NRL 2024: NRL investigating flare-up between player agents, Anthony Maroon gets surprise call-up Channel 9 commentary role | Saint, Sinner, Shoosh
The NRL integrity unit is to investigate a flare-up between two player agents last week outside a Port Macquarie pub. PHIL ROTHFIELD reveals that and more in Saint, Sinner, Shoosh.
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The NRL integrity unit is to investigate a flare-up between two player agents last week outside a Port Macquarie pub.
They were in town with other agents and talent scouts for the national rugby league Under 15’s titles.
An argument inside the pub almost became a physical one outside as security guards stepped in.
Your columnist spoke to one of the agents, who denied punches were thrown.
“You could say it was a heated verbal disagreement,” he said. “But it never got physical. Security guards intervened and that was the end of it.”
So we went to the NRL to get their response.
A spokesman confirmed the integrity unit is looking into “an alleged altercation.”
We also tried Paul Massey, the NRL’s player agent operations manager and looks after the code of conduct.
He wouldn’t reply to text messages or phone calls.
It’s unusual because normally he’s the easiest man in the game to contact.
We will say that what happened is out of character for both agents.
Yet they are guiding the careers of young players across the game and need to be setting better examples.
MAROON GETS SURPRISE NRL TV CALL-UP
Channel 9 has hired Triple M’s Anthony Maroon as a back-up NRL caller during the Paris Olympics.
Rugby league host James Bracey and callers Brenton Speed, Peter Psaltis and Matt Thompson are all part of the network’s commentary team for the Games.
It’s interesting because the Olympics overlap three weeks of the NRL schedule – rounds 21, 22 and 23 – and has forced the network to hire Maroon to help out.
Bracey is chief anchor for all prime-time coverage and will be based in Paris.
Thompson also will be in Paris at the main pool to call swimming with Ian Thorpe and Giaan Rooney.
Speed will be calling the women’s soccer, including the mighty Matildas, and the men’s basketball competition.
Psaltis will cover the shooting off the TV screens at Nine’s Sydney headquarters, and then commentate on NRL matches over the three-week period.
Nine has also called in Maroon while Thompson and Speed are out of play.
Former Australian cricket captain and Nine stalwart Mark Taylor is part of the coverage as well.
‘Tubby’, of all jobs, will call the diving.
He has been hard at work for weeks doing his research on the world’s leading divers and all the medal favourites.
Melissa Wu will become Australia’s first diver to compete at five Olympics. Now 32, she was our youngest ever diving medallist at just 16 at the 2008 Beijing Games.
NO JOKE, IT’S HOST FLETCH
Steve Crawley is Australia’s bravest television executive.
The Fox Sports boss is heading to Paris to work at the Olympics with Matty Johns, leaving the mad Bryan Fletcher to host four episodes of the network’s flagship show.
Yes, you’ve read that correctly … Fletch has been drafted in to host The Matty Johns Show.
At least it’s parental guidance recommended.
“It could be a bit of a car crash, but people stop and look at car crashes,” Fletcher says.
“Seriously though, it’s a bit daunting stepping into Matthew’s shoes, but I’ve got some good teammates around me.
“I’m not nervous, but more worried about making sure we do things right like getting to the ads in time.
“Normally I’m just sitting there cracking jokes while Matthew does all that stuff.
I’ll get some advice from him before he goes. I don’t want him worrying while he’s got his feet up in Paris (laughs).”
Matty will still be part of the show, with live crosses from Paris.
He is there to do TV reports for Fox Sports, file columns for News Corp, and do a daily podcast.
Crawley insists Fletcher will do a sterling job.
“All jokes aside, Fletch is an incredible talent,” Crawley said.
“Nothing is scary in TV after working with Matty for so long at Channel 9, and then for eight years here at Fox Sports.
“Most people who are funny on TV are also smart. Fletch is remarkably good. He’s a great comic, and can make people laugh and feel good. He’s no angel, but he’s very popular.”
Matty can’t wait to see how Fletch copes under the pressure of hosting.
“I keep getting stopped and asked about going to Paris,” Johns said. “Everyone asks, ‘Who’s going to host the show?’, and I say, ‘Fletch’.
“They say, ‘Yeah, good one … who’s hosting?’ and I repeat, ‘Fletch is’.
“And you know what … he’ll do it on his ear. I just hope he’ll get an appreciation of some
of the shit I’ve got to do every week while he’s relaxing down the other end of the couch.”
SAINT
The NRL approval for Wallabies stars Mark Nawaqanitawase and Carter Gordon to switch to rugby league for the rest of the season. The NRL is smart in attacking while rugby is in such a vulnerable position.
SINNER
The Andrew Fifita row on The Central Coast where a man has been banned for 20 years by the NSWRL for horrific racial abuse directed at the former NRL star and current Woy Woy captain-coach. It’s not on, especially how other clubs have been unfairly dragged into it and accused of the same type of terrible racism we need to stamp out.
SHOOSH
Which league journo is doing boxing sessions on the northern beaches? It’s probably a good thing because his list of feuds is growing fast.
SHOOSH
Australian Oztag is on the verge of joining forces with the NRL. Oztag founder, ex-NRL half Perry Haddock, has been in talks with Peter V’landys and Andrew Abdo in regards to forming a partnership and bringing in his huge participation numbers.
SPOTTED
He’s played in three premiership teams and been chairman of the Parramatta Eels. Now Steve Sharp is making a name as a greyhound trainer with his wife Narelle. Their dog Lightning Sharp has won its past three starts at Richmond at odds of $9, $9 and $5. Sharp recently did an interview in the Greyhound Recorder with Michael Cowley and said: “He’s a beautiful dog, and if he never wanted to race, we would have kept him as a pet – and we’ll be keeping him forever.”
SPOTTED
The great Steve ‘Beaver’ Menzies is wearing an Australian jersey again for the first time since playing for the Kangaroos back in 2006. Menzies will make his international touch footy debut for Australia in the men’s 50s division. Jordan Marshall-King, the brother of Tigers legend Benji Marshall, is also playing for Australia at the tournament.
SMALL THINKING COSTS A-LEAGUE
We recently came under attack from feral soccer types on social media for suggesting the recent A-League grand final in Gosford at a 20,000-seat stadium was a wasted financial opportunity.
That the Mariners v Victory, properly promoted, could have attracted 40,000 to Allianz Stadium and made at least $2 million more from public ticket and corporate sales.
No, the usual suspects on social media went ballistic.
How dare a rugby league man have an opinion on soccer?
People like long-time round ball writer Daniel Garb: “Playing the GF in Gosford was one million % the right call. It was exactly the GF the league desperately needed.
“Connecting with true fans and rewarding them.”
What a load of rubbish.
Tell that to the clubs going broke.
Last week came news that the cash-strapped A-League had slashed annual grants to the clubs.
The distribution to each team would be reduced from almost $2 million to $530,000.
That’s $2.2 million less than their salary cap.
Compare this to the NRL, where clubs now receive $4.5 million more than the cap.
The problem with the A-League, and the financial crisis they are now dealing with, will not go away while soccer media types are just content with “connecting with true fans”.
The sport has already blown a $140 million private equity investment.
They will never fight back and grow by playing the biggest game of the year in a regional town.
The game should strive to be bigger than that.
They need to look at every financial opportunity.
And they should be looking for new fans, not just true fans.
PETER’S HISTORIC FAB FIVE
This weekend is the 50th anniversary of Peter Langmack scoring five tries for the Penrith Panthers in a game against St George – which still stands as a club record.
Remarkably, he was a lock forward, not a dashing winger.
Peter is the older brother of Bulldogs legend Paul Langmack. His sister Di still works at the Bulldogs.
Sadly, like a lot of old footy players, Peter suffers from severe dementia these days and lives in a Brisbane nursing home.
His brain will be donated for medical research.
GOODMAN’S $3M RISK
You’ve got to admire Australia’s rising boxing star Sam Goodman.
The Albion Park fighter is risking a $3 million payday against undisputed world champion Naoya Inoue by agreeing to fight locally on a No Limit/Main Event show on Wednesday night.
He’ll take on dangerous knockout specialist and world No.8-ranked Thai Chainoi Worawut at WIN Entertainment Centre.
It is a huge risk.
“Just like Tim Tszyu, I’m not going to sit idle while waiting for Inoue,” Goodman said.
“I want to fight the best and improve as a fighter. There might have been easier options, but I’m not interested.”
There’s talk one of the world’s biggest promoters, his Excellency Turki Alalshikh, wants Goodman to fight Inoue for the undisputed super bantamweight title in Saudi Arabia. It would be on the undercard to the blockbuster Tyson Fury v Oleksandr Usyk rematch.
Yet it can only happen if Goodman wins on Wednesday night.
WHEN TV RIGHTS WERE WORTH PEANUTS
The Roosters are celebrating the 50-year anniversary of their 1974 premiership side – a 19-4 win over Canterbury at the SCG in a game shown on every TV network.
Club historian and life member Alan Katzmann recalls how the media landscape has changed so dramatically in half a century since that victory.
Back then there were no TV rights, and all four TV networks covered the GF – the ABC, Channel 9, Channel 7 and Channel 10.
I remember speaking to ex-ARL boss Kevin Humphreys before he passed away about TV rights back in those days.
“I went to the three commercial stations in 1973, but no one wanted a bar of us,” Humphreys said. “We were up shit creek. In desperation I went cap in hand to the ABC, almost Grovelling.
“I can’t remember the exact figure, but we virtually gave it away. It would have been no more than $1000 a game.”
Nowadays the NRL has a $2 billion TV deal, or $400 million a season.
SAM’S TOME HIGHLIGHTS JOYS OF KIDS SPORT
Fox Sports news presenter Sam Squiers has released her second children’s book on the eve of the Paris Olympics.
The book sends out some powerful messages to sideline parents in kids’ sport.
Most importantly, that it’s not all about winning.
The book is called Running With Wings.
It emphasises the importance of participation, rather than the scoreboard, and features characters with various disabilities.
“I wanted to send a strong message about inclusion and also about discovering all the wonderful aspects of sport which don’t include winning,” Sam said.
“Friendships, connections, confidence and fun. I think it’s important for kids to understand that they can enjoy sport whether you win or not.”
Sam is a mother of two girls, Imogen, 7, and Elle, 4.
“Last year my daughter’s soccer team got beaten in every single game,” she said,
“But they had so much fun. They were doing cartwheels on the field, always smiling and always having fun.
“That’s what it is all about.”
Another big aspect of the book is about inclusion.
“My main character Frankie has cerebral palsy and wears AFOs (ankle-foot orthoses), although we don’t mention the disability at all,” Sam said.
“I wanted to normalise disability within the main characters, not just have background characters with a disability.”
You can purchase a copy from all good bookstores and Amazon.
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