Saint, Sinner, Shoosh: Roosters star Angus Crichton set to sign with French rugby
NRL glamour club the Sydney Roosters could lose as many as three players to rugby union by the end of the season.
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NRL glamour club the Sydney Roosters could lose as many as three players to rugby union by the end of the season.
Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii has already signed with Rugby Australia and Joey Manu has indicated to the club he is heading to French or Japanese rugby.
Second-rower Angus Crichton will be next to go. Your columnist understands he is heading to France.
Crichton was on the verge of signing with Rugby Australia before the offer was withdrawn at the last moment late last year.
He has since attracted strong interest from French clubs.
The 28-year-old Blues State of Origin forward is determined to make an impact before he leaves. Roosters insiders say he has been super impressive during the pre-season.
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SAINT
The Ricky Stuart Foundation held its annual fundraiser at Doltone House on Friday. The Raiders coach was there alongside Ash Barty, Jack Wighton, Latrell Mitchell, Peter V’landys, Ben Fordham, Yvonne Sampson, Leila McKinnon and David Gyngell to support this wonderful charity. The Bulldogs, Sharks, Roosters, Fox Sports and Channel 9 also bought tables.
SINNER
Junior soccer clubs are charging children as young as five-years-old $365 to play footy this year. True story. Three hundred and sixty-five dollars. The money goes to Football Australia, Football NSW, the local football association, the club and a company called Kano that provides coaching. The Under 12’s goes up to $410. One parent in Sydney’s north west is paying $1132.75 for his three kids. In a cost-of-living crisis this is a scandal.
SPOTTED
Tennis star Nick Kyrgios at the beautiful Totti’s restaurant in Rozelle, the eatery where Sunday Sesh columnists Brent Read and Michael Carayannis have often dined with Wests Tigers heavyweights.
SPOTTED
Most chief executives travel in business class on international flights. Not South Sydney boss Blake Solly who is heading to the season-opener in an economy seat with the rest of his staff. The players from all four clubs are in business.
SPOTTED
Dumped Wests Tigers chairman Lee Hagipantelis has not lost his appetite to help out sporting organisations. His Brydens Lawyers company has taken up new sponsorships with the Macquarie Scorpions in Toronto, The Maitland Pickers, the Guildford Owls and the soccer club Marconi Stallions.
SHOOSH
The NRL continues to reject moves for a daytime grand final despite overwhelming support in fan polls for an afternoon kick-off. Rugby Australia however is set to move this year’s Bledisloe Cup game in Sydney from night to a 3pm start at Accor Stadium. It’s a far friendlier kick off time for viewers in New Zealand and will increase their TV audience.
BIG BREKKY
Catch you on the Weekend Big Sports Breakfast on Sunday morning at 9.30am with Ray Thomas and Dean Bulldog Ritchie to discuss all things rugby league.
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DOGS IN LEGAL STOUSH
The Canterbury Bulldogs are facing a legal battle with the young footballer who stood down with mental health issues last year, after being ordered to wrestle his teammates as punishment for being late to training.
The highly regarded youngster is still on Canterbury’s top 30 list but hasn’t been to training at Belmore since the incident towards the end of last season.
The RLPA and the NRL welfare team continue to monitor the situation.
Talks between the player’s manager and Canterbury have broken down.
The manager declined to comment.
Canterbury chief executive Aaron Warburton also refused to comment, saying: “I can’t because there’s legal proceedings under way.”
He would not say if the player was still being paid.
Coach Cameron Ciraldo’s tough training methods became an issue last year when captain Raymond Faitala-Mariner fronted him on the issue on behalf of several disgruntled players.
EX-ORIGIN STAR ON $1350 A WEEK
Veteran front-rower Aaron Woods is a rare breed.
He is playing rugby league for his love of the game – not money.
The Sunday Telegraph can reveal Woods’ weekly salary at Manly is just $1530 – before tax.
That’s $300 a week less than the average Australian worker.
Woods turns 33 next month and is on an $80,000 contract – a far cry from his days as a front-row enforcer for the NSW Blues and Kangaroos on $750,000 a year.
Obviously, money is not his motivation. If he walked away from the game, he’d earn five times his Manly salary doing more radio and podcasts at Triple M and more TV at Fox Sports.
“I love the game too much,” he said.
“I watch every single game. I just love it.
“If it was about money, I would have stayed at Wests Tigers all those years ago because they offered me more than any other club.
“I’d go and do more media work because I’m on peanuts at Manly … but I love it.”
It is such a refreshing attitude in a game where we’re always talking and writing about greed and broken contracts.
Woods is nothing like the long-haired tearaway he once was.
He won’t be making the top 17 each week but coach Anthony Seibold insists he provides enormous value around the club.
“He’s fantastic in the locker room in regards to standards and the balance between having a good time and enjoying yourself while playing a professional sport,” Seibold said. “A terrific role model/mentor for our younger forwards.
“The other thing is that he’s a massive footy head. Woodsy has a great understanding of the game. He’s never afraid to give his opinion to me or the other coaches.
“Plus, when he’s called upon he can do the job for us.
“He’ll be coming to Las Vegas as part of our extended squad (24 players) because there will be some distractions and challenges that he’s dealt with in the past on Kangaroo tours.”
Manly is Woods’ fifth NRL club after starting at Wests Tigers, then the Bulldogs, Sharks and St George Illawarra before landing at the Sea Eagles.
He played 15 Tests and 14 Origin games.
His wage might be modest alongside teammates Daly Cherry-Evans and Tom Trbojevic on the $1 million contracts and Josh Schuster, Jake Trbojevic, Haumole Olakau’atu on $800,000 plus.
But he couldn’t be happier.
“If you’d asked me last year, I’d have to say I thought about retiring,” he said, “I didn’t enjoy it at the Dragons.
“But once you’re done, you’re done. You’re not going to play ever again.
“I’m still having fun and enjoy helping the younger kids coming through the grades.
“The only thing I haven’t done is win a comp. That burning desire is still there. Who knows?”
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NINE’S MAIN MAN TO CALL OFF FOX FEED
You’ve got to feel for Channel 9’s head caller Matt Thompson.
He has been grounded and won’t be in Las Vegas to call the Sydney Roosters-Brisbane Broncos game – the second match on the double header.
Instead, he will cover it from the Fox Sports feed at Nine’s North Sydney studios.
We understand costs are tight at all media organisations but you’d think for a historic season opener of this magnitude, Nine would be sending its chief commentator.
If it were Ray Warren, I’m sure he’d be there calling the action at Allegiant Stadium, despite his fear of flying.
Nine is sending only Danika Mason, Freddy Fittler and Paul Vautin to the US.
Fox Sports will have almost a full crew on the ground to cover both games on a telecast which will go live into millions of American homes in prime time on the Fox Network.
The Matty Johns show and NRL 360 will also be broadcast from Vegas. I bumped into Matty at the Ricky Stuart Foundation lunch on Friday. He is so fired up about Vegas.
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UNREST A PATHWAY FOR YOUNG STARS TO WALK
Wests Tigers face an ugly junior pathways backlash from their huge Campbelltown nursery that’s produced champions such as James Tedesco, Jarryd Hayne and Israel Folau.
We revealed last week how interim CEO Shane Richardson brought in rookie Solomona Faataape from his own player management company to the Tigers – a Queensland Cup youngster who only a few months earlier had been rejected by coach Benji Marshall as a potential recruit.
The problem for the Tigers is the effect decisions like this can have on youngsters from their own backyard who have been banging on the door to get a development contract, and an opportunity like that given to the rookie Richardson’s son manages.
Late last year, four of the club’s best young pathway players left for opportunities elsewhere.
Alex Conti captained Balmain’s Harold Matthews under-17s. A five-eighth, he was picked in the NSW Blues junior squad last year. He’s now at Canterbury.
Mikey Nassar was the Wests Tigers’ Harold Mathews Player of the Year. He’s now at the Roosters.
Paul Johnson, the top tryscorer in the Wests Tigers’ Andrew Johns Cup side, and another exciting youngster, Sosefo Finau, have both gone to the Bulldogs.
In fairness, these players left before Richardson arrived. Still, there is a feeling of unrest around the way the deal was done.
Richardson also acted for NRLW star Jakiya Whitfield, who was the NRLW Dally M Winger of the Year when she quit the Wests Tigers late last year to sign a three-year contract with the Cowboys. This is despite him having no agent accreditation.
Richardson is on an interim six-month contract as CEO and retains the support of chairman Barry O’Farrell, despite the obvious conflict of interests.
Surely, however, if he is offered the job full-time he will have to make the call to step down from Rich Digital, the player management company.
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THOUGHTS ARE WITH ‘THIRSTY’
Mark Levy will step in to call the Las Vegas double header for the 2GB Continuous Call team following news that veteran commentator David Morrow is fighting brain cancer.
Morrow was diagnosed before Christmas and is undergoing chemotherapy.
“I’ve sat alongside Ray (Hadley) and Thirsty (Morrow) for years and they are enormous shoes to fill,” Levy said.
“When they kick off, I’ll be thinking of Thirsty. I just want to do him proud.”
With Thirsty sidelined, Hadley is expected to also call NRL matches during the season.
News of Morrow’s diagnosis has shocked his colleagues on the Continuous Call team, and his loyal band of listeners.
He is one of the country’s most popular commentators and has covered eight Olympic Games and five decades of rugby league, horse racing and cricket.
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FIFITA WILL KEEP TITANS WAITING
The future of barnstorming edge forward David Fifita remains under a cloud at the Gold Coast Titans as rival clubs prepare to launch mid-season moves for the Maroons star.
Fifita has baulked at taking up a two-year contract option in his favour and will wait to make his decision at the round 10 deadline.
Titans coach Des Hasler was hoping to have the deal done by now, not wanting it to drag out and become a possible disruption.
Fifita has not trained with the NRL squad since undergoing surgery last December for a partial pec tear.
He is not expected to play until round 3 of the competition.
Fifita’s manager Michael Hudson says the player has given him no indication he wants to leave.
“He hasn’t asked me to look at what might be available at other clubs,” Hudson said,
“We’ll just have to wait and see how it pans out.”
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ASH’S ACE GESTURE
You’ve got to admire retired tennis superstar Ash Barty. Former sporting champions of her stature can charge as much as $40,000 for speaking engagements in front of corporates.
Barty ensured the Ricky Stuart Foundation charity lunch was a sellout on Friday at Doltone House when the three-time grand slam champion agreed to be the main speaker, beautifully interviewed by Yvonne Sampson.
Barty was offered an appearance fee but generously told organisers it would be a freebie for the charity.
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PUB BARON A TOP DOG
There’s not a more engaged or passionate NRL sponsor than hotel tycoon Arthur Laundy at the Canterbury Bulldogs.
While most wealthy businessmen of his stature spend summer weekends on their luxury yachts, farms or at expensive restaurants, Laundy loves watching the junior footy.
The billionaire publican regularly turns up to check out Canterbury’s junior rep Harold Matthews and SG Ball teams to run his eye over the next generation of Bulldogs.
He was at Belmore Sports Ground last weekend where he ran into former Dogs premiership-winning utility Jason Smith.
Laundy told me in an interview last year: “My interest in getting involved with the Bulldogs goes far beyond financial. I’m keen to mentor and help these youngsters achieve their goals both on and off the field.”
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