Sport Confidential: Dragons eye Manly centre Moses Suli, Benji Marshall feeling 2022 ready
Anthony Milford’s arrival could squeeze Benji Marshall out of South Sydney but the veteran may not go without a fight as the Dragons look to swoop on a Sea Eagle.
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As the Dragons close in on Moses Mbye they are eyeing off another Moses – this time Manly’s destructive centre Moses Suli.
The Dragons pushed hard to snatch Suli from the Sea Eagles 12 months ago but the 23-year-old inked a new two-year deal to remain at Manly.
While Manly are loath to let him go, Suli is suddenly outside the top 17 as he sits behind Brad Parker and Morgan Harper for a starting centre spot. Injuries and the form of his Sea Eagles teammates have limited him to just 10 games.
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There is no doubting at his best he is one of the most destructive centres in the game, which is why the Dragons made him a rich offer to entice him to the club ahead of this year.
That meant Manly also had to pay top dollar to keep him. Moving him on could make cap sense.
The Sea Eagles have also offered Dylan Walker a new deal but are yet to come to terms. If Walker stays that may present an opportunity for Suli to make a move to the Dragons.
While Suli is on the radar, the Dragons continue to discuss the prospect of signing Tigers utility Mbye. It is understood the parties have agreed to a 2023 deal on the proviso the Dragons and Tigers can come to some financial agreement for Moses last year of his rich contract next season.
The Dragons have been desperate to add a utility player to their mix.
BIG BLOW FOR KOROIBETE
Marika Koroibete paid a hefty price for drinking back in his hotel room last weekend, being dropped for the opening Bledisloe Cup match in Auckland on Saturday.
Koroibete and teammates Isi Naisarani and Pone Fa’amausili were suspended from selection after they breached the Wallabies’ 10pm curfew, despite remaining in their hotel, and with the team having the day off on Sunday.
The trio had dinner and beers with teammates at the hotel restaurant, before they snuck off for more beers after the group dismantled.
A senior player dobbed them into the coaching staff and they were stood down.
It’s a bigger blow for Koroibete given he has already signed with Japanese club Panasonic Wild Knights from 2022. He is off contract with Rugby Australia at the end of October, so he won’t be going on any end-of-year tour.
That means he has only six more Tests that he’d be available to play – two more Bledisloes and four Rugby Championship games against South Africa and Argentina – before he is lost to the gold jersey.
That is, of course, unless the Wallabies reverse their policy of selecting players from overseas who are not eligible under the Giteau Law (minimum 60 Tests).
RA had successfully fought to get Koroibete eligible for this game after his controversial send-off against France for a high tackle last month.
Nine won’t show the Bledisloe match on their main channel in the eastern states.
Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne viewers will have to watch it on the 9Gem channel, with The Pet Rescuers, Getaway and the news being shown on the main channel.
BOL, BROWNING PULL VIEWERS
Two previously low-profile runners have given Channel 7 a ratings bonanza this week.
Rohan Browning and Peter Bol have outrated the big-name swimmers with their exploits on the track, drawing millions of viewers to shatter records.
Browning, known as “The Flying Mullet”, had a peak audience of 3.1 million for his 100m semi-final run, while Bol drew 3.05 million for his 800m final. For comparison, that’s nearly triple the audience for each of the State of Origin games this year.
But it pales in comparison with “the most watched sporting event in Australian history” – Cathy Freeman’s 400m final victory at the Sydney 2000 Games was watched by 8.78 million Aussies.
BENJI’S BIG CALL
Benji Marshall, reinvigorated by the mid-season break when he welcomed his second child, has told those close to him he is physically capable of playing another season.
However, he has not yet made up his mind as to whether he wants to continue.
Marshall, 36, could entertain a one-year extension at South Sydney if an offer is made, despite the Bunnies signing Anthony Milford to help Cody Walker in the halves.
As he has this year, Marshall could be a back-up option at five-eighth, halfback or hooker.
The Kiwi international, who rejoined the Rabbitohs in their Queensland bubble last week after being given time off for his baby’s birth, will make a call in the next fortnight as to whether he pursues one more season in the NRL or hangs up the boots to focus on a career beyond footy.
UPGRADE FOR STARLING?
With speculation that Josh Hodgson will depart the Raiders at the end of next season, Canberra is expected to commence talks with back-up Tom Starling in coming days.
Starling is also contracted until the end of next year but will be aiming for an upgraded extension to keep him in the nation’s capital beyond 2023.
ROOSTERS HONOUR CLUB GREATS
The Roosters will carry retired trio Boyd Cordner, Jake Friend and Brett Morris on their sleeve for the rest of the season in a fitting tribute to the club greats.
Their respective playing numbers – 1083 for Friend, 1119 for Cordner, 1182 for Morris – have been printed on the Roosters’ jersey as they again make a top-four charge.
Coach Trent Robinson said it was the ultimate tribute to the trio who made shock early season retirements because of respective injuries.
“They couldn’t retire how they wanted to this season,” Robinson said. “We are going to carry them until the end. That’s why they are there. That’s what they’ve done for us. It’s definitely out of respect for who they are and what they’ve done.
“This was going to be the year (Morris and Friend) were going to possibly retire. They didn’t get to the end of the year. We are going to wear it for them until that time comes.”
SMALL WIN FOR NRL
The NRL has had a win when it comes to a slight reduction of the tough protocols imposed on them by the Queensland Government last round. Restrictions were so tight for Sunday’s and Monday’s rescheduled games that some members of the team’s coaching staff had to remain at the hotel.
The NRL wrote to club bosses on Wednesday to tell them of the changes for round 21.
They include:
- Lifting match-day club officials from 10 to 13.
- Arrival times at the stadium lifted from 90 minutes to two hours before kick-off.
- An extra 30 minutes to leave the ground.
- Covid-19 testing now every three days instead of every day and once a week for family members.
TECHNICAL TROUBLE
Craig Bellamy is arguably the greatest coach in rugby league history but when it comes to technology he is severely challenged. When the Storm had to get Bellamy to sign his five-year contract extension they had to email his son Aaron, who is part of Melbourne’s coaching staff.
SHARKS CIRCLING SEA EAGLE
The Sharks are circling off-contract Manly back-rower Jack Gosiewski for next season. Gosiewski, who made his debut for South Sydney in 2016 before joining the Sea Eagles in 2018, has played just two matches this season.
Cronulla are also on the lookout to loan a half as cover for their growing injury ward.
New Zealand’s Sean O’Sullivan has been looked at but that may depend on when ex-Shark Chad Townsend returns from a shoulder injury. O’Sullivan produced his best performance of his career against the Tigers last week and has kept his spot in the top grade.
PRAISE FOR BULLDOGS
The Bulldogs received a nice letter of thanks from Health Services Union secretary Gerard Hayes after the club paid tribute to healthcare workers on their sleeve recently. Hayes said the gesture went a long way to support the healthcare staff who are doing it tough at the moment.
Interestingly, the Bulldogs are on the lookout for a sleeve sponsor next year.
JOHNSON EXITS BUBBLE
Injured Cronulla half Shaun Johnson has left the club’s bubble to return to Sydney after playing his final game for the club. It will be interesting to see if Johnson’s follows Roger Tuivasa-Sheck out of Australia and back to Auckland early once borders re-open as he prepares to re-join the Warriors from next season.
ALL EYES ON
Manly have proven themselves as a premiership threat but they get to test their credentials when they play the Storm on Saturday night. Can Tom Trbojevic be stopped?
FLASHBACK
Remember the time the Tigers were a good side? Well you’d have to go back 10 years when the Tiers beat the defending premiers St George Illawarra. Winger Beau Ryan scored a matchwinning try with five minutes left to give the Tigers a 16-14 win in front of almost 28,000 people at the SFS.
BLAST FROM THE PAST
MATT ADAMSON — 175 top grade games (1 Parramatta, 158 Penrith, 16 Canberra) between 1991-2015
Matt Adamson moved from Taree with one dream – to play cricket for Australia. He made a stack of junior representative teams and seemed destined for higher honours after opening the batting alongside Adam Gilchrist. Despite enjoying playing junior rugby league, he joined Western Suburbs cricket club at just 16.
His older brother Phil was already a Parramatta Eel when a conversation with a club official would change Adamson’s life dramatically.
“The dream was to play cricket for Australia,” Adamson said. “I went to watch Phillip play and (Parramatta development officer) Brad Levy spotted me. He asked if I was playing league and I said ‘no, just cricket’. He told me there was an open trial at Parramatta Stadium and I should go. I only went because I wanted to play at Parramatta Stadium – not many kids from Taree get that chance.
“They asked if I wanted to play under-19s, they gave me a tracksuit, a pair of boots and a bag. We went through the Jersey Flegg competition undefeated.”
Adamson eventually quit cricket to focus on rugby league while working at Peter Wynn’s Score. In 1991 he made his first grade debut on the wing.
“I played under-19s NSW on Wednesday night and had a good game,” Adamson said.
“(Coach) Michael Cronin called me in and said I’d make my debut against North Sydney. I played two games in three days. Aside from Mario Fenech feeling like he broke my ribs every time I ran, the highlight was throwing an inside pass for Brett Kenny to score his 100th try.”
It would be his only game for the Eels before he joined the Panthers in 1993.
“Phil Gould wanted Phillip and I at Penrith,” Adamson said. “We both played reserve grade in 1992. Ron Hilditch came to the club and wanted to shake things up. Our manager went to Denis Fitzgerald who asked for a release.”
Adamson found a home at the Panthers. But it was not the only big move of his career. A positional switch midway through 1995 proved a game-changer, after making his mark largely as a fullback.
“The club were struggling for forwards,” Adamson said. “There wasn’t a lot of size in our pack. Royce Simmons was our coach and I passed him in the weights room and I told him I’d have a crack there. He said ‘piss off you soft bastard’ in Royce’s cheeky way. About an hour later he came back and asked if I was serious. I told him I didn’t want to play reserve grade.”
Adamson went on to become a damaging back-rower who represented NSW during Super League and eventually the Blues in his final season at Penrith in 2001.
He had agreed to a three year deal to join the Roosters from 2002 but the club were spooked after they found out he had been playing with a damaged cruciate ligament.
Adamson, who has worked for the Storm and coached Fiji, played three seasons with Leeds before one last year at the Raiders.
Originally published as Sport Confidential: Dragons eye Manly centre Moses Suli, Benji Marshall feeling 2022 ready
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