Latest- Interim Warriors head coach Stacey Jones has made significant line-up changes for the side's final NRL game at their Redcliffe base before their Mount Smart Stadium homecoming match on 3 July.
Dallin Watene-Zelezniak and Jesse Arthars tackle Daniel Tupou during the Sydney Roosters match against the Vodafone Warriors in Sydney. Photo: David Neilson / www.photosport.nz
In his second game since stepping in for the departed Nathan Brown, Jones has handed 19-year-old Ronald Volkman his NRL and club debut in the 15thround encounter with the competition-leading Penrith Panthers at Moreton Daily Stadium on Saturday.
Volkman, who arrived from the Sydney Roosters last month, partners veteran Shaun Johnson in the halves.
First-choice prop Addin Fonua-Blake re-joins the side on the extended bench after being sidelined with a foot injury since round 11.
In the centres Jesse Arthars comes in for Rocco Berry. Arthars played seven of the first eight games of the season including each of the club's four wins over the Wests Tigers, Brisbane, North Queensland and Canberra but picked up a shoulder injury in the win against the Raiders.
Experienced second rower Euan Aitken (concussion) has been ruled out which results in Josh Curran coming into the starting back row.
Hooker Wayde Egan makes his 50th Warriors appearance, achieving it against his former club.
Warriors for Panthers clash: 1 Reece Walsh, 2 Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, 3 Jesse Arthars, 4 Adam Pompey, 5 Marcelo Montoya, 6 Ronald Volkman, 7 Shaun Johnson, 8 Bunty Afoa, 9 Wayde Egan, 10 Jazz Tevaga, 11 Jack Murchie, 12 Tohu Harris (C), 13 Josh Curran Extended Bench: 14 Chanel Harris-Tavita, 15 Aaron Pene, 16 Dunamis Lui, 17 Bayley Sironen, 18 Freddy Lussick, 20 Eliesa Katoa, 21 Rocco Berry, 22 Daejarn Asi, 23 Addin Fonua-Blake.
Marcelo farewells Real Madrid
Marcelo farewells Real Madrid, Man defeats Horse, Indian cricket rights skyrocket, F1 looks to South Africa
Brazilian full back Marcelo wept on Monday as he said goodbye to Real Madrid, but said that he never contemplated retirement and is still motivated to keep playing for many more years.
"I don't think much about the future, I like to live in the moment. But it's really hard to leave the club that you played your entire life," Marcelo told a news conference.
"I'm not scared about the future. I've done what I wanted here and I'm looking forward to what's next. Not with fear of uncertainty, but with excitement."
Marcelo in action Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Marcelo said that he is still undecided about his future but dismissed retiring or going back to his native Brazil, hinting that he wants to keep playing in Europe and at a club that will play in next season's Champions League.
The 34-year-old made 546 appearances for the club since joining in 2007 and leaves as the most decorated player in Real's 120-year history.
His departure comes after winning a fifth Champions League title as team captain, his 25th trophy with the club as they beat Liverpool 1-0 in the final in Paris last month.
"I walk out of here with my head held high. My family is very proud of me," Marcelo said in tears at the ceremony held by the club attended by his family, close friends, team mates and coach Carlo Ancelotti.
"I feel very fortunate, everything I have had in my life has been with work, but I have been lucky with the people I have had by my side. Thank you very much to you all.
"This is not a goodbye; I do not feel that I am leaving Real Madrid. The club's future is secure with promising young talent, and in that I include my son, who is playing well in the academy. I arrived as a child, and I leave as a man."
Despite being a key starter during most of his career, Marcelo has found playing time limited in recent seasons and made only 12 appearances in the league during the 2021-22 campaign. It was a role he conceded was frustrating, but he took it in his stride.
"I argued with Ancelotti and (Zinedine) Zidane last season because I wanted to play more, but as this year progressed, I learnt that you can be useful in other ways outside the pitch. As a leader in the locker room, I learned to appreciate what my team mates were doing," he said.
Reuters
Lightfoot becomes first man in 15 years to win Man v Horse race
British runner Ricky Lightfoot harnessed his beast mode to win the Man v Horse marathon across 22 miles of Welsh countryside, becoming the first person to finish ahead of the animal in 15 years at the annual event.
The aptly named Lightfoot, 37, crossed the line in two hours, 22 minutes and 23 seconds on Saturday to edge out Lane House Boy, ridden by Kim Alman, who was two minutes and one second behind.
It was only the third time in the event's 41-year history that a runner had defeated the horse, with Lightfoot emulating Florien Holtinger who achieved the feat in 2007, and Huw Lobb who triumphed three years earlier.
The marathon event in Llanwrtyd Wells pitched 1,200 runners against a team of 60 horses and riders over 22 miles (35 km) of rugged terrain, including steep hills.
Trail running and World Long Distance Mountain Running Challenge medallist Lightfoot collected a prize of 3,500 pounds for his victory and joked about entering the Grand National next.
"I thought I could give the horse a good race," Lightfoot told the BBC, adding he was confident despite being awake for 29 hours before the event after he flew in from Tenerife.
"It would be great if I could win the Grand National. I've never rode a horse in my life. I once rode a donkey at Blackpool Pleasure Beach, though."
The endurance race came into existence in 1980 following a bet in the Neaudd Arms -- the pub which is still the starting point for the marathon -- after two locals argued over whether man could beat a horse in a long-distance race.
The race, which has since attracted widespread following, made its return this year after being halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic and will be back in 2023 where the horses will aim to establish their dominance again.
Reuters
Indian cricket rights auction to continue with $5.1 billion already in bag
The media rights auction for the world's richest cricket league spilled over into a third day, with broadcast and digital rights for the Indian subcontinent already fetching the country's board almost $5.1 billion, two sources told Reuters on Monday.
The IPL has transformed cricket since starting in 2008 Photo: Photosport
The online auction, which began on Sunday is yet to conclude bidding for another set of media rights including a bespoke package that includes rights for high-value matches as well as rights to broadcast the Indian Premier League (IPL) in foreign territories.
The bidding for television broadcast and online streaming of the matches in the subcontinent concluded on Monday, one of the sources said.
A top Indian cricket board (BCCI) official said the TV rights for the Indian sub-continent had attracted the highest bid of 575 million rupees ($7.36 million) per match.
Based on 74 games each season for the next five years, the combined TV and digital rights for the sub-continent rights is worth 397.75 billion rupees ($5.09 billion).
The source declined to say which companies had won the two bids, but media giants like Sony Corp's India unit, Reliance Industries' broadcasting JV Viacom18 and Disney, which currently holds the rights, were all in the fray.
The current digital and television rights are held by Star India, now owned by Walt Disney Co, which paid 163.48 billion rupees ($2.09 billion) in 2017. ($1 = 78.0918 Indian rupees).
Reuters
F1 nearing deal for return of South African Grand Prix
Formula One is nearing a deal to secure the return of the South African Grand Prix as early as next year, according to multiple reports.
F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali flew directly from Sunday's Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku to South Africa to continue discussions with local stakeholders. The race would be held at Kyalami Grand Prix circuit, which last hosted an F1 race in 1993.
Max Verstappen takes a corner Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Africa is currently the only continent not to have a race on the F1 schedule.
Kyalami has undergone upgrades to bring its facilities up to FIA standards for modern races. Whether the venue will return to the schedule next year or in 2024 remains to be determined as a formal agreement has yet to be reached.
Adding a South African Grand Prix would bring the circuit to the max of 24 annual races outlined in the Conchord Agreement.
The Las Vegas Grand Prix is set to debut in 2023 as well over Thanksgiving weekend, and a new 10-year agreement in Qatar begins next year after being dropped from the 2022 schedule due to the country hosting the soccer World Cup.
The status of an event in Shanghai in 2023 remains uncertain due to COVID-19 restrictions in China, so the schedule could settle at 23 races for next year.
"The place that I really feel is dear to my heart and most important to get a race back is in South Africa," seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton said recently.
"There is a great following out there and I think it would be great to be able to highlight just how beautiful the motherland is."
--Field Level Media
