Sport Confidential: Corey Parker left with first-degree burns after burn off goes wrong
The Broncos have secretly approached the head of football from a rival club, as club powerbrokers meet to plot their return to NRL premiership contention. See the full SPORT CONFIDENTIAL
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The Broncos have secretly approached highly-rated Newcastle supremo Peter Parr as they weigh up options for a head of football to help new coach Michael Maguire.
Sport Confidential can reveal the Broncos have sounded out Parr, who boasts one of the most decorated portfolios in rugby league.
Parr was football boss when the Cowboys won their first premiership in 2015 and later moved into a managerial role with the NSW team, winning three of five Origin series helping Brad Fittler.
Since his move to the Knights as football boss, Newcastle have qualified for back-to-back finals series.
Parr remains contracted to the Knights for another two years and it remains to be seen whether he will end up at the Broncos, who have not tabled a formal deal at this stage.
Frank Ponissi was also linked with the Broncos, but the Storm football boss is committed to Melbourne super coach Craig Bellamy and is on the verge of inking an extension.
Ponissi has served 17 years at the Storm and such is his pedigree, ‘Wombat’ recently fielded interest from AFL powerhouse Collingwood to be part of their football operations.
Ponissi has known Maguire for a long time but is content at the Storm and is chasing more premiership success alongside Bellamy.
BRONCOS HOLD SUMMIT
Broncos powerbrokers held a summit this week as the club plots its path back to NRL premiership contention.
Brisbane’s top executives were spotted on the Sunshine Coast for a series of meetings and team bonding following this year’s dramatic crash.
The future at Red Hill looked bright when the Broncos fought back from the 2020 wooden spoon debacle to qualify for last year’s grand final.
However they crashed to 12th this year, culminating in the departure of head coach Kevin Walters and an off-season of soul searching
Broncos CEO Dave Donaghy took some of his team, including new coach Michael Maguire, to Noosa ahead of pre-season training beginning next week.
COREY PARKER REVEALS BRUTAL BURN INJURIES
Corey Parker has spoken of his terrifying brush with a fire that left the Broncos legend nursing first-degree burns.
Parker is thankfully on the mend and will make a full recovery after having his entire face and arm singed by the extreme heat coming from a small fire on his friend’s bush property.
The Fox Sports commentator suffered the injury in the lead up to the NRL decider.
Ever the professional, Parker showed up for work ready to call the NRL grand final with his face looking red and sunburnt, but Fox bosses sent him home to rest and recover.
‘Cozza’ said the incident was a freakish mishap.
“It was a bit of a shock,” Parker said.
“They called it a first-degree burn, the one on my arm was a bit more full on, but thankfully my face is OK.
“I was at a mate’s farm and there were some old cane lounges we were burning off.
“One cane lounge went onto the fire, then we threw a second one on the fire and it rolled away.
“I instinctively moved to put it back on the fire but as I grabbed the lounge, it really caught alight and the flames got my arm.
“I then felt this big gust of heat hit my face.
“It felt like opening an open door and being hit by the heat.
“It was a more intense version of that and straight away it was sore.”
Images obtained by Sport Confidential show Parker’s face looking noticeably burnt with patches of skin peeling away.
The former Queensland Origin and Test lock said his face has now healed and he has returned to commentary duties for the Pacific Championships.
“It felt like an exaggerated version of sunburn,” he said.
“The pain wasn’t too intense but I went to bed that night with a cold washer on my face.
“When you look at it, it looks painful and sore but it wasn’t too bad.
“I went to Sydney the next day for grand final day. I thought the make-up girls would put some make up on me, but they had a look and said, ‘No, we aren’t touching your face’, so I flew back home again.
“I got some antibiotic cream just in case of infection. Within a few days, my skin had all peeled off, but I’m OK now.”
KOBE’S CRISIS TALKS
Kobe Hetherington’s management will hold urgent talks with new Brisbane coach Michael Maguire to determine his future at the Broncos.
Sport Confidential can reveal Hetherington’s manager Chris Haddad will fly north to Brisbane next week to meet with Maguire to thrash out whether the tough-tackling forward has a future at Red Hill.
Hetherington is off-contract next season and was given permission by the Broncos six weeks ago to talk to rival clubs.
The 25-year-old officially becomes a free agent from tomorrow and has interest from a number of NRL rivals, including the Dragons and Wests Tigers.
Hetherington’s preference is to stay at the Broncos, but the son of Queensland Origin legend Jason is seeking a regular starting spot and is stuck behind Pat Carrigan in the battle for the No.13 jumper.
“We’re going to meet with Michael Maguire next week to see where we are at,” Haddad confirmed.
Asked if leaving is an option, Haddad said: “100 per cent it is.
“It’s 50-50 right now.
“We’re a chance of staying but we’re also a chance of leaving depending on how the meeting goes with Madge.”
Maguire has indicated he wants to keep Hetherington at the Broncos, but if he can’t guarantee more game time, the Queensland Origin hopeful could make a move to Sydney.
“Kobe has interest from a couple of clubs, including the Tigers,” Haddad said.
“He loves the Broncos and ideally he would want to stay, but Kobe wants a regular starting spot like any player and that’s tough when you have Pat Carrigan playing 13.
“We’ve agreed to meet next week.
“The Broncos have given us permission to look around but if they don’t give us permission to leave, then we can’t get any formal offers.”
IKIN TIPPED TO BE TOP DOG
Departing Queensland Rugby League chairman Bruce Hatcher has tipped Broncos great Ben Ikin to become the next chief of the NRL.
Hatcher officially stepped down from his role on Thursday following seven years at the helm of the QRL.
The 79-year-old accountant has been a fierce advocate for Queensland, regularly taking on the NRL and ARL Commission’s top brass in his fight for the Sunshine State.
Hatcher has found a strong ally in Ikin, who he poached from the Broncos last year to replace Rohan Sawyer as chief executive of the QRL.
But Hatcher believes Ikin is destined for bigger things and could one day lead the entire game.
Andrew Abdo is currently the NRL’s chief executive and there is no suggestion his position is in danger.
However Hatcher reckons Ikin has what it takes to lead rugby league nationally.
“I’d like to see Ben lead the game,” he said.
“I’d give him a big rap. He is a really good family man.
“It’s a hard game because there is so much emotion involved but I think he could do whatever he likes.
“He is a very strong leader and has a creative mind. He doesn’t accept the status quo, he thinks about how he can do it better.”
HUNT’S FAMILY FEUD
Ben Hunt wanted out of the Dragons because his relationship with the Flanagan family had become untenable.
Sport Confidential understands Hunt walked away from his $1 million Dragons deal after losing trust in the Red V regime led by coach Shane Flanagan.
Hunt was also having difficulties connecting with Flanagan’s son Kyle, who was his five-eighth scrumbase partner for most of the 2024 season after his arrival from the Bulldogs.
The Queensland Origin utility’s relationship with the coach became strained in the latter stages of the season as the Dragons’ finals hopes collapsed.
After the Dragons’ heavy loss to the Eels in round 26, Flanagan was seen in the sheds in an animated conversation with Hunt, who as skipper and halfback failed to deliver a playoffs appearance.
Hunt also felt a victim of “broken promises” after the club initially promised to sign more recruits to help him last year, then delayed fresh contract extension talks this season.
Hunt has been criticised for his erratic form during his $6 million stint at the Dragons but the Maroons hooker was happy to tear up the final year of his deal to ensure he would not work with Flanagan in 2025.
REMEMBER THE TITANS
There is a strong Gold Coast Titans flavour to the Kangaroos’ coaching set up.
Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga spent six years with the Titans as head of culture and a high performance consultant, severing ties late last year when Des Hasler took charge.
Meninga played a key role in recruiting Justin Holbrook as head coach to replace Garth Brennan in 2019.
Holbrook, who was axed last year by the Titans, is now Meninga’s chief assistant at the Kangaroos.
Meninga also has Brett White on his coaching staff, who has been an assistant to Holbrook and Hasler at the Titans over the past few years.
LODGE READY TO RUMBLE
Former Broncos enforcer Matt Lodge is ready to make his professional boxing debut.
Sport Confidential understands Lodge has been in training with a view to finally jumping in the ring after several years flirting with the idea of testing himself in the fight game.
Lodge called out Paul Gallen two years ago but the fight never eventuated, with Gallen taking on Justin Hodges in back-to-back bouts before hanging up the gloves.
Promoters are finalising an opponent for Lodge but it’s understood the controversial prop will make his debut appearance before Christmas.
The 118kg Lodge fancies himself as a handy boxer and is backing himself to be a potential pay-per-view star following the departure of Gallen, who blazed a trail for NRL footballers turned fighters.
Lodge is one of the most polarising figures in Australian sport after his New York rampage in 2015 and could attract eyeballs if he delivers some knockout wins in the boxing world.
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