bold, 10 Play, Paramount+

⛳ Saturday-Monday, 5.00am - The Masters - Round 2-4 - Augusta, Georgia - 9Gem, Foxtel, Kayo

🏉 Saturday-Sunday, 12pm - Rugby Sevens - Singapore Sevens - National Stadium, Singapore - Channel 9, Foxtel, Kayo

🏉 Saturday, 12.40pm - AFLW Grand Final - Crows v Demons - Adelaide Oval, Adelaide - Channel 7, Foxtel, Kayo

🥊 Sunday, 12.00pm - UFC 273 - Alexander Volkanovski v Chan Sung Jung - VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena, Jacksonville - Main Event

🏉 Sunday, 1.30pm - NRLW Grand Final - Dragons v Roosters - Moreton Daily Stadium, Redcliffe - Channel 9, Foxtel, Kayo

🏁 Sunday, 3.00pm - Formula 1 - Australian Grand Prix - Albert Park, Melbourne - Channel 10, Foxtel, Kayo

⚽️ Monday, 1.30am - EPL - Manchester City v Liverpool - Etihad Stadium, Manchester - Optus Sport

All times are in AEST

🏁 Aussie GP is just what the doctor ordered 

Burnt rubber has never smelled so good. Especially when there’s been a 3-year wait for one of Australia’s biggest sporting events.

Golden points: The Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix is back for the first time since 2019. Why so long? Well, Melbourne canned a lot of sporting events during the pandemic, and this was one of the first to go. 

• Expect plenty of high-speed manoeuvres because the track has been widened a bit to help drivers zoom past their rivals.

• That will set up a great battle between last year’s overall champ Max Verstappen and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. 

• What about Lewis Hamilton? Good question. He has won at Albert Park twice, but his car just isn’t as fast as the others this season. 

What are the chances… Daniel Ricciardo does a shoey on top of the podium? Even he isn’t confident. The locals want nothing more than to see an Aussie win, but his McLaren is simply too slow.

Watch it: There’s a fair bit going on with qualifying and other stuff this weekend. Rev heads are loving life because the V8 Supercars are also racing on the track. And if this isn’t your thing, there’ll be plenty of local music talent on show. The race is at 3.00pm (AEST) on Sunday on Channel 10, Foxtel and Kayo.

🏉 Crows looking to conquer their demons

How good is it being a Demons fan? Your AFL team is 4-0 and won the comp last year. Now the AFLW squad has the chance to win its first title. Only problem is, there’s a pretty good team standing in the way.

Golden points: The Adelaide Crows are the only team to win 2 AFLW titles. And they nearly had 3 but lost in last year’s final. They’re at home on Saturday and the favourites to win it all. 

• These 2 have been the best teams all year. Both of them only lost one game each, and funnily enough, Melbourne’s one defeat was to the Crows.

• But they must have learnt something that day because they haven’t lost since. They’ve got some elite forwards and that’s probably why they recorded the highest score in AFLW history last month.

• Experience in big games is important, and the Crows know this stage well. It also helps that they had 2 players finish in the top 3 in best and fairest voting. 

Watch it: The Adelaide Oval will be pumping. But the couch doesn’t look too bad either. Watch the game on Channel 7, Foxtel and Kayo from 12.30pm (AEST).

🏉 Soward gives his players sweet advice

It’s NRLW Grand Final time and we're gonna have a new winner one way or another.

Golden points: For the first time in the comp’s history, Brisbane have not qualified for the decider. It means we’ll have a new champion when the Dragons play the Roosters on Sunday.

• It’s been a fair effort by the Dragons to get here. They finished last in 2020 and didn’t win a game. But they’ve got a new coach, Jamie Soward, and the former Dragons premiership winner knows what he’s doing.

• The Roosters have made 2 Grand Finals but have never won one. It didn’t look like they’d make this one after they lost their first 2 games of the season. But it does help when you’ve got rep centres Isabelle Kelly and Jess Sergis.

They said it: "It's really special, it's such a prestigious medal and has so much history in rugby league." Broncos prop Millie Boyle was named Dally M player of the year last night. But she wasn't alone. Dragons fullback Emma Tonegato finished level on points in the award's first tie. 

Watch it: Sunday’s game is in Redcliffe. If you can’t get there, don’t stress. You can watch it from 1.30pm (AEST) on Channel 9, Foxtel and Kayo.

⚽ Matildas waltz into Townsville 

A fair bit has happened to the Matildas over the past year or so, and a whole lot more is coming up in the next 12 months. If only we could get a behind the scenes look at what’s going on. If only…

Golden points: Well, aren’t we lucky. It turns out Disney+ is doing a 6-part doco on the team that will look at things like the Olympics campaign, bullying allegations and the shock loss at the Asian Cup. Oh, and then there’s the build-up to next year’s World Cup.

• That tournament will be played in Australia and New Zealand. Funnily enough, those teams play each other tonight.

• That game will be at Queensland Country Bank Stadium. Get the champagne ready because it’ll be the first football match played in Townsville. 

Watch it: Tonight’s game kicks off at 7.45pm (AEST). You can watch it on 10 Bold, 10 Play and Paramount+. The 2nd friendly is on Tuesday in Canberra.

⛳️ Tiger is back and it's like he never left

There are going to be some wild coffee orders at work this morning. No hangovers involved, just a lot of exhausted people who decided to stay up to watch The Masters. 

Golden points: A triple-shot espresso might be a bit too much because people are already excited to see Tiger Woods back in action for the first time since he almost died in a car crash last year. 

• It’s hard to believe he nearly lost a leg in that crash because he’s played very well in the opening round. He finished -1 and was easily the crowd favourite.

• He is walking around with a bit of a limp, but that didn’t stop him from almost hitting a hole in one. 

• Aussie Cameron Smith was one of the favourites to win his first green jacket. It’s easy to see why after he shot -4 to be the clubhouse leader. 

Watch it: Tiger with the shot of the day to nearly ace the Par 3 6th.

📊 Chart stopper

Cricket Australia named its men's and women's national contract lists yesterday. Here's who made it and here's who missed out. 

👀 Quick singles

🏒 International men’s hockey is returning to Australia for the first time in nearly a year. The Kookaburras have locked in a 5-game series against Malaysia later this month to help prepare for the Commonwealth Games. 

🏄‍♂️ All eyes will be on surfing legend Mick Fanning when he returns to the sport on Sunday. Fanning is coming out of retirement to compete at Bells Beach where he has won 4 titles. 

🏉 The Melbourne Demons are 4-0 following a big win in Adelaide last night. The news isn’t so good for the winless Power after they failed to kick a first-half goal for the first time in the club’s history. 

🎾 It turns out Nick Kyrgios isn’t too bad at all on clay after he beat Tommy Paul in Houston. The straight-sets win means he’ll play Michael Mmoh in tomorrow’s quarter-final.

🏐 It looks like we now know exactly how Super Netball teams will have to work around COVID. It comes after the Giants were forced to play last week’s game even though they tried to have it rescheduled after their team was hit hard by the virus. 

🏏 It’s been less than a week since the Aussie women’s team won the 50-over World Cup in New Zealand. But not everyone got to see it, and that’s why Cricket Australia boss Nick Hockley has called out Channel 9 for not showing it on free-to-air TV. 

🏈 The racial discrimination case against the NFL has grown with Brian Flores’ lawyers adding 2 more former coaches to the complaint. Flores is suing the league and a number of teams for unfair hiring practices.

⚽ The English Premier League title could be decided this weekend when Manchester City plays Liverpool. But City has other things to worry about because the club is being investigated for illegal payments. 

🙃 Left of field…

Brett Kirk would love to be remembered for what he did on the field. And let’s be fair, he was terrific at the Sydney Swans. But 10 years on, it’s his work behind the mic that has stood the test of time.

Golden points: If you’re on social media then there’s a pretty good chance you saw the moment we’re talking about. Yesterday was the 10-year anniversary and it never gets old.

• Kirk was a sideline commentator for Channel 7 and was asked by Basil Zempilas to introduce the new AFL commentary team.

• It started with “Thanks Basil” and then it went to places nobody expected.

They said it: “We’re going to exchange ideas, thoughts and even our energy.” 

Watch it: Zempilas reckons he never watched it back until yesterday. If you haven’t seen it, check it out here.

📽 The highlight reel

It's Opening Day of the new Major League Baseball season and nobody is happier than this Cubs fan who caught the first home run of the season. 

📸 Photo finish

Exclusive: Valtteri Bottas is considering a switch to the AFL. Okay, maybe not. But the Formula 1 driver doesn't look too bad taking a hanger over some Richmond players. Now that's a photo Finnish. 

🏃‍♀️ The finish line

🏆 Today's trivia answer

It's been a while. Alan Jones was the last man to do it back in 1980.