Sport Confidential: Miles cops a Gus Gould spray, Broncos make membership history
Steven Miles taken to task by Gus Gould over stadium shambles, the Broncos break a membership record and more in Sport Confidential.
NRL
Don't miss out on the headlines from NRL. Followed categories will be added to My News.
League heavyweight Phil Gould has weighed in on the Queensland Government’s bungling of the Brisbane Olympic Games.
Queensland Premier Steven Miles is under fire as the state government bumbles its way around a venues plan for the biggest event in Brisbane’s history.
The government has abandoned the original plan to upgrade the Gabba, ignored the findings of a review and now pushing towards redeveloping the ageing white elephant QSAC.
Queensland has become a national embarrassment with its handling of the planning, with Miles this week tweeting: “Queenslanders have made it clear they do not want to spend billions on new stadiums. So we won’t.”
That prompted a reply from powerful NRL figure “Gus” Gould.
“Oh please … It’s the Olympic Games … Our country will be on show to the world … Build it big and build it special,” Gould tweeted.
We agree with Gus!
BRONCOS SET NEW RECORD
The Brisbane Broncos have solidified their status as the NRL’s biggest club after generating an eye-watering $75 million last year and setting a new membership record.
The Broncos have been quietly celebrating after becoming the first NRL club to register 50,000 members in a season.
The milestone was reached while the Broncos were in the United States preparing for the Las Vegas season-opener and the club is now well beyond 53,000 members and eyeing 60,000 this year.
Last year’s membership tally was around 47,000, which shows how big an impact reaching an NRL grand final has when it comes to securing members for the following season.
Since collecting the wooden spoon in 2020, the Broncos have surged on an off the field under the leadership of CEO Dave Donaghy, coach Kevin Walters and chairman Karl Morris, with membership nearly doubling since the 28,533 that committed in 2021.
“This is what we set our sights on over the last year or two and it’s terrific to see the record before we’d even played a game in 2024,” Donaghy said.
“We know it comes after a strong performance and a grand final appearance last year, but it’s something that has been building for some time now.
“These types of numbers are still scratching the surface of those seen in the AFL, where becoming a member of a club has long been a part of fan culture, with tallies up are up around the 100k mark.
“While we’d obviously need to manage capacity at Suncorp Stadium closely, there’s no reason why we can’t achieve that as an NRL club, and we are working on what that may look like.
“Now we’re working towards 60,000 and we expect to be celebrating that milestone by Origin time, if not beforehand.”
The financial benefits of a grand final season saw Brisbane’s 2023 revenue jump 25.7 per cent to $75.2 million, creating a record profit of $5.6 million (up 74 per cent).
The Broncos’ annual report revealed Donaghy was rewarded for his leadership efforts with a $150,000 bonus, taking his total package beyond $700,000, while Walters also believed to have pocketed an incentive after taking the club to within a whisker of the NRL premiership.
BENNETT’S $60 MILLION MISSION
Rugby League America bosses are targeting Dolphins super coach Wayne Bennett as part of a $60 million masterplan to launch the code in the US.
Sport Confidential can reveal RLA chiefs are keen to hire Bennett in a consultancy role to ensure a proposed 10-team competition, slated to kick off in 2025 or 2026, has credibility from day one.
Channel 9 media kingpin Karl Stefanovic has purchased a stake in the RLA, which has already banked $60m via private investment and a major sponsorship deal.
RLA boss Steve Scanlan confirmed the interest in Bennett after he made a presentation to the ARL Commission a fortnight ago in Las Vegas with a view to calling the competition NRL America.
“We would love for Wayne to be involved - we will be reaching out to him,” Scanlan said.
“I can’t imagine Wayne would want to get involved fully in the operational side, but we would love to have him on board as a consultant.
“We need to tap into the best brains in the sport to make this competition successful and Wayne is right up there with the best thinkers.
“We’d love to create something that suits him and us as well.
“We would be honoured to have him involved.”
Scanlan said RLA bosses are leaving no stone unturned to ensure a US competition is not a Mickey Mouse league. Manly owner Scott Penn has expressed interest in buying one of the 10 licences for sale.
“We had preliminary talks with the NRL and I’m confident we can get their support,” he said.
“But we need to get the infrastructure right. We must have the right strategic vision and show the NRL how serious we are and make sure it stacks up.
“Having $60 million in the bank shows we have the financial capacity. That money includes private investors and major sponsorship money.
“It’s about us now making sure we do the right thing ... we’re going to market for a CEO and heavy hitters from the NRL want to be involved.”
DOLPHINS GO UNDERGROUND
The Dolphins have swapped their footy boots for a hard hat.
Dolphins Isaiya Katoa, Josh Kerr and Jake Averillo have spent their NRL bye week visiting kids and workers in central Queensland’s mining towns.
Less than 12 hours after thumping the Dragons 38-0 on Sunday night, the Dolphins boarded a plane to head north.
As part of the club’s sponsorship with Anglo-American Coal, the Dolphins spent three days visiting schools, junior league clubs and mine sites in Emerald, Middlemount and Moranbah.
Kerr said it was a great experience and made him appreciate the life of a professional athlete.
“Just to give us some insights into their daily life, things like doing 12-hour shifts and going underground, was pretty eye opening,” he said.
The Dolphins will be hoping to back up their hot performance against the Dragons when they face the Titans on the Gold Coast next Saturday.
TSZYU ARE KIDDING
Australian boxing’s bitter rivals Tim Tszyu and Michael Zerafa are set to cross paths for the first time in almost three years since their domestic super fight was sensationally cancelled.
Tszyu and Zerafa will take part in a gym workout on Friday morning as part of preparations for their respective world-title fights in Las Vegas on Sunday week.
Zerafa will face Erislandy Lara for the middleweight world title on the undercard, while Tszyu will feature in the main event in his two-belt bout against Sebastian Fundora at T-Mobile Arena.
Zerafa was set to fight Tszyu in July 2021, only for one of the most eagerly anticipated bouts in Australian boxing history to fall through when Zerafa pulled out a week before the showdown in Newcastle.
The Zerafa camp cited travel issues around the Covid crisis. Tszyu accused Zerafa and being a coward and has since gone on to become a world champion.
Now the pair will finally come face to face when they take part in a training workout in Vegas.
Tszyu has slammed Zerafa as a “loudmouth” in the lead up to the world-title blockbuster. And while Zerafa has refused to get into a slanging match with Tszyu out of respect to flying the flag for Australian boxing, he has no doubt he can beat his arch-enemy.
“At the end of the day, Tszyu has got my name in his mouth and he seems to have a lot of confidence when I’m not standing in front of him,” Zerafa said.
“He seems to find his balls when I’m not in sight.
“But when I face him in a room, he is a different person.
“Anyway, it won’t take away my support for Tim in this fight. We’re both Aussies and I hope Tim wins his fight.
“I don’t have to like Tim as a person, but as a fighter I respect his ability and I both hope we get the win and maybe one day we can have an Aussie super fight for the world titles.”
WEIGHT’S RIGHT FOR JT
Jason Taumalolo is leaving no stone unturned to prolong his career at the Cowboys.
The Tongan Test star is in the best shape of his career, having shaved almost 5kg from his powerhouse frame ahead of Saturday’s clash against the Dragons in Sydney.
Taumalolo weighed in at 116.5kg for his boxing debut against fellow NRL star Reagan Campbell-Gillard last October in Townsville and the Cowboys champion has since trimmed down to 112kg.
It is the lightest Taumalolo has been since his rookie years at the Cowboys and proof the 30-year-old is committed to seeing out his $10 million contract, which expires at the end of 2027.
The former Dally M winner is battling a degenerative knee condition but the Cowboys remain confident Taumalolo will not retire early.
“Jase has worked really hard to get himself fit,” Cowboys coach Todd Payten said. “He has had a good pre-season so he is giving himself every chance to punch out more minutes in games.”
IZZY KEEN ON TONGA
Dolphins young gun Isaiya Katoa says he remains committed to Tonga despite being eligible for New Zealand and the NSW Origin team.
The 20-year-old made his Test debut as a teenager at the 2022 World Cup and also featured in Tonga’s three-Test series against England in the Old Dart last October.
But such is Katoa’s talent and status as one of the code’s rising superstars, it seems only a matter of him before the playmaker attracts the attention of the Kiwis and, potentially, NSW at Origin level.
Katoa was born in New Zealand before moving to Australia at the age of nine, meaning he is eligible for State of Origin, which requires players to live in NSW or Queensland before their 13th birthday.
Katoa has the option to switch to New Zealand as a tier-one nation, but the classy five-eighth or halfback is committed to the Tongan cause.
“I am eligible for State of Origin and I’m eligible to play for NSW, but I am happy to be playing for Tonga at the moment,” said Katoa, who has already chalked up six Tests.
“Nathan Cleary is the NSW halfback and my focus is the Dolphins and Tonga in the international season.
“To be honest, I’m not thinking too much about Origin, I’m only young and not getting carried away.
“We are building as a Tongan team. I was born in New Zealand, but I love representing my culture and my family for Tonga. My first focus is playing well for the Dolphins, then once the NRL season finishes, my focus will go to Tonga and playing well for them on the international stage.”
COWBOYS’ EXPANSION PLEA
The Cowboys have warned the NRL of the perils of potentially having an 18th franchise representing Papua New Guinea with a North Queensland base in Cairns.
The ARL Commission is ramping up expansion plans and the Australian government is prepared to tip in $600 million for a Papua New Guinea team to enter the NRL, possibly as early as 2026 or 2027.
There were initial plans for an 18th team to be based full-time in Cairns and playing most home games in Papua New Guinea.
But North Queensland chief executive Jeff Reibel fears a new NRL franchise that sets up base in his club’s traditional heartland would be a crippling blow for the Cowboys, who entered the league in 1995 and are the pride of the far north.
“There are 600,000 people in our footprint,” Reibel said.
“If you break the Sydney sides up, they have about 950,000 people per team in Sydney, so cutting our footprint in half is not sustainable for the Cowboys.
“We welcome a Papua New Guinea team ... in PNG.”
WHY WALTERS IS PASSING ON PANGAI, FOR NOW
Brisbane coach Kevin Walters has left the door ajar for Tevita Pangai Jr to return to the Broncos as star forward Payne Haas prepares to undergo knee surgery.
Walters hasn’t ruled out making a play for Pangai Jr at a time when the Broncos have gone to the open market on a hunt for another forward, but for now he is backing the club’s front row depth to cover for Haas.
As first revealed by this masthead, Pangai Jr held preliminary talks with the Broncos last month about the prospect of returning to the club that offloaded him in 2021.
Pangai Jr quit the Bulldogs last August to become a professional boxer, but Brisbane’s interest reignited the rugby league flame in TPJ, who made his comeback for Broncos feeder club Souths Logan in the Hostplus Cup a fortnight ago.
Now, with Broncos superstar prop Haas to miss up to six weeks, on the back of the club losing key forwards Tom Flegler (Dolphins) and Kurt Capewell (Warriors) to rival clubs, Pangai Jr is on Brisbane’s radar.
Speaking for the first time about Pangai Jr’s proposed return, Walters stressed Brisbane are taking a wait-and-see approach on recruitment, but said a TPJ comeback this season is a possibility.
On Wednesday, Pangai Jr revealed he held informal talks with Dolphins super coach Wayne Bennett, but says his “heart is with the Broncos” and has unfinished business at the club.
“That is a great attitude to have from Tevita,” Walters said.
“If that does happen (Pangai Jr playing for the Broncos this year) and he does get here then it will be good to see him playing some good footy.
“We are comfortable with our forward depth at the moment.
“I know that Tevita is playing Queensland Cup and we are aware of that.
“We are just holding our cards at the moment.
“We feel like we have the right depth at the moment but who knows what happens in the future.”
Pressed on whether he wouldn’t rule out signing Pangai Jr, Walters said: “We don’t rule anything out ... the future is unknown for us.”
Join the conversation
Future NRL stars dazzle in Australian Schoolboys domination
A Greg Inglis clone who needs to ‘work out the talent he’s got’ and a Dragons wrecking ball were at the fore of the Australian Schoolboys 50-point demolition job. Discover every standout performer.
Read more
Panthers slammed over ‘pathetic’ move
The Penrith Panthers are the all-conquering NRL champions but the club has abandoned their bid to claim the one trophy that’s eluded them.
Read more