Kangaroo causes red flag in WorldSBK Australian Round
By Lee Seng Foo1 day ago
The 2026 Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) season hopped off to an unusual start on Friday when a kangaroo triggered a red flag during free practice in the Australian Round.
The animal ran onto the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit during the FP2 session, briefly halting the action as well as forcing Nicolo Bulega to abandon his run as a precaution.
Fortunately, the interruption was short-lived as the session resumed without further incident, with Bulega going on to top the timesheets with a 1:29.101 aboard his Ducati.
WorldSBK action continues across Saturday and Sunday, with the Australian Round’s main races set to headline both days, live on SPOTV NOW.
Wildlife-related incidents are not uncommon at Phillip Island, with MotoGP riders Aleix Espargaro narrowly avoiding a kangaroo in 2022 and Andrea Iannone hitting a bird in 2015.
Jorge Martin: From Heaven to Hell
Coming into the season as the reigning World Champion, the Spaniard endured a nightmare year, as injury derailed his debut campaign with Aprilia
Khalid Al Ghannam drew widespread attention on social media after celebrating his goal with a tribute to One Piece.
The Al Ettifaq winger opened the scoring in his side’s Roshn Saudi League clash against Al Fateh on Thursday.
Following his goal, the 25-year-old ran to the sidelines, donned a straw hat and struck a pose associated with Monkey D. Luffy, the main character of One Piece.
The celebration referenced Luffy’s well-known “Gear 2” stance from the long-running Japanese anime and manga.
First serialised in Weekly Shonen Jump in 1997, One Piece has since grown into one of the most successful media franchises globally, expanding into films, video games and a Netflix live-action adaptation.
Saudi Arabia international Madallah Al-Olayan and former Liverpool star Georginio Wijnaldum were also on the scoresheet as Al Ettifaq won 4-3.
MotoGP announced on Thursday that the Australian Grand Prix will take place at the Adelaide Street Circuit from 2027 to 2032.
The move will mark MotoGP’s first Grand Prix staged on a city-centre circuit, with the track being approximately 4.2km long with 18 corners winding through the city streets.
“Bringing MotoGP to Adelaide marks a major milestone in the evolution of our championship,” said MotoGP Chief Sporting Officer Carlos Ezpeleta.
“This city has a world‑class reputation for hosting major sporting events, and the opportunity to design a purpose‑built circuit in the city streets is something truly unique in our sport.
“This partnership represents bold ambition from both MotoGP and Australia - and we couldn’t be prouder to begin this journey together.”
As a result, the 2026 MotoGP season will mark the final Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island, which has served as the event’s long-time home since 1997 as well as for the first two editions.
Besides Phillip Island, the Australian Grand Prix also took place at Eastern Creek Raceway between 1991 and 1996.
Western Sydney Wanderers revealed Allyssa Ng-Saad will be representing Malaysia in the upcoming Multicultural Round of the 2025/26 A-League Women season.
The announcement confirmed the 17-year-old as one of the few players with Malaysian heritage to feature in the Australian top flight, and potentially the first in the women’s league.
Ng-Saad, who made her A-League debut against Perth Glory on October 31, Ng-Saad, who made her A-League Women debut against Perth Glory on October 31, has played 12 league matches and scored two goals so far this season.
She was also called up to the Young Matildas squad to face South Korea in November last year but did not make an appearance.
Western Sydney Wanderers take on Newcastle Jets on Friday.
The 2026 A-League Men mid-season transfer window officially closed on Tuesday after being open since January 16, with clubs across the competition making late adjustments ahead of the decisive second half of the campaign.
While several teams opted for minimal tweaks, others underwent far more substantial squad reshaping, most notably Central Coast Mariners. The New South Wales outfit emerged as the busiest club of the window, completing a significant recruitment drive that saw seven players arrive and seven depart after struggling with results all season long.
Reigning champions Melbourne City, meanwhile, generated considerable intrigue by recruiting two players who recently featured for Melbourne Victory during the window, a move that adds further spice to an already heated rivalry in Victoria.
With the transfer window now shut, attention turns squarely to matters on the pitch, where these mid-season moves could prove pivotal in shaping the title race and defining the trajectory of the remainder of the 2025-26 matches, all live on SPOTV NOW.
In: Nicholas D'Agostino (Viking), Marius Lode (BK Häcken)
Out: Marcus Ferkranus (released), Lucas Herrington (Colorado Rapids)
Central Coast Mariners
In: Ali Auglah (Sydney Olympic), Nathanael Blair (Perth Glory), Seth Clark (Sydney Olympic), Mikael Doka (Ventforet Kofu, end of loan), Chris Donnell (Sydney Olympic), Oliver Lavale (South Melbourne) Kaito Taniguchi (Albirex Niigata)
Out: Mikael Doka (Operário Ferroviário), Nicholas Duarte (Heidelberg United, loan), Ryan Edmondson (St Patrick's Athletic), Abdelelah Faisal (Al Karma), Alexi Houridis (released), James Houridis (released), Adam Pavlesic (released)
In: Mitchell Duke (Machida Zelvia), Michael Pratezina (Sydney United 58)
Out: -
Melbourne City
In: Daniel Arzani (Ferencváros, loan), Harrison Delbridge (free agent), Ryan Teague (Mechelen, loan), Marcus Younis (Brøndby, loan)
Out: Dakota Ochsenham (released), Kai Trewin (New York City)
In: Charles Nduka (Kagoshima United)
Out: Luka Kolić (Melbourne Knight)
Newcastle Jets
In: Zach Clough (Selangor)
Out: Aleksandar Šušnjar (Lokomotiv Tashkent)
If Zach Clough can do more of THIS back in the A-Leagues, @NewcastleJetsFC fans are in for a treat 🏴🪄🔥
Goal and assists galore. The Englishman was devastating in his stint at Adelaide United.
Jets fans: Here’s a reminder of what your new signing can do 👇 pic.twitter.com/Po60fPervN
In: Stefan Colakovski (free agent), Anthony Didulica (free agent), Luca Tevere (Preston Lions)
Out: Nathanael Blair (Central Coast Mariners), Rhys Bozinovski (Heracles Almelo), Adam Bugarija (Marconi Stallions, loan), Khoa Ngo (Cong An Ho Chi Minh City, loan)
Sydney FC
In: Ahmet Arslan (RW Essen), Mitchell Glasson (KTP, end of loan), Apostolos Stamatelopoulos (Motherwell, loan)
Out: -
Wellington Phoenix
In: Sander Kartum (Heart of Midlothian, loan), Sarpreet Singh (TSC, loan), Bill Tuiloma (free agent)
Out: Hideki Ishige (released)
Western Sydney Wanderers
In: Jacob Farrell (Portsmouth, loan), Ryan Fraser (Southampton), Hiroshi Ibusuki (East Bengal)
Out: Mohamed Al-Taay (Al-Karma), Alex Bonetig (Portland Timbers), Gabriel Cleur (released)
