⚽ Socceroos Suffer World Cup Setback

Hey Buddy, it's Friday, 25 March

🔊 Sport Today Podcast

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

Today's listen time: 9.40 minutes.

Listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify

📺  What we're watching this weekend

🏏 Friday, 4.00pm - Cricket - Pakistan v Australia - Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore - Foxtel, Kayo

🏉 Friday, 7.50pm - AFL - Swans v Cats - SCG, Sydney - Channel 7, Foxtel, Kayo

🏉 Friday, 8.05pm - NRL - Rabbitohs v Roosters - Accor Stadium, Sydney - Channel 9, Foxtel, Kayo

🏐 Saturday, 7.00pm - Netball - Swifts v Giants - Ken Rosewall Arena, Sydney - Foxtel, Kayo

🏀 Saturday, 8.00pm - NBL - Wildcats v Kings - RAC Arena, Perth - Foxtel, Kayo

🥊 Sunday, 12pm - Boxing - Tim Tszyu v Terrell Gausha - The Armory, Minneapolis - Main Event

🏉 Sunday, 1.05pm - AFLW - Lions v Magpies - The Gabba, Brisbane - 7Mate, Foxtel, Kayo

⚽ Sunday, 4.05pm - A-league Women - Sydney FC v Victory - Netstrata Jubilee Stadium, Sydney - 10 Bold, Paramount+ 

All times are in AEDT

⚽ Third is the word as Socceroos lose

The road to Qatar just got a lot harder for the Socceroos. And they can thank, or blame, an old foe for putting them in this position.

The score: Australia lost to Japan 2-0

Golden points: Australia's loss last night to Japan ended their hopes of automatically qualifying for the FIFA men’s World Cup later this year. 

• With so many players out injured or with COVID, the Aussies needed a fair bit to go their way. But that didn’t happen when they had a goal disallowed for a foul.

• They created a few chances but also survived some near misses when Japan hit the post twice.

• In the end the pressure was too much. Substitute Kaoru Mitoma scored 2 very late goals to book Japan’s spot in the World Cup.

What are the chances… the Socceroos qualify from here? Well, there’s still a fair bit to do. They’ve got to play the team that comes 3rd in Group A, which will either be the United Arab Emirates or Iraq. The winner of that then plays the 5th-placed team from South America for a spot in Qatar.

Watch it: Australia still hasn’t beaten Japan since 2009. Here are the highlights from last night’s loss. Sorry if it's too soon. 

🏐 This netball season is going to be super 

It feels like there’s a different footy code starting or finishing every week. And to be fair, there is. But it’s time now for the new Super Netball season to start. We’re warning you Wing Defence - don’t be offside!

Golden points: Last season was all about the 2 NSW teams. The Giants won the minor premiership just ahead of the Swifts, but the roles were reversed in the Grand Final when the Swifts won by 4 goals.

• They will be hard to beat again this year but the other 6 teams are coming to get them after a stack of roster changes. You can see all the squads here.

• Expect the action to really heat up as players fight for Commonwealth Games spots after losing the gold medal match in 2018.

Watch it: It’s a great time to be a netball fan because every game will be live on Foxtel and Kayo this season. It all starts when the Thunderbirds play the Magpies at 5.00pm (AEDT) on Saturday, followed by the Grand Final rematch.

🏏 Aussie bowlers face their final test

Good luck getting any sleep tonight. No, it’s not too hot and humid. But you’ll probably still be in a pool of sweat because the 3rd Test in Lahore is set for an epic finish.

Golden points: All 4 results are still possible after a bold declaration by Aussie captain Pat Cummins left Pakistan needing 351 to win the Test and the series.

• Let's go back a bit because Usman Khawaja’s hot form continued with another 100. Steve Smith could also celebrate because he’s the fastest batter to reach 8000 Test runs.

• Cummins declared at 3/227 to set Pakistan a record target in Lahore. But the total is down to 278 after the hosts reached 0/73 at stumps. 

Watch it: Good luck getting any work done this arvo. The final day starts at 4.00pm (AEDT), and you can whet your appetite with the women's team playing Bangladesh at the World Cup from 9.00am. Both those games are on Foxtel and Kayo.

🏉 Come on Lance, this is your chance

Good things come to those who wait. But impatient AFL fans don’t want to wait another week, so if it’s not too much trouble, can you please get the milestone out of the way this week? Thanks, Buddy. 

Golden points: Sydney Swans superstar Lance Franklin is 4 goals away from joining the 1000 club. He kicked one goal in Round 1 but has the chance to get there in front of his home fans tonight against the Cats.

• Only 5 players in VFL/AFL history have kicked 1000 goals.

• Fans traditionally run onto the field when someone reaches the milestone, and that’s probably going to happen whenever Franklin does it.

• The fine for entering the field of play at the SCG is $5500, but security might look the other way just this once. You can expect a pause in play for about 20 mins when he kicks the big one.

What are the chances… Franklin kicks 4 goals tonight? He’s kicked 58 goals in 24 games against Geelong, so the numbers say he might struggle. The only way to find out is by watching the game from 7.50pm (AEDT). 

⚽ The big blue has never been bigger 

If you’re a fan of women’s sport then you’re gonna need a few TV sets, an iPad, a comfortable couch and some leftover pizza because you’re not going anywhere this weekend.

Golden points: There are more choices than a hotel breakfast buffet. The NRLW regular season finishes this weekend, the AFLW finals are on and so are the WNBL playoffs. But the big one is the A-League Women Grand Final.

• Sydney FC will play Melbourne Victory in the decider. Sound familiar? Of course it does because it’s a rematch of last year’s Grand Final which the Victory won in the 120th minute.

• History says Melbourne will struggle because no team that finished 4th has ever gone on to win the title.

Key click: Here’s all the key info for the big game.

Watch it: Sit back and relax because you can watch the final on 10 Bold or Paramount+ from 4.05pm (AEDT) on Sunday.

👀 Quick singles

🎾 We still don’t know what the future holds for Ash Barty after her shock retirement from tennis. The 25yo has been linked to a number of sports, but no matter what happens, doubles legend Todd Woodbridge reckons she’s the best women’s player of the past 20 years. 

🎱 Aussie snooker star Neil Robertson survived a late scare to move into the 2nd round at the Gibraltar Open. He’ll play Oliver Lines next after a 4-2 win over Liang Wenbo.

🏉 The AFL is going to investigate a doctor who helped them develop their concussion policy. The league says they never employed Dr Paul McCrory, but they are worried about a few things including scientific plagiarism. 

🏀 The Perth Lynx need one more win to reach the WNBL finals after they beat the Capitals last night. In the other semi-final, the Boomers beat the Lightning by 31 points in Melbourne.

🏏 Don’t worry about the Test in Pakistan finishing on Saturday because there’s plenty more cricket to come. The finals are about to start at the Women's 50-over World Cup and there’s going to be heaps of T20 action because the Indian Premier League starts on Sunday. 

🥊 Tim Tszyu is set to collect more than $1 million when he fights Terrell Gausha on Sunday. The Aussie has a 20-0 record and this will be his first bout in the States as he looks to get a title shot.

🏀 Unvaccinated players in New York City can now play home games after Mayor Eric Adams got rid of the COVID mandate. This is a big result for Kyrie Irving who can now play all games for the Brooklyn Nets with the NBA playoffs about to start.

🏉 History will be made next week when the MCG hosts its first AFLW match. It’ll be a preliminary final between the Demons and the winner of Sunday’s game involving the Lions and Magpies. Bring it on.

🙃 Left of field…

Not since the Flipper remake came out in 1996 have people been this keen to watch something about dolphins. But this time it’s not just any old dolphin. It’s the Dolphins and it stars Australia’s version of Clint Eastwood.

Golden points: Stan Sport has started filming a documentary called Dawn of the Dolphins that will follow the team as they get ready to join the NRL next year.

• Coach Wayne Bennett will be the star of the documentary as he tries to sign players and sponsors for the Dolphins.

• Sports docos were a must during lockdown. Wild Wests: Tales from Tiger Town was a popular one for footy fans while there are heaps of new Formula 1 fans thanks to Drive to Survive. 

Watch it: Here are some of Bennett’s best one-liners from over the years. 

📽 The highlight reel

🎾 Move over Pythagoras. It turns out Nick Kyrgios is the king of the angles after this absurd shot at the Miami Open. 

🏀 Down by 2 with 0.5 seconds left. Don't have the ball. That was the equation facing the Brisbane Bullets but somehow they still won with a ridiculous buzzer-beater to defeat the New Zealand Breakers in overtime in the NBL last night.

📸 Photo finish

No wonder Carlton players are smiling. The Blues are 2-0 for the first time since 2012 after they beat the Western Bulldogs last night.

🏃‍♀️ The finish line

🏆 Today's trivia answer

Franklin has kicked 416 goals for Sydney. He booted 580 for Hawthorn.