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Perth Wildcats demand NBL trophy after Kings' coronavirus fears end finals series

The NBL have yet to confirm a winner of the now cancelled Grand Final series between Perth and Sydney but the Wildcats are adamant that they deserve the title, not the Kings.




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AFL delays decision on 2020 season opener as players demand 22 rounds

The AFL will decide on Wednesday whether the opening round of the men's season will go ahead this week, as the players push for a full home-and-away campaign of 22 matches instead of 17.




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Abe says Olympics will go ahead despite top official testing positive to COVID-19

Japan's plans to hold a "complete" Olympics despite the advent of coronavirus may have taken a hit after one of its top Olympic committee officials was diagnosed with COVID-19.




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'That's how we play the game': The essence and beauty of football on the Tiwi Islands

The game of footy is almost a different sport on the Northern Territory's Tiwi Islands — a place where former AFL star Austin Wonaeamirri says Aussie Rules is a way of life.




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The big hit: An extended coronavirus shutdown may change sport as we know it in Australia

With the major sports leagues in Australia facing an extended shutdown, the financial impacts could be severe, if not devastating for clubs and sports as a whole.




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The 'madness' and uncertainty of the coronavirus outbreak has floored grassroots sport

It is not just the major national sports leagues and events being stalled by coronavirus, with everyone from semi-professional all the way to junior athletes across the country caught up in the storm.




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Kids sport is off, but not because the government said so

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




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Euro 2020 postponed as coronavirus hits the sporting calendar

UEFA postpones the European football championships, with the French Open tennis tournament and cycling classics also delayed as European sport continues to deal with the fallout of the coronavirus outbreak.




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Australia's richest footrace Stawell Gift on hold drawing a pall over busy Easter business

The long-term future of the Stawell Gift is secure, but businesses could be forced to close after this year's event was put on hold.



  • Sport
  • Epidemics and Pandemics
  • Regional
  • Business
  • Economics and Finance
  • Infectious Diseases (Other)
  • Diseases and Disorders

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'Bring the game home': Elders say hosting match will be just recognition for footy's birthplace

Titta Secombe says it's time the origins of Australian Rules football — which she says involved Indigenous mobs playing for pride with a possum-skin ball — are properly recognised.



  • Indigenous (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander)
  • History
  • Australian Football League
  • Sport
  • Community and Society
  • Human Interest

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Community rugby league clubs set to 'go under' as coronavirus leaves its impact at grassroots level

The impact of coronavirus is not just being felt in the NRL, as community and junior rugby league clubs struggle to stay afloat because of the current health crisis.




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Finke Desert Race cancelled due to coronavirus, costing Alice Springs millions

Australia's toughest off-road motorsport event is called off for the first time in its 44-year history amid concerns competitors or visitors might spread coronavirus to remote communities.




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AFL to go ahead with round one amid coronavirus crisis

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.




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The knowns and unknowns of the 2020 AFL season

Who is projected to finish on top of the ladder? What impact will the lack of crowds have on the AFL season? Will the season even be completed? We crunch the numbers ahead of the first bounce.



  • Sport
  • Australian Football League

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AOC preparing for Tokyo Olympics to go ahead as planned

The Australian Olympic Committee is preparing for the Olympic Games to go ahead as planned on July 14 despite the coronavirus threat, saying the International Olympic Committee is not living in an "Olympic bubble".




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Perth Wildcats awarded NBL title after coronavirus interrupts grand final series

The Wildcats are awarded the NBL championship, with the league announcing their decision two days after the grand final series against the Kings was cancelled because of the coronavirus crisis.




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Will racing shut down with a positive coronavirus test? Not necessarily, according to officials

Racing is hoping to buck the trend of sports shutting down during the coronavirus pandemic, even if a jockey tests positive.




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Coronavirus forces NRL to introduce self-isolation program for players

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




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Coronavirus shutdown could send country footy clubs to the wall

This autumn, for the first time since World War II, footy fields across Victoria will be empty on Saturdays, which could spell the end for some struggling regional clubs.




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'It is like a ghost town': AFL, NRL enter the brave new world of no crowds at matches

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.




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AFLW talent spread too thin? Next gen can 'change the game in two years'

A new generation of female footy players is beginning to hit the AFLW, with coaches saying their talent is "really quite scary" and could change the game in the next few years.




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Olympic organisers commit to July games date despite COVID-19 outbreak

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.




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AFL a masterclass in social distance signalling — maintaining a facade of following the rules

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.




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NZ Warriors to stay in Australia amid coronavirus troubles for NRL

The NRL season still has 16 teams, as the New Zealand Warriors make the call to remain based in Australia for the foreseeable future.




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Former English Premier League player Peter Whittingham dies aged 35 after pub fall

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




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AFL to shut down for 30 days if player has coronavirus

AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan says the competition will shut down for at least 30 days — not 14 — if a player tests positive to coronavirus.




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Middle-aged women are turning to bodybuilding — and they've got the edge on their younger rivals

The transformative nature of bodybuilding is particularly appealing to those already going through a transition period: middle-aged women.




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The footy rolls on, and the fan inside us all should enjoy it while it lasts

The world is shutting down but the AFL and NRL are among the very small handful of sports carrying on. The risks are real, writes David Mark, but their presence should be treasured for now.





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Suburban cricket finals go ahead against Cricket Victoria's 'strong recommendation'

A suburban Melbourne community cricket competition's finals matches are going ahead this weekend against the advice of the sport's state and national governing bodies and despite the concerns of some teams and players.




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Melbourne City captures W-League championship with grand final win over Sydney FC

The undefeated Melbourne City missed its supporters in the grandstand as a result of the coronavirus outbreak, but the W-League giant is celebrating another championship after beating Sydney FC 1-0 in the season decider.




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Giants crush Cats as Power overwhelm Suns in AFL's opening round

As the AFL's ban on spectators continues because of the coronavirus pandemic, the Giants and Power impress in their season openers, while the Bombers and Swans also enjoy victories.




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Warriors lose to Raiders on Gold Coast as Storm and Sea Eagles triumph

The Warriors go down to the Raiders during their indefinite NRL road trip in Australia caused by the coronavirus pandemic, while the Storm and Sea Eagles manage wins.




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Farnan claims Golden Slipper triumph as spectators are locked out of Rosehill

Hugh Bowman rides Farnan to victory in the prestigious Golden Slipper, as racegoers are barred from Rosehill Gardens in Sydney's west because of biosecurity protocols surrounding the coronavirus pandemic.




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Dockers confirm AFLW premiership favouritism with massive win over Suns

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.



  • Sport
  • Australian Football League

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From Skase to Capper: How the Bears helped AFL sink its claws into Queensland

It was the '80s — the hair was big, life was large, and Aussie Rules were dirty words in Queensland. One man with a lot of cash to splash would change that.




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AFL suspends season in response to coronavirus, but NRL opts to play on for now

The AFL calls a halt to games until at least May 31 in response to the coronavirus outbreak, but the NRL says it is proceeding until told to stop.




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Five quick questions on the AFL suspending the 2020 season

Gillon McLachlan's Sunday press conference was a game-changer — what does his announcement mean for the state of play in AFL and AFLW?




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Quarter-by-quarter and minute-by-minute action now becomes months of silence for the AFL

Over the course of four days of football, the new AFL season went from being totally surreal to almost normal — then back to flat-out weird, writes Al Nicholson.




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IOC to decide on possible Tokyo Olympics postponement within four weeks

Under mounting pressure from athletes, federations and national committees, the IOC announces it is considering postponing the Olympics but says cancellation is "not on the agenda".




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AFL players apologise 'unreservedly' for night-long party against social-distancing advice

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".




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Australian athletes told to plan for Olympics to be postponed due to coronavirus pandemic

Australia's Olympic athletes are told to plan for the Games to be delayed until next year, amid growing calls to postpone the event in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.




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We just don't know when we will be back at the footy again

What started as a feeling of tempered excitement as the weekend began, finished with a hollow acceptance that the world had changed, and Australian sport was not immune, writes Quentin Hull.




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NRL announces suspension of 2020 season due to coronavirus pandemic

The NRL announces the 2020 season will be suspended after two rounds after state border closures make continuing the competition impossible.




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NRL and AFL playing on only hurt the severity of coronavirus messaging

As ever the NRL's flea-infested tail wagged the dog but when it comes to professional sport taking place, those of us in the industry in this country have all let Australians down.




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Queensland mum, 41, wins second national kickboxing title

Eight years ago Simone Offord took up kickboxing for mental health and exercise. Now the mother of three has claimed her second Australian title.




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The last domino to fall: A-League joins NRL, AFL in suspending season

The A-League becomes the final major sporting league in Australia to close its doors, joining the AFL and NRL in suspending operations due to the coronavirus pandemic.




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Olympics will take place in 2021, says IOC member Dick Pound

The Olympics will be postponed to 2021 as the sporting world adapts to the coronavirus pandemic, according to IOC member Dick Pound.




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'The date may change, but the goal remains the same': Tokyo Olympics postponed until 2021

Australian athletes react positively to news that the Tokyo Olympics are postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak and will now take place in 2021.




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By delaying Tokyo Games, the International Olympic Committee finally admits it's not the main game in town

It was welcomed by athletes around the world, but the decision to postpone the Tokyo Olympics until 2021 was easy in comparison to what comes next, writes Tracey Holmes.