Saint, Sinner, Shoosh: Curtis Scott willing to accept massive paycut
Curtis Scott is desperate to keep his NRL career alive, and is willing to make an enormous sacrifice to make it happen. Plus all the latest NRL chatter.
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Curtis Scott is willing to cop a $500,000-a-year pay cut to resume his career, with the axed Raider prepared to play for the minimum wage.
Without a deal for next season, Scott is hopeful a club will offer him a chance.
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DUFTY’S REVELATION ON DRAGONS EXIT
Matt Dufty has admitted he signed his St George Illawarra death warrant by failing to obey Anthony Griffin’s orders.
Speaking for the first time as a Canterbury Bulldog, the attacking machine made the stunning revelation that “defiance” cost him his Dragons career.
“He wanted to play a certain style of footy with Ben Hunt on both sides of the ruck and controlling the game,” Dufty said.
“He just wanted me to sit back, and I probably ignored his instructions when I got out on to the field. If I saw something I had to take it. That is just the sort of player I am. I back myself when I see an opportunity and I have always played my footy like that.
“Hook (Griffin) is the only coach that has ever told me not to play like that.
“I was probably a bit defiant and that is what caused the problems, but it wasn’t coming from a place of malice and I wasn’t disobeying him on purpose. It wasn’t me being a dick. It was purely just me playing instinctively.
“At times I felt the game plan wasn’t working so I tried to find other ways to help my team. That is not what he wanted.”
Unwanted after falling foul of the coach, the Bulldogs recruited Dufty because of the traits that cost him his St George Illawarra career.
“I had a Zoom chat with Baz (Trent Barrett) when I was looking at my options,” Dufty said.
“I had a few options but I knew I wanted to go to the Bulldogs when he told me how he wanted me to play and where he was going to use me.
“He told me he wanted me to be instinctive and it was that conversation that swayed me to the Bulldogs. It got me really excited and I knew I wanted to go there before we even talked about contracts.”
Dufty will join Josh Addo-Carr and Matt Burton in what promises to be one of the game’s most exciting backlines, after signing a one-year deal to head to Belmore.
“I think the one-year deal was the best for both parties,” Dufty said. “It gives them a good look at me and for me it gives me that incentive because I am playing for my future.
“Obviously it would be great if the Doggies want to keep me around. Anyway, I will have those options if I train hard and play good footy.”
All the latest NRL chatter and more in Australia’s hottest sport gossip column.
SAINT
Norm Provan was every inch the saint. An immortal of the game who won 10 premierships in a row with his beloved Dragons, Provan cast the mould for the rugby league good guy. A non-drinker and working class to the bone, he never put a foot wrong on the field or off. Our condolences go out to his family and friends.
SINNER
Wayne Bennett for making Cameron Munster the Dolphins No.1 target. Instead of being punished for his post-season indiscretion, Munster is set to be rewarded for his antics after Bennett — who coached Munster in the 2020 Origin series — kicked off a contract bidding war. Surely the old master can find a better role model to build a club around.
SHOOSH
Which club is trying to offload four players? Hoping to free up salary cap space and squad spots, the club has made it well-known the quartet is free to leave should they be able to find another club. All four played in the NRL last year.
SPOTTED
Racing icon Johnny Tapp having lunch with popular player manager Allan Gainey. The pair were preparing for a podcast which will see Gainey — famous for managing Greg Inglis — talk about his little- known 17 years in the racing industry pioneering the racehorse syndication business. The podcast goes live on October 26.
SPOTTED
Sam Ayoub at Sydney Airport on Tuesday. Coming back from what was supposed to be a week away, Ayoub ended up spending four months in Queensland after deciding to stay on the Gold Coast following the Sydney Covid outbreak.
SPOTTED
Blayke Brailey and Connor Tracey from the Sharks and Bulldog Corey Allan making the most of Freedom Day last Monday with a round of golf at Sylvania Par 3 Golf.
SPOTTED
John Morris at Body Fit gym Miranda. Set to start with Souths on November 1 as an assistant coach, Morris looked as fit as any Rabbitoh he will coach.
FIFITA’S NRL FUTURE LOCKED IN
Andrew Fifita’s contract with Cronulla is safe, with incoming coach Craig Fitzgibbon removing the “for sale” sign from the $800,000-a-year prop.
Fitzgibbon has no plans to offload Fifita — or any other contracted Cronulla player — and will honour all the deals made under previous head coaches John Morris and Shane Flanagan.
While most incoming coaches make it a priority to offload the overpaid and underperforming that they have inherited on the roster, Fitzgibbon has the old-school belief that a contract is a contract.
Both a leader and a player’s advocate during his stellar 264-game career with the Dragons and Roosters, Fitzgibbon will not penalise a player for accepting an “overs” deal.
Set to begin his first-grade coaching career on November 1, Fitzgibbon will meet Fifita to assure him that he will be a valued member of his 2022 team, even if he can’t force his way into the top-17.
Not expected to be one of his NRL regulars after managing just six games this year, Fitzgibbon is determined to get value from the ageing warhorse by giving him an off-field leadership role.
Fitzgibbon stayed in Queensland following the Roosters’ season-ending loss and will return to Sydney next week to finalise his pre-season training plan.
INSPIRED ADAM CAN’T BEAT HEAT
It’s been a tough time of late for former Canterbury Bulldog Adam Elliott, who was struck down recently by a crippling bout of heat stroke.
Taking time out in Darwin following his Bulldogs dismissal, Elliott was bed-stricken for two days after a high-intensity training session, followed by a day at the zoo with his son, left him sick and sorry.
Aside from the heat stroke, Elliott is in a good place and ready to rebuild his career after reconnecting with his son.
Estranged from Lennex, who lives in Darwin with his mother, Elliott has spent the last three weeks with the 14-month-old after relocating to Darwin.
Certain to resume his NRL career with a number of clubs circling — the Canberra Raiders the latest to express an interest — Lennex will be the inspiration for Elliott as he looks to become a role model for his son.
RAIDER MAKES MOVE TO REDERN
Siliva Havili will join the South Sydney Rabbitohs next season after signing the deal that will all but finalise Jason Demetriou’s 2022 NRL squad.
Set to be announced this week, the Canberra Raiders’ forward will become the 27th player on the South Sydney roster after the club signed Michael Chee Kam from Wests Tigers and promoted six development players into the top squad.
Lachlan Ilias, Peter Mamouzelos, Davvy Moale, Blake Taaffe, Zane Bijorac, and Terrell Kalokalo have all been parachuted into the Rabbitohs’ NRL squad in a move that only leaves the club with three spots left available for season 2022.
We have been told that Souths will keep those three spots open — at least until March next year — when the Rabbitohs will be required to have a minimum of 28 players on their NRL roster.
“Our four previous development players have moved into the top 30,” Rabbitoh’s CEO Blake Solly said. “And another two from our system have been promoted. They have both been in our system for four years.
“We are really happy with our squad. We have a great group of senior players and some exciting young talent coming through. We think they will become genuine first graders over the next two years.”
SUPERCARS ‘HANDBAG’ EMBRACES NEW MONIKER
James Courtney’s Supercars rivals are calling him “the handbag” after the championship-winning driver posted a series of provocative images of him playing second fiddle to his latest glamour girlfriend.
Fast becoming known as V8 playboy following dalliances with a string of beauties, his recent social media posts showing him cooking and mowing the lawn while new partner Teegan Woodford poses in lingerie, have made him a V8 target.
“What’s he thinking?” said a rival driver.
“Is he showing off or just being her handbag.”
As for 41-year-old Courtney, he couldn’t care less about the criticism.
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