Saint, Sinner, Shoosh: Rivals chasing Rabbitohs’ Adam Reynolds
South Sydney’s gun No.7 is set to be swamped with offers from rival clubs — check out all the latest NRL chatter and more in Australia’s hottest sport gossip column.
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The South Sydney Rabbitohs are locked in delicate negotiations with halfback and skipper Adam Reynolds, who is off contract at the end of the 2021 season.
The 2014 premiership-winning halfback and best goalkicker in the competition wants to play out his career at the Rabbitohs as a proud one-club player, but the Souths local junior has been asked to take a significant pay cut.
Souths have a minor problem … there is a queue of rival NRL clubs who are monitoring the Reynolds situation closely.
In fairness to the club, when Reynolds signed his last deal four years ago, the Rabbitohs didn’t have such a galaxy of stars.
They now have Latrell Mitchell, Cody Walker, Cameron Murray, Damien Cook, Dane Gagai, Jai Arrow and Thomas Burgess on the big bucks, and they all have to be squeezed into the cap.
The 30-year-old can play for at least another four years and will be swamped with offers from rival clubs if the Rabbitohs negotiations break down.
He is one of four experienced halfbacks on the NRL open market at the end of the season alongside Parramatta playmaker Mitchell Moses, Melbourne Storm’s Jahrome Hughes and Newcastle Knights star Mitchell Pearce.
Interestingly, the Reynolds issue is not one for Wayne Bennett to sort out as Jason Demetriou takes over as head coach at the end of the season and is now involved in the recruitment decisions.
Check out all the latest NRL chatter and more in Australia’s hottest sport gossip column.
SAINT
The Sydney Roosters have the smallest junior nursery in the NRL. But that hasn’t stopped co-captain Jake Friend from rallying the local kids to have a crack at rugby league. The Roosters run a clinic called Friendy’s Footy-Safe Tackling Program for all the future Victor Radleys out there in the eastern suburbs. It’s free of charge and has been hugely popular with kids in the area and a great promotion for rugby league.
SINNER
Loyalty isn’t such a high priority with Israel Folau. He didn’t bother to tell his French club Catalans — who threw him a lifeline when no one wanted him — that he was walking out on the second year of his contract and hoping to play for St George Illawarra in the NRL.
SHOOSH
Which former NRL, Origin and Kangaroos star has upset “colourful” types with bikies links.
SHOOSH
Which two Roosters stars had a push and shove when contact drills at training got a little out of hand?
SHOOSH
Sadly, Mitchell Pearce wasn’t the only NRL star caught behaving inappropriately during the off-season. Another big name had to cancel his wedding for an even worse indiscretion.
SHOOSH
Which two NRL clubs have been exchanging explosive phone calls and messages, threatening to publicly expose salary-cap rorting that allegedly goes back 10 years?
SHOOSH
Which NRL superstar has been banned from his local watering hole for behaving like a goose on a number of occasions during the off-season?
SPOTTED
Dominic Oliviere is a Shire youngster who suffers from autism. His hero is footy warhorse and boxer Paul Gallen. Back in January, Cronulla fruit and vegies tycoon Paul Saad arranged for the pair to meet. Young Dominic was over the moon.
SPOTTED
Rugby league’s nicest man, Brett Kimmorley, in the carpark at Caringbah Woolies loading the groceries into his shiny new sponsored BMW.
SPOTTED
Broncos chairman Karl Morris in Melbourne on a business trip and denying he was down south to chat to Storm supercoach Craig Bellamy.
SPOTTED
Bulldogs sponsor and hotelier Arthur Laundy catching up with retired Rabbitohs superstar Sam Burgess in Byron Bay.
SEIBOLD KEEN TO HELP LANGER OUT
Former Broncos coach Anthony Seibold is about to reach out to embattled Australian cricket coach Justin Langer.
The pair became close friends last year, when Seibold was at his lowest.
Langer got in touch with him to offer support in his darkest days when he was starting to lose the dressing room in Brisbane. They have stayed in touch.
Langer is now under pressure himself, with talk he is off with a few of the players.
“I’ll be reaching out, for sure,” Seibold said. “JL was fantastic for me. I just want to give him some space after such a busy summer, but we’ll be chatting, for sure.”
On a personal front, Seibold has never been better. His eldest daughter, who stayed in Sydney to do her HSC while he coached in Brisbane, has made it into university.
CENTRE OF ATTENTION
Broncos centre Kotoni Staggs is the most sought-after player in the game – both on and off the field.
Almost every club and every player agent is chasing him.
Staggs was managed by Isaac Moses, who was banned last week by the NRL.
There is talk that indigenous agents Warwick Wright and Matt Rose, who look after Latrell Mitchell, Jack Wighton and Cody Walker, are poised to sign him.
He is off-contract at the Broncos and there is not a club in the game that wouldn’t want to sign the player many rate as the best centre in rugby league and a huge chance of playing for NSW and Australia at the World Cup at the end of the season.
FOX’S SIDELINE COUP
Fox Sports have stolen one of arch rival Channel 9’s rising stars in rugby league.
Jake Duke has quit the Nine newsroom to join Fox Sports as a sideline commentator.
Head of sport Steve Crawley did the deal during the off-season. Duke knows the game, has a good relationship with players and is seen as a future host.
ANOTHER LITTLE CRONK
Former footy star Cooper Cronk and his wife Tara Rushton are celebrating the arrival of their second child. Tara, the Fox Sports soccer presenter, gave birth to another boy last week. The couple now have two boys – new arrival, Harley, and Lennox. Both mum and Harley are doing great.
KIDNEY PUNCHED
It takes a lot to knock over old rugby league warhorse Mark “Spudd” Carroll.
But the former NRL enforcer is laid up in Royal North Shore Hospital after undergoing surgery to remove kidney stones.
“I’ve had some painful old injuries and collisions when I played but nothing like kidney stones,” Spudd said. “They had to put in two stents. I can’t wait to get out of here.”
GREATEST GAME OF ALL ISN’T CRICKET
Old Super League boss John Ribot once famously said he would make NRL players household names in China. All these years later ... we’re still waiting.
However, we can reveal league is being played in India, of all places.
Australia’s High Commissioner to India, ex-Wests Tigers chairman Barry O’Farrell, contacted us and sent photos from a tournament he attended in the city of Kolkata.
“Not quite NRL rules but it was very exciting play,” O’Farrell said. “Four teams of kids, many from disadvantaged backgrounds, competing. Top marks for speed, effort and skill.”
After hearing from O’Farrell, NRL chairman Peter V’landys wrote to the organisers in India to encourage them to continue.
DOUBLE DIP
We often wonder how player agents juggle some obvious conflicts.
George Mimis manages both Paul Green and Billy Slater. He was acting for both as they bid against each other for the Queensland Origin coaching role. Slater, who has had no previous coaching experience, withdrew his nomination at the last minute.
THAT’S MY TEAM OF KIDS
The NRL has brought back the popular old That’s My Team advertisement to encourage junior rugby league participation.
They have also signed up James Tedesco — a Camden Rams junior — and Dragons centre Jess Sergis (Coogee Wombats) to front the commercial.
The NRL’s reviving the old anthem and Hoodoo Gurus track ‘That’s My Team’ for the advert, which has been recorded with a new vocalist.
The independent commission has made growing grassroots participation a key priority for 2021.
ANASTA’S EAGLE ROCKS
If he wasn’t an NRL commentator and player agent, Braith Anasta could be a professional golfer.
Ask Freddie Fittler, Greg Alexander or car finance guru Wayne ‘Sudsy’ Seddon who witnessed his extraordinary skill at The Coast last week.
Braith, partnering Freddie, was two shots behind with two holes to go. Not a problem.
He birdied the 17th then marched onto the tee at the par 4, 18th.
Braith smacked his drive onto the green and sank the putt for an eagle. Apparently the celebration with Freddie was akin to a grand final or NSW Origin win.
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