Parker scored gold medals in the 50, 100 and 200 metre freestyle races last week as well as two relays in the same stroke, which included a record in the 4x50m.

He collected another two medals – silver in the 400m freestyle and bronze in 4x50m medley relay with NSW.

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Maitland hockey player Simon Orchard returned to the Kookaburras line-up as they posted a 1-0 World League finals opening win against Belgium.

Orchard had already played in India in a test series but was called up to the main squad for injured teammate Jake Whetton. 

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Maitland Junior Sportsperson of the Year Brock Lamb has been training with the Newcastle Knights first grade squad.

He was featured on the Knights website along with fellow rookie Josh King and had this to say about week two of pre-season.

“It was a lot harder than I thought it would be with the [hot] conditions,” he said.

“[But] the team worked really well and pushed each other, so that made it easier.”

As for coping with the high 30-degree days?

“I just drank a lot of water,” Lamb said.

“A lot of water was needed for last week.”

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Still on rugby league and the freshly struck broadcast deal seems to have followed in the footsteps of the AFL model. 

Instead of going head-to-head both free-to-air and pay television are working in conjunction with one another.

It means channel nine has lost some exclusivity of NRL, but they will still pick up a large share of the market that don’t have pay television.

And those that do have pay television now have more access to games than ever before, which will be ­followed by a dedicated stand-alone station in the future.

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Finally on footy and an incredible match-day program has emerged in the wake of Merv Wright’s death.

The popular Maitland Pickers winger passed away late last week and former teammate Brian Burke posted to social media this Newcastle representative squad list from a country championship final in the early 1970s.

In the side were four Maitland players – Wright, Burke, Gary Collins and Terry Pannowitz alongside the likes of John Cootes and Brian Sullivan.

Captain-coach was rugby league Immortal Johnny Raper, who played out of position in the second-row to accommodate Pannowitz.

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Who is Grant Baldwin?

That was the question on many a cricket fan’s lips over the weekend when the substitute fielder went onto the Adelaide Oval during the historic day-night Test.

The 28-year-old team masseuse was summonsed by Australian skipper Steve Smith to replace injured fast bowler Mitch Starc out in the middle.

Even though the Kiwis didn’t recognise him, the former Victorian second XI player and once-registered AFL draftee got a closer look than most at the much-talked about pink ball.

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Former Mercury sports journalist Andrew Parkinson was up close and personnel with Adam Scott at the Australian Open during the weekend, posting this photo on social media. 

“The great man going low on moving day #scotty#beautifulman.”

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Sawyers Gully greyhound trainer Terry Priest has qualified Old Spice for the $100,000 group 1 Brisbane Cup final.

Old Spice will jump from box two on Thursday.

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Numbers Game: 3 – the place run by Darren Elder’s Louth Park runner Shannonsablast in the opening Inter Dominion heat at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

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Moment That Mattered: Maitland City are now within one win of an Invitational Big Bowls Challenge grand final appearance.

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Quote: “The great Merv Wright has heeded the call of the full-time siren. Maitland bows its head solemnly and says a longing goodbye to one of its legends. Humanity shined brighter with Mervy around. He was a fine footballer and an even better man. That smile. That laugh. That wisdom. That cheek. That respect. Champion is an overused word. Mervy was a champion in every way. Rest easy, champion,” publican and one-time Mercury journalist Ben Quinn on the passing of former Maitland Pickers crowd favourite Merv Wright.