How many of you out there in our audience involved in community sport?

Whether it be manning the tongs on the sausage sizzle or winning trophies for your local club, we’d love to know.

🏉 In the AFL, Hawthorn handed the Sydney Swans their first loss of the season with a hard-fought 17-point win at the MCG on Thursday night. Veteran Jack Gunston starred for the Hawks with four goals, including two in the final quarter. Both teams now have a 2-1 win-loss record after three matches. Tonight, the Adelaide Crows will host the Western Bulldogs in a clash of two of the competition’s in-form teams. 

🏉 The Bulldogs ground out a 14-10 win over Canberra in heavy rain on Thursday night, staying unbeaten and marking their best start in the NRL since 2012. Fullback Connor Tracey was the standout, scoring, setting up Canterbury's second try, and producing a last-second tackle to deny Raiders rookie Ethan Sanders the match-winner. The Bulldogs now sit atop the live ladder while the Raiders are 12th with one win from three.

⚽️ FIFA, the global governing body for football, has mandated that every team in its women's competitions must have at least one female head or assistant coach. Approved by the FIFA Council, the rule takes effect at this year's Under-17 and Under-20 Women's World Cups before extending to the senior World Cup in Brazil next year. The push comes after just 12 of 32 coaches at the 2023 tournament were women, a figure FIFA says no longer reflects the growth of the game.

🏎️ Aston Martin is moving to push Adrian Newey out of the Formula 1 team principal role, targeting Audi's Jonathan Wheatley as his replacement, according to BBC Sport and motorsport.com. Wheatley spent 20 years as sporting director at Red Bull alongside Newey and would take charge of day-to-day operations to give Newey time to focus on car design. The team declined to comment, saying only that Newey "continues to lead the team." It comes amid a nightmare start to the season, with neither opening race finished due to intense vibrations from the Honda power unit. Japan is next on 29 March.

Talking points: The ACT Brumbies host the Waikato Chiefs in Canberra on Friday night in a match that could define their season. Back-to-back losses have the Brumbies in danger of their first three-game losing streak since 2022, while the Chiefs arrive having beaten them five straight times by an average of 18 points. Veteran prop James Slipper is set for a milestone moment, breaking the Super Rugby caps record with his 203rd appearance. Elsewhere this weekend, the Queensland Reds travel to Lautoka to face the Fijian Drua on Saturday afternoon, and the NSW Waratahs host the Auckland Blues in Sydney on Saturday night.

How to watch: Tonight’s match will kick off at 7:35pm. You can watch Super Rugby on Stan Sport.

Talking points: The grand final rematch is here. Defending premiers Brisbane head to Melbourne on Friday night looking to avoid a third straight loss to begin the season. The Broncos have had a slow start, conceding 66 points across their opening two losses. They also lose captain Adam Reynolds to a rib injury, with Ben Hunt stepping in at halfback. Standing in their way is an unbeaten Melbourne side that has won its past nine games against the Broncos at this ground and is using last year's grand final defeat as motivation. In the NRL era, only North Queensland in 2015 has recovered from 0-3 to win the premiership. 

How to watch: The match starts at 8pm. You can watch it on Channel 9, Kayo, and Foxtel. 

Talking points: The Matildas (world No. 15) face world No. 6 Japan in the Women's Asian Cup final at Stadium Australia on Saturday night. After beating defending champions China in the semi-final, Australia now faces a Japan side that has been near-flawless throughout the tournament, scoring 28 goals and conceding just once. Japan was dominant in its semi-final against South Korea, winning 4-1 against the team the Matildas drew 3-3 with in the group stage. This year’s final will mark the third time the two sides have met in the decider after Japan won both the 2014 and 2018 Asian Cup finals against the Matildas, both by a single goal.

How to watch: The match kicks off at 8pm on Saturday. You can watch it on Channel 10 and Paramount+.

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As an Official Australian Open partner, waterdrop® knows a thing or two about performing at your best. Now it's your turn.

Grab yours at Woolworths on your next shop.

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