Saint, Sinner, Shoosh: Twist in Broncos star Kotoni Staggs’ NRL future
Souths star Latrell Mitchell hit the road during the week with some pretty impressive company. And didn’t the locals love it. Check out the latest NRL chatter and more.
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SAINT
The dignity and class of Cronulla Sharks coach John Morris in a brutally tough week. The appalling manner in which he was sacked by Sharks CEO Dino Mezzatesta could have been handled so much better. Morris is a good man who will get another opportunity at another club.
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SINNER
Raiders CEO Don Furner labelled Penrith Panthers players as mug lairs. This was in the same week we mourned the loss of Tommy Raudonikis and lamented the fact there were few characters left in the modern game. The Panthers have a team of exuberant youngsters who struggle to contain their emotions in the more exhilarating moments. I actually like it.
SHOOSH
Outstanding centre Kotoni Staggs may have told Broncos teammates he’s staying in Brisbane but we’re told this is not actually the case. It’s more than likely he’s leaving and the Titans are raging hot favourites. They will be cashed up with the money they save on Ash Taylor’s $1 million contract which finishes this year
SHOOSH
The big clean out at the Brisbane Broncos continues under new coach Kevvie Walters — even with players not off contract. There’s been talk of Tevita Pangai Jr being offered to rival clubs despite the fact he has a deal to the end of next season. Surely this changes after his barnstorming game against the Panthers on Thursday night.
SPOTTED
Wayne Bennett and Latrell Mitchell’s bond at Souths is tighter than most coach/player relationships. Bennett drove up to Taree with Mitchell last week to check out his property and meet some local indigenous boys.
SPOTTED
Sydney Roosters halves coach Cooper Cronk and teen sensation Sam Walker having coffee at Jamaica Blue in Moore Park to talk tactics before the clash with Melbourne Storm on Friday night.
SPOTTED
Racing legend Kenny Callander shouted his lovely wife Helen a 74th birthday dinner at Mantra restaurant in Woolloomooloo on Thursday night.
SPOTTED
Former 400m hurdle champ Jana Pittman and family at the Caravan and Camping Show at Rosehill Gardens.
SPOTTED
The Warriors are building a strong fan base on the Central Coast. This is one of the reasons why. Chanel Harris-Tavita saw an elderly motorist struggling to change a tyre. He stopped, got out, and took over. And that’s Bailey Sironen and Wade Egan supervising.
GAL HAS WORK CUT OUT AGAINST BROWNE
Paul Gallen faces by far his toughest test in boxing on Wednesday night after reports his opponent Lucas Browne has destroyed six sparring opponents in the last week.
Promoter Matt Rose told The Sunday Telegraph: “We’ve heard Lucas knocked out six of them. They jumped out and couldn’t get back in. He’s been that brutal. He called off his last session because he couldn’t get another fighter.”
This is why the corporate bookmakers have Browne as a hot $1.40 favourite.
Rose’s comments are a direct contradiction to rumours out of the Gallen camp.
Gallen’s mate and corner man, former Australian champion Peter Mitrevski Jr, had earlier claimed Browne had himself had been dropped in a sparring session.
“Word travels fast in boxing and it came from good sources,” Mitrevski said.
This should be a colossal heavyweight contest.
In Gallen’s favour is his incredible fitness, work rate and durability. But Brown has explosive punching power and has declared he will knockout the old Cronulla warhorse.
The fight on Wednesday night in Wollongong is on Foxtel’s Main Event and also available on KAYO.
ANOTHER BABY FOR DE BELIN
Jack de Belin rushed to a Wollongong hospital from Downing Centre Court on Friday to be at the birth of his second child.
The St George Illawarra forward and his partner Alyce Taylor welcomed Indi Kate into the world at 1am on Saturday morning.
“Alyce and I are thrilled to welcome our daughter, Indi Kate, a sister for Billie, into the world,” de Belin said. “Both mum and bub are doing great.”
De Belin’s court retrial is expected to go for another two weeks.
POKIES BEFORE FOOTY
It’s probably not a good look for the Cronulla Sharks that injured centre Josh Dugan didn’t have a huge interest in Friday night’s match against the Newcastle Knights.
We were contacted by a patron from the Gymea Bowling Club who said he saw Dugan playing the pokies rather than watching the footy. Other injured Sharks stars Wade Graham and Shaun Johnson were in Newcastle to support the players in what had been a tough week.
Dugan is on $900,000-a-year and should have been there too.
TO’O GOOD FOR BLUES
There is no doubting the qualifications of Penrith pocket dynamo Brian To’o to play State of Origin for the NSW Blues this year.
To’o has Samoan parents but was born and raised in Sydney’s west and came through the Panthers junior system. He has also elected Australia as his country of choice in representative football on his NRL contract.
To’o has run the football for more than 500m in his last two games – 246m against the Broncos and 265m against the Raiders. He also has 51 tackle breaks from six games this season.
FULTONS FLYING HIGH
Another Fulton is doing great things at the Manly Sea Eagles. Kristy Fulton, the daughter of rugby league immortal Bob Fulton, is the club’s general manager of junior pathways.
Despite having one of smallest junior league areas in Sydney — not even a quarter of the size of Penrith — the Sea Eagles are leading the Harold Matthews competition and running second in SG Ball. Kristy’s brothers Brett and Scott are involved as well. Brett coaches the SG Ball team and Scott is in charge of recruitment.
ALL BETS ARE OFF FOR PUNTERS
We’ve been blowing up about corporate bookies in this column for some time. One media identity recently had his bets reduced to $50 with Robbie Waterhouse after backing a winner.
The stories get worse and the emails keep arriving with reports of bookmakers not letting punters on, even for the smallest of amounts.
There is a handy trotter, Chubby Checker, that has won its first three starts. It is a $151 for the Inter Dominion later this year but still needs to qualify.
A punter tried to put on $5 each way with Sportsbet but had the bet rejected. The agency would accept only $3.70 the win and $5 the place.
ALL ABOUT HAVING A BALL
Former Socceroo Robbie Slater is not one of those pushy parents.
His nine-year-old son Matthew is already in soccer’s elite junior pathways but wants to play rugby league with his mates on Saturdays.
The Fox Sports star was there to watch his debut for the Forestville Ferrets Under 10s last weekend. Matthew scored two tries.
“He can play whatever sport he wants,” Slater said. “I’m happy as long as he’s having fun with his mates. That’s all that matters.”
HANNAY’S LOYAL WORD
You’ve got to admire the loyalty of the Cronulla Sharks caretaker coach Josh Hannay.
Last Sunday he sent an email to Sharks chief executive Dino Mezzatesta in support of John Morris after reading the item in this column that the head coach was about to be sacked.
Hannay could not have spoken more highly about Morris and the systems he’d put in place to ensure the Sharks could become a premiership powerhouse. But just 48 hours later he was asked to take over Morris’ job.
CROW FLIES STRAIGHT TO VISIT EX-REF
There is not a better man in rugby league than legendary Parramatta Eels superstar Mick Cronin.
The Crow recently heard how ex-referee John Gocher — now in a retirement home — had described the goalkicking centre in an interview as the nicest and best player he had refereed.
Cronin drove up from Gerringong to see Gocher at his Kogarah nursing home, arriving unannounced. They chatted footy for a couple of hours over a cup of tea.
Cronin was suspended only once during his career — and it was Gocher who sent him off back in 1980. The suspension robbed the champion No.3 of playing in the midweek Tooth Cup final against the Balmain Tigers. Parramatta won 8-5.
It was a big deal to miss out, as the Eels had yet to win a premiership.
SEN STRUGGLES IN RADIO BATTLE
Sydney sports radio station SEN has had another disastrous ratings survey. Their breakfast show hosted by Andrew Voss rated only .03 in the year’s second survey. The Big Sports Breakfast, for whom your columnist works for, isn’t going gangbusters either but the audience is still almost three times bigger than SEN.
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