Beau Ryan walked out of Remondis Stadium knowing he had possibly played his last game

PHIL ROTHFIELD: Beau Ryan walked out of Remondis Stadium on Saturday night knowing he had possibly played his last game.

THE career of one of rugby league’s great cult heroes could be over.

Beau Ryan walked out of Remondis Stadium on Saturday night knowing he had possibly played his last game

The Sharks winger suffered a recurrence of a neck injury that required off-season surgery against his old club Wests Tigers.

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X-rays over the next few days will determine his future but the Sharks are fearing the worst.

The 29-year-old winger has struggled and looked timid in his handful of appearances for the club this season.

Obviously the injury has been playing on his mind.

News_Image_File: Beau Ryan’s playing career could be over after the recurrence of a neck injury.

No one wants to see the popular Footy Show star finish his career in NSW Cup.

No one wants him to hang around and keep a younger more promising player out of the team.

I have a feeling Ryan was close to announcing his retirement earlier this year.

He only kept going because of the possibility of more ASADA drama and the fact he could help out, at least in a marketing capacity.

With a huge television career in front of him, Beau knows the risk of serious injury is not worth it.

He will be remembered as a fine winger. Not a champion, but an honest, flashy player who could always hold his own against more fancied opponents.

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News_Rich_Media: Roosters finish a frustrating week in the media with an even more frustrating result going down to the Cowboys 42 — 12

COWBOYS THREAT

The Cowboys have finally emerged as a genuine title contender, right up there with the premiership favourites.

Any side with the two best front-rowers in the world and Johnathan Thurston calling the shots is going to give this premiership a shake.

I know they have been together for several years but any side that can thump the Roosters 42-10 is something special.

They have also flogged the Eels and Broncos in the last three weeks and don’t forget they should have beaten Manly in the Easter game in Gosford.

That form is as good as any other side in the competition, the Bulldogs included.

News_Image_File: Are the North Queensland Cowboys really ready to challenge for the premiership?

This club has been robbed in their last two appearances in the finals from the seven-tackle try against the Sharks and the Kieren Foran knock-on.

The big difference to this year’s side is the emergence of Michael Morgan as an outstanding fullback plus a fitter and stronger Jason Taumalolo in the forwards.

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New coach Paul Green has also installed discipline. On Saturday night they completed an extraordinary 37 of their 41 sets with the football.

Test front-rowers Matt Scott made 188 metres and James Tamou 160 metres.

No wonder TAB Sportsbet has slashed the Cowboys odds from $26 to $13 in recent weeks to win the premiership.

News_Rich_Media: NSW coach Laurie Daley says he has been forced into a rethink over the position of halfback Mitchell Pearce for game one of the Origin series following the Roosters playmaker's off-field incident on the weekend.

NICE TOUCH

It’s been a tough week for embattled broadcaster Ray Hadley but on Saturday night, after a five-hour 2GB shift, he drove to the Swansea Belmont Surf Club near Newcastle.

Hadley was asked to assist the family of 51-year-old Neil McEwan, who was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease in January.

He ran the auction to support Neil’s wife and two daughters which put his own marriage breakdown issues into perspective.

Organisers told us Hadley did the function and refused an offer of accommodation before driving back to Sydney and getting home after midnight.

News_Rich_Media: Chris Sandow and Jarryd Hayne star as the Eels grab a 36 — 0 win over St George in Benji Marshall's league return

SANDOW’S SAVIOUR

Everyone wants to bag Ricky Stuart but he at least deserves some of the credit for the way the Parramatta Eels have performed this season.

Especially while everyone is raving about the form of halfback Chris Sandow.

GAMBLING ‘ALMOST KILLED ME’: SANDOW

It was Stuart who took a tough stand on his gambling problems last year while previous coaches and officials had ignored it.

The fact he was stood down and sent away for professional counselling saved Sandow’s NRL career.

He is now producing some spectacular football without having to deal with the off-field issues.

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News_Rich_Media: Roosters finish a frustrating week in the media with an even more frustrating result going down to the Cowboys 42 - 12

HIGHLIGHT

They say Graeme ‘Changa’ Langlands had the best sidestep of all-time.

I have never seen a better one that Roger Tuivasa-Sheck’s on a hapless Cowboys defender in the second half of Saturday night’s game in Townsville.

LOWLIGHT I

Benji Marshall’s first up appearance for St George-Illawarra. All I can say is thank goodness the Sharks didn’t sign him.

SOFT SAINTS

The Dragons have a backline to match just about any side in the competition in Dugan, Morris, Beale, Nightingale and Widdop.

Too bad their forwards are the softest in the NRL.

SHOOSH

Which struggling big-name player was recently thrown out of home, which just may explain why he has been performing so poorly in recent weeks?

News_Image_File: Wests Tigers’ Luke Brooks is a future Origin stare for NSW.

IN LUKE WE TRUST

In a couple of years time we won’t be having this debate about who should be NSW State of Origin halfback.

The name Brooks will be on the back of the Blues jersey.

G.I. NO

Just as Greg Inglis was about to claim the title as the world’s No. 1 fullback, Billy Slater produces a blinder on Friday night against the Rabbitohs to confirm he is still the one.