What’s the Buzz: Bronson Xerri reaches out to Sharks teammates
The communication from crestfallen Cronulla star Bronson Xerri has emerged as a leading sports lawyer declared the teenager deserved a second chance at his career.
NRL
Don't miss out on the headlines from NRL. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Exclusive: Bennett nearly stole Te’o from under Broncos noses
Revealed: Bulldogs grand plan to turn young gun into superstar
Crestfallen star Bronson Xerri has reached out to Cronulla teammates for the first time since being suspended for alleged steroid use.
Xerri is facing a four-year ban from all sports after his shock provisional suspension by anti-doping enforcers ASADA last month.
The communication from Xerri has emerged as a leading sports lawyer declared the teenager deserved a second chance at his career, should he be served with a suspension that will keep him out of the NRL until he’s 23.
The text message to the playing group and coaching staff of the Sharks indicates the 19-year-old understands the dark depths of his situation and that he holds nobody at the club accountable for his predicament.
“Thanks for your messages,” Xerri wrote.
“I hope yas are all well. I’ll get through it. I’m keen to catch up with yas when it’s all done.
“I love yas all.”
Kayo is your ticket to the 2020 NRL Telstra Premiership. Every game of every round Live & On-Demand with no-ad breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your 14-day free trial & start streaming instantly >
The message arrived in the same week Xerri’s B-sample was analysed by ASADA.
It’s hoped the NRL will be informed of the results sometime this week.
Leading sports lawyer Tim Fuller, who has worked on numerous anti-doping violation cases, said Xerri shouldn’t be discarded from the game forever.
“If you put your neutral hat on and look at Bronson Xerri’s situation, he’s 19 years of age and he’s alleged to have made a huge blue,” Fuller said.
“But ultimately if he has four years out of the game, you can put a dollar amount on what he’ll be without for the next four years, and so that’s a very costly mistake, isn’t it?
“But nobody should be prevented, even in a situation like his, from coming back and playing again at a later stage and hopefully there’ll be a bit of growing up and some education, along the way.
“You’d like to think he’d come back a better person for it.”
KNIGHTS PONGA CONTRACT COUP
The worst-kept secret in the NRL will be announced next week when Newcastle Knights star Kalyn Ponga finally puts pen to paper on a deal that will keep him at the club for the next five years.
The contract extension means Ponga is on a path to play eight straight seasons at the Knights after moving down from North Queensland to Newcastle in 2018.
Last night was his 44th match for the Knights.
However, the 22-year-old still has some work to do to reel in Newcastle’s longest-serving fullback Robbie O’Davis, who wore the No.1 jumper for 13 seasons and 223 games.
PACKER, MAGUIRE MAKE AMENDS
It escaped without fanfare, but one of the biggest player-coach rifts in the game has been mended. For now.
Wests Tigers forward Russell Packer returned to the NRL on Saturday night after he and head coach Michael Maguire recently broke bread.
Overcoming a major foot injury that doctors took more than six months to properly diagnose, it was Packer’s first game back in the NRL since April 22, 2019.
Only a few months ago, the prospect of Packer playing again for the Tigers under Maguire was nothing more than fairytale.
Two completely different characters, they have struggled to speak to each other in the past.
But more recently the pair have realised they need each other to succeed, with Packer’s dedication to overcome the injury hard to fault.
Packer’s journey back to first grade can’t be understated — the foot injury he suffered last year was considered career-ending.
DRAGONS’ FAST SAAB UP FOR SALE
These are the figures your club must pay if they’re to sign boom Dragons winger Jason Saab.
The 19-year-old who has scored three tries in three NRL matches but can’t get a run, is wanted by the Storm, Tigers and Rabbitohs.
A three-year deal will cost the buyers the year-on-year breakdown of $200,000, $250,000 and $300,000.
Frustrated at being unable to crack a starting spot in the struggling Dragons backline, Saab has requested a release to leave St George Illawarra immediately.
That request has been so far declined and interestingly Saab was included in Paul McGregor’s extended squad to face Cronulla on Sunday night.