Sport Confidential: Brisbane Broncos reject Dolphins’ bid to snare Karl Oloapu
The Broncos have held their ground in a battle with the Dolphins over the services of one of the best young league prospects in Australia. All that and more in SPORT CONFIDENTIAL.
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The Broncos are under siege from new expansion rivals the Dolphins for Australian rugby league’s No.1-ranked 18-year-old.
Classy five-eighth Karl Oloapu was named the player of the tournament at last month’s national under-18s championships at Redcliffe and now a battle for his services between the Broncos and Dolphins has exploded.
Sport Confidential understands the Dolphins have made moves to poach the 17-year-old Oloapu, who was a standout member of Redcliffe’s Cyril Connell under-16s side last season.
Brisbane were quick to snap up Oloapu and placed the teenage whizkid in their Broncos Academy.
Oloapu’s new management recently asked the Broncos for an immediate release for the silky playmaker to join the Dolphins in 2023, but Brisbane development bosses flatly rejected that request.
WATCH HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WHIZKID
The Wavell High product, who scored a try for Queensland in the national championships final, is signed to the Broncos until the end of 2025 and Brisbane have no interest in releasing Oloapu to their new NRL rivals.
Oloapu will be promoted to a development contract next year and the Broncos have plans for him to play NRL in the coming years.
BELLAMY URGES NRL TO LEARN FROM GREEN TRAGEDY
Melbourne super coach Craig Bellamy has expressed his shock at the death of Paul Green as the NRL world continues to mourn the loss of the rugby league identity.
Bellamy is among many in the league community who cannot comprehend the sudden death of Green and the tragic circumstances behind his passing.
The premiership-winning coach passed away last week after tragically taking his life. Not even Green’s wife or closest friends saw any signs he was struggling and even a recent purchase suggested the 49-year-old was enjoying his time out of NRL coaching.
Sport Confidential understands Green had recently purchased a stake with friends in a new boat valued at $600,000. The boat was set to be delivered in the coming weeks. Green enjoyed trips away fishing with his mates and it was a past-time that saw him bond with cricket legend Andrew Symonds, who died in a car accident in Townsville in May.
A public memorial service for Green will be held at Kougari Oval, home of his beloved Wynnum Manly Seagulls, on Tuesday, August 30.
As a fellow NRL mentor who understands the pressures of high-level coaching in the big league, Bellamy has felt the effects of Green’s passing.
The veteran Storm coach never played with Green, but said he had enormous respect for his achievements in the game. Bellamy and Green were coaching rivals in Melbourne’s defeat of the Cowboys in the 2017 NRL grand final.
“To see the death of Paul, it’s just terrible and so, so sad,” Bellamy said ahead of Friday night’s clash against the Broncos at Suncorp Stadium. “I didn’t know Paul well. The most I had to do with Paul was when he was coaching Origin last year and he called me with a few questions of Storm players that he had in Queensland camp.
“Whenever we coached against each other, we would stop and have a quick two or three-minute chat. Coaching can be great when you are going well, but when you aren’t going so well, pressure comes from a lot of places.
“When you lose your job, there is a stigma to that and everyone handles it differently.”
Bellamy urged NRL officialdom to learn lessons from the Green tragedy and be vigilant of mental-health issues in what can be a cutthroat industry.
“As a game, every now and then, we talk about how vitally important everyone’s mental wellbeing is in the NRL,” Bellamy said.
“But then things happen in the game and it hurts people’s mental wellbeing.
“We need to find that balance. We can’t just say we are concerned about people’s mental wellbeing and then something like this (Green’s death) happens.
“We need to be constantly aware of it.
“A lot of people in the world have high-pressure jobs, not just NRL coaches. I don’t know the exact circumstances of what happened with Paul, but it’s such a sad, sad story for a guy who gave our game a whole heap.”
BRONCOS TURN AROUND IMAGE
The Broncos have transformed from a club that ended NRL careers to one that is reinvigorating them – to the point they’re losing players to rivals.
Emerging backrower Zac Hosking became the second Broncos player to sign with a rival club for next season after inking a two-year deal with Penrith.
Hosking couldn’t get a run at the dreadful Knights last year but has caught the eye of the mighty Panthers after impressing in Brisbane.
The same goes for Te Maire Martin, who has been sensational in 10 games at fullback, yielding eight wins.
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Martin’s career was over three years ago due to a brain injury and few expected him to return with such success at the Broncos this season.
The Broncos would have loved to have held on to Hosking and Warriors-bound Martin, who are rated highly internally, but they didn’t have the salary cap room or spots on their roster for the duo.
After floundering for the past two years at the bottom of the ladder, and seeing players disappear from the NRL, the Broncos have suddenly become a club that resurrects careers.
It’s a credit to plenty at the club, particularly CEO Dave Donaghy, football boss Ben Ikin and coach Kevin Walters for getting the Broncos back on track.
FIFITA CAN BE TITANS TAUMALOLO
Gold Coast coach Justin Holbrook has been urged to move David Fifita to a new position at lock and make him the Titans’ version of Jason Taumalolo.
Former Penrith premiership-winning lock Scott Sattler believes Fifita can make a successful conversion from the back row to a middle man who can ignite his career and the fortunes of the embattled Titans.
Fifita is on a $1 million-plus contract at the Titans which expires at the end of next year and the former Queensland Origin young gun has come under fire for his erratic displays this season.
There is a view the Titans should sever ties with the 22-year-old, but Sattler — the Titans’ foundation football manager in 2007 — believes Fifita could be wrecking ball for the Gold Coast in the No.13 jumper.
Taumalolo has been the cornerstone of the Cowboys’ pack with his blockbusting charges in midfield and Sattler fears Fifita is being wasted out wide as a back-rower craving more action.
“If I was the Titans, I would consider moving him to 13, playing him in the middle and being like a Jason Taumalolo,” said Sattler, the former Queensland Origin lock.
“I would say to Dave you will train in the upcoming pre-season as a middle, we will make you one of our fittest players and you can roam from the middle and have free rein to do whatever you want.
“Johnny Lang (former Penrith premiership coach) used to have a great saying that the lock in rugby league has to play like a chameleon.
“Whatever the game situation, Langy would say the No.13 has to be adaptable. If it’s a game of skill, you can use the ball and if it’s a defensive game, you have to roll the sleeves up and make 30 tackles.
“Being a 13, you have to adapt to how the game is playing out. Jason Taumalolo has developed his game at the Cowboys and I think if Fifita gets a bit fitter and leans up a bit more, he could be a damaging 13.
“Sometimes as a back-rower you can drift out of the game if you are locked into one side of the field, but at lock Dave would always be in the game.
“He would be a destructive presence in the middle of the park, so it’s something the Titans should consider to get the best out of him.”
BRAITH OF FRESH AIR
Former NSW and Test star Braith Anasta’s star continues to rise as a commentator and host at Fox Sports.
Sport Confidential can reveal Fox’s often-explosive NRL 360 show, now hosted by Anasta, has become a ratings bonanza and one of the most-watched programs on Australian television.
Anasta stepped into the hosting hot-seat alongside Paul Kent this year after the departure of Ben Ikin, who took up a job as Broncos football boss after an outstanding nine years as NRL 360’s anchor man.
Some believed the show would struggle without Ikin’s intellect, footballing pedigree and incisive analysis. But with Anasta at the helm, NRL 360 is thriving.
The show is the No.1 program across all Foxtel platforms from Monday to Wednesday. More than 300,000 viewers tune in every week, with some episodes attracting around 130,000 eyeballs, an outstanding figure for a pay TV program.
The 40-year-old Anasta has impressed with his engaging style and forthright opinions on the biggest talking points in the game.
QUEENSLAND LEGEND A BOXING IMMORTAL
Former national welterweight champion Len Dittmar will receive the ultimate honour when he is inducted into the Australian Boxing Hall of Fame at a function at Melbourne’s Crown Casino on Friday week.
Dittmar won 34 of 43 fights, 23 by knockout, and will join former News Corp award-winning journalist and author Grantlee Kieza, who was inducted into Australian Boxing’s Hall of Fame four years ago.
Dittmar, who had his last professional fight in 1952, has links to rugby league. His son, Len Jnr, was a front-rower who represented Queensland from Brisbane Brothers.
Len Jnr played alongside NRL super coach Wayne Bennett, then a dashing winger, for Queensland in the 1971 interstate series and NSW forward soon learned not to mess with Dittmar, who inherited his punching power from his pugilist father.
“That year (1971) was when the QRL decided to get all scientific and brought in doctors and trainers,” Len Dittmar Jnr recalled with The Courier-Mail in 2019. “They had us sleeping on stretchers at Lang Park the week before the first game and trained the shit out of us every day.
“Me and Wayne Bennett were the only ones who could take it. Wayne was a clean-living copper and I was getting ready for the surf-lifesaving titles, but it almost killed the others.”
WHY ORIGIN STAR FLIPPED OUT
Storm forward Felise Kaufusi has opened up about his decision to become the first big-name player to join the Dolphins next season.
As he prepares for Friday night’s blockbuster against the Broncos at Suncorp Stadium, Kaufusi said while he will find it difficult to leave Melbourne, he was lured by the challenge of helping Wayne Bennett turn the Dolphins into an NRL force.
“It was a hard call to leave,” he said.
“I started my career and debuted for the Storm. Melbourne will always have a special place for our family — me and my two brothers have played for the club.
“I hope I can lead the way for the Dolphins. I’m hoping whoever we get is willing to come to the club and be part of a new adventure. It’s exciting to be a foundation player of the Dolphins and being under Wayne Bennett is a big attraction for me.
“I think we can be competitive from day one. I wouldn’t be going there to lose games. It’s going to be hard, we will be a new club, but guys like myself and the Bromwich boys (Kenny and Jesse) will try and drive a culture of winning.
“I will definitely miss the Storm, but in saying that it will be good to move closer to home. I have three little kids now and they will be able to see their family and aunties and uncles a lot more living in Queensland.
“Family was a large motivation, but I also like the challenge of helping a new club become successful.”
TINO MISSES WIN FOR TITANIC MOMENT
Spare a thought for Gold Coast Titans captain Tino Fa’asuamaleaui.
Fa’asuamaleaui has been far and away the Titans’ best player in a terrible season for the club and will win the Gold Coast’s player of the year award by the length of Cavill Avenue.
But after months of toiling on the field during a 10-game losing streak, Fa’asuamaleaui missed last Sunday’s drought-breaking win against Manly at Cbus Super Stadium.
That’s because his partner, Jordan Ngarimu, gave birth to the couple’s second daughter on Sunday.
Fa’asuamaleaui was a late withdrawal from the Titans’ 17 to be there for the birth of his daughter, a sister to two-year-old Alina.
While it was a special moment for the Queensland Origin star, no Titans player was more deserving of experiencing a win on the field than the tireless Fa’asuamaleaui.
He will return to the team for Sunday’s clash against the Dragons in Wollongong and is hoping to taste his first NRL win since Magic Round, when the Titans beat the Dragons in golden point.
SUPER SATURDAY SPECTACULAR
Queensland’s top rugby league competitions will conclude with a bumper Super Saturday of grand finals.
The QRL has confirmed a four-match grand final day spectacular at Redcliffe’s Moreton Daily Stadium on September 24.
Headlining the action will be the Hostplus Cup grand final, with the highly-anticipated 3.15pm match to be broadcast live on Channel 9.
The Hastings Deerings Colts decider will be the curtain-raiser at 1.15pm to the Hostplus Cup. Earlier in the day, the City v Country girls and boys games will kick-off proceedings from 10.10am.
QRL chief executive officer Rohan Sawyer said it was shaping up to be an outstanding event, with more than 7200 fans attending last year’s grand final day at Redcliffe.
“With four quality games of rugby league and some great family entertainment off the field, it really is going to be a wonderful event for our clubs, partners and fans to be involved in,” Sawyer said.
“Moreton Daily Stadium is the perfect venue to host a day like this, and you only have to look back at the scenes from last year to get excited about what the final Saturday of September is going to bring.”
Fans are encouraged to secure their seats early from Ticketek.
HELP PURCELL’S FAMILY
A GoFundMe campaign has been started to help support the family of late Queensland Cup star Michael Purcell.
Former Jets and Tigers star Purcell died earlier this month, aged 28, following a car crash.
A fundraising drive has been launched to help bring “The Kangaroo Catcher” home to Charleville and pay for funeral and catering costs.
The GoFundMe is hoping to raise $15,000. To contribute, click here for the link.
NRL SUPER COACH CALLS FOR TWO REFS
Storm coach Craig Bellamy has urged the NRL to consider going back to two referees due to the scrutiny and pressure on match officials.
The NRL made the controversial decision to revert to one referee midway through the 2020 season, mainly due to cost-cutting measures in the wake of the Covid pandemic which forced the temporary suspension of the premiership.
The one-referee model has been largely well embraced over the past two years, but Bellamy urged ARL Commission boss Peter V’landys to explore the prospect of bringing back two match officials.
The NRL has witnessed a spate of officiating controversies this season, headlined by the shocking blunder which saw the Cowboys snatch victory against the Wests Tigers after the full-time siren over a captain’s challenge debacle.
Bellamy believes the speed of the game and the pressure on officials should prompt the NRL to consider going back to the future.
“At some stage we might have to get back to two refs,” Bellamy told 4BC radio in the lead-up to Friday night’s clash against the Broncos at Suncorp Stadium.
“There’s been a lot of changes in the game. I was a big fan of going back to one ref but they have so much to look at these days and decipher.
“The game is different now, certainly the interpretations of the rule changes with the six agains and penalties inside the 40, so we have had to make some adjustments like every team.
“I will stick to coaching and whatever decisions the NRL go with, we will have to go along with that.”
TITANS UNWANTED FAVOURITES
It has taken almost 23 rounds, but the Titans are finally starting to attract significant interest from punters. Unfortunately, it’s for the unwanted title of most losses.
Even after their big victory over Manly, TAB has noted multiple outlays of $2,000 and $1,000 on Gold Coast finishing the season with the least amount of wins.
They are currently $3 in the most losses market, behind favourites, Wests Tigers who are $1.40.
Both the Titans and Tigers have only four wins each with three matches remaining.
Gold Coast face the Dragons (away), Knights (home) and Warriors (away), while the Tigers have the tougher run of Roosters (away), Dragons (home) and Raiders (home).
Despite playing finals footy last season and opening as a seventh favourite for 2022 at $17, the Titans were the worst backed side to win the premiership with TAB for all but three weeks this year before dropping out of playoff contention.
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