Sport Con: David Fifita moving betting markets, Corey Parker’s date with a Bulldog
Why the bookies are terrified of David Fifita this week, Corey Parker reunites with a former Bronco and more all in Sport Confidential.
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Punters are tipping Titans hulk David Fifita to have a field day against the Warriors on Saturday.
TAB has noted significant interest in Fifita across all try scoring markets but especially in the To Score a Hat-trick option for the Cbus Super Stadium clash.
“Usually, it’s wingers and fullbacks attracting the most money in markets like scoring two plus tries, but Fifita is pretty much the only player the punters want,” said TAB’s Rohan Welsh
“At $34 it will be costly for TAB if he runs riot like he has done before and bags three tries.”
Fifita crossed for two hat-tricks last season and scored a double against the Warriors when the Titans won 44-0 last time they met.
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Fifita, 22, looks like a different player going into this season.
He has stripped a considerable amount of weight and even had an attitude shift when it comes to dealing with media.
After barely doing a media conference in his debut season at the Titans last year, and in previous years at the Broncos, he offered to stand in front of cameras at training on Tuesday.
Fifita has received some personal advice that he needed to change his attitude towards the media and publicity if he really wants to cash in on his on-field starpower.
COREY PARKER’S DATE WITH A DOG
Bulldogs recruit Tevita Pangai Jr has reunited with mentor and Broncos legend Corey Parker in the lead-up to his grudge match against Brisbane this Sunday in Sydney.
Sport Confidential spotted Pangai Jr enjoying a coffee with Parker on Brisbane’s southside on Tuesday while ‘TPJ’ had two days off following Canterbury’s narrow 6-4 defeat of the Cowboys in Townsville.
Pangai Jr was almost sacked by the Broncos in 2020 following his Covid dramas and Parker played a key role in his recovery, becoming a virtual personal trainer as he helped the Tongan torpedo strip more than 5kg.
“I had a coffee with Tevita,” Parker said.
“The Dogs had two days off after their win so it was good to catch-up with the big fella again.
“He is a different thinker to what people think. He has a really intellectual way of thinking. I remember times at Brisbane he would go into the office and want to know how the footy club was run.
“I have a bit of a soft spot for Tevita and I enjoyed doing some mentoring work with him. I hope he has a big season at the Bulldogs.”
TURPIN TAKES A GOOD LOOK AT DOLPHINS
Jake Turpin is weighing up a possible move to Brisbane’s expansion rivals the Dolphins as the hooker fights to win a new deal at the Broncos.
Sport Confidential can reveal Turpin has emerged as a possible foundation hooker for the Dolphins in 2023 with Brisbane’s recruitment-and-retention committee taking a wait-and-see approach on whether to offer him another contract.
Turpin is off-contract at season’s end and despite being named Brisbane’s most consistent player at last year’s club awards night, there is no guarantee he will be the Broncos’ No.1 hooker for the long haul.
The Broncos have been impressed by Cory Paix’s development at hooker, while Brisbane believe they have a future superstar at dummy-half in teenager Blake Mozer, who has trained with the top squad in pre-season.
Turpin’s uncertain future at Red Hill has prompted him to consider a number of contingencies, including a return to the Dolphins club he previously represented in the Queensland Cup.
Turpin had a close-up view of Redcliffe’s $100 million operations as a member of the Dolphins’ 2018 premiership side, starting at hooker in their 36-22 defeat of Easts Tigers in the grand final.
Dolphins coach Wayne Bennett gave Turpin his NRL debut at the Broncos. Bennett has yet to hold talks with Turpin, or table a formal offer, but the Dolphins have more than 20 NRL spots to fill and the 25-year-old would be a solid option as the club’s foundation hooker in 2023.
Turpin has amassed 46 games since his entry to the NRL in 2018 and his toughness, work ethic and team-first attitude are precisely the qualities Bennett is looking for as he constructs his maiden Dolphins roster.
Bennett is keeping an open mind on Turpin and insists he will not be hitting the panic button amid fears the Dolphins are struggling to sign players eight months out from their 2023 pre-season.
“We’re very flexible at the moment,” he said. “I just know we need 30 players at the start of the season and if it takes us that long to get the 30 we want, I’m happy to wait.”
Last year, Turpin praised the strength of the Dolphins as an emerging NRL brand.
“I loved my time at Redcliffe in 2018,” he said. “I won a comp there and I have been at a few Queensland Cup clubs when I was down south (while contracted to Melbourne).
“Nothing compares to the way Redcliffe treated everyone and how they ran.
“They are literally run like an NRL club, they are so professional and all the people Redcliffe have there are top-notch people that have been around the club for a long time.”
WARRIORS LASH OUT OVER WALSH
The Warriors have hosed down speculation Reece Walsh is unhappy at the club and weighing up a move to the Broncos or Dolphins.
Sport Confidential can reveal Walsh has a personal-welfare clause in his contract that enables him to leave the Warriors 12 months early if he could not adjust to an eventual move to New Zealand.
The Warriors are currently based at Redcliffe, but the hope is that they will return to New Zealand later this year if Covid restrictions are eased.
That scenario will be the ultimate litmus test for Walsh, who returns from suspension for Saturday’s clash against the Titans at Robina.
The 19-year-old is contracted until the end of 2024, but he could be a free agent as early as 2023 if he struggles to adapt to life in a new country away from his family.
The Broncos never wanted to lose Walsh and are keen to bring him back to the club, while Dolphins’ recruitment boss Peter O’Sullivan was the eagle-eyed scout who poached the fullback sensation during his tenure with the Warriors last year.
Walsh has been buffeted by speculation he is keen to remain in Queensland, but Warriors football chief Craig Hodges dismissed claims the excitement machine wants out.
“Reece is going really well,” Hodges said.
“He makes such a difference to the team with his speed and energy and like most young guys, he has a lot to learn, but we are really happy to have him back this week.
“The challenge for us will be keeping Reece. He hasn’t lived in New Zealand, so that will be a big move for him, but what I do know is that he is extremely happy at the Warriors and he feels like his game is developing here.
“We plan to keep him. I understand home is here (Queensland) for him, so whether the Broncos or Dolphins are a chance to get him in two or three years’ time, I can’t worry too much about that. But any suggestion he is unhappy here is not true.”
BENNY AND ROBBO READY FOR FIREWORKS
Super coaches Wayne Bennett and Trent Robinson could go head-to-head in a round-one blockbuster to launch the 2023 NRL season if Dolphins bosses get their way.
The sparks are flying between the Dolphins and Roosters after Bennett launched a stunning attack on concussion protocols on Wednesday, in particular taking aim at the Roosters for their handling of Victor Radley’s head knock.
Bennett accused the Roosters are rorting concussion rules in a stunning broadside that infuriated Bondi powerbrokers, including coach Robinson and billionaire chairman Nick Politis.
That sets the stage for a spicy rivalry, with Dolphins officials having made a request to the NRL for the expansion newcomers and the Roosters to square off in round one next year for the Arthur Beetson Trophy.
FLIPPIN’ BIG MONEY
The Dolphins are flogging a $3000 foundation membership that could have your name etched into club history.
The NRL expansion club’s website crashed on Wednesday as the Dolphins unveiled their foundation membership packages. But when fans could finally log on, they got a huge surprise with one of the membership options.
Signing up for The Glass House Club membership will set you back a stunning $2995.
As part of the eye-watering price, a plaque with your name and membership number will be placed at the entrance to Moreton Daily Stadium in Redcliffe.
You will also score an exclusive red and gold bomber jacket and entry to every Dolphins home game in their inaugural 2023 season.
The Dolphins also unveiled some much cheaper membership options to get on board with the club, but are yet to release their ticketed memberships for next year.
MOLLY’S SPECIAL GIFT
It is one of the stranger photos seen in recent years — Storm coach Craig Bellamy sporting a purple cowboy hat ahead of his 500th game as an NRL head coach.
And Sport Confidential has got to the bottom of where it came from.
The hat was a special gift from Australian music icon Molly Meldrum.
Meldrum is a huge Storm fan and plucked the hat out of his personal collection as a gift for Bellamy.
Meldrum was planning to be at AAMI Park on Thursday night for Melbourne’s big clash with South Sydney to celebrate Bellamy’s half-ton achievement.
BRONCOS STRIKE A BLOW ON DOLPHINS
Brisbane have fired a shot in Queensland’s expansion turf war by securing two of the Dolphins’ most promising juniors to the Broncos Academy.
Sport Confidential can reveal the Broncos this week came to terms with teenage sensations Ben Te Kura and Karl Oloapu, who are two of the most exciting talents to come out of the Redcliffe system in the past decade.
Te Kura, 18, and Oloapu, 17, joined the Broncos Academy two years ago and the Dolphins would have relished the prospect of luring the duo home for the Redcliffe-based club’s rise to the big league in 2023.
But Broncos bosses have moved swiftly, with Te Kura and Oloapu inking new multi-year deals in a sign Brisbane will not be complacent in their burgeoning rivalry with the Dolphins.
Monster prop Te Kura already stands 195cm and featured in Brisbane’s pre-season trial against Wynnum last month, while Oloapu is a well-built five-eighth or lock likened in style to Manly rookie sensation Josh Schuster.
Te Kura and Oloapu play for Brisbane’s feeder-club Norths Devils in the Mal Meninga Cup and are tipped for NRL futures at the Broncos.
TITANIC SPIN DEPARTMENT
The Titans have hit back at suggestions winger Phil Sami intentionally lied about the fitness of fellow flyer Corey Thompson in the lead-up to last week’s season-opener against Parramatta.
Thompson suffered a broken hand at training last Wednesday, ruling him out of the round 1 clash. He didn’t take part in Friday’s training session, with Greg Marzhew running on the wing, but Sami spun a different story when quizzed about it in his media call after the session, from which cameras were banned.
The only reporter that took the time to tune into the Zoom press conference was Channel 9’s Gold Coast correspondent Dominique Loudon, who was thrown a curve ball by Sami when quizzed about the fitness of AJ Brimson and Thompson.
“He (Thompson) will be fine too, he’s been training well,” Sami told Loudon.
“Those two boys will be there. I can’t wait to run out with them.”
As it turned out, neither Brimson (groin) or Thompson played against the Eels.
The Titans’ spin department went into overdrive when Sport Confidential asked about Sami’s comments to the sole reporter who attended the media opportunity.
They claim Sami wouldn’t have known his fellow winger wasn’t playing despite breaking his hand two days earlier and not training.
V’LANDYS’ QUEENSLAND CALL TO ARMS
ARL Commission boss Peter V’landys has urged Queensland’s three NRL teams the Broncos, Cowboys and Titans to fire this season to combat the threat of AFL’s Brisbane Lions.
Queensland rugby league has been in the doldrums in recent years with the Cowboys missing the finals for four consecutive years, while NRL flagship the Broncos have finished last and third-last in the past two seasons.
The Titans did well to make the finals last season after a wooden-spoon finish in 2019, but V’landys says the NRL needs Queensland’s trio to be strong at a time when the AFL’s Lions are a genuine premiership force.
“It’s imperative the Queensland teams do well this year,” he said.
“They are a key part of our market and with the Lions doing well in the AFL, we need the Broncos, Cowboys and Titans to be successful.
“The Lions have had a renaissance at a time when the Broncos have been struggling.
“When the Broncos are strong, it is a great benefit for rugby league and they can pick up a new fan base. The Broncos must be successful because there is a lot of new people moving north and they can capitalise on that.
“I’m not worried about the state of the Broncos. I am confident they are getting their club in order and they have the potential and the resources to bounce back.”
BRONCOS BUILD THEIR NETWORK
First it was the Thoroughbreds. Now the Broncos have kicked off a new corporate era for the club with the launch of The Network business forum.
The Thoroughbreds were a band of business tycoons who helped mentor Broncos players in the 1990s and early 2000s and Brisbane have gone a step further by setting up corporate experiences for Brisbane businesses.
Almost 500 of Queensland’s leading lights of business gathered on Thursday at the Hilton to hear words of wisdom from the high-profile bosses of Star Entertainment Chair John O’Neill and Virgin Australia CEO Jayne Hrdlicka.
O’Neill, a former boss of the ARU and FFA, and Hrdlicka, current Chair of Tennis Australia, also brought heavyweight sporting insights to the business lunch that focused on the Brisbane region “taking off” in the next decade in the lead-up to the Brisbane Olympics in 2032.
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