NRL News: Storm stare down Munster suitors, Ilias to cash in at Rabbitohs
It seems every club is chasing Melbourne star Cameron Munster as they sense a problem at the Storm, while Souths are set to reward one of their brightest young stars.
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Melbourne have been inundated with offers of rival players amid scuttlebutt over the future of Cameron Munster. Their response - thanks but no thanks.
Scott Drinkwater, Kieran Foran and Jakob Arthur - son of Parramatta coach Brad Arthur - have all appeared on the Storm’s radar in recent weeks.
Melbourne have no interest in opening a conversation. As recent as Thursday morning, rival clubs circling Munster were reminded by the Storm that he has another year on his contract and Melbourne have no desire to release him early.
Munster is due to be paid more than $1.2 million next season in Melbourne and there has been a school of thought among their rivals that the Storm might let him go early to take pressure off their salary cap and create room for a cheaper replacement, which in turn would allow them to strengthen their forward pack.
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Melbourne’s view is no matter who is out there, they can’t replace Munster. They also believe they can convince Munster to stay between now and November 1, when he enters the final year of his deal and is able to sign with rivals.
The fact that the Storm have been asked about Foran is intriguing. The Manly five-eighth is off contract at the end of the year and there is a school of thought that the Sea Eagles are open to keeping him at the right price.
The situation is all the more delicate because Manly have signed back rower Kelma Tuilagi from the Wests Tigers for next season. Haumole Olakau’atu and Josh Schuster are their existing edge forwards but the latter can also play five-eighth.
Arthur is stuck behind Dylan Brown and Mitchell Moses at Parramatta but it is hard to imagine his father Brad would want him to go. Drinkater was once considered the heir apparent to Billy Slater at the Storm and has been outstanding for North Queensland in recent weeks, but is expected to lose his spot once Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow returns from injury.
RICH REWARD FOR RABBITOHS YOUNG GUN
Lachlan Ilias’ bright start to his first grade career is about to be rewarded with a new deal as South Sydney prepare to kick off negotiations over a contract extension.
Significantly, the Rabbitohs’ show of faith comes as the young No.7 prepares to face the club that cut him loose as a teenager.
Illias was a Tigers junior. His family still live in Tigers heartland. In 2020 when Covid wreaked havoc with the lower grades, Ilias would head down to Leichhardt Oval with his manager, Braith Anasta to work on his kicking and running skills.
If Ilias had his way, he would have stayed at the Tigers. The Tigers went in another direction and the Rabbitohs swooped. It’s been a smart decision based on the seven games he has played thus far in his nascent career.
In the lead up to his match against the Tigers at Commbank Stadium, Ilias was initially named to do media. Then the club pulled him at the 11th hour. Ilias’ father Arthur also declined to talk about his son and the Tigers this week
The club and Ilias are no doubt wary of his impending match against his former club becoming a story given their recent past.
They have moved to take the pressure and the spotlight off him. At the same time, they are preparing to extend his deal before he enters the final year of his deal from November 1 and becomes eligible to sign with another club.
“I just think he loves the club, he is very happy there, he has worked his butt off to get to where he is at the moment,” Anasta said.
“He deserves everything that comes his way. He is an amazing kid.”
O’BRIEN REVEALS MILFORD TIMELINE
Newcastle coach Adam O’Brien has broken his silence on the club’s decision to sign Anthony Milford, declaring there is every chance the former Brisbane star could be in shape to make his return to the NRL against the Broncos.
“I certainly think physically he will be [ready],” O’Brien said.
“We have a month to get him up to pace. Some guys do six weeks of training and they are ready for round one.
“The other thing is he is not a young guy coming in with four weeks. He has a big base.”
Milford met his Newcastle teammates for the first time on Wednesday morning and hit the training track on Thursday as he steps up his bid to come back to the game.
The former Queensland State of Origin star has had his contract registered by the NRL but is ineligible to return until round 11 at the earliest – the same week the Knights meet his former club Brisbane
Milford had three assault charges dropped by the Queensland courts but pleaded guilty to public nuisance and wilful damage.
The case was back in court this week as Queensland media attempted to gain access to CCTV footage of the night in question. The case was adjourned until next week, when the court will determine whether the footage is released.
In the meantime, Milford is working towards a comeback with the Knights.
“It showed on the weekend that you need depth – look at what the Bulldogs are going through at the moment with Covid,” O’Brien said.
“I think any time we could pick up a player of the calibre of Anthony Milford it is great. It provides not only depth in our top squad, but your training standards increase.
“I think it is smart business by the club.”
O’Brien revealed he and Milford first crossed paths five years ago when the Knights coach was an assistant in Melbourne.
At the time, the Storm were looking for a replacement for the departing Cooper Cronk.
“My only meeting with him was when I was with the Storm and Cooper was leaving,” O’Brien said.
“Craig and myself met Anthony at the casino. I was really impressed with the way he handled himself that day.
“Since then, every time we have played Brisbane, he has gone out of his way to say hello. Sliding door moment – he is here now.”
NRL COMEBACK FOR SAILOR
A powerful alliance for former Broncos has opened the door for Tristan Sailor to return to rugby league and potentially follow in his father’s footsteps in Brisbane.
Sailor was cleared of assault charges recently and wasted no time reaching a deal to resume his career with Souths Logan in the Queensland Cup, where two of his father Wendell’s former Broncos teammates are among the assistant coaches.
Karmichael Hunt and Justin Hodges work alongside head coach Steve Brereton.The trio will oversee Tristan Sailor’s return to the game after more than a year on the sidelines. Significantly, he will make his comeback at one of the Broncos’ three feeder clubs.
Should Tristan shine at Souths Logan, there is every chance he could earn a call-up to the Broncos, the club his father represented on nearly 200 occasions.
Wendell has spoken of the challenges his son and the family have endured over the past 12 months clearing Tristan’s name. Having done just that, it is remarkable to think it could lead the family back to the Broncos.
“We had a chat to his dad and gave him an opportunity,” South Logan chief executive Jim McClelland said.
“We thought it would be a good idea to come up here and get in the NRL that way. It came about through Hodgo and Wendell and Karmichael.
“It is about giving kids an opportunity. It is up to him now to take it. They (The Broncos) are looking at our lebel all the time. I call it the shop window. It would be sensational - father and son obviously.
“That is not where we are starting. We are starting with reinvigorating the kid. The rest is up to him.”
REVEALED: WORLD CHAMP’S STATE OF THE ART GYM
This is the first look at world boxing champion George Kambosos’ Jr state of the art gym in suburban Sydney.
Kambosos has fought in New York and Las Vegas on his way to becoming the undisputed lightweight champion. Now he has transformed a warehouse in the St George district into one of the best training facilities in the country equipped with his recovery sauna and compression boots.
The SMAI gym mat is the only one in the country.
“I always said after I win my title that I want my own home, my own place,” Kambosos said. “How do you invest in yourself and take it to the next level and have that hunger to be on top.
“We wanted our gym so the the best talent in Australia and the world train out of. I’ve had a few friends to give me a hand and I’ve jumped on the tools. I won’t be doing it all the time. I have a lot of respect for tradies. I’ll use my tools which are my fists in the ring.
“Money doesn’t bother me. I’m investing into my future and how I can continue to be better. I’m in the big fights. This is good. This is a private gym – I’m not here to make money off it. You don’t lose money when you invest in yourself.
Kambosos will put the ring to new facilities to the test when he steps out against Devin Haney on June 5 at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne and shown on Main Event.
“I want this to be a hub and become an iconic gym like Wild Card or Mayweather,” Kambosos said. “I’ve tried to keep everything local. I can run to the gym. I can have friends and family nearby. It’s nice.”
HASTINGS KICKING GOAL AT TIGERS BEFORE EELS WIN
Jackson Hastings won over the Wests Tigers faithful long before his match winning field goal on Monday. Hastings created headlines when this column broke the news that he dipped into his own pocket to fly to Gold Coast after a request from Michael Maguire to have him join the squad despite being suspended was knocked by Tigers management.
Hastings said it was an easy decision.
“I understood why the club did what they did,” Hastings said. “For me people can say they’re ‘team first’ and support the coach, but actions speak louder than words. I rang Madge and told him I wanted to support him and my teammates.
“It was a small thing to show I care about Madge and the club and the playing group.
“If you look back six years ago when I as at the Roosters and Manly, there was no way a younger Jackson Hastings would consider doing that and I would have drifted off and watched it at home and gone about my merry way.”
Despite the Tigers having five captains, Hastings is quickly emerging as the club’s best leader.
ITS ALL IN THE NAME
Eels co-captain Junior Paulo has cleared up the pronunciation of his surname – and it comes with a significant change.
For his 11 year career he has been known as Poor-low. But the 28-year-old said the rugby league community had been getting it wrong.
“I’m pretty easy but the correct pronunciation is bar-loh,” Paulo said. “In the Samoan language the P is pronounced like a capital B.
“Our surname comes from a long line of family roots. Off the back of multicultural round I wanted my surname pronounced correctly.”
FOR THE DIGGERS
The NRL have incorporated the Battlefields to Footy Fields program into their special Anzac round jerseys. Battlefields to Footy Fields is an NRL initiative which provides nationally recognised training for current and ex-serving ADF members and their immediate families. Five current serving ADF personnel spent time with the NRL match officials on Wednesday; Private William McCormick, Private Ishaan McNeill, Leading Aircraftman Benjamin Seppala, Sargent Joshua Mcfarlane and Able Seaman Nicholas Willer.
Originally published as NRL News: Storm stare down Munster suitors, Ilias to cash in at Rabbitohs
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