NRL 2022: Benji Marshall to mentor playmakers at Wests Tigers
Benji Marshall was the inspiration for the Wests Tigers last premiership and his new role at the club puts him in position to bring another to the club.
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Benji Marshall will make a triumphant and romantic return to Wests Tigers next season.
Marshall won’t make a shock playing comeback but has been given a senior off-field role with the club he famously helped inspire to the 2005 premiership.
Plans to lure Marshall back to Concord were hatched a month ago.
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On October 7, The Daily Telegraph ran a back page story headed: “COME HOME, BENJI. Tigers hatch plan for Marshall’s return.”
Marshall played 201 NRL games at Wests Tigers. The superstar player ranked – alongside Robbie Farah - as the club’s greatest player.
On Wednesday night, Marshall was formally confirmed as a club ambassador who will also work in player development and corporate.
Marshall will also assist in pathways and development, the club claiming he will be “providing positional expertise to Wests Tigers Cubs program as well as at junior representative training sessions for both Balmain and Western Suburbs SG Ball and Harold Matthews teams.”
He will also help Wests Tigers in a commercial capacity while helping at official functions including membership, corporate and foundation events.
“I’m very excited to start this new role with Wests Tigers and to continue contributing to a club that I’ve always loved,” Marshall said.
“This is an exciting new role that allows me to contribute to the club in a number of ways both on and off the field.
“I’m looking forward to helping grow the next generation of Wests Tigers players coming through our pathways and playing a part in bringing further success to this great club.”
Marshall did leave Concord in unpleasant circumstances a year ago.
Wests Tigers chairman Lee Hagipantelis was behind the move for the 36-year-old to return while club CEO Justin Pascoe was equally thrilled at the news.
“I’d like to say how pleased we are to be able to welcome Benji Marshall back home to Wests Tigers,” Pascoe said.
Marshall retired from the NRL after playing for Souths in this year’s grand final loss against Penrith.
He left rugby league after 346 NRL games, 19 seasons, four clubs and 31 Tests for New Zealand.
At his retirement announcement, Marshall said: “I’ve done some good stuff. I am extremely proud of my career.
“I’m proud of the longevity of playing 19 seasons, proud of winning a premiership, proud to represent my country and to win a World Cup, and I’m proud of winning a Golden Boot too.
“But the thing of which I’m most proud is the countless times I have had to pick myself up and fight back from the many setbacks that were thrown at me throughout my career.”
Marshall turns 37 in February.
Sports Con: Two into one won’t go at Tigers
- Michael Carayannis, Brent Read and Jamie Pandaram
Wests Tigers head of football Tim Sheens jets into the country on Sunday and expects to have his feet under the desk at club headquarters first thing Monday morning.
Sheens will need to hit the ground running. Speculation won’t go away that Luke Brooks is in the sights of Newcastle as they look to replace Mitchell Pearce.
Sheens issued a statement from England recently suggesting Brooks was off limits. It was intended to put an end to the chatter about the Tigers No. 7, but it has done nothing of the sort.
Instead, Brooks remains at the centre of speculation that he could be on his way out of the club. There are several impediments to that happening.
Firstly, Brooks – the Tigers’ reigning player of the year – has two years remaining on his contract with the club that pays him in excess of $900,000 a season.
The Tigers are also short in the halves given the departure of Moses Mbye and Billy Walters, and the fact Adam Doueihi is expected to miss more than half the season as he recovers from knee surgery.
There was a sense that when the season came to an end, either Brooks or coach Michael Maguire had to go. The Tigers ultimately kept Maguire. That left Brooks.
Stay tuned.
SECRET CLAUSE IN PONGA’S CONTRACT REVEALED
Kalyn Ponga has seven months to make a call on his future.
Sport Confidential has been told that Ponga’s contract includes a clause that gives him until June 1 to activate an option to leave Newcastle at the end of next season.
There has been plenty of speculation about the state of Ponga’s contract and what it means for the Knights, particularly in light of interest from expansion team the Dolphins in his services.
There had been reports that the only way Ponga could leave was if the Knights secured the premiership. It is true that he has a clause in his contract that allows him to leave the club should they win a grand final – he has to inform the Knights within a month of a premiership win whether he wants to depart.
That clause only relates to the 2021 and 2022 premierships. However, it is understood there is a second clause that gives him the freedom to depart at the end of next season even if Newcastle fall short.
The clause has already come into effect and the only condition is that Ponga must inform the club of his plans to depart at the start of June.
It means he effectively has the next seven months to dance with his rivals before deciding whether he will remain at Newcastle in 2023 or head elsewhere, potentially to The Dolphins as that club’s marquee signing.
There is a catch for the clubs who are interested in chasing Ponga. Confidential has been told that the remaining years of his deal with the Knights are worth well in excess of $1 million, putting him in the same stratosphere as Nathan Cleary and Daly Cherry-Evans – the highest paid players in the game.
Any NRL club looking to prise him from Newcastle may have to offer upwards of $1.4 million. The wildcard is rugby union given Ponga could enact the release and be free to switch codes and chase a place at the World Cup, potentially with the All Blacks.
Even the mighty All Blacks might struggle to match the dollars that will be on the table in the NRL.
ALL EYES ON
Australia’s Twenty20 campaign continues when they go head to head with the West Indies on Saturday night.
FLASHBACK
Great Britain sprung an upset to defeat the Kangaroos 23-12 on this day 15 years ago. Firebrand Willie Mason was again in the headlines knocking out British prop Stuart Fielden with a punch and then being put on report for a late tackle on Sean Long. But the Brits had the last laugh in front of 24,953 people at the SFS.
MELBOURNE CUP COVID BREACH
Verry Elleegant enjoyed one last dip at the beach on Thursday morning before returning home to Sydney overnight.
The Melbourne Cup superstar is now heading to the spelling paddock for a well-earned break.
Meanwhile, Verry Elleegant’s part-owner Brae Sokolski is $10,000 out of pocket after copping a fine for a Covid protocol breach.
The owner jumped into the Flemington mounting yard after Verry Elleegant’s breathtaking Cup victory on Tuesday.
Sokolski was in the mounting yard for several minutes prior to being asked to return to his ticketed zone.
Under RV protocols entry to the mounting yard has been strictly limited and controlled to reduce the risk of industry participants being exposed to Covid.
“Sorry, the adrenaline got the better of me. These moments are once in a lifetime,” Sokolski said.
We’re tipping the $10k fine wouldn’t hurt too much after the Cup victory, which is worth $4.4m.
FOX SET FOR STORM SHOWDOWN
Josh Addo-Carr spent years at the Melbourne Storm, helping the club forge a dynasty before departing in the off-season to become Canterbury’s marquee signing.
Only four weeks into the new season, he will get the chance to go up against his former teammates as Addo-Carr and the Bulldogs fly to Melbourne in round four to face the Storm.
It will be an emotional homecoming for Addo-Carr, who spent five seasons at in Melbourne before making his big money switch to Canterbury.
“It’ll be weird,” Addo-Carr said.
“I made my debut against them. They are my good mates. They will want to smash me, it’s just the way boys are.”
Bizarrely though, Addo-Carr is more concerned about where and when the Bulldogs will play the Raiders.
“The game I’ll be looking at is the Canberra game in Canberra in the middle of winter,” Addo-Carr said.
“I hate playing there when it’s cold.”
While Addo-Carr will get his date against his former club over early, Wests Tigers recruit Jackson Hastings will be forced to wait until round nine to meet the team he left midway through the 2018 season – Manly.
Hastings was banished to reserve grade after breaking curfew with teammates and then becoming involved in an incident with Sea Eagles captain Daly Cherry-Evans at the team hotel in Gladstone.
There was talk the pair exchanged punches, although that was later denied by all parties. Regardless, there will be no love lost when the Tigers meet Manly in round nine.
Arguably no player has more to prove than Hastings, whose reputation took a beating in the aftermath to the Gladstone incident and his subsequent departure from the Sea Eagles.
NEW HOPE FOR MANLY RAKE
Suspended Manly hooker Manase Fainu hasn’t played a game for two years but he will remarkably need to go under the knife again to repair his troublesome shoulder after a training mishap.
There were fears Fainu’s career may have come to a premature end but surgeons have given the 23-year-old hope that he will recover from his latest setback.
Fainu’s left shoulder popped out during a training drill recently – he is allowed to continue training with Manly even though he has been stood down by the NRL’s no-fault policy since the end of 2019, Covid-19 having dragged out his court appearance.
Even if he had been cleared to play, he would have remained sidelined because of his ongoing shoulder problems, which started when he had a staph infection in his reconstructed shoulder.
Medical experts believe Fainu can make a recovery with a plan to tighten his shoulder with a skin graft from his hamstring. While the NRL website lists Fainu as contracted for next season, it is understood no deal has been registered with head office and won’t be until he is cleared by the courts.
He will be allowed to continue to train with Manly while he awaits his court date – he is expected to front court in July.
FOX READY TO TROT
Josh Addo-Carr’s trademark catch phrase is “let’s trot” and the Bulldogs recruit has wasted little time living up to the moniker on his return to Sydney. Addo-Carr was spotted trackside at Randwick as part of the Melbourne Cup festivities on Tuesday. He was surrounded by fans and happily obliged as he settles into life back in Sydney.
WARRIORS POUNCE ON ROOKIE SHARK
The Warriors are expected to land the first post-November 1 signing by securing Cronulla half Luke Metcalf on a two year deal.
The Warriors wanted to land Metcalf early but the Sharks have indicated they will not release him from the final year of his contract. Instead, the Warriors will add the 22-year-old for the 2023 season.
The Sharks and Warriors had briefly discussed a player swap but nothing eventuated. Metcalf is expected to partner ex-Cronulla teammate Shaun Johnson in the halves. Other potential halves options Chanel Harris-Tavita and Kodi Nikorima are off-contract at the end of next season and are expected to move on.
TEDDY PROBE
The NRL integrity unit have spoken to James Tedesco and the women at the centre of the ‘Squid Games’ furore, with an outcome expected early next week.
Tedesco was interviewed by the integrity unit after a woman of Vietnamese descent alleged the Sydney Roosters captain had referenced the popular Netflix show in a derisory way towards her.
Tedesco insisted he was merely discussing the show with some of his mates. The NRL is expected to hand down their findings next week.
RIVALS CHASE DRAGONS YOUNG GUN
The Dragons have tabled a three year deal to boom rookie Jayden Sullivan but rival clubs are already circling.
Sullivan, 20, has been told St George Illawarra are keen to retain him after formally offering the long-term extension last week. But the two parties were unable to agree to a deal before the November 1 deadline, meaning he is now actively testing the open market.
We’re told there have been no shortage of clubs lining up to speak to Sullivan, who has played just six top grade games.
GREAT CAUSE
Canberra chief executive Don Furner set out on Tuesday to walk 150km for charity. Furner, the game’s longest-serving club boss, has already raised more than $10,000 for Menslink, an organisation that helps young men in Canberra.
On day two, he was joined by Raiders coach Ricky Stuart as the pair knocked off 20km of the journey.
The walk finishes on Saturday. Click here to donate.
OLYMPIANS TO DOMINATE AWARDS NIGHT
The finalists for the 2021 NSW Sports Awards have been released and they are dominated by Tokyo Games team members.
Swimmer Cate Campbell, paddler Jessica Fox and high jumper Nicola McDermott are in the running for athlete of the year while the NSW Blues and NSW Swifts are among the sides gunning for team of the year.
Blues coach Brad Fittler is also in the reckoning for coach of the year along with Matty Horsnell, the man who guided McDermott to a silver medal in Tokyo.
The function, on January 24, will see Mark Webber, Mick Fanning, Naomi Flood, Kerri Pottharst, and Harry Williams inducted into the NSW Hall of Champions. Rugby icon Mark Ella will also be elevated to Legend status.
Click here for tickets or contact Sport NSW on (02) 8736 1239.
MAN IN DEMAND
Brandon Smith Smith has four or five clubs chasing him for season 2023 but money won’t be an issue for the Melbourne Storm star should the cryptocurrency market take off.
Smith has become the first NRL star to do a deal that sponsors him in cryptocurrency after agreeing to become an ambassador for YKTR, the clothing and media empire founded by former and current NRL players Isaac John, Corey Norman and James Segeyaro.
Speaking on YKTR’s YouTube channel, John said he gave Smith the option of being paid in Bitcoin, Ethereum or Australian dollars.
Smith chose Ethereum. So far, so good. Ethereum has been on a steady rise over the past week.
WALLABIES TO THROW RULES OUT THE WINDOW
While Rugby Australia insists they’ll keep the Giteau Law, speculation continues to grow that in the World Cup year of 2023 all rules will be thrown out the window and coach Dave Rennie can select all overseas-based players.
The issue has already created headaches after the late spring tour withdrawals of Quade Cooper, Samu Kerevi and Sean McMahon, who opted to stay in Japan to appease their clubs.
Now European-based Kurtley Beale, Will Skelton, Rory Arnold, Duncan Paia’aua and Colby Fainga’a have been brought into the touring squad.
Only Beale technically qualifies under the 60-cap Giteau Law, having played 92 Tests, but the Wallabies are being given allowances due to Covid-19 border restriction complications.
Next year, there’s a thought that Japan-based players will be used during The Rugby Championship, and European-based players used during the spring tour, as what has transpired this year.
In 2023, Wallabies coach Dave Rennie is set to be given free rein to pick his best possible team from anywhere, in the hopes of winning the William Webb Ellis Cup for the first time since 1999.
Meanwhile, James O’Connor is not only set to replace Quade Cooper as five-eighth for the Wallabies for this tour, but also the Barbarians.
The Barbarians, coached by Rennie, will play Samoa on November 27 at Twickenham after the Wallabies have completed their three Tests against Scotland, England and Wales.
All of the Wallabies and All Blacks’ spring tour games will be shown live on Fox Sports and Kayo via the BeIn sports channels.
PRESSURE MOUNTING ON RUGBY BOSS
Pressure is mounting on Rugby Australia’s director of rugby, Scott Johnson, whose contract expires at the end of the year.
Already, stories have been leaked about Johnson’s position being under threat this week.
Now comes word that former Australian rugby high performance boss David Nucifora and former Wallabies coach Robbie Deans have been mentioned as future candidates for the role.
Johnson, a close ally of coach Dave Rennie, is keen to retain the job until the end of the 2023 World Cup, and then potentially take up a similar role at Queensland Reds.
Whether RA executives are willing to keep him on may depend on Johnson being amenable to reduced salary and duties.
Ex-NRL star’s impressive heavyweight KO
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Bulldogs ramp up Hunt chase after missing out on Storm star
The Bulldogs are set to turn their attention back to Ben Hunt, after Canterbury supremo Phil Gould failed in a secret last-ditch attempt to poach Melbourne Storm star Ryan Papenhuyzen.