Saint, Sinner, Shoosh: Phil Gould brushes Mark Carroll, Dragons show Zac Lomax the door
NSW Blues and Manly legend Mark Carroll has joined the long list of those ‘blocked’ by Bulldogs head of football Phil Gould. It’s all in Saint, Sinner, Shoosh.
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Footy legend Mark Carroll has joined the long list of those ‘blocked’ by Gus Gould.
‘Spudd’ recently sent a text to the Bulldogs general manager offering to help out with barnstorming young forward Franklin Pele.
“I watched young Pele in NSW Cup,” Spudd said, “He reminds me of David Fifita at the Titans. He’s that explosive. So I sent Gus a text message saying I’d love to help the kid but I got no reply, nothing.”
Spudd’s previously helped out young NRL players — the likes of Corey Horsburgh at the Raiders, Bryce Cartwright at Parramatta and Sea Eagle Josh Schuster — all of whom have benefited from his wise, old-school methods.
DRAGONS SHOW ZAC THE DOOR
Under-performing St George-Illawarra star Zac Lomax has been informally offered the opportunity to leave the Dragons.
We can reveal incoming coach Shane Flanagan has indicated to his manager Steve Gillis that he would be granted permission to look elsewhere if they formally applied for it.
It would be on the proviso that the Dragons don’t have to contribute to his salary at another club.
And that could be a problem because Lomax is on $800,000-a-season. This is the first real indication that Flanagan means business in cleaning out a club that has become such an absolute basket case – on and off the field.
Other players will be offered exit opportunities in coming weeks.
St George Illawarra was diabolical in a 52-16 loss to the Sharks on Thursday night.
ACT OF GENEROSITY
Roosters front-rower Lindsay Collins is a fantastic example of how footy players can be so generous with their charity work.
Collins won man-of-the-match in Queensland’s Game II victory over the Blues at Suncorp Stadium two weeks ago.
You’d think he would want to frame the jersey, or at least keep it somewhere safe.
Instead he has donated the jersey for a silent auction to help the Roosters’ recruitment boss Daniel Anderson as he recovers from a catastrophic spinal injury.
You can bid for the jersey at www.danielandersonfund.com.au
WAITING GAME ON HAYNE’S DALLY M
The NRL has still made no decision on whether former Parramatta Eels superstar Jarryd Hayne will be struck off the Dally M honour role, following his conviction for sexual assault.
The disgraced footballer’s lawyer Margaret Cunneen SC has confirmed an appeal will be lodged against Hayne’s rape conviction from May this year.
He is now sharing the same cell as former Manly player Manase Fainu at the Geoffrey Pearce Correctional Centre in Berkshire Park in Sydney’s northwest suburbs.
The NRL is closely monitoring the legal process.
Hayne is a two-time Dally M medallist in 2009 and 2014.
His position is interesting in that last week the AFL stripped former legend Barry Cable of his Hall of Fame status over historical child sexual abuse.
Cable, now 79, was found in a civil case to have sexually abused a woman from the age of 12 more than 30 years ago.
The AFL jumped straight on to it.
“The finding of Judge Herron was incredibly serious and distressing, and the thoughts of the AFL Commission are entirely with the victim, who bravely told her story,” commission chairman Richard Goyder said.
“Once the court ruling was handed down, it was incumbent on the commission and the game to immediately examine the facts of this matter and the horrific nature of these events.”
Cable’s club North Melbourne has also revoked his Hall of Fame status.
The Parramatta Eels, like the NRL, are waiting on the legal process to be finalised.
Hayne is a two-time recipient of the Parramatta Eels’ prestigious Ken Thornett Medal, the club’s best-and-fairest award.
He was originally found guilty of raping a woman at her home in October 2019 and sentenced to five years and nine months jail.
Hayne won an appeal in February 2022 and was granted a retrial, only to be found guilty again and jailed for at least three years on May 12.
SAINT
Matt Callander tragically died from brain cancer in 2017. In his final years the former Channel 9 league boss and ex-Knights star Mark Hughes convinced the NRL to launch an annual fundraiser — Beanie for Brain Cancer round. They’ve since sold one million beanies and raised $25 million. Brain cancer kills more children than any other disease. Please help if you can by purchasing a beanie for $25 at participating IGA stores, Lowes, all NRL venues or on the Mark Hughes Foundation website.
SINNER
Any footballer from any code found guilty of sexually groping a woman should be kicked out of the game — not for three weeks, not for six weeks. Parramatta’s Dylan Brown has shown deep remorse and owned his actions but shouldn’t play again this year.
SPOTTED
Daniel Anderson back at work last week at the Sydney Roosters headquarters at Moore Park doing some much-needed work on recruitment and retention.
SHOOSH
Which high-profile NRL player agent was spotted leaving the high-rollers room at The Star casino on the Gold Coast last week?
SPOTTED
Former NRL bosses – David Gallop and Todd Greenberg – watching the Ashes at Lords. They bumped into Tottenham Hotspur’s new manager, Ange Postecoglou.
SPOTTED
The state’s two most powerful men — Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Premier Chris Minns — at the official opening of South Sydney’s centre of excellence at Heffron Park on Saturday. Both the state and federal governments chipped in to fund the $26 million project.
SPOTTED
Controversial player agent Isaac Moses chatting with Roosters recruitment man Clint Zammit at the club’s junior trials at Henson Park last week; unusual in that Nick Politis refuses to deal with the manager.
SPOTTED
Reece Walsh has a long history of challenging referees. We stumbled over an old TikTok video of the star fullback playing for the Australian Schoolboys three years ago and arguing with a ref. Hopefully the three-match suspension will force him to pull his head in.
GRUMPY OLD CHAPPELLI
It’s sad that former Australian cricket captain Ian Chappell has become such a grumpy old man.
We told you recently how he was at the Pymble Hotel and bagging the tripe out of Steve Waugh within hearing distance of punters at other tables.
Last Tuesday night Channel 9 ran a documentary, The Longest Feud, bringing together the 79-year-old Chappell and his long time enemy, former England captain Ian Botham, for 45 minutes.
Chappell labelled him a “coward and gutless” – a totally inappropriate comment about one of the greatest all-rounders in the history of Test cricket and a man who has raised more than $20m over the years for cancer charities.
ASHES CRICKET BEATS LEAGUE’S RATINGS
Test cricket is doing a lot better for Channel 9 than the NRL in the five-city metro ratings.
The Dragons v Warriors game last Friday week rated 230,000 on the main channel. The Sunday NRL game — the Rabbitohs v the Cowboys — did 248,000.
The Ashes cricket first day’s play at Lord’s on Wednesday night had more viewers than those two games combined — an audience of 509,000.
NINE PUNTS JOURNOS
Channel 9 has cut ties with respected Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph NRL scribes Brent Read and Dave Riccio.
For the best part of 10 years, the pair has featured on Nine’s Sunday Footy Show, delivering views on the big issues and keeping punters informed with the latest rugby league developments.
Now they’ve both been frozen out and taken off the roster without an official explanation.
It’s interesting considering Channel 9’s strained relationship with the NRL and that these two add plenty to their coverage.
It is understood the decision was made — not by producers — but someone higher up at the network.
That it may have even come from a director on the Nine Entertainment board.
You can still catch Ready and Riccio on Fox League on NRL 360 each week.
Media Buzz
Jessica Yates
Fox Sports
Age: 37
First Job?
I was a production assistant for This is Your Life on Channel 9 before joining Fox Sports, from where I’ve now spent almost half of my life.
Sporting heroes?
Andrew Ettingshausen, Susie O’Neill and my dad Steve Yates, who swam the English Channel.
What NRL team do you follow?
I love the Cronulla Sharks.
What sports did you play?
Swimming and water polo were big in my family, we were all part of Cronulla Surf Life Saving Club. I was the water polo captain for my high school. I loved it. I also did ballet for 20 years.
How do you spend a day off?
On the beach with my beautiful kids Sam and Isabella and my husband Luke and our French bulldog Cookie.
Career Highlights?
Hosting Fox Sports Bathurst 1000 coverage, working on League Life with Vonny, Lara and Hannah. Hosting Fox Sports MotoGP coverage from Assen TT. Working alongside Shane Warne and Andrew Symonds for Fox Cricket. And visiting the F1 McLaren Technology centre at Woking in the UK and interviewing the drivers and CEO Zak Brown.
Originally published as Saint, Sinner, Shoosh: Phil Gould brushes Mark Carroll, Dragons show Zac Lomax the door
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