Sports Confidential: Broncos part ways with Moses, why Green was cut by Maroons
Wayne Bennett is without a club for 2022, but won’t put his hand up to save Wests if they sack Michael Maguire. That and more in this week’s Sports Confidential.
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The client base of banned NRL player agent Isaac Moses at the Brisbane Broncos is steadily decreasing.
Moses‘ relationship with the Broncos came under the spotlight in recent years given he managed upwards of nine players at the club and former coach Anthony Seibold.
But there has been a major shift in power at Red Hill, with Moses‘ clients leaving the club and Chris Orr’s Pacific Sports Management becoming the most represented agency.
The list of Moses clients departing the Broncos this year includes Matt Lodge, Ben Te‘o, Ethan Bullemor and Alex Glenn while Tevita Pangai Jr switched managers recently.
Moses, whose cousin Stephen Moses officially conducts the business‘ negotiations with NRL clubs, still has Kotoni Staggs and Jake Turpin on the books at Brisbane.
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But his representation is a far cry from what it was a couple of years ago, with Orr increasing his list of clients at the Broncos.
Broncos coach Kevin Walters severed ties with Moses and linked up with Orr before replacing Seibold in Brisbane‘s top job.
Orr’s agency represented at least seven Broncos players this season in Payne Haas, John Asiata, David Mead, Brodie Croft, Selwyn Cobbo, Tom Flegler and Keenan Palasia while Jordan Pereira will join the club next year.
Gold Coast-based Orr and fellow PSM agent Tas Bartlett also have a strong representation at the Titans with 10 players and coach Justin Holbrook on their books.
CRONK REVEALS GREEN’S MISSING INGREDIENT
Queensland rugby league powerbrokers insist they did not ruthlessly sack Paul Green amid speculation the premiership coach was not truly committed to the Maroons.
Green’s departure as Maroons coach came as a shock to even the man himself, with the former Cowboys mentor having expressed a desire to back-up for his second season in charge of Queensland in 2022.
Green was so passionate about the task ahead he told close friends just last week he would be coaching Queensland next year. That changed abruptly on Tuesday when the QRL released a statement confirming they had severed ties with Green and would be moving in a different direction.
Newly-appointed QRL director Cooper Cronk confirmed Billy Slater is among several names in the coaching mix and fellow board member Darryl Van de Velde hit back at suggestions Queensland hierarchy dudded Green.
“There was no issue with Paul, we just wanted more certainty with our program,” Van de Velde said.
“We just feel this time that we need some long-term concentration around our Queensland program. We have a young group of players coming through so this is the right time to cement a long-term position.
“Paul had a desire to coach NRL again. In the past, we’ve had to make quick decisions. We lost Kevvie Walters to the Broncos and had to bring Wayne back at short notice.
“That was the main reason we went in a different direction.
“I personally felt the time is right to get some stability around our Origin program. Every year we are chopping and changing with coaches so this is an opportunity to seek a longer-term appointment.”
Cronk added on NRL 360 on Wednesday night: “Paul Green did a review of the season … and part of the things he brought to the table was a bit of longevity stuff, he couldn’t commit to that and hence on Tuesday morning there was an agreement to part ways.
“There’s been three coaches in the last three years for the Queensland Origin job, it’s now time to consolidate that position and find the right person who can win next year’s series and set a legacy for the next three or five after that.
“We’ve got the structure, we know what it will take, we just have to fit the right person in.”
NO WAYNE’S WORLD AT CONCORD
As Michael Maguire fights for his job at the Wests Tigers, there is one certainty: Wayne Bennett has no intention of succeeding him.
The Wests Tigers made inquiries with Bennett following his sacking at the Broncos in 2018. While the NRL super coach is currently unemployed for next season, he has no interest in a rebuilding mission at the Tigers.
Bennett will move full-time to Brisbane when his Souths commitments cease in November and no amount of money will convince him to potentially revive the Tigers if they sever ties with Maguire following the club’s review.
BILLY GETS THE GREEN LIGHT FOR ORIGIN GIG
Maroons legend Billy Slater has received the backing of Channel 9 should be formally sign on as Queensland Origin coach.
Slater has done an excellent job since moving into the commentating space with Nine and the free-to-air giant has no issue with the former Storm fullback remaining with the network if he took on the Queensland job.
Should Slater be appointed, it would give Channel 9 a powerful hold on Origin given that NSW coach Brad Fittler is also with the network.
Fittler has provided some compelling behind-the-scenes vision, including having a camera in his coaching box during Origin matches, and Slater’s appointment would give Channel 9 unrivalled access to Camp Maroon.
SPOTTED
Reece Walsh and his New Zealand Warriors teammates drowning their sorrows with a spot of retail therapy at Pacific Fair shopping centre on the Gold Coast before they relocate to Redcliffe.
SHOOSH
Which two well-known NRL stars were on the verge of a punch-up during Mad Monday celebrations? The players were rivals whose two teams just happened to be staying in the same Brisbane hotel under the NRL’s Covid restrictions. The pair in question were ready to punch on and had to be separated by stunned onlookers.
DOLPHINS FLIP OUT OVER MEDIA
Much has been made of Redcliffe’s $100 million asset-base but if they want an NRL licence for 2023, they need to sort out their woeful media facilities.
The rugby league media has been treated disgracefully over the past month during the NRL’s venture to Redcliffe’s Moreton Daily Stadium for premiership matches.
One journalist covering the NRL double-header a fortnight ago sat in the grandstand with punters and had to use pizza boxes to shield his computer screen from the sun while trying to do his job.
Another journalist was abused by a member of security, while the ground provided no internet access for the media to file stories to promote the game to the NRL’s millions of fans.
ARL Commission boss Peter V’landys is aware the media injects more than $1 billion into the code and won’t tolerate such amateurish facilities if the Dolphins want to be the NRL’s 17th team.
SEIBOLD A NORTHERN STRANGER
Failed Broncos coach Anthony Seibold may have secured a gig with the England rugby union team, but the British nation’s Test stars have never heard of him.
Within hours of his appointment by coach Eddie Jones last week as defence coach, England players hit the phones to learn more about the man who guided the Broncos to their first-ever wooden spoon.
“Who the hell is Anthony Seibold?” one English Test star said in a text message. Seibold did a superb job at Souths, winning Dally M coach of the year in 2018, but his career went off the rails at the Broncos. In Seibold’s two years at Brisbane, the Broncos conceded 1171 points. Eddie better hope Seibold comes up with better defensive strategies ahead of England’s World Cup campaign.
DON SHIRTS GO MISSING
Titans fans were left disappointed after Anthony Don tribute shirts didn‘t arrive in time for the retiring winger’s final home game.
The Titans released a special edition T-shirt to commemorate Don‘s career, with fans urged to purchase them for $44 and wear them to last Sunday’s game against the Warriors.
But a number of fans were left disappointed after the shirts didn‘t arrive in time. Some still haven’t got them five days after the game.
To compensate those fans, the Titans have offered them 20 per cent discount vouchers to buy more club merchandise.
While he didn‘t get to play in the game, Don received a great send-off with the Titans winning 44-nil to qualify for the finals and he was applauded during a lap of honour.
He will remain at the club next year after being offered a job, most likely in junior development.
TINO TAKEN OUT BY PROMO
Titans star Tino Fa‘asuamaleaui was left bloodied and bruised following a freak accident at an NRL finals promotion this week.
Fa’asuamaleaui was filming television promotional content for the upcoming finals series at Cbus Super Stadium on Monday night when things went bad.
He was sporting a bruised and cut head at training on Tuesday.
“We had the Fox League shoot where you run through fire and stuff,“ Fa‘asuamaleaui said.
“I ran through the tunnel and the gate dropped down just as I went through and hit me in the head.
“I had to do the shoot with blood on my head. It wouldn’t stop bleeding.“
INTRUST SUPER SUNCORP BONANZA
Queensland premier league competition has scored a coup with their two Intrust Super Cup preliminary finals to feature on NRL grand final day.
Sport Confidential can reveal the Intrust Super Cup’s grand-final qualifiers, originally slated for Saturday, October 2, have been moved to the Sunday as curtain-raisers for this year’s historic NRL decider at Suncorp Stadium.
The NRL needs quality content to bolster Channel 9’s grand-final game-day coverage and rugby league fans in NSW and Queensland will get the chance to appreciate the genuine talent that exists in the Intrust Super Cup.
The competition has produced a stack of NRL stars over the years, headlined by Souths maestro Cody Walker and Storm superstar Cameron Munster.
SUNCORP GRAND FINAL FRENZY
The historic NRL grand final at Suncorp Stadium has sent rugby league fans into a frenzy for tickets.
Just 24 hours after the Suncorp decider was formally announced, more than 16,000 fans rushed to register their names on the waiting list for tickets to a once-in-a-lifetime grand final at the home of Queensland rugby league.
It is understood corporate boxes will be more expensive than VIP seats for State of Origin matches, but that won’t stop a 52,000-sellout for the NRL grand final at Suncorp.
Intriguingly, even if a snap Covid lockdown occurs, the grand final will stay at Suncorp. The NRL has agreed to play this year’s decider at an empty Suncorp Stadium if another Covid crisis forces the grand final to go behind closed doors.
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