Melbourne Storm warn NRL rivals off rising star Harry Grant
Melbourne Storm have given rival clubs emphatic notice that rising rookie Harry Grant is going nowhere. PLUS, club vying for Jackson Hastings’ NRL return.
NRL
Don't miss out on the headlines from NRL. Followed categories will be added to My News.
SAINT
JACK Wighton completed a remarkable rugby league redemption last week when he won the Clive Churchill Medal just 12 months after an off-field incident threatened to end his career. The Canberra playmaker has made the most out of the second chance he was given when the Raiders stuck by him after an ugly street brawl that saw him charged with assault. Wighton got off the grog, barred himself from the Canberra CBD, and became the Green Machine’s best No.6 since Lozza Daley.
Live stream the inaugural Downer Rugby League World Cup 9’s Live & On-Demand on KAYO SPORTS. Get your 14 day free trial and start streaming instantly >
SINNER
PUT your hand up if you can guess this week’s sinner … Yep, you got it — Ben Cummins! In a decision change that could have cost Canberra the premiership, the ref reversed a “six-to-go” call late in the NRL grand final and ordered the Raiders to hand the ball over. Canberra thought they had a fresh set after Cummins waved six again. The wily Roosters scored soon after.
SHOOSH
WHICH V8 star was laying low at Bathurst over the weekend? While most drivers love the cameras as they plug sponsors and sell themselves, there was one deliberately going all out to stay undercover. We’re told the mystery driver is trying to avoid any publicity ahead of a court case that will settle a personal dispute.
SHOOSH II
WHICH league legend was forced to meet with his club’s biggest star to apologise for public comments that left the marquee man fuming? We are told the club legend, who also has an official role at the club, met the player for a coffee to say sorry. The player was not the only one upset by the legend’s words, with several teammates suggesting media commitments may conflict with his club role.
SHOOSH III
THE UGLY side of rugby league player management was exposed last week when a court case involving Sam Ayoub and his former protege Antoun Zibara continued in the High Court. Ayoub has alleged Zibara and partner Patrick Angeli tried to poach 16 players from his stable.
SPOTTED
FRESH from his AFL triumph with Richmond, Tigers star Jack Riewoldt made the trip to Bathurst on Saturday to watch good mate Scott McLaughlin storm around Mount Panorama. Riewoldt and McLaughlin are in the midst of a bromance, with the pair sharing the same mind coach and also part of a sporting podcast. McLaughlin was in the sheds with Riewoldt for the AFL grand final and will return the favour on Sunday by putting the three-time Coleman medal winner in his garage for the race.
SPOTTED II
V8 star Dave Reynolds cheering when his future brother-in-law won the NRL Clive Churchill medal. Reynolds admitted to becoming emotional when Jack Wighton was named the grand final’s best. The Raider is married to the sister Reynolds’ girlfriend — ex-Big Brother star Tahan Lew Fatt.
“Geez, he played well,’’ he said. “I am so proud of him because he has been through so much. He is a top bloke and deserves all his success.’’
STORM WARNING FOR NRL RIVALS
JUST keep your hands off our Harry.
That was the emphatic warning from the Melbourne Storm after the southern NRL heavyweights learned that rival clubs were attempting to poach their “next Cameron Smith”.
As Smith takes time out with his family to decide his future, The Sunday Telegraph can reveal that the Melbourne No.9’s heir apparent at the Storm is being targeted by cashed-up rivals.
Described as a player “that would have played Origin for Queensland this year if he wasn’t stuck behind Cameron’’, boom No.9 Harry Grant is considered a ready-made replacement for Smith should the future immortal retire.
The Storm are furious that rival clubs are circling the kid that could become their most important player should Smith walk away rugby league.
“We are not going to let him go anywhere,’’ Storm CEO Dave Donaghy said. “Harry is going to be a long-term player at the Storm and is an important part of our future.’’
Contracted until the end of next year, Grant is negotiating to upgrade and extend his Storm deal.
“We have made Harry an offer,’’ Donaghy said.
Having already unearthed Ryan Papenhuyzen as a replacement for Billy Slater and Jahrome Hughes for Cooper Cronk, Grant is the final piece in a “big three’’ succession plan that has been five years in the works.
Grant is been in the Storm system since being identified when he was just 14. He is expected to share the hooking role with Brandon Smith.
TAYLOR LIKE ANY OTHER TITAN
JUSTIN Holbrook will not be offering Ash Taylor any special treatment when he officially starts as Gold Coast coach.
Farewelling St Helens after the Super League decider this weekend, Holbrook said the wayward No.7 will be treated “just like any player’’.
Taylor who walked away from the game in May to address personal issues, has told the Titans he will be returning for the start of pre-season.
The Titans’ only million-dollar-a-year man, Taylor is expecting a child and has told those close to him that he is determined to resurrect his career for the sake of his family.
A trip back to his home town of St George — near Toowoomba — helped to conquer his demons.
Holbrook booked his ticket back to Australia last week and his first order of business will be a sit-down with his new assistant coaches Jim Dymock and Jim Lenihan.
SEGEYARO “DOBBED IN”
SOURCES close to Broncos hooker James Segeyaro claim he was “dobbed in” to the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Agency.
He faces a four-year ban after testing positive to a banned performance-enhancing substance and we have been told ASADA “target-tested’’ the NRL journeyman after allegedly receiving an anonymous tip.
Segeyaro was poised to sign a new deal when news of his drug ban broke as both the Broncos and a Sydney-based club had made offers to sign the former Shark.
PARRA NEEDS REED
THE EELS are hoping to secure boom hooker Reed Mahoney on a long-term deal. Eager to avoid another Clint Gutherson-style contract saga, the club has put a top-dollar offer on the table to keep the No.9.
Mahoney is touted as a future Queensland Origin rake and Parramatta want to secure his signature before he becomes a free agent for 2021 on November 1. We have been told the offer is in excess of $300,000 a year.
PROP SHOP
THE BULLDOGS are on the hunt for a prop, with the club looking to fill their final NRL quota spot with size and experience. Set to welcome Joe Stimson, Dean Britt and Sione Katoa in 2020, the Bulldogs are hoping a rival club is looking to offload a quality front-row forward.
THE BATTLE FOR HASTINGS
JACKSON Hastings’s days in the Super League looked numbered with several NRL clubs keen to bring the fallen Sea Eagle back to Australia.
Hastings quit the NRL after falling out with the Manly club in 2018.
Last week he was crowned the best player in the Super League when named the Man of Steel.
We have been told he has earned a long line of admirers back in Australia, with one club preparing to make a $500,000-a-year offer to bring the Salford Red back home.
RING-A-DING
MILLIE Boyle’s NRLW grand final winning celebrations were cut short — literally — when she had to have her premiership ring surgically removed.
In a painful aftermath to the Broncos’ emphatic 30-6 win over St George Illawarra, Boyle was forced to seek emergency help when the finger she squeezed the grand final trophy bling on began to swell. Some industrial strength cutters and a steady hand saved the day with the ring cut from her bulging digit. She might want to think of wearing it on a necklace following a repair.
SKAIFE CALLS THE MOUNTAIN
MARK Skaife will call his 10th Bathurst 1000 this weekend, with the legend racking up a decade of miles behind the microphone.
Part of Bathurst folklore for what he did behind the wheel, the seven-time Mount Panorama winner is now calling the big moments for Fox Sports.
We caught up with Skaifey ahead of the big race and asked for his most controversial Bathurst moment since swapping his helmet for a microphone.
“The Bathurst 2014 Red Flag stoppage,’’ Skaife said.
“It was the first time in Bathurst history that we have had a race suspended. I had the biggest names in Australian motorsport texting me — from Allan Moffat to Larry Perkins — firing up about the changes teams were making on the grid.”
Skaife has also had plenty of fun in the commentary box.
“Lots of funny moments with the characters in the broadcast whether its Neil Crompton (Crompo) or Mark Larkham (Larko) especially,’’ Skaife said.
“At Bathurst in 2016 it was a pretty dull race prior to the McLaughlin, Whincup and Tander crash and a running gag developed with collective nouns after we saw some Kangaroos at the end of Mountain Straight, from an army of ants to a coalition of cheaters we had people from all over Australia adding to our list.”
APOLOGIES TO LODGE
Buzz is on leave but would like to clarify an item from last weekend. He mentioned Broncos prop Matt Lodge was spotted enjoying a beer and a bet at Flemington races. Lodge insists our mail was only half right … yes, he was enjoying a day out at Flemington but insists he didn’t touch a beer.