Saint, Sinner, Shoosh: Trent Barrett in talks to join Broncos, Laurie Spina’s cancer scare
Former rugby league star and beloved ABC broadcaster Laurie Spina has had a miraculous escape from what was a potentially deadly melanoma. Plus Eels caretaker Trent Barrett in talks to join Brisbane and more in Saint, Sinner, Shoosh.
NRL
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Discarded Eels coach Trent Barrett won’t be unemployed for too long once he finishes up at Parramatta.
He is already in talks with the Brisbane Broncos about joining Kevvie Walters’ staff as the senior assistant coach.
Walters met up with Barrett in Sydney recently when he was in town for a Broncos game. The pair is understood to be close to an agreement on his move north to Red Hill.
Walters has lost two of his assistant coaches – John Cartwright and the highly regarded Lee Briers, who has been linked to St Helens in the UK Super League.
As for Barrett, he’ll be a handy acquisition for the Broncos.
He doesn’t have a great head coaching record at Manly and Canterbury (32 per cent win record) and has struggled to get any improvement out of the Parramatta Eels since stepping in for Brad Arthur as an interim.
Many believe his best role is as an assistant.
Barrett had the support of senior Eels Mitchell Moses and Clint Gutherson, but was overlooked for the full-time role behind Jason Ryles.
SAINT
The kick-off to another NRLW season. The advance in footy skills since this competition was launched with just four teams in 2018 is off the charts. And to think their recent State of Origin game attracted three times the audience of a Wallabies Test match.
SINNER
A convicted child rapist – Dutch beach volleyball player Steven van de Velde – being allowed to compete at the Paris Olympics. It’s bloody disgusting. This grub was jailed in 2016 for the rape of a 12-year-old girl and served four years in prison. He should have got a lifetime Olympic ban as well.
SHOOSH
A big concern for the NRL is the small minority of player agents hopelessly incapable of looking after clients. It’s a mystery how they got their accreditation and it’s something Peter V’landys and Andrew Abdo must address. NRL players have short careers and need smart people looking after them.
SPOTTED
We love spotting NRL types taking mid-season overseas vacations – à la Benji Marshall in Fiji. NRL boss Andrew Abdo has slipped over to Paris as a guest of Channel 9 at the Olympics. Surely no one could begrudge him having a break – the guy works so hard for the game.
SPOTTED
Who needs hire cars? Not Australia’s most successful broadcaster Ray Hadley, who was right at home making his way around on the Paris underground.
SPOTTED
Trent Barrett and Zac Lomax having a beer while watching Baz’s son Bohden playing Group 7 first grade for the Shellharbour Stingrays at Flinders Reserve last weekend.
BIG BREKKY
Catch you on the weekend Big Sports Breakfast at 9.40am this morning, with hosts Ray Thomas and Dean ‘Bulldog’ Ritchie, to talk all things rugby league.
MELANOMA COULD’VE KILLED ME
Former rugby league star and ABC broadcaster Laurie Spina has had a miraculous escape from what was a potentially deadly melanoma.
It was only by chance that a mobile Australian Skin Cancer Foundation truck turned up to the recent Laurie Spina Shield – a popular junior carnival in Townsville – that the former North Sydney Bears, Eastern Suburbs Roosters, Cronulla Sharks and North Queensland Cowboys halfback decided to get checked.
Spina, now 61, was found to have a stage-one melanoma that, left undiagnosed, could have spread and taken his life.
“I’m so lucky,” Spina said.
“The (skin cancer) truck was parked at my carnival a couple of weeks ago.
“It was almost by accident. We’re walking out to the car park and my wife said, ‘Why don’t you go and get your skin checked?’
“I had time so I went in.
“They found I’ve got a problem.”
Spina was sent for surgery to have the tumour cut from his stomach.
A biopsy revealed the melanoma had spread further than first thought.
“The doctor wants to do a wider cut to get it all,” Spina said.
“Who knows what could have happened if I didn’t stop for the check-up?
“It can go to the next stage, and then you’re in real trouble. It can be too late.
“It’s important that I’m sharing the story as a warning to others to get checked. I didn’t think I had a problem.”
Spina played 172 first-grade games for the Bears, Roosters, Sharks and the Cowboys – a lightweight halfback who played well above his weight.
He started in the mid-80s and retired in 1995. Every off-season he’d spend four months in the burning heat on his farm in North Queensland.
“You know what young blokes are like – you don’t always wear a shirt,” he said.
“I’ve spent my life on the farm, and it’s obviously contributed to skin cancer.
“I’ll be a lot more careful from here on.”
ALCOTT’S NEW TRIOMPHE
The chaotic traffic conditions in Paris haven’t stopped former Australian of the Year Dylan Alcott from rolling through the streets of Paris in his wheelchair.
Following a Channel 9 commentators’ photo shoot at the Trocadero, Alcott turned down the car transfer back to the hotel in favour of his own wheels, braving the infamous Parisian traffic on the streets for the 3km journey back to his hotel though the Champs-Elysees, Arc de Triomphe and Eiffel Tower.
The four-time Paralympic gold medallist has been enjoying retired life, but has been getting into shape recently ahead of his first Olympics.
He will host Channel 9’s Games coverage alongside Leila McKinnon.
SPENCER EARNS BIG PAYDAY
The Sydney Roosters have locked down and upgraded rampaging front-rower Spencer Leniu in a multimillion-dollar three-year deal.
The new contract coincides with the departure from the club of front-row legend Jared Waerea-Hargreaves.
And it elevates Leniu to a $800,000-a-year pay packet, which is in line with the top enforcers in the competition.
Leniu signed for less than $600,000 a season when he switched from the Panthers.
He has since emerged among the most-feared middle forwards in the NRL, alongside the likes of Payne Haas and James Fisher-Harris.
Leniu was outstanding for NSW against Queensland in State of Origin, and the Roosters moved quickly to secure him for an extra three years. He is still only 23, and will get even better.
Even with Waerea-Hargreaves nearing the end, the Roosters will field a formidable pack for years to come with Leniu, Lindsay Collins, Terrell May and Victor Radley controlling the middle.
SHARKS DOUSE NICHO WHISPER
The Cronulla Sharks have rubbished rumours linking star playmaker Nicho Hynes to the North Queensland Cowboys.
Myself and colleague Michael Carayannis have heard talk Hynes – despite being on a five-year $5m contract – was considering a move to Townsville.
This has come as a shock to Sharks chairman Steve Mace, who is closer than anyone to Hynes.
“It’s the first I’ve heard about it,” Mace said.
“I don’t believe there’s any validity to it.
“Nicho loves the club and the community.
“He’s happy here and he’s not going anywhere.”
DANIKA HAS NIGHT OUT
Channel 9 NRL presenter Danika Mason celebrated her 33rd birthday last week with her footy-player handbag, Canterbury Bulldogs forward Liam Knight.
After a very private start to their relationship, the pair are now happily and regularly posting pictures each week on Instagram.
VEGAS TICKET RUSH
The NRL has had an astonishing surge in ticket sales for Las Vegas next year.
More than 15,000 seats had been sold by lunchtime on Friday – just 48 hours after tickets were released to the general public for the four-game event on March 1 at Allegiant Stadium.
It took 10 weeks last year to sell the same number of tickets.
Interestingly the Warriors are currently leading the way in the race for tickets out of the four NRL clubs – 32% of the tickets sold have been Kiwi fans, 25 per cent to Panthers fans, 22 per cent to Raiders fans and 21% to Sharks fans.
Tickets are available HERE.
OUR TOP AUSSIES
Peter V’landys has had dinner with the late Queen Elizabeth and King Charles at Windsor Castle. He was invited to dinner with U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House. At Sydney’s biggest functions he always scores seats on the best tables.
On Thursday night V’landys was spotted on Lachlan Murdoch’s main table at the Australian newspaper’s 60th birthday celebration at the Australian Museum.
It was a who’s who of Australia’s big shots including Anthony Albanese, Peter Dutton, John Howard, Twiggy Forrest, Ryan Stokes, Justin Hemmes, billionaire rag trader Solomon Lew, Foxtel boss Patrick Delany and Atlassian co-founder Scott Farquhar.
One thing fans at Magic Round should do
NRL fans heading to Brisbane for Magic Round have been urged to do one thing “so they can focus on enjoying the footy”.
NRL star bewildered by headhigh ‘crackdown’
Confusion around the NRL’s latest ‘crackdown’ on high tackles is being felt at all levels of the game, with a Cowboys veteran weighing in on the debate.