What’s the Buzz: Cronulla to offer Valentine Holmes a big new deal, Ricky Stuart blows up over Jack Wighton suspension
RAIDERS prove that the best things in footy happen behind closed doors and Cronulla fight to save Origin star Valentine Holmes with a whopping new contract.
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CRONULLA want to fend off the Cowboys by offering Valentine Holmes a whopping new contract, while Ricky Stuart is steaming over the NRL’s job on suspended Raiders fullback Jack Wighton. It’s all in WHAT’S THE BUZZ.
SAINT
THE fantastic sportsmanship from the NSW Blues after Wednesday night’s Origin. They had every right to be blowing up about the outrageous Wally Lewis Medal result, poor refereeing and the lopsided penalty count. They copped it on the chin.
SINNER
IT’s not hard to work out why there has been such an alarming slump in Origin TV ratings. We have received so many emails from angry fans who have walked away from the game this year because of the ridiculous penalty crackdown that totally ruined the opening 14 rounds of the NRL and rose its ugly head again last Wednesday night in Brisbane.
BUZZ: Sea Eagles’ premiership stars snub reunion
KENT: Origin needs the hate back
JUNIORS: League’s plan to tackle kids' safety
SHOOSH
WE keep hearing James Packer is no longer interested in his share of the Rabbitohs as he scales back business commitments in Australia. A Packer spokesman has denied the story but we’re told by good sources that executives at Consolidated Press Holdings are looking at all options with a number of Packer’s assets.
SHOOSH II
THE penalty count was so lopsided that referees coach Russell Smith kept informing Gerard Sutton and Ashley Klein through their earpieces of the uneven tally during Origin III.
SHOOSH III
WHICH league journo woke on Origin morning with a sore chin and aching ribs after a lighthearted spar with Gorden Tallis at a Brisbane pub the night before?
SHOOSH IV
WE’RE hearing Channel 9 CEO Hugh Marks stressed the network’s preference for covering matches from suburban home grounds rather than empty stadiums when he met the independent commission in Brisbane on Thursday morning.
LISTEN: Nick Campton and Tim Williams break down Origin one more time, look ahead to the race to the finals and argue over Campo’s player ratings.
You can download League Central podcasts via iTunes.
SPOTTED
BILLY Slater wearing his Queensland Maroons jersey into the early hours of Thursday after his farewell Origin appearance at Suncorp Stadium the night before. He didn’t take it off until he went to bed.
SPOTTED II
WITH Todd Greenberg in Russia to watch the World Cup final and Peter Beattie on a well-earned week’s leave, the boss of the NRL this weekend is integrity unit chief and ex-lawyer Nick Weeks.
SPOTTED III
FORMER Canterbury chairman Ray Dib leaving Sydney International Airport for the wedding of his son in Lebanon this weekend.
SPOTTED IV
SINGING the national anthem isn’t for everyone. We noticed Origin stars Dane Gagai and James Roberts remained silent when Channel 9’s cameras zoomed in before kick-off on Wednesday night.
RAIDERS KEEP LOUIE SMILING
OFTEN, the best things at NRL clubs happen behind closed doors.
We watch sides compete for two points every weekend but don’t always get to see the wonderful stuff that players so often do away from the television cameras.
Last Christmas, we told you the story of 12-year-old Cooma boy Louie Mould, who broke his neck in a horrible trampoline accident.
Canberra coach Ricky Stuart and a number of players attended a fundraiser in March in Louie’s home town.
Last weekend, after the Raiders knocked off the Bulldogs in a thriller at Belmore, Louie and his dad were invited into the dressing sheds to meet all the players.
Look at the smile on Louie’s face. A kid, now 13, in a wheelchair for the rest of his life.
A boy who has been in hospital for eight months. It’s priceless.
Well done, Raiders.
Louie will eventually need a $56,000 motorised wheelchair when he is out of hospital.
The family home has been sold to move to another house that can be modified for better wheelchair access. If you’d like to help out the details are:
Louie Mould Fundraising trust
Westpac.
BSB: 032 720
ACC: 221975
CARTWRIGHT’S NEW WHEELS IN A SPIN
WE told you last week how Gold Coast Titans star Bryce Cartwright had upset the club’s part-owner, sponsor and board member Rebecca Frizelle by buying a $100,000 Range Rover from a rival car dealership at Southport.
It gets worse. The car yard from where Cartwright bought the new wheels is owned by none other than Sydney Roosters supremo Nick Politis. He purchased the dealership this year.
It adds a bit of off-field spice to the Roosters versus Titans game at Cbus Super Stadium on Sunday evening.
SHARKS GO HARD ON VAL
CRONULLA are preparing to offer winger/fullback Valentine Holmes a four-year contract extension worth $3.2 million. Coach Shane Flanagan will sit down with Holmes and his manager this week following speculation he wants to return home to Townsville.
The Maroons star is under contract until the end of next season but the new deal would take him through till 2023.
Cowboys coach Paul Green is monitoring the situation closely. They have struggled this year without backline speed and desperately need a player of Holmes’ class.
GUS SLAMS TWITTERAT
THE great Phil Gould wasn’t happy about many of the social media remarks on State of Origin night. “Gus” tweeted the following after finishing work on Channel 9 …
Haven’t some people disgraced themselves here on Twitter tonight. Rude, spiteful individuals thinking this is a platform to abuse others as they see fit. What a sorry lot. Life was so much better before mobile phones & social media. I seriously think both are destroying society
— Phil Gould (@PhilGould15) July 11, 2018
WESTERN SHOWDOWN
PARRAMATTA Eels and Wests Tigers are expected to play the first NRL match at the new Western Sydney Stadium on Easter Monday next season.
Work is progressing well on the 30,000-seat stadium, which is on target to be completed in April.
The NRL is confident the game will sell out weeks in advance.
The Eels and Tigers are traditional Easter Monday rivals and have often attracted crowds of more than 40,000 to ANZ Stadium.
LOT TO LIKE IN LUAI
RIVAL clubs are lining up to speak to the player manager of Penrith’s boom halfback Jarome Luai. The St Mary’s junior had another blinder against the Sharks on Friday night. Interestingly, he is off contract at the same time as Cooper Cronk finishes up at the Roosters.
NRL WANT MORE COYNE
PETER Beattie has approached former Maroons and Dragons centre Mark Coyne to take a position on the independent commission. Coyne’s a highly regarded businessman who says he is too busy to take on the role now but will consider it next year. He’d be an outstanding addition alongside the most recent appointments — Amanda Laing and Peter V’landys.
STICKY FURIOUS WITH NRL
RICKY Stuart has slammed the NRL over fullback Jack Wighton’s 10-week suspension for an assault.
The Canberra coach says it’s not about losing a star player for the remainder of the season but more about the way the case has been handled.
“I’m disappointed in the way our board has been disrespected and overruled,” Stuart said.
“Who are they to challenge the integrity of highly respected directors who were of the genuine belief that a six-week suspension was sufficient?
“Their stature in the business world, in government and in the community is now being questioned by the NRL.”
PHILLIPS JOINS RED V
Dragons coach Paul McGregor has landed a handy mid-season signing in ex-referee Luke Phillips, who quit the Panthers’ coaching team last week to make the move. The fact the Red V leaked 52 points last start against the Storm was obviously the reason Mary acted. Phillips was also part of the NSW coaching staff.
SPORTS TONIGHT IS BACK
CHANNEL 10 is relaunching its popular old Sports Tonight from 9.15pm Sunday night.
Matt White, Laurie Daley and former Hawthorn premiership-winning star Josh Gibson will appear on Sunday nights with a wrap of the weekend sport.
JESS GETS GREEN LIGHT FOR LIFT-OFF
COWBOYS coach Paul Green has shown off his helicopter pilot skills for an episode of League Life on Fox Sports.
Presenter Jess Yates was in Townsville last weekend for the V8 Supercars and spent an hour in the air with Green, who got his licence in February.
“I was a little nervous at first,” Yates conceded.
“Before we went up, Paul’s wife, Amanda, told me that she hasn’t gone up with him yet because she doesn’t think he had enough hours under his belt.
“Once we were in the air, I knew I had nothing to worry about.” The pair flew over the Cowboys’ home ground and Magnetic Island.
“The view was incredible,” Yates said. “You can see turtles swimming below. It was pretty surreal. It was a stunning day and the guys from Townsville Helicopters really looked after us with the chopper.”