Weekend sport preview

SBS World News Radio: The weekend of sport will be dominated by the approaching climax to the A-League season as well as the other football codes, and netball action.

Weekend sport previewWeekend sport preview

Weekend sport preview

The semi-finals of the A League get underway tonight, while the ladder-leading Broncos are also in NRL acttion.

Over the weekend, the commemoration of ANZAC day will feature heavily at all fixtures, while the AFL's big game on Monday sees Essendon and Collingwood going head to head and both needing wins to kick start their seasons.

Melbourne City's visit to Adelaide tonight to decide which team reaches the A-League Grand Final has all the ingredients of a classic encounter.

City goes into the match without striker Harry Novillo who was sent off for his part in an ugly scuffle when the sides met two weeks ago.

That incident has added plenty of spice to the match which will be played in front of a sell-out crowd at Hindmarsh Stadium in Adelaide.

Melbourne coach John Van't Schip is aware his side must be up for more than just the physical challenge from an Adelaide side that's had an extra week's preparation after clinching the Premier's Plate against City two weeks ago.

"You know we have to prepare well technically, have a good game plan and physically the boys have to be prepared to play 90 minutes even more."

Adelaide's two nil win at Melbourne City in the final round of the regular season gives the Reds an important psychological boost.

And the longer lead-in helps too, but probably not as much as having a mainly parochial Adelaide crowd all hoping for a place in the Grand Final.

Adelaide's Spanish coach, Guillermo Amor knows just what a boost that will provide.

"The Stadium is full, for us this is..ohh..this is a vitamin, a very good vitamin. For us its our moment. It's tomorrow or tomorrow, there is no more."

Adelaide or Melbourne City will meet the winner Sunday's 2nd semi-final between Western Sydney Wanderers and the Brisbane Roar.

And SBS has coverage of both those matches tonight and on Sunday afternoon.

The big match in the NRL sees the in-form Parramatta Eels travel to Townsville to play the Cowboys tomorrow. [Sat]

Both sides have 10 points so far this season, but North Queensland will be looking for revenge after the Eels handed the reigning Premiers a defeat in round two.

Cowboys Prop Scott Bolton says he's looking forward to the match.

"Looking to get one back on them. I think we were definitely not at our best that game down there in Sydney and I'm sure we're a better side for that loss."

Round 8 kicks off tonight with the ladder leading Brisbane Broncos taking on the South Sydney Rabbitohs.

In the now traditional Collingwood versus Essendon AFL Anzac Day clash on Monday, the game has extra meaning for both sides after posting just one win in four starts.

They lie in 15th and 16th place on the ladder respectively.

New Essendon coach John Worsfold wants his team to concentrate on winning the match and not get caught up with the emotion of the occasion.

And to help do that, he organised for the team to visit Melbourne's Shrine of Remembrance during the week.

To get their training done in order to be at the Shrine by 10am, they had to start by 6am at the club. So around dawn, it was nice to see the sun come up as they were training. So we did that and we attended the Shrine we had Jack Jones one of our own speak. So that was part all of it but I also asked the players to do some research on a soldier and have a bit of a read about their story.

In Super Rugby, the Rebels take on the Cheetahs tonight, while the big game on Sunday sees the best performing Australian team the ACT Brumbies take on the second best New Zealand outfit the Crusaders.

In cycling action this weekend, the best men's and women's mountain bike racers from around the world will fine tune their preparations for the Rio Olympics when they compete at the World Cup event being held in Cairns.

SBS will have coverage of the event on both Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

And finally in Netball, the Queensland Firebirds can set a new Trans-Tasman Championship record when they take on the previous record holders the Adelaide Thunderbirds tomorrow.

The Firebirds are aiming to make it 17 in a row after equalling the mark set by the Thunderbirds 5 years ago when they beat the Vixens last weekend.






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