The AFLW season is just days away, while a former Australian cricket captain is looking to make a comeback this summer.

Here are some sporting updates from the weekend.

AFLW season seven starts this week

The AFLW season is only three days away, with the traditional opening round clash between Collingwood and Carlton being played at IKON park on Thursday night.

The league is facing a quick turnaround from last season with the season six grand final between Adelaide and Melbourne having been played only four months ago.

This season will be the first time that all 18 clubs will participate in the league with Port Adelaide, Hawthorn, Essendon and Sydney being added to the competition.

The competition will run for 10 rounds with all September matches to be placed in a floating fixture allowing for the potential to have double header matches with the men’s AFL finals series.

Pies break Blues hearts again

Collingwood has once again come from behind to steal victory from what seemed to be a finals-bound Carlton.

An eight goal to one third quarter from the Blues gave them a 22-point lead going into the final term, before Collingwood, like they have done so often this season, came back to claim a last gasp win.

Veteran forward Jamie Elliott came up clutch once again, kicking the match winning goal from a tight angle, ending the Blues finals aspirations in the process.

For the Blues it has been back-to-back weeks of agony with two tight losses to Collingwood and Melbourne meaning they miss finals for the ninth year in a row.

The loss against the Pies also made Carlton the first team in 45 years to sit in the top eight for every round except the last.

Tim Paine set for a comeback this summer

Former Australian Test cricket captain Tim Paine will make his return to first class cricket over the 2022/23 season.

The talented wicketkeeper hasn’t played for Australia since early 2021, when he was stood down after a ‘sexting scandal’ involving him was made public.

Paine will play for  Tasmania in the Sheffield Shield but it hasn’t been confirmed yet whether he has aspirations to play for Australia again, or if he will play for the Hobart Hurricanes in the Big Bash League this summer.

Essendon and Rutten part ways

After their 66-point loss to the Tigers on Saturday night, the Bombers have stood down their coach Ben Rutten despite him being contracted for 2023.

The 2022 season has been a disappointing one for the Bombers, and the club has been placed under much scrutiny over their treatment of Rutten over the last week.

Newly appointed president David Barham said the club will search for a coach with experience, which puts former coaches Ross Lyon, James Hird and Leon Cameron at the front of the queue for the job.

Wests Tigers on track for worst ever season

After Saturday night’s record 66-point loss to the Sydney Roosters, the Tigers are on track for their first wooden spoon with only two rounds remaining.

The heavy loss was made even worse after their captain James Tamou was sent off after he labelled match referee Ben Cummins as “Incompetent”.

The Tigers haven’t featured in finals for the past decade and their only premiership came in 2005.

PHOTO: Ruck contest in AFLW round 4 2019, Geelong vs. Carlton by Allied45 is available HERE and used under a Creative Commons Attribution. The image has not been modified.