分类： sports

Nine years after delivering one of the most iconic debut performances in State of Origin history, Queensland Maroons captain Cameron Munster is passing on a lesson of self-belief to young rookie halfback Sam Walker, who is gearing up to make his first Origin appearance on Wednesday night. With simple but powerful words, Munster has urged the 20-something Sydney Roosters playmaker to “back yourself” as he steps onto what is forecast to be a rain-soaked field in front of 80,000 raucous New South Wales Blues supporters at Accor Stadium. Walker, widely regarded as a naturally unflappable competitor, will lean heavily on this advice from his experienced halves partner as he prepares for the biggest test of his young rugby league career to date.

Walker earns his unexpected Origin call-up after incumbent playmaker and 2023 Wally Lewis Medal winner Tom Dearden was forced to withdraw with an ankle injury sustained during a recent North Queensland Cowboys club match. While the young halfback has previously trained and worked with Queensland rugby league immortal Johnathan Thurston, Munster and the entire Maroons squad are clear: they do not want Walker to try to emulate the legend’s playing style or live up to the shadow of iconic former number 7s like Thurston and Cooper Cronk. Instead, they want him to lean into the unique strengths that earned him this opportunity in the first place: his sharp short kicking game and unorthodox, unpredictable playmaking that has caught the eye of selectors and fans alike this NRL season.

“There’s a reason why he’s been given the opportunity to wear that famous No.7 jersey,” Munster told reporters ahead of the clash. “We’re not expecting him to go out there to be Johnathan Thurston or Cooper Cronk or those type of guys that have been wearing the jersey before him. Go out there and be Sam Walker. Back yourself.” Munster added that the team has given Walker full creative freedom to play his natural game, even if some of his gambles do not pay off. “If it doesn’t come off, it doesn’t come off – that’s rugby league. I’d rather him out there giving it his all and trying his little tricks that he’s got in his bag than just sitting back and at the end of the game going ‘oh, I wish I did this, I wish I did that’,” he said. “We’ve given him full reins and full keys to the car, and hopefully you’ll see Sammy Walker blossom.”

While Walker has never competed on the Origin’s national stage before, he has already proven his ability to perform under intense pressure at the club level. The young halfback has claimed Man of the Match honours three times in the Roosters’ iconic Anzac Day clashes against the South Sydney Rabbitohs, consistently showing fearlessness when all eyes are on him. He grew up watching generations of Maroons young guns make successful Origin debuts, and Munster’s own 2015 debut stands as the perfect template: in that series-deciding match, Munster ran 136 metres and set up two match-defining tries, cementing his place in Queensland Origin folklore from his very first game.

Munster says he is confident Walker is ready to write his own Origin story, even if it does not follow a perfect narrative. “I guess you’ve got to sometimes write your own fairy tale. You’re not always going to be given the fairy tale,” Munster said. “It’s for him to go out there and get his game on and play well. There’ll be some times in that game where things might not go his way, and knowing Sammy, he’s that type of person with how calm he is that he’ll get on with his next job and do something spectacular.” The Maroons captain added that the team has no unrealistic expectations for the rookie: “We’re not expecting him to go out there and be man of the match. If he gets his job done, and everyone else in his team gets their job done, then we’re looking really excited and looking really forward to the way we can play.” Beyond Walker’s debut, Munster also expressed confidence in the depth of Queensland’s emerging halves talent, noting that the future of the Maroons program is in “good hands” with the likes of Dearden, Walker, Ezra Mam and Jake Clifford all coming through the development pipeline.

Opening day of the 2025 French Open at Roland Garros delivered a mix of dominant wins from title favorites and heartfelt farewells from tennis legends, as unforgiving 32-degree heat tested even the fittest competitors across the Parisian clay courts.

Four-time champion Iga Swiatek, the tournament’s third seed, kicked off her campaign for a fifth Roland Garros crown in commanding form, easing past 19-year-old Australian qualifier Emerson Jones in just 60 minutes with a 6-1, 6-2 victory. The match marked Swiatek’s first Grand Slam appearance since pairing up with Francisco Roig, former long-time coach of 14-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal, a partnership that already appears to be paying dividends. The Pole, who claimed three consecutive French Open titles from 2022 to 2024 before falling to Aryna Sabalenka in last year’s semi-finals, will next face Czech prospect Sara Bejlek for a spot in the round of 32. Fresh off a semi-final run at the Italian Open earlier this month that signaled a return to peak form, Swiatek expressed confidence in her opening performance after the match.

“I’m really happy with the way I played. It was a solid match from the beginning to the end. I technically knew how to play,” the 2020, 2022, 2023 and 2024 champion said.

Second seed Elena Rybakina, who already lifted the Australian Open trophy earlier this 2025 season, matched Swiatek’s straightforward win, dismissing Slovenian Veronika Erjavec 6-2, 6-2 on the iconic Court Philippe Chatrier. The Kazakhstani star echoed Swiatek’s relief at wrapping up the match quickly in the sweltering conditions, noting that the extreme heat made short, efficient runs through the draw a top priority. “It’s tough conditions but I’m happy things worked, and I’m looking forward to the next match,” Rybakina said, ahead of her second-round clash against Ukraine’s Yuliia Starodubtseva.

Other women’s singles winners on opening day included Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina, who survived a dramatic three-set scare against Hungary’s Anna Bondar to keep her unbroken 13-year first-round win streak at Roland Garros intact. After dropping the opening set and trailing 3-1 in the deciding set, Svitolina rallied to secure a 3-6, 6-1, 7-6(10-3) win, just weeks after claiming her long-awaited fifth WTA 1000 title in Rome. Former tournament runner-up Jasmine Paolini also advanced with a 7-5, 6-3 win over Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska, while sixth seed Amanda Anisimova, last year’s runner-up at both Wimbledon and the US Open, beat French wildcard Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah 6-3, 6-1. In one of the day’s biggest upsets, 2024 Paris Olympic gold medalist Zheng Qinwen of China suffered a shock first-round exit, falling 6-4, 6-0 to Poland’s Maja Chwalinska — marking Zheng’s first ever opening-round defeat at the French Open.

The most emotional moments of the day belonged to the departing legends of the sport, who said goodbye to Roland Garros ahead of their planned retirements at the end of the 2025 season. 2015 champion Stan Wawrinka, 41, brought an end to his Paris run with a four-set 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 loss to Dutch lucky loser Jesper de Jong, bowing out in front of a packed, cheering crowd on Court Simonne Mathieu. Wawrinka, who notched one of the most iconic upsets in Grand Slam history when he defeated Novak Djokovic to claim his only French Open title 10 years ago, enjoyed a fairytale run to the third round at January’s Australian Open in his final campaign, but could not replicate that form in the Paris heat.

After the match, tournament organizers honored Wawrinka’s legendary career with a glass case holding a fragment of Roland Garros clay, followed by two video tributes screened across the venue’s big screens. The second tribute included personal messages from the sport’s all-time greats: Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. “Thanks to all your support, I wanted to go on as long as possible, to 41 years of age, to continue living moments like this,” Wawrinka told the crowd.

French home favorite Gael Monfils, 39, also played his final opening round at Roland Garros on Monday night, producing a rousing comeback from two sets down before fatigue got the better of him in the deciding set. The former tournament semi-finalist fell 6-2, 6-3, 3-6, 2-6, 6-0 to fellow French wildcard Hugo Gaston, closing out his Roland Garros career in front of his home crowd.

In men’s opening round action, two-time Roland Garros runner-up Casper Ruud narrowly avoided a major upset against Russian qualifier Roman Safiullin, surviving a five-set thriller that was severely impacted by the day’s high temperatures. Both players called for medical time-outs in the fourth set, and took more than 16 minutes to return to court for the deciding set, with rallies slowing to a walk as fatigue set in. Ruud ultimately found enough energy to secure a 6-2, 7-6(7-5), 5-7, 0-6, 6-2 win, as Safiullin continued to wilt in the evening heat. Teenage Spanish rising star Rafael Jodar, who has rapidly climbed the ATP rankings this season after clay-court title runs and deep runs at the Barcelona, Madrid and Rome Open events, notched a straight-set win on debut, dismantling American Aleksandar Kovacevic 6-1, 6-0, 6-4. Fifth seed Ben Shelton, who has reached at least the quarter-finals at the other three Grand Slams already in his young career, kicked off his Paris campaign with a straight-set win over Daniel Merida.

Just weeks before the 2026 men’s World Cup kicks off across North America, Argentine football icon Lionel Messi is at the center of an injury scare after Inter Miami confirmed a diagnosis of left hamstring muscle fatigue. The Major League Soccer side announced the results of follow-up medical evaluations on Monday, three days after the 38-year-old was forced to exit Sunday’s 6-2 victory over the Philadelphia Union in the 73rd minute of play.

During the match, Messi visibly grabbed the back of his left hamstring to signal discomfort before requesting a substitution. Though observers noted he walked normally as he exited the pitch for the locker room, the club’s post-match medical workup pointed to fatigue-induced muscle overload from accumulated activity.

In an official statement, Inter Miami explained, ‘After undergoing further medical tests this Monday, the initial diagnosis indicates an overload associated with muscle fatigue in his left hamstring. The timeline for his return to physical activity will depend on his clinical and functional progress.’ The club provided no fixed schedule for Messi’s comeback, leaving both fans and national team staff in anticipation of updates.

The injury comes at a critical moment for the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, who is widely expected to feature in the upcoming World Cup — a tournament co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico that gets underway on June 11. Argentina, the defending 2022 World Cup champions, will play their first group stage match against Algeria in Kansas City just five days after the tournament opener.

Messi has not yet formally confirmed his participation in the 2026 tournament, but all public indicators point to him suiting up for a record-tying sixth World Cup appearance. The Argentine Football Association is set to name its official World Cup squad next week, and the national team will already travel to the U.S. for pre-tournament friendlies against Honduras on June 6 and Iceland on June 9, before the group stage kicks off.

Since joining Inter Miami in 2023, the club’s coaching and medical staff have carefully managed Messi’s playing workload to prevent overexertion, regularly resting him during stretches of congested fixture schedules. MLS has already entered a scheduled break to accommodate the World Cup, giving Messi time to recover without missing club matches, but the uncertainty around his rehabilitation timeline still raises concerns for Argentina ahead of their title defense.

One of the National Rugby League’s most decorated and beloved modern-era stars has brought his NRL tenure to an abrupt and heartbreaking end, after medical scans confirmed a severe season-ending anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) knee injury just 11 minutes into what would become his final domestic appearance.

Thirty-two-year-old Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, a former Dally M Medal winner and one of the most electrifying players of his generation, broke the news to fans via his personal Instagram page, confirming the injury that cut short his NRL career far earlier than anticipated. The veteran fullback and winger was already set to depart the New Zealand Warriors at the close of the 2024 season, having signed a two-year contract with England’s Wakefield Trinity in the Super League, but he had hoped to cap his 13-year NRL run by helping the Warriors push for a maiden premiership title.

Tuivasa-Sheck’s career in the NRL has been one for the history books, marked by standout achievements, viral highlights and a lasting influence on a new generation of young rugby league players. Over his 242-game domestic career, his signature blinding footwork produced countless memorable moments, where he left opposition defenders grasping at air; these highlights have been compiled dozens of times over on YouTube, cementing his reputation as one of the most exciting attacking players the competition has ever seen.

His professional journey began at the Sydney Roosters, where he spent his first four seasons in the league, claiming a premiership title in just his second year as a starting winger. In 2016, he made a high-profile move to the Warriors, one of the biggest and most anticipated signings in the club’s history. It was with the Warriors that he reached the pinnacle of individual achievement in the NRL: he took home the 2018 Dally M Medal, the league’s highest individual honor, celebrating the win with a traditional Haka performed by his fellow New Zealand teammates in attendance. He followed that career high by claiming the International Rugby League Golden Boot a year later, recognizing him as the best player in the world.

After a brief stint switching codes to play 15-a-side rugby union, Tuivasa-Sheck made a popular return to the NRL and the Warriors in 2024, quickly becoming a key leader in the side’s unexpected upward resurgence under head coach Andrew Webster. While age had softened his explosive pace slightly in recent years, his competitive passion and on-field leadership never faded, making him an integral part of the club’s 2024 premiership push.

That dream of a fairytale final domestic run came to a crushing end in his 242nd NRL appearance, when he sustained the devastating knee injury within the first 11 minutes of play. In a characteristically gracious social media post after confirming the injury, Tuivasa-Sheck acknowledged the difficult news, writing: “That’s my footy for the year. ACL confirmed. Tough to accept but the season goes on. We got something special going. Big love for all the messages.”

Within hours of the announcement, dozens of current and former NRL stars flooded his comment section with tributes and well wishes, including high-profile players Stephen Crichton and Shaun Johnson, honoring his legacy as one of the greatest modern players to compete in the competition.

A decade after former NSW Blues hooker and Cronulla Sharks legend Michael Ennis first heard rumblings of a pair of promising young brothers rising through the Cronulla development ranks, he believes one of those prospects is poised to deliver NSW a victory in the opening game of the 2024 State of Origin series from the interchange bench.

Ennis, an eight-time Blues representative and part of the Sharks’ 2016 NRL premiership-winning squad, made his prediction as he teamed up with public health initiative DrinkWise at Accor Stadium on Monday morning, just 48 hours before kickoff of the highly anticipated Origin opener. The event launched a new campaign backed by the New South Wales government, NSW Police Force, the National Rugby League, and local support services, which encourages matchgoing fans and home viewers alike to drink responsibly and maintain respect for other spectators during the game.

Serving as a DrinkWise ambassador for this year’s State of Origin series, Ennis emphasized the value of creating positive, lasting memories of the sport’s biggest annual interstate rivalry. “It was a privilege to experience State of Origin as a player, but now as a fan and a parent, I want to see the night remembered for great moments on the pitch, and the good times we share off it,” he said. “No matter if fans are watching from home, at local pubs and clubs, or right here at Accor Stadium, we just want to encourage anyone drinking to do so in moderation, enjoy the experience, and show respect to everyone around them. That way, everyone can leave with great memories and hopefully a NSW win.”

Off the campaign trail, Ennis’s attention quickly turned to the on-field action, where he named Cronulla Sharks dummy-half Blayke Brailey – one of the two brothers he first heard about a decade ago during his final years at the Cronulla club – as the secret weapon that could swing the opener in the Blues’ favor. Brailey, who will make his State of Origin debut off the NSW bench on Wednesday, has worked his way into the representative side after several strong seasons leading Cronulla’s attack, and Ennis said he has watched the young hooker’s growth with pride.

“I haven’t spoken to Blayke ahead of this debut, but I couldn’t be happier for him,” Ennis said. “Blayke and his brother Jayden were just coming through the youth system when I was finishing up my time at Cronulla, and to see both of them now playing elite NRL footy is fantastic. There was always chatter around the club about how talented both boys were, even back then – when Jayden made his first-grade debut, everyone was already talking about Blayke coming up right behind him.”

From his early days in the top grade, Blayke Brailey was always tipped as a future Origin-calibre dummy-half, Ennis explained. Over the past few seasons, as he has grown into the starting nine role for the Sharks, he has transformed his game to become a key attacking focal point, rather than just a support player for his teammates. That evolution has helped Cronulla push deep into the NRL finals series in recent campaigns, and Ennis said Brailey has finally found the self-belief to match his proven on-field skill.

Ennis noted that Brailey’s call-up to the Blues squad is fully deserved, after the hooker gained valuable experience on last year’s Kangaroos Ashes tour, where he got the chance to test himself against Queensland’s star hooker Harry Grant. While Ennis said he does not know exactly how Blues coach Laurie Daley will deploy Brailey from the bench, he is confident the rookie will make a major impact when he comes on to relieve starting hooker Reece Robson late in the first half, when fatigue starts to set in for the starting side.

“That rotation between Reece and Blayke off the bench is going to be one of NSW’s biggest strengths through the whole series,” Ennis said. “Reece already has that established combination with Blues captain James Tedesco from their time together at the Roosters, but having Blayke’s attacking threat to bring on in the middle part of the game, when fatigue really hits, is going to be a massive asset. Origin fatigue hits you harder than any other football, especially in the first game of the series, and with wet conditions forecast for Sydney on Wednesday, that tiredness will set in even faster. Blayke’s speed and ability to change direction quickly out of the ruck could be exactly what the Blues need to take control of the game.”

For Ennis, if the Blues can pull off the opening win, he plans to celebrate with a quiet couple of beers of his own – responsibly, of course – watching the young rookie he first heard about a decade ago take the next step in what looks set to be a stellar representative career.