Sports Confidential: NRL rejects plea from St George Illawarra to pay for Jack de Belin’s replacement
The story behind the Sonny Bill Williams return to Bulldogs rumour, which Melbourne forward is on the outer and Souths fans in with a chance to win $1 million - all that and more in this week’s Sport Confidential.
The NRL has rejected a plea from St George Illawarra to stump up the cash to replace the suspended Jack de Belin.
The Dragons had angled for not only a salary cap dispensation, but for the NRL to pay that amount, arguing they should not be penalised twice by missing an Origin player and having to foot the bill for his replacement.
While yet to formally apply for salary cap relief to draft in another player, the Dragons have been working with the NRL this week on what steps they need to take.
Financial restraints could also mean the Dragons won’t spend the money.
Premiership-winning prop Trent Merrin signalled his interest to return to the club but at this stage the club can’t afford his salary.
Meanwhile, Manly secured Gold Coast Titans forward Morgan Boyle this week until the end of 2021. Boyle’s signing is not part of the $94,000 salary cap relief the Sea Eagles were granted because of Dylan Walker’s no-fault stand-down ruling.
DID GREEN GET AWAY WITH OBSCENE GESTURE
It was a rare brain snap by one of the NRL’s good guys but Blake Green can count himself lucky he escaped the wrath of the NRL’s match review committee after flipping the bird to a sideline official.
The incident occurred late in the first half of last week’s 34-6 loss to Wests when Green contested a loose ball with Tigers player Luke Garner. He gave the touch judge the one-fingered salute after he ruled a Tigers tackle restart.
Tigers winger Corey Thompson went on to score on the back of the extra set.
The match review committee decided against charging Green because of a precedent in 2017 where a similar infringement was let go.
Instead, the NRL issued the Warriors veteran a concerning act notice and the club an official warning.
It was also suggested that Green’s reaction was instant and did not have any malice.
IS SBW BULLDOGS PLAN JUST A PLOY?
As the faintest of whispers circulate about Sonny Bill Williams return to Canterbury, considered highly unlikely by even the most optimistic Bulldogs fans, it seems the story behind the story is SBW is being used as a lure to attract interest in stablemate Quade Cooper.
Cooper first dabbled with the idea of switching to the NRL some years back but, after recent struggles, is once again being pitched by manager Khoder Nasser as a potential option in the Bulldogs halves.
The Bulldogs are unlikely to take the bait.
BENNETT BRINGS BIG GUN INTO RABBITOHS
Wayne Bennett has been reunited with one of his key lieutenants at South Sydney.
Long-term confidant Jeremy Hickmans was spotted in Rabbitohs colours this week with the high-performance guru joining the back room staff.
Hickmans has a long association with Bennett, having worked alongside him in his two stints at Brisbane and following him to Newcastle and St George Illawarra.
It is a consultancy role for Hickmans, who still lives in Brisbane after the Broncos let him go in the wake of Bennett’s departure.
Shoosh I: Which play-by-play caller left his co-commentators in charge when he quickly ducked off for a toilet break during play of an NRL match last week?
Shoosh II: Which rookie player needed permission from his club’s media manager before conducting an on the field interview after the team’s win last week?
Luke Phillips played with four clubs during his NRL career and the retired fullback is close to matching that feat off the field as well.
Phillips is working with the Gold Coast Titans as a specialist coach, having held a similar position with St George Illawarra last year. Phillips previously worked at Penrith and was part of Brad Fittler’s NSW coaching staff last year.
He became a first grade referee after retiring after the Roosters 2002 premiership win.
LISTEN! In the second episode of his No.1 podcast, Matty drills down on the Keary/Cronk combination, lauds the small forward revolution and tells how the Knights almost sacked him - twice.
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Adam Reynolds is relishing the less-structured game plan new coach Wayne Bennett has brought to South Sydney.
“He has given me freedom,” Reynolds said of the eyes-up footy. “I’m not over-complicating things. Everyone has a part to play in the team. Take the opportunities when they are granted.
“It’s only been two games. We’ve started well. We can’t get ahead of ourselves. It’s a long season.
“Not too much has changed from my end. I’m getting out there trying to do my job for the team. It’s a similar feeling how I always go about business.”
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Melbourne back-rower Joe Stimson could be on the move after falling down the pecking order at the Storm.
Despite playing in 24 of Melbourne’s 27 games last year Stimson is off contract at season’s end and could depart before the June 30 transfer deadline. The Dragons could lure Stimson to the club as a de Belin replacement.
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In a nice touch, Tariq Sims presented younger brother Korbin with his first St George Illawarra Dragons jersey in the lead-up to last night’s match. The pair were both ball boys at the Dragons when older brother Ashton was making his way through the grades.
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A Sydney punter, known only as Bux, is counting his cash after one of the great scores last weekend.
It began with a lazy $5 bet on Parramatta to beat Canterbury head to head last Sunday.
Then he had an in-game all-up into the Eels winning 13-plus. That was all-upped into Blake Ferguson scoring two tries and then all-upped again into Canterbury’s Reimis Smith scoring a try.
The real throw at the stumps was the final leg.
He went all up into Dylan Napa scoring a try for the losing team. Napa scored his four-pointer in almost three years to get the final leg up at a juicy odds of 2350-1, netting $11,755.
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From the astute to the clueless.
In the green room before last week’s Late Show with Matty Johns Bryan Fletcher, who is known to have a flutter, asked Yvonne Sampson who she liked in the Golden Slipper.
Sampson nominated Kiamichi and gave a solid rundown of his form and said, at 50-1, she thought he was the bet of the race.
The room was full of punters. The horse was owned by Godolphin. Trained by James Cummings. A noted wet-tracker.
Nobody was smart enough to take the tip.
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One person has the chance to win $1 million at each of South Sydney’s home games this year with $12 million on the line this season. All they have to do to win the prize is predict the exact number of tries and sequence of tries scored by specific players starting from this Sunday’s clash between the Rabbitohs and Gold Coast at ANZ Stadium. The promotion is being run by South Sydney major sponsor Alcatel.
“Alcatel are a wonderful example of a sponsor always looking to try new ideas that will add to the fans’ overall experience, and the ‘Try For A Million’ promotion really epitomises this philosophy,” said Rabbitohs chief executive Blake Solly. “Their passion for bringing the game even closer to the fans is authentic and we are delighted to be partnering with them on a promotion that could very genuinely change someone’s life if they were to be successful in their weekly prediction.”
Entry each round is free with people having the chance to win up to $12 million across all Rabbitohs home games this season.
The promotion is limited to the first 5000 entrants with each person only allowed one entry. To enter click here.
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