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AFL looking at cramming matches in case coronavirus postpones season

In what would be a drastic change, the AFL is considering playing as many premiership fixtures as possible in the first weeks of the season in case the coronavirus outbreak forces the competition to shut down.




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NRL season continues for now, but Super Rugby suspends competition over coronavirus

NRL warns the coronavirus pandemic is rugby league's greatest ever challenge but games will continue for the moment, while Super Rugby announces it is suspending its season after this weekend.




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NT's Nightcliff Tigers make NTFL history with back-to-back premierships

Coronavirus concerns see low crowd numbers at the NT's NTFL grand final, where the Nightcliff Tigers make history winning back-to-back premierships in a first for the club, beating St Mary's by 13 points.



  • Sport
  • Australian Football League
  • Community and Society

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Cameron Smith wants NRL season suspended because of coronavirus pandemic

The NRL is facing pressure from one of the greats of rugby league, as Melbourne Storm captain Cameron Smith calls for the 2020 season to be halted as a result of coronavirus.




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Wellington Phoenix commit to Australian stay but call for A-League to be postponed

A-League championship contenders Wellington Phoenix believe the competition should be suspended because of coronavirus as they prepare to go into self-isolation in Australia.




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NRL players could face salary cuts during coronavirus crisis

NRL boss Todd Greenberg says players could be forced to take pay cuts as the organisation looks to cut costs amid the coronavirus crisis.




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A-League and W-League games to continue behind closed doors

The A-League and W-League seasons will continue despite the coronavirus outbreak, the FFA says, but games will take place behind closed doors and the Wellington Phoenix will be based in Australia.




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Our major sporting codes are bracing for a huge coronavirus hit as an extended shutdown looms

The coronavirus outbreak has caused chaos on the sporting calendar, with seasons and competitions either cancelled or suspended — and there are even bigger concerns for clubs and leagues, writes Tom Wildie.




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Coronavirus will inflict financial pain on the AFL and NRL. But who will pick up the bill?

Even wealthy sports are going to take a massive hit, and the only guarantee is that someone will have to pay, writes Richard Hinds.




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NSW handed Sheffield Shield as coronavirus bring season to abrupt finish

Responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, Cricket Australia calls for a halt to all community and grade cricket, cancelling the Sheffield Shield final and handing the title to New South Wales.




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SANFL facing more 'tough decisions' as coronavirus hits season

South Australia's premier football league forced into tough call and the prospect of drastic reductions to Adelaide Oval revenue.




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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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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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'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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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A body blow for TV networks as football codes suspend seasons, Olympics postponed

Neither of the major football codes seem likely to emerge from the coronavirus outlook unscathed and nor do the free-to-air television networks that broadcast their matches.




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Sport is on hold. Esports aren't. Here's how to fill that entertainment void in your weekend

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.



  • Sport
  • Games
  • Infectious Diseases (Other)
  • Games Industry Professional Gaming

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What about the sports fans? Coronavirus has thrown their season out too

Footy brings people together and it's an escape from the daily grind. But life without it starts this weekend, so how are the fans going to deal?




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No more good times for AFL as Dangerfield's pay clanger plays into out-of-touch view

The world has changed for AFL players — like everybody else — thanks to coronavirus. They're taking a while to process the fact, writes Offsiders' Richard Hinds.




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US baseball uniforms used to make medical masks in coronavirus fight

There is no baseball being played in the US because of coronavirus, but a manufacturer of the uniforms worn in the Major League is now using the same fabric to make protective clothing in the fight against the pandemic.




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AFL reaches pay-cut deal with players after coronavirus shuts down season

The ugly stand-off between the AFL and its players is finally over, with the two parties agreeing to a pay deal while the men's 2020 premiership season is suspended because of coronavirus.




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Andrew Johns suggests NRL cut four teams as coronavirus leaves financial impact

The NRL is being hit hard by the financial effect of coronavirus, which is why one of the game's greatest players wants the league to consider reducing its number of teams from 16 to 12.




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Boxing sisters face diabetes fight to pursue sporting dream

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.




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With games off for now, what will happen to club members who want their money back?

It's a difficult time for all footy clubs and everyone involved with suspended seasons — but if you're a holder of a club membership who wants a refund, you might be left disappointed.




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Aussie John Millman resigned to seeing entire tennis season canned because of coronavirus

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.