CRICKET - It goes from bad to worse for the Australian cricket team, with all-rounder James Faulkner ruled out of the remainder of the tour of New Zealand after tweaking his hamstring in Wednesday's demoralising 159-run loss in the ODI series opener at Eden Park.
RUGBY LEAGUE - Queensland Rugby League boss Peter Betros says the probe into last weekend's curfew controversy is closed, despite a report claiming up to 10 Emerging Origin players defied new coach Kevin Walters.
SOCCER - Chinese champions Guangzhou Evergrande - in the same Asian Champions League group as Sydney FC - have smashed the Asian transfer record, paying $A65 million for Colombia's former Atletico Madrid striker Jackson Martinez.
RUGBY UNION - Australian Sevens rugby captain Ed Jenkins has declared established players in his squad aren't going to surrender their spots to high profile stars like Quade Cooper.
AFL - Gold Coast midfielder Jaeger O'Meara has denied a report suggesting he is eager to move to a Melbourne-based AFL club when his Suns deal expires at the end of the season.
