Cronulla Sharks Ronaldo Mulitalo in social media spat with Tiger
Wests Tigers players are seething over the actions of Cronulla Ronaldo Mulitalo, accusing the Sharks rookie of having “zero class”. But the teenager is refusing to back down.
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WESTS Tigers players were far from happy with the aggressive showing by boom Sharks winger Ronaldo Mulitalo during Cronulla’s final-round win at Leichhardt Oval last weekend.
The Sharks ended the Tigers’ season — and the career of hooker Robbie Farah — with a convincing 25-8 win.
Mulitalo, still only 19, almost scored with a sensational chip-and-chase early and then put on a monster shot on Luke Brooks, which was later deemed a shoulder charge and has ruled him out of Saturday’s elimination final against Manly.
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But it appears Mulitalo’s post-match celebrations rankled the Tigers.
So much so that Tigers players and the Sharks rookie engaged in a bit of an Instagram beef following Cronulla’s victory against the Tigers which booked them a finals spot.
Injured Tigers forward Josh Aloiai posted on his Instagram account there was “zero per cent class shown by Mulitalo”.
Mulitalo hit back with: “At the end of the day it’s a game broski. I play with my heart on my sleeve week in and week out and do anything for a win.”
BROWN COPS A NONNA SPRAY
NATHAN Brown has been on the end of some decent sprays but nothing compared to the one dished out by his Nonna.
The Parramatta forward’s grandmother Adelaide became an instant hit when she admonished Brown for his reckless final two games of the regular season. Brown recorded the conversation and uploaded on Instagram.
“I get those sprays quite a bit,” Brown laughed. “It was nothing new to me.”
While his grandmother was left frustrated by his on-field actions there have been a heap of things away from the field which earned Brown the ire of his Nonna.
“Get a wife,” Brown said. “She is into me to buy houses and get a wife. When I lived at home, put my clothes in the laundry. Typical grandmother stuff, the old Italian ways. That’s what I love about her.
“I put (a video up) when I got a new tattoo. She sprayed me about that. It was quite funny. I put it up for a laugh.
“She doesn’t know the rules or anything. When I’m on TV she puts it on and watches.”
Something Brown, 26, hasn’t laughed at is being labelled a grub. He is still tarnished by a brawl when he was playing for the Wests Tigers under-20s side.
“I don’t have to tone it down,” Brown said. “It’s the first time I’ve been suspended in my NRL career. Being labelled those names is annoying and frustrating. There are lot of people who have more suspensions than me.
“I tried to inspire my teammates. It’s the way I like to play. Lift my team.”
FOX SPORTS AMPS UP FINALS DRAMA
FINALS Footy with Matty Johns is new to Saturday nights on Fox League during the finals. Johns will be joined by premiership winners Brett Finch and Bryan Fletcher to review all the finals action, while Emma Freedman will give fans all the latest news from across the NRL and NRLW.
Fox League’s “Theatre of the Finals” promotion also launched this week, voiced by Matt Nable and Mal Meninga.
“It takes a lot for Fletch and Finchy to give up their Saturday nights, but that’s what I’ve managed to get them to do together for Finals Footy with Matty Johns,” Johns said.
“We’ll give you the latest, breaking news from across the NRL and NRLW with tips and opinion on every finals match, with our usual quirky spin on the game. It’s set to be a cracking finals series, with the top four sides in great form and the bottom four sides capable of knocking off any side on their day.”
LISTEN! Matty Johns, Brett Finch and Paul Kent have a look at the first week of the finals, Ben Ikin’s run-in with Sticky, why the Titans are such a mess and Russell Crowe’s book of feuds.
Subscribe to the Matty Johns podcast on iTunes, Spotify, or Google Podcasts.
CHAD UNFAZED BY BROOKIE HOODOO
CRONULLA’S record at Lottoland is so poor that the players addressed their history at the ground this week.
Sharks players met on Wednesday to discuss their horrid record at the ground where Cronulla has won just six times in 52 years.
The Sharks have lost their past six games there. Cronulla half Chad Townsend said where the game was being played was “irrelevant” after the Sea Eagles had to scramble to keep the game at Brookvale because of an asbestos scare.
“(Our record there) doesn’t mean anything,” Townsend said. “It’ll get tossed up. A lot of our team haven’t played at Brookvale in Sharks jerseys. It’s a new team, new players
NEW SEASON, NEW DRAGONS
ST GEORGE Illawarra’s women’s team have totally revamped preparations after being distracted in the lead-up to last year’s inaugural competition.
Dragons star Kezie Apps said the team were caught unawares last year.
“Our preparation last year wasn’t the best,” she said. “It was so new and we weren’t sure what to expect. This year we’ve done things differently. We’ve got things out of the way really early so we don’t have to try to fit things, simple things like getting our uniforms, so we’re not disrupted from our training.
“Our preparation has been different.”
The Roosters play the Warriors on Saturday in Melbourne to kickstart the season while the Dragons play Brisbane on Sunday.
PRIOR HAS SHIRE DESIRE
MATT Prior has declared he wants to finish his career as a Shark amid speculation he could be squeezed out of the club.
The two-time premiership winner has been linked with a move from the Sharks as the club deals with crippling salary cap issues. But Prior said he hadn’t heard anything from the club and had no intentions of being shown the door.
“If someone comes and tells me something I will worry about it,” he said.
“Otherwise everything is all good in my books. If there is anything I need to know, someone will come and tell me.
“As you get older, you understand football is a business and these things happen. Clubs are in different situations with salary caps. It is going to happen to every club at different times and it is the way it goes.
“I would love to finish here. I definitely have next year and maybe a couple more years. S
“See how next year pans out. I would love to finish here but what happens, happens. I would like to play till about 35, whether it is here or overseas.”
Prior, 32, has been linked to the Eels.
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TIM Grant’s NRL career looked all but over when the former NSW Origin Blues prop tore a pectoral muscle in May. But Grant wants to play on.
The 31-year-old made the selfless decision to drop out of Penrith’s top squad to enable the Panthers to promote hooker Mitch Kenny. Grant seemed destined to retire, but he is open to offers to extend his 196-game career.
DCE HAS HIS HANDS FULL
MANLY skipper Daly Cherry-Evans has had a bit on this week, what with trying to juggle multiple tasks leading into the club’s biggest weekend of the year.
As the Sea Eagles playmaker, he’s been busy alongside coach Des Hasler as they try to come up with a game plan to beat Cronulla in Saturday night’s elimination final at Lottoland, while also taking into account his team’s injury woes and player suspensions.
Maybe that’s why we spotted Cherry-Evans practising his juggling act by catching five balls at Sea Eagles training. It will be the second time Cherry-Evans has captained Manly in a finals game.
BEATTIE A SYDNEYSIDER NOW
PETER Beattie will step down as Australian Rugby League Commission chairman next month but the former Queensland premier won’t be returning to the Sunshine State any time soon. Beattie moved to Sydney when he became chair but has indicated he’ll stay in NSW even when he’s replaced by Peter V’landys.
LEICHHARDT CLASH A RATINGS WINNER
LAST Sunday’s blockbuster between Wests Tigers and Cronulla attracted the third-highest ratings for a Sunday game in the history of Fox League. It was also up 57 per cent on the season average for the Sunday 2pm timeslot.
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BIG FUSS FOR FANS
SYDNEY Roosters centre Joey Manu said playing South Sydney was just like any other team to him but he knows beating the Rabbitohs means a lot to the Roosters faithful.
“For me, it’s another game,” Manu said. “For the fans, it’s a bit different. You get the big crowds and the atmosphere is cool. I get excited because it’s a good atmosphere. I get another chance to play a good team and play footy.”
Manu said he did not expect his side to show any ill-effects from their last-start loss to South Sydney when they meet again.
“We look back at the last 25 games and most of it has been pretty positive,” Manu said.
Originally published as Cronulla Sharks Ronaldo Mulitalo in social media spat with Tiger