Sports Confidential: NRL to debate the possibility of wildcard weekend
The controversial wildcard weekend will be on the agenda when the 16 NRL CEO’s meet in Brisbane, who the Blues would pick if disaster struck and the truth behind Alfie’s 2001 Origin comeback.
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The fate of the NRL’s wildcard weekend concept will be decided at the chief executive meeting in Brisbane on Friday.
Fans were polarised last month when the NRL announced plans for an expanded 10-team finals system where the first six automatically qualified for the post-season and the other four teams played knockout games to decide the last two spots.
The NRL has provided details of its plan to clubs the response has been lukewarm, even though the game stands to make money from it.
Clubs will have a chance to say whether they want to proceed with it.
In documents provided by the NRL, club bosses were told “from the halfway point of the season crowds and TV audiences experience a decline in weekly average”.
“This is due to more teams dropping out of contention for the top eight and, as such, the late-season match-ups involving these teams carry less weight and general interest.”
While the plan has the potential to extend fans’ interest, it’s also been panned as rewarding mediocrity.
The NRL also confirmed the women’s competition would not expand this season, but a review will be held at the end of the year to determine the competition’s shape for 2020.
There are also changes to third-party agreements with a standard application form to be introduced.
STORM RALLY AROUND SCOTT
Teammates are rallying around Curtis Scott after the Storm centre became the latest NRL player to be trolled online.
Scott recently broken up with his girlfriend, which has been suggested was the reason behind the dip in form that ultimately saw coach Craig Bellamy drop him.
While the matter remains sensitive, Scott has been wrongly accused of domestic violence by the trolls, with an unrelenting intensity, and which has caused him considerable stress.
Scott’s recent battles have become the subject of an NRL Integrity Unit investigation, not because the trolls were right but because of other matters loosely related to his breakup.
There is no suggestion of wrongdoing by Scott but concerns regarding his welfare.
The Storm are upset the matter is getting more attention than they believe it deserves. An NRL official said it was not a priority investigation.
SMITH RUMOURS WON’T GO AWAY
Momentum builds continues to mount on a possible Cameron Smith comeback to State of Origin after the calf injury suffered to North Queensland middle Josh McGuire.
Days before the Cowboys played the Titans Queensland coach Kevin Walters called McGuire and told him to work on his dummy-half passing, the belief being Walters was considering starting McGuire before bringing Ben Hunt on from the bench.
A Smith comeback, of course, would match the greatest comeback in Origin history, that of Allan Langer, but there’s a little known story to it.
Few know it nearly didn’t happen.
A well-kept secret is that weeks before the decider Queensland coach Wayne Bennett called agent Sam Ayoub and asked about Jason Smith’s availability as the Maroons suffered a crisis in the halves.
Smith, a former Maroon and one of the game’s most underestimated ballplayers, was a hero at Hull. Fans wore his numbered jersey on their backs but, instead of “Smith”, had “God”.
Ayoub thought it a great idea and called Smith with the offer.
“Hell no,” Smith said.
“So I told him to think about it,” Ayoub said.
Several days later Smith agreed and got permission from Hull to fly to Australia. Smith just had to get through a midweek game and then could leave.
Then came the problem. Hull lost the game, one they believed they should have won, and club officials told Smith the deal was off.
A reluctant Ayoub called Bennett.
“Don’t worry Sam,” Bennett told him, “I’ve always got a Plan B.”
Hello, Alfie …
NINES GOES FOR GOLD
International rugby league officials will make a push later this year to include a rugby league nines circuit in the Commonwealth Games.
The past two Commonwealth Games have featured rugby league as an exhibition sport but the game’s international body is making a move for the game to have full status, potentially as soon as 2026.
The nines program is slated to again be an exhibition sport at Birmingham in 2022 as the final part of a three-cycle agreement. But Rugby League International Federation chief executive Nigel Wood will meet with Comm Games officials this year to begin putting forward rugby league’s case.
LISTEN! Latrell-mania has hit fever pitch but can he be considered among the game’s best players? And Matty also recalls the day the legendary Steve Rogers knocked on the door of the Johns family home. Tune in for the Matty Johns podcast with Kenty and Hoops.
“The bigger challenge is to get the sport formally included in the Commonwealth Games if we can,” Wood said. “There is no shortage of sports who have put their hand up and wanted to be included in Commonwealth and Olympic Games. Rugby league is a great fit because it’s played in the Commonwealth footprint.
“Nines would be a worthy addition to their flagship tournament. That process will start this year when we meet with Commonwealth Games officials to try and persuade them about the merits of the case.
“We will be asking for a proper pathway for events to achieve to be recognised by the Commonwealth movement.”
The RLIF will monitor the success of the inaugural nines World Cup later this year with a view of expanding the tournament to potentially mirror the rugby seven’s concept.
“We have to deliver an appropriate representation of events that allow for players of different standards so we’re not going back to the same player,” Wood said.
TRUTH BEHIND BENNETT’S GAME OF DRONES
As pressure mounts on Anthony Seibold in Brisbane and the purple prose continues for Wayne Bennett’s job at South Sydney, a story appeared recently highlighting the difference between the two.
The focus was Seibold’s use of drones to record training sessions and his new-age approach to coaching against Bennett’s old-school methods, which are having such great success at the Rabbitohs.
The analogy failed to realise Bennett actually did dabble in drones during his second stint at the Broncos — but it was short-lived.
The drone, from a company part-owned by Darren Lockyer, went up in the sky one afternoon and just as it began filming its operator flew it into a magpie, which as you can imagine would have been understandably surprised.
Both drone and magpie fell to the ground, never to get up.
As Bennett and his coaches surveyed the damage to the drone, kids watching on asked the coach if they could give the magpie a proper burial.
That was the end for the magpie, and the drone.
SPORTS LEGENDS LOOK FOR KAYO
Australian sporting icons Archie Thompson and Drew Mitchell were on hand to celebrate Kayo’s feast of European sport this month.
The duo were at Restaurant Hubert Thursday afternoon to run through a host of Kayo offerings including the Spanish Grand Prix, FA Cup Final, French MotoGP, French Open and the cricket World Cup.
AWKWARD TIMES FOR JACK
There was an awkward moment for Sydney Swans star Kieren Jack at yesterday’s Greatest NSW AFL team of all time function when he a question about his AFL origins strayed close to the taboo subject of his family.
Veteran journalist Mike Sheahan asked Jack how popular he was in the “household” when he decided to turn his back on league and play Aussie rules.
Jack remains estranged from mother Donna and father, Garry Jack, the Balmain Tigers rugby league legend, who weren’t invited to his wedding to Channel 10 reporter Charlotte Goodlet last year.
Despite the cringeworthy start, Jack eventually explained his attraction to AFL, and why it was a much better fit for his physical attributes and skill.
“Haven’t been asked that before, Mike, so yeah …” said Jack, before returning with a bit of humour, following a whisper in the ear from AFL great Wayne Carey, about appearance on Sheahan’s Fox Footy show, Open Mike.
“Open Mike, no thank you.”
GUTHO NEXT MAN UP FOR BLUES
As the Clint Gutherson contract negotiations drag on, the Parramatta skipper could be forgiven for delaying the inking of a new deal as he may be an Origin player this time next month.
While James Tedesco is no doubt the Blues’ starting No. 1, where would NSW go if there is mishap for Tedesco between now and the Origin opener?
The answer is Gutherson. With Tom Trbojevic sidelined, Gutherson has emerged as the NSW back-up plan should things go horribly wrong with Tedesco.
Another player who is among the first picked is hooker Damien Cook.
St George Illawarra’s Cameron McInnes has been discussed as a potential fallback option but there is also strong support for veteran Robbie Farah at the selection table should something happen to Cook.
Farah, a former NSW captain, played the last of his 16 matches for NSW in 2016. The 35-year-old has returned to form for the Tigers this year. What are the odds of a one final Origin showdown between Farah and Cameron Smith in a game three decider?
BULLDOGS LINE UP REPLACEMENTS
Former Canberra and Gold Coast recruitment manager David Hamilton has been linked with a move to Canterbury following the clean-out of senior staff members at the club.
Hamilton spent almost two decades at the Raiders before joining the Titans in 2015.
More recently he has spent time as community relations officer at the Country Rugby League.
About a century of rugby league experience has walked out of the doors at Belmore in recent days with the likes of Andrew Farrar, Gareth Holmes, Warren McDonnell and Andy Patmore leaving the club.
The departure of Holmes is particularly interesting given his close friendship with chief executive Andrew Hill. Holmes is highly rated after he was headhunted for the general football manager role last year from Manly, having had success with the Australian Kangaroos before that.
BAZ O’FAZ TURNS RED, WHITE AND BLUE
We spotted former Premier turned Wests Tigers chair Barry O’Farrell sheepishly shopping for multiple Sydney Roosters polo shirts before the two teams clashed at the SCG last Saturday.
O’Farrell told us it was his son and a friend who had erred.
“Regrettably true,” O’Farrell said. “He and his mate turned up collarless with Members’ tickets. Chooks polos were the only collared gear on sale inside the ground.
“The things you do for your kids.
“Bright side is there would have been lots of deeply troubled Roosters fans wondering why one of their own was barracking for the Wests Tigers.”
BURGESS DOESN’T WANT TO LEAVE
Their time playing together may be coming to an end but South Sydney captain Sam Burgess does not want to think about being separated from brother George just yet.
George is off-contract at season’s end and is unlikely to be granted a contract extension, which would split him, Tom and Sam for the first time at NRL level.
“George has to play some football really for us,” Sam said. “We haven’t had a chat about it. He missed the first few games. He has a few games to catch up. He is committed to playing good football.
“I’ve not thought about it. If it’s our last year that’s the way it is. I won’t get too upset about it just now. We are still on the same team for now.”
George played just 14 minutes off the interchange bench last week.
“We had a plan to use him in that second half,” Sam said. “He wants a bit more game time there is no doubt about that.”
HINDY AND FLETCH BECOME BUBBLE BOYS
To celebrate Magic Round Fox League favourites Bryan Fletcher and Nathan Hindmarsh will camp out in a bubble tent out the front of Suncorp Stadium for the duration of the weekend.
The 6x6m see-through tent will be stationed at the Caxton St end of Suncorp Stadium underneath the Legends Wall and is the brain child of Hindmarsh.
“I was looking for a way to get back at Fletch for everything he’s done to me over the years and thought this was the best way to do it,” Hindmarsh said.
“Being from Bondi he isn’t used to roughing it out or camping so this will be a special type of torture for him.
“I like to sleep nude and snore like a freight train so that should be a treat for Fletch.”
They entered the bubble during The Late Show with Matty Johns last night and won’t exit until the end of the Sunday night with Matty Johns show.
“A lot of people would be nervous about being a New South Welshmen sleeping out the front of Suncorp Stadium in a see through tent, but not me,” Fletcher said. “I’ve also found Queensland fans to be polite and timid fans…surely they’re over the hand grenade by now and won’t try and get revenge on my this weekend?”
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