Weekend Sports Fix: NFL history, finals fever and Opals heartbreak

If you thought Friday morning was an unusual time to pack the MCG, more than 100,000 people clearly disagreed.

The NFL has staged its first regular-season game in Australia, the Opals’ World Cup campaign has come to a painful end and, closer to home, both major football codes are heading into finals weekends where seasons will be finished.

Throw in an AFL trade market that seems determined to start before the finals have finished and there’s plenty to catch up on.

Here’s your Weekend Sports Fix.

NFL lands at the MCG and the 49ers put on a show

The San Francisco 49ers made sporting history in Melbourne, defeating the Los Angeles Rams 27-7 in the first NFL regular-season game played in Australia.

An almighty 100,021 packed the MCG on Friday morning, making it the seventh-largest regular-season crowd in NFL history and the second-biggest for an international game.

Quarterback Brock Purdy threw for 205 yards and three touchdowns as the 49ers scored the final 24 points. Rams star Matthew Stafford managed 155 passing yards and no touchdowns. San Francisco’s decision to arrive a week early to acclimatise may have helped.

The Rams didn’t land until Thursday.

Whatever the explanation, the NFL wanted to know whether Australia had an appetite for the real thing and more than 100,000 people turning up on a working Friday morning provided a pretty convincing answer.

Opals’ World Cup dream ends in heartbreak

Australia’s Women’s Basketball World Cup campaign is over after Spain defeated the Opals 89-66 in their quarter-final in Berlin.

The loss followed Australia’s 82-80 escape against Italy, when the Opals almost surrendered a 26-point third-quarter lead. Twenty-one-year-old Isobel Borlase starred with 30 points.

But that victory came at a huge cost. Captain Ezi Magbegor tore the ACL in her right knee just four minutes into the game and will require surgery, ending her World Cup and WNBA season.

Australia was already missing Alanna Smith through injury, making Spain a formidable task. The exit will sting, although Borlase’s breakout tournament provided plenty of encouragement for the future.

AFL finals: Now there’s nowhere to hide

The AFL finals enter sudden-death territory tonight when minor premier Fremantle hosts Geelong at Optus Stadium.

After losing its qualifying final to Hawthorn, another defeat would see Fremantle go from finishing top of the ladder to exiting in straight sets. The winner faces Sydney in a preliminary final.

Tomorrow night, reigning premier Brisbane hosts Adelaide at the Gabba for the right to face Hawthorn. The Lions are chasing a third consecutive flag but have no second chance after losing to Sydney, while Adelaide arrives with momentum after ending a nine-year finals drought with victory over the Western Bulldogs.

By Saturday night, two more seasons will be over.

NRL finals are ready to explode

The NRL finals begin tonight with South Sydney facing Newcastle in an elimination final at Allianz Stadium.

Saturday has the second-placed Warriors hosting finals debutant the Dolphins in Auckland, before Cronulla meets North Queensland in another knockout clash.

Then minor premier Penrith faces the Sydney Roosters on Sunday at CommBank Stadium.

There are some important returns. Penrith’s Mitch Kenny is set to play only his second match since Round 7 following a broken leg, while Roosters star Angus Crichton is among the big names returning for September.

Four games and, for half the field, no second chances.