Sunday Session: NRL v media stand-offs and the sporting feuds which will define 2024

The healthy rivalry between rugby league players and journos will only get, ahh, healthier, in 2024. Sunday Sesh breaks down the biggest feuds of 2023, and how they will play out in the new year.

After a long sporting year, the Sunday Sesh breaks down the biggest feuds of 2023, and reveals the traditional list of those who won’t be exchanging Christmas cards this holiday season.

THOSE WHO WON’T EXCHANGE CHRISTMAS CARDS

MATTY AND ANDREW JOHNS

The brothers haven’t been on speaking terms for most of 2023 after Matty praised Queensland’s Origin team, something Joey — who was part of the Blues’ coaching staff — immediately took exception to.

“Just because you played four games and lost four doesn’t mean you’ve got to shitbag NSW,” Joey said in an on-air blast on the SEN radio show they co-hosted.

Joey has not been heard on the show since, with Matty declaring the pair could need an independent mediator to sort out their differences.

Will Andrew Johns and Matthew Johns patch-up their relationship in 2024? Picture: John Appleyard

PETER PSALTIS AND PETER PETERS

Veteran journalist Peter Peters labelled Queensland television and radio rugby league commentator Peter Psaltis a “buffoon and brown nose” after he called Zorba “an irrelevant non-event” who should “shut up”.

Psaltis took exception to Peters calling out four Queensland-based Kangaroos players for not singing the national anthem before a Test match.

WILLIE MASON AND TYSON GAMBLE

Outspoken former rugby league international Willie Mason had a crack at Newcastle, declaring the Knights had the “worst f---ing spine in the league” without Kalyn Ponga.

Knights half Tyson Gamble responded, saying Mason “was a middle, not a half, so tell him to get f---ed”.

However, Mason went again when the Knights’ 10-game winning streak came to an end in the second week of the finals.

There could not be a bigger hole that Tyson gamble wants to crawl into right now.
Pick ya battles boy. You are below average. @levelsnetwork

— Willie Mason WMM 💯🇦🇺🇹🇴 (@mase21) September 16, 2023

JAROME LUAI AND JAMES HOOPER

Panthers star Jarome Luai took to social media to poke fun at Fox League journalist James Hooper after the NRL scribe said he wasn’t a fan of the five-eighth’s “on-field antics”.

Luai responded by posting a photo of Hooper’s head to his Instagram story and likening it to an egg.

One of your columnists also came under fire from Luai this season, labelling them a “gronk”. But we can happily confirm the pair have sorted their differences.

Jarome Luai has a ‘crack’ at Hoops.

TIM SHEENS AND JUSTIN PASCOE

Tim Sheens was brought in as a head of football, then moved into the head coach role to guide the Wests Tigers through troubled times as part of the Benji Marshall two-year succession plan. It lasted less than a season before Sheens was stepped aside.

JASON RYLES AND DRAGONS MANAGEMENT

St George Illawarra thought they had their man, so much so they were just about ready to announce former prop Jason Ryles as their new coach.

However, Ryles left the Dragons angry after rejecting them at the last minute to instead sign with Melbourne, despite the club guaranteeing almost all of his expectations.

SCOTT FULTON AND BENJI MARSHALL

Former recruitment boss Scott Fulton and head coach-in-waiting hardly saw eye-to-eye in 2023. The pair were at odds over several key recruitment decisions after Fulton was hand-picked by the previous board to oversee the roster rebuild.

Interim CEO Shane Richardson made the decision to axe Fulton nine days into the new year after saying he won’t sign a player Benji doesn’t want.

Scott Fulton (right) was released by the Tigers.

JASON DEMETRIOU AND ADAM REYNOLDS

South Sydney coach Jason Demetriou declared halfback Lachlan Ilias is “going to be the best halfback the club has had for a long time” in a subtle dig at former long-term No.7 Adam Reynolds.

Reynolds seemingly took it well, believing Demetriou was just “sticking up for his halfback”. Regardless, pencil in Round 2 on Thursday, March 14, for the clash between Reynolds’ Broncos and his former team for the next instalment.

JASON DEMETRIOU AND SAM BURGESS

South Sydney legend Sam Burgess walked out on the club amid reports of player unrest and a breakdown of relationships within the coaching department, with suggestions that Burgess and fellow now-departed assistant, John Morris, were not on the same page as head coach Jason Demetriou.

CEO Blake Solly and the head coach said Burgess’ off-field workload, including his preparation to become the head coach of Super League club Warrington, and the impending arrival of his baby, were the overriding factors in his swift departure.

ROD CHURCHILL AND LATRELL MITCHELL

One of the more disappointing moments of the season came when the son of South Sydney legend Clive Churchill launched an extraordinary attack on Latrell Mitchell. It was so over the top that Churchill offered a full apology and stood down from presenting his father’s medal on grand final day.

ANDREW ABDO AND CLINT NEWTON

The NRL and RLPA ending almost two years of bad blood and political bickering after signing the code’s historic first long-form Collective Bargaining Agreement. But it didn’t come without a cost, and NRL CEO Andrew Abdo and RLPA boss Clint Newton won’t be having a beer any time soon.

LEE HAGIPANTELIS AND TONY ANDREACCHIO/TONY CRAWFORD

The full clean-out of the Wests Tigers was anything but clean. Outgoing chair Lee Hagipantelis launched a stunning broadside at the officials who brought an end to his time at the helm of the club, describing their behaviour as disgraceful and conceding he would have to seriously review his million-dollar support of the club.

Justin Pascoe and Lee Hagipantelis. Picture: Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images

JUSTIN PASCOE AND THE HOLMAN BARNES GROUP

The most significant shake-up in Wests Tigers history claimed two of the club’s biggest scalps in chair Lee Hagipantelis and chief executive Justin Pascoe. The former CEO is understood to be upset with the decision.

DES HASLER AND TONY MESTROV

Manly and former coach Des Hasler are in mediation talks over his departure from the club, to try and avoid an ugly court battle that could take months to resolve and which would air plenty of dirty laundry.

It’s the last thing Sea Eagles CEO Tony Mestrov or Hasler needs, especially with the coach in his new role at the Titans.

MATT LODGE AND TRENT ROBINSON

Former Roosters prop Matt Lodge’s mid-season departure to Manly raised plenty of eyebrows, given he had only joined the club 12 months earlier, when Trent Robinson said the club’s culture could bring out the best of the controversial forward. It’s fair to say there’s no love lost between the pair.

JEFF FENECH AND BEN SAVVA

The long-simmering feud between Jeff Fenech and trainer Ben Savva boiled over again when Fenech’s fighter, Hass Hamdan, didn’t appear at a press conference before his bout with Savva’s Danvers Cuschieri, sparking a war of words.

“Jeff Fenech is above the law,” Savva said. “In Australia, Jeff can do whatever he wants when it comes to referees and judges. He’s above the law when it comes to them.”

Savva’s incendiary comments were directed at the controversial stoppage of a heavily bloodied Hamdan’s win over Justin Frost in June, where Fenech successfully petitioned the referee to let the fight continue so it wasn’t ruled a no-contest and his fighter got the verdict

“What I did for Hass wasn’t privilege, it was called being a smart trainer,” Fenech told this masthead. “I’ve always thought he’s a dumb bastard and nothing has changed. “He’s dumb.

CAMERON CIRALDO AND ANDREW DAVEY

Player unrest was rife at Canterbury in 2023.

Forward Andrew Davey lasted just eight rounds at Belmore before ­asking for a release to join ­Parramatta, and giving a blunt assessment of his time there.

“It wasn’t a culture that I fitted in with and it wasn’t the style of coaching that I resonated with,” Davey said.

EDDIE JONES AND THE AUSTRALIAN MEDIA

Eddie Jones was confirmed as Japan coach just 45 days after he resigned from the Wallabies in a period where he continually denied links to the gig. In a stint highlighted by his combativeness, Jones labelled his departing media call before the World Cup as the “worst press conference I’ve ever had”, slamming the negativity before Australia *checks notes* failed to qualify for the knockout stages for the first time ever.

ARON BAYNES AND ADAM FORDE

Video of the physical altercation between Brisbane star Aron Baynes and Cairns coach Adam Forde in the tunnel went viral. Forde was cleared of any wrongdoing, while Baynes copped a five-game suspension and the NBL went on a witch hunt to find who leaked the footage to this masthead.

GORDEN TALLIS AND CLINT NEWTON

Another radio interview turned heated when Gorden Tallis questioned Clint Newtwon if the players needed “someone better running the players’ association” as the toxic Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiating war with the NRL dragged on.

“If that’s what they want, I am happy to be cast out if that’s what it takes (to deliver a CBA),” Newton said. “I’m happy to put myself between a bullet and the target and the target is the players.”

BUZZ ROTHFIELD AND GUS GOULD

Phil Gould took exception to The Daily Telegraph sports editor-at-large Phil Rothfield’s story about Canterbury’s interest in Tino Fa’asuamaleaui and a groundbreaking deal that included shares in a pub, which could have had major salary cap ramifications.

Gould called it completely fabricated and an attempt to destabilise Canterbury, but Buzz held his ground, detailing how he came upon the story, including talking with Bulldogs major sponsor Arthur Laundy.

As usual, Buzz had the final word.

“It was absolutely no attempt to destabilise Canterbury, Gus is doing a pretty good job of that himself, look at the premiership ladder,” Rothfield said.

Phil ‘Buzz’ Rothfield with then Penrith head of football Phil ‘Gus’ Gould. Picture: Brett Costello

JONNY BAIRSTOW AND ALEX CAREY

Aussie wicketkeeper Alex Carey’s stumping of England’s Jonny Bairstow divided the cricket world and then some, and watching England try to claim the “moral Ashes” was hilarious. Better still, Carey confirmed he would do the same thing again if the opportunity arose.

ROYCE HUNT AND COREY HORSBURGH

Cronulla prop Royce Hunt set up a mouth-watering clash against Canberra after unloading on former teammate Corey Horsburgh, labelling the Raiders forward a “weak-gutted dog” and threatening to bash him next time the pair met on the field.

Fans may finally see that happen when the Sharks and Raiders play twice in the space of a month, in Rounds 4 and 8.

GREG NORMAN AND TIGER WOODS

The LIV Golf-PGA Tour stoush created firm battle lines between big names.

Tiger Woods said Greg Norman should step down as LIV Golf CEO, and the Shark called Woods “a bit of a mouthpiece for the PGA Tour”.

Although their tense relationship goes back further. In 2011, Norman said he wouldn’t have picked Woods for the Presidents Cup, saying he didn’t think he was up to the level.

GREG NORMAN AND RORY MCILROY

Rory McIlroy is a staunch anti-LIV golfer and, like Woods, was campaigning for Norman’s departure from LIV Golf as it threatened to divide the sport. “I think Greg needs to go. I think he just needs to exit stage left.”

RAY HADLEY AND SEAN MCELDUFF

Radio host Ray Hadley took aim at Parramatta again, this time following Dylan Brown’s arrest following a groping incident in a nightclub, likening the Eels to a zoo in a broadside at the club.

He had a crack at CEO Jim Sarantinos, said chairman Sean McElduff was a banker before declaring: “That’s what’s wrong with Parramatta. That’s why those that wait for another premiership will still wait for another year, and a year and a year … because nothing much has changed there in terms of the way they behave at the club.”

The year before it was Eels coach Brad Arthur in the shock jock’s sights.

’Boltz’ Hadley is never far from a feud. Picture: Tim Pascoe

IAN CHAPPELL AND STEVE WAUGH

The bad blood between two Australian Test greats got worse this year when Ian Chappell was overheard in a Sydney pub describing Steve Waugh as “arrogant”, among other unpleasant remarks. In 2017, when Chappell was writing a column for this masthead, he ranked his top 25 Ashes performers since 1972 and had snubbed Waugh.

BEN IKIN AND ANDREW ABDO

Former NRL 360 host and Broncos head of football Ben Ikin, found NRL CEO Andrew Abdo in his sights as part of his new gig as QRL chief.

Ikin launched a stinging attack on Abdo after the ARL Commission rejected a QRL proposal to expand the Queensland Cup to 17 teams next season. He then accused Abdo of contacting the NSWRL to try and “convince them to let the Titans and Cowboys play their second-tier teams in the NSW Cup.”

Abdo played a straight bat, saying the NRL was not in a position to fund an expanded Queensland competition as it continued to assess pathways.

Watch this space.

MITCHELL JOHNSON AND DAVE WARNER, GEORGE BAILEY

Former Test quick Mitchell Johnson erupted in his newspaper column, arguing David Warner didn’t deserve to play a farewell series against Pakistan due to his role in the Sandpapergate scandal more than five years ago, and questioned the integrity of chief selector George Bailey over potential preferential treatment towards former teammate Warner.

Bailey’s response was to question whether Johnson “was okay”, while Warner made a shoosh gesture after scoring a century on his way to 164 in the first Test.

Johnson was then stood down from two public speaking functions by Cricket Australia.

Who said this was a boring summer?

DAVID NOFOALUMA AND BENJI MARSHALL

The Wests Tigers drama leaked onto the field in December when veteran winger David Nofoaluma refused to train under rookie coach Benji Marshall due to what the 30-year-old claimed was unfair treatment. Coaching staff believed Nofoaluma wasn’t meeting Benji’s pre-season expectations.

Originally published as Sunday Session: NRL v media stand-offs and the sporting feuds which will define 2024