Saint, Sinner, Shoosh: Fresh Perth push for NRL expansion impresses Peter V’landys
Perth is back in the race to host an NRL team after the West Australian premier reached out to ARLC chairman Peter V’landys.
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Perth has shot back into serious contention in NRL expansion plans after a phone call from newly installed West Australian premier Roger Cook to independent commission boss Peter V’landys.
The premier contacted V’landys last week just days after taking over as leader from Mark McGowan to start lobbying for a Perth side to be included in 18th-team discussions.
This comes on top of news ticket sales for the August NRL double header in Perth were tracking for a bumper crowd of 45,000-plus at Optus Stadium.
The city has previously sold out two State of Origin matches, proving there is an obvious appetite for rugby league as an AFL alternative.
V’landys, who was originally against a Perth team, admits he has had a change of heart.
“I’ll acknowledge I was wrong with my initial thoughts,” he said. “Perth has to be high on the table now, especially with a premier so passionate about wanting to have a team there. They warrant serious consideration.
“If you’ve got a government that’s going to get 100 per cent behind you, you’ve got a run-up start. We had a really good conversation and we’ll be chatting again. The fact he rang in his first week in the job shows how keen they are.”
The WA sports minister is now preparing an official proposal and the possibility of a joint venture with the old North Sydney Bears.
V’landys says all options – including a 20-team competition – are open to the independent commission, including PNG.
“Nick Politis is a visionary,” V’landys said. “He’s said why are you looking at 18 teams. Why not 20.
“If you do your participation and pathways right, the 20 teams can happen sooner.
“And it’s all funded by the broadcaster from the extra content.”
The Perth double header on Saturday, August 5 will feature Dolphins v Knights at 5:30 followed by the Rabbitohs v Sharks at 7:35pm (AEST).
While WA Tourism is said to be delighted with the number of interstate visitors booked to fly into Perth for the weekend, the vast majority of early tickets sold have been snapped up by locals who love their rugby league.
There has also been significant business support around corporate sales.
SAINT
A smorgasbord of TV sport – the Ashes, the NRL, the Tim Tszyu fight, men’s and women’s State of Origin and the Supercars in Darwin for the petrol heads.
SINNER
Can someone remind 2GB’s Mark Levy it is not the media’s role to be cheerleaders. We all want NSW to win but when the Blues are facing a third series loss in four years, questions must be asked around Brad Fittler, his staff and selections.
But Levy had this to say last week: “I’m sick and tired of people criticising NSW and some of the rubbish that gets written south of the Tweed. I keep hearing about mass changes, Freddy has got to be sacked. Rubbish. Start backing your team. In Freddy we trust.” No doubt Mr Levy will be taking his pompoms to Suncorp Stadium on Wednesday night.
SHOOSH
Who is the high-profile ex-Dragons and State of Origin player who convinced the St George Illawarra board to change its stance on Shane Flanagan.
SHOOSH
Ange Postecoglou would have to be the highest-paid Aussie sporting coach in history. We’re hearing he’s on $9 million with Spurs in the English Premier League. That’s $173,000 a week. The man he replaces at Tottenham, Antonio Conte, was earning $25 million.
SHOOSH
The NRL still has no international footy schedule for the end of the season. It was hoped we’d have a Four Nations series locked in for after the grand final but delays in finalising a CBA has put planning on hold. The RLPA wants all players at the tournament to be paid the same and not just the Kangaroos on top money.
SPOTTED
NRL stars Keaon Koloamatangi, Khaled Rajab, Taane Milne, Bux Laalaa (security guard) and Payne Haas demolishing garlic lobsters and pipis at Beverly Hills 888 seafood restaurant on Wednesday night.
SPOTTED
Former Olympian and Commonwealth Games golden girl Jane Flemming looking remarkably fit at 58 years of age. We spotted Jane doing sprint training at Queens Park last weekend.
MACDOUGALL DIGS DEEP TO HELP ANDERSON
Former NRL star Adam MacDougall has donated $100,000 to help Daniel Anderson in his adjustment to life as a quadriplegic.
MacDougall is the ex-Knights, Roosters, Rabbitohs and NSW Blues player who built the Man Shake brand into a $400 million business empire.
He is now renowned for his wonderful generosity around sport, and rugby league in particular.
“I’ve always tried to help out in rugby league where I can,” MacDougall said.
“Without footy I wouldn’t be where I am today. You never forget where you came from. If you can give back it’s a privilege.”
Every year MacDougall and his foundation gives away around $2 million to charities including the Mark Hughes Foundation and Ronald McDonald House.
He was approached by organisers of Anderson’s fundraising lunch to buy a table. He chucked in $100,000 – despite never having met the ex-Warriors and Eels coach.
“I played against his Warriors team once and got four tries,” he laughed. “I probably gave him a few grey hairs that day.”
The Sunday Telegraph recently told Anderson’s story of how he was dumped while body surfing on a Central Coast beach last December and suffered a catastrophic spinal injury.
The reaction has been astonishing.
The fundraiser on July 7 in the grand ballroom at Randwick racecourse completely sold out in four days.
Every NRL club has purchased at least one table. Alan Jones paid $50,000 for a table and will have federal opposition leader Peter Dutton on his table.
Readers can donate here.
HOLIDAY BLUES: COOK CANS TRIP
Damien Cook planned to be on a Sunshine Coast holiday with his family last week.
His Rabbitohs had the bye and Blues hooker Api Koroisau played well enough in game one to retain his spot in the Blues team.
So Cook and his wife booked and paid for airfares and accommodation around Noosa.
Then Koroisau broke his jaw last weekend, opening the door for Cook’s return to NSW.
Early Monday NSW announced Cowboys hooker Reece Robson was in the squad. Cook still has no word from Brad Fittler.
He sat nervously by his phone until the call came on Monday night. He’d made the team – and deservedly so.
GUS CHANGES HIS TUNE YET AGAIN
Phil Gould is a busy man with a huge workload.
He has a full-time role as general manager of football at Canterbury Bulldogs plus three media gigs – his podcast Six Tackles with Gus, the Monday late-night show 100% Footy, plus weekend commentary.
It probably explains why he has the odd hiccup and sometimes seems all over the place with his opinions. The best example of this is his recent commentary around Roosters halfback Sam Walker.
When Walker was dropped six weeks ago Gus had this to say:
“I can’t believe it’s taken them this long, to be honest. This is their best halves pairing. (Luke Keary and Joey Manu). That’s nothing against Walker, but at the end of the day Keary has won premierships playing in that position, and Manu, they’ve got to get closer to the ball, it’s as simple as that.”
Last Monday Gus did one of his all-too-often backflips and changed his mind:
“To me Sam Walker’s their future, and it’s been quite obvious since he’s been out they’ve lost all their ad lib, they’ve lost all their spark, they’ve lost their spontaneity. It’s gone back into just playing point to point, it’s very structured and slow and predictable.”
It’s like the backflip we wrote about last week. Three years ago he provided Shane Flanagan with a reference to have his coaching ban lifted by the NRL.
Last week he retweeted/endorsed an opinion piece suggesting Flanagan should never be allowed to coach an NRL side again.
It has been a tough year for the great man. His Bulldogs are running 15th with the worst for-and-against in the competition.
BENNETT: THE DAY I SACKED KING WALLY
Wayne Bennett will finally break his silence on the sacking of Wally Lewis as Brisbane Broncos captain back in 1989 in a Channel 9 documentary on The King on Tuesday night.
Your columnist was in England back in 1989 when Bennett turned up at a function in Wigan — but point blank refused to answer questions of Wally’s shock demotion.
Now, 34 years later, he explains his decision in the documentary. It will be a fascinating insight; along with contributions from others including his great mate Paul ‘Fatty’ Vautin.
NO LIMIT TO STAGE ALL-FEMALE FIGHT NIGHT
Tim Tszyu puts his interim world title belt on the line on the Gold Coast today against highly regarded Mexican Carlos Ocampo.
It’s not the only big event No Limit is planning this year.
In a first for Australian boxing, No Limit will stage an all-female card to showcase women’s combat sport like never before in this country on Fox Sports.
We’ve seen the extraordinary growth of women’s sport over the last 20 years with the Matildas, the Australian cricket team, the NRLW and AFLW, netball and other sports.
This won’t be any old fight card.
Ebanie Bridges will defend the IBF female bantamweight title. She has a huge global social media following with more than 750,000 Instagram followers.
Kiwi-born Aussie boxer Cherneka Johnson recently lost her world bantamweight title, but will fight on the show. Legendary trainer Johnny Lewis, who looks after Australian champion Ella Boot, is a huge supporter of women’s boxing.
“It’s a brave move from the Rose boys because it’s never been done before, but there’s no reason why they shouldn’t be doing this,” Lewis said.
“Sometimes I prefer women’s rugby league to the men’s. They play a great brand of footy.
“In boxing the girls have done remarkably well and taken a gigantic step forward.
“My fighter Ella has been waiting for an opportunity on a card like this.”
DON’T SHOOT THE MESSENGER
Cowboys halfback Chad Townsend has been left in the dark over his future.
He claims he wants to stay long term at the Cowboys but his manager has been shopping him around.
The former Sharks No.7 sent me an angry text message when I spoke about it last week on NRL 360.
He needs to stop shooting the messenger and sort it out with his agent.
MEDIA PROFILE: Michael Carayannis, 36 (Daily and Sunday Telegraph)
First job? Blockbuster Video at Punchbowl where I got to serve some rugby league royalty including Jaiman Lowe, Keith Galloway and Hutch Maiava, before scoring a full-time job at the St George Sutherland Shire Leader as their business and junior sport reporter. Spent three great years at the SMH before Buzz came knocking.
Your sporting heroes? Noel Goldthorpe was my main man in the 1990s, followed by Nathan Blacklock. Also loved Andrew Johns. It was then over Michael Slater and Shane Warne in the summer.
Which team did you support? You have no choice in my family but to be a Dragons fan. My childhood was getting to Kogarah Oval at halftime of President’s Cup and then off to the Leagues Club auditorium post-game to get my scrapbook signed.
Did you play? Played rugby league for the mighty Kingsgrove Colts, lots of cricket. And then spent a bit of time coaching in league.
How do you spend a day off? These days, it is with my wife Clara and trying to keep our 10-month-old Elena under control while keeping our dog Max active. A cheeky brunch while reading the Sunday papers is a dream.
Career highlights? I always wanted to be a rugby league journalist. There have been a few pinch-me moments. I love rugby league, so to be able to write about it and talk about it on TV and radio is a dream. Story-wise: exposing South Sydney’s Arizona antics and last year’s Manly Pride jersey fiasco stands out.
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