NRL news: Will Chambers join Matt Giteau in playing rugby with new US outfit LA Giltinis
Will Chambers’ return to the NRL lasted just eight games with the 224-game veteran linking with a high-profile rugby franchise.
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Will Chambers will make a second cross-code switch, joining former Wallaby Matt Giteau at US rugby union team, LA Giltinis.
The former Storm premiership-winner returned to the NRL with Cronulla on a cut-price deal last April after 12-months overseas playing Japanese rugby union in 2020.
The former Test and Queensland Origin centre featured in nine-games for the Sharks this season.
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The 33-year-old was picked-up by Cronulla at a time of mounting injuries to their backline with Chambers providing on and off field experience.
Showing glimpses of his best, Chambers was at one point suggested as a Mr Fix-It for the Maroons after they were embarrassed by the NSW in game one of this year’s State of Origin series.
Chambers’ season was ultimately stymied by his forced isolation following a series of unfortunate Covid-19 protocol breaches that the NRL recognised wasn’t deliberate.
Chambers missed five weeks of football due to the setback.
A player who has always polarised fans, Chambers was also at the centre of a round 21 controversy - his last game for the Sharks - after being embroiled in a verbal slanging match with Warriors players.
Chambers was informed by the Sharks football department that there wouldn’t be a contract for him in 2022, leading him towards a deal with LA Giltinis.
Coached by former Wallaby Stephen Hoiles, the LA Giltinis are a Major League Rugby team based in Los Angeles.
The team was announced in 2020 and entered the league in the 2021 season as an expansion franchise.
Official: Discarded Bulldog secures NRL lifeline
Adam Elliott has secured an NRL lifeline — a 12-month contract with the Canberra Raiders.
After a fortnight of meetings and character assessments from Raiders management, Elliott agreed to join the Green Machine.
The one-year contract, worth around $200,000, is a win for both parties with the hard-running backrower backing himself to earn an upgraded contract on the back of what he produces in 2022. Equally, the contract is low-risk for the Raiders.
Elliott had minor interest from the Wests Tigers, but felt the Raiders were a better fit.
The contract caps a tumultuous chapter in Elliott’s 101-game career, having reached a “mutual termination’’ with former club Canterbury last month.
In weighing up whether to sign Elliott, the Raiders board were prepared to back their principles that also saw them stand by Jack Wighton in court 18 months before he won the 2020 Dally M Medal.
The Raiders’ team culture is led by the playing group of senior figures that includes Jarrod Croker, Josh Papalii and Wighton. All three were supportive of Canberra signing Elliott.
“When a kid tells me he wants to make Canberra home, given he’s originally from the region, it means a lot to me,” Raiders coach Ricky Stuart said.
“Rugby league is layered with redemption stories. I just hope for Adam and his family, this is another one of those because I know he’s going to be joining a very strong club.
“A number of our leaders have supported Adam in joining us and that gave our club confidence in moving this direction.
“It’s a 12-month contract which will give Adam and the Raiders every opportunity to build for the future.”
After a series of off-field headlines revolving around the 27-year-old, the final straw for the Dogs came after Elliott had been asked to leave a Gold Coast restaurant after allegedly being caught sharing a kiss with NRLW player Mille Boyle.
Elliott’s acquisition is an important one for a Raiders forward pack next year that will be without 2021 members Sia Soliola, Dunamis Lui, Siliva Havili and Ryan James.
Elliott joins fellow Raiders recruits Peter Hola, a forward from the Cowboys and Titans halfback Jamal Fogarty.
The next agenda item on the Raiders roster management is to determine a possible early release of hooker Josh Hodgson to the Wests Tigers. Negotiations between the Tigers and Hodgson’s management are on-going.
Dogs join chase for Eels star
- Brent Read
Parramatta have reiterated their plans to fight for Reed Mahoney after Sydney neighbours and bitter rivals Canterbury emerged as the latest threat to their stranglehold on their hooker.
Remarkably, the Bulldogs’ interest in Mahoney comes only a few years after Canterbury let him go rather than shell out $1,500 to keep him in their system.
They now face a congested bidding war if they want to bring him back to the club, with rivals queuing to sign the 22-year as he prepares to enter the final year of his Parramatta deal on November 1.
As revealed by News Corp during the week, his camp have already held talks with the Brisbane Broncos and have sounded out The Dolphins to gauge whether they harbour any interest in Mahoney, who was on the verge of playing State of Origin for Queensland this year.
Those talks gave rise to suggestions Mahoney may want to head back to Queensland – he hails from the Sunshine Coast – at the end of 2023.
However, revelations that the Bulldogs have flagged an interest in him suggest he – or at least his representatives – are keeping their options open as they look to strike a deal which reflects his soaring reputation in the NRL.
Mahoney was scouted by Canterbury when he was 15 and eventually moved to Sydney, where he played SG Ball and lived in ‘Bulldogs house’ for a time at the end of 2015.
He looked set for a long stint at the Bulldogs but rather than extend his contract, Canterbury officials struck a deal with Parramatta to swap Mahoney for Joseph Tramontana when they were both in under 20s.
Mahoney was given a six-week train-and-trial contract by the Eels, which was extended by another six weeks before he secured a place in the club’s under 20s side.
He has gone from strength to strength since, explaining why clubs are now clamouring for his signature as he prepares to hit the open market own November 1.
The Eels remain intent on keeping him, something chief executive Jim Sarantinos stressed this week when asked whether he was concerned about the interest in Mahoney.
“We see Reed being part of the future of our club and we would love for him to stay along with many of the other players we are in discussions with,” Sarantinos said.
“We’re hopeful of keeping him here for the long term.”
Canterbury’s salary cap woes have been well documented and general manager of football Phil Gould has been given the imprimatur to reshape the squad with a view to addressing their deficiencies in time for 2023.
Hooker is one of their major areas of concern and the Bulldogs have been linked with the likes of Brandon Smith and Api Koroisau in recent months, both of whom are free to formally negotiate with clubs from November 1.
Smith has an offer on the table from Melbourne but his manager Stan Martin has already confirmed he will head to the open market as he looks to gauge his worth.
Koroisau’s name has been doing the rounds of the NRL in recent weeks, although Penrith are believed to be keen to tie him down for at the very least two more years.
Like Parramatta, the Panthers have some key players entering the final year of their deals on November 1 and may find it difficult to retain them all.
The Eels are arguably as vulnerable as any club in the game given the number of players they have who are about to enter the final year of their deals. Aside from Mahoney, Reagen Campbell-Gillard, Marata Niukore and Clint Gutherson are among those up for grabs from November 1.
CAN ROOSTERS FIND MANU MONEY?
For some clubs, it may be the most important week of the year. Over the next seven days or so, dynasties could rise and fall.
The future of clubs could be defined not just for next season, but for years to come. November 1 is looming fast and the scramble to retain players is set to reach its zenith.
The next week could shape Parramatta. So too the Melbourne Storm, a club that has somehow avoided the vicissitudes of the salary cap in recent years thanks to intelligent recruiting and the retention of their biggest names.
Some of those names are about to receive the sort of offers that can be life-changing. Brandon Smith, Felise Kaufusi and Christian Welch are logical targets for rivals, in particular the game’s newest side.
The Storm have already shown how wary they are of the impending threat from The Dolphins and others by moving fast on hooker Harry Grant.
They could have waited until midway through next year to take up Grant’s option for 2023. Instead, they jumped early when they had the chance and effectively placed Grant off limits for another 12 months.
The Storm didn’t have the same luxury with Smith, Kaufsui and Welch. So the three of them are biding their time, waiting for November 1 to arrive, when they can sit down and talk numbers with opposition clubs.
As for the Eels, they are in danger of being decimated. Reagan Campbell-Gillard has already indicated he will test his worth and others are expected to follow.
Marate Niukore has clubs beating a path to his door. So too Reed Mahoney. The next seven days or so are crucial for Parramatta as they attempt to maintain a squad that looks within shooting distance of a title.
While they do their level best to keep their best and brightest, their rivals will be on edge through the next week and hope that their targets are still available on November 1, when players entering the last year of their contracts are able to sign with rivals.
It is an archaic system that the NRL has threatened to review. Yet nothing has been done. At some point over the next month, a player will sign with a rival for 2023 and then consign themselves to spending another 12 months at their existing club, all the while knowing they are bound for elsewhere.
Supporters will cry foul, pundits will talk about the insanity of it all, and life will go on as clubs scramble to keep their rivals at bay. The Sydney Roosters have the next week to tie down Joey Manu or risk their superstar centre heading to market, where the Warriors and Tigers among many will be waiting with million-dollar offers.
The Roosters are believed to have tabled a lucrative contract to Manu but he seems intent on exploring what else is out there for him. The smart money suggests he either stays at the Roosters or joins the Warriors, which would allow him to eventually return to New Zealand when the Kiwi side heads home.
The Warriors want to make Manu the main man. Money won’t be their only selling point. They want Manu to be the focal point of the team and are ready to give him the keys to the club, an offer that is out of reach at the Roosters given the presence of James Tedesco and Luke Keary.
The Tigers are lingering with intent as well. Recruitment has been one of their bugbears in recent years but the old firm of Tim Sheens and Warren McDonnell is back in charge, and ready to make a splash.
Bennett and The Dolphins are the wildcard. Their impending entry to the competition in 2023 has everyone on edge. The seven-time premiership winner’s ability to lure players remains as strong as ever.
Throw in the $10 million or so he will have at his disposal and you can understand why rival clubs are fidgeting nervously as November 1 fast approaches.
It also helps explain why the next week could be decisive for clubs. The clock is ticking.
ROOSTERS SWOOP ON PREMIERSHIP WINNER
Paul Momirovski will return to the Sydney Roosters after rejecting offers from the Warriors and Manly worth more than $1 million for three years.
Instead, Momirovski will link back up with the Roosters after the Panthers released their premiership winner to help ease some salary cap burden on Penrith.
Momirovski played two games for the Roosters in 2018 but has since played for Wests Tigers and Melbourne.
The 25-year-old is expected to take up a three-year deal to return to Bondi, having been approached by the Warriors and Sea Eagles.
It is understood Manly withdrew their interest but the Warriors tabled a deal a deal worth more than $1 million.
EELS THROW VETERAN NRL LIFELINE
—David Riccio
The Eels have found an answer to their achilles heel by signing Titans hooker Mitch Rein.
A lack of depth at hooker cost Parramatta when it mattered during the finals with the club forced to find a stopgap solution for the loss of star dummy-half Reed Mahoney (shoulder).
Without Mahoney to guide them, the Eels were found wanting.
Capable without threatening the opposition, back-up hookers Ray Stone and Joey Lussick, were both used by Parramatta coach Brad Arthur.
With Lussick moving to St Helens in the UK, Arthur has moved to rectify the issue by signing Rein on a one-year deal. Rein, 31, has agreed to terms on the deal after being let go by the Titans, where he has spent the past four seasons.
The 208-game hooker, who has also had stints at St George Illawarra and Penrith, would add valuable experience to the Eels 2022 campaign.
SHARKS BUZZING OVER NEW RECRUIT
— David Riccio
Cameron McInnes comes with a warning label.
Intense, meticulous and in the new Sharks forward’s own words, “hard to live with.’’
“He’s the closest thing to Paul Gallen in regards to preparation that I’ve come across,’’ former Sharks and Dragons coaching staff member Shane Flanagan said.
“Like Gal, Cam lives off a timetable and checklist of training schedules, their own meal preparation, very little if at all drinking and an incredible intensity in the gym.
“Cam is the type of player who you wouldn’t want to be caught smiling at after a loss.
“He’s just so competitive and driven. I’m happy he’s gone to Cronulla.
“They know what a player like that can do for your club because they had it for so many years with Gal.”
In the Shire, where he has signed on until the end of 2025, McInnes has declared he’s aiming to make his Sharks debut and return from a knee reconstruction in next February’s trials.
Weighing a career-high 96kg, McInnes is a ball of muscle after training three times a week in the gym and on the training paddock, almost always by himself, throughout the 2021 season that saw the rest of the competition relocated to Queensland.
“Honestly, I have no idea how our trainers are going to hold Cam back over summer, he’s flying,’’ Sharks captain Wade Graham said.
McInnes weighed 90kg when he suffered a torn ACL eight months ago.
It was the beginning of the end for the 27-year-old at St George Illawarra.
He played no football before it was announced that he would be leaving the club after four seasons.
The decision to let the club captain of the Dragons go – who had missed three games in five-years prior to this season – stunned fans at the time.
But in his first interview in Sharks colours, the NSW Blues 18th man in 2019 says he has no regrets.
“The Dragons were so good to me, it would’ve been lovely to say goodbye to the fans properly,’’ McInnes said.
“But that’s how it happened and I’ve just got to move on.’’
Always looking forward is the 130-gamer and 18th man for the 2019 NSW Blues.
Asked if he agreed with Flanagan’s comparison to Gallen, McInnes said: “I’ve got to know Gal over the last few weeks and I played City Origin (2017) with him.
“And even then he was very meticulous that week. It was a swansong for him, but he took it so seriously – and that’s how you should be in life.
“No matter what you’re doing, you do it to your best.
“I have that mentality. If I’m not doing my best through the week, or if I cut a corner, I just can’t do that.
“I’m filthy on myself, if my effort isn’t there.
“That’s not only on the field, but off the field. I can be hard to live with myself sometimes.
“If I feel like I’ve gone through the motions at training, or I didn’t stretch one night or made a choice to do the lazy thing, I get the s***s with myself.’’
McInnes represents leadership, class and depth in key positions for a Sharks side loaded with optimism due to the additional signings of Storm duo Dale Finucane and Nicho Hynes in 2022.
“I love the fact that for the last 10 years, they’ve been competitive every single year,’’ McInnes said.
“They had a rough year in 2014, but every other year, the club is there or thereabouts.
“There’s been times where they’ve had injury dramas, but they find a way to be there in the finals. That’s a cultural thing. I love that.’’
Preparing to return to full training with the majority of the Sharks squad on November 15, McInnes said he had no expectation on whether he would play at either lock, hooker or from the bench in 2022.
“I just can’t wait to get back to playing footy at training,’’ McInnes said.
“From a conditioning point of view, I’m ahead of where I’ve been for a few years.
“I feel strong, fit and fast. Every day is one day closer and I need to be ready for that.”
SECOND TIME’S A CHARM FOR LUCKY DRAGONS
— Michael Carayannis
The fact the Dragons were prepared to chase Moses Suli again was enough to convince the damaging centre to finally agree to join the club.
St George Illawarra may have had to have wait a season longer than they wanted but they eventually landed their man after Suli agreed to a three-year deal having been granted an early release from Manly.
Had the Dragons had their way they would have had Suli this season, but he opted to re-sign with the Sea Eagles on a three-year deal.
That changed though when the Dragons came knocking again mid-year.
“I had a meeting with the Dragons for the first time at the end of 2019,” Suli said.
“But at that stage I did not want to leave Manly because they had picked me up when I was down and out. I wanted to repay the favour and stay there.
“This time around I had to do what was best for my family. I’ve got nothing against Manly. I appreciated everything they did for me and they helped me become the person I am today.”
Suli had a disjointed 2021. Injuries and the form of Brad Parker and Morgan Harper kept the 23-year-old out of the starting 13 most weeks.
The Dragons will have genuine strike out-wide now with Suli and Zac Lomax to start in the centres.
“When I got injured, it was hard for me to get back my spot back in the starting side,” Suli said. “It wasn’t up to me, I was trying to do my best to get my spot back. I guess it wasn’t good enough.
“I’ve played against Zac a few times. He is a really good player, skilful. Hopefully I can come in and fit in really well.
“I only spoke with (coach Anthony Griffin) once. He is old-school like Des Hasler, which is good and something I’m used to.”
The Dragons have been one of the most active clubs heading into next season. Aside from Suli they have added Aaron Woods, Jaydn Su’A, George Burgess, Francis Molo, Moses Mbye, Tautau Moga and Jack Gosiewski.
The additions have Suli dreaming big.
“They’ve signed a few players,” Suli said. “Their next season should be a good year.
“Hopefully in the next couple of years we win a premiership especially with the young guns coming through as well.
“The club is going places. I want to be part of it.”
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