Benji Marshall signs new contract with Wests Tigers
Wests Tigers only recently bid farewell to one of their favourite sons and they’ll get to do it all again next year, after Benji Marshall signed on to finish his career at Leichhardt. PLUS, Storm warning for touchie abuse.
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SAINT
AT long last, there is hope for the famous old Balmain Leagues Club to be reopened on Victoria Road in Rozelle, under the banner of Wests Tigers. It follows a midweek amalgamation of Balmain Leagues and the cashed-up Wests Ashfield. The plan is to lease space from Heworth Construction — which owns the old club site — to bring back the pokies and reopen the premises.
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SINNER
Wests Tigers have shown every disgruntled player how to break an NRL contract. It’s easy. You sulk, whinge about your salary and tell the world you don’t like the coach. Their handling of the Ryan Matterson case is a farce. What’s wrong with playing a bit of hard ball? How about a fine for not turning up to training?
SINNER II
THE Gold Coast firey who stopped and then insulted me on a street in Surfers Paradise last week: “I think I’ve seen you on TV … are you Dean Ritchie?”
LISTEN! Matty, Finchy and Kenty address “Pokies-gate” and the Broncos self-combustion, Joey Leilua’s fireworks mishap, and how Wayne Bennett and Des Hasler know exactly how to get the best out of their individuals. PLUS, the Roosters had a sleepover at the SCG?!
SHOOSH
REVELATIONS Broncos stars were out playing pokies on the night before a semi-final raises questions about problem gambling in the game. We have spoken before of a million-dollar player who’s blown hundreds of thousands of dollars on the punt in recent years. Another player (not a Rooster) was regularly spotted (under a hoodie) at Easts Leagues last year on his own betting on the pokies for hours.
SHOOSH II
WHICH underperforming team had only eight players turn up to Mad Monday in an indication all is not well among the playing group?
SHOOSH III
WHICH player agent is facing deregistration by the NRL integrity unit over allegations of forged signatures and trying to entice players to break contracts with a rival manager?
SHOOSH IV
WHICH NRL club chairman got into a physical exchange with a board member in front of startled players in the sheds after a recent game?
SPOTTED
EELS legend Nathan Hindmarsh celebrating his 40th birthday at Harbour View Hotel (of Bulldogs’ Mad Monday fame) with Luke Burt, Andrew Ryan, Bryan Fletcher, The Professor James Rochford, Barnie, Nathan Cayless, Emma Lawrence and Fox Sports staff.
SPOTTED II
BUILDING billionaire and Wests Tigers fanatic Harry Triguboff shouting Benji Marshall, Robbie Farah and Barry O’Farrell to lunch at est restaurant on George St.
SPOTTED III
Boom Broncos forward Payne Haas playing the pokies and making several trips to the ATM at a pub in Broadbeach on the Gold Coast on Friday night.
NEW DEAL FOR 300-GAME WESTS TIGERS LEGEND
OLD superstar Benji Marshall has signed what is most likely to be his final NRL contract to play out his career at the Wests Tigers next season.
The deal was actually finalised in the week leading up to the Wests Tigers’ final home game against the Cronulla Sharks at Leichhardt Oval two weeks ago.
Such is Marshall’s enormous popularity at the club, a decision was made to delay any announcement to coincide with Wests Tigers’ 2020 memberships going on sale in a fortnight.
He is so popular with fans that his 300-game merchandise sold twice as much as fellow legend Robbie Farah.
The Kiwi five-eighth, who will be 35 by the start of next season, played some of the best football of his career this year. His form has been so impressive he was even mentioned as an option for the Brisbane Broncos to solve their playmaking and culture problems.
Benji’s earnings in his new deal are nothing like they used to be but he is keen to play on to try to lift the Wests Tigers into the finals next year before retiring.
Next season will be 18 years since he burst on to the scene as the hottest rookie in the game.
Benji will play for New Zealand in a Test match in October against Australia. Coach Michael Maguire was always hopeful he would continue playing.
“He’s playing really good footy, so there’s no reason why he can’t,” Maguire said recently, “It’s a matter of obviously the mental side. Being able to go through it again is something that he needs to judge himself. He’s playing well enough to be able to do it.”
STORM WARNING FOR TOUCHIE ABUSE
Melbourne Storm have received a warning letter from the NRL about the sideline behaviour of their coaching staff.
It follows the abuse of ex-Origin touch judge Michael Wise after he incorrectly ruled Melbourne Storm winger Suliasi Vunivalu had gone into touch in the dying moments of the final against the Canberra Raiders last week.
An NRL spokesman said: “We expect a high standard of behaviour on the sideline and Storm have been reminded of their obligations.”
This is the second sideline incident in recent weeks the NRL has had to deal with.
In Newcastle’s final round game against the Panthers, Knights front-rower Dave Klemmer called an interchange official a ‘f…ing idiot.’ He was fined a paltry $1150.
CHEIKA BACK TO TAHS
MICHAEL Cheika is off-contract with the Wallabies after the World Cup and there is a sneaky tip around town that he will return to the Waratahs, where he won the Super Rugby title in 2014.
Kiwi Rob Penney was considered the frontrunner for the job vacated when Daryl Gibson quit in June after a disastrous season.
The Wallabies opened their World Cup campaign under Cheika in Japan on Saturday. Even if Australia can make it as far as the final, it is unlikely Cheika will reapply for the job.
Our mail is he sees his future with the Tahs.
SEA EAGLES’ SIMONA INTEREST
MANLY Sea Eagles have made discreet inquiries about the possibility of Tim Simona returning to the NRL next year.
The 27-year-old centre, who was banned by the integrity unit in 2017 for gambling on games, returned to football in June for Blacktown, Manly’s feeder club.
The NRL has advised the Sea Eagles that Simona is unlikely to be registered. His clearance this year was limited to playing in the Canterbury Cup.
PANTHERS KEEN ON GLENN
PENRITH have earmarked Brisbane star Alex Glenn as a potential recruit for next season.
The Panthers have money in their salary cap after getting rid of the huge salaries of Regan Campbell-Gillard, Waqa Blake and James Maloney.
We’re told Penrith is contributing $200,000 a season to Blake’s contract and $150,000 a season to Campbell-Gillard’s deal at the Eels.
The Panthers have been in discussions with Glenn’s manager for weeks.
FARAH FOR PM
ROBBIE Farah will play one last game before hanging up the boots as the Wests Tigers legend has been invited by Scott Morrison to captain the PM’s XIII against Fiji in Suva next month.
Coach Mal Meninga will name the team after the grand final.
“The PM loves being involved in the concept,” Meninga said. “He knows his footy and he wanted to reward Robbie for his great contribution to the game.”
STABLE CONCERN
CANBERRA Raiders are concerned that English forward John Bateman has joined the stable of player manager Isaac Moses. The manager has fallen out with a number of clubs including Sydney Roosters and Parramatta Eels. There is talk Moses is already pushing for a contract upgrade despite the fact Bateman is in the first season of a three-year deal.
WOODSY MISSES JUMP
JACK Wighton made news back in February when he saved a racehorse from drowning in the Moruya River. The Raiders No.6 had no idea at the time the horse, Bellegano, was part-owned by Cronulla prop Aaron Woods.
On Tuesday, the five-year-old mare won at Kembla at the huge odds of $61, but poor Woodsy didn’t back it. He was caught up in his season review with Sharks coach John Morris. Ouch.
GUS’S BIG BACKFLIP
POOR old Gus Gould is all over the shop with his views on rugby league.
Three years ago, the great man wrote a column about tripping in the NRL and how dangerous it was.
“It should have no place in our game,” he said. “The alarming increase in players using this illegal method … means much sterner action has to be taken to remove it from the game.
“A base penalty of 150 points … which would always ensure the player spent some time out of the game, would seem to be an important first step towards eradicating this scourge.”
Fast forward to 2019 and Jared Waerea-Hargreaves is about to face the judiciary for tripping.
Gus does an Olympic gold medal backflip.
“The offence shouldn’t be a suspended offence,” he now says. “For that incident, you should not be missing any game. Nobody, not even the three panel members who find him guilty when he goes to the judiciary, believes he should be missing a game for that.”
KODY GIVES GAL THAT GRAND FINAL FEELING
PAUL Gallen will never forget his first day in league retirement.
For the first time in 37 years, a Cronulla team won the Tommy Bishop Cup last Sunday, a statewide knockout for eight year olds.
Gal’s son Kody was in the De La Salle team, as was Joel Caine’s son Pax. Kody was also named player of the tournament and dad looked like he’d won the 2016 grand final again.
The last Cronulla team to win was Engadine Dragons in 1982, who had a pretty handy young player — Mat Rogers.