AFL
- Thu AFL – Cartlton v Richmond at the MCG – 73,137 for the opening game of the 2017 season
- Thu TV
#AFLBluesTigers Seven/7mate National 792k, Metro 591k (Syd 19k Mel 372k Bri 24k Ade 104k Per 73k) Regional 201k (Vic 100k Tas 51k) - Thu AFL STV – AFL CARLTON V RICHMOND FOX FOOTY 269,000
- BBL and A-League bid success prove Tasmania deserves stand-alone AFL team
- AFL powerhouse Hawthorn — which in 2015 reaped $22.6 million from unlucky punters at two gambling venues — must pay $66,838 to charity for operating poker machines without a gambling licence.
- ETIHAD Stadium ground staff have replaced a third of the playing surface ahead of Saturday’s Melbourne-St Kilda clash. The stadium has just six days to replace the grass coverage after two Adele concerts last weekend.
- the Sydney Swans have announced new partnerships with Nike, Dexus, and Science in Sport (SiS). As part of their deal with Nike, the players and coaches of the Australian Football League (AFL) team will have access to the company’s competition apparel, and the Nike Pro range. Dexus, a Sydney-based property group, will offer the club its expertise in creating effective work spaces, while SiS will fuel the Swans with its range of sports nutrition products.
- Geelong Cats have announced a three-year partnership with Willow Ware, a manufacturer of plastic goods.
NRL
- Thu NRL – Souths v Sydney at ANZ Stadium – no official crowd figures given. Reports say it as 10,479 – lowest figure for this crowd since 1998
- Thu TV
#NRL#NRLSouthsRoosters Nine/9Gem National 738k, Metro 445k (Syd 240k Bri 172k) Regional 293k (Qld 104k NNSW 98k SNSW 70k) - Thu NRL STV – RABBITOHS V ROOSTERS FOX LEAGUE 241,000
- A RICH background in politics with the Bulldogs blood running through her veins has led to Anne Sinclair becoming the first female director appointed to the Canterbury board.
- The NRL wants to bump up integrity powers by gaining access to the bank accounts, tax returns and phone records of players. And the price of winning approval for the proposal could be meeting player demands for a fixed percentage of the game’s revenue.
Soccer00s
- Thu Soccer00s – Iraq v Australia – 3,270 at PAS Stadium (Tehran)
- Thu TV
#Socceroos#IRQvAUS 9GO! 130k (Syd 40k Syd 29k Bri 30k Ade 14k Per 18k) - Thu WCQ STV: SOCCEROOS V IRAQ FOX SPORTS 50 84,000
Rugby
- NEW Zealand Rugby boss Steve Tew on Thursday acknowledged frustration at delays in announcing Super Rugby’s revamped format but said implementing tough decisions took time.
- There could be huge repercussions from the Victorian government if the Australian Rugby Union decides to axe the Melbourne Rebels from Super Rugby. The state government has plans to build a rugby centre of excellence planned into its next budget but the feeling is that Victorians would find it very difficult to accept taxpayers’ money going to a sporting body that had walked away. And while negotiations for Bledisloe Cup games and other Test matches are well advanced, they are not set in stone. Nor are they short-term plans. It is believed the Victorian government is negotiating a deal spread over a decade.
- The Shute Shield will return to free-to-air television in time for season kick-off next week after the Sydney Rugby Union confirmed it had secured most of the funding required to finance a weekly live broadcast on 7Two. The SRU is in the third year of a five-year deal with Club Rugby TV, which requires it to spend $250,000 on advertising with Channel Seven in exchange for the live broadcast of one game per round on 7Two. Last year the Australian Rugby Union came up with the money at the last minute, but in his first few months as SRU president Begg was left with little time to secure support and sponsorship after the ARU and NSW Rugby Union signalled they were not prepared to fund the deal.
