Sport Confidential: Manly forward Sean Keppie targeted in vile social media post
Police are investigating threats made to a Manly player and his family in a vile social media post after the Sea Eagles’ loss to Newcastle.
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Police are investigating threats made to a Manly player and his family following the club’s loss to Newcastle last Sunday.
Sea Eagles forward Sean Keppie reported the vile social media post to the NRL and police. A police spokeswoman confirmed to Sport Confidential that threats were under investigation.
“On 30 May, a 23-year-old man made a report to police after allegedly receiving threats via social media,” a spokeswoman said. “An investigation into the threats are continuing.”
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The abhorrent language used in the Instagram message to Keppie included attacks on his wife and mother.
Sea Eagles boss Stephen Humphreys jumped to the defence of his player.
“The comments were disgraceful and Sean was keen to make a stand,” Humphreys said. “We totally support him in doing so. The police have been great and are investigating. Hopefully those responsible will be held to account for their actions.”
Keppie, who was sin-binned during the match and eventually suspended for one game, posted a reply on his Instagram account.
“I’m the first to admit if I make a mistake on the field,” Keppie wrote. “I’ll take responsibility but I won’t stand for this. For me and the whole playing group, nothing we do warrants this or makes it acceptable.
“You wonder why we want to keep our distance.”
Keppie’s abuse came after Daniel Hudson, of Lake Munmorah, pleaded guilty last week to making racist slurs against South Sydney Rabbitohs star Latrell Mitchell.
Mr Hudson will next appear at Wyong Local Court on July 30.
GAL FIRES SHOT AT MAROONS
He may have been torn to shreds by Queenslanders last year, but Paul Gallen maintains the 2020 side was their worst in Origin history.
Maroons skipper Daly Cherry-Evans took great delight in accepting the trophy “on behalf of the worst Queensland team” in front of a raucous Suncorp Stadium crowd after their game-three victory last year.
Gallen had backed up the claims that the 2020 Queensland crew was the worst of all time, after our colleague Dean Ritchie wrote a column stating so, and the backlash after NSW’s defeat was vicious.
“I wasn’t the one who came out with that statement last year but I supported it, and I don’t go away from it,” Gallen said. “If it was such a good team, why not just pick the same team this year? There’s probably half a dozen players that aren’t ever going to play again.
“But they won the series so I can’t take it away from them.
“I think it was heavily affected by travel, look at game one, it was very flat, game two Queensland was flat, and game three Queensland just got over the top and NSW didn’t have the energy to come back.
“Full credit to them, they won the series, that’s never going to change. But if it was such a good Queensland team why haven’t they picked the same team again? It’s because it was an anomaly.”
Gallen has a point. Five players who debuted for Queensland in last year’s series have been dumped this year; Phillip Sami, Corey Allan, Dunamis Lui, and Brenko and Edrick Lee.
Gallen says Townsville gaining the first match is a huge boost for Queensland, but provides bigger motivation to Brad Fittler’s Blues.
“What an advantage to them that the first game is in Townsville, but if NSW can win that first game and win the series in the first two, what an achievement. That will be huge motivation for them,” Gallen said.
SOUTHS OPEN TO BURGESS REUNION
South Sydney have kept the door open for George Burgess to make a return to the club.
Burgess outlined his intentions to return to the NRL, telling the Daily Telegraph this week that he has “unfinished business”. He would love to add to his 149 game tally for the Rabbitohs having left the club to join Wigan at the end of 2019.
While Burgess continues his long road back from serious hip surgery, South Sydney boss Blake Solly said the club remains open to reuniting Burgess with twin Tom.
“I spoke with George before his surgery,” Solly said. “It was a huge operation but he was very optimistic about the outcome.
“The pain in recent seasons must have been unbearable for him. We’ll catch up as his rehab progresses in the UK and see what happens from there”.
The Dragons have been linked to Burgess but that has been very informal discussions. Burgess returns to Australia in July and expects to be able to train fully when team’s begin their pre-season in November.
BEANIE BOPPERS
We’re glad to see the Daily Telegraph’s Go NSW beanies are big enough to fit around Bryan Fletcher’s melon. The ex-Blue joined Joel Caine and Brett Finch in wearing the beanie’s which are available for just $5 with the Daily Telegraph from this Saturday. SEN 1170 drive hosts Caine and Fletcher are firing up in the lead up to Wednesday’s Origin.
Details: dailytelegraph.com.au/gonsw
MOSES REVEALS FEAR FACTOR
Mitchell Moses has revealed one of the big reasons he recommitted to the Eels for so long – FOMO.
Moses’ fear of missing out of a potential premiership at the club helped convince him to re-sign until 2024 despite only needing to take up a one-year option to stay at Parramatta.
“We feel like it’s building towards something,” Moses said. “I didn’t want to miss out. I love playing footy here and I grew up playing footy at this club. I didn’t want to go anywhere else.
“I don’t want to miss out on anything that happens here.”
Moses’ future has created headlines in the past. But this time the talks were straight forward.
“I’ve learnt to deal with it a lot better,” Moses said. “It didn’t get dragged out and I didn’t want it to get dragged out.”
BRAVE MILNE
South Sydney winger Taane Milne showed incredible toughness to get through last week’s match against the Eels with a broken rib. We’re told Milne fractured his rib in the opening five minutes but got through the 80 minutes. He could be sidelined for up to three weeks because of the injury. Veteran winger Josh Mansour is due to make his return from a hamstring injury in reserve grade this week.
MISTAKEN IDENTITY
There was confusion all round for a Blues staff member who confused Richmond Tigers skipper Trent Cotchin with a member of the coaching staff. Cotchin had to point out to the Blues official that he was in fact the captain. The Tigers have been staying in the same hotel as the Blues.
SPOTTED
Former NSW player Phil Blake was an interested observer at Blues training on Thursday morning. One of the great entertainers of the 1980s and 1990s, Blake watched on in the wet conditions as the NSW side went through their paces at Sydney Olympic Park.
HAPPY SNAP
The Trbojevic brothers popped into Manly Village Public School just before Jake and Tom entered the Blues’ camp. The school showed their support of the brothers, including recent debutant Ben, and the trio returned the favour.
TAHS’ STAR MAKES SHOCK SWITCH
Waratahs fullback Jack Maddocks will make a shock switch to Sevens and represent Australia at the Tokyo Olympics next month.
Maddocks, 24, has been picked in the Australian men’s squad for the Games and received his mandatory Covid-19 vaccinations to travel.
The seven-Test Wallaby is then expected to take up a contract in French rugby after the Olympics, meaning he is unlikely to be seen in the Australian gold kit again.
Maddocks and childhood friend Angus Crichton are still determined to play alongside each other one day, so it wouldn’t surprise if Crichton lobs in France once he feels his NRL career is done.
NRLW SET FOR SHAKE-UP
The NRLW competition is set for a huge shake-up this year, with the Warriors to be dumped and three new teams added.
Parramatta Eels, Newcastle Knights and Gold Coast Titans are expected to enter the women’s competition, with pre-season starting in July.
The new teams have been making frantic calls to recruit players, including some from Australian rugby.
SPORTS AGENT RESIGNS
Embattled sports agent Isaac Moses has handed back his rugby union accreditation, adding another hurdle to the Wallabies’ chances of luring back star lock Will Skelton from France.
Moses manages Skelton and Kurtley Beale, as well as Waratahs backrower Will Harris, but can no longer act as their agent after resigning as a member of the Rugby Union Players’ Association accredited list of agents.
After he was banned by the NRL from holding accreditation earlier this year, RUPA insisted that Moses hand over paperwork to show why he should be allowed to continue in Australian rugby. Instead, Moses resigned.
Skelton has proven himself one of the top players in Europe after leaving Australia, and the Wallabies would dearly love him for their 2023 World Cup campaign.
HUNI BINS TRASH TALK
Amid all the trash-talking between Paul Gallen and boxing promoter Dean Lonergan in the past few weeks, it was refreshing to hear 22-year-old champion Justis Huni take a different approach this week.
After his own father Rocki Huni, and Lonergan, labelled Gallen “a donkey” ahead of his heavyweight title fight against Huni on June 16 at Sydney’s ICC, the Olympics-bound boxer ducked the chance to continue the baiting.
“I’m respectful, we’re all just trying to make a living and it takes a lot of hard work,” Huni told Sports Confidential.
“I’m not here to knock anyone. My old man said that and Dean says stuff as well, but me, I’m my own person and I’ve got nothing bad to say about Gal.
“I didn’t train my whole life to trash talk or bag anyone, I train to be a boxer and fight.
“And the way I look at it, it’s not going to change the outcome of what will happen on June 16, so I don’t bother wasting my breath bickering back and forth.
“I’ll say things in my way, whatever I feel are the facts.”
Huni also doesn’t care if he has to wear the Everlast gloves Gallen wants for the fight despite being sponsored by Adidas.
“I’m just a fighter, I’ll box in anything, as long as my hands fit it in them I’ll fight in them,” he said.
RIVALS LINE UP FOR LUNCH
A raft of Wallabies identities will be attending the first joint lunch held by fierce Shute Shield rivals Warringah Rats and Manly Marlins on Friday.
World Cup-winning coach Rod Macqueen, Grand Slam coach and broadcaster Alan Jones, dual-code international Stephen Knight, Pat McCabe, Ross Reynolds and Lance Walker will be among more than 700 guests at Miramare Gardens, before the Rats and Marlins face off on Saturday.
The ‘Tony Miller Community Rugby Lunch’ – the late “Slaggy” Miller played for both clubs and coached Warringah – will celebrate the first derby between the clubs on April 24, 1971 at Manly Oval. The Marlins won 21-17.
So popular has the ‘Battle of the Beaches’ showdown become in recent times, last year’s match drew more fans than the Manly Sea Eagles the same weekend.
ALL EYES ON
Penrith’s unbeaten streak. Despite missing eight players the Panthers have still managed to put together a squad which most teams envy. Matt Burton gets his shot in the halves. They play a Tigers side who have struggled for consistency but have no excuses not to beat the undermanned Panthers.
FLASHBACK
Kieran Foran was dubbed the next Bob Fulton on this day 10 years ago. Manly stalwart Peter Peters compared an emerging Foran with Immortal Fulton at the same age. ‘‘This kid (Foran) . . . he reminds me so much of Bozo,” Peter said. Foran went on to help deliver the Sea Eagles that same season.
STATE OF ORIGIN MEMORY
1987 ‘Game Four’ exhibition match at Long Beach, California. NSW beat Queensland 30-18.
Rocking up to the Veterans Memorial Stadium in California the NSW players looked at each other. They feared what some had anticipated that the Origin match in the US was going to be a bust.
“We turned up and nobody was there,” NSW forward Les Davidson said.
“We were thinking this was going to be a flop until someone explained everything in LA happened at the last minute.
“We were in the change rooms and I’m sure they held us up for a little while. The fans arrived at kick-off time. I’m sure they delayed us running out because there were a few dramas getting people inside.”
Officially 12,349 people watched the game. The Maroons had already won the series 2-1 after clinching the game three decider at Lang Park three weeks before.
Despite Queensland claiming the shield, the Blues eyed this game as an opportunity to get square. The match has retained Origin status.
“We took it serious,” Davidson said. “I don’t think the Queenslander’s did. They were on the piss for a few days. They didn’t have the same mindset as us. That’s why we won.”
There were visits to Disneyland and walk along Hollywood Boulevard too. While the match did not generate the cut through some hoped it would, it is perhaps best remembered for skipper Peter Sterling’s failed attempt at running through the on-field banner.
“We were behind him and we saw he got stuck so we just all detoured,” Davidson said. “A lady explained to us where we had to run but he just ran into the wrong spot.
“I thought the game would’ve taken off in the US.”
Forget player welfare or five-day minimum turnarounds, the players were straight back to Australia and some expected to play just three days later.
“We jumped straight on the plane – flying economy – these days they would be in business,” Davidson said. “We (South Sydney) had to play the Sharks.
“Myself and David Boyle were thrown onto the wing in reserve grade for half a game to see if we could handle first grade. We saw the Sharks boys weren’t backing up.
“We didn’t end up playing first grade.”
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