NRL 2020: Roosters relegate Eels to away shed at Bankwest Stadium
Axed Canterbury winger Jayden Okunbor will appeal the NRL’s decision to deregister him, Roosters mind games ahead of Eels clash and thoughts are with our great mate - it’s all in Sports Confidential.
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Axed Canterbury winger Jayden Okunbor will finally get his chance to appeal the NRL’s decision to deregister him next week.
Okunbor’s case will go before the NRL appeals committee chief and former High Court judge Ian Callinan in a closed hearing on Tuesday. There has been no date set yet for former teammate Corey Harawira-Naera’s appeal after the pair had their contracts torn up and were given an indefinite ban by the NRL for bringing schoolgirls back to the team hotel during the club’s pre-season trip to Port Macquarie in February.
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Their actions did not draw police attention.
A final decision on Okunbor is not expected for weeks. A host of clubs have already made inquiries about Harawira-Naera’s future despite no clear indication when the back-rower will be allowed to return to the field.
Meanwhile, there has been no decision regarding Josh Addo-Carr and Latrell Mitchell appeal against the NRL’s $50,000 fine imposed on them for breaking social distancing protocols.
EELS SIGN AGE RECORD HOLDER
Parramatta have signed former teen star Jordan Rankin until the end of next year. Rankin burst onto the scene as the third youngest player to play first grade when he featured for the Titans as a 16-year-old way back in 2008.
Since then Rankin has been in and out of the NRL, splitting his time in the English Super League. He played 17 top grade games for the Titans before heading to Hull FC to re-establish himself.
The utility back returned to the NRL in 2016 where he played 22 games for the Tigers before making a mid-season switch to Huddersfield the following year.
He joined Castleford last year and announced he would quit the club in May. The 28-year-old split his time between the halves and fullback.
SHORT SHOTS
An August 1 deadline has been placed to make a decision if there are any Test matches to be played at the end of the year. The Kangaroos tour has been cancelled and plans to play a three-game series between Tonga and New Zealand in line with Origin are now drifting. The winner would play Australia in a one-off Test. A tripartite committee has been established to work out the feasibility of any end of year Tests.
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For the first time the Eels will play out of the “away” sheds at Bankwest Stadium on Saturday night. The match is officially a Roosters home game and they are taking full advantage by occupying the home team dressing rooms, making Parramatta move to the away team sheds.
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Former NRL players Jimmy Smith and Joel Caine will launch a new sports breakfast show on Monday. Dubbed ‘Breakfast with Joel and Jimmy’ will be heard on the newly launched SEN Track station from 630-830am Monday-Thursday on 1575AM in Wollongong and 801AM in Gosford. Also on the SEN app.
SPOTTED: There is a nag called Buzz Rothfield having its first start at Redcliffe trots Friday night in the fourth race. Buzz is paying $26 in early markets which would suggest the bay gelding, like our colleague, has a question mark over its fitness and may need the run.
PUNTERS IGNORE PARRA
Parramatta may be unbeaten but they’re also unloved by the punters and tipsters.
The Eels have been given less chance of winning this weekend than the likes of the Dragons, Bulldogs and even the hapless Titans.
Granted none of those sides are coming up against competition heavyweights the Roosters like the Eels will do Saturday night.
But it’s still extraordinary to see such a dominant side at $3 with the TAB to beat the Roosters ($1.37).
The Eels started the week at $2.60 before the Roosters’ demolition of the Bulldogs on Monday night.
At one point this week the Eels were the longest priced outsiders of all 16 sides this weekend.
Twenty-five of the 26 tipsters in The Daily Telegraph also picked the Roosters, with Sam Burgess being the long expert to give the Eels a chance.
Parramatta legend Peter Wynn believes the Eels can do what the experts don’t think they can.
“If it’s a tight game, Parramatta have matured and will find a way to win,” Wynn said. “They were able to find a way to beat Penrith and Manly who are good sides.”
DRAGONS SHOW MEMBERS THE MONEY
New Dragons boss Ryan Webb has dismissed suggestions the club is hamstrung by financial constraints when making long-term decisions about its coaching set-up.
Webb has kept a low-profile since taking on the role from Brian Johnston in April however he wrote to club members this week to put to bed any suggestions the club’s financial position was weak.
“It has become obvious that there is a misconception around the Dragons’ financial status,” Webb wrote. “The consensus seems to be the club is not in a strong position financially and as such we are forced to make compromised decisions when it comes to investing into our football and commercial activities. This is not the case at all.
“We are fortunate to have two shareholders (the St George District Rugby League Football Club and WIN TV) who are both in very good financial positions.
“The Dragons have no debt with the NRL and were aiming to make a profit this year before the COVID-19 interruption. I believe we will get through this season financially as well as any club in the NRL.”
MACCA ‘ENCOURAGED’ TO SEEK RELEASE
More revisionist history out of Brisbane after the Broncos were forced into the embarrassing position of signing Issac Luke just weeks after releasing club stalwart Andrew McCullough.
The story is being quietly circulated that McCullough approached the club asking for a release, the 260-gamer supposedly saying he wasn’t getting enough game time and wanted to explore his options around the NRL.
The true story is closer to McCullough being told by the club that, if he remained, he would be playing reserve grade, and that if he wanted to play first grade his best option was at another club.
It is a common tactic used to “encourage” players to seek a release.
With McCullough gone the Broncos then had the salary cap room to sign Ben Teo.
THOUGHTS FOR OUR LITTLE MATE
Missing from our pages this week is probably the most popular section on the Sports Confidential page, Boo Bailey’s weekly “It’s A Funny Game” cartoon.
Besides being a very funny man, one of Boo’s true strengths is he has always been a great mate.
Is king george the seven the @RaidersCanberra missing link in their quest for the throne? Paul Crawley looks at how Ricky and the raiders beat their rivals and the bank when signing star half george williams. My art for @telegraph_sport @FOXNRL #nrl #Canberra @BuzzRothfield pic.twitter.com/Jai6Qz1mxp
— Scott Bailey (@BooBaileyTele) June 3, 2020
One of his favourite catchphrases over a few beers is, “If you bag him, you bag me”.
Boo has had a little bad health lately, and is currently in hospital in a mighty fight to get better.
Plenty of friends have been turned away at the hospital doors.
Boo has to fight this one on his own, unfortunately, but he does so knowing that, behind him, is a small regiment of mates prepared to do anything necessary to help him recover.
ON THIS DAY
The Australian selectors ushered in a new era by picking just three incumbent players 25 years ago. The late Peter “Chippy” Frilingos wrote skipper Brad Fittler, Rod Wishart and Tim Brasher were the only players to keep their spot in the Test team. The selectors ignored Super League aligned players for the three Test series against New Zealand. Manly prop David Gillespie was labelled as the bolter.
ALL EYES ON
Teddy v Gutho. Brown v Radley. JWH v Paulo. What a cracker clash between the Roosters and the Eels is shaping up to be. The Eels sit on top of the premiership ladder as the only undefeated side while the Roosters have looked every bit the two-time defending premiers since the competition resumed.
BLAST FROM THE PAST
SAM PERRETT
Games: 256 (148 Roosters, 108 Canterbury)
Career: 2004-16
Tests: 21 Tests for New Zealand.
First Ricky Stuart called. Soon after the Roosters premiership winning coach was sitting in the Perrett family lounge room alongside then Roosters boss Brian Canavan and Immortal Arthur Beetson. Perrett had caught the eye of not only the Roosters but a host of NRL clubs in his final year of schooling at Palm Beach Currumbin.
“When Ricky called I was like any other 17-year-old who didn’t know what to say,” Perrett said. “I loved playing footy but I didn’t know too much about it. My dad was excited.
“The Broncos were another team that was interested but they forgot to tell Wayne Bennett. We went to a home game and he just walked past us and gave us a bit of a nod and that was it. He called a couple of weeks later and expressed his disappointment that he didn’t come over and to say he wasn’t aware of us being there.”
Stuart handed Perrett his NRL debut the next year but that was soured by a serious ankle injury. Perrett recovered to be part of the Roosters undefeated Jersey Flegg side and went on to play in the club’s 2010 grand final loss to St George Illawarra.
While the Kiwi international felt the love at the Roosters as a teen he wasn’t having similar feelings midway through 2012 because of the atmosphere under then coach Brian Smith before he left for Canterbury.
“I was considering retirement,” Perrett said. “It’s no secret to the playing squad at the time that I found the atmosphere quite draining. There were some good parts of Smithy’s coaching but there was some negativity. I needed a change. Going to Canterbury helped me fall in love with the game again.”
The move paid off with Perrett playing in the first of his two grand final losses at the Bulldogs later that year. Smith was soon axed and the Roosters would win the grand final in 2013, much to Perrett’s frustration.
Perrett, who runs his own construction company, called it quits in 2016 with a year left on his contract.
“We were playing against Brisbane and had just scored,” Perrett said. “I was waiting for kick-off and my mind started thinking about what my kids and my wife were up to. They weren’t at the game. There and then I knew my playing days would soon come to an end.”
LAUGH IT UP
A raucous cheer went up inside the offices at Fox Sport this week when it appeared the Professor, James Rochford, and his offsider Andrew “Barney” Barnett had stumbled upon an original joke for their reduced segment on the Sunday Night with Matty Johns show.
Alas, cheers quickly subsided to gloom when it was realised the gag was another recycled joke back from 2016, or possibly 2017.
The narrow call put a downer on the mood inside the Fox League offices, aware how much the Professor has been struggling of late to be funny, let alone original.
Anyway, the Professor and Barney are still on the lookout for an original joke so, as a favour, any aspiring comedy writers with any ideas - anything will do for a start - have been asked to contact them at SundayWithMatty@foxsports.com.au. Please.