Latest - New signing Matt Lodge has been immediately called in to make his club debut in the Warriors' 17th-round NRL encounter with the Cronulla Sharks in Sydney on Sunday.
Reece Walsh Photo: Photosport
Fullback Reece Walsh and standoff Kodi Nikorima both return from injury lay-offs along with rookie centre Rocco Berry.
Together starting props Addin Fonua-Blake and Lodge will give the Warriors one of, if not, the biggest front rows in the club's history; the 189cm Fonua-Blake weighs in at 123kg, the 191cm Lodge 117kg.
With Lodge starting, the seasoned Kane Evans moves to the bench alongside fellow props Bunty Afoa, Leeson Ah Mau and Ben Murdoch-Masila.
Lodge, who has made 77 appearances for the Wests Tigers and Brisbane in his disrupted career, provides a major selection boost at a challenging time.
Already without Peta Hiku (shoulder), Chanel Harris-Tavita (pectoral), David Fusitu'a (hamstring) and Tom Ale (ankle), they've lost two more frontline players to injury from last week's golden point loss to St George Illawarra.
After making his return for the club last week, new signing Chad Townsend has been ruled out with a shoulder injury while second rower Tohu Harris (shoulder) is also on the side-line indefinitely.
Head coach Nathan Brown is still unable to call on centre Euan Aitken and back rower Josh Curran who remain in isolation for another week.
Top seeds into last eight at Wimbledon
Top seeds Ash Barty and Novak Dkjokovic have both cruised into the quarter-finals at Wimbledon.
Ash Barty Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Barty reached the last eight at Wimbledon for the first time with a 7-5 6-3 win over French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova.
Long tipped as a future Wimbledon champion, the Australian world No. 1 has had to wait nine long years since making her main draw debut in 2012 to finally put herself in the quarter-finals mix at the grasscourt major.
Djokovic dismantled the challenge of Chile's Cristian Garin with a 6-2 6-4 6-2 victory to keep his title defence intact at the grasscourt major.
The world number one, who won the last two men's singles titles on the manicured grass at the All England Club, will play his 50th Grand Slam quarter-final when he next faces either Russian fifth seed Andrey Rublev or Hungary's Marton Fucsovics.
Roger Federer beat Italian Lorenzo Sonego to continue his record-extending 18th Wimbledon quarter-final and become the oldest man in the Open Era to reach the last eight in London.
Women's second seed Aryna Sabalenka also won, however seventh seed Iga Swiatek and men's fifth seed Andrey Rublev were both beaten.
-Reuters
Fisher-Black best of Kiwis on Giro
Niamh Fisher-Black has finished the best of the New Zealand riders on stage four of the women's Giro d'Italia.
Fisher-Black has recorded the 16th fastest time in a mountain time trial in northern Italy.
Her SD Worx teammate Anna van der Breggen won the time trial to extend her lead in the general classification.
The Dutchwoman is almost three minutes clear of another SD Worx rider, South African Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio, with Fisher-Black ninth overall a further three and a half minutes back.
Mikayla Harvey, who saw her overall hopes end on stage two, finished 39th in the time trial and is 29th overall.
Bruce fourth in Hungary
New Zealand hammer thrower Lauren Bruce has finished fourth at a meeting in Hungary in preparation for her first Olympic Games.
Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Bruce has recorded a best throw of 70.89 metres to finish more than three metres short of the podium.
The national record holder has competed in five international events in the United States and Europe since leaving New Zealand in May.
In contrast fellow New Zealand hammer thrower Julia Ratcliffe, the Commonwealth Games gold medallist, has yet to leave the country.
Ratcliffe last competed at the national championships at the end of March and leaves for Japan next week.
Shot putter Tom Walsh competes at the same meeting in Hungary tomorrow.
Dragons players fined
St George Illawarra Dragons players have been fined more than $300,000 and issued bans for breaching COVID-19 bio-security protocols after gathering at prop Paul Vaughan's house over the weekend.
Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Vaughan has been fined $50,000 for inviting 12 players to his home and issued an eight-game ban, ruling him out of the rest of the regular season. The remaining players will serve one-match suspensions staggered over a four-week period.
The NRL has only been able to operate with "bio bubbles" in place, with players prevented from having visitors or leaving their homes except for games and training.
"(It is) alleged a number of players hid or fled the residence when NSW Police attended the home after complaints from neighbours," the NRL said in a statement.
NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo said the actions of the players "were deliberate and some of the players withheld key information from the Integrity Unit".
The Dragons also issued a statement to condemn the conduct of their players, with chief executive Ryan Webb refusing to rule out club-imposed sanctions.
-Reuters
CDG impresses
Black Caps allrounder Colin de Grandhomme scored an unbeaten 174 to help put Hampshire in a strong position in their English County game against Surrey in Southampton.
It was his 13th first class century and he passed his previous best score of 144 not out.
Surrey ended a rain shortened second day 42 for 2 in reply to Hampshire's first innings of 488.
Fellow Black Cap Kyle Jamieson bowled just six overs in the Hampshire first innings before leaving the field with an injury.
Return of Wyn Jones now seems unlikely
A return to the British & Irish Lions touring team for injured captain Alun Wyn Jones, injured on the eve of the departure to South Africa, looks less likely as coach Warren Gatland seemed to pour cold water on the idea.
Photo: PHOTOSPORT
The veteran Welsh lock dislocated his shoulder early in the warm-up test against Japan at Murrayfield before the squad left for Johannesburg and was withdrawn, with the captaincy taken over by Conor Murray.
Once in South Africa, however, Gatland said Jones's injury was not as bad as originally thought and suggested there was a possibility of a return to squad for the 35-year-old.
"He's on a programme. It may be unlikely but he's the sort of person that will do everything he can to get himself back to full fitness," said Gatland.
Jones has been on three previous Lions tours, starting with the last one in South Africa 12 years ago.
Meanwhile New Zealander Bundee Aki has been named to start in the Lions side to take on the Sharks on Thursday morning.
-Reuters
Sri Lankan analyst banned
Former Sri Lanka performance analyst Sanath Jayasundara has been banned from cricket for seven years after an International Cricket Council court found him guilty of trying to bribe the national sports minister.
The global cricket body's anti-corruption tribunal also found him guilty for obstructing an investigation.
"Jayasundara's attempt to bribe a minister is a grave transgression while the efforts to cover up his tracks and the lack of remorse are hugely disappointing," said Alex Marshall, general manager of the ICC's integrity unit.
There was no immediate reaction from Jayasundara, representatives or Sri Lanka Cricket. The ban is backdated to May 11, 2019, when he was provisionally suspended.
The sanction follows the long-term suspensions of Sri Lanka pace bowler Nuwan Zoysa and all-rounder Dilhara Lokuhettige earlier this year, also for corruption.
-Reuters
