Weekend sport wrap

SBS World News Radio: Plenty of sporting action this weekend, with a tale of redemption in South Africa, a tale of preparation in Sri Lanka, and tales of of victory and woe on the home front.

Weekend sport wrapWeekend sport wrap

Weekend sport wrap

We start with surfing and a victory to savour.

Mick Fanning has won the J-Bay Open at Jeffrey's Bay in South Africa.

There's nothing unusual about that at first glance - after all, it's his 22nd Tour title.

But this win had special emotional meaning for the 35 year-old Australian.

It was here, almost one year ago to the day, that Fanning was famously nearly bitten by a shark live on TV.

And after that brush with death, competing, let alone winning, here this year was always going to be tough ... something Fanning admitted after his triumph.

"Obviously what happened last year, we sort of had some questions there and there it was definitely some emotions that went into it paddling out."

In the AFL, there was a big win to start the round by three-time defending champions Hawthorn against the Sydney Swans.

But not all teams in the top eight are going so swimmingly.

North Melbourne are still comfortably on track to make the finals, two games ahead of the nearest competition for the last spot in the the finals series.

However, their defeat to ninth-placed Port Adelaide this weekend just passed is their fifth loss in a row after they started this season so strongly with nine consecutive wins.

Defender Michael Firrito acknowleges things aren't going so well at the moment, but says his team's hopes this season are far from completely extinguished.

"I think the nucleus is right there, but Blind Freddy can see at the moment we're not just quite clicking, and deinitely not getting the results. So yeah, back to the drawing board this week. I think the character of the group ... it's quite a mature group ... and we'll bounce back."

In rugby league, the chase for the NRL premiership is set to really get going with the conclusion of the State of Origin series.

As usual, the Melbourne Storm are one of the favourites to win the competition.

They're - at least temporarily - top of the table after a victory over the bottom-of-the-table Newcastle Knights.

But it was only a narrow triumph, 20 points to 16.

Star halfback Cooper Cronk has told Fox Sports his side wasn't at their best but the fact that they won the match despite this is a sign of their quality.

"To be honest, I thought we played pretty poorly today. We started off with a repeat set off the kickoff, and really struggled to get into our rhythm. I'm pretty the statistics were totally against us today in terms of possession, completions, and all that. But, to be in front on the scoreboard, it shows that we're doing something right."

In cricket, the Australian team is in Sri Lanka getting ready for their Test series against that nation.

Fast bowler Nathan Coulter-Nile has impressed with three wickets in the side's first practice match on Sri Lankan soil.

He's looking to break into the Australian Test Match team for the first time, having already played one day internationals and Twenty20 internationals for his country.

He says getting the ball to reverse swing will be key for him and his fellow fast bowlers in the upcoming series.

"If it's going reverse, it's a lot better than if it's going gunbarrel. So, it's much better to bowl with, it's a lot easier to bowl, and it makes the game a bit more interesting. So, if we can get it going, all the bowlers are confident that they can utilise it."

The first of the three Tests between Australi and Sri Lanka begins in Kandy on July the 26th.

 






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Weekend sport wrap | SBS News