Accosted Canberra drummer meets Bulldogs chief

A Canberra drummer, who said he feared serious injury when accosted by Bulldogs fans after a match on Sunday, met Canterbury officials on Tuesday, and urged them to beef up game-day security around the Belmore Sportsground precinct.

Simon Tayoun says he was struck in the head and abused by a group of Dogs supporters on Burwood Road following Sunday’s 22-18 win over the Raiders.

Footage on social media showed Tayoun being heckled, while one fan tried to knock him over from behind while he was carrying a giant drum he bangs at every Canberra game.

Canterbury chief executive Aaron Warburton met Tayoun and his wife Margaret on Tuesday afternoon, having already vowed to thoroughly investigate the incident.

Tayoun told this masthead he wanted the fans in the video to be given lengthy bans, and also an extra security presence for future Belmore games.

“I love Josh Papalii, they’re celebrating his 300 games in Canberra on Saturday and I don’t want this to take the spotlight off him,” Tayoun said. “I’m not selfish. I love my Raiders, the players, and especially Josh Papalii.

Milestone man: Viliame KikauCredit: Getty Images

“We met with Canterbury today. Aaron is a nice guy. He basically wanted to know what we wanted moving forward.”

Warburton said in a statement on Wednesday: “The club is deeply disappointed by the behaviour of a small group of individuals in the aftermath of our match against the Raiders, particularly concerning the treatment of Simon. Simon is a dedicated and passionate supporter of his team. As a club, we have long valued the enthusiasm of our supporters who we widely believe are some of the most passionate in the game. While we celebrate the passion of fans like Simon and our own, it is crucial to remember that passion does not justify unacceptable behaviour.

“We would like to remind all fans that respect is a fundamental value of our game. Such is the reason that despite Sunday’s intense on-field rivalry, both teams came together at the end of the match to applaud Josh Papalii’s 300th NRL milestone.”

As Tayoun heads to the nation’s capital on Saturday, the Dogs will meet St George Illawarra at a packed Netstrata Jubilee Stadium on Saturday night.

Back-rower Viliame Kikau plays his 150th NRL game, knowing he could easily have been wearing the Red V having being sounded out by the club before he signed with Canterbury

Kikau inked a $3.2million, four-year contract to move from Penrith to the Bulldogs, but not before meeting with the North Queensland Cowboys and Dragons.

“I met ‘Hook’ [former coach Anthony Griffin] and the club a few times, they showed me around the club and even took me for a drive around Wollongong,” Kikau told this masthead. “They were a club building then, and looking to re-sign a few players. They had a good squad, and it was a nice place.

“But after speaking with my partner, she’s a school teacher and was also pregnant at the time, and we had just moved into the house we’re living in now. We didn’t want to move.

“Canterbury also offered me the extra [fourth] year, which was a big thing – especially considering I turn 30 next year.”

Kikau goes up against Dragons opposite Jaydn Su’a, who had one of his best games to date against the Storm last weekend.

The Dragons stunned Melbourne in their own backyard, but the Dogs have Kikau’s milestone and captain Stephen Crichton in competition-best form.

“His energy has been contagious, he leads from the front, and he doesn’t wait for anyone to bring that energy,” Kikau said.

“The boys love him. It’s so easy to follow him. He was a bit younger when we were at Penrith, so he used to joke around a bit, but he’s matured.”

Johnson calls it quits

Adam Pengilly

New Zealand international and Warriors superstar Shaun Johnson will retire from the NRL at the end of the season.

Johnson, who will turn 34 next month, announced his decision on Monday night – less than 12 months after coming within a whisker of winning the Dally M Medal during the Warriors’ fairytale finals run.

The former Golden Boot winner spurned an offer from the Roosters to finish his career in Australia, and after a year of inconsistent form and injury woes, will hang up the boots as one of the most popular players of his generation.

“This is a decision that I’ve sat with for a while now and one I’m probably still coming to terms with,” Johnson said when speaking with his teammates.

“It’s obviously still very raw, but I’m so grateful to the club and to you boys who I get to come into work with every day with a smile on face. I have never taken any of it for granted.”

Johnson will play his last game against his former club, the Sharks, at PointsBet Stadium in round 26. The Warriors have the bye in the final round of the season.

Shaun Johnson will retire at the end of the season.Credit: Getty

“There’s an entire generation of kids in this country who picked up a rugby league ball because of Shaun Johnson,” Warriors chief executive Cameron George said.

“His impact on not only this club but also rugby league is New Zealand is something that will be remembered here forever.

“And as talented and amazing as Shaun has been as a player, as a person he’s made just as big an impact here at the Warriors through the years.

“I know Shaun hasn’t made this decision lightly and he will depart with the full support of the club and his peers.”

Sea Eagles counting on Turbo-charged run to finals

Daniel Lo Surdo

Manly captain Daly Cherry-Evans says Tom Trbojevic’s impressive form since returning from a hamstring injury that sidelined him for eight weeks has been a “silver lining” for the Sea Eagles, backing his star fullback into a strong run into the end of the home-and-away season.

Trbojevic, who missed the State of Origin series after suffering the injury in May, returned to the field in Manly’s 21-20 victory over North Queensland last month and has since scored tries in both of his side’s routs of Newcastle and Gold Coast.

Tom Trbojevic hasn’t wasted any time returning to form after a hamstring injury.Credit: Getty Images

Trbojevic told this masthead he felt refreshed after “a bit of a break” on the sidelines, adding that he was “just excited to be back playing footy”.

“I feel good … now it’s just about being diligent, focusing on the process, working hard, and we’ll see where we get to.”

Manly will be counting on Trbojevic in the home stretch of the regular season, as the club vies for its first finals appearance since 2021. The Sea Eagles are seventh after having the bye in round 22, and are an outside chance of a top-four spot with five games to go.

Cherry-Evans said Trbojevic’s “fresh legs” would come in handy for Manly, who have squandered chances to make the final eight in recent years.

“The situation that we put ourselves in [this year] is a really good one,” Cherry-Evans said. “We probably do need to take experiences from the last couple of years and what didn’t go right… so I just think we need to put that together, that experience and those learnings, and bring it together and play the style that we know we need to play to get there.”

While granting his players some rest over the bye round, Manly coach Anthony Seibold has been working to improve his side’s starts to games, where early defensive errors have put them on the back foot.

This included four unanswered tries in Manly’s latest hit-out against the Roosters, which was ultimately enough to see them fall 34-30.

Trbojevic acknowledged that his side was “a little bit disappointing” when they faced the Roosters, but maintained that they could still “hurt teams” when at their best.

Manly will return to action on Saturday away to the Raiders, who are also mounting a finals challenge.

Cleary rapt with Talagi signing

Adam Pengilly

Nathan Cleary has handed a huge compliment to his potential future halves partner Blaize Talagi, hailing his maturity before the pair come head to head in the western Sydney showdown on Friday night.

Cleary has welcomed the imminent addition of the Eels teenager next year after the Panthers snuck under the guard of their bitter rivals to nab one of the game’s hottest talents.

Talagi has turned his back on his junior club to sign a three-year deal to join the Panthers, which will be officially announced after the NRL’s cooling-off period ends.

The 19-year-old is being lined up to replace Jarome Luai in the halves alongside Cleary, with Jack Cole also a contender to be the long-term No.6.

While the Dragons, Dolphins and Knights were all linked to Talagi if he were to leave the Eels, Penrith’s interest was kept quieter with coach Ivan Cleary meeting the youngster to talk about a switch.

There’s an intriguing subplot with the minor premiership-chasing Penrith to take on their 2022 grand final rivals at CommBank Stadium on Friday night, with Talagi to come face-to-face with his future teammates.

“He’s a great player,” Cleary said after orchestrating Penrith’s late win over the Knights on Sunday. “He’s only 19 years old and a very exciting talent. We’re coming up against him this week so we’ll get a taste of what it’s going to be like. He’s very exciting.

“I haven’t spoken to him [yet]. I left it to the old man [coach Ivan]. But I might get to speak to him after the game.

Blaize Talagi will join the Panthers nnext year.Credit: NRL Photos

“We’ve still got ‘Romey’ [Luai] here, and I want to enjoy the moments with him as they’re coming to an end. To have the confidence for a young guy to come into first grade and play the way that Blaize is, in multiple positions too, it’s very impressive.”

Talagi has already scored 10 tries in his maiden NRL season and will vie for Dally M Rookie of the Year honours with Canberra’s Ethan Strange and Dolphins duo Jack Bostock and Max Plath.

He got a glimpse of what life might be like next year with Cleary masterminding the Panthers’ latest win at BlueBet Stadium, drawing them within two points of the ladder-leading Storm with five rounds left.

It was Cleary’s third match back from a serious hamstring injury, one which ruled him out of the State of Origin series.

Nathan Cleary burrows over to score against the Knights.Credit: NRL Photos

Asked about a change to his training regime, Cleary said: “I had to refrain from a lot of the kicking stuff, but do more in other areas around load and speed running. We probably looked at it as a whole group [and] we probably weren’t doing it enough.

“I’ve turned a lot more to the mental side and tried to nail that with visualisation, rather than physical reps all the time.”

Daine Laurie will be available for the Panthers this week after missing the win over the Knights due to the NRL’s 11-day concussion protocols, paving the way for Queensland-raised Isaiah Iongi to make his NRL debut on Sunday.

“Even at training, I pinch myself,” Iongi said of playing alongside Cleary. “He’s the best in the game. It was unreal playing alongside him for my debut.”

Storm ramps up Papenhuyzen talks

Adam Pengilly

The Storm has taken another step to prevent Ryan Papenhuyzen from hitting the open market and keeping him away from cashed-up rivals like the Eels, with Melbourne owner Matt Tripp hoping a fresh extension can be done “within weeks, not months”.

Storm fullback Ryan Papenhuyzen.Credit: Getty Images

Papenhuyzen looms as the head of the free agent class if he doesn’t extend his deal before November 1, the start of the final year of his Storm contract.

The Clive Churchill Medal winner has had a wretched run of injuries, but has flourished since returning to the Storm’s line-up this year.

The Eels loom among potential suitors if the western Sydney junior can’t strike a new deal with the Storm, but Tripp has spoken to Melbourne management about tabling a fresh three-year extension to Papenhuyzen to keep him at the club until the end of 2028.

“We hope to have something done soon,” Tripp said. “Discussions are just starting, but when both parties are keen, you usually get there. Hopefully it’s weeks, and not months.

“He’s critical to us. He’s a barometer. When he’s on the park and playing, we win games, and that’s not lost on me. He has had bad luck and a run with injuries, but we’re a much better team when he’s on the park and he can be influential as any player in the competition.”

The Storm are yet to officially table a new deal to Papenhuyzen’s management, but if they can lock him until the end of 2028, it will mean he’s the longest contracted player of the big four featuring Harry Grant (2026), Jahrome Hughes (2026) and Cameron Munster (2027).

Tripp insists the club can keep both Papenhuyzen and gun fullback Sua Faalogo, who earlier this year signed a long-term extension until 2028.

with Daniel Lo Surdo

NRL is Live and Free on Channel 9 & 9Now

Sports news, results and expert commentary. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.