Sport Confidential: Broncos target homesick Souths star; Storm legend’s son eyes NRL move
Melbourne Storm’s bid to be based in two states a huge threat to Redcliffe’s NRL ambitions as the Broncos close in on a Maroons star – it’s all in Sport Confidential.
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The Broncos are ready to ramp up their pursuit of Queensland star Jaydn Su’A following his shock axing from South Sydney’s top 17 on the eve of Origin I.
Sport Confidential understands the off-contract Su’A is becoming increasingly homesick and his relegation by Wayne Bennett for Saturday’s clash against the Eels will only intensify his desire to return to live in Brisbane.
That has opened the door for the Broncos, who are keen to add an experienced edge forward to their roster next season with back-rower and captain Alex Glenn tipped to retire at season’s end.
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Brisbane’s recruitment-and-retention committee have discussed a number of back-row targets, including Su’A and Penrith utility Kurt Capewell, who is also a free agent for 2022.
The Broncos made a two-year offer for Capewell in pre-season but the money was short of the $380,000 salary he is currently on at the Panthers.
Queensland Origin utility Capewell is tipped to stay loyal to the Panthers, prompting Broncos coach Kevin Walters to ramp-up his pursuit of Su’A, who could follow Rabbitohs teammate Adam Reynolds to Red Hill next year.
Su’A started his NRL career at the Broncos in 2016, playing 31 games for the club before being released by former Brisbane coach Anthony Seibold and receiving a lifeline from Bennett to join the Rabbitohs two years ago.
The 23-year-old is renowned as one of the toughest hitters in the NRL and was rewarded with his Origin debut last season, but has briefly fallen out of favour at Souths, which puts the Broncos right in the frame.
REDCLIFFE’S EXPANSION BLOW
The Melbourne Storm have delivered a blow to Redcliffe’s expansion bid by strengthening their ties on the Sunshine Coast.
The Storm announced this week they would make a long-term commitment to the region by establishing a new junior academy and pledging to return to the Coast every year for the next three years.
The Dolphins NRL bid has identified the Sunshine Coast as part of their catchment and members of the ARL Commission believe it is a key part of Redcliffe’s proposal.
But the Storm want to make the Sunshine Coast their “home away from home” and have staked their claim on the region.
“The Sunshine Coast has become a second home for us in the last few years,” Storm CEO Justin Rodski said.
“We always feel very welcome here and we have some valuable partnerships in place with the community and commercial sector who have been extremely supportive of our club.”
SMITH PROTEGE TO ENTER NRL
The godson of a gun is headed for the NRL.
Cameron Smith’s protege Cole Geyer is on the cusp of signing with an NRL club and could follow in his father and godfather’s footsteps at the Melbourne Storm.
Geyer, son of Storm great Matt Geyer, is assessing his rugby league future and looks certain to take the next step in 2022.
Geyer, 19, has been playing in the Queensland under-21s competition for Burleigh Bears and is expected to feature in the Intrust Super Cup later in the year.
A crafty hooker, Geyer has interest from numerous rivals, but would love to play for the club that his father and godfather represented.
Matt Geyer played 262 games for the Storm and famously took a young Cameron Smith under his wing in the early 2000s, with the duo becoming best mates.
Geyer chose Smith to be Cole’s godfather and Smith’s post-career move to the Gold Coast has allowed him to become a key mentor and coach for Cole.
Smith set tongues wagging when he was spotted kicking footballs at Mudgeeraba on the Gold Coast earlier this year, sparking speculation he could sign with the Titans or Broncos.
But what he was actually doing was coaching Cole on the finer arts of dummy-half play.
Smith was also at the Titans-Burleigh pre-season trial, further fuelling speculation of a Titans cameo, but he was there alongside Matt Geyer to watch Cole play for the Bears.
Interestingly, Cole’s best mate is Broncos winger Xavier Coates, who is also headed for Melbourne next year.
The two would love to reunite under Storm coach Craig Bellamy and there is a good chance it will happen.
BRONCOS GIANT TORMENTS GALLEN
This is the 17-year-old Broncos monster who has been terrorising Paul Gallen in the lead-up to the NSW Origin legend’s heavyweight blockbuster against Australian champion Justis Huni on June 16.
Sport Confidential can reveal Xavier Va’a – a 185cm, 116kg front-rower who is contracted to the Broncos – sparred with Gallen in Toowoomba last week to help the former Sharks skipper prepare for his Australian title fight with Huni.
Va’a is not only a gun rugby league player, he is an equally talented heavyweight boxer who is a former Queensland state champion.
The much shorter Gallen found out the hard way when he jumped in the ring against the towering Va’a, who unloaded some brutal shots on the NRL legend in a good tune-up for his showdown with Huni.
Va’a attends St Mary’s Toowoomba, the same school which helped deliver Cowboys legend Johnathan Thurston to the NRL stage.
Gallen said he was impressed by Va’a’s size and boxing ability.
“It was good to get some rounds out,” he said.
“I sparred three different guys and they were different sizes and their different styles were tough.
“Xavier is good. He is a nice kid too. He’s in the Broncos squad as well so he is definitely an athlete.
TITANS IN BATTLE FOR PRESTO JUNIOR
The Titans have begun talks to extend the contract of Jayden Campbell following his sizzling start to the season.
The son of Titans legend Preston, Campbell is on the cusp of his NRL debut after scoring six tries from as many games this season in the Intrust Super Cup, including a hat-trick against the Northern Pride a fortnight ago.
Incredibly, the 21-year-old has 59 tackle busts in six games, prompting Titans recruitment chiefs to open talks on a contract upgrade for the fullback livewire.
Campbell is already contracted until the end of 2022, but is not ready to ink an extension just yet as he keeps his options open with a proposed second Brisbane team on the horizon for 2023.
The Gold Coast’s decision to hand fullback AJ Brimson a five-year extension has also clouded Campbell’s pathway at the Titans.
BRONCOS READY TO UNLEASH DEBUTANT
The Broncos are ready to blood fullback sensation Selwyn Cobbo in first grade as five NRL rivals circle the teenage sensation.
We revealed last week the Dragons were among several clubs keen to sign Cobbo and the Broncos have upped the ante by including the 18-year-old as 19th man for Thursday night’s clash against the Storm at Suncorp Stadium.
Cobbo ran with the Broncos at the captain’s run on Wednesday to give the Indigenous flyer, rated the next Latrell Mitchell, a taste of the big time.
The Cherbourg product is off-contract at the end of next year and will be promoted to Brisbane’s NRL full-time squad next season.
Broncos coach Kevin Walters has blooded Kobe Hetherington and TC Robati in the past two games and says Cobbo is knocking on the door of the NRL.
“We just wanted to get Selwyn in and around the team,” Walters said. “He is not far away from playing NRL so we wanted to give him a taste of training and see how he goes.”
NRL STARS TURN MENTORS
Want to be mentored by an NRL player? Here is your chance.
Recently retired Dragons star Trent Merrin is launching an app with former teammate Brayden Wiliame called Our Mentor.
The app will allow footy fans to connect with players to be their mentors – for a price.
It will be interesting to see which players sign up to the app to act as mentors and what they believe their advice is worth.
SUNNY COAST FANS WIN
The Melbourne Storm could be bringing another NRL game to the Sunshine Coast.
The NRL is assessing where the Storm’s Round 13 game against the Gold Coast Titans should be played.
The match was scheduled to take place at the Storm’s home ground AAMI Park in Melbourne on Saturday, June 5.
But with Melbourne entering a seven-day lockdown until Wednesday, the NRL is unlikely to risk waiting to see how the Covid outbreak is panning out.
The Storm are in camp at Twin Waters and the match is likely to be played at either Sunshine Coast Stadium or Suncorp Stadium.
Given it won’t attract a huge crowd at Suncorp, with no Origin players on show, the Sunshine Coast boutique venue shapes as the perfect place for the game.
The region has embraced NRL games and this would be a bonus match for the Sunshine Coast if the NRL decides to go there.
VETERAN ENTERS BRONCOS SYSTEM
The Broncos threw Albert Kelly a lifeline in pre-season and now another veteran playmaker has entered Brisbane’s affiliate system.
Former Newcastle and Titans halfback Tyrone Roberts has inked a deal with Broncos’ feeder club Norths Devils as he looks to rekindle his rugby league career with a comeback in the Intrust Super Cup.
Highly rated by NRL super coach Wayne Bennett, Roberts is still only 29 and believes he still has what it takes to play top-level rugby league, having amassed 156 NRL games in a 10-year career at the Knights and Titans.
Roberts played just three games for the Titans last year and was eventually cut due to a series of injuries, but the former Indigenous All Stars playmaker is keen to make an impression with the Devils.
Kelly made his Broncos debut last week after two months of superb form for Souths Logan and Roberts is hoping his Devils return could be a springboard back into the NRL.
Roberts knows Norths coach Rohan Smith well from their days at the Titans and he is expected to make his Devils debut in the coming weeks.
PACIFIC RIM FLEXES ITS MUSCLE
The Asia Pacific Rugby League Confederation (APRLC) has appointed experienced sports administrator Jeremy Edwards as chief operating officer as the code continues to grow in one of its most dynamic regions.
Edwards’ career in sports administration includes roles with the Beijing and London Olympics and Paralympics, European Games and the 2017 Rugby League World Cup.
The appointment signals another step in the growth of the Asia Pacific, which boasts seven nations among the 16 qualifiers for the Rugby League World Cup 2021. Those nations are Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Cook Islands, Tonga and Samoa.
Edwards is based in Brisbane, working with members across the breadth of the Confederation.
“It’s a vast region and it has great potential for the continued growth of this great game,” Mr Edwards said.
“The Confederation will be well represented in this year’s World Cup and we have growth areas across the Asia Pacific area. The inaugural South American rugby league championships are set for Colombia next February which is exciting news.”
NEW DEVICE CAN HELP CONCUSSION CONCERN
ARL Commission boss Peter V’landys is determined to make the game safer and new technology could help NRL doctors when assessing on-field concussions.
Known as EyeGuide, the clever technology has already been used by the Queensland Origin women‘s team and has been rolled out in the Brisbane Rugby League A-grade competition.
World Rugby is also using the device and now inventors are hoping V’landys is all eyes as the NRL takes strong measures to minimise the risk of head-trauma injuries for their 400-plus contracted players.
An EyeGuide test can be performed in a dressing-room or on the sidelines with results delivered on a suspected concussed player following just a 10-second exam. The data is printable so the NRL can review club sideline HIA assessments.
The ongoing data can measure a player’s brain health over the course of their career and flag early warning for further specialist assessments.
EyeGuide’s chief operating officer Shane Keating believes the tool can be invaluable for NRL clubs to further aid the code’s crackdown on foul play.
“This device is proven at amateur and elite level. We are working across six countries with world rugby, so there’s no reason why it can’t be transferable to the NRL,” he said.
“We feel using this tool is a huge step forward in being more scientific in assessing on-field concussions.
“The test involves using an iPad and a white dot moves around the screen for 10 seconds and the player follows that white dot with their eyes. A camera takes 1200 images of the person’s eyes while they are following the dot, then provides a score and graphic.
“It’s not a comprehensive diagnosis of your whole brain function but it is an objective indicator for a doctor to make a more informed decision.
“It would be great to talk to Peter V’landys about it. He said recently the game could be dead in 10 or 15 years if they don’t do something with making the game safer and the introduction of modern technology such as the EyeGuide is the next logical step.”
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