Nate Myles making the most of his Sea Eagles’ retirement, Lara Pitt in demand and why David Warner needs to put a sock in it
WHY David Warner needs to put a sock in it, Nate Myles making the most of his Sea Eagles’ retirement, Lara Pitt in demand, and Jeff Fenech’s big night out. IT’S ALL IN WHAT’S THE BUZZ.
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WHY David Warner needs to put a sock in it, Nate Myles making the most of his Sea Eagles’ retirement, Lara Pitt in demand, and Jeff Fenech’s big night out. IT’S ALL IN WHAT’S THE BUZZ.
SAINT
YVONNE Sampson, Lara Pitt, Jess Yates and Hannah Hollis. Their relentless grilling of NRL boss Todd Greenberg on the Matt Lodge scandal on League Life was not just brilliant TV but a much-warranted interrogation into his shocking, closed-doors handling of the case that caused untold damage to the image of the game.
SINNER
NO one minds a bit of sledging on a cricket field. It’s part of the game. But David Warner needs to put a sock in it. Mitchell Starc was carrying on like a mug, too, with his badmouthing of the South African batsmen. Give it a break.
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SPOTTED
SHARKS centre Josh Dugan playing tenpin bowling at Southgate in Sylvania on Wednesday. A much better idea than visiting the local RSL.
SPOTTED II
NRL CEO Todd Greenberg and his executive team climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge on Wednesday after an all-day conference in the city.
SPOTTED III
HE used to be a battling plumber on the outskirts of the Shire. On Thursday morning, Sharks coach Shane Flanagan was spotted in seat 1D in business class on the Virgin airlines flight to Townsville. Co-captain Wade Graham was sitting next to him while the rest of the team was in economy.
SPOTTED IV
BALMAIN Tigers greats — Steve Roach and Paul Sironen — having a laugh and a coffee at Dolcini cafe in Putney on Wednesday.
SPOTTED V
NEW Foxtel boss Patrick Delany standing on pool deck at Manly Aquatic Centre last Tuesday evening in his budgie smugglers dripping wet on his phone being interviewed by Ross Greenwood, the host of 2GB’s Money News.
SPOTTED VI
EX-Sydney Swans stars Adam Goodes, Tadhg Kennelly and Michael O’Loughlin at The Private Kitchen restaurant in Chippendale on Tuesday.
SHOOSH
WE’RE hearing some fascinating stuff about why the NRL has still not punished the rorting player agents from the old Parramatta Eels salary cap scandal. Integrity unit boss Nick Weekes told us in July, 2016 that the managers involved would be named, shamed and kicked out of the game. Nothing has happened.
SHOOSH II
WHICH NRL club recently had a dubious third-party deal, involving a prominent radio identity and a real estate agent, rejected by salary cap auditors?
SHOOSH III
WHICH free-to-air TV sports reporter was tapped on the shoulder last week and told to look for another job?
DEAR BOZO, THE OS TRIP’S GOING GREAT
NATE Myles is still on the Manly Sea Eagles payroll despite retiring from the NRL after a short stint with Melbourne Storm last year. And he’s obviously very grateful.
The 32-year-old former Maroons State of Origin forward is holidaying overseas and has been cheekily posting happy snaps on his Instagram account with the hashtag #thanksbozo.
He’s obviously referring to league Immortal Bob Fulton, who signed him to Manly for three years back in 2016 from the Gold Coast Titans on a big-money contract.
Myles played only 26 games (and averaged just 40 minutes) at the Sea Eagles. Not bad for about $1.6 million over a three-year term.
GUS ENJOYS SILENCE
THE great Gus Gould will be missing from the Channel 9 commentary box for the western Sydney blockbuster between his Penrith Panthers and Parramatta Eels this afternoon.
And no doubt he’d be appreciating it.
There’s been so much off-season discussion about Gus getting hands-on with the team.
The Panthers were dreadful in their last trial match against the Bulldogs and copped a fearsome spray from the former Blues State of Origin coach at full-time.
Fox didn’t waste time securing Lara Pitt. (Brett Costello)
PITT STOPS WITH FOX
FOX Sports NRL personality Lara Pitt has been in hot demand.
Channel 9 recently put out feelers for the League Life panellist and sideline commentator, who does an outstanding job for the pay-TV network. It was a waste of time.
Fox Sports’ head of television Steve Crawley has since signed Pitt to a new two-year contract.
The network has also locked in Braith Anasta on a new five-year contract.
DOGS’ INDEPENDENT TO END
THE ugly politics in rugby league never ceases to amaze me.
Bulldogs legend George Peponis is chairman of the thriving Canterbury Leagues Club. He is standing for re-election as an independent at next week’s club elections.
Directors on the new football club board don’t want a bar of him despite his tremendous track record. Now Peponis is claiming he had a phone call from new Bulldogs football club chair Lynne Anderson last weekend.
He said Anderson asked him to stand down from the leagues club elections and, in return, offered to support the NRL’s constitutional reform that would allow Peponis to join the independent commission.
Peponis declined the offer. Anderson did not return our phone calls or text messages.
FENECH CELEBRATES FEAT
JEFF Fenech sure knows how to celebrate a milestone. Last Wednesday was the 30-year anniversary of him becoming the first undefeated triple world champion in boxing history.
Our greatest fighter took his family and friends to La Disfida restaurant in Haberfield.
Wealthy property developer Victor Metlege turned up with $3000 worth of caviar. They also demolished platters of lobsters, mud crabs, oysters and king prawns and then washed it down with Armand de Brignac champagne at about $1000 a bottle.
It was an occasion worthy of his mighty accomplishment. And we thought John Grant loved an expensive night out.
PAPALII MUNSTERED
WE told you last week about Raiders forward Josh Papalii and his incredible table tennis skills. It turns out there is a better player in the NRL — Melbourne Storm star Cameron Munster. He beat Papalii in the ping-pong final during the Maroons’ State of Origin camp last year.
HIDING KNIGHTS
THERE are huge advantages for NRL players at clubs outside Sydney where the media attention is nowhere near as focused as it is in the big smoke. We’ve heard reports that two Knights players had a decent push and shove at teammate Aidan Guerra’s 30th birthday party. Another two players had a heated and physical exchange at training. Neither incident got a mention in the local press.
SHARKS’ FRENZY
Paul Gallen and Michael Ennis looked as excited as on grand final night in 2016 in the Shire last Monday afternoon.
Gallen’s son, Kody, won his grand final in the Cronulla junior Oz Tag competition.
On the next field, Ennis watched his boys, Jack and Randy, win theirs as well. You’ve seriously never seen two prouder dads.
V’LANDYS’ BUSH SAVIOUR
THE appointment of Racing NSW boss Peter V’landys to the independent commission is fantastic news for battling country rugby league clubs that we’ve been writing about for weeks.
V’landys has almost single-handedly revived country racing over the past decade by investing money that saved many turf clubs from going broke. He was a former rugby league player in the Illawarra region.
Locals reckon he used to go OK.
V’landys understands how important it is for bush football to thrive and is determined to do something about it.
Originally published as Nate Myles making the most of his Sea Eagles’ retirement, Lara Pitt in demand and why David Warner needs to put a sock in it
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