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.

The NRL has a number of crucial questions it must answer if it wants to restart its premiership season on May 28 as planned following the coronavirus-forced suspension of the competition, writes David Mark.

The AFL club says it is investigating after its vice-captain allegedly crashed into parked cars while driving drunk in Melbourne's south overnight.

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.

Nestled deep in the rugby league heartland of central Queensland, the Yeppoon Swans A-grade side is hot on the heels of a 44-year-old Australian record for the most consecutive wins in Aussie Rules.

When he went surfing with his old school buddy Nat Fyfe in Margaret River last week, Kookaburras co-captain Aran Zalewski had no idea he'd be thrust into the media spotlight — and it has made him appreciate his anonymity.

Women's sport, like most things, will look different post COVID-19 — but that isn't necessarily a negative, writes Kim Encel.

Australia's elite sportspeople wronged by dud selection calls or dodgy doping violations are set to chase justice in a new legal arena.

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.

The rugby league immortal defends Todd Greenberg, who has fallen on his sword, calling on the league to share the blame for the poor financial state it finds itself in during the coronavirus pandemic.

A plan being hatched inside the walls of rugby league headquarters could see Mudgee host games in a modified NRL competition.

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.

NRL clubs will be able to resume training from May 4 as the competition charges towards its planned restart three weeks later.

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.

Queensland health authorities will consider giving the state's NRL teams the nod to bypass coronavirus restrictions and resume training as the code prepares to restart the season on May 28.

The idea of the AFL setting up quarantine hubs so it can restart its season is gathering support, with the league looking at every state as a contender to be a host.

Don't let all this extra time at home get in the way of your long-cherished athletic goals. Here's how you can emerge from social distancing the proud champion of a sport you've just invented.

Assistant coaches are among those doing it tough in Australia's football codes during the coronavirus shutdown, as they learn to adapt to a challenging environment, writes Richard Hinds.

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.

NRL television broadcasters Channel Nine and Foxtel agree to recognise May 28 as the competition recommencement date following extensive meetings, according to chairman Peter V'landys.

A smiling, happy Brydi Saul is on a mission to get to the Paralympics. But rewind three years, and it was a very different story.

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.

Imagine an Australia where every sporting club in the country had players with autism and intellectual disability playing on teams, serving on committees, and helping run events.

NRL players Latrell Mitchell and Josh Addo-Carr have been fined $1,000 each for breaching the state's coronavirus distancing lockdown during a weekend away, as the NRL describes the getaway as "unacceptable".

The French Grand Prix cancelled its race scheduled for June 28 rather than postponing it, making July 5 the targeted start date at the Austrian GP in Spielberg.

Flattering comparisons with other leading sports officials have also helped elevate the ARL chairman's current status as the can-do man of Australian sport, but as Richard Hinds asks, is he about to make a huge mistake?

The Bundesliga could be the first top-flight football competition in the world to return from an enforced break due to coronavirus, and may become a test case for how other leagues approach a return to normality.

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.

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.

Former Cabinet minister Bridget McKenzie defends her actions in the sports grants scandal, saying it was her "responsibility" to exercise discretion and allocate grants to projects that had not been merit-listed.

The experienced Test batsman is left without a Cricket Australia men's contract, while Tahlia McGrath is added to the women's list following a lengthy absence from the national team.

Perth Wildcats star Bryce Cotton has walked out on the final year of his contract with the club, citing unforeseen circumstances, after the NBL announced big pay cuts in response to the COVID-19 crisis.

Former Maroon Dallas Johnson says some fledgling NRL players at the Titans, Broncos and Cowboys should consider playing for their junior clubs this season.

The cries of football fans demanding players return to the field under any circumstances have become shrill as the craving for lockdown distraction turns from stoical whimsy to rank desperation, writes Richard Hinds.

With uncertainty surrounding the men's T20 World Cup and Indian tour, former players have expressed interest in revisiting one of cricket's most famous experiments — Australia v Australia A.

Queensland is the first state to sign off on the planned May 28 return of the NRL and the Prime Minister hopes Border Force will allow the NZ Warriors into Australia shortly.

Each state and territory is relaxing their coronavirus restrictions differently — and some Australians will be able to do plenty more this weekend than others. Here's what's on the cards.

The New Zealand Warriors will take part in the NRL season, after receiving permission to travel to Australia.

The NRL has declared its intention to come back in four weeks, but the Government wants you to beat them onto the park, court, even bowling green.

The reigning champions of the Women's World Cup have the equal pay elements of their multiple-claims lawsuit against the United States Soccer Federation tossed out by a federal judge.

Sporting organisations can afford to join the national redress scheme for institutional child sexual abuse but have chosen not to, according to government documents obtained by the ABC.

Former footballer, AFP assistant commissioner and ASADA boss David Sharpe says his first challenge at the newly former Sport Integrity Australia will be to tackle organised crime.

Five men are charged with match fixing offences — some of which carry penalties of up to 10 years in jail — as part of the first Australian criminal investigation into esports.

The New Zealand Warriors, minus two players, touch down in Australia on a charter flight from Auckland to prepare for the resumption of the NRL season.

Victoria Police suspends an officer over an "unlawful and criminal" privacy breach after images were released of former North Melbourne coach Dean Laidley in custody inside a police station.

Despite more relaxed coronavirus restrictions in South Australia and Western Australia, the AFL says it does not want clubs from those states training in bigger groups until Victorian teams are allowed to do so.

Melbourne Storm players prepare to hit the road for Albury, where training will recommence on Wednesday at their new temporary base.

Junior participation numbers in sport may face long-term effects caused by the coronavirus shutdown, meaning it's crucial community clubs act now so the battle isn't lost, writes Richard Hinds.

South Sydney and the NRL breathe a sigh of relief as three Rabbitohs players — including Latrell Mitchell, fresh from being fined for breaching social distancing on a camping trip — return negative results to coronavirus tests.