NRL 2020: Seibold v Bennett to Hunt v Munster: rugby league’s most heated feuds revealed
From Seibold v Bennett to Luai v Bateman and Des Hasler’s battle with the Bulldogs, James Phelps looks at the simmering NRL rivalries bubbling below the surface.
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They are the bitter feuds that destroy the myth that rugby league is becoming too sanitised.
While fans watch players engage in friendly hugs and handshakes at full-time that betray the 80 minutes of ferocity that preceded it, simmering rivalries bubble below the surface.
James Phelps looks at the NRL wars that are being waged around the league.
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Anthony Seibold v Wayne Bennett
Broncos v Rabbitohs
Little needs to be said about rugby league’s most public feud except that Wayne is winning.
David Klemmer v Russell Packer
Knights v Tigers
Do these two really need an excuse? No. But they have one. Packer famously challenged Klemmer to a fight “away from the cameras” during a fiery post-game clash in 2018. It allegedly escalated when Packer fired up at Klemmer’s refusal to shake hands following the Tigers’ 14-10 victory. Expect fireworks this weekend when the Knights host the Tigers.
Jarome Luai v John Bateman
Panthers v Raiders
What happens when a street-fighting estate kid from Bradford gets his chance to square up for a cheap shot on the NRL’s newest sledging sensation?
We are about to find out.
All eyes will be on Bateman this weekend when he comes up against Luai for the first time since the cheeky Panther hit him from behind with a third-man-in swinging arm to the head during a scuffle in last year’s 30-18 win by the Raiders.
Ryan Matterson v the Tigers
Eels v Tigers
Matterson is eagerly awaiting the rematch after he lasted just 15 minutes in his first return clash against the Tigers. Following a public war of words with the side he walked out on, Matterson was knocked senseless by a Russell Packer hit in an incident that only added fuel to the fire, and left the Eels back-rower sidelined with concussion-related issues for the second time in his career.
Latrell Mitchell v the Roosters
Rabbitohs v Roosters
They may all say the split was amicable but don’t think for a second that there no bad blood exists between Mitchell and the Roosters following the star’s departure at the end of last season. There’s a belief in Bondi that Mitchell put himself in front of the team in his contract negotiations, and that the team will soon be putting themselves in front of him on the field.
Michael Maguire v Anthony Seibold
Tigers v Rabbitohs
Michael Maguire is still pulling the knives, imaginary or not, from his back after being sacked by South Sydney in 2017. The now Wests Tigers coach has no time for the man that did he believes did the knifing – Anthony Seibold.
“Michael and Anthony didn’t part very well,” former Rabbitohs CEO Shane Richardson said.
“Maguire blamed Seibold (for his demise as Souths head coach) and felt he was stabbed in the back to get his job.
“Seibold never white-anted Michael Maguire.”
Josh Reynolds v Latrell Mitchell
Tigers v Rabbitohs
The player they call Grub will be locked on Mitchell like a heat-seeking missile following a last-start slap in the face. The pair almost came to blows in round nine when Mitchell lashed out at Reynolds in retaliation to the Tigers five-eighth accidentally kicking Campbell Graham in the face. The pair continued a running battle all night following that confrontation and were both suspended for a fortnight.
Do not miss the return bout in round 18.
Joey Leilua v Everyone
Tigers v NRL
Joey Leilua can add Penrith to his long list of enemies after his round eight ‘dog shot’ on Dylan Edwards late in their loss to the Panthers. The Tigers’ wildcard was all riled up after his brother, Luciano Leilua, was floored in an earlier, accidental run-in with Apisai Koroisau, and looked ready to explode. There are few players in the NRL that this fiery centre hasn’t picked a fight with.
Curtis Scott v Dylan Walker
Raiders v Sea Eagles
Scott and Walker came to blows in 2018 when the Storm took on the Sea Eagles. Scott was sent off after his clenched fist fractured Walker’s eye socket and sidelined him for six weeks.
The Manly centre posted a photo to social media after the match of his injured eye socket with a caption of “talk s**t get hit … Well done sir”.
Don’t expect to see the rivalry die now that Scott is a Raider.
Adam O’Brien v the Roosters
Knights v Roosters
O’Brien ruffled a few feathers at the Roosters when he quit as Trent Robinson’s assistant to join the Knights.
He had allegedly given the Roosters an assurance that he would not apply for a head coaching role until 2021, a similar situation to what led current assistant Craig Fitzgibbon to declare he would not be interested in any vacant positions at rival clubs this season.
Isaac Moses v rival agents
Agents v agents
There were few tears shed among his colleagues when Moses was banned from being a player manager.
Moses is a polarising agent with a ruthless approach to business that has the potential to rub clubs and other player managers the wrong way.
Ben Hunt v Cameron Munster
Dragons v Storm
Mystery still surrounds the alleged incident that resulted in Munster being sent home from the Kangaroo tour in 2018.
Munster and Hunt reportedly came to blows on tour and haven’t been mates since, despite Munster talking down the rift after the pair were picked to play for Queensland in Origin since the flare-up.
James Tedesco v Raiders
Roosters v Raiders
James Tedesco has been public enemy No.1 at Canberra since turning his back on the club.
In 2014 he broke a hand shake deal with Ricky Stuart to join the Raiders for three years and stayed with the Tigers.
He has since become a Rooster, the best player in the game and he scored the match-sealing try against Canberra in the 2019 grand final.
Des Hasler v the Bulldogs
Sea Eagles v Bulldogs
Despite two grand finals and a Dally M coach of the year award in six years, Des Hasler is a dirty word out Belmore way.
He is still being blamed for supposedly running the club into the ground by back-ending contracts.
He also got a seven-figure out-of-court settlement following his 2017 dismissal and, arguably, a better team when he rejoined Manly a year later.
Jared Waerea Hargreaves v Jack Hetherington
Roosters v Warriors
Penrith loanee Hetherington became JWH’s newest sparring partner when he stood up to the Roosters enforcer in round 11.
“Jared is a bully, he’s been a bully for quite a long time and it was good to see Jack stand up to him,” Warriors forward Jazz Tevaga said of the encounter, which resulted in Warea-Hargreaves refusing to shake Hetherington’s hand at full-time.
Bring on the rematch, which will likely happen when Hetherington returns to the Panthers.
Originally published as NRL 2020: Seibold v Bennett to Hunt v Munster: rugby league’s most heated feuds revealed