Tyrone Peachey changes his mind on Titans future — again
Tyrone Peachey’s career at the Gold Coast Titans has been so up and down it could be a Dreamworld rollercoaster. Now it seems he’s done it again. PLUS, Eels target Broncos rookie.
NRL
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SAINT
FINALLY, recognition by the NRL for our late and great colleague Peter “Chippy” Frilingos, who is among the nominations for inclusion in the Hall of Fame on Wednesday night. This is a way overdue acknowledgment of a media legend.
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SINNER
WHAT is it about the Gold Coast and its sporting teams on the glitter strip? Suns AFL player Brayden Crossley faces a four-year ban for a match-day positive test if his B-sample also shows cocaine.
SHOOSH
THE NRL integrity unit recently checked the betting accounts of a player with a big gambling problem to ensure no wagering on games. He was cleared.
SHOOSH II
ALMOST 10 years since retiring, which ex-NRL star has hit his old club up to fund $15,000 of dental work to fix broken and lost teeth from his playing days.
LISTEN! Brett Finch and Paul Kent are back in the studio with Matty Johns to dig out some fun memories for ‘70s Retro Round, analyse Kalyn Ponga’s mega-deal and Kenty details his Tuesday feud with Ivan Cleary.
SHOOSH III
THERE are concerns at NRL headquarters about the story we broke last week … that Sharks chairman Dino Mezzatesta is on the verge of quitting over a disagreement with other directors. NRL bosses Peter Beattie and Todd Greenberg are convinced the Sharks’ best hope of long-term survival is with Mezzatesta at the helm.
SHOOSH IV
WE are hearing Supreme Court justice and NRL judiciary chairman Geoff Bellew is perplexed and bitterly disappointed at his late father being overlooked for inclusion among the Hall of Fame nominees. The late Tom Bellew was a highly esteemed chairman of the NSWRL and ARL.
SPOTTED
SOUTH Sydney Rabbitohs coach Wayne Bennett having lunch at Pino’s restaurant in Kogarah with some old connections from his days with St George Illawarra Dragons.
SPOTTED II
FORMER Canterbury board member Arthur Coorey at ANZ Stadium set to sit in the opposition camp as a guest of Wests Tigers chairman and ex-NSW premier Barry O’Farrell.
SPOTTED III
A PREMIERSHIP-winning star NRL player on his way to club training last week on an unregistered motorbike.
SPOTTED IV
UNWANTED Newcastle Knights forward Herman Ese’ese and his manager in talks with Canterbury recruitment staff at Belmore.
FUTURE DOUBTS FOR NRL BOSSES
THE NRL’s two most powerful officials — Peter Beattie and Todd Greenberg — are facing uncertain futures as the game tackles its most daunting challenges next year.
In March, Beattie’s tenure as chairman expires and the independent commission has to decide whether to take up a two-year extension option on Greenberg’s $1.5 million-a-year contract.
All this is happening in a massive year for the game with a decision to be made on expansion and planning for the next TV deal.
Beattie told The Sunday Telegraph he was uncertain about staying.
His progression plan is to install Peter V’landys as chairman but he may decide to run for another 12-month term to be certain he has the numbers for the Racing NSW boss.
Greenberg’s position is interesting. For starters there are no standout candidates who could do a better job but his relationship with the commission is at times testy.
The appointment of a new commissioner to replace Mark Coyne will be significant in determining Greenberg’s future and the decision on a new chairman.
The game right now is going OK but not brilliantly. TV ratings are good and crowds are steady. However, there is outrage over the football department, the judiciary, match review committee and referees.
Plus there’s an issue around the survival of nine Sydney clubs in a saturated market where poker machine profits are on the slide and no longer the funding force they once were.
PARRA CHASING FIFITA
The Parramatta Eels have earmarked boom Broncos forward David Fifita as part of their long term recruitment plans. The Eels will open talks with the giant second-rower on November 1. He is available from 2021.
The Eels are also close to securing Penrith prop Reagan Campbell Gillard for next year with the Panthers to chip in around 25 per cent of his salary.
DRUNK AND DISORDERLY
A former NRL player, who is now a sporting administrator, behaved so poorly at a northern beaches restaurant last week he was thrown out in a drunken state.
We won’t name him because it could cost him his job. Witnesses say he had a disagreement with another former NRL player and a female. He was asked to leave then fell over in the street.
BRANDY’S 5-STAR FAN
MATTY Johns’ hero as a youngster was his Fox Sports stablemate Greg Alexander. After the Knights played Penrith in the early 1990s, Johns even walked into the Panthers dressing sheds after the game to get his book — 5-Star Brandy — signed by the Kangaroos halfback. It’s still pride of place on Johns’ bookshelf at home.
MOVABLE FEAST FOR BOSSES
THE NRL does occasionally listen to us. We criticised the independent commission and senior administration last year for holding its annual conference at the luxurious Lilianfels Pool and Spa Resort in the Blue Mountains with its flash restaurant and super expensive wines.
This year’s conference has been moved to Panthers Leagues Club in rugby league heartland out west at about a quarter of the price … the caviar, foie gras mousse and cured venison is off the menu — replaced by CJ’s Crab Shack & Grill or Zen Noodle Bar.
PEACH BACKFLIPS — AGAIN
UTILITY star Tyrone Peachey has done another backflip … he now wants to stay at Gold Coast Titans under new coach Justin Holbrook next season.
He had twice previously asked for a release to return home to Sydney. Peachey told Mal Meninga of his intentions to stay last week.
His change of heart would suggest the issue on the Gold Coast was a poor relationship with former coach Garth Brennan. In fact, there was talk the pair were on non-speaking terms.
STORM SPONSOR SECURE
THEY don’t muck around in the commercial side of the business at Melbourne Storm.
With major jersey sponsor Purple Bricks departing at the end of the season, Storm chief executive Dave Donaghy has already all but secured a new and more lucrative deal with another company for 2020 and onwards. It’s far more difficult for clubs such as Canterbury Bulldogs who are trying to replace major sponsor Kia in the far more competitive rugby league market that is Sydney.
Kia has jumped ship — or should that be cars — and headed north to Brisbane Broncos.
LEGENDS FAREWELL LEGEND
THE Sharks are organising a legends game as a curtain-raiser to Paul Gallen’s final home match against Canberra Raiders on Sunday, September 1.
Former teammates of Gallen over 19 seasons will be invited to play. They will form a guard of honour as the old warhorse runs on to the field for his final match at Shark Park.
The only downer is that Cronulla’s junior rugby league grand finals are played on the same day and will affect the crowd numbers that will want to farewell Gal.
TOP CLASS OF ‘79
THERE are plans for a 40-year reunion of the great 1979 Australian Schoolboys rugby league team. A number of players went on to play first grade — Ian Barkley, Andrew Farrar, Ben Elias, Neil Hunt, Mal Cochrane, Billy Kain, Billy Noke, Steve Hardy, David Brooks, Tony Rampling and Glen Mortimer. The function is being organised by Bob ‘the boss’ Lloyd, the old team manager. He can be contacted on 0414 234 293 for details.
Originally published as Tyrone Peachey changes his mind on Titans future — again
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