Sport Confidential: Ian Chappell replacement revealed, Anthony Seibold to join Manly in November
Ian Chappell’s decision to walk away from the microphone after more than four decades has resulted in a commentary box overhaul.
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ABC Sport cricket commentary team have enlisted the services of former Test captain Kim Hughes and bowling great Glenn McGrath to help fill the void left by the retirement of Ian Chappell.
Chappell decided to walk away from the microphone after four decades in the commentary box.
Hughes and McGrath will be joined by fellow experts including Jason Gillespie, Dirk Nannes, Stuart Clark and Kristen Beams.
Former West Indian skipper Carl Hooper will be part of the team when Australia take on the West Indies in two Tests while Ashwell Prince, who played 66 Tests for South Africa, will join ABC for the matches against South Africa.
Jim Maxwell again headlines the ball by ball commentary along with Alison Mitchell, Andrew Moore, Corbin Middlemas, Clint Wheeldon, Quentin Hull and Neil Manthorp.
DATE SET FOR START OF SEA EAGLES’ SEIBOLD ERA
The Anthony Seibold era at Manly is expected to officially begin on November 28 once the incoming Sea Eagles coach has completed his responsibilities with England rugby union.
The England rugby side play their last Test match of the year on November 26 against South Africa at Twickenham.
Expect Seibold to get straight on a plane and return to Sydney’s northern beaches, where he will be charged with reinvigorating a Manly side that lost seven games in a row at the end of last season.
Seibold is cognisant of leaving England on the right terms given the respect he has for coach Eddie Jones and the players, who welcomed him with open arms when he joined their coaching staff.
Assistants Shane Flanagan, Jim Dymock and Steven Hales will take charge of the Manly side until Seibold’s return. Flanagan in particular, may prove to be Seibold’s shrewdest signing.
If Seibold learned anything out of the Brisbane experience, it was the benefit of having someone beside him who has been in the furnace and experienced the rollercoaster of rugby league.
Flanagan has done just that. He has won premierships and been sent to rugby league purgatory. He remains one of the sharpest minds in the game. Meanwhile, the Sea Eagles are expected to sign Melbourne half Cooper Johns and are close to extending the deal of hooker Lachlan Croker.
DE BELIN EXTENDS AT DRAGONS ON BIG MONEY
Jack de Belin has extended his stay with the Dragons.
De Belin has already told the club he plans on taking up his option for the 2024 season.
The former NSW lock signed a long-term deal with the Dragons which included a final year option in his favour.
He will take up the contract worth about $700,000 – much more than he would now get on the open market.
De Belin had minor off season shoulder surgery but the operation is not expected to restrict his pre-season training for too long.
The 31-year-old played 24 games for the Dragons this year but has struggled to recapture the form which saw him picked for the Blues in 2018.
MARTIN HOPING TO STAY LONG-TERM
Liam Martin has signed a one-year extension with Penrith but he has already set his sights on staying well beyond that.
Martin, in England with the Kangaroos at the World Cup, agreed to a new deal on the eve of the November 1 deadline, when rival clubs were allowed to swoop for his services.
A handful of clubs had been linked with the Australian back rower but Marin said he never had interest in leaving the Panthers.
“I think that is best for both of us at this stage, go from there and hopefully sign something long term down the track,” Martin told Confidential.
“They have done so much for me. I want to repay them so it will be good. It was funny – when I came over (to England) I changed my phone SIM so I couldn’t even call anyone.
“I sort of brushed it and …. put it to the back of my mind. There was all those rumours going around. I don’t think there was anything substantial there – obviously it was before November.
“I was pretty set on signing with Penrith.”
FAN FAVOURITE EARNS EEL LIFELINE
Parramatta have thrown fan favourite Zac Cini a lifeline. Cini – who played four games for the Tigers last season – played reserve grade for the Eels this year. He will move into a development spot at the Eels for next season before being handed a top 30 contract in 2024.
‘THOUGHT I WAS GONE’: NSW HERO’S HEART SHOCK
NSW Origin hero Shaun Timmins thought he was about to die. The 46-year-old former Dragon and Kangaroos star spent a week in intensive care in a Gold Coast hospital after doctors discovered his heart was working at only six per cent capacity last month.
While he is still not in the clear, Timmins declared he has been given “another crack at life” after his medical emergency.
“To tell you the truth I thought I was gone,” Timmins said. “I’d been struggling a little bit. I was out of breath and was feeling pretty crook. I didn’t know what was happening. I just thought I was an old, unfit footballer but I train almost every day.”
Timmins tried to brush aside the uneasy feeling to fulfil his obligations as coach of his daughter’s under-11 junior national Oztag Championships in Coffs Harbour last month.
It was during those few days that his health started to deteriorate.
“I was struggling to breathe,” Timmins said. “I know it was only under-11s OzTag but I didn’t want to let my daughter or her team down.
“We planned to have a few days away with the family after the tournament. My wife Larissa told me I had to go to hospital. She saved my life. I was at John Flynn Hospital on the Sunday night and they said ‘we don’t want to scare you but we don’t have the manpower here to save you if things continue to worsen.
“I thought I was gone. The nurses couldn’t believe I was still standing. They told me it was lucky I was so fit. My resting heart rate was at 190 beats per minute.
“I didn’t have a heart attack but I was on the cusp. They found a clot in my heart.”
Timmins was then rushed to in an ambulance to Gold Coast University Hospital with the sirens going during the 40 minute drive.
“In the back of the ambulance I was freaking out,” Timmins said. “I went in for a check-up and of a sudden I was in intensive care.”
Timmins has to undergo heart shock treatment later this month and is on medication. He has been told to minimise his activity and has been supported by the Dragons – where he works as the club’s pathways recruitment manager – who have told him to take as much time as he needs to recover.
“I’ve had plenty of knees and shoulder operations and this one is scariest,” Timmins said. “My parents and two brothers drove from Kiama to the Gold Coast to be by my beside. My wife and girls (Zoe and Ivy) provided me with so much support.
“I prided myself over coming injuries and I’ll do the same with this. Most blokes put going to the doctor’s off but if you feel anything you need to get checked out.”
KIRAZ HEROICS A FAMILY OCCASION
Jacob Kiraz’s grandparents will take their time to get out of bed on Saturday morning.
Rather than rise early, they will record Lebanon’s game against Australia, get up at a reasonable hour and then sit down with swelling pride to watch their grandson do his bit to help produce the biggest upset in World Cup history.
Kiraz’s grandparents didn’t make the trip to England but his mother Diane and his four siblings are here, following the Cedars on their World Cup journey.
They have been among the throng of Lebanese supporters who have turned every game into a theatrical experience. They wave flags, beat drums and cheer themselves hoarse.
In doing so, they have provided the inspiration for Lebanon’s remarkable journey through the pool games of the tournament.
They will be there again on Saturday morning (AEDT) in Leeds as Kiraz and his band of brothers go hunting an upset of unprecedented proportions.
The Kangaroos are on a remarkable run of World Cup wins. The last time they lost a World Cup game was in the final in 2008, Since then, they have won 15 in succession including a 34-0 walloping of Lebanon five years ago.
That match remains the only meeting between the two nations, although that is about to change. Diane Kiraz will be there when it does, nervously watching on hoping her son can inspire an upset.
“I am super proud of him and nervous at the same time,” Diane said.
“It definitely means a lot for the family. He is playing for his heritage. His grandparents are super proud. He is so close to his grandparents - he goes and visits them regularly and checks up on them.
“They record the games. All the family watches all the games. He is a very cultural boy. He is proud of where he comes from. It means a lot to him. It is a dream.”
The Kiraz family have sat among a congregation of Lebanese supporters who have followed the side throughout the World Cup. Some of those very supporters live in London but have religiously made the trip north to support the side, even though they have no idea of the rules.
“To make it this far for the Lebanese team is amazing,” Diane said.
“I am sure it will be competitive - I am hoping they can win.”
KATE ADDS ROYAL FLAVOUR TO WORLD CUP
Prince Harry is out and the Princess of Wales is in. When Harry was stripped of his royal patronage earlier this year, his position with the Rugby Football League went with it.
In stepped the Princess of Wales and Kate will make her maiden appearance as the first lady of rugby league on Sunday morning (AEDT) when she heads to Wigan’s DW Stadium to watch England take on Samoa.
Confidential understands that the princess will be introduced to the players before kick-off and then take a seat in the stand as England attempt to keep their World Cup dream alive.
“We will be delighted and honoured to welcome the Princess of Wales for the first time as the RFL’s royal patron,” RFL chair Simon Johnson said.
“With both our England women and men’s teams playing important World Cup matches on Saturday, her presence will enhance a special occasion for our sport, for the World Cup and for the famous rugby league town of Wigan.”
MURRAY’S LUCKY BREAK
Cameron Murray seems like the sort of bloke who things just happen for.
So it was in the early hours of Wednesday morning when the Melbourne Cup was run and Gold Trip claimed the cash.
Murray was the lucky punter who took out the Kangaroos’ sweep and the cash.
WORLD CUP STARS HELP OUT HOMELESS
Papua New Guinea have made a big impact at the World Cup and their efforts on the field have been matched by those off it.
Confidential understands that the PNG side have been feeding the homeless on the streets of Warrington in their spare time.
They haven’t been the only team at the World Cup to help out others. Before their elimination, Italy were sharing their leftover food with the homeless in Liverpool.
ROOS WIND DOWN WITH THE ROCK
The Kangaroos warmed up for their meeting with Lebanon this weekend by going to watch Dwayne ‘the Rock’ Johnson’s latest movie, Black Adam.
The entire team attended the movie on Thursday morning (AEDT) as they sourced some motivation before their meeting with the Cedars.
FLASHBACK
Willie Mason dominated headlines on this day 15 years ago. Mason was in the midst of a messy split from the Bulldogs which culminated in the Test and NSW star joining the Roosters in 2008. The playing group and board were divided “after Mason aired his dirty laundry publicly”.
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