Blindside: The latest gossip and inside info from the NRL
JACK Bird’s Broncos nightmare could be about to get worse, with the $900k-a-season star facing the prospect of being the NRL’s best-paid bench player after Wayne Bennett’s latest selection decision.
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THERE are fresh concerns about Jack Bird’s future at the Broncos.
Wayne Bennett’s decision to move Darius Boyd to centre has thrown another obstacle in front of Bird in his quest to secure a starting spot at the Broncos.
Currently recovering from sternum surgery, Bird has played four of his eight games for the Broncos at centre and that position appears to represent his best hope of being a starting regular at Red Hill.
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But Boyd’s shock shift from fullback to centre has created more competition and if the Broncos skipper stays there next season, Bird faces being relegated to a bench role.
The problem for the Broncos is money. Bird will be on around $900,000 next season and no NRL club can carry a player on such a massive salary on their interchange bench.
Broncos centre great Steve Renouf admits the club faces a quandary with how to best use the former NSW Origin star.
“I really don’t know what they do with Jack,” Renouf said. “Maybe they will have to bring him off the bench.
“I really rated him in the centres when he was at Cronulla. He is a very good footballer but if Darius stays in the centres, he might have to play that utility role off the bench for the Broncos.”
BRONCOS PLUNDER TITANS’ NURSERY
THE Broncos have snared one of the game’s brightest young prospects from underneath the Titans’ nose.
Queensland under-18s halfback Thomas Dearden has signed with Brisbane, joining a production line of quality playmakers.
The Broncos already have junior guns Tanah Boyd and Cory Paix on their books and are chasing Roosters youngster Sean O’Sullivan.
Dearden is a product of Gold Coast nursery Palm Beach Currumbin High, the school that nurtured Darius Boyd, Ben Hannant and Kevin Proctor.
OATES ON WING AND A PRAYER
IT is wing or bust for Corey Oates at the Broncos.
Oates remains off-contract for next season as he weighs up chasing a permanent move to the forward pack.
The Queensland Origin winger had a crack at training in the back-row throughout the pre-season, but hasn’t been sighted there apart from a brief appearance in a trial game.
Broncos coach Wayne Bennett has made it clear that he views Oates solely as a winger and he will not be getting big money to stay at the Broncos.
Unlike Maroons duo Valentine Holmes or Dane Gagai, Oates doesn’t play in the centres or fullback, making him a specialist winger and less adaptable.
COWBOYS CLEAN-OUT
ANTONIO Winterstein will not be the last Cowboys premiership player to depart North Queensland this season.
Winterstein called stumps on a very successful NRL career on Wednesday after struggling to overcome a chronic knee injury.
It is no secret coach Paul Green has hung on too long to the players which delivered the Cowboys their first NRL premiership in 2015.
A clean-out has come a year too late but expect to see more movement in the north.
Premiership players Lachlan Coote and Kane Linnett remain off-contract, while Johnathan Thurston will retire at season’s end.
Justin O’Neill has activated a one-year option to remain at the club next season, which will also likely be Matt Scott and Gavin Cooper’s final year.
After a four years of sustained success, Green has finally gone through a taxing season.
“It’s been pretty tough,” he said.
“We’ve had a little bit of everything. Sometimes when you have tough seasons it’s because of one or two things, but we’ve had a little bit of everything.
“That’s footy. It’s a tough environment to work in.
“We stuck together well as a club which I’m proud of and we’ll keep fighting.”
ABOVE PARR OPERATOR
THE Cowboys’ season of disaster has triggered high-level change, with long-serving official Peter Parr taking on a new role as part of a front-office restructure.
Parr has been appointed director of football in a move that heralds a new chain of command at the Cowboys.
Coach Paul Green previously reported to chief executive Greg Tonner but will now deal with Parr, who will then address the Cowboys CEO and board.
Cowboys chairman Laurence Lancini wants to ease the strain on Green and allow him to focus solely on coaching the Cowboys back into finals contention next season.
Parr is one of the code’s most accomplished administrators.
He was the man who signed Johnathan Thurston from the Bulldogs in 2004 and was hired by NSW coach Brad Fittler this season as part of the revamped Blues hierarchy which clinched Origin supremacy.
DON’S $60K KICK IN THE GUTS
THE Titans are on a sad collision course with one of the club’s favourite players, winger Anthony Don.
The 30-year-old remains off-contract and has been asked to take a $60,000 pay cut to remain at the Titans next season.
Don is understood to be devastated by the financial kick in the guts and is weighing up rival offers from the Wests Tigers and Cronulla.
Don was outstanding last year, winning the club’s Player of the Year award after producing the best season of his career.
Don may be entering his twilight years, but he is a popular figure with Titans fans and hopes the Coast can increase their offer to keep him at the club next season.
JT’S ‘LOVE’ SPREADS TO GYMPIE
JOHNATHAN Thurston is headed to Gympie.
Thurston will take his An Evening with Johnathan Thurston tour to the town in December following a campaign by the local newspaper.
The Gympie Times launched a bid to bring the Queensland Origin legend to town and Thurston immediately obliged.
“When Johnathan found out last week, we booked a show there immediately,” promoter Adam Wilcox said.
“It shows Johnathan’s genuine love for the people of regional Queensland and theirs for him.”
HITS AND MISSES
JOHNATHAN Thurston will miss plenty about the NRL when he retires at season’s end.
But there is one thing he is looking forward to never having to experience again.
“He didn’t miss me,” Thurston said after Dragons hit-man Tariq Sims smashed him at every opportunity last week.
“I definitely won’t miss that but it’s part and parcel of the game.”
INJURIES HURTING MORE
THE Cowboys have had a wretched year with injuries and it has even extended to their staff.
Long-time club physiotherapist Steve Sartori has been sidelined after injuring his knee.
Sartori is one of the team’s trainers, but is unable to take the field during games.
It sums up the sort of year the 15th-placed Cowboys have had that even staff are getting injured.
MORGAN WON’T RETURN THIS YEAR
COWBOYS star Michael Morgan is about to go under the knife again.
Morgan is out for the season after rupturing his bicep, ending a disappointing year following his 2017 heroics.
He underwent surgery on the bicep injury a month ago and is now preparing for another operation.
Morgan will have the stomach and groin injury he suffered on the eve of the season repaired.
He is hoping to be back firing on all cylinders in November for the start of the pre-season.
PLAYMAKER IN A DINNER SUIT
WHICH big-name playmaker is on the nose with his teammates for allegedly being scared to take the line on?
One colleague is furious with constantly receiving “hospital passes” because the playmaker passes at the last second to avoid heavy contact.
COACH’S COUGH DROP
WHICH NRL coach coughs during press conferences to stop his captain from answering questions?
He has been doing it for years and it hasn’t gone unnoticed.
PLAYING STOCKS
RISING
Tevita Pangai Jr
Remarkable effort to terrorise the Panthers last week despite a niggling hamstring injury. Could challenge Jason Taumalolo as the code’s most destructive forward.
Latrell Mitchell
Destroyed the Sea Eagles and has gone to another level since his NSW Origin debut six weeks ago. Could be the player of the NRL finals series.
Tariq Sims
Has fought back from two broken legs to become one of the NRL’s most feared hit-men.
Sam Burgess
Is there a more intimidating player in the NRL? Burgess flattened Robbie Farah then sprayed him as he lay on the turf.
FALLING
Ash Taylor
Has been far too inconsistent this season given his huge salary at the Titans. Still has major gaps in his game which must be fixed if he hopes to one day play State of Origin.
Nathan Cleary
Needs to lift at the back end of the season to get the Panthers firing in the finals. Did his job for the Blues in his maiden Origin series but must find another gear for his club side.
Todd Greenberg
The NRL boss is presiding over a series of embarrassing mistakes on the field and needs to improve the quality of his refereeing operations.
Trent Barrett
The Sea Eagles coach has had little success at Manly and the club is now in free fall.
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