Saint, Sinner, Shoosh: Tim Sheens to no-show Wests Tigers’ 2005 premiership reunion
2005 premiership-winning coach Tim Sheens will be a no-show as his champion Tigers side reunites at Leichhardt Oval on Sunday, with Sheens failing to respond to multiple calls from CEO Shane Richardson.
Wests Tigers will honour their 2005 premiership team at Leichhardt Oval on Sunday afternoon at the game against North Queensland Cowboys.
We’re told 15 of the 17 players will be there for a parade in front of the fans.
Sadly Tim Sheens, the coach from 20 years ago, won’t be there.
CEO Shane Richardson has tried to call the four-time premier coach on a number of occasions with no luck.
Not that Sheens is dirty on Richo, it has more to do with his anger at the manner in which he was sacked from the club in 2023 under the previous management.
MANLY BOSSES OFFERED $30M FOR CLUB
Manly chairman and owner Scott Penn has knocked back a secret $30 million-plus offer to sell the Sea Eagles to a syndicate of businessmen.
We can reveal the man behind the consortium is Blake Cannavo, the wealthy chief executive and managing director of mining company, Native Mineral resources.
Cannavo was a behind-the-scenes powerbroker and third-party sponsor at Newcastle for many years before moving on to Manly earlier this year.
He’s previously worked for some of the country’s most affluent and high-powered business people in Twiggy Forrest and Gina Reinhart.
Penn has confirmed the recent interest from the consortium.
“We’ve had a lot of conversations over the years with certain people wanting to buy us,” Penn said.
“More recently we had another conversation. There was no point in us even talking about it right now.
“I’m not going anywhere. The thing is I’m excited about the future. It’s frustrating. A lot of people have said things about our ownership over the years, but we’re still here.
“So say whatever you want.”
Penn and the Manly club have had one of their toughest years since taking over part ownership of the club in 2006, and then a majority shareholding in 2014.
The shock round-four announcement that club legend Daly Cherry-Evans was bailing out on the club fractured the playing ranks and left coach Anthony Seibold to deal with a lot more than just coaching the football side.
“It’s been a tough year for a variety of reasons,” Penn said.
“Often these tough times galvanise you and make you focus on what’s really important.
“Tony (Mestrov), Seibs (Anthony Seibold) and I have never been more aligned.
“We might be talking about the structure moving forward but we’re not selling.”
Seibold has two years to run on his coaching contract.
And while missing out on finals football this year is almost unacceptable, he has enough internal support to survive and coach into next season.
SAINT
With so much of a focus on the pacific nations, we often forget and neglect rugby league’s traditional grassroots in bush football. Penrith is the only NRL club to take a home game to regional NSW this year. They’ve been in Bathurst earlier in the season and Mudgee since Wednesday doing school visits, training clinics and other great community work with thousands of locals. More clubs should be doing this as well.
SINNER
The faceless snipers at one high-on-the-ladder NRL club who constantly leak damaging information to certain media types to create publicity and awareness around questionable tactics of rivals in the lead up to the finals. I much prefer Penrith’s way of dealing with it. If they’ve got a problem, they say so publicly. Like Nathan Cleary did after the Melbourne Storm game at his press conference. It’s a far more honourable way of doing business rather than hiding behind the media.
SHOOSH
The ABC is battling a commentator shortage following Andrew Moore’s heart attack. As a result, the Canberra based Tim Gavel has been assigned Sunday’s Knights v Broncos match in Newcastle. This is a surprise considering the great Craig ‘Hammo’ Hamilton lives in Newcastle and could have made a comeback as a one-off to save costs and help out. Instead, taxpayers will be left to pick up the airfares and hire-car expenses for Gavel’s return trip to the Hunter.
SHOOSH
There are some awkward times at Manly around the strained relationships with player agent George Mimis. Mimis looks after Matt Ballin, who is being pushed by old boys to replace Anthony Seibold. Mimis also manages Michael Ennis, who is a coaching consultant at the Sea Eagles.
SPOTTED
Massive pools of water at Allianz Stadium this week given Sydney’s week of mega rainfall. Venues NSW chairman David Gallop and stadium spin doctor Phillip Heads are absolutely blessed that there are no games there this weekend. The stadium will close next month for a 10-week, $6 million turf repair job.
SPOTTED
We’ve been banging on about the rugby union ticket prices for the British and Irish Lions tour that were unaffordable for the battlers. So we’ve checked out what they’re charging for Australia v All Blacks at Optus Stadium in Perth on October 4. The cheapest seat is just $49; the most expensive $499. Even better, you can watch the Wallabies v Argentina at Allianz Stadium for as little as $29. The Queens Park/Mosman lawyers/surgeons/bankers will be sharing the stadium with the western Sydney types.
SPOTTED
Cricket Australia chief executive Todd Greenberg sitting alongside Fox Sports heavyweights Patrick Delany and Steve Crawley at a brain cancer charity fundraiser at Randwick last week.
SPOTTED
Player agent Mario Tartak and the ‘art dealer’ Steve Nasteski dining at Light Years in Byron Bay. Nasteski is the man trying to buy Russell Crowe’s 25 per cent share of the South Sydney Rabbitohs.
REYNO’S LESSON FOR ROAD-RAGER
Broncos skipper Adam Reynolds has narrowly avoided a road-rage incident in Brisbane.
The champion halfback was taking his daughter, on her L-plates, for a driving lesson when an incident occurred with an impatient driver.
Reynolds told his story to Ben Dobbin on Brisbane’s Triple M Rush Hour show.
“We’re driving home, L-platers are slow, we all know that,” Reynolds said.
“They’re inexperienced and they’re learning.
“My daughter got bipped from behind and a bloke came alongside her and put his hand out.
“I told my daughter to pull up right next to him.
“He put the window down and I told her to put our window down.
“I had a crack at him. I said, ‘What’s your problem? She’s a learner mate, have some respect.”
Reynolds admitted it could have gotten ugly.
Like any decent father, he was never going to allow the driver to be rude to his daughter.
“If he’d got out of the car, I was getting out too,” he said.
“His window went up very quickly.
“It’s my daughter. I can’t believe how rude some drivers are to L-platers.”
MUDGEE MIRACLE MEN TAKE AIR
Canberra are going to great expense to ensure their players are in good shape for the finals.
CEO Don Furner chartered a plane home from Mudgee after Friday night’s golden point thriller against the Panthers.
The players were home in bed in the national capital by 11pm.
It sure beats a 380km road trip that can take nearly five hours.
Yes, the plane is a costly exercise but these are the little one percenters that can contribute significantly to a premiership-winning campaign.
IKIN HEALTH DRAMA
Queensland rugby league boss Ben Ikin has been rushed to hospital to have his appendix removed.
The 48-year-old former Maroons Origin star returned home from work on Thursday night complaining of stomach pain.
He was taken to The Wesley Hospital where surgeons performed an appendectomy.
LEAGUE’S PACIFIC VICTORY
Even without Australia’s Kangaroos, the 2025 Pacific Championships in October are shaping up as a huge rugby league success.
Samoa will face off with Tonga as part of an opening double-header at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday, October 26, also featuring the Jillaroos and Samoa.
Can you believe the early ticket sales for the Samoa-Tonga match are up 105% on the Kangaroos-Tonga match at Suncorp last year.
It’s also fairly clear that the recent speculation about defections from the Kangaroos to Samoa and Tonga have been a catalyst for the strong interest.
According to ticket data, 65% of the tickets have been sold in the Samoa section compared to 35% in the Tonga fan zone.
Rugby league has never been in a better shape for international football.
Good luck buying a ticket to the second or third Test in England on the Kangaroo Tour – both games in Liverpool and Leeds have sold out.
TSZYUS ARE BUILT DIFFERENT
Tim Tszyu was a noted absentee when his brother Nikita destroyed the previously unbeaten Macedonian Lulzim Ismaili at the ICC on Wednesday night.
Tim has taken a holiday in Japan - and an indefinite break from boxing - even when it means missing his brother’s fights. He just wants a complete break from the sport.
After three crushing losses in 18 months, Tim has even stopped boxing in the gym while he contemplates his next career move.
The relationship between the brothers is an interesting one.
Nikita got secretly married in January and didn’t invite Tim or his mum.
Nikita told the Off The Record podcast last week that he hadn’t spoken to his brother for a while.
No way are we suggesting there is any trouble or drama in the family.
They’re just different.
Nikita’s career is skyrocketing towards a world title while Tim is probably at the crossroads.
They say his next goal is to run a marathon, hence the trip to the mountains of Japan to train for endurance.
OSCARS UP TV RIGHTS
The success and popularity of Oscar Piastri has forced a bidding war between Fox Sports and Stan for the Formula 1 television rights in Australia.
According to media industry sources, Foxtel/DAZN will retain the rights but will have to go as high as $60 million (they currently pay $45 million) to secure the deal.
THE BIG BREKKY
Catch you at 9.40am on the Weekend Big Sports Breakfast with Ray Thomas and Dean ‘Bulldog’ Ritchie and then from midday onTriple M with Ben Dobbin, Gordie Tallis and James Graham to chat all things rugby league.
THE BETTER HALF - with Tayla Montoya, wife of Bulldogs winger Marcelo
Tayla, you and Marcelo made a huge move coming back to the Bulldogs after building a life in New Zealand?
Moving overseas is already stressful, but I happened to be pregnant, like 34 weeks with twins! I was told my whole pregnancy I had to be stable and not do anything major, so my husband thought it was a good idea to move countries in the third trimester.
Was there a part of you that thought he was really stuffing up your plans?
I told him that I got him that deal (for him) because I was a cheerleader at the Bulldogs and they wanted me home. But yeah I was like, ‘What the hell?’ But I agreed as long as when we touched down he helped me find an obstetrician to deliver the babies.
Any conversation with the Bulldogs to bring you back as a cheerleader?
I don’t think my body is ready for that again. I’ve changed a lot since I was 18, so I will leave that up to my two daughters to fill that legacy. I also don’t think Marcello would be too keen to see me on the sideline.
Well, you were both at the club as juniors, is that how you met?
Kind of. I was there from 18-21 and he was in the under-20s so I would see him around and stuff, but we didn’t really connect. We ended up running into each other at Cargo Bar and I guess you could say sparks flew… Bullshit.
Bullshit? So what really happened?
He’s very stand-offish and cold. I didn’t think he realises, but he suffers from really bad resting bitch face. All my friends were telling me to go talk to him but he looked so mean and rude. We eventually ended up talking, but it took him like six months to ask me to be his girlfriend.
Sounds like it all worked out! Surely you saw his romantic side for the first date?
Well, he picked me up, which straight away was brownie points because romance is kind of dead in this day and age. He took me to Hogs Breath in Cronulla, so nothing too bloody fancy. But then he took me to a horror film, which I love - and he hates. I remember in the film there was this weird incest scene; he looked at me and I could just tell he thought, ‘She’s not all there in the head’, but he must have liked something.
Marcelo came back from injury, what was it like having him around the home. Did you see more of him?
With normal people you would probably see them more, but my husband - because he wasn’t playing - felt he needed to overcompensate in other regions. He’s still the first one there, last to leave, so I have no idea what he’s doing, but it seems to have worked.
Well he’s back now, what’s it like watching Marcelo play?
I’m a mess. I get so nervous, so worked up. I literally spend most of the game in the toilet because my bowels don’t agree with the stuff I’m seeing.
Get to know the Tayla and Marcello more in The Montoyas podcast.
- With Tyson Jackson
More Coverage
Originally published as Saint, Sinner, Shoosh: Tim Sheens to no-show Wests Tigers’ 2005 premiership reunion
Benji set to make call on future amid Tigers boardroom chaos
