Same sports news full of repeat winners with Tyler Reddick this time at Atlanta Motor Speedway while Super Rugby witnessed the best Australian side def. NZ’s reigning champions on their backyard.
We also look back the Diamonds v Jamaica three-match series in Netball as commonwealth games prep when many others spent two weeks watching the Winter Olympics fun from Italy’s Milano-Cortina.
Sports Benches is the place to be for your weekly General Hospital recaps once every weekend with more big time sports coming your way same time next week.
NASCAR Cup Series: AutoTrader 400 at Atlanta
A bit more rowdy than Daytona when it comes to these chain reacted yellows but same winner by Tyler Reddick in the No.45 Toyota Camry for 23XI Racing.
He wasn’t quite front running when it comes to the most lead laps all day.
But he did have enough speed for the right moments especially side drafting thanks to his crew chief Billy Scott — despite stumbling earlier with only a few scratches.
That didn’t come back to bite Tyler’s race winning weekend as long as the Camry’s good to bring home once again.
Same goes with Ross Chastain as the best Chevy Camaro in 3rd for Trackhouse.
He had a scare or two also at one stage against the wall that could’ve been a nightmare. Staying tight & race sharp kept Ross in the fight though where he was oh so close until Chase Briscoe blocked him out on the outside for Reddick’s spot.
Not much Ford Mustangs out there unluckily but shoutout to Zane Smith from Front Row Motorsports in 7th.
He came from the back having gained spots due to yellows along with a great strategy ahead of Stage 3, even though the No.38 struggled long pace. At least he kept it clean with room for more adjustments and there goes his good finish after Race 2.
Super Rugby Week 2 of 16: Crusaders v Brumbies
It was a rare Sunday Afternoon of Super Rugby but a good one another of this week’s sports news items.
The best Australian side ACT Brumbies defeated the reigning champs Crusaders away from home by 24-50.
Week 1 saw the Waratahs filled NSW Rugby fans full of optimism over Reds while Brumbies tamed this scorching Perth heat v Western Force.
Now the Aussie teams have done it once again. But it’s also important to look at the finish line — both after Week 16 and most importantly, after the semi-finals.
The only downside though is that all games now are Stan Sport exclusives.
You never know if & when Nine will chuck an odd free-to-air game — maybe next month, April or close to season’s end.
We’ve witnessed a new dimension of Andy Muirhead this time from the back (15) along with an exciting in-house product who is born Kiwi & plays centres, Kadin Pritchard.
Both read the lines well particularly in the last 20-30 odd minutes against this “mis-aligned” Crusaders team. They’re not afraid to move a muscle & cashing it in once detected thanks to Charlie Cale at 8.
Easy to say Crusaders left 11 Sevu Reece at the other end with the upmost timing from winning catches off the air to line breaks when it comes to ball retention.
Yes, they can show off their pace but their strategy & bench options were much left to be desired.
Netball: Australia v Jamaica three-match Series Review
We just had two weeks of Winter Olympics from Italy’s Milano-Cortina.
At the same time, we had International Netball earlier this month with the Diamonds v Jamaica aka Sunshine Girls, as Commonwealth Games prep for Glasgow this July.
Nice nod between multi-sports events from one occasion to another.
Best of Series players, updated 15/3/26
| Cara Koenen, Goal Shoot-Diamonds | Her tough 2025 is now behind her who works well with everyone on top of her usual shooting habits at the right time of Comm Games selection, should she keep this up over the next few months in SSN. |
| Georgie Horjus (WA/GA) & Kate Moloney (C/WD), Diamonds | They will keep opposition teams guessing where Kate shines in transition while Georgie’s long bomb game will no doubt be a team-first asset. |
| Latanya Wilson, GD-Jamaica | She’s always consistent & very much admired by the Adelaide Thunderbirds but just wish Sunshine Girls built a system that can capitalise on her defensive standouts, particularly 2nd half. |
Jamaica had their moments particularly the first two quarters all along. However, they’ve struggled to find the finishing touches to soak up pressure at the Diamonds full of turnovers & ill-discipline.
It doesn’t mean they can’t succeed in Glasgow with 2-3 key players of critical Super Netball expertise missing who made themselves unavailable for this one. We’ve seen the Sunshine Girls gone closer to glory before especially the last four years.
Meanwhile, there’s plenty of reasons why the Diamonds were content more than just winning matches by three zip.
The defence wasn’t bad without Sunday Aryang who unfortunately had her ACL knee tear going back to the 4th Constellation Cup game v Silver Ferns late last year.
The big factor that will help Diamonds continue being “hard to beat” though is utilising their full squad when some next opponents will be against Tier 2 nations.
Girls like Sophie Dwyer & Kara Koenen may not be up to start with England Roses and Ferns when you can’t ignore this undeniable shooting duo of Kiera Austin & Sophie Garbin. But at least they can add the security layer to shut those games down.
