Basketball
It’s the big day across the Tasman tomorrow. Love them or loathe them — and there seems to be plenty in both camps — the Melbourne Storm and Cronulla Sharks are set to turn on a ding- dong NRL finale. The Storm are slight favourites —$ 1.75 plays $ 2 on the markets this week — and, as minor premiers, deserve that. They had a win each this regular season. The Sharks won 14- 6 early on and the Storm struck back, 26- 6, in the last game of the regular season. Both wins at home. Well documented that the Sharks have yet to win. That might be incentive enough but who dares discount Bellamy’s boys? All- Sydney affair in the Holden Cup final. Table- topping Panthers against 5th- placed Roosters. The Panthers won 50- 4 ( away in round 7) and 40- 22 ( at home in round 22) and go in as hot favourites. The Illawarra Cutters and Burleigh Bears represent NSW and Queensland in the State Grand final. Local premiership final at Mt Smart tonight while in the 2nd UK Super League semifinal today Wigan meet Hull.
ANBL, Friday 7.30pm/ 9.30pm.
Up and away for the new ANBL season. Not a happy start for the NZ Breakers in pre- season but not too many concerns yet given a new coach and new- look roster. Tough first- up game though against last season’s minor premiers Melbourne United at Vector on Friday. Given their record against the Victorians last season, coach Paul Henare might not be unduly concerned. The Breakers beat United three- out- of- four in regular season and then 2- 0 in the semis. Plenty of talk about the return of the Brisbane Bullets ( in for the Crocs). Disbanded after the 2008 season, the Bullets are back with former Warriors coach Andrej Lemanis at the helm with C J Bruton as deputy. The Bullets are three- time winners ( the last in 2007) and fancy their chances of a fourth. Kirk Penney returns to the Breakers fold and once fully fit will be key to their success. The Perth Wildcats, who host the Breakers in round two, will again be in the mix after beating their Kiwi nemesis 2- 1 — two home wins — in last season’s final. Big stuff largely out of the way but still plenty of interest around the world. Ryder Cup and what goes with it continues. LPGA in China and later off to Taipei where Lydia Ko will defend her Taiwan Open title against a notoverly- strong field although 2011 champion Yani Tseng will tee it up as will top Canadian Brooke Henderson. Closer to home a large contingent of Aussies will play the Fiji Open at the testing Natadola Bay Championship course. In the absence of last year’s winner Matt Kuchar, world No 23 Brandt Snedeker heads the chase for the $ A1.5 million on offer. He will not want to be reminded of his trip down under last summer when the wheels fell off in Australia. Heath Slocum, Boo Weekley and India’s Jeev Milkha Singh, along with Vijay Singh and 2014 winner Steven Jeffress, are also in the field for the tournament co- sanctioned by the European and Australasian tours. Notable Kiwis include Josh Geary, Gareth Paddison, Mark Brown, Michael Long and Brad Shilton.