The Sauce: Dom Perrottet wants a nailbiter, Chris Minns identifies as an Eel

NSW’s political leaders have taken up The Sauce’s challenge to put their footy-tipping skills to the test. See who they’re tipping to take home the 2022 Grand Final trophy.

NSW political leaders have taken up The Sauce challenge to put their footy-tipping skills to the test.

NSW Opposition Leader Chris Minns was the first to reply, declaring “Eels for the win” and “by two”. Explaining his prediction, Minns said he could relate to the team that last won a premiership way back in 1986 – a time when Barrie Unsworth was briefly Labor premier, fluoro was dominating women’s fashion and songs like “Touch Me” by Samantha Fox were considered worthy of the Top 5.

“Haven’t won in a while,” Minns said of the team. “Therefore I’m naturally sympathetic.”

However, the Kogarah MP’s backing of the blue and yellow underdogs was just temporary: “They won’t go back to back as the Dogs will take out the premiership in ’23” (something Minns will also be hoping for himself come March).

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet and

NSW Labor Leader Chris Minns are backing the same side, for once.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese – a Souths tragic – boldly predicted: “Penrith by 14.”

“Best team all year and big-game experience will get them home,” he said.

While diplomatically declaring “Western Sydney the winner”, Premier Dominic Perrottet said he was hoping for an Eels win.

“I’d love to see a nailbiter that goes into golden point,” he said.

“The Panthers have had recent success, so I’d like to see the Eels come away with the win.”

A Tigers tragic, Perrottet said he vividly remembered what it was like to be a long-suffering fan and to finally win a premiership.

“There’s no better feeling. I want Parra fans to feel the same as I did when my Tigers won in 2005, which was the first time we’d had success in 36 years,” he said. “The Tigers broke a 36-year drought in 2005 and it would be the same for Parra. Maybe that’s a good omen.”

LEAKED TEXTS REVEAL NSW LIBS’ CIVIL WAR

Leaked WhatsApp messages from a “very well-connected” NSW Liberal member to right-wing colleagues about NSW ministers and former party leaders show unity on the NSW state executive remains a pipedream.

Screen grabs of the messages leaked to The Sauce show the Liberal – who is in line to become a member of the NSW state executive – engaged in conversations with his colleagues about Health Minister Brad Hazzard and Transport Minister David Elliott, whom he bizarrely described among many things as a “leftie dog”.

The last time The Sauce checked, Elliott was a member of the Centre Right.

Older messages around the time of the Covid lockdowns refer to former prime minister Scott Morrison as “evil”, “NOT a Christian” and “NOT a conservative: He is a centrist opportunistic snake. that is all.”

Former premier Gladys Berejiklian was referred to as a “witch” with the rest of the message too defamatory to publish.

Minister for Health Brad Hazzard and

Minister for Transport NSW David Elliott were both mentioned in the messages.

The Sauce asked the member to explain the messages, but did not get a response.

However, a “friend” of the official waved off the messages as rallying cries to prospective party members.

Optus exectuive Gladys Berejiklian and

Former PM Scott Morrison were also criticised.

The state executive, critical to the preselection process, has been engulfed by a factional civil war – one that was later deemed a contributor to the federal election loss.

ONE OPTION

One Nation MP Mark Latham says he is keen to engage in talks with dumped Labor frontbencher Tania Mihailuk.

The Bankstown MP has been laying low since being sensationally sacked by Labor leader Chris Minns from the frontbench after making corruption claims against a colleague in state parliament – so low not even Labor head office nor Minns have heard from her.

Without knowing what Mihailuk plans to do, Labor is reluctant to progress candidate preselections in the affected seats, which also include Lakemba, held by Jihad Dib.

One Nation MP Mark Latham. Picture: Gaye Gerard

A boundary redistribution abolishing Lakemba had meant either Mihailuk or Dib were to become the MP for the redrawn seat of Bankstown. Mihailuk has long been rumoured to be close to Latham, who has given his strongest invitation yet to come over.

“If she is finally realising that Labor is too woke and too corrupt, I’d be very happy to talk,” he told The Sauce.

SEAT SCUFFLES

Almost two months since Premier Dominic Perrottet declared how the party would be opening “within two weeks” preselections across the state for the March state election, the party has opened nominations for a second batch of seats.

But in a sign it is all still being figured out, there was no nomination close date for Drummoyne or Kiama.

In the case of Drummoyne, the party is looking for a replacement candidate for former Liberal MP John Sidoti, who was suspended from state parliament after being dealt an adverse corruption finding by the NSW Commission Against Corruption.

However, some of the local branches are already in a revolt over rumours some bosses want to help upper house MLC Scott Farlow become the preselected candidate.

Scott Farlow during the inquiry into the appointment of John Barilaro Picture: Gaye Gerard

Farlow will not be in a winnable spot on the upper house ticket this time around, and so his supporters are scrambling to find him a lifeline.

Down in Kiama, the party is also keeping its options open as local MP Gareth Ward navigates historic sexual assault charges.

Ward, who maintains he is innocent, is yet to declare whether he will run as an independent.

Local party sources say the polling shows he can still win the seat even if his case is not finalised before the election, which makes for an interesting dilemma for the Liberals as to whether they also put up a candidate.

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