Saint, Sinner, Shoosh: Pat Carrigan is a future Brisbane captain, Bulldogs to target Tino
Payne Haas will command $800,000 next year - and wants even more - but there’s a Bronco who is actually deserving of that salary. And he should be Brisbane’s next captain, writes Phil Rothfield.
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Phil Rothfield reveals his Saint, Sinner, Shoosh in sport’s best gossip column, What’s the Buzz.
SHOOSH
Canterbury Bulldogs players are filthy about the treatment dished out to Blues centre Matt Burton by the Queenslanders in Origin III.
Next Sunday they play the Gold Coast Titans at CommBank Stadium.
Look out Tino Fa’asuamaleaui. There are a couple of angry Dogs forwards who have vowed to get square. Trust me, it will be on.
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SAINT
State of Origin. Up there with the best game of footy I’ve ever seen. Throw in the 1989 Balmain v Canberra grand final or the Kangaroos miracle Test victory at Old Trafford in 1990. Wednesday night was as good.
SINNER
Origin match payments. Players deserve far more than $15,000 for providing one of the greatest exhibitions of league in the history of the game. By the time they are taxed and buy tickets for family and friends, they pocket about $5000. This is after selling out Sydney, Perth and Brisbane.
SHOOSH
The New Zealand Warriors missed an opportunity to make between $50,000 and $100,000 from the departure of boom fullback Reece Walsh. The Dolphins were prepared to offer a significant transfer fee but the Warriors would not allow the teenager to speak to anyone but the Broncos.
SHOOSH
Which intoxicated media personality was almost kicked off a recent flight from the Gold Coast to Sydney before the plane took off.
SHOOSH
Which NSW Blues legend flew to Brisbane and back for the State of Origin decider on Wednesday, enjoying the luxury of a billionaire mate’s private jet.
SHOOSH
Questions are being asked again about the Newcastle Knights recruitment and why rookie forward Zac Hosking was rejected by the club. He joined Wynnum Manly for $10,000 and has now emerged as one of the Broncos’ most exciting young forwards.
SPOTTED
In an extraordinary coincidence, Tim Tszyu’s world title fight against Jermell Charlo in the US on January 29 is exactly the same date his dad, Kostya, won his first world title, defeating Jake Rodriguez 27 years ago in Las Vegas. Kostya is desperately keen to make it to the fight.
SPOTTED
At least our NSW State of Origin coach has won something. The day after the Origin decider at Suncorp, a dog called Fred Phitler won at the Casino dishlickers and paid a tidy $9.70.
SPOTTED
TV personality and former NRL star Beau Ryan watching State of Origin on Wednesday night at Bannisters in Mollymook, where his family are staying for the school holidays.
BRONCO WHO DESERVES MORE MONEY THAN HAAS
Brisbane Broncos face a huge issue to justify a pay increase for disgruntled front-rower Payne Haas.
Haas is on $750,000 this year, $800,000 in 2023 and $850,000 in 2024 … but he wants more.
If any forward at the Broncos should be demanding more, it’s Wally Lewis medallist Patrick Carrigan.
Carrigan is a future captain of the Broncos when halfback Adam Reynolds retires.
He signed an extension with the Broncos this year until 2024 but Carrigan’s value has skyrocketed as a result of a barnstorming Origin series.
While Haas is carrying a shoulder injury and barely made an impact in Origin, Carrigan was outstanding. He has also become the forward leader at the Broncos.
So, if Haas is worth what he claims to be — $1 million — what does that make Carrigan worth on the open market?
It’s an interesting one for the Broncos’ head of football Ben Ikin, who will sit down with Haas’s manager at the end of the season in an attempt to settle the player’s future.
Don’t be surprised if the Broncos stand firm. Otherwise they may find Carrigan banging on their door looking for his own upgrade. And he’d be more deserving of one than Haas.
RICKY: WIGHTON SHOULD’VE HAD TALAKAI’S JERSEY
Ricky Stuart is still struggling to come to grips with Jack Wighton’s controversial non-inclusion in the NSW Blues team for the Origin decider.
He knows how much he would have thrived in the brutality of one of the toughest Origins ever.
“Jack should have started or had (Siosifa) Talakai’s spot on the bench,” Stuart said. “I’m not being disrespectful to Talakai. He’s a very good player but that game on Wednesday night was made for Jack Wighton.
“He thrives on that intensity and physicality. He loves it.
“And I can guarantee one thing … if it was Jack, I know Dane Gagai wouldn’t be punching him in the head. No way would he.”
Stuart refuses to be critical of coach Brad Fittler and his adviser Greg Alexander.
“This is just my opinion – they picked the side they thought would win,” he said.
“Jack was the best player in Game One. He’s an Origin player.”
Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga will no doubt be taking Wighton to England for the World Cup. There will be an intense battle for centre positions on tour between Latrell Mitchell, Val Holmes, Matt Burton and Wighton.
“Jack will make the perfect tourist for the World Cup,” Stuart said.
“He can play anywhere and he’s a great man to have around the squad.
“Ask any of the players at that level – he’s a great fella to be around.”
NO CONTEST
State of Origin is such a superior product to Test match rugby union. This is backed up by statistics from Wednesday night’s Origin and the Wallabies v England Test a week ago.
The ball was in play for 55 minutes in the league game and just 32 minutes in the rugby Test.
The league game had 102 tackle busts and six tries, the union game had 48 tackle busts and three tries. Seriously, it’s a no contest
PERPETUAL UNDERDOGS
What is it about bookmakers and the fact they always underestimate the Queensland Maroons? The Blues have lost for two of the past three years but have still been installed as $1.60 favourites by the TAB for the 2023 series.
NSW will get Latrell Mitchell and Tom Trbojevic plus Freddy and Brandy will surely find a position somewhere for Jack Wighton. It will make a huge difference.
REF’S MASSIVE PAYDAY
Referee Gerard Sutton picked up a handy cash bonus despite being dropped from last weekend’s NRL round after his performance in the Roosters v Panthers match.
On a rare Friday night off, Sutton went to his local, the Studley Park Golf club, for a meal and a couple of drinks. And then his number came up in the $5000 badge draw.
The ref couldn’t make it to the bar quick enough to collect the cash.
Sutton was back on deck to handle Saturday’s Sea Eagles v Knights match at Brookie.
ANOTHER TITANS RECRUITMENT BLUNDER
Gold Coast Titans could have had Mitchell Pearce playing halfback for them this year instead of struggling rookie Toby Sexton.
Before he signed to play for Catalans in France, Pearce told assistant coach Jim Dymock he was prepared to move to the Gold Coast.
This is after the Titans had released Jamal Fogarty to Canberra.
Coach Justin Holbrook knocked it back.
Poor recruitment is the reason why Holbrook is facing the chop at the end of the season.
The club has already sacked Dymock and respected head of high performance Klint Hore.
Yet those two had nothing to do with some of the shocking recruitment decisions, including putting second-rower David Fifita on a $1.2 million a year contract. That was Holbrook.
It was also the head coach’s decision to let Fogarty go to the Raiders.
STAR SEA EAGLE COULD MISS WORLD CUP
Manly Sea Eagles star Josh Schuster could be a withdrawal from the Samoan team for the World Cup at the end of the season.
The Manly Sea Eagles utility has been carrying injuries for most of the season and has played only seven games, most recently off the bench.
Rather than risk more injuries at the World Cup Schuster is keen to have a good off-season at Manly as he prepares to take over from Kieran Foran in the five-eighth role next year.
WHY KYRGIOS ISN’T AUSTRALIA’S MOST POPULAR TENNIS STAR
There was never any doubt Ash Barty would destroy Nick Kyrgios in a tennis popularity contest. And here are the Channel 9 television ratings to prove it.
One unites the nation, the other is the most polarising figure in Australian sport.
Barty’s Wimbledon final on July 10 last year rated 2,115,153 across all of Nine’s platforms.
Last weekend Kyrgios’ final against Novak Djokovic rated 1,257,376.
To save you going to the calculator, that’s a win for Barty by 857,777 viewers.
In fairness, Barty played her final on a Saturday night and Kyrgios on a Sunday night. Still, how often does women’s sport outrate the men so comprehensively?
I wrote last week that many Australians were fed up with Kyrgios for his lack of respect and at times appalling behaviour and wouldn’t watch his shot at Wimbledon history.
Nine was hoping that after he won the first set that the audience could build. It didn’t.
This would be a concern for the network at the next Australian Open.
Barty’s win in the final at Rod Laver arena earlier this year peaked at 4.261 million – still the highest rating show on Australian television for 2022.
Her absence from the next tournament combined with the lack of interest in Kyrgios will no doubt have a detrimental effect on the numbers. And in turn cost Tennis Australia money when they negotiate their next TV rights deal.
RISING BOXING STAR’S NEW GIG
Channel 7 has signed rising boxing star Harry Garside to commentate on the upcoming Commonwealth Games in the UK. He will provide the expert comments alongside veteran boxing caller Jon Harker.
“I’m stoked to get the gig,” Garside said. “I know Johanna Griggs so I rang her to let Seven know I was keen to have a go. Johanna put me in touch with the right people, and I can’t wait.”
Garside has already made a huge media impression with Fox Sports on their fight nights.
BOXING STAR CHASING RATINGS RECORD
Rising superstar Nikita Tszyu is chasing a TV ratings record for Australian boxing on Wednesday night against the younger brother of former world champion Jeff Horn.
The 24-year-old’s debut in March was the most watched debut ever on Fox Sports.
Promoters Matt and George Rose are now confident Tszyu can crack the 100,000 viewers mark in a fight dubbed the ‘Battle of the Brothers’ against Ben Horn.
Nikita can fight like a thrashing machine but lacks ring experience.
In his only two fights, he has knocked out his opponents in the first round and second rounds.
Asked if he wants the Horn fight to go longer, Nikita replied: “No, you don’t get paid overtime.”
Nikita is an odds-on favourite for the fight. Many good judges, including legendary trainer Johnny Lewis, rate him as highly as his brother Tim.
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