Saint, Sinner, Shoosh: Strong mail for second Brisbane team with Wayne Bennett coach

The ARL independent commission meets next month to further explore rugby league expansion opportunities. Here’s the mail.

SUNSHINE COAST, AUSTRALIA – OCTOBER 19: Josh Addo-Carr poses for a photo during a Melbourne Storm NRL training session at Sunshine Coast Stadium on October 19, 2020 in Sunshine Coast, Australia. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)

The reason for Josh Addo-Carr’s backflip on quitting Melbourne Storm was about two things – money and the fact he didn’t want to play for the Wests Tigers.

Storm agreed to upgrade the final year of his contract by an extra $140,000 to bring him into line with the NRL’s highest-paid wingers. He is now on what he could have earned if he’d played for the Wests Tigers.

Deep down, the Blues winger didn’t want to play under Michael Maguire at Wests.

He could only get out of the deal by staying at the Storm and postponing the move back to Sydney.

When he eventually returns in 2022, it will be at the South Sydney Rabbitohs or the Canterbury Bulldogs.

Check out all the latest NRL chatter and more in Australia’s hottest sport gossip column.

Josh Addo-Carr was never keen on playing under Michael Maguire at Wests Tigers. Picture: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

SAINTS

The rapid rise of women’s rugby league continues. The Queensland Maroons won an absorbing State of Origin game over NSW on Friday night via their exceptionally talented fullback Tamika Upton and the beautiful skills of five-eighth Tarryn Aiken. It was a wonderful game of league.

SINNER

More concern for the future of State of Origin as rugby league’s showpiece event. Wednesday night’s rating of 2.43 million means the code has lost 1.6 million viewers in six years. The highest rating match ever, Game 1, 2014, (4.06 million) featured champions Billy Slater, Greg Inglis, Johnathan Thurston, Cooper Cronk Cronk and Cameron Smith. The Blues had the likes of Jarryd Hayne and Paul Gallen. Somehow Laurie Daley coached the Blues to a 12-8 victory.

SHOOSH

The reason the NRL had to quickly secure Queensland’s Kate Jones to join the independent commission was that the AFL had offered her a role on their own commission as part of their plans to make further inroads north of the border after the success of the Gabba grand final.

Maroons players celebrate their win during the Women's State of Origin match between Queensland and New South Wales at Sunshine Coast Stadium. Picture: Dan Peled/Getty Images

SPOTTED

Hotel tycoon and sponsor Arthur Laundy at the Canterbury Bulldogs offices on Monday to greet new coach Trent Barrett on his first day. Laundy addressed the football club staff and offered any assistance they may need with mentoring young players.

SPOTTED II

Sam and Luke Burgess having dinner at Mimi’s in the Coogee Pavilion. Burgess gets his day in court on Monday to give his version of events in the messy split with former wife Phoebe

SPOTTED III

Player Agent Khoder Nasser buying a new car for Sonny Bill Williams at Fergusons Toyota in Hurstville on Tuesday.

‘Clancy’ the new mascot of the SCG. Picture: Gregg Porteous

SPOTTED IV

The SCG’s new clock tower mascot has a name — Clancy. Not bad, but I preferred some of the others that missed out, including Tony Clockett, Ticky Ponting, Gil McClocklan, Charnze Nicoll-Clockface and Darren Clockyer. Chimes was also in the running but was scratched because it’s already been claimed by agent to the stars Stevey Gillis.

SPOTTED V

Roosters coach Trent Robinson and his family enjoying a break at Yamba on the far north coast.

SPOTTED VI

Ben and Nick Fordham having lunch at the Four and Hand Hotel on Tuesday with a bunch of their old man’s Woollahra mates on the 1st anniversary of his passing. In typical John Fordham style, it was a big one.

SPOTTED VII

Bookmakers have slashed Paul Gallen’s odds from $5 to $3.50 for his December 16 boxing showdown against former UFC brawler Mark Hunt at Bankwest Stadium. The old Cronulla Sharks warhorse looked in outstanding shape and well ahead of schedule in a midweek sparring session.

Luke Keary has been contributing for the Blues from the coaching box. Picture: Justin Lloyd

BLUES’ PRAISE FOR COACH KEARY

NSW Blues second-in charge Greg Alexander has heaped praise on discarded five-eighth Luke Keary.

Rather than sulk about his sacking for Cody Walker, Keary asked to sit in the coaching box on Wednesday night with Alexander and Craig Fitzgibbon, where he offered some valuable insights.

“Luke and Ryan Papenhuyzen sat with us as extra eyes,” Alexander said.

“We got them up there because they play the game and they notice things. If they saw anything that might help us, they spoke up. It was terrific.

“There were a couple of things they picked up about Queensland. I won’t say what, but it was handy.

“They’re both really intelligent footballers. Luke runs the Roosters and Ryan’s the Melbourne Storm fullback. So they’re a couple of handy footy brains.”

Alexander was so impressed.

“Luke is such a quality person,” he said. “You get dropped and you’re probably entitled to be a bit down. Not this guy, though, he’s been terrific.”

BACK TO BRISBANE FOR BENNETT

Wayne Bennett is frontrunner for the head coaching role at a second Brisbane team.

The independent commission meets next month to further explore expansion opportunities. The mail is we’ll have a second Brisbane team for the 2023 season.

Old super coach Wayne Bennett will be the man in demand, whichever organisation gets the licence. The timing is perfect, with Bennett finishing at the Rabbitohs at the end of next season and handing over to Jason Demetriou.

It leaves him free in 2022 to sign players and set up the new franchise.

It also allows the new club 12 months to chase corporate support around having Bennett as the face of the club. It will be huge for Queensland rugby league.

Sky Sports Radio's Jaimee Rogers will be swimming the English Channel next year (2021) to raise money for charity. Picture: Supplied

JAIMEE’S UP FOR CHALLENGE

There are few more inspiring media people than SKY Sports Radio’s Jaimee Rogers.

The 35-year-old mother of two will swim the English Channel to raise $50,000 for Gotcha4life and awareness about the importance of mental health.

Jaimee starts off an early working day each morning as an announcer at 5am on the Big Sports Breakfast.

She then leaves their Forestville studios at 9am to head straight to the pool or beach for 4km sessions.

Every day, rain hail or shine.

Then home at midday to be a mum to her two little boys, three years and five months’ old.

Jaimee was once a highly competitive swimmer. In 2000, as a 15-year-old, she made the national breaststroke trials for the Sydney Olympics but narrowly missed out.

“Swimming has been my whole life,” she said.

This idea came from a challenge from Laurie Daley on the Big Sports Breakfast.

“Laurie said to me on the show one day that I should do a challenge,” she said.

“I said, OK, I’ll do a 5km swim. Then my husband said, ‘why not the English Channel’ and it’s grown from there.

“I’ve now become fixated on it.”

The swim will take place in August, 2022. She has already booked the pilot boat to guide her across.

It’s approximately 35km from Folkestone, in southeast England to Calais in France,

The swim can take anywhere between nine to 15 hours — depending on prevailing tides and currents — eating meals off a pole.

“There’s no cage, I’m only in my swimsuit and the water will be about 16 degrees,” Jaimee said.

“The training program is insane. It’s so hard in the ocean. Waves, current, jellyfish, debris, all that stuff.

“More people have climbed Mt Everest than have successfully swum the channel.”

In January her training will increase up to three hours each and every day. She will swim a 20km open water race on the Gold Coast on May 29.

“Then I step up to a 27km race and go into winter camps to get my body used to cold water,” he said.

“I’m lucky with the hours I work early that I do my swimming with a really supportive family helping me out with my two boys, Hudson and Archer.”

Jaimee is doing it for Gus Worland’s Gotcha4life charity because of her concerns about mental health and those who have suffered hardest during COVID-19.

“It’s been such a big issue,” she said. “I think about my boys and hear that suicide is the leading cause of death for 15 to 44-year- olds. It’s so heartbreaking.

“That’s the driving factor. The English Channel is as much about the mental challenge as the physical demands. That was the good link to Gus’s charity.

“I want people to see that I can work full-time and I’m a mum but that can’t stop you achieving big things. I’m really excited about it”

You can follow Jaimee’s journey to conquer the English Channel on social media or on her website (which she built herself), or make a donation at: www.jaimee.com.au

Virat Kohli and the Indian cricket team will attract a huge audience. Picture: Mark Evans/Getty Images

MONSTER AUDIENCE FOR INDIA

India’s arrival for the limited-overs matches attracts a global TV audience that leaves every other sport in the shade.

There will be tens and tens of millions of people tuning in around the world — like they do every single time Virat Kohli and team India take to the field.

The IPL opener had 158 million viewers in India, with another 50 million worldwide. That puts the NRL and AFL grand finals in the shade, as well as US mega sports like the NFL Super Bowl with about 100 million US viewers each year.

The massive TV audience is why India can throw its weight around in world cricket and why this summer is worth $300m to Cricket Australia.

PANTHERS LOSE $2.5 MILLION

Facing losses of $2.5 million, Penrith has had to withdraw funding and abandon junior rep teams because of the financial strain from COVID-19.

The Panthers will not field sides in the Andrew Johns Cup, Laurie Daley Cup or the U18 women’s Tarsha Gale Cup.

“It costs us $250,000 to run these teams,” said Panthers CEO Brian Fletcher. “At the moment our football program is showing a loss of $2.5m.

“We’ve got to cut costs and we’ll look at it again for 2022.”

FARAH THE PEACEMAKER

Wests Tigers’ call to make club legend Robbie Farah a coaching consultant is a smart move. It’s hoped he can smooth over tense relationships between coach Michael Maguire and players who find his style and chair-kicking antics off-putting.

TRIPP INTO EYE OF STORM

The Queensland border is expected to be open in two weeks — at least to Victorians. Storm boss Matt Tripp has already booked his flight to Coolangatta to catch up with Craig Bellamy and Cameron Smith for talks on their futures.

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MORRIS MORE THAN JUST A GOOD COACH

We received this lovely email about Sharks coach John Morris that is well worth sharing. It reads:

“Just wanted to contact you to report a ‘spotted’ and good deed of Sharks NRL coach John Morris.

“I was on the Central Coast (Bateau Bay) and noticed a car broken down on a main road at a set of traffic lights.

“The car was in a dangerous position with its rear end sticking out into traffic. Most cars were just driving around but one car pulled over to help. I noticed it was John Morris (with his entire family in the car). He got out to assist the distressed young man who was broken down.

“Morris (looking supremely fit by the way) then proceeded to push the large 4WD himself with the young man steering through the lights and up on to the footpath out of harm’s way.

“We often hear about the pressures and scrutiny that NRL coaches face but it’s selfless humane actions like these that rarely get reported that people need to hear about. I am not a Sharks fan but boy that club is in good hands with a young coach with a heart like that.

“Well done John Morris.”