With a lack of clear instruction from above, the local competitions and clubs have taken matters into their own hands.

The league's commission decides to go ahead with at least the first round of the men's 2020 season after days of doubt over the fate of the season.

The NRL is introducing a self-isolation program for its players, as it looks to continue the premiership amid the coronavirus pandemic.

AFL and NRL players begin to get used to the "weird" sensation of playing matches inside empty stadiums as both competitions step up measures to combat the coronavirus pandemic.

While major events are being cancelled and postponed around the world, those behind the Tokyo Olympics say they don't have to make a decision about the games with just four months to go.

The league, clubs and broadcasters found multiple ways to demonstrate they could stage the game without breaching all these cloying new societal protocols, writes Richard Hinds.

Former English Premier League footballer Peter Whittingham dies at the age of 35, nearly two weeks after an accidental fall.

When Belinda Willshire's partner brought a gun into her home and threatened her sons' lives, she knew something needed to change. Now, the mother-of-four has turn her life around with the help of triathlons.

Fremantle shows why it is tipped to win its first AFLW flag with a 70-point thrashing of Gold Coast, as the Kangaroos and Demons also progress to the preliminary finals.

A group of North Melbourne footballers apologises for throwing a party at a Melbourne home last night, with the club saying it was "inappropriate in the current climate".

As the AFL feels the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic, its players reject suggestions they are being greedy as they negotiate a pay cut with the league.

Australian officials agree that postponing the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games until next year because of coronavirus is a positive move, saying it will come as a relief to athletes around the world.

Almost every major sporting league around the world is on hiatus. But esports can fill the sporting void in your weekend schedule. Here's how to get into it, and what to watch this weekend.

AFL players have been accused of being greedy and selfish during talks with the league over pay cuts now that the season is suspended, but the Cats coach says it is unfair.

Tamieka and Teya Garcia are making inroads in the boxing industry despite a life-threatening health condition that complicates their efforts to step inside the ring.

Australian Davis Cup star John Millman doubts the ATP and WTA Tours can resume at all in 2020 due to the extent of the coronavirus pandemic.

The NRL hands out a $40 million rescue package to help clubs stay afloat as the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic hits home.

Tony Lewis, one of the co-creators of the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern formula for rain-affected cricket matches, dies aged 78.

Rugby league faces a dangerous financial crunch due to the coronavirus shutdown, but players, clubs and the NRL are working together to ensure the game's future.

Up to 15 former Wallabies captains unite to raise questions about the leadership of the current administration, with some predicting new management within a fortnight.

While UFC president Dana White isn't saying where it is, he says "infrastructure is being built right now" on an island that will host UFC fights amid the coronavirus outbreak.

Professional tennis is on hold because of the coronavirus pandemic, but that does not stop 20-time major singles champion Roger Federer reaching out to his legion of fans with a bit of friendly advice on how to improve their game while stuck at home.

The NRL announces it expects to restart the premiership season late next month, while the league comes under attack from one of its broadcast partners, who says it has "squandered" its finances.

As pools, gyms and sports facilities shut down to comply with physical-distancing rules, Olympic and Paralympic athletes are coming up with creative ways to ensure their training programs can continue.

Rugby league's governing body says a letter sent by NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller shows there is nothing to "preclude the commencement of the modified NRL competition" in May, despite health authorities being wary about relaxing restrictions too soon.

Five sisters make up a quarter of their tiny town's under-16s Aussie Rules team. They can't compete right now, but they are all determined to break into the professional ranks one day.

The winner of 16 grands prix and a four-time world championship runner-up, Sir Stirling is widely regarded as the greatest Formula 1 driver never to win a title.

Experts urge AFL and NRL clubs not to underestimate the potential effects of isolation on players, as the rugby league players' union calls for their mental health to be prioritised during the coronavirus shutdown.

The NRL is leading the charge to get sport restarted, planning games by late next month — but Australia's Federal Sports Minister is urging all codes to have patience amid the coronavirus pandemic.

A leading voice in Formula One warns there is a serious threat of losing teams if big changes are not made to the competition.

Alicia Meneghetti met Stephen Dank in 2014 when the sports scientist was at the centre of Essendon's infamous supplements program and serving a lifetime ban.

With major sporting competitions on hold because of coronavirus, now is the time to reassess how we approach the sport-lifestyle balance of professional athletes and even how they are recruited, writes Richard Hinds.

Young Adelaide Crows forward Tyson Stengle has been reported for drink driving after he recorded a blood alcohol reading of 0.125. He is the second AFL player to be caught up in a drink driving offence in the last 24 hours.

The league wants its competition back up and running next month after being shut down by coronavirus, but a global sporting group says the NRL cannot focus on financial concerns at the expense of player safety.

There might be no crowds at the start and finish lines, and drivers would get Zoom briefings, but Targa Australia says it hopes to still deliver its Far North Queensland tarmac rally in September if some restrictions are lifted.

One of the AFL's rising stars wants the league to ignore calls to raise the minimum draft age from 18, as he worries young players may "lose their way" if it is changed.

The Geelong star and AFL Players' Association president says cramming 16 rounds into 10 weeks is not ideal, but it may be the model the league has to adopt to get the 2020 season completed after the coronavirus shutdown.

After a concerted effort from #NBATwitter to bump up the release date of the Michael Jordan documentary The Last Dance, the first two episodes hit Netflix ahead of time on Monday night and we're already hooked.

Raelene Castle's position as Rugby Australia chief executive is not under review in the wake of the no-confidence letter issued by a group of former Wallabies captains, but the governing body can't guarantee it won't hold discussions down the track.

While the latest coronavirus update from the Prime Minister and Chief Medical Officer looked promising for ways we can start to shift back to normal life, they say it's still too early to start lifting baseline restrictions.

Foxtel has effectively walked away from the A-League halfway through a six-year deal leaving the future of soccer in doubt. Player salaries will likely have to be cut if the game is to return to TV screens and there are calls for change in the way the sport is run in Australia.

The men's world number three has earned more than $37 million during his career, but he says he is not willing to contribute money to a planned relief program to help tennis professionals doing it tough during the coronavirus shutdown.

The latest instalment of The Last Dance shows us the Michael Jordan we know and love, as well as some outlandish antics from Dennis Rodman, including a team-sanctioned mid-season trip to Las Vegas.

St Kilda's new cult hero Caitlin Greiser is one of 11 first-time selections in the 2020 AFLW All-Australian team after topping the league's goal-kicking chart.

The AFL has a comeback date in mind, but unlike the NRL, it's waiting for government and broadcaster sign-off before going public.

Madison Prespakis of Carlton is named the winner of the 2020 AFL Women's Best and Fairest award, and Isabell Huntington takes out the rising star award.

Federal Minister Richard Colbeck says he hopes sport halted by the coronavirus pandemic can get started again, but warns NRL players' misbehaviour threatens a return of play.

AFL players are stunned by the league's worst-case scenario for completing the season — that they could have to spend up to 20 weeks in isolation without their families.

He has claimed almost every individual honour there is in the AFL, but the highest goal continues to drive the Geelong star even during this uncertain 2020 season — a maiden premiership victory.

As tennis stars disagree over a proposed fighting fund for players during the coronavirus shutdown, it remains clear most lower-ranked professionals struggle to make ends meet plying their trade.