Sports Benches presents this week’s sports news where this week’s NASCAR Cup headline race was a bit different but under lights.
NRL continues this time with the Brisbane Broncos v New Zealand Warriors while we welcome back the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships featuring our Aussie Dolphins Swim Team.
Make sure you come back here over the next twelve Mondays this year for your weekly Sports Benches’ Sports updates including the upcoming Chase Playoffs.
Also, check out our General Hospital posts every Saturday. The Curtis v Isaiah lawsuit ended pretty ugly while Willow begins seeking revenge for full custody of her kids until Michael calmed things down.
Plus, we farewelled a long-running partnership of Jason & Sonny.
NASCAR Cup Series, Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceday
Joey Logano is the next repeat Ford Mustang winner this season after Penske team-mate Ryan Blaney following an outstanding night at Richmond Raceway.
He started from 10th whose race trim went extremely well, especially on conditions that keeps going under long green.
There was some stiff competition from Chase Briscoe but Joey’s decision to run a bit longer while snatching the lead right on time for the final quick stop was on-point.
How good!!
With Briscoe, he was in the thick of it after a great time from starting 2nd.
Sometimes these tiny mistakes defending under pressure is what let things slide that makes race days feel unpredictable.
He knows he can make his No.19 Toyota Camry count with his 2nd half strategy next time for Gibbs.
It’s been a while from Team Hendrick’s Chase Elliott having fired off from 13th to Top 7.
He did try to mix and match for more track position but since the race stayed quiet, finishing 5th sounds like a safe pair of hands.
NRL Saturday Night Football: Broncos v Warriors
For the first time in Sports Benches eyes, there’s a completely different side of New Zealand’s sporting whanau but through the NRL.
It’s the New Zealand Warriors, also known as “The Wahs” based in Auckland.
To see them dominate against 10-15 other clubs based in traditional Eastern States heartland in recent years is an understatement who deserves to finally win a Premiership this October.
Love their expansive front foot play where all of these allow themselves to unlock space including wide areas in which they were simply too good to rule the roost home.
With Broncos, the reigning premiers, they just couldn’t catch a break after being caught napping almost all game. Gaps were flying everywhere on the back foot while their discipline is poor as there’s nothing else to say other than an extensive season-ending review.
Final score was Warriors 40-6 Broncos at Suncorp Stadium.
Pan Pacific Swimming Championships: Irvine, CA
Long time, no see!! It’s been eight years since the last Pan Pacific swim champs when the 2022 edition was cancelled due to COVID-19 at the time.
Our Aussie Dolphins finished 2nd behind arch-rivals Team USA over the four-day program, even without Mollie O’Callaghan & Kaylee McKeown.
Let’s start with Meg Harris who did a stellar job over the last 12 months from her 50m freestyle silver breakthrough in Paris 2024. She’s proved she can turn one quick lap into two following her gold medal win in Women’s 100m Freestyle Final.
Then Sam Short collected three individual gold across the men’s middle to long distance freestyle events (400m, 800m and 1500m), having also been crowned one of the two best individual swimmer awards alongside women’s world record-breaking phenomenon Kate Douglass.
The same was said for Lani Pallister in our women’s cohort also three times with the 200m, 400m and 800m women’s freestyle races while besting the GOAT Katie Ledecky twice (400m & 800m).
Don’t forget our butterfly performances where strong internal competition can make a big difference including breaststroke and we know they can be trusted to deliver these extra golds which we’ve proven time and time again.
It’s the beauty of Pan Pacs Swimming as we’re still on the right track of history towards the next Summer Olympics: LA28 and of course, Brisbane 2032.
