NRL 2023: Channel 9 commentary shake-up for Peter Psaltis, Junior Paulo rejects Taumalolo bout
Has Brisbane sports caller Peter Psaltis overtaken Mat Thompson in the Channel 9 pecking order after a last minute dash to Sydney? SPORT CONFIDENTIAL
NRL
Don't miss out on the headlines from NRL. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Brisbane sports caller Peter Psaltis is making huge waves in the commentary world as Channel 9 shakes up its NRL coverage.
After featuring at the Australian Open earlier this year, Psaltis has called some of the biggest NRL games this year for the free-to-air broadcaster.
“Salty” had the microphone for last week’s grand final rematch between the Panthers and Eels in Sydney.
Psaltis then backed up the following night to call the inaugural Battle of Brisbane between the Dolphins and Broncos – what will be one of the highest-rating games of the year.
We checked in to see if Psaltis had moved ahead of Mat Thompson in the Channel 9 pecking order following Ray “Rabs” Warren’s retirement.
But that’s not the case.
Thompson had a family emergency last week and Psaltis made a mercy dash to Sydney for the grand final rematch.
Thompson was back in the hot seat for Thursday night’s Roosters-Eels clash at Allianz Stadium.
Psaltis has been called up for the Friday night showdown between Souths and Melbourne in Sydney as Nine looks to share the load between their callers.
“Thommo” is slated to call Sunday afternoon’s Sharks-Warriors match.
The duo has had big shoes to fill after Rabs hung up the microphone last year.
WHY PAULO AND TAUMALOLO WON’T FIGHT
Parramatta hulk Junior Paulo is the latest NRL star being targeted to return to the boxing ring later this year.
As revealed by Sport Confidential, Cowboys wrecking ball Jason Taumalolo has signed a contract to headline an NRL charity Fight Night, scheduled for October after this year’s grand final.
Taumalolo is slated to fight Roosters rival Matt Lodge, who was close to fighting Paul Gallen last year and remains keen to make his debut as a boxing heavyweight.
Now Paulo is being lined up to be a co-main on the NRL fight card.
The NSW Origin enforcer almost produced a boilover in his fight with Gallen in 2016 and he impressed two years ago when he delivered a savage TKO victory over Neville Costigan in an NRL All Stars event in Townsville.
It is understood Paulo is keen to fight again pending permission from Eels bosses. But Paulo has made it clear he has no interest in fighting Taumalolo out of respect to their Polynesian ties.
HERBIE MAKES BIG CALL ON DOLPHINS SWITCH
Broncos ace Herbie Farnworth has abandoned plans to play fullback ahead of his big-money move to the Dolphins next season.
Farnworth raised many eyebrows late last year when he informed Broncos coach Kevin Walters of his desire to test himself by moving from centre to fullback during the 2023 pre-season.
It was a surprising decision given Farnworth’s brilliant form at centre, not to mention the Broncos’ fullback depth with Reece Walsh the first-choice No.1 and Selwyn Cobbo also capable of playing in the backfield.
But after returning to pre-season late following his World Cup commitments with England, Farnworth never got the chance to work on the nuances of fullback play and he has started 2023 in fine form at centre.
There was a view Farnworth defected to the Dolphins in his quest to be a full-time fullback, but the British Test star insists he won’t be challenging Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow for the No.1 jumper.
“At the moment I am just happy in the centres,” he said. “When I go to the Dolphins I will be keen to play centre.
“If Wayne (Bennett, Dolphins coach) sees me in a different position then he sees me in a different position, but my head is fully on centre now.”
V’LANDYS HITS BACK OVER ARU $100M ‘POACHING FUND’
Peter V’landys has hit back at ARU chairman Hamish McLennan as the ARL Commission boss ruled out introducing a multimillion-dollar NRL fighting fund in the wake of Joseph Suaalii’s defection to rugby union.
The Australian Rugby Union is trumpeting their $4.8 million poaching raid on Roosters sensation Suaalii and McLennan intimated it was only the tip of the iceberg, cheekily suggesting other NRL stars have expressed interest in switching codes.
McLennan has refused to name names, but Suaalii’s big-money defection has sparked debate about whether the NRL should revive its fabled war chest to stave off more poaching attempts from the ARU.
In 2014, then NRL chief executive David Smith introduced a discretionary fund giving the governing body the ability to top-up player contracts in the event of a poaching threat from other sports.
The fighting fund was abolished two years later by Smith’s successor Todd Greenberg and while it was never actually used, the NRL did consider dipping into its stash of cash when rugby went after Souths star Sam Burgess.
McLennan says the ARU is on track to make $100 million this year from its corporate portfolio, money that could be used to attract other NRL big guns such as Souths’ Cameron Murray, who played rugby as a teenager.
But V’landys scoffed at McLennan’s claim that other NRL stars could quit the sport and says he won’t be forced into a knee-jerk reaction on a massive war chest to prevent more Suaalii-style walkouts.
“We have no interest in rugby league having a war chest to stop players going to rugby union,” V’landys said.
“The talk from rugby about other players leaving the NRL doesn’t worry me in the slightest.
“We have the greatest game of all and it’s a privilege to play it.
“If history is any indication, most of them always come back to rugby league (dual internationals Wendell Sailor, Mat Rogers, Lote Tuqiri and Sonny Bill Williams all returned to the NRL), so we’ll wait for them to come back.
“We won’t be monopolising our money on a select few players like Joseph Suaalii.
“We will put our money into pathways and development and getting the next big stars of the game.
“It (a war chest) is a waste of the NRL’s money.
“I am very happy with the talent we are developing, so we don’t need to have war chest and our investment in grassroots will produce another 20 Joseph Suaalii's, not just one.”
TALLIS’ TITANIC DREAM
Gorden Tallis may have recently given a motivational talk to Broncos players but the ‘Raging Bull’ insists he has not quit his role at the Gold Coast Titans.
The Queensland Origin legend signed on as a Titans ambassador in 2015 and while his support for Broncos coach Kevin Walters will never wane, he is committed to delivering Gold Coast’s maiden premiership.
“I love my role at the Titans and I can’t wait for the Titans to win a competition,” Tallis said.
“My next dream in football is to see the Titans win a premiership.
“I am not as hands-on at the Titans, but I would love for that area to celebrate a premiership.
“I watched what it has done for Brisbane in the 1990s and in 2015, I saw what a premiership did for the Cowboys and the region of north Queensland.
“Brisbane will always have a place in my heart because of my success there, but if the Broncos played the Titans this year in the grand final, I would want to see the Gold Coast win.”
The Titans have devised a club “roadmap” with an ambitious plan to win two premierships over the next decade.
Asked how far away the Titans are from being a legitimate title contender, Tallis said with a laugh: “They are 24 rounds away.”
TITANS STAR ON THE RISE
The Gold Coast Titans have locked up a boom schoolboys star following a sizzling pre-season audition.
Keebra Park High School graduate Seth Nikotemo has signed a three-year deal with the Titans as he edges towards an NRL debut.
A Queensland Schoolboys and Emerging Origin representative, Nikotemo was handed a two-month train-and-trial opportunity in the pre-season.
The backrower was so impressive, specifically catching the eye of Queensland Origin prop Moeaki Fotuaika, that the club has locked him up until the end of 2025.
A Burleigh Bears junior, Nikotemo will spend this year and next on the Titans’ development list before joining the top 30 in 2025.
He is the latest player to graduate from the Future Titans program to the club’s NRL squad, with the Gold Coast making huge progress in their development system in recent years.
INJURED DOLPHIN’S CONTRACT DELIGHT
Wayne Bennett praised winger Tesi Niu’s toughness to battle through a serious knee injury in last week’s derby and now he’s set to be rewarded with a new contract.
Niu suffered a high-grade medial ligament injury in the early minutes of the inaugural Battle of Brisbane when he bundled Selwyn Cobbo into touch.
The injury was severe enough for Niu to leave the field and has ruled him out for two months, but he soldiered on as the Dolphins went on to lose halfback Sean O’Sullivan (pec) and utility Kodi Nikorima (head clash).
Bennett made special mention of Niu’s courage in the Dolphins’ sheds post-game and now he is set to extend his future at Redcliffe.
Niu joined the Dolphins on a one-season deal after being released by Brisbane, but will be offered an extension after reviving his NRL career under Bennett.
Rising backrower Connelly Lemuelu is also set to sign an upgraded extension after impressing in the early rounds.
DYNAMIC DEINE STRIKES AGAIN
The Broncos have a ready-made replacement for Dolphins-bound Herbie Farnworth.
Brisbane coach Kevin Walters had every reason to breathe easy after centre sensation Deine Mariner scored four tries last week in Wynnum Manly’s 50-6 thumping of Ipswich in the Queensland Cup.
Broncos scouts regard Mariner as the finest centre they have produced since Steve Renouf and Justin Hodges and the 19-year-old underlined his special talent with another tryscoring exhibition to burn the Jets.
Mariner also scored four tries in a Queensland Cup fixture last season and already has 12 tries from just 11 Queensland Cup appearances for the Seagulls.
Farnworth will be a big loss for the Broncos next season, but the fast and powerful Mariner will slot in beautifully to the No.4 jumper alongside strike centre Kotoni Staggs.
COACHES CONFRONT FAMILY TIES
Wayne Bennett could deliver another blow to Anthony Griffin’s coaching future on Saturday night, but there will also be family bragging rights on the line when the Dragons host the Dolphins.
Bennett and Griffin’s assistant coaches will face off in the NRL for the first time.
Bennett’s right-hand man Kristian Woolf will be coming up against Griffin’s assistant Ben Woolf.
The Woolf brothers have been long-term coaches and have gone up against each other in the Queensland Cup before.
And they both returned to the NRL this year, with Kristian joining Bennett at the Dolphins and Ben getting a call-up from Griffin to take the next step in his coaching career.
While Kristian sits in the coaches’ box next to Bennett, Ben runs messages on the field to Dragons players.
STORM LOOKING FOR NEW HOME
The Melbourne Storm have been left homeless.
The Storm are currently bouncing between training fields due to concerns over the surface at their traditional home – Gosch’s Paddock.
A Melbourne Rebels player suffered an injury on the training field the Super Rugby club shares with the Storm last week.
Already battling an injury crisis, the Storm travelled an hour to train earlier this week and have even jumped on the Melbourne Demons’ field.
They finalised their preparations for Friday night’s clash against the Rabbitohs with a session in Sydney instead of holding captain’s run at home.
SMITH THE NEXT NOSTRADAMUS
Maroons legend Cameron Smith was always one step ahead of his rivals on the field and now he could forge a career in fortune telling.
Smith and Johnathan Thurston were the judges for the inaugural Battle Medal, awarded to the best player in last week’s derby between the Broncos and Dolphins at Suncorp Stadium.
In the lead-up to kick-off, Smith was asked by Channel 9 reporter Adam Jackson during a live cross who his tip was for the medal.
Smith predicted it would be a brutal battle in the middle and highlighted Broncos prop Payne Haas as a possible contender.
As it turned out Haas had a great game, with his second stint off the bench proving critical in Brisbane’s gritty 18-12 win.
Smith and Thurston awarded the medal to Haas.
Any chance you can give us next week’s Powerball numbers, Cam?
BRISBANE CALLER ON THE RISE
Brisbane sports caller Peter Psaltis is making huge waves in the commentary world.
After featuring at the Australian Open earlier this year, Psaltis has called some of the biggest NRL games this year for Channel 9.
“Salty” had the microphone for last week’s grand final rematch between the Panthers and Eels in Sydney.
Psaltis then backed up the following night to call the inaugural Battle of Brisbane between the Dolphins and Broncos – what will be one of the highest-rating games of the year.
We checked in to see if Psaltis had moved ahead of Mat Thompson in the Channel 9 pecking order following Ray “Rabs” Warren’s retirement.
But that’s not the case.
Thompson had a family emergency last week and Psaltis made a mercy dash to Sydney for the grand final rematch.
WILSON’S WORLD-TITLE WOES
Aussie boxing star Liam Wilson has gone agonisingly close to snaring back-to-back world-title fights.
Wilson almost shocked the boxing world with his braveheart display against Emanuel Navarrete in Arizona last month, dropping the Mexican champ in the fourth round, only to suffer a TKO loss in the ninth in his world-title debut.
Wilson’s management were in talks to fight WBA super featherweight champion Hector Luis Garcia (16-1-0) for a world-title bout at Redcliffe’s Kayo Stadium later this year.
But Garcia has opted against coming to Australia, leaving Wilson to bide his time in his dream to join fellow Australians Tim Tszyu and George Kambosos by winning a world title.
Wilson remains keen to take on Kambosos at lightweight and the Australian mega fight could happen sometime next year.
More Coverage
Originally published as NRL 2023: Channel 9 commentary shake-up for Peter Psaltis, Junior Paulo rejects Taumalolo bout
Luai legacy: Star hopes brother, son build own Penrith dynasty
Jarome Luai cleaned out his locker at Penrith for the last time, but the four-time premiership winner says his name will live on at the club through his brother and son when they build their own dynasties at the foot of the mountains.
Broncos backflip: Madge pulls pin on Walters roster move
Michael Maguire has made his first big call as Broncos coach, pulling the handbrake on a Kevin Walters-era roster cleanout.