The Roosters recruitment ploy Olsen Filipaina could not reject
Former rugby league star reveals the day he could not say no to a brown paper bag full of cash, Greg ‘Fat Cat’ Ritchie’s amazing weight loss and the Panthers ask fans for funds. IT’S SAINT, SINNER, SHOOSH
NRL
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SAINT
Billy “Hollywood” Harrigan for his offer to make a comeback if the NRL referees go on strike. He’s 59 and hasn’t refereed since 2003 but would still probably be better than half the current whistle blowers. Your columnist regularly catches up with Harrigan at OzTag tournaments and he still looks in great shape.
Relive classic NRL matches from the 60s to today on KAYO SPORTS. New to Kayo? Get your 14-day free trial & start streaming instantly >
SINNER
Channel 9 slashing the Canberra Raiders free-to-air coverage from eight games to three. There is no better team to watch than the Green Machine in full flight. This is a huge free-kick for Fox Sports, who will get so much exclusive game time of Canberra.
SINNER II
The Greg Inglis league comeback in England has set a dangerous precedent. What’s to stop other clubs retiring struggling old players to get them out of the salary cap but pay them to work on the side.
SHOOSH
ABC TV flagship program Four Corners has had to abandon its investigation into the NRL’s finances. Producers of the show approached more than 20 current and former rugby league administrators, but kept getting knock-backs. We can’t say stay tuned.
SHOOSH II
Which wealthy owner of an NRL club wants a high-profile director to be removed from his board? He is even threatening to withdraw funding unless the board member goes.
LISTEN! Adam Mobbs, Phil Rothfield and Michael Carayannis are back with The Daily Telegraph NRL Podcast to discuss the revamped draw, South Sydney’s salary cap in the wake of Greg Inglis coming out of retirement, the fallout from Cody Walker’s street fight and Wayne Bennett’s hand in the cover-up, PLUS Paul Gallen, is this comeback for real?
SHOOSH III
Which out-of-town NRL club chief executive is desperately pitching for the job of replacing Todd Greenberg? He has been working the phones hard to put his case to key powerbrokers.
SPOTTED
Axed rugby union boss Raelene Castle with partner Greg Jones having some lunch at Schnitz in the food court at Broadway shopping centre on Wednesday.
SPOTTED II
Sydney Swans superstar Buddy Franklin grabbing a huge chicken schnitzel sandwich from Glenayr on Blair at Bondi Beach during the week.
IT’S BREKKY TIME
Catch you all this morning at 9.40am for the weekend edition of the Big Sports Breakfast with host Ray Thomas and Dean “Bulldog” Ritchie to discuss all the big rugby league issues in the countdown to Thursday night’s NRL kick-off.
GREG RITCHIE’S LIFESAVING TRANSFORMATION
DOCTORS told former Australian cricketer Greg Ritchie 14 months ago he was likely to die from a heart attack. He was 59, drank at least six schooners a day, ate poorly and weighed 133kg.
So on April Fool’s Day last year, he decided to do something about it. He is now an almost unrecognisable 36kg lighter.
“The cardiologist said I would have a massive heart attack and die,” he recalls.
Years of long lunches on the after-dinner speaking circuit were killing him.
“They said I was a ticking time bomb,” said the man who was always known as Fat Cat.
“My blood pressure was through the roof and my cholesterol was shocking.
“I was in the morbidly obese range. I was sleeping during the day when I didn’t have a gig, no energy and just feeling really crap,” he said.
He kept thinking about an old mate, also overweight, who had recently died.
“Imagine that for my wife and my eight-year-old daughter Annie,” he said. “I wasn’t ready to die.
“When I look back now at the old photos it’s quite disgusting.”
Ritchie joined the LifeShape clinic in Brisbane. He gave up beer and switched to scotch.
“I always used to have a big lunch and dinner and I didn’t care what I ate. Chips, deserts — all that stuff. The clinic worked out I was probably having 16 extra meals a week in calories in food and alcohol.
“Seriously, they’ve saved my life. I’m now in the normal health range for a 60-year-old.”
His dieting started with four meal replacement shakes and an evening meal.
“I lost 20kg in four months,” he said. “Then I went on to two boiled eggs for breakfast, a small piece of chicken or fish and salad for lunch.
“I was often at functions for dinner. I might have a steak and vegies. When the steak came out you cut it in half because it’s all about portion size and discipline.
“You know what — I can’t believe it’s me. I feel so good now.”
‘OLSEN GOT A $35K BROWN PAPER BAG’
THERE is a fantastic story in Olsen Filipaina’s new book about the day he was paid $35,000 cash in a brown paper bag — a lot of money back in 1985 — to sign with the Sydney Roosters. (The median Sydney house price was $73,000)
The Kiwi powerhouse had been on the verge of signing with the Cronulla Sharks and had actually agreed to terms.
Olsen then received a call from Ron Jones, the boss of the Roosters, and agreed to meet him at the Eastern Suburbs Leagues Club.
Jones offered double what the Sharks had — but insisted he sign on the spot.
Olsen remembers a surreal scene in Ron Jones’ office. This is how he tells the story in the book.
“A huge wad of cash appeared in a brown paper bag, just like in the movies,” he said, “and then they ran it through a money-counting machine.”
There were no player managers in those days but his wife Leslie was there.
“It was more cash than we’d ever seen,” Leslie says. “We were astounded and it was then we realised they were a money club. Whatever they said, they could make happen.”
To heighten the drama, Jones offered Olsen and his cash an escort to his car, which he politely declined.
Looking back Olsen applauds Jones’ strategy: “No Polynesian sending money home to take care of their family could ever say no to that sort of cash, double the amount of any other offer. It was like being hypnotised, seeing it in that bag. The possibilities were endless.
“I had agreed terms for two years with Cronulla but they hadn’t produced a contract.”
Filipaina had only one season at the Roosters and played eight games.
MITCH MOURNS DAD
IT’S been a really tough build-up to the NRL resumption for Roosters star Mitch Aubusson.
Aubo’s father Brian tragically passed away last week.
While sons Mitch and James made it to the NRL, Brian was a handy rugby player but is best known as a commander in the NSW fire and rescue service, where he worked for four decades. Sadly, Mr Aubusson was due to retire at the end of July.
Regional Fire & Rescue posted a wonderful tribute on Facebook: “The world lost a living legend. Aubo was the heart of our zone (northern NSW). He was a great SIC, loyal friend and one of the funniest people you will ever meet. He was loved by so many people.”
PENNY PINCHERS
PENRITH Panthers asked their 19,000 members in an email last week to pledge their fees (worth about $2 million) for the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 financial strain.
One irate member contacted your columnist: “This is our club that has spent millions of dollars on payouts to Gus Gould and coaches they’ve sacked,” he said, “This is our club that paid their own directors almost $1 million last year. It’s a bit rich that they’re now asking the fans for donations.”
BUNKER MOVE BLINKERED
AS cost-cutting continues at the NRL there’s talk of dumping former players from the bunker to save money. In recent years Beau Scott, Ben Galea, Brian Norrie and Ben Lowe have been there to help with video adjudications.
The players have brought a different perspective to the decision-making process, often adding sense to the referees’ black and white interpretations on obstructions in particular.
Their on-field experience also helps with ruck speeds, foul play and players deliberately trying to slow the game.
It might save money but it would be wrong to get rid of them.
SPORTS STARS DOING THE BUSINESS
CRICKET superstars Pat Cummins, Alyssa Healy and Ash Gardner are the latest professional athletes to enrol at the Australian Graduate School of Management, building skills and qualifications for an eventual transition from their sporting careers to business.
Sydney Swans premiership player Nick Smith has also enrolled.
It’s the same program that Wests Tigers star forward Russell Packer has been in.
Cummins, Healy, Gardner and Sydney Sixers captain Moises Henriques have commenced a number of courses during the COVID-19 downtime.
“You learn a lot about leadership and team performance on the field and it’s great to have the opportunity to develop those skills further to build a post-cricket career,” Healy said.
PUNTERS’ MULTI FURY
PUNTERS are absolutely furious that Sportsbet have cancelled all futures multi bets from the beginning of the footy season.
This compares to the TAB and most other corporates who are honouring all wagers.
This development has infuriated one Parramatta fan who put $200 on the Eels to win the premiership to win $40,000 in a multi. He already had two of the four legs in the bag. Sportsbet declared the bet null and void because of the new draw.