NRL grand final 2022: Latest Panthers v Eels news before Sunday’s decider
Api Koroisau was hours away from signing for a club mired at the bottom of the NRL — then the Panthers called. Ahead of his last game for Penrith, he reflects on that sliding doors moment.
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Api Koroisau describes his teammates as “pawns”. The pieces he moves around the field to checkmate his rivals.
It is a far cry from the hundred-miles-an-hour player who ran at every opportunity during his younger days.
“I changed a lot from trying to play a physical, hooker role to playing a mental hooker role,” Koroisau said.
“I am now using everybody else as my pawns, which is good so I don’t have to get as many hits.
“I understood that you get to certain points on the field and using other people is beneficial for me and the team.
“If there is a quick play-the-ball, I always used to want to run myself.
“But it might be a better idea to have someone running onto the ball regardless of who it is and get them carrying it over their advantage line.
“I might only get 10 metres and slow the play the ball.
“If a front-rower is coming hard, there we will get another quick play-the-ball, so we can move down the field.
“I have started using everyone else a bit more.”
The art of deception, as Koroisau likes to describe it, was on full show last Saturday.
He faked to kick which forced South Sydney’s defensive line to hesitate for that split second, enabling Koroisau to slice through and score a match-changing try.
“The art of deception bit is trying to buy some people time around me,” Koroisau said.
The evolution of Koroisau now has him on the verge of joining a rare group of three-time premiership-winners. He arrived at Penrith for his first stint in 2015 with a grand final ring, having been parachuted into South Sydney’s line-up to replace the suspended Issac Luke.
He lasted just one season before joining Manly.
But Koroisau was enticed back to the Panthers after four seasons away.
Now, ahead of his final game for the club before he joins the Tigers, he described the past three years as “life changing”.
“It was pretty much locked in that I was going to the Dogs,” Koroisau said.
“They came in at the 11th hour. Penrith didn’t hit me up until about two or three weeks after I had those meetings.
“I met (Ivan Cleary) at his house which is cool because he has a nice house. He was asking me about life and I was telling me that I’m not a kid now. I settled down and was still cheeky but I wasn’t doing the stuff I was doing back in the day.
“The last three years have been ridiculous.”
NON-STOP CALLS WHICH HELPED SEAL GF RETURN FOR EEL
Parramatta enforcer Nathan Brown bombarded Brad Arthur with phone calls hunting an NRL recall, telling his coach: “I’m ready if you need me.”
The Daily Telegraph can reveal a dogged Brown personally contacted Arthur every week asking to be considered for selection in an Eels side charging towards the NRL grand final.
Even after being told to shop himself around mid-season, and being dropped, Brown continued to hound Arthur.
And his perseverance has been rewarded with Arthur saying “this is the game that suits him.”
Brown last played NRL on July 9 — round 17 — against Wests Tigers. His exile is over.
He played three NSW Cup games through July before being ruled out for a month with a dislocated thumb, which required surgery.
Brown missed most of August but returned for Parramatta’s week one NSW Cup finals game against Canterbury on September 3.
He hasn’t played since.
When constantly overlooked, Brown would punch Arthur’s number into his mobile and tell the coach he was “ready” to play.
A source close to Parramatta and Brown said: “When Nathan didn’t get selected he kept ringing Brad and saying: ‘I’m ready if you need me’.
“He has that relationship with Brad but, at the end of the day, Nathan knows he’s on the outer, he’s not silly.
“But Nathan would ring every week saying he was ready.
“When he wasn’t being picked, Nathan would vent but he could only do what he could do – and that was to train hard and be ready if a call-up came. He didn’t kick stones.
“Bringing Nathan back now could prove a masterstroke. Nathan knows why he has been selected and knows he’s got a job to do. He is thankful.”
His tenacity and attitude to training has been recognised with selection on the bench for Bryce Cartwright.
Brown knew his future at CommBank Stadium was over after being told in June that he could negotiate with rival clubs, despite having another season to run at Parramatta.
Despite speculation to the contrary, Arthur and Brown deny a rift albeit the former NSW forward is aware he’s essentially unwanted at Parramatta.
Brown, who played State of Origin in 2020, has been consistently linked to Wests Tigers. Unless there is an extraordinary late development, Sunday’s grand final will be Brown’s final game for Parramatta.
Four-time grand finalist Laurie Daley described Brown’s selection as an “inspired choice.”
“I think Nathan Brown will be a good selection ... yes, he’s got errors in him, he’s got ill-discipline, but if I’m the opposition, he will be in your face, aggressive and can rattle the cage of a few people. He can do things that others can’t,” Daley told The Big Sports Breakfast radio program.
“He’d be one of those players that I’d least like to face in a grand final so I think that would be a very good selection.
“If you allow Nathan Cleary all the time in the world to kick, as we’ve seen, he’ll kick you to death. I think Nathan Brown would be an inspired choice.”
CLEARY ‘BANS SISTER’ AFTER GRAND FINAL SAGA
Penrith star Nathan Cleary has jokingly suggested he won’t let his sister Indi anywhere near the premiership trophy if the Panthers make it back-to-back wins on Sunday night.
A year ago, the Provan-Summons trophy was badly damaged after it was knocked off a table adjacent to the dance floor as Panthers players celebrated their victory over South Sydney.
Confidential understands that Indi Cleary was in the vicinity of the trophy when the accident took place and Nathan has given credence to that theory after suggesting his sister would be given a hands-off order if the Panthers defend their title.
“No chance — she is banned if we win it,” Cleary joked.
The Panthers star also revealed his childhood mates who snuck into Queensland last year to attend the grand final will be there again on Sunday.
The trio were busted after photos on social media showed them partying in the Sunshine State and they were fined $4135 by Queensland Police for breaching Covid health orders.
Cleary revealed the trio would be there on Sunday night, this time legally.
“They are coming to the game,” he said. “If they didn’t miss it up in Brisbane, they aren’t going to miss it in Sydney. It was good to have them their at the time but they got in a bit of trouble.”
80% OF NRL FANS WANT MASSIVE GRAND FINAL CHANGE
The people have spoken — and they want to watch the NRL grand final in the sun.
Responding to a call from rugby league legend Matty Johns for the NRL to revert to a daytime grand final, News Corp Readers were asked when the decider should be scheduled.
A whopping 79 per cent of voters opted for a daytime grand final, ahead of 15 per cent for twilight and just six per cent for its current night-time slot.
“I would love to see a day grand final return to the NRL,’’ Johns told Victorian SEN radio’s Garry Lyon and Tim Watson on Thursday.
“I think it’s a better standard of football. In our game, you move the ball around a lot more.
“And I just like the atmosphere of a daytime grand final.”
NRL’S LATEST PAY DEAL REJECTED BY PLAYERS
By Brent Read
The players union has rejected the NRL’s latest pay deal only days before the grand final.
Rugby League Players Association boss Clint Newton was reluctant to discuss the developments when contacted by News Corp on Thursday for fear of hijacking Sunday night’s game at Accor Stadium.
However, he confirmed that the latest offer from the NRL had been rejected following a meeting on Tuesday.
“We see no value in discussing the detail of the NRL’s revised proposal this week,” Newton said.
“If there was ever a time to focus solely on the fans, clubs and players involved in big matches, it’s now.
“That’s consistent with our approach during other major events this year. We want to respect the big games and not take the focus away from where it belongs.
“Yes, we received a revised proposal from the NRL during grand final week, but all we will say at this time is, we are not accepting it.”
News Corp revealed the RLPA’s requests a fortnight ago. The union proposed a 47.8 percent share of NRL revenue and a salary cap of $10.4 million for the top 30 players as well as an extra allowance of $500,000 for long-serving and developed players.
The RLPA also wanted a significant increase in the minimum wage and $650,000 to be set aside for up to 10 players on a supplementary list outside the top 30.
Further, they wanted $120 million to be invested in the women’s game over the next five years and women to be paid a minimum wage of at least $30,000.
The existing deal between the players and NRL is due to expire on October 31, leaving officials from the union and head office with little more than a month to reach an agreement.
“I love the game,” Newton said.
“The players love the game, and this week the footy will do the talking. We can discuss and answer more questions on the players’ claims and the NRL’s revised proposal from next week.”
Luai unloads on ‘disrespectful’ critics of teammate
LUIA UNLOADS ON ‘DISRESPECTFUL’ CRITICS OF TEAMMATE
By Martin Gabor
Panthers star Jarome Luai says criticism towards Joseph Suaalii has been “disrespectful” after the teen sensation’s motives were questioned for choosing Samoa over Australia for the World Cup.
Suaalii was a certainty to make the Kangaroos squad but told coach Mal Meninga last week that he wanted to represent Samoa instead.
The Roosters winger said it was “one of the most difficult decisions of my career”, but he wanted to honour his family.
His decision sparked debate around eligibility rules in rugby league, with players able to represent NSW or Queensland in State of Origin and then play for tier two nations like Samoa or Tonga instead of the Kangaroos.
Luai has heard those criticisms before and says it’s disrespectful to attack players for following the rules that allow them to proudly represent the state they grew up in as well as the country that means so much to them and their family.
“I think it’s unfair,” Luai said.
“All he did was come out and speak his mind and gave reasons why he wanted to play for Samoa.
“People then came out and threw up other things about why he made that decision.
“It’s not about the money. It’s about wearing your heart on your sleeve and doing your last name proud. I’m sure everyone in that Toa Samoa squad is keen to do that.
“I just think it’s pretty crazy and disrespectful to him and his family and the hardships they had to go through to get Joey to where he is today.
“I think the biggest lesson out of all this is that people need to respect other people’s cultures.”
Samoa has come a long way from the team that didn’t win a pool game at the 2017 World Cup and was eventually belted 46-0 by the Kangaroos in the quarter-final.
There are six Panthers in a formidable squad that looms as a genuine threat to take out the title given their potency out wide and big men in the middle.
It’s why Luai is so excited to see guys like Suaalii put their hand up to play five years after his own World Cup debut before he’d played an NRL game.
“I’m grateful to be selected in the squad along with my brothers here at Penrith,” he said ahead of Sunday’s grand final against Parramatta.
“I can’t wait, but obviously we have a job to do here this weekend. God willing, we get through it injury free and then we can make our mark at the World Cup.
“It’s pretty cool to see all these guys put their hands up to play.
“We know within the group that this is a massive opportunity for us. If we’re able to come together and find a game plan that works for us all, then we can play some great footy and we definitely have a chance to win it.”
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