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Egyptian soccer star and Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah has tested positive for the coronavirus, the Egyptian soccer association said on Twitter on Friday, on the eve of the game against Togo.

Salah, who has so far shown no symptoms of COVID-19, the illness caused by the novel coronavirus, was immediately isolated in his hotel room, Egypt's national team said.

The Premier League Golden Boot recipient had recently arrived in his home country to join the national soccer team, the country's beloved Pharaohs, in the two upcoming games of the latest round of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. Egypt is set to face Togo in Cairo on Saturday, and in Togo’s capital, Lome, on Tuesday.

All those who were exposed to him have also been quarantined, added the Egyptian team’s statement. The statement did not name any of the players. It was also unclear if any other players would miss out on the games with Togo.

Later, a statement tweeted by the Egyptian Football Association said another round of tests will be taken by three players from the Egyptian and the Togo teams who had tested positive in the first round.

Photographs and videos of Salah — in some of the images, without a face mask to protect against the virus — dancing among dozens of people at his brother’s wedding, held earlier this week in Cairo, have gone viral on the social media over the past days.

Salah was the first Egyptian player to become a Premier League champion — global stardom gained on the strength of a single brilliant season with Liverpool, which he joined in 2018 from Roma — and is beloved among fellow Egyptians who see him as a sign of hope for a third-world country battered by poverty and years of political turmoil. His international success has also been hailed by the country’s authoritative government.

The 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers resumed on Wednesday after almost an eight-month suspension due to the global pandemic.

Irate Collingwood members have launched a petition urging the club to have a urgent general meeting after its incredible fire sale during the AFL Trade Period.

Collingwood's salary cap woes were laid bare as it offloaded Adam Treloar, Jaidyn Stephenson, Tom Phillips and Atu Bosenavulagi in exchange for very little in draft compensation at the deadline.

The petition on ipetitions.com already has close to 600 signatures and has called for "the president, coach and board" to be held accountable for the trade moves.

"This is a dark dark day in the history of the Collingwood Football Club," the petition reads.

"More light is being shed on the way Nathan Buckley & others have handled this. It has been a dark, destructive and soul destroying time for members and supporters. I wonder what the players think?

"Our club is spiraling into shocking territory. Bad press, salary cap issues. From the top the President and Board must answer serious questions. They have treated members and supporters with no respect."

The petition comes with the club's leaders in damage control responding to the backlash over the treatment of Treloar and Stephenson in particular.

"You have to look at the entire list, the demographic of that list, you had to look at the salary cap going forward," club president Eddie McGuire told Triple M on Friday.

"The list numbers are going to come back and we are not getting a whole lot of information from the AFL, but at one stage it was going to go to 35 players this year and I think that it might end up heading that way and the salary cap is coming down by 10-15 per cent.

"It is an imprecise science but we hope that we have got ourselves set up with a really good list and a good team and I am still very excited where we are at as a club to go forward and bring (in) new players and get ourselves set for the next few years.

"Unfortunately it is a finite list and a finite salary cap."

Stephenson's story touched fans, after the 21-year-old revealed that he had to call coach Nathan Buckley to find out about trade talks after no contact from the club.

However, Buckley appears to have smoothed over some relationships, with Stephenson revealing that he had been in contact with his former coach after his trade to North Melbourne.

"I spoke to Bucks last night after all was said and done, at about 9pm," Stephenson told the Herald Sun.

"We just spoke and spoke very honestly with each other and we both have no hard feelings.

"I understand the position he's in and I think at the end of the day it's probably the right thing for me to get a fresh start and hopefully grow something good at North Melbourne."

Augusta has continued to humble Bryson DeChambeau as a lost ball in the second round continued his horror start at the US Masters.

The American was confident coming into the Masters, but after a horrible first-round performance where he admitted he got "greedy", he didn't fare better on day two.

DeChambeau had a birdie on the second hole, but followed it up with a triple-bogey on the third as he was haunted by a lost ball.

Despite hitting his tee shot around 30m from the green, no-one was able to locate the ball inside the three minutes required, even with a monster search party in tow.

"So you're saying if we can't find it, it's a lost ball?" a frustrated DeChambeau asked an official after he was warned that he had 30 seconds remaining to locate the ball.

The incident also highlighted one of the quirks of having no fans at the tournament this year.

Tune in to Nine's coverage of The Masters, resuming 5am Saturday on 9Gem and 9Now – with 9Now also featuring three extra feeds, showing Amen Corner (holes 11, 12 and 13), Featured Groups, and Holes 15 and 16 live.

Prior to the Masters beginning, much of the talk had been around how Bryson DeChambeau was changing the face of the game. The bulked-up American, who hits the ball out of sight, would overpower the famed Augusta National golf course.

"I'm looking at it as a par 67 (instead off 72) for me because I can reach all the par-fives in two, no problem," DeChambeau said before the tournament began.

The golfing gods obviously took notice of DeChambeau's boast, because when he reached the first par-five of the tournament, it all went horribly wrong for the 27-year-old.

After starting his round at the 10th, DeChambeau was at even par when he reached the 13th hole, his fourth hole of the day.

His tee shot wasn't great, but certainly not disastrous, finding the pine straw to the right of the fairway. Still, reaching the green in two wasn't out of the question.

It was then that things turned ugly.

His second shot was pulled into the bushes to the left of the green, and, deciding to play a provisional ball in the event the bushes had claimed his original ball for good, promptly found the water in front of the green.

The provisional ball was rendered redundant when the original ball was located in the bushes, although DeChambeau was forced to take a penalty drop for an unplayable lie.

He left his fourth shot short of the green, played an average chip, and then two-putted for a seven, on a hole where three is not out of the question, and four is expected.

From that point he actually recovered nicely, making birdies at the remaining three par-fives on the course, and finishing with a birdie at the ninth for a round of two-under 70. He's five shots behind Paul Casey, but certainly not out of contention.

The bad news for the reigning US Open champion is the history of Augusta National. The last player to win the Masters after making double-bogey at the 13th was Jack Nicklaus, way back in 1972.

"I just didn't draw it around the corner enough, and I got greedy," DeChambeau said of his adventures at the 13th.

"This golf course, as much as I'm trying to attack it, it can bite back.  It's still Augusta National, and it's the Masters. It's an amazing test of golf no matter what way you play it."

The American said he was still thinking he could make par, despite being faced with a difficult pitch for his fourth shot.

"(It was) very difficult.  Downhill slope, I had to open the face, if I took it back straight away, I would have hit the bushes, azaleas, so I tried to cut across it and I just got too cute with it, and it came out a little dead," he said. 

"It was unfortunate, but at the end of the day I should have been smarter and hit it out, took my medicine and hit it on the green, but hopefully tomorrow I'll hit it in the fairway and have a different opportunity for birdie if not eagle."

Next year's re-scheduled Tokyo Olympics will be like no other, particularly for non-Japanese fans if they are allowed to enter in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tokyo organizing committee CEO Toshiro Muto, after a meeting Thursday about infection countermeasures, confirmed for the first time that a limited number of non-Japanese fans may be allowed to attend.

But there will be some stringent guidelines, rule books to follow, and health apps to track fans and monitor the spread of the infection.

"By next spring we will be coming up with measures for all spectators including the non-Japan residents," Muto said, speaking in Japanese in an on-line briefing. "For the non-Japanese, we need to be sure we secure a spectating opportunity for them as well."

Initially, Muto said it would be difficult to subject entering fans to a quarantine, and then suggested later it might happen.

"Regarding spectators from overseas, whether they need to go through a 14-day quarantine or not, whether we can waive that or not will depend on the situation, "Muto said. "There is a possibility this quarantine is waived if they meet certain conditions."

Organisers and the International Olympic Committee have given themselves at least five more months — into the northern hemisphere spring — to start finalising how they will pull off the Olympics for 11,000 athletes and tens of thousands of officials, judges, sponsors, media and broadcasters.

It was in early spring this year that the Games were postponed, unable to see a way forward and now set to open on July 23, 2021.

"The spectators' anxiety of not knowing if they can actually go to the games or not is understandable, "Muto said. "We would like to be considerate of the spectators as much as possible while we take preventive measures at the same time to be able to accommodate as many spectators as possible."

IOC President Thomas Bach confirmed on Wednesday in a briefing in Switzerland that he will be in Tokyo next week, his first visit since the Olympics were postponed. Bach gave a firm "no" response when asked if a contingency for canceling the Olympics would be discussed in Tokyo.

Bach is expected to meet new Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, and talk with Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, Tokyo organizing committee President Yoshiro Mori, and others linked to the Olympics.

Muto was asked if foreigners visiting Japan would follow the rules. Japan has been largely successful controlling with virus with just over 1,800 deaths reported.

"I think it's difficult to control their movement and behavior," a Japanese reporter said, speaking in Japanese.

Muto acknowledged the problem. Nearly everyone in Japan wears a mask — nearly everywhere.

"After the entry into Japan, we can't follow the spectators and general consumers like we do athletes, so what should be we do?" Muto said. "We need to make sure the screening in sufficient before they enter into the country. That's a key point."

He said organisers would come up with ways to track in coming fans, suggesting a call center and other measures. He also pointed that the routes between underground stations and a nearby venues would be monitored with rules to follow.

"For spectators, once they enter into Japan there is a limit what we can do," Muto said.

Muto said there was no decision yet on the number of fans allowed into venues. Several baseball stadiums in Japan have experimented with fan capacity at 80 percent.

"Whether we are going to have full capacity or not, the decision has not been made yet because various experiments are taking place," Muto said.

He did caution they might be quiet venues.

"There's a possibility that we may ask the spectators to refrain from shouting and speaking in a loud voice. But we haven't reached a conclusion," he said.

Muto said he expected the organising committee's latest budget to be out before the end of the year. A big hole could develop if ticket sales are reduced. Tickets provide about $800 million for organizers, the third largest source of revenue.

Tokyo says it is officially spending $12.6 billion to prepare for the Olympics, though a government audit last year said it was twice that much. All but $5.6 billion is public money.

In addition, the one-year delay is estimated in Japan to cost an added $2 billion to $3 billion. The IOC has said it would chip in about $650 to defer the costs, leaving the rest to Japanese taxpayers. There could also be added costs from vaccines, testing, and added health care that will be needed.

Exciting youngsters Will Pucovski and Cameron Green have both been named in Australia's 17-man squad for the upcoming Test series against India.

They join uncapped New South Wales all-rounder Sean Abbott in the expanded squad, which has been made necessary by the need for bio-secure hubs.

Five players who have yet to play Test cricket have been named, with Queensland duo Michael Neser and Mitchell Swepson also included.

Abbott has enjoyed a fine start to the Sheffield Shield season with both bat and ball, including his maiden first-class century against Tasmania this week. His 261 runs in three matches makes 2020-21 his most productive season with the bat to date, while he's also picked up 14 wickets at the impressive average of 17.93.

"Sean Abbott has also been outstanding at the start of the summer and comes in to his first Test squad as a very strong fast bowling option," said national selector, Trevor Hohns.

"Add that to his recent batting form over the last 12 months he presents a very complete package in the squad."

As expected, both Pucovski and Green earned spots in the squad, with Pucovski a strong chance to debut in Adelaide alongside David Warner at the top of the order.

Pucovski is the hottest player in Australian cricket right now, on the back of consecutive double centuries for Victoria in the Sheffield Shield, while former captain Greg Chappell has described Green as the most promising young talent since Ricky Ponting.

"Two of those many standout players were of course Cameron Green and Will Pucovski," Hohn said.

"Their undeniable form demanded selection and we are very pleased to have these young men in the squad for what will be a tremendous Test Series against an extremely formidable opponent.  

"Cameron has already won selection in the white ball squad and continues that in joining the Test squad. He is a wonderful young talent who has great potential to become an all-rounder of substance over time. His batting alone has demanded his place in the squad.  

"Will's record breaking start to the summer has been exceptional. His ability to show such patience is something which stands him in good stead for Test cricket and he is in rare company with two double centuries to start the summer. We very much look forward to Will developing further on the international stage."

Australian squad: Sean Abbott (NSW) Joe Burns (QLD) Pat Cummins (NSW) (vc) Cameron Green (WA) Josh Hazlewood (NSW) Travis Head (SA) Marnus Labuschagne (QLD) Nathan Lyon (NSW) Michael Neser (QLD) Tim Paine (TAS) (c) James Pattinson (VIC) Will Pucovski (VIC) Steve Smith (NSW) Mitchell Starc (NSW) Mitchell Swepson (QLD) Matthew Wade (TAS) David Warner (NSW)

MORE TO COME.

The Masters will be live on 9GEM from Friday morning.

Golf's distance debate is likely to be front and centre when the Masters gets underway at Augusta National tonight, with all eyes on the favourite, Bryson DeChambeau.

The 27-year-old has transformed his body in the last 12 months, adding around 20kgs of muscle through a diet high in protein and a tortuous workout regime.

It's resulted in DeChambeau hitting drives ridiculous distances, with the American tweeting a picture recently of his first 400 yard (365 metre) drive. He threatens to make a mockery of the historic Augusta National course, which was designed 90 years ago.

Although the course has been lengthened in recent decades, most famously being 'Tiger-proofed' in the late 1990s, DeChambeau is likely to have a short iron, even a wedge, for his second shot into some of the par-fives.

One of the five Australians teeing off in the 84th edition of the famous tournament, amateur Lukas Michel, has taken a special interest in the debate, having been employed for the last year by Australian course designer, Mike Clayton, a former pro himself.

With his designer's hat on, Michel admits it's likely the sport's governing bodies will need to take action to prevent the technology making classic courses obsolete.

"It's really interesting, architects have always argued for that," Michel told Wide World of Sports.

"Even Alistair McKenzie (who designed Augusta National 90 years ago) was saying the golf ball needs to go shorter, and now it goes a lot further than it did back then.

"But at some point a decision needs to be made. It definitely seems like it should be right now.

"If you were to start golf again, from a blank slate, you'd probably come up with a driving distance number that would be nowhere near 370 yards (340 metres). It's just ridiculous.

"I think 150 yards (137 metres) would be fine, you'd be walking shorter distances between shots, less time spent aimlessly walking and more time actually hitting. I just feel like golf needs to be shorter. You'd use less land, less resources, less water. It's kind of gotten out of control.

"But people have been saying that for a century!"

Michel will make his Masters debut tonight, having earned his spot by becoming the first international winner of the US Mid-Amateur tournament in September, 2019.

Earlier this week he revealed to Wide World of Sports how he could be stranded in the USA after the Masters, after having three flights back to Australia cancelled in recent weeks.

A member of the Metropolitan club in Melbourne, he says the conditions at Augusta National are very similar to home, with the tournament moving from its usual April date due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"It's definitely similar to golf in the Melbourne sandbelt," he explained.

"Because we're playing in November, and they've had a warm fall (autumn), the surfaces are exactly what we have in Melbourne. They normally over-seed with Rye grass, but it hasn't taken yet. So, it's effectively Bermuda grass around the course, with Bent grass greens, which is what we play at Metropolitan and Royal Melbourne.

"It's going to be a really familiar environment to play golf in."

The 26-year-old's interest in course design goes back nearly two decades. There was no history of golf in his family, but one of the country's leading courses wasn't far away from his childhood home.

"I grew up near the Lake Karrinyup course in Perth, I was only about eight or nine, and we knew this great course was just down the road," he explained.

"Eventually I got into the junior program there, and in 2006 'Clayts' (Mike Clayton) came in and redesigned the main course there. I was about 12 or 13, watching it unfold and I remember being really fascinated by what was happening.

"I went along on course walks with him, he'd explain to the members what was happening."

After he finished high school, Michel moved to Melbourne where there were a lot more opportunities in the golf industry. As luck would have it, Lake Karrinyup had a reciprocal arrangement with Metropolitan Golf Club on the world-renowned sandbelt.

"I was sitting in the clubhouse one day and I heard this guy talk. His voice was familiar and he kind of looked familiar, and eventually I figured out it was Mike Clayton," Michel said.

"We started playing together, and ever since we've become better friends. Last year, I was interested and he felt there was room for me to help him, so I started doing some golf course architecture with him."

While he has a bright future in the design industry, Michel is still trying to figure out exactly how he wants to balance a playing career with one off the course.

"I think regardless of how the playing goes, I'll always want to do the design side as well," he said.

"Whether that's in a year or two, or in 30 years after a really successful professional career, I don't know.

"But first and foremost, while I'm fit and young and able, I want to give the playing side of things a real go."

Queensland enforcer Josh Papalii has escaped sanction for his hair pull on NSW's Angus Crichton in Game Two of State of Origin.

As the Blues led 32-10 approaching the 70th minute at ANZ Stadium, Papalii appeared to lose his cool after making a tackle on Crichton, and as the Roosters star got to his feet to play the ball, the Canberra Raiders wrecking ball tugged at his mop.

Crichton did not appear one bit impressed by Papalii's actions, giving him a death stare before playing the ball.

"Did Papalii just pull his hair?" Andrew Johns said on Nine. "He did pull his hair."

"He's grabbed a bit of the hair there, of Angus Crichton," Nine commentator Ray Warren added.

The unnecessary extra niggle earned the Blues a six-again on Wednesday night as NSW ran away 34-10 winners to send the 2020 Origin series to a Game Three decider, but Papalii was not cited by the Match Review Committee on Thursday morning.

In the NRLW earlier this year Broncos prop Amber Hall plead guilty and received a one-match suspension over her hair-pull tackle which left Isabelle Kelly with a serious leg injury.

"We've seen hair pulling in the NRL, so it's not just in the women's game that we see this as a problem," Nine NRLW commentator and former player Ruan Sims said of that incident.

"She needed to be punished and had to spend some time out for that."

Blues halfback Nathan Cleary is free to play in next week's State of Origin decider, after being cleared by the NRL's Match Review Committee.

Cleary came up with what appeared to be a shoulder charge on on Queensland's Xavier Coates during his Man of the Match performance at ANZ Stadium.

Referee Gerard Sutton didn't take any action during the run of the play, but the incident was referred to the MRC for further scrutiny.

Cleary would have been forced to clear his name at the judiciary even if he'd been hit with the lowest grading, with the minimum penalty rubbing him out of next week's decider, even with an early guilty plea.

Instead, he'll be free to focus on Wednesday's match at ANZ Stadium, where the Blues will attempt to win their third straight series.

New South Wales has won just two Origin deciders in Brisbane, in 1994 and 2005.

The MRC has handed out two fines from last night's match, with New South Wales' Payne Haas and Queensland's Tino Fa'Asuamaleaui both hit with $750 penalties for their roles in a dust-up midway through the second half.

The incident saw both players sent to the sin-bin.

Wayne Bennett must bite the bullet and drop his most experienced forward for a rookie untried at Origin level to save the series next week.

The Maroons lack zip around the ruck and have a ready-made pocket rocket out of dummyhalf in Dally M Rookie of the Year Harry Grant.

But to pick Grant, Bennett will have the drop the Maroons' Mr Reliable, Jake Friend.

Friend topped the tackle count for the Maroons in both games this series but can't match the pace of Blues hooker Damien Cook out of dummyhalf.

Grant is a noted speedster around the rucks and won the Tigers several games this season with his darting runs.

At 22, he is eight years younger than Friend and bringing him in to debut in a State of Origin decider is a big ask.

But he has shown in his short career that he is unworried by big game pressure and would get the Maroons on the front foot - something they rarely achieved against the Blues pack last night.

Grant has been a member of the Queensland extended squad for the past two games and that will have given him a taste of what Origin is all about.

Queensland traditionally go for a 'pick and stick' policy and Bennett will be loathe to go against that.

But he also knows that after such a comprehensive 34-10 loss last night, changes need to be made for Suncorp Stadium to prevent the Blues from winning their third straight series.

The Australian men's team have launched their very first kit with an Indigenous design.

Cricket Australia said the design, which will be worn by the men's T20 team for their upcoming series against India, "will celebrate our First Nations people this summer" by continuing "the storytelling of the first ever Australian team to tour overseas".

"In 1868, a group of Aboriginal cricketers made a three-month journey from Australia to the UK by sea, playing 47 matches at some of the most famous grounds in world cricket," Cricket Australia said in a statement about the shirt during NAIDOC Week.

"Kirrae Whurrong woman Aunty Fiona Clarke, great great-grand daughter of Grongarrong (Mosquito) one of the members of the team that played in England in 1868, designed the original Walkabout Wickets artwork that will feature on the front of the playing shirt.

"The artwork represents past, present and future Aboriginal cricketers, with the large circle representing Lord's and the smaller circles signify the team's various meeting places during that tour.

"The shirt was co-designed by Aunty Fiona and Courtney Hagen, Butchulla and Gubbi Gubbi woman and Cricket Australia's Indigenous Engagement Specialist."

Fast-bowler Mitchell Starc was thrilled with the design and said it was a fitting way to honour the contribution of Indigenous people in Australian cricket history.

"It's fantastic. It's really exciting to have a chance to play in an Indigenous guernsey for a series against India," Starc said.

"The women's team have worn a similar artwork to our one, the Test team have worn the logo on our collars a few times and the WBBL teams have all got it on their guernseys this year so it's really exciting and to have the chance as a men's team to wear our first Indigenous jersey."

Welcome to Wide World of Sports' live coverage of Game Two of State of Origin from ANZ Stadium.

Peter Psaltis is a Nine NRL commentator and the host of 4BC's Wide World of Sports radio show in Brisbane. Tune in from 6pm, Monday to Thursday!

There's been a lot of debate about where to place Origin in 2021. I think it should go back to its traditional slot mid-season next year when things return to some sort of normality. But we need to be careful how the game looks at Origin into the future.

There has been a lot of talk about stopping the NRL season for a month to play State of Origin over consecutive weeks in a similar format to what we are experiencing this year. This sounds good in theory but it does have its drawbacks.

The NRL all of a sudden would become out of sight out of mind. The comp would lose momentum, I don't think there's too much doubt about that.

The only way I feel it could work is if the weekends are full of other representative matches, like internationals featuring Tonga, England, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Fiji and other Pacific nations. Maybe you could throw in some televised under age rep games. The annual Queensland vs. New South Wales Residents game would also go into the mix.

One option could be to expand women's Origin to be played over a three-match series. If these games aren't played then I don't think three games over a month will be enough to satisfy rugby league fans who are hungry for the product, even if those games are State of Origin.

The clubs would of course love the break and they wouldn't miss any Origin players for games. The issue of resting players would just about disappear.

But isn't it the case that the amount of representative players you have is an indication of the success of your team? I didn't hear too many complaints coming out of Tim Sheens or Wayne Bennett in the 90s when they each had up to 12 players involved in Origin while they were coaching the Raiders and Broncos respectively.

As one example Brisbane had 12 players featured in the 1998 Origin series and still won the premiership. These days the spread of Origin players is more even across the board so with player management it shouldn't be a huge issue. Trent Robinson and Craig Bellamy seem to cope OK.

Origin is something the game should be very proud of. It is the envy of many sports. But the game has to be careful in how it is treated moving forward.

After the year we have had with COVID-19 I'm thankful we have a series this year, it's something for us all to enjoy. Let's just make sure we get Origin right in 2021 and beyond.

There are few people better equipped in Australian sport to lead a group of young athletes, and instill in them the confidence and teach them the cultural expectations required to become a successful team than Lisa Alexander.

As the head coach of the Aussie Diamonds for almost a decade, Alexander reached the pinnacle of world netball, leading the Diamonds to World Cup success in 2015, after claiming Commonwealth gold just a year earlier in Glasgow.

In my few dealings with Alexander over the years, I've always found her incredibly professional, and the care and pride she demonstrates for her players is second to none. Clearly her nous as a netball tactician cannot be faulted; the results speak for themselves. In fact when Netball Australia took the decision not to renew her contract as Diamonds coach earlier this year, it surprised not only those within Australian netball, but those right across the entire Australian sporting landscape. That's how highly regarded Lisa Alexander is.

When it was revealed this week she'd applied and had subsequently been knocked back for the role of senior coach at North Melbourne, the views were vast. From those believing she'd be the perfect candidate as an outsider and given her abundance of experience, to those at the other, more extreme end of the spectrum asking what a woman with no AFL nor AFLW experience was doing putting her hand up to coach an AFL team. And, as tends to be the way with social media, many opinions were disturbing, uneducated and out of touch.

No one can begrudge Alexander for applying for a role she believes she's qualified for. After all, nothing ventured, nothing gained. So, good on her for putting her hand up! Was she aiming high? Absolutely. Could she make a difference at North Melbourne? My word she could. But, is she the right fit for the role of senior coach? No.

Alexander's experience is the issue here. And North Melbourne said as much: "I was told I need to get more experience" she relayed earlier in the week to AAP. For someone of Alexander's stature, that shouldn't equate to more experience as a leader, nor more experience in establishing a winning culture. She's done that, and is at the top of the class. However, where she does lack experience is within the AFL system. Like many who have held high ranking coaching positions in this country, Alexander may follow the game, and love the game, however, is she currently in a position to slide into the senior coaches role, and challenge her would-be assistants about game plans and positional changes? No. And, that's not a "because she's a woman" thing. It's a "lack of experience in the AFL system" thing.

Ange Postecoglou was revered at Melbourne Victory, led Australia to the 2014 World Cup, and ensured we qualified in 2018. Could he slot into an AFL coaching position? No. Darren Cahill is a successful coach at the highest level on the WTA Tour, and he loves the Port Adelaide Football Club. Could he come in as an immediate replacement for Ken Hinkley? Absolutely not. It is incomprehensible for anyone, male or female, to walk in from outside the AFL bubble and be appointed as a senior coach. The requirements of the role mandate AFL level experience as a player, assistant coach, football manager, or similar.

However, and I can't stress this enough, there IS a place for people at club level who haven't been in the AFL system previously. Billy Slater's involvement at St Kilda and Simon Katich at the Giants previously are just two examples of "outsiders" coming into AFL clubland and imparting their knowledge. A person's gender should NOT and must NOT have an impact on them being recruited to a club, especially if their skillset can enhance a team both on and off the field. And, once entering a club what's to say you can't work your way through the system?

Lisa Alexander exhibits many attributes that would be beneficial to a club like North Melbourne, especially given their current position. And, if I was a club with an opening for a high performance/ football culture manager, Alexander would be the first cab off the rank. A smart football club would be sounding her out about what she believes she can offer and subsequently, the areas in which she wants to develop personally. The position doesn't need to exist yet, however, her clear desire to be part of the AFL system and her pedigree is surely worth investing in.

I don't believe North Melbourne, nor any club for that matter, is in a position to appoint a senior coach with no AFL level experience, to the most important and public role at their football club. The risk is simply too great.

What I do believe in though is identifying talent, and developing that talent such that it can succeed and ultimately prove beneficial to both parties. Alexander's want and determination, along with her international level coaching experience, demonstrates why she should be brought into the AFL system. What happens beyond that? Only time will tell.

Blues legend Ryan Girdler has slammed the lack of feisty banter between NSW and Queensland, particularly the lack of hatred toward the Maroons ahead of Game Two of State of Origin.

Girdler said after a "lukewarm" build-up to Game One in Adelaide, he wants to see the state vs state rivalry go up a notch at ANZ Stadium on Wednesday evening.

"What we love about Origin is the two camps - we like some barbs, some banter being thrown, some genuine dislike between the two teams, and I haven't seen any of that so far," Girdler told Triple M.

"There's not enough dislike between these two teams.

"In the past you've got (Paul) Gallen and (Nate) Myles, you've got those personal clashes. You've got guys like Benny Elias who can't walk the streets of Queensland, you've got Wally Lewis and Cam Smith who come down here and absolutely cop it from the fans.

"There's just nothing. There's been no barbs thrown from either camp, there's too many nice guys in both teams, to the point it's going to be hard for NSW fans.

"They need to find a way on Wednesday night to give it to Queensland.

"I don't know who they're going to give it to because you take away some of those legends of Origin. They were easy guys for our fans to dislike.

"How do you dislike (Josh) Papalii? How do you dislike (Cameron) Munster? (AJ) Brimson, big Tino (Fa'asuamaleaui)? What's to dislike about these guys?

"They haven't been in the game long enough to create that sort of relationship with the fans."

Girdler said the tension between Australian Kangaroos players from Queensland and NSW used to be so great that only when coaches stepped in and forced them to bond, did they do so.

"I remember at points there was such dislike between the NSW team and the Queensland team that when they went into camp for the Australian side, they used to sit at different tables and wouldn't mix until Mal Meninga had to get them all back together," Girdler recalled.

At least north of the border Queensland coach Wayne Bennett and his side have been doing their bit to spark a bit of banter, questioning NSW critics of the inexperienced 2020 Maroons side in hilarious fashion.

"Do they drug test journalists?" Bennett joked during Tuesday's press conference.

"I think they should if they're making that kind of stuff up."

Girdler welcomed Bennett's cheeky shot, and argued that such banter only fuels the Maroons more, while the Blues have remained calm in response to barbs that have been thrown their way in this series.

"He's stoking the fire. Wayne Bennett knows what Origin is all about and he knows this has been a very passive couple of weeks," Girdler said.

"No one has stuck their head up at the moment. Gallen in the past said Queenslanders have two heads. Big Willy (Mason) called them all rednecks.

"This year? Nothing."

In a year marked by racial injustice, Augusta National announced Monday (US time) it would honour Lee Elder with two scholarships in his name at Paine College and an honorary tee shot next year for the first black player in the Masters.

"It's mind-boggling every time I think about it," said Elder, who made his barrier-breaking debut in 1975.

It was about time, according to Masters chairman Fred Ridley, who said racial injustice and equality have been at the forefront of the nation this year.

"Our question was not so much what we can say but what we can do," Ridley said.

The Masters for some two decades has provided scholarship money for Paine College, a private, historically black college in Augusta. The Lee Elder Scholarship will be endowed for one man and one woman on the golf team. The fact Paine doesn't have a women's golf program was not a problem. Ridley said Augusta National would pay to start one.

Elder already was looking ahead to next April when he returns to the first tee, this time with a shot that doesn't count toward a score but is more meaningful to him than when he first played the tournament.

"That is one thing that's going to be significant to me, because 1975 was just an ordinary shot playing a golf tournament, even though it was the Masters," Elder said. "It's not as significant as this shot will be come April 8, 2021. Because my heart and soul will be into this shot."

The criteria have changed over the years at the Masters, and when the club began issuing invitations to PGA Tour winners, Elder qualified by winning the 1974 Pensacola Open. That made him eligible for the 1975 Masters. He missed the cut, though Ridley said the moment was historic because of the message it sent that "I belong."

Next April, he will join Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player as the honorary starters. Ridley referred to it as a "special moment in time," suggesting it will be a one-time appearance as honorary starter.

Elder ended his career with four PGA Tour victories. He played five more times in the Masters, with his best finish a tie for 17th in 1979.

"To know that I would be hitting a shot off the first tee alongside the great Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player, you have to think about where you're at and what you've accomplished and why you're there," Elder said. "A young man from the ghetto of Dallas, Texas, man, you've achieved world fame. The whole world will be watching and looking.

"For the chairman to present me with that opportunity is something I'll never forget. Never forget."

The connection to Paine College goes beyond it being an HBCU.

Elder arrived in Augusta more than 45 years ago to much fanfare as the first Black competitor in a tournament that for four decades only included Blacks as caddies or in catering.

Finding a place to eat dinner was difficult — Elder said that was more because he had some 15 people with him than "being segregated against." Julius Scott, in his first year as president of Paine College, handled the catering for Elder all week.

From that week, Elder began a relationship with the college.

"Look at old yearbooks and you'll see pictures of him with the golf team," said Cheryl Evans Jones, the president of Paine College. "He's made a a lot of contributions to the sport."

Ridley said he did not know how much it would cost to start a women's golf program and that was irrelevant. He said Augusta National would pay for everything.

"The times I have visited, a lot of the ladies came out to watch the men play," Elder said. "I heard quite a number of times, 'Gee, I wish we had a team so we could play.' By Augusta National making that decision, it's now going to give them a chance to fulfil that dream of being able to come to college, get a four-year scholarship plus compete on the golf team."

The Masters will be live on Nine from Friday morning.

Nine has announced the launch of Stan Sport, a live and on-demand streaming service, after reaching an in-principle agreement to sign a long-term deal with Rugby Australia.

The three-year deal, with an option for a further two years, includes free-to-air and ad-free subscription coverage of rugby union, covering all Bledisloe Cup matches, the Rugby Championship, Wallaroos games and Super Rugby. Sign off of the deal from SANZAAR is pending.

The deal will see Stan Sport become the home of Super Rugby, Super W, Wallaroos games, Shute Shield, Hospital Cup, Mitre 10 & Currie Cup, plus SANZAAR Union home games.

Rugby fans will also have access to the greatest moments in Australian rugby history, via an extensive library of games on Stan.

As part of the deal, Nine will broadcast all Wallabies Test matches played in Australia and New Zealand, plus a selection of Super Rugby matches during the season.

"The launch of Stan Sport is a bold expansion for Mike Sneesby and the team at Stan, to sit alongside our hugely successful Stan entertainment offering," said Nine boss Hugh Marks.

"We will bring all our collective expertise from decades of experience in live sport broadcasting to deliver the best possible outcomes for viewers, rights holders, and the growth ambitions of the sports we partner with.

"At Stan, we are focused on bringing Australians the best local, international and original programming, which has seen our audience reach significant scale.

"Today's announcement will see us extend that offering through the launch of our live streaming capability, bringing live sport to Stan in 2021 and opening up a range of new programming opportunities. Our partnership with Rugby Australia is the perfect place to start this new business."

Nine will also look at other opportunities to invest in a range of additional exclusive sports rights, either on a pay or cross-platform basis.

Rugby Australia boss Rob Clarke said the game looks forward to a new era with Nine.

"Rugby Australia is very excited about our new partnership with Nine Entertainment Co. and what's in store for our great game over the next three years and beyond," he said.

"Rugby has found its new home on Stan and the Nine Network, with broad reach on free-to-air as well as ad-free, extensive access on the Stan platform.

"The fantasy has become a reality for the Australian rugby community. This is a landmark deal that includes everything in the showbag, and it gives more Australians more access to more rugby than ever before.

"Australian rugby is transforming with an exciting future ahead, and this innovative deal enables us to fast-track that growth from the bottom-up.

"We're thrilled to partner with streaming service Stan, who now boast more than two million Australian subscribers and are growing at a rapid rate. We've recognised that the broadcast landscape has changed, and we're changing with it.

"Nine and Stan have also made a commitment to our women's game, both at a domestic and international level. Rugby Australia is passionate about the growth of the women's game in Australia and we look forward to working closely with them showcase our competitions and talented players as well as encouraging more women and girls to pick up a rugby ball."

It's a buyer's market and your club could be the beneficiary of the almost $20 million worth of NRL talent without a team for next season.

This number includes players with more than 300 first grade games experience, to young upstarts with only a handful of matches to their name.

Cameron Smith aside, the likes of Benji Marshall, Nathan Peats, Jordan Rapana, Bryce Cartwright, Tyrone Roberts, Tim Lafai, John Asiata and Danny Levi are all yet to find a home for 2021.

The problem for these out-of-work players is, there's a shortage of roster spots, limited opportunities and little wriggle room in the salary cap of most clubs.

While that's not so good for the players looking to line their pockets, it's great for NRL clubs looking to bolster their squads.

Clubs like Canterbury and North Queensland have just one position remaining on their roster, while the majority average around three roster vacancies.

But what does this mean for your club?

It means recruitment managers are crunching the stats, ready to snap up value for money finds.

Take Warriors utility-half, Adam Keighran.

As reported by WWOS last week, Keighran is set to join the Roosters following the release of No.7 Kyle Flanagan to the Bulldogs.

Keighran, who has nine top grade appearances, replaces Flanagan at a fraction of his salary.

Canberra, Newcastle and Melbourne have had success in this area in recent seasons with the respective clubs picking up bargain buys like Tom Starling, Enari Tuala and Brenko Lee with great results.

These men just needed an opportunity, and the clubs didn't have to break the bank.

If you're paying players to be part of your roster, you want to be using them.

This period also presents an opportunity to unearth a gem at bottom dollar.

Just look at the success of Gold Coast playmaker Jamal Fogarty.

In 2019 he was playing Queensland Cup for Burleigh and seeking train and trial opportunities ahead of the 2020 season.

Fast-forward and he not only captained the Titans but was a breakout star for the glitter-strip based club, securing a two-year extension in the process.

So, where does the next bargain buy come from and who will be the beneficiary?

Sam McIntyre, who made his NRL debut for the Tigers in 2020, would be a fine pick-up for any club seeking an edge.

It's understood he's been offered a one-year extension by the Tigers but yet to commit.

Of the off-contract backrowers, McIntyre is a standout who won't break the bank.

But what about the backline?

Teams in need of outside backs will have no shortage of options should they need to top up their squad with some experienced heads.

Josh Mansour is on the look-out for a new club, while Josh Addo-Carr's future in Melbourne or at the Tigers remains uncertain.

Both men do have existing contracts in place but there's 16 backs with NRL experience in search of a new club including Sandor Earl, Malakai Watene-Zelezniak, Jordan Kahu and Bryson Goodwin.

South Sydney's recent release of James Roberts not only frees up salary cap space but opens a vacancy for Wayne Bennett to reunite with former Broncos centre Tautau Moga.

Off-contract Raiders utility, Michael Oldfield has secured a deal with Parramatta with the Eels looking to bolster their backline following the exit of George Jennings to the Storm and departure of Brad Takairangi.

Will Smith extended his time with the club over the weekend, while Takairangi is yet to make a call on his future.

Former Cowboy, John Asiata is expected to settle his future in the coming weeks.

A premiership winner who can play prop, lock or even five-eighth, 27-year-old Asiata has a ton of upside.

He's been heavily linked with the Broncos and they're a club in need of some experience.

The release of Jack Bird to St George Illawarra means Brisbane coach Kevin Walters has ample space on his roster with just 23 of the Broncos' top 30 under contract.

They are in the market for both edges and middles, making the likes of Asiata an exciting addition.

While Aiden Tolman expected to join the Sharks next year, there's still a handful of middles on the lookout for a new club.

Keegan Hipgrave and Josh King are two young props with plenty of potential, with the Eels having scooped up the former for 2021.

King enjoyed his most consistent year to date and has never looked fitter, although the Knights are yet to re-sign him, leaving him ripe for the picking.

When it comes to experienced No.9s, there's options galore.

With Harry Grant headed back to Melbourne, Cameron Smith's decision on his future aside, Danny Levi, Issac Luke and Nathan Peats are all in the market.

While Knights hooker-utility Chris Randall is another seeking an opportunity and provides great versatility with an ability to play five-eighth as well as hooker.

Randall was a developmental player who made his first-grade debut earlier this year, as did Penrith rookie Charlie Staines and Brisbane's Tesi Niu but what 2021 looks like for developmental troops remains murky.

Last season, teams could sign as many as six players to developmental deals but that is expected to be reduced for 2021.

As teams begin their return to training for pre-season in the coming weeks, roster decisions and trial opportunities will become clearer.

Until then, let the chatter, excitement, and feelings of hope build.

The South Sydney Rabbitohs have farewelled seven players ahead of the 2021 season.

The biggest names headlining the departing cohort are James Roberts and Ethan Lowe.

Roberts was released by the club after a rocky season marred by injury and a well-publicised battle with mental health.

It ends a two-year second-stint at the club after he was from the Broncos by coach and mentor Wayne Bennett.

Meanwhile Lowe, who debuted for Queensland in last year's State of Origin, has been forced to retire due to a neck injury.

Elsewhere, Jack Johns leaves after just two games for the Bunnies, while prop Tom Amone, Corey Denniss, Kurt Dillon and Ky Rodwell are all on the hunt for new clubs.

Queensland legend and Nine NRL commentator Paul Vautin has revealed the scary reason he was not featured in the broadcast of Game One in this year's State of Origin series.

Vautin was a notable absentee in the broadcast team for Nine for the series opener in Brisbane, where the Maroons pulled off an upset over the NSW Blues.

The man affectionately known as 'Fatty' had a shock diagnosis of "developing skin cancer" which he though was just a dry rash on his face.

"I had a patch of what I thought was dry skin on my face, but I went to the doctor to get it looked at … the next thing I knew I was being told that I was on the way to developing skin cancer," Vautin told Danny Weidler in the Sydney Morning Herald.

"With Origin coming up, I spoke to the doctor and said what would happen if I put it off for a few weeks, even three weeks. I said to him, 'Believe it or not, I work in television and my face is on TV'.

"He didn't give a rats and told me I had to act straight away. I was told not to muck around. They gave me a treatment called Efudix. It's a cream that they explained to me is like chemo in a tube. I was told to put it on twice a day for 21 days, but after 13 days, I just couldn't get any more on, it was too painful. At times it hurt so much that I couldn't talk.

''Now I know that there are plenty of people going through more than me, but this is just what I had to deal with. The doctor told me that I could back off it because it was clearly working. That was a huge relief to me."

Vautin said he was hopeful of being able to return to Nine's State of Origin coverage for Game Two if he could, and said his experience should be a warning to other Australians about skin cancer.

"Given I'm a ranga, I've always looked after my skin," he said.

"I am outside a lot, but I am aware the dangers with being a redhead and the sun.

"It just shows you can't be too careful. Go and get your skin checked, even if you think it couldn't be a cancer and even if you are being careful."