Wests Tigers target replacements for Ryan Matterson
The Wests Tigers have identified the forward to replace Ryan Matterson, despite having little luck convincing rival NRL clubs on a trade deal for the disgruntled forward.
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WESTS Tigers are scrounging around to find a replacement for Ryan Matterson — offering up a number of trade deals to clubs which are interested in their disgruntled back-rower.
While talks are ongoing, one player who has been identified as a potential replacement for Matterson is off-contract Shark Kurt Capewell.
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Capewell has a big-money offer from the Warriors sitting on the table but could be Concord-bound.
Newcastle have gone cold on the 26-year-old, unable to free up enough cap space to fit him in.
Matterson’s likely destination remains a mystery.
South Sydney are now genuine players in the race to sign the out-of-favour Wests Tigers utility.
The Daily Telegraph understands the Rabbitohs are planning a preliminary meeting with Matterson’s management as they look to replace retired club legend John Sutton.
Matterson’s management has already met with officials from his junior club, Parramatta, who have shown an interest but have no desire to pay any sort of monetary compensation to the Tigers to make the deal happen.
TONGA’S CRACK KATOAS
Tonga have found an easy way to differentiate between the two Sione Katoas in
their line-up.
They’ve dubbed the Canterbury-bound hooker “Senior” and the softly spoken Cronulla winger “Junior” — given their two-year age difference.
“At training when they’ve called our names out we have just been standing there confused,” the Sharks’ Katoa said.
The two may share the same name and are NRL players but that is where the relationship starts and ends. Before entering Tongan camp the pair had never crossed paths and hadn’t opposed each other on the field at any level.
Despite the confusion the Bulldogs-bound Katoa said the pair weren’t related.
“I actually cut my name short so it’s easier to say,” he said. “But who knows. Surely down the line we’re connected somewhere but it’s no blood relation.”
BEATTIE: UPSET PREMIER JUST A GRANDSTANDER
ONE is the current premier and the other a former premier but there was no love lost between Peter Beattie and Annastacia Palaszczuk regarding the NRL’s decision to keep the grand final in Sydney.
Palaszczuk said in parliament on Thursday she was “not happy” with Beattie.
Beattie laughed off the criticism.
“Any Queensland premier is going to grandstand on this,” Beattie said.
“Based on my experience, that’s not really great grandstanding. I’m sure if I had been in that role I would be doing a lot more grandstanding.
“It’s normal for Queensland premiers to do a bit of grandstanding. We are good at it.”
CAYLESS A ROOSTER?
FORMER Parramatta captain Nathan Cayless could join the Roosters’ coaching staff after being identified as a potential replacement for Adam O’Brien.
The Roosters are expected to bump up assistant coach Matt King’s role but are looking to add another member to their staff. After coaching at his former club, Cayless joined the Warriors this year.
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GEOFF Toovey is back in the senior coaching ranks. The former Manly mentor has taken up a role as an assistant to Samoa coach Matt Parish for the Nines and end-of-season Test.
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HE was one of the buys of the season and Newcastle have extended the contract of Hymel Hunt. Hunt was the only Knights player to feature in all 24 games this year.
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ROOSTER Angus Crichton has not celebrated the premiership too long, immediately shifting his focus to appearing in and directing a documentary. The First People Project documents Crichton’s motivation for launching a new indigenous foundation of the same name. You can watch the documentary at athletesvoice.com.au.
SPOTTED: Nathan Lyon sporting his personalised “budgie smugglers” at the SCG nets this week.
SPOTTED II: New Knights coach Adam O’Brien catching the train from Central to Newcastle on Sunday as he starts his time as Newcastle coach.
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FANTASTIC PLASTIC IDEA
FANS watching the World Nines at Bankwest Stadium will drink from reusable beer cups. Thousands of single-use disposable plastic cups will be saved from landfill at the two-day tournament in Parramatta, starting on Friday. It will be the first time reusable cups have been provided at a rugby league event in Australia. People will purchase their first drink in a reusable cup and pay a one-off $2 fee for use of the cup.
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INHARMONIOUS END TO CUP
A MAJOR rugby league tournament has been scrapped on the advice of NSW Police amid safety concerns for players and spectators.
The NSWRL has been forced to axe the Harmony Cup matches, including the finals next Saturday, after a string of ugly incidents.
A brawl erupted on the sidelines of a Tonga and Samoa match earlier this month which resulted in police charges. The incident did not involve on-field players but has prompted police to warn against the tournament continuing. There was also an off-field incident at the tournament last year.
“In making the decision to cancel the 2019 event, the game took advice from the local Police Command at Mount Druitt that continuing with the program was a risk to participants,” NSWRL chief executive Dave Trodden said.
“In those circumstances we could not be involved with a tournament where player welfare and safety were at risk.”
The tournament has been running since 2008 and pits non-representative under-16 and under-18 players from different backgrounds against each other. Last year’s nines tournament featured NSW, Ozzy Cooks, Fiji, NSW Maori, Mediterranean, Malta, Tonga, Africa United, Italy/Australia, NSWRL Indigenous and NSWRL Harmony teams.
“The Blue Harmony event was an annual nine-a-side event for under- 16 and under-18 boys and girls from a variety of cultural backgrounds designed to promote racial harmony, inclusiveness and cultural diversity in rugby league, as well as providing a fun and friendly atmosphere for all participants and their families,” Trodden said. “It aligns with our core values based on respect and tolerance.”
Originally published as Wests Tigers target replacements for Ryan Matterson