Wendell Sailor’s son Tristan set for NRL debut
There could be a famous name on the team sheet when St George Illawarra face the Sydney Roosters on Saturday night, with the offspring of rugby league royalty ready for his NRL debut.
The son of rugby league royalty Wendell Sailor is closing in on a long-awaited NRL debut for the St George Illawarra Dragons.
Tristan Sailor has been quietly biding his time at St George Illawarra over the last couple of years as a star performer in the Dragons’ junior representative teams and predominantly at fullback or on the wing in this year’s Canterbury Cup NSW outfit for the Red V.
He’s had a promotion of late, with the goal-kicking utility back warming up as the Dragons’ 18th man over the last couple of rounds.
While he has again been named in the No.18 jersey to play the Sydney Roosters at Kogarah on Saturday night, Sailor is very close to fronting up for his first game with a host of St George Illawarra players in doubt because of concussion.
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Halfback Ben Hunt and back-rowers Tyson Frizell and Patrick Kaufusi are racing the clock to overcome serious head knocks in time to play the premiers.
Should any of those fail, Sailor is expected to come into the 17.
Hunt is understood to be the most unlikely to run out against the Roosters, which would allow Corey Norman to return to the halves and Zac Lomax will shift from fullback to the wing.
That would allow the off-contract Sailor to make his NRL debut at the same club where his dad retired at the end of 2009. The Sailors would become the first father-son combination to represent the Dragons since the Illawarra Steelers-St George joint-venture started in 1999.
TOUCH OF GIBSON IN GRIFFIN COMMENTARY
ANTHONY Griffin continues his impressive transition from NRL coach into the media and will be calling the Brisbane-South Sydney game on Friday night with Andrew Voss, Mick Ennis and Corey Parker.
Fox Sports’ head of television, Steve Crawley, gave Griffin the highest praise, saying the former Broncos and Penrith Panthers mentor had been nothing but impressive every time he had sat behind the microphone on game day.
“He really reminds me of when Jack Gibson commentated on Origin,” Crawley said. “He has that economy of words. I think he has got a lot of potential.”
Griffin watches the game from a coach’s point of view and remarks accordingly.
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LONDON CALLING FOR GREECE DUE TO FLIGHT
FIRST it was Lebanon, now it’s Greece’s turn to become embroiled in a bizarre international rugby league bun fight.
The national team will have to play a World Cup qualifier in London with Greek officials locked in a strange set of circumstances with their government.
Greece will play Scotland at London Skolars’ home ground in November with the match originally set down for Athens. The country’s government has handed control of the sport to modern pentathlon, despite the sports having no correlation.The modern pentathlon body is banned by the Rugby League International Federation because of historic issues. Greece coach and former NRL star Steven Georgallis said the situation is “very frustrating”.
“Greece is our home and the country we represent,” Georgallis said. “It makes it very hard personally on the local players, as it is another cost, extra time off work and the chance to play in front of family and friends. The same applies to our overseas players, travelling away to play a home game takes away the importance of playing on home soil and the advantages it brings.”
Domestic players have had to play games late at night to avoid potential prosecution by the police.
WHO’S TOP OF THE TREE IN NAME GAME?
TO celebrate the impending debut of Newcastle’s Bradman Best, we’ve put our heads together to come up with the All Star Names team. From cult hero Fuifui Moimoi to Irish World Cup hero Wayne Kerr, the only criteria is they had to play either in the NRL or an international. That leaves the likes of lower-grade favourites Pale Ale and Solo Alone watching from the sidelines.
1. St John Ellis
2. Royston Lightning
3. Ed Murphy
4. Siuatonga Likiliki
5. Misi Taulapapa
6. Will Smith
7. Tulsen Tollett
8. Fuifui Moimoi
9. Ciriaco Mescia
10. Sam Moa
11. Pauli Pauli
12. Steele Retchless
13. Wayne Kerr (C)
Interchange: Clifford Manua, Billy Weepu, Stan Jurd, Chris Muckert
Who’s your favourite? Have your say in the comments below.
NO-FAULT PAYMENT BID
THERE was an interesting discussion among club bosses at the chief executives meeting last week regarding the possibility of the NRL paying the wages of players who are stood down under the game’s no-fault policy.
St George Illawarra unsuccessfully pushed for the NRL to pay for Jack de Belin’s $545,000 contract while their star forward is sidelined awaiting his day in court.
Dragons boss Brian Johnston brought it up with rival clubs last week, only for 14 of them to quickly shut down the proposal.
The only other person who was not against the proposal — but did not show a great deal of enthusiasm — was Penrith’s Brian Fletcher.
Penrith are paying the wages of Tyrone May, who is the only other player presently stood down by the game.
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OUTGOING ARLC chairman Peter Beattie has backed Todd Greenberg to remain at the helm of the game.
Beattie wants Greenberg’s contract extended by two years.
Greenberg’s deal expires next month, although he has a two-year option that either party can take up early next year.
“Todd is a good sports administrator,” he said. “If you’re the CEO of the NRL, you’re the policeman of the game. You tell me how many coppers you know who are popular. It’s a tough gig. I don’t expect Todd to be popular. He is doing a good job.”
GAL’S JERSEY NOT A TALL ORDER FOR BILLY
CRONULLA youngster Billy Magoulias has acted as Paul Gallen’s shadow in his two top-grade games.
While Magoulias is more than happy to stand behind Gallen this year, he is eyeing Gallen’s No. 13 jersey when his captain retires at season’s end.
Teammate Jack Williams may be the early frontrunner to replace Gallen but Magoulias is using his final moments alongside Gallen to push his case.
“I’ll be setting my goal towards that,” Magoulias said. “There will be other blokes going for it. I’m only two games in. So I’m not trying to jump in but if I have a good pre-season I can’t see why I can’t take that jumper.
“I’ll compete and do the tough things for the team.”
The Cronulla junior is 1cm shorter than 180cm Gallen, who told him not being tall coming through the ranks helped develop his game.
“The biggest thing to learn from ‘Gal’ is what he does away from training,” Magoulias said. “He is always doing extras, even at 38. For 20 years he has been putting in the work.
“He is more of an action-type person and leads from the front with what he does. When you put the work in, you’ll get to where you want to go.
“Height-wise, we aren’t the biggest. We just love competing. That’s what gets you to this level. You learn the tough way not being the biggest kid growing up.”
DAVE’S KNIGHTS BID
DAVID Fairleigh has emerged as a left-field option to take over as Newcastle Knights coach.
Fairleigh satisfies all criteria the Knights are looking for as a young coach with a solid education.
He has the local pedigree, as a former Knights player of the year in 2000, and made it to the final round of interviews before Nathan Brown was appointed for 2016.
He was assistant to Ivan Cleary when the Warriors made the grand final and again assistant to Paul Green when the Cowboys made the decider in 2017.
RESURGENT DOGS’ NEW SPONSOR
GOOD things keep on happening for Canterbury Bulldogs, who have turned around their season since Origin III.
Fresh from their giant-killing ways, which now gives them a longshot chance of making the top eight, Canterbury have locked in sponsor Waterview as a venue partner for at least another two years.
Originally published as Wendell Sailor’s son Tristan set for NRL debut
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