Sports Confidential: Suburban grounds must get up to scratch to host NRL finals
Suburban grounds such as Lottoland and PointsBet Stadium will need to spend big on amenities if they are to host first week home NRL finals matches this year.
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Suburban grounds such as Lottoland and PointsBet Stadium will need to spend big on amenities if they are to host first week home NRL finals matches this year.
The NRL announced last week that finals football would return to suburban grounds for the first time in almost a decade in 2019.
With Allianz Stadium unavailable, the NRL has scrapped the compulsory playing of Sydney finals at Moore Park or ANZ Stadium.
Instead clubs will now be able to keep their matches at home. However, Manly and Cronulla will need to spend a considerable amount to improve their facilities, including broadcast boxes and dressing rooms.
More dressing rooms are needed in order to facilitate the potential of the NRL Women’s competition to be played before the NRL. The Tigers would also be unlikely to host a match at Leichhardt.
NRL head of football Graham Annesley said any changes would be discussed closer to the end of the regular season.
“All NRL home venues are eligible for consideration as week one finals venues should teams qualify,” Annesley said. “However some may require additional infrastructure to cater for player and media requirements. We will work with clubs to identify any changes required as we get closer to the finals series.”
SPUDD TOUGHENS UP EELS
Parramatta got some tough love Wednesday.
After watching the Eels’ capitulation to Melbourne last Saturday former Manly enforcer Mark “Spudd” Carroll texted Eels coach Brad Arthur: “Send your forwards to me.”
Arthur texted straight back and the Eels forwards rocked up to Spudd’s Gym in Crown St ready to go old school in the boxing ring.
“How many times do you want me to hit you in the head, between three and five?” Carroll asked them.
“I want more,” growled Junior Paulo.
The Eels tore into it, the message being aggression and working for your mate. Old values that never go out of fashion.
PROFESSOR BUNGLES SMITH INVITE
Conspiracy Theory No 482: It is a small consideration that the lunatics at Fox Sports’ The Late Hit, Professor James Rochford and Andrew “Barney” Barnett, prefer to invite out-of-town players onto their show the night after they play Thursday night footy.
It’s so the player doesn’t have to travel before their game.
Last week they invited Melbourne captain Cameron Smith onto the show and Smith agreed, asking them to send him thought some dates.
Going through the draw they saw Melbourne’s next Thursday game is July 4 so the date was sent to Smith.
Unfortunately, came the reply, Smith was busy that night.
Given it is almost two months away it seemed unusual Smith already knew he would be unavailable that particular night.
It also turns out that is when the Maroons will be in camp for what could be the crucial Origin III decider.
WHAT THE?
Close to 20 NRL staff were flown to Brisbane for reasons nobody is quite sure of before last week’s Magic Round.
At one meeting involving the clubs the NRL introduced a tech nerd who was trying to sell them software, with the chief sell being that it would block their phone numbers from journalists.
And that seemed to be the highlight of it, frustrating club officials.
No results were achieved, no outcomes suggested, no resolutions proposed. Plenty of money spent, though.
NORRIE KEEPS PUTTING OUT FIRE
Bryan Norrie is using every bit of his 180-NRL game experience as he settles into his new life as a firefighter.
The premiership-winning prop had a long-held ambition to join the Fire and Rescue NSW team when he walked away from the game in 2014.
“I was always interested in it and kept an eye in the application process each year and kept an eye on how it worked,” Norrie said.
“Years ago when I played at the Dragons there were a couple of us that did a familiarise yourself at the college when I was 20. I thought it would be a good gig. There is nothing you can do while you’re playing footy to upskill for it so I I did an electrical apprentice to make sure I had something behind me.”
Norrie is stationed at Kogarah, not far from where he made his top-grade debut with St George Illawarra.
He went on to play for Penrith and Cronulla before settling at Melbourne where he was part of their 2012 premiership win.
“It’s similar to footy,” Norrie said. “You’re part of a team. In league you have a coach, we have a station officer and they are the boss. There are senior fire fighters just like at a club. You have to know your role and when it’s on make sure you know your stuff and look after each other.
“I don’t think any station officer will ever beat Craig Bellamy’s sprays.”
Norrie, who has been a firefighter for the past three-and-a-half years, also works in the NRL’s bunker as a review official.
BACK TO THE PAST FOR HAYNE
Jarryd Hayne appeared in court again on Wednesday on very serious charges.
But we couldn’t help but notice the former NSW star’s attire.
Without a main source of income at the moment, Hayne looks to be recycling some of his old team-issued kit.
We will let the fashionistas of the world be the judge but it appeared Hayne was wearing a Blues tie players were given for the 2014 series. Maybe it’s his lucky tie? After all, it was the year NSW finally broke Queensland’s eight-year winning streak.
Hayne also looked to be sans socks when he turned up in a Newcastle court.
MAGIC ROUND WASH-UP
Shoosh I: Which coach had to delay a halftime television commitment because of a toilet break?
Shoosh II: Which Origin great was a star performer at the Caxton Hotel?
Shoosh III: Which NRL coach was clearly enjoying himself at a Brisbane nightspot on Saturday?
SPOTTED
Even his teammates have to line up to get the signature of the great Cameron Smith. Teammate Brandon Smith waiting patiently in the dressing room after the Storm’s thumping win against Parramatta to get his skipper to sign a flag as Cameron Smith mingled with some other fans. Brandon was helping a young Storm supporter out.
SPOTTED II
Raiders co-captain Josh Hodgson on the same flight with the Roosters to Sydney on Sunday night. Don’t worry Canberra fans, Hodgson isn’t about to defect to the Bondi club. Instead he was in town to enjoy his wedding anniversary.
NRL PROTECT THEIR OWN
The NRL has established an Injury Hardship Fund Committee to consider cases where player’s careers have ended prematurely because of injury.
Former NSW Supreme Court judge Greg James QC chairs the committee, which includes NRL, RLPA and club representatives.
The NRL will contribute $600,000 per year to the fund and clubs will contribute $150,000. The NRL funds the death and total permanent disability insurance (about $600,000 per year) and the cost of representative football insurance policy (about $500,000 per year).
A payment scale will be applied against three core considerations; did the player retire prematurely as a direct result of the injury, did the player have a reasonable expectation of continuing his career and due to the injury and retirement will the player suffer financial hardship.
The maximum payout to a player out of the fund in any one year is the lesser of $400,000 or 75 per cent of the player’s contract.
WALKER-KEARY BEEF?
Cody Walker and Luke Keary are the form NSW halves. But can the pair play alongside each other?
Keary was very critical of Walker’s antics after the South Sydney five-eighth clashed with Cooper Cronk and Angus Crichton in round one.
Keary labelled Walker “disrespectful” the next day before going on to say “if he wants to go around doing that it’ll come back to him”.
LET IT FLOW
Already this year there are 318 fewer penalties blown compared to this time last year. With the penalty blitz well and truly over, there were some interesting statistics given to club bosses at a meeting with senior NRL figures last week.
Among them include 692 penalties given from rounds 1-7 compared to 1010 this year. Other key metrics were:
*Average margin of 13 points compared to 13.3 last year. Average amount of tries was the same at 6.4
*The ball is in play an extra 1 minute 45 seconds.
*Total match length is down by two minutes having reached 94.59 minutes last year while dead time has been reduced by three minutes.
*The bunker is taking an average of 23 seconds less per decisions — down to 41.9 seconds while referrals are about the same (3.73 this year).
BURGESS COMES HOME
While one Burgess may be on the outer at South Sydney, another has made a return to the Rabbitohs.
Retired prop Luke Burgess, who last played for South Sydney in 2014, has rejoined the club in an office role. It comes as brother George is unlikely to be re-signed beyond this season.
NEWCASTLE’S GOOD DEED
BIG ups to the Newcastle Knights who donated 118 pairs of XBlades boots to the Bathurst Aboriginal Sporting and Social Club this week.
NO SHOWBOATING FOR SMITH
Cameron Smith could fill a museum with the amount of accolades and mementos he has achieved throughout his career. But don’t expect them to feature in his Melbourne home any time soon.
“They are just packed away at home,” Smith said. “ I don’t feel a need to parade them around the house or show them off. They are just packed away in a couple of boxes and stay tucked away.
“If I have memories of those things and the matches I’ve played in. As far as having them around the house they are hidden away.
“They are for the children when they get older.”
GRAHAM RISES IN RLPA
The Rugby League Players’ Association (RLPA) has added Cronulla co-captain Wade Graham and Channel 9’s commercial director of digital sales Pippa Leary to its board.
Daily sight driving Storm success
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Late grand final team twist at Storm
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