Saint, Sinner, Shoosh: Angus Crichton and Morgan Mitchell split, Lodge waiting on a deal
As the partners of the Kangaroos arrive in England to support the team in the World Cup, one star is freshly in the bachelor category. Check out all the latest NRL news in What’s the Buzz.
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The NRL salary cap delay has become a complete farce, forcing Matt Lodge to resume training at Sydney Roosters this week on a $1000 train-and-trial contract.
His regular contract has not been registered with the NRL because of the delay in finalising the cap for next year after months of painful negotiations.
Lodge had to sign as a train-and-trial player otherwise he would be uninsured.
To have one of the game’s best front-rowers on a $1000 weekly contract is a complete joke.
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SAINT
Cricket great Adam Gilchrist delivered a wonderful acceptance speech at the News Awards as Fox Sports collected the TV sports prize for its coverage of Shane Warne’s death. Gilly spoke with such raw emotion around the passing of not just Warnie but his great mates Rod Marsh and Andrew Symonds.
SINNER
We told you back in February in this column that the WBC planned to correct a 30-year injustice by awarding Jeff Fenech the title belt he was robbed of against Azumah Nelson. A panel of judges has since found what we knew back in 1991 — that Fenech won the fight easily. Now the narks are blowing up about it rather than applauding the fact justice has finally been delivered.
SHOOSH
Kangaroos forward Angus Crichton and Olympian Morgan Mitchell were sport’s golden couple. They began dating in February this year and looked so stunning together at the Dally M Awards. Sadly, the glamour couple appear to have called it quits and are no longer following each other on social media. Crichton has been in England with the Kangaroos where the wives and partners of the players have begun arriving in Manchester. There has been no sign of Mitchell. She has even scrubbed the photos of her ex from her Instagram account, in which she has 110,000 followers.
SPOTTED
Josh Addo-Carr is not coming straight home after the World Cup. He has tickets to Tyson Fury’s world heavyweight title fight against Derek Chisora at the magnificent Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on December 3. Already 50,000 tickets have been sold.
SPOTTED II
Eels forward Ryan Matterson enjoying sushi at Balmoral Beach with his shirt off and looking ripped and tanned.
SPOTTED III
Old Kangaroos legends Blocker Roach, Alfie Langer, Paul Sironen at the Australian team’s captain’s run at Elland Road before the semi-final against the Kiwis.
SPOTTED IV
A flashback to 1994 in this Central Coast footy program (above) that appeared on NRL Collectables last week. You’ll notice a couple of cranky old journos — Kenty and Crawls — playing for Ourimbah against Umina. You’ll also recognise a couple of NRL stars playing for Umina — Mark Geyer and Peter Davies, a centre who was just as mad as MG on a football field.
REMATCH TALK AS SBW VICTOR NOT FINISHED
A week after combat sport warrior Mark Hunt knocked out footy superstar Sonny Bill Williams, there is already talk of a rematch in the New Year.
Hunt launched a barrage of heavy blows to stop SBW in the fourth round and announced his retirement after the fight.
“I’m smiling not because of the win over Sonny Bill but because this is the last time I’m walking out to any sort of octagon, ring, or whatever,” Hunt said.
The 48-year-old warrior originally retired in 2020 but returned to fight SBW and Paul Gallen.
“He’ll still be throwing lefts and rights from his death bed,” said one insider who knows the old warhorse better than most.
Hunt was physically and mentally drained after the fight. He stripped 30kg in an intense build up.
It is understood Hunt made $500,000 from last Saturday night’s fight.
He would have even more bargaining power and a bigger payday in a rematch.
Sonny Bill was left totally devastated after the first loss of his professional career.
Those inside his dressing room after the fight revealed he broke down in tears as he embraced his wife Alana.
He had clearly won the first three rounds but got overconfident, abandoned his game plan and left himself open to Hunt’s furious onslaught.
Sonny Bill has spent a week in Jervis Bay on a holiday with his family to recover.
A proud Polynesian, he would hate the thought of retiring in such a disappointing way.
It’s just a shame we never got to see him take on Paul Gallen.
RABBITOHS GUN SET FOR COACHING DEBUT
South Sydney Rabbitohs star Cody Walker is taking his first steps into the coaching ranks.
The superstar five-eighth has been appointed assistant coach of the Indigenous side for the All Stars match in Rotorua on February 11. He will also play at five-eighth and captain.
Walker will assist head coach Ron Griffiths, who led Newcastle Knights to win the NRLW grand final this year and was previously an assistant coach with the Indigenous side. Griffiths replaces Laurie Daley, who stood down from the role earlier this year.
Daley says it’s a great move that Walker is stepping up for a bigger role.
“There’s some good young coaches coming through and Cody will be one of them,” Daley said.
“Cody has got the ability. He’s highly respected, he communicates well and he’s got a great knowledge of the game. It’s a tremendous move.
“The more Indigenous players who can get involved is great for the game.”
Walker is soon to sign a two-year contract extension with the Rabbitohs, taking him through until 2025.
Coaching could be his next option at Souths.
“When his career finishes, and hopefully that’s no time soon, he will have opportunities as a coach and community leader,” said Rabbitohs CEO Blake Solly.
“His rugby league IQ is of the highest order and he has just won the Ken Stephen Medal.
“It is fitting that as assistant coach of the Indigenous All Stars, he gets an opportunity to combine both passions. Everyone associated with that team will benefit from Cody’s passion in the week of the game.”
KNIGHTS MOVE FOR UNWANTED TIGER
Wests Tigers star Jackson Hastings and his manager Liam Ayoub have been spotted in Newcastle.
They were not there for a holiday or to check out local real estate, either.
In fact one very good source has told your columnist the pair caught up last week with a man who was the spitting image of Knights general manager of football Peter Parr.
It’s common knowledge the Knights are in the market for a halfback.
Jake Clifford has gone to the UK Super League and Adam Clune struggles compared with the good halves. It’s why they’ve been desperately keen to get Luke Brooks out of the Wests Tigers.
Wests Tigers coach Tim Sheens insists Brooks will not be released.
Hastings, however, is a different story.
Sheens is not a fan. He even asked caretaker coach Brett Kimmorley to move Hastings to lock forward last season.
It was a ridiculous positional switch.
Hastings is a halfback and a much better player than Sheens gives him credit for.
He was probably the Wests Tigers’ best player over the entire season.
Yet Sheens has made it blatantly clear he has no future at the club by throwing around multimillion-dollar offers for the likes of Cameron Munster and Mitchell Moses.
Knights assistant coach Andrew Johns is a big fan.
“I think he goes really well,” Johns said, “he went to England to learn his trade and he’s come back a tremendous player.
“Some of his games this year were absolutely sensational.
“I did some work with him years ago at the Roosters.
“I found him to be a really respectable young fella.
“It’s hard for a young halfback at a club with big personalities. It can be intimidating.”
A St George-Illawarra junior, Hastings has played for the Sydney Roosters, Manly, Salford and then Wigan in the UK Super League, the Wests Tigers and now possibly the Knights.
The Knights would become six clubs since he started in 2014 yet he’s still only 26.
He is under contract at the Wests Tigers until the end of next season.
CLASS ACT FROM SHARKS STAR HYNES
Dally M champion Nicho Hynes continues to do great work for mental health.
The Sharks halfback has had a couple of days back on the Central Coast at his old primary school and Narara High to talk to the kids.
“As athletes, it’s sometimes easy to forget how much of a role model we really are,” Hynes posted on Instagram.
“Was such a humbling experience getting to visit a place that helped shape me to who I am now and see so many smiles on kids’ faces.
“Today, Narara High School had their Blokes Brekky day which is a mental health awareness day. I was lucky enough to be invited to share some of my story and spin some yarns with @jarred.brown1 (his mindset coach) about the work he’s been doing with me.
“Congratulations to Narara, for the fourth year in a row they have run this mental health day. It should be a mandatory thing in schools across our country. The earlier we can educate the next generation that it’s OK to talk about your feelings the better, then hopefully we will see suicide rates decline.”
Shocking statistics show 8.6 Australians die every day by suicide and 75 per cent are males, and that suicide is the leading cause of death for Australians between 15 and 44. v
JOEY’S TV FUTURE LOCKED IN
Rugby league Immortal Andrew Johns has agreed to a new five-year contract at Network Nine, ending speculation he may jump ship to Fox Sports. The former champion halfback is regarded among the best analysts in the game.
Nine has also signed former Cronulla Sharks warhorse Paul Gallen to a new deal.
MAC’S INCREDIBLE CRICKET DOUBLE
Sydney grade cricket statisticians were reaching for the record books after North Sydney young gun Mac Jenkins made an unbeaten 123 and then took six wickets to guide the Bears to victory over Gordon last week.
His matchwinning effort at Chatswood Oval elevated Jenkins into elite company as one of the youngest players to make a first-grade hundred and take five wickets in an innings in the same match.
At 21 years and 53 days, Jenkins was five days younger than Moises Henriques when he did the double in 2007-08.
The only three players known to achieve the feat at a younger age are Nic Maddinson in 2009-10, Shane Lee in 1992-93 and the great Doug Walters in 1965-66.
Jenkins is the first Bear to do the double in 67 years and the first player from any club to do it in the past six seasons of NSW Premier Cricket.
CHANGE IN THE PIPELINE FOR FRIEND
Retired Roosters hooker Jake Friend may have to step back from his full-time plumbing work.
He is impressing as a pathways coach at the Sydney Roosters and has already been identified for an NRL role down the track. The Roosters have arguably the game’s best bunch of youngsters in their academy and Friend has been instrumental in their development.
There will no doubt be a position available on the Roosters NRL coaching staff in the next couple of years. The impressive Jason Ryles is certain to be snapped up for a head coaching role.
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