The fight to keep the NRL grand final in Sydney, plus Ray Warren on the Erin-Joey feud
The venues for the next two NRL grand finals could be decided inside the corporate suites at ANZ Stadium on Sunday night. PLUS, TV legend Ray Warren’s disappointment at the Erin Molan-Joey Johns feud.
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SAINT
The 450 NRL players, 16 head coaches, their staff, referees and all officials who helped make the 2019 season another exciting and exceptional year for the greatest game of all. Plus the 3,093,539 fans who’ve attended. May the best team win on Sunday night.
SINNER
The despicable social media cowards who have trolled television host Erin Molan since we revealed her falling out with Andrew Johns in the Channel 9 commentary team. Erin is a seriously talented presenter/journalist and a very decent and caring person.
Replay the 2019 NRL Telstra Premiership Grand Final in full on KAYO SPORTS. Get your 14 day free trial and start streaming instantly >
SINNER II
The Dally M judging system that allows a situation where Parramatta Eels sensation Maika Sivo is not even a nomination for the winger of the year despite topping the NRL try-scoring and destroying his opposition on a weekly basis.
SHOOSH
Which high-profile rugby league TV personality has politely knocked back an invitation to spar with ex-Sharks legend Paul Gallen for a story on his upcoming fight with Barry Hall?
SHOOSH II
Which Souths official is showing enormous interest in boom Cronulla rookie Bronson Xerri, who apparently isn’t all the fussed about the idea of Jesse Ramien returning to the Shire.
SPOTTED
The stunning wife of Sportsbet’s Joel Caine had a real rugby league feel to her Dally M style at the Hordern Pavilion on Wednesday night. Coby Caine had her hair done by Julia Lang (John Lang’s daughter-in-law), her make-up by Mel Riccio (wife of the great Dave Riccio) and her outfit styled by Courtney Humphries (daughter of Chris and Lynne Anderson).
SPOTTED II
Brisbane Broncos coach Anthony Seibold having a quiet beer at the Harbord Beach Hotel last Saturday night while watching the Sydney Roosters beat Melbourne Storm … and he was nowhere near the pokies!
SPOTTED III
My old mate — Cronulla Sharks fullback/centre Josh Dugan — at Pet Care 2000 in Taren Point buying dog food for these hungry-looking dudes.
SPOTTED IV
South Sydney coach Wayne Bennett making an early exit and driving straight home from the nation’s capital after the Rabbitohs’ disappointing loss to the Raiders last Friday night.
SPOTTED V
A milestone birthday celebration for our oldest living Kangaroo and ex-Norths boss Ken McCaffery, who turned 90 last weekend.
RABS ON ERIN-JOEY FEUD
Hall of Fame caller Ray Warren is torn over the Channel 9 commentary box falling out between Erin Molan and Andrew Johns as he prepares to call his 43rd grand final.
“I’m friends with both and rate them very highly,” Warren said. “I’m surprised and a bit disappointed how it’s played out all week.
“Some of the ex-players are old school and they mightn’t have the discretion that they should have.
“It could have been handled differently. Giving women an equal opportunity in the media, politics and everything is important, and Erin is very good at her job.”
Rab is calling his 21st-straight grand final at ANZ Stadium since it was opened for the Sydney Olympics. The 76-year-old legend is unsure if he will continue next year.
“I’ll decide in the off-season when I’ve got a clear mind,” Rabs told us. “I’m scared of retirement because I don’t know what I’d do. It’s got to happen one day but it won’t be a rash decision.
“Importantly I don’t want to stuff up what I’ve already done. These days I’m only working once a fortnight as a backstop, anyway.”
Backstop? Hardly. Sunday’s grand final comes 53 years since he kicked off his broadcasting career on radio at Young in country NSW way back in 1966.
DESPERATE FIGHT TO KEEP GRAND FINAL IN SYDNEY
THE venues for the next two NRL grand finals could be decided inside the corporate suites at ANZ Stadium on Sunday night. Premier Gladys Berejiklian and acting Sports Minister Geoff Lee will come face-to-face with NRL powerbrokers to discuss plans for the decider once ANZ closes for its $800 million redevelopment.
Negotiations are delicately balanced between a government desperate to keep the decider in Sydney in 2020 and 2021 and the NRL who knows the value of offering these major events to Brisbane, Melbourne or Perth.
The NRL agreed to play the grand final, worth $30 million a year in economic revenue, in Sydney for the next 25 years after the government said it would rebuild the State’s major stadium network.
The deal was for ANZ Stadium to be redeveloped as a rectangular stadium to better suit rugby league by 2022, but work on ANZ won’t start until after State of Origin next year. The delay means it won’t be ready until 2023.
It was caused by former sport minister Stuart Ayres lobbying furiously for priority funding for his mates on the SCG Trust to rebuild Allianz Stadium before ANZ. This threw the Memorandum of Understanding between the government and NRL into disarray and gave rival states the opportunity to pinch the event.
IN THE CHOOK PEN
CRICKETERS Steve Smith and Dave Warner are Sydney Roosters tragics. Smith is going to the game as a guest of the NRL but Warner is staying at home to watch with his daughters Indi and Ivy. Indi is a Roosters diehard but Ivy supports the Rabbitohs. Their former teammate Brad Haddin is a mad Canberra Raiders supporter who will be at ANZ for the game.
GYNGELL GOES MISSING
ROOSTERS diehard David Gyngell won’t be at the grand final. It’s the first one he’s missed since the ‘70s. The former Channel 9 boss is overseas on business and will watch it online.
$4 MILLION AWESOME FOURSOME
TODAY they would be worth a combined $4 million in the NRL salary cap.
Gary Belcher, Laurie Daley, Mal Meninga and Glenn Lazarus are four of the greatest players to wear the Canberra Raiders jersey.
Colleague Dean “Bulldog” Ritchie caught up with the Green Machine grand final heroes of 1989 on a harbour cruise on Friday. Many of the ’89 stars were on board.
Raiders coach Ricky Stuart would love to have been there but had a prior commitment at the official NRL grand final function at the Westin Hotel.
“I’ll have a beer with them all after the game,” Stuart said.
CHEF’S WORKLOAD A LOT TO DIGEST
ANZ Stadium has gone to extraordinary lengths to feed the hungry masses at the NRL grand final.
The stadium’s executive chef John Deane is making 4000 Viking meat lovers’ pizzas and 3000 green hotdogs to satisfy the Canberra Raiders fans.
To cater for the Sydney Roosters supporters, there will be 4000 servings of spicy chicken wings.
Fans will demolish 120,000 cups of beer, 25,000 buckets of chips, 12,000 pies, 11,000 (green or traditional red) hotdogs and 7000 rolls and sandwiches. More than 8000 plated corporate meals will also be served.
DES DINING OUT
IT’S not often you catch Manly Sea Eagles coach Des Hasler at an expensive restaurant, especially if there is any danger of him having to pay.
On Thursday we spotted Dessie at the famous old Lucio’s restaurant in Paddington sharing a table at a power lunch with John Singleton, Macquarie Media executive chairman Russell Tate and former NRL boss Neil Whittaker.
OLD-SCHOOL PRIDE
THE grand final is a hugely proud moment for St Gregory’s College, Campbelltown, from where Roosters star James Tedesco and coach Trent Robinson played rugby league.
The school’s famous rugby league old boys include premiership-winning coaches Jack Gibson and Tim Sheens. Mick Potter and Jason Taylor played footy there as well.
NO HISTORY TO AWARDS SHOW
THE NRL’s events team and Fox Sports did a fantastic job with the Dally M Awards. However, the person in charge of invitations needs a rocket.
There was only three past Dally M medal winners in attendance — Greg Alexander, Danny Buderus (who were both there working for Fox Sports) and Ricky Stuart, who was there with the Canberra Raiders.
The room lacked a feel of history. Even players such as retiring South Sydney Rabbitohs legend John Sutton was not invited.
MORE NEWS
Roosters fans plan to counter Viking Clap
Grand final turns into family affair for Bateman
HUMBLING HARRY
MELBOURNE Storm rookie Harry Grant was discharged from hospital on Monday after a boozy night out. He was found asleep in the front yard of a Melbourne home with cuts and bruises from a heavy tumble. The owners of the house rang an ambulance, fearing he had been assaulted.
Storm insist the incident was totally out of character. On Tuesday, Grant returned to the house with a bunch of flowers for the mum and a slab of beer for dad.
NO UBER FOR FOXY FRIDAY
FOX Sports NRL personalities don’t have a Mad Monday. Instead it’s called Fletch Friday. It was held at a rooftop bar in William Street. Bryan “Fletch” Fletcher has one rule … no one is allowed to catch an Uber.
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