Saint, Sinner, Shoosh: Millie Elliott’s surprise baby news, Nick Politis slams Spencer Leniu rumours
Jillaroos star Millie Elliott reveals her surprise baby news, Nick Politis slams rumours over Spencer Leniu, plus Peter V’landys wants Karl Stefanovic to host a rugby league show. That and more in Saint, Sinner, Shoosh.
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Jillaroos star Millie Elliott is not in Las Vegas for a very good reason – she has fallen pregnant.
The Sydney Roosters, NSW and Australian forward has stood down from footy for 12 months as she prepares for the birth of her first child.
Under normal circumstances, Elliot would be here with the Jillaroos to play England in the women’s Test match at Allegiant Stadium.
She has been an automatic selection for the Blues and Jillaroos for five years.
Elliott informed officials two weeks ago that she and her husband, Newcastle Knights forward Adam Elliott, were expecting her baby in October.
She will continue to work for the Channel 9 commentary team but has taken a year off her three-season deal with the Roosters.
“We’re really excited and looking forward to the next chapter,” Millie said.
“At the end of last season we decided it would be nice to have a baby.
“We’re very grateful we’ve reached this stage of the pregnancy (12 weeks).”
Elliott has no thoughts of retiring from rugby league.
“The plan is to stop playing for 12 months,” she said. “If everything is going okay I’ll be back next year.
“I’m extremely grateful for the support from the Roosters and the NRL.”
Under the NRL’s collective bargaining agreement, female players are entitled to their full NRL contract payments for 12 months if they fall pregnant.
The Roosters however can replace Elliott in the salary cap.
Club chairman Nick Politis described it as a proud moment for the club.
“We’re all so happy for Millie and Adam,” Politis said.
“It’s a wonderful thing that rugby league has a structure in place where female athletes can start a family, take the time off, but then return when they are ready to play out their contracts.”
SAINT
Todd Carney. Yes, you’ve read that correctly. Todd Carney. A Saint. Your columnist bumped into the former NRL bad boy for the first time in 10 years in Las Vegas where he is playing in the Nine’s tournament at 38 years of age. Seriously, we’ve had a million blues over the years but I have never, ever seen a man grow so impressively from the person that he once was. He’s now a genuine good bloke, who is educating young footballers to avoid the traps he once fell into.
SINNER
There is always something you miss being away from home on international assignments. This week it has been the coffee. We have tried a thousand different places but it is impossible to find a decent brew anywhere in Las Vegas.
SHOOSH
Which two veteran rugby league writers are in town not just to report on the event but to sell merchandise to the 35,000 Aussies, Kiwis and Poms who are here in Sin city.
SHOOSH
Which NRL club chairman is wondering around Vegas with his Prada man bag, a la Reece Walsh.
SHOOSH
Channel Nine are using the vision of retired broadcaster Ray Hadley calling the swimming at the Paris Olympics in a video as part of the network’s mid-year financial livestream to executives – even though he no longer works there. This wouldn’t sit well with Matt Thompson, who called the swimming on TV while Hadley did radio. Especially not in the week Thompson was also left in Sydney to call the Panthers v Sharks in Vegas off a TV monitor.
SPOTTED
Not everyone was treated to business class like the players on their flights to Vegas. We bumped into referees Ash Klein, Grant Atkins and Belinda Sharpe, who were in premium economy. So too was Channel Nine commentator and Sharks legend Paul Gallen. At least Nine host Danika Mason paid for herself to bumped forward into business.
SPOTTED
Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, hand in plaster, strolling down the famous Strip with his partner, Purdy. Broken hand or not, there was no way he was missing the Warriors’ once in a lifetime trip to Vegas – especially when he got a freebie from Air New Zealand to work as an ambassador with the airline’s guests. It’s also better having him here to be monitored by the Warriors’ high-performance staff rather than sitting back home in Auckland.
SPOTTED
Canberra Raiders forward Zac Hosking celebrated his 28th birthday in Vegas. His dad, the great David ‘Mule’ Hosking, has flown across for the game.
SPOTTED
Peter V’landys was in the Qantas lounge in Sydney on Tuesday morning when his phone beeped with a text message from Canberra Raiders star Hudson Young – a personal apology for the baseball bat fiasco. V’landys appreciated it. He is a fan of Hudson Young after meeting him at the recent UFC event in Sydney.
BIG BREKKY
Catch you on the Weekend Big Sports Breakfast at 9.40am with hosts Ray Thomas and Dean Bulldog Ritchie in a live cross from Allegiant Stadium to preview the big games.
MASON’S LOVE FORCED LONG DISTANCE
Danika Mason’s move to Channel 9’s Today Show coincides with major changes in her personal life.
The popular host is in a serious relationship with Liam Knight, the ex-NRL forward who signed last week with Hull FC in the UK Super League.
He left for England at the same time Mason left for Las Vegas.
Their commitments will mean living apart for the entire footy season.
I joked to her that it’s a bit like Mary Fowler and Nathan Cleary.
They will be separated for seven months.
Mason declined to comment when we approached her in Las Vegas.
Her move to the Today show has left Nine looking for a new host for the Sunday Footy Show.
We’re told the frontrunner is Emma Lawrence, who has been on maternity leave since giving birth to her first child, a little girl named Harper, late last year.
Nine is also making changes to its 100 percent Footy program on Monday night.
Kangaroos and Maroons legend Cameron Smith will join James Bracey, Phil Gould and Paul Gallen on the show.
POLITIS BLASTS ‘DAMAGING’ LENIU RUMOURS
Billionaire Roosters boss Nick Politis has angrily shut down rumours that front-rower Spencer Leniu wants out from the club.
“I’m not happy at all because rumours like this are damaging and upset people in the club,” Politis said in Las Vegas, where he is here to watch the LA Roosters in the Nines tournament.
“It’s definitely not the case. Spencer is in our leadership group.
“He’s just bought a unit at Eastlakes and married a lovely Greek girl. They are settled in the eastern suburbs. I don’t know where this has come from.”
Despite poor form in the trials on the back of losing millions of dollars in talent in Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, Terrell May, Luke Keary, Joey Manu and Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, Politis remains hopeful the Roosters will do better this year than most are expecting.
“We’re in a rebuilding process but I’m very positive about it,” he said.
“A couple of trial losses won’t put us off course. We’re backing a lot of our emerging young players to come through.”
PVL’S PUSH FOR STEFANOVIC SHOW
NRL commission chairman Peter V’landys wants Today Show star Karl Stefanovic to host his own rugby league show on Channel 9.
“It’s so evident in Vegas how popular Karl is with the fans,” V’landys said. “They love him.
“I think he’s the perfect person to be an ambassador for rugby league on Channel 9.
“I’m going to talk to them about it. They’re a broadcast partner and they want to do a lot more to promote the game.
“Karl knows his rugby league and the more footy programming we can get is only going to help grow the game.”
HYNES STILL IN BLUES MIX
Blues coach Laurie Daley has rubbished suggestions that Cronulla Sharks superstar Nicho Hynes has had his papers marked not to play State of Origin.
Hynes was sacked from the NSW team after the first game of the series last year, replaced by Parramatta star Mitchell Moses, who steered the Blues to a series victory.
Hynes steps onto Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas against Penrith champion Nathan Cleary, desperate to get his season off to a positive start to erase the memories of disappointing 2024.
“If Nicho is playing well there will always be an opportunity for him,” Daley said in Las Vegas, where he is here for the season-opening blockbuster.
“No-one has ever said he won’t be picked again. Injuries can change things very quickly. Look at Souths last week losing Latrell and Cam Murray.
“Who knows. I like Nicho a lot when he’s playing confidently. He’s just got to trust himself.
“I also like him a lot as a good person to have around a footy side.”
Daley knows Hynes has hardly set the world on fire in the Blues jersey.
But he points out the circumstances have been difficult.
“He came on in Adelaide a couple of years ago and had to fill in out of position as a centre,” Daley said, “That’s not ideal for a specialist half in Origin.
“Last year it was always going to be difficult in the first game when (Joseph) Suaalii was sent-off early.
“Again, I come back to form and who else is available at the time.”
ROOSTERS DRESSED TO THE NINES
You’ve got to admire the passion of Sydney Roosters bosses to make rugby league inroads into America.
Chairman Nick Politis, CEO Joe Kelly and directors Mark Bouris and Andrew Jolliffe have travelled all the way to Las Vegas to watch the LA Roosters in the Nines tournament.
“We’re backing the initiative of Peter V’landys in bringing the season opener to America,” Politis said, “It’s a great idea that we wanted to support.
“So we’ve invested in the LA Roosters and we’re hopeful that we’ll not only grow our brand but assists in making a footprint
RAIDERS SIDESTEP AGENT IN FOGARTY TALKS
NRL clubs are fighting back against the influence of player managers.
The Roosters and the Bulldogs refuse to deal with Isaac Moses, despite his impressive list of players. They just don’t want to do business with him.
Canberra Raiders coach Ricky Stuart feels the same way about his halfback Jamal Fogarty’s agent, Tas Bartlett.
So much so that Stuart and Fogarty want to negotiate a deal on their own.
“Jamal came to me and said ‘let’s just do this ourselves’,” Stuart said.
“Typical Jamal. We’ve got a very good relationship with a lot of trust.
“Jamal and I will be communicating.”
Bartlett had gone to the media to publicise the fact Fogarty has an option which allows him to speak to rival clubs from round six.
“I said to him ‘Let’s get the season going and then we’ll sit down and have a chat’,” Stuart said.
“I’ve asked him as a senior player to bring through our young halves – Ethan Sanders and Ethan Strange. I said that’s the one legacy I want you to leave at this club – to bring these boys through.
“Jamal’s a really mature footballer and he understands how good these youngsters are but from an experience point of view we need him right now.”
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