NRL What’s the Buzz: Mal Meninga call on Cameron Smith’s future | Saint, Sinner, Shoosh
New COVID-19 laws around travel from Sydney to Brisbane caused a major logistic nightmare for the NRL and pilots, with a flight having to cover seven destinations. This and much more in another edition of Saint, Sinner, Shoosh.
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Mal Meninga knows Cameron Smith better than most from their days together as coach and captain of the great Queensland Maroons and Kangaroos teams.
He’s convinced the champion No. 9 can play on next season, the year he turns 38.
“Cameron is playing so well at the moment and having so much influence on the games,” Meninga said,
“He’d be silly to retire if he feels he can keep on contributing.”
Mal has coached all the champions of the modern era but rates Smith No. 1.
“I don’t think there’s ever been a better player,” he said.
“As for retirement, your mind and your body tell you when it’s time. He understands it better than anyone.
“But once you’re retired, you’re retired.”
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COVID PILOTS IN FOR LONG-HOPPING HAUL
The NRL had to overcome more logistic issues to get the Gold Coast Titans into Sydney yesterday to play the Roosters.
It meant their plane had to fly from Brisbane to the Gold Coast, to Bankstown, to Wollongong, back to Bankstown, back to the Gold Coast and then back to Brisbane over 13 hours.
Under new COVID-19 laws, anyone returning to Queensland from Sydney has to go into a 14-day hotel isolation. The only exemptions are NRL teams.
This created a problem for the Queensland-based pilots from the Brisbane charter company that flew the players in to Bankstown Airport.
The players were allowed off but the pilots weren’t.
Aviation laws won’t allow airline staff to sit on tarmacs for eight hours waiting for players so they took off again and flew to Illawarra Regional Airport to spend the day in a hotel on the south coast.
It was a long day that they will have to get used to for the remainder of the season.
PACKER’S LAYING DOWN LAW
The next time rough-and-tumble Russell Packer has to front the NRL judiciary he won’t need a lawyer. The Wests Tigers star will soon be one himself.
After completing his Masters of Business at the Australian Graduate School of Management with a distinction average, Packer is now studying law.
The front-rower recently enrolled in the Masters of Law online program through the University of Auckland to bolster his qualifications and job prospects once his NRL career is over.
“I’ve got a pretty active mind and after pretty much completing my MBA I was worried about becoming a bit bored,” Packer said.
While juggling a full-time professional football career and fatherhood, Packer has also gained experience as a project manager for Wests Tigers’ long-time sponsor, Meriton.
However, as he nears the end of his playing career, Packer is unsure what he wants to do with his extensive academic qualifications.
“I’m open to any industry at this stage,” he said, “I want to make the most out of everything and I don’t want to box myself in.”
SBW COMBO
Sonny Bill Williams is not just back to play NRL for the Roosters.
He hopes to have two fights in the off-season ... the first against AFL legend Barry Hall and the second against league warhorse Paul Gallen.
SBW’s agent has already spoken to Gallen and Danny Green, who looks after Hall.
SAINT
An under-17s team in Cronulla juniors was recently left without a coach. Brett Kimmorley stepped in to help out. He not only coached the boys for the first game but took the jerseys home to wash them as well. “Noddy” is busy enough raising his four daughters. He is the most wonderful example of former players putting back into junior rugby league.
SAINT II
When a massive storm lashed Newcastle and flooded roads last Sunday, Knights football general manager and club legend Danny Buderus rang Fox Sports to offer accommodation to any broadcast staff trapped in Newcastle by the bad weather.
SINNER
Hugh Bowman caused a shocking fall last week that resulted in the death of a horse and left fellow jockey Andrew Adkins with seven broken ribs, a collapsed lung, a broken collarbone and two fractured bones in his leg. The injured jockey won’t ride again for months. Bowman escaped with just a six-week suspension. What a joke.
SHOOSH
Which Sydney Roosters star and his manager were shocked to read about the salaries of some of his teammates in last weekend’s Rich 100 list? There is also a Parramatta Eels star with his nose out of joint over his salary.
SHOOSH II
Which big name NRL star is dealing with a messy divorce that has been brought to the attention of the integrity unit and involves a property dispute and civil action?
SHOOSH III
Which highly paid star refused his coach’s request to play fullback this weekend and ran out in the halves instead? It’s not that hard to work out.
SHOOSH IV
Which club has threatened to explore legal action if the Kangaroos v All Blacks game goes ahead at the end of the season? NRL club agreements state players must be released to representative football, but not a cross-code exhibition match.
SPOTTED
A new picture on columnist, commentator, consultant, podcaster and wannabe player agent Phillip Gould’s Twitter account – a still frame of the massive bunker stuff up from the Dragons v Sharks game last weekend – showing up rugby league at its worst.
SPOTTED II
Sharks boss Dino Mezzatesta in a queue to get a COVID test in the Shire. Fortunately it came back negative.
SPOTTED III
Former livewire Test cricketer Greg “Mo” Matthews working the aisles of Woolworths in Chatswood.
SPOTTED IV
Ex-soccer and NRL boss David Gallop getting golf lessons at Precision Golf in Chatswood that can turn hackers into decent players.