NRL 2022: Billy Slater and Brad Fittler baulk at Kangaroos role
The one thing that Origin coaches Brad Fittler and Billy Slater can agree on, old rivals Benny Elias and Mario Fenech bury the hatchet and more in SPORT CONFIDENTIAL.
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Origin coaches Brad Fittler and Billy Slater are having serious reservations about becoming Kangaroos selections.
Those close to the pair say they feel uncomfortable about the new role and could knock-back the approach after it was largely thrust upon them without consultation.
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Of particular concern is that they will naturally have to leave out players from their state and they are worried what the flow-on impact of that may be when it comes to next year’s series.
As it stands, the pair aren’t prepared to dive into this issue until after Origin.
They were due to join Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga in picking a 50-man preliminary World Cup squad but have asked that to be pushed back until after the series. By then, though, they may have made the decision to opt out of picking the side all together.
WHAT FEUD? OLD FOES TEAM UP FOR HISTORIC TEST HONOUR
Six weeks ago, Balmain great Benny Elias and South Sydney legend Mario Fenech buried the hatchet on one of rugby league’s greatest feuds.
The peace treaty will be sealed when Lebanon and Malta play for the Elias and Fenech Shield on Wednesday night at Belmore Sports Ground.
“I have the utmost respect for Mario. When I asked to be involved I said ‘of course, it would be an honour’,” Elias said.
“He has a big Maltese family, I come from a big Lebanese family. We both played hooker all our lives going through the ranks, always wanting the same No. 9 to wear at representative level. We’re both very passionate and wear our hearts on our sleeve … that’s why we clashed.”
There was no love lost between the dummy half combatants and the battle to wear the No. 9 jumper for NSW and Australia in the 1980s only fuelled the rivalry.
Elias and Fenech routinely traded verbal barbs, and on occasion punches, but the most infamous incident came in a semi-final between Balmain and South Sydney in 1986 at the SCG.
Rabbitohs rake Fenech was sent-off for biting his Tigers counterpart, only for Elias to later reveal he had bitten his own hand and that his teammate Steve ‘Blocker’ Roach was an unwitting accomplice to the act.
“Blocker looked at me like I was crazy when I asked to start a stink in the next scrum,” Elias said.
“I then bit my hand as hard as I possibly could. Blocker went into the scrum and there was an all-in brawl. I said to referee Kevin Roberts ‘Mario, you dirty rotten thing, you bit me’.
“I showed Kevin the bite mark and he said ‘don’t worry, I saw it all, you’re off Fenech … and he sent him off.”
In April, the pair bumped into each other at a Sydney pub. But at this encounter Elias and Fenech traded hugs not blows.
“We have buried the hatchet, well and truly. I ran into him at the Sackville Hotel in Rozelle and we kissed and made up and said life is way too short, let’s move on,” Elias said.
Former Wallabies coach Michael Cheika, who will coach Argentina at the 2023 Rugby World Cup, will be at the helm for Lebanon on Wednesday night – in what will be his first game as head coach of a senior rugby league side.
Cheika has a growing contingent of NRL players eligible to play for Lebanon in Rugby League World Cup later this year including Mitchell Moses, Adam Doueihi, Alex Twal, Josh Mansour and Jacob Kiraz.
Elias is hoping the Lebanese community in Sydney will show-up in force to support the Cedar’s as they kick-off their world cup campaign.
“I’d love to see a big crowd there, I think we can pull a massive crowd,” Elias said.
“There is a massive amount of proud Australian Lebanese people in that area and Parramatta is not too far away, which also has passionate fans.”
Kaufusi hits back after hammering
Felise Kaufusi sat down to watch a replay of Melbourne’s win over the Sydney Roosters late on Saturday night and was taken back by some of the commentary.
Sadly for him, it was a portent of what was to come. In the days that followed that win, Kaufusi found himself in the eye of a storm over an incident involving Roosters half Sam Walker that resulted in him being charged by the match review committee.
“You would think I had done something like kill someone the way everyone has carried on,” Kaufusi said.
“It’s has been a tough old week but I am happy it is done. I think it has been blown out of proportion with that tackle, sorry carry.
“I have been hammered left, right and centre. It is hard when stuff like this happens and your name gets dragged through the dirt.
“Some of the commentary was pretty ordinary. I can’t change that. I am used to copping it. I play hard, I try to play tough. I tune myself off to all the criticism and copping it online. It is my poor family — they follow my every step.
“They are the ones watching it and calling me to see if I am all right. That is the disappointing part — that my family goes through it all. I can tune out.
“It is something my oldies look forward to — watching every weekend. They follow all the TV shows. It is pretty crazy when they hear some of the stuff and comments. The family are the ones who try to stick up for me and check in.”
Kaufusi comes from one of the game’s great rugby league families. Two of his brothers — Antonio and Patrick — played in the NRL. They love the game and what it has given them.
It’s why it grates so much when Kaufusi has to listen to people suggest the incident involving Walker was another example of the Storm and Maroons forward crossing the line.
Kaufusi could have copped a small fine and moved on. Instead, he opted to fight the charge at the judiciary. He did so because he believed he had done nothing wrong.
The judiciary panel agreed, unanimously throwing out the charge.
“I thought it was the right thing to take that charge on,” he said. “I just said, ‘stuff that, I am not going to cop it on the chin when I think I have done nothing wrong’.
“There was nothing in it — no intent or malice. I just thought I am not going to put up with this. Even if I did lose, at least I had a crack at trying to prove my innocence.
“He [Walker] got caught in a [bad] position. It is unfortunate.”
Asked whether he had reached out to Walker, Kaufusi quipped: “He is a fellow Queenslander. I know that too. If I was going to hurt anyone it wouldn’t be him.”
Having taken on the match review committee and won, Kaufusi will aim to make it a week to remember when he takes his place against Brisbane on Friday night in a game between two sides at the pointy end of the competition.
Provided he emerges unscathed, he will be one for the first players picked in the Queensland side for the second game of the State of Origin series in Perth. He won’t be changing the style that has made him one of the game’s pre-eminent back rowers.
“I love playing hard, I love playing tough, but obviously well within the rules,” Kaufusi said.
“I think that is one of the best sides of my game — the aggression. I can’t control what other people say about me but that is my style of play. I am aggressive and I try to play as hard as I can. That playing style has got me to where I am now. That is just how I play.”
Abdo lays down the law to Lodge
NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo has dismissed any suggestion the game is making it hard for Matt Lodge to find a new club and revealed he personally invited the former Warriors and Brisbane prop to speak to salary cap bosses at Rugby League Central.
It is understood several clubs have expressed an interest in Lodge but have been reluctant to make a move given the notional value that has been placed on him by head office.
Lodge was concerned enough to call Abdo to seek some clarity around the NRL’s decision. As a result of those talks, Abdo invited Lodge to visit Rugby League Central and speak to salary cap auditor Matthew Faulkner.
Abdo also assured Lodge it was common practice and the game would be more than happy to register a fresh contract for the 27-year-old provided it fell within the rules.
“We will register a contract,” Abdo said.
“What has happened in the past has happened. We will register a contract – it just needs to be with the rules.
“We wouldn’t break the rules for any player. We didn’t do it for Sonny Bill [Williams].”
It is understood Lodge has been valued at about $20,000 a game by the salary cap department, meaning he would be valued in the cap at around $200,000.
Few clubs have that sort of space at their disposal. Lodge has been linked in recent weeks with Parramatta, Manly and Melbourne. All three clubs would meet his desire to play for a side that can fight for a premiership.
Abdo revealed the game had offered Lodge support while he remained on the sidelines.
“He called me because he was saying he really needed to play,” Abdo said.
“I said I was happy for him to come in, put his case forward and they can explain to you the rules. That has happened.
“It was just explaining how it works. He is very keen to play. We have offered him support. He can play [NSW] cup until he picks up an NRL contract.
“The salary cap auditor has to have a contract proposal put to him by a club. That hasn’t happened yet – there have been some inquiries.
“Everyone knows how the salary cap system works. It is pretty straight forward.”
Warriors target Woolf
The Warriors have targeted St Helens coach Kristian Woolf as the man to take over from Nathan Brown but they face a fight to keep him out of the clutches of the Dolphins as Shaun Johnson’s second coming as a Warrior is nearing an end.
Woolf’s work with Saints has made him one of the most coveted coaches on the open market.
Confidential understands that the Warriors have identified Woolf as their preferred candidate to take over from Brown, who parted ways with the club only a week ago.
He has carried out his best work at St Helens. The English giants have become a powerhouse on his watch and he now finds himself with three potential jobs on his horizon.
Warriors aside, the Dolphins have identified Woolf as a potential successor to Wayne Bennett when he stands aside in two years. The Bulldogs are also believed to have taken a look at Woolf as an alternative to Ciraldo.
Meanwhile, Johnson’s return this season has been largely underwhelming with the one-time pin-up boy of the club now fighting to keep his career alive. He has only narrowly avoided the axe with only the drop in form of teammate Chanel Harris-Tevita saving Johnson from dropping out of the starting side.
The 31-year-old lost his spot in the Kiwis team this week and will be struggling to make their World Cup squad.
Dib hits back at ‘rat’ Kambosos Jr
Billy Dib has lit the fuse for an explosive all Australian bout against George Kambosos Jnr by labelling him a “rat” after refusing to commit to a fight between the pair.
Kambsos Jnr made headlines in the lead-up to his last bout against Devin Haney calling the American an informant but now Dib has made the same accusations.
“We didn’t see eye-to-eye for a while and then we sorted it out,” Dib said.
“We spoke often on the phone and exchanged messages. He lost me when he beat Teofimo Lopez and I beat Jacob Ng. I said lets set up an all Australian fight and he said as long we’re both getting paid he is in.
“Then he gets off the plane and says I’m not giving an Australian an opportunity. He deleted the message on Instagram he sent to me. That’s a rat move in itself.”
Dib, a former two-time world champion, is ranked No. 7 in the IBF – two spots behind Kambosos. He is looking to make one last tilt at a title.
“I’d like to see George get his rematch against Devin because he has earnt it,” Dib said. “He didn’t show much in that performance though. I want to make it clear that you have to give George credit for what he achieved. The fight against Lopez was life-changing.”
Mal wants revamp of eligibility rules
Australia coach Mal Meninga has no issue with the likes of Daniel Tupou and Kotoni Staggs playing Origin but making themselves unavailable for the Kangaroos but Meninga has called for a revamp of the eligibility rules.
There are plans to scrap the mid-season Tests from next season, meaning Origin will no longer clash with the Pacifica matches – allowing clean air between players featuring in Origin or for nations other than Australia. Tests will be played at the end of the season.
“If they are eligible for NSW or Queensland then they should be picked,” Meninga said. “But eligibility needs to be looked at more in-depth. I want no tiers.
“We will have a youth world cup so players will have to make a decision earlier regarding the international space.
“I want to stop the grey area. It should be around where you’re born – but it is very complex and needs some caveats to it.”
Cup boss eases concerns
Rugby League World Cup boss Jon Dutton is in town and has spent his time meeting with clubs to put to bed any concerns they may have about the end-of-season tournament. Dutton will be locked in broadcast negotiations next week as he tries to bed down a television partner in Australia.
Teddy’s wedding gift
Even James Tedesco thought this request was a little weird.
“The messages are generally for a birthday or to wish someone luck,” Tedesco said. “Someone wanted one for a wedding – I don’t know if you want to hear from me at your wedding day.
“I feel like a message from me isn’t very special but sometimes when you see their reaction and they are crying or screaming, it’s pretty surreal.”
Tedesco was talking as a Swysh ambassador having just handed $250,000 to Starlight Children’s Foundation.
Souths move to lock up Cook
South Sydney are ready to kick-off contract talks with Damien Cook next week as they look to extend the NSW State of Origin star beyond next season.
Confidential understands that Rabbitohs officials have lined up a meeting with Cook’s agent Mario Tartak as they look to ensure the Blues rake isn’t up for grabs on November 1, when he will enter the final year of his current deal.
Souths already have Cook’s successor in place — the highly-regarded Peter Mamouzelos, who has played a handful of games in first grade as Cook’s deputy.
His presence adds another layer of intrigue to talks with Cook. The Rabbitohs will need to balance their loyalty to Cook with their succession planning and the need for Mamouzelos to be given more opportunities.
They showed with their handling of the Adam Reynolds contract negotiations that they won’t hesitate to make tough calls when necessary.
Ex-refs join judiciary panel
Former player/match official Henry Perenara, ex-referee Paul Simpkins and premiership-winning coach Michael Hagan have joined the NRL’s judiciary panel as part of recent reforms into the match review committee.
The trio have been added to the pool of potential panellists which includes Tony Puletua, Bob Lindner and Dallas Johnson — whose deliberations are now observed by judiciary chairman Geoff Bellew. The match review committee consists of boss Luke Patten, Steve Clark, Stuart Raper, Anthony Quinn and Michael Hodgson.
Anasta’s long drive
Between his hosting duties on Fox League and his work as the agent behind Melbourne superstar Cameron Munster, Braith Anasta still hits a mean golf ball.
The former rugby league star turned commentator joined Brisbane Broncos legend Wendell Sailor, Sydney Swans Tom Papley, champion Aussie cricketer Alyssa Healy and GWS assistant coach Stevie Johnson to mark Kayo’s live coverage of the US Open from June 16-19.
They went head-to-head to out-drive one another with Moore Park’s championship golf ball tracer tracking every shot to the very last millimetre. Anasta won the day.
“I played competitive golf as a young fella and loved it,” Anasta said.
“I think every person who doesn’t play footy would love to be a professional golfer. I’m looking forward the most to watching Justin Thomas, I think he’s been in really good form, he won the PGA championship a few weeks ago, he came second last week to Rory (McIlroy) in Canada and I think he’s the one to beat.”
Aussie hopefuls Cameron Smith, Adam Scott, Lucas Herbert, Marc Leishman and Min Woo Lee are among those competing to win the Open title.
Samoa sizes up Suaalii
Joseph Suaalii is a man in demand. Confidential understands that Matt Parish has given Suaalii a nudge and a wink that he will be part of the Samoan side at the World Cup later this year should he miss out on Kangaroos squad for the trip to England.
Suaalii’s father is Samoan, which makes him eligible for the island nation.
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