Reece Walsh can't seem to stay out of hospital. The Brisbane Broncos fullback was spotted on crutches at a Brisbane hospital on Monday, according to the Daily Telegraph, just a week after surgery on a broken cheekbone. 

The culprit this time? A cut to his foot from walking around his backyard. Coach Michael Maguire confirmed the injury is minor and won't delay Walsh's return, which is targeted for round 10 against Manly.

That will give him two games to push his case for State of Origin selection — which reminds me, to remind you, to do your footy tips!

75
The number of international goals Sam Kerr has now scored for the Matildas, after finding the net in Australia's 2-0 win over Kenya in Nairobi overnight. Kerr is Australia's all-time leading international goalscorer across both men's and women's football, having overtaken Tim Cahill's record of 50 goals in 2022. Clare Wheeler added the second goal as Australia claimed the FIFA Series 2026 tournament title.

"We are so excited about the future ahead and what this partnership can deliver for the entire ecosystem."
Netball Australia Chair Liz Ellis announcing a new five-year broadcast deal with Nine, running from 2027 to 2031. The deal means netball will return to free-to-air television after five years on Foxtel. Every Super Netball match, every Australian Diamonds match, and the 2027 Netball World Cup in Sydney will be live across the 9Network, 9Now, and Stan Sport.

This week marks 37 years since the Hillsborough disaster. On 15 April 1989, 97 Liverpool fans were killed in a crowd crush at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield during an FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest. It remains the deadliest incident in British sporting history. In 2016, an inquest concluded the victims had been unlawfully killed and that fans played no role in causing the disaster.

Weekend plans = sorted

O'Brien Icehouse in Melbourne's Docklands is open for public skating 364 days a year – and on weekends, school holidays and public holidays. Skate hire is included in your ticket, plus free beginner lessons run every two hours from 11am-7pm.

Australia's premier ice skating venue runs two rinks, plus spectated events like ice hockey, speed skating and figure skating throughout the year. Whether you're a first-timer or a regular, there's always ice time waiting!

🏉 The NRL’s St George Illawarra Dragons have denied a release request from 20-year-old prop Loko Pasifiki Tonga, despite the player's management describing the situation as "untenable", according to The Sydney Morning Herald. Pasifiki Tonga played 10 NRL games in 2025 and dominated in the NSW Cup (the tier below the NRL) last weekend with 252 run metres and a try, but has not played a minute of first grade in 2026. The Dragons, who are winless after six matches this season, have said the forward remains part of their plans. 

🏉 Port Adelaide have confirmed they will appeal the guilty verdict handed to midfielder Zak Butters for umpire abuse. The club said on Wednesday night it "believes strongly in Butters' account of events" after he was found guilty by the AFL Tribunal on Tuesday and fined $1,500. Umpire Nick Foot alleged Butters said "How much are they paying you?" during Sunday's loss to St Kilda, a claim the midfielder denied. The appeal grounds may be strengthened by the revelation that panellist Jason Johnson was driving a car and disconnected from the video hearing during closing submissions.

⚽ Arsenal and Bayern Munich have completed the UEFA Champions League semi-final lineup. English Premier League leaders Arsenal held Portugal’s Sporting CP to a 0-0 draw overnight to advance 1-0 on aggregate. German giants Bayern beat Spain’s Real Madrid 4-3 in a seven-goal thriller to go through 6-4 on aggregate. The result saw Bayern end a four-match losing streak against Madrid in Champions League knockouts. The semi-finals are set for 28 and 29 April. Defending champions Paris Saint-Germain will face Bayern, and Spanish club Atletico Madrid will take on Arsenal.

🏉 Adelaide Crows captain Jordan Dawson is expected to miss this weekend's match against St Kilda after the death of his brother Jaryd. Police confirmed a body was found following a search in Robe, South Australia. The death is not being treated as suspicious. Jaryd's wife, Jessica Carter Dawson, posted a tribute on Instagram, saying: "I was so incredibly rich in life because of you. Now my heart is shattered into a million pieces. [Our son] and I will love you and miss you forever and ever and ever.” Former Adelaide captain Mark Bickley said the club was "desperately sad" for the family.

Lifeline: 13 11 14

Mocha lovers, this one's for you:

Dare – Australia's favourite iced coffee brand – has taken its number-one flavour and given it a serious upgrade. The new Dare Protein Mocha delivers 30g of protein in a 500ml bottle, with no added sugar and the same smooth cocoa taste you already know. No compromises, no flavour swap required.

Available now in Coles and selected retailers.

The Sydney Swans and GWS Giants will meet in the 32nd edition of the Sydney Derby at the SCG on Friday night. 

Ahead of the match, The Daily Aus spoke to AFL’s Chief Operating Officer Tom Harley about the Sydney derby’s growth into a genuine rivalry – and whether it should get a standalone Friday night billing. 

The Sydney derby has grown into one of the AFL's premier rivalries, with three finals meetings and genuine hostility on the field. 

Heading into the first clash of the season, the Swans sit on top of the ladder, while the Giants are coming off a 56-point win at Gather Round. It also marks the first AFL match in Sydney in 27 days.

Harley –  who spent 16 years as CEO of the Sydney Swans and witnessed the first derby in 2012 – said the rivalry may have started "a little manufactured," but has now turned into the real deal.

"The rivalry is real and the hostility on the field has been spicy," he said.

The numbers reflect that growth. NSW home attendances are up 62 per cent over the past decade, club memberships have nearly doubled since 2012, and last year’s  AFLW derby at Henson Park drew a record crowd of more than 7,000  – later winning Event of the Year at the NSW Sports Awards.

As for the motivation behind growing the AFL in other states, Harley said: “I certainly genuinely believe that being involved in our game has the ability to really change your life, to really enhance your life. And so that's the motivation.”

Despite that growth, the derby has never been given standalone Friday night billing. 

This week, it shares the slot with Geelong and the Western Bulldogs –  an all-Victorian clash between two top teams. 

While the Sydney Derby will be broadcast on free-to-air TV and the other match won’t, the decision has drawn criticism. 

Swans coach Dean Cox called it "quite strange," while Giants star Lachie Ash said: “We’ve had some good clashes and there’s (been) plenty of theatre in the games over the last few years, so definitely frustrating.” 

Harley acknowledged the criticism, however, he argued that the AFL is continuing to evolve. 

"I hear and certainly can understand the comments and the feedback. If we rewind only four years ago, there was no Gather Round, there was no Opening Round,” he said. 

“There has never been a derby standalone on a Friday night. What the league has done has constantly evolved and iterated the fixture, and this is another example of that."

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Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) is reportedly on the verge of cutting its support for LIV Golf, with an announcement expected as soon as Thursday (local time), according to the Financial Times.

The PIF is Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, a type of account owned by a country which invests government money into projects to benefit its economy. 

It has bankrolled LIV since 2022, offering players major contracts to leave the main competition, the PGA Tour. 

When LIV launched, several Australians left the PGA Tour to join it, including former world number two Cameron Smith and six-time tour event winner Marc Leishman. Smith's signing came just weeks after he won The Open Championship, one of golf’s four majors, in 2022.

The breakaway split the sport in two, with the PGA Tour banning players who joined LIV. 

The following year, the PGA announced a surprise framework agreement with the PIF to merge their interests. Those talks have since stalled.

LIV players remain banned from PGA Tour events, but the four major championships are run by separate organisations and set their own qualification criteria. Smith, for example, competed at the Masters last week because Open Championship winners receive a five-year exemption to qualify for the tournament.

The PIF has invested an estimated $US5 billion ($AU8.4 billion) in LIV Golf since 2022. LIV's UK entity alone has recorded more than $US1 billion in losses since inception, and overall spending has averaged $US100 million per month.

On Wednesday, the fund announced a new five-year strategy focused on projects inside Saudi Arabia, rather than international plans. LIV Golf was not mentioned.

At a press conference in Mexico on Wednesday, 2017 Masters winner and current LIV player Sergio Garcia said players "haven't heard anything other than what Yasir told us at the beginning of the year," referring to PIF Governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan, who oversees LIV Golf's funding.

LIV Golf has not officially commented. This week's scheduled tournament in Mexico City is expected to proceed. Reuters reports LIV CEO Scott O’Neil emailed players to say the season will continue as planned. 

LIV currently has 57 players across 13 teams. If the league folds, those players would need to negotiate their way back onto the PGA Tour. 

High-profile U.S. players Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed have already made that move this year, though each on different terms and with significant financial penalties.