Sport Confidential: Wests Tigers and Penrith Panthers put their cards on table with re-signings
It’s that time of the season where the game is abuzz with contract talk. Penrith Panthers and Wests Tigers reveal their latest re-signings as more players learn their fate.
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Wests Tigers and North Queensland are ready to pounce on English international Luke Thompson, who may be on the move from Canterbury at season’s end.
The Tigers have tabled a three-year deal for Thompson with the prop having already met coach Michael Maguire about a possible shift next season. The Cowboys have also expressed a formal interest to try to entice Thompson to Townsville.
Several other clubs are in the process of trying to work out how they could squeeze Thompson into their ranks after he suddenly came on the open market.
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Thompson has two years left on his deal at Belmore and could still remain at Canterbury long-term if they can’t find a club to pick up a large chunk of his contract.
The Bulldogs aren’t forcing him out, nor is Thompson agitating to leave but with more than $1.4 million remaining on his contract, the club has already plenty of cap space invested in their forward pack. Tevita Pangai Jr and Paul Vaughan are joining the likes of Josh Jackson and Adam Elliott on decent contracts.
ROBERTS READY TO LET RIP
Jimmy the Jet is ripped and ready for take-off. James Roberts cut an imposing figure at Wests Tigers training this week before his comeback against the Cowboys on Saturday. Roberts hasn’t played since the start of July, and caused some headaches for the NRL when he was sprung hanging out a towel on a balcony after a gym session while in strict quarantine. Judging by this picture the gym session is paying off.
WILLIAMS: DON’T WRITE OFF FIFITA
The teammate who suffered a scaringly similar fate to Andrew Fifita earlier this year has told people “not to write off” the representative prop.
Jack A Williams was playing for the Sharks in a pre-season match in February when he was whacked in the throat attempting to tackle St George Illawarra big man Eddie Blacker. Williams too was placed in an induced coma after the incident which left him gasping for oxygen.
“I’ve got no doubt he’ll get through this and be back for next season,” Williams said. “It took me five or six weeks from when happened to playing again. I had to see a specialist to check my throat so I could go back to contact and get the all clear.
“Playing was fine. I knew I would be sweet once I got out there and made a tackle.”
Williams made his return to the field about six weeks later and played alongside Fifita for Newtown in his comeback game. He has reached out to Fifita this week.
“He saw what happened to me and trained with me while I was getting better and then played with me my first game back,” Williams said. “So he might have an idea what the recovery is like.”
Williams played eight games for the Jets and is still keen on securing an NRL contract.
KNIGHTS SNARE CLUNE
The Dragons will release half Adam Clune from the final year of his deal to take up an offer to join Newcastle on a two-year deal. Clune, who made his debut last season, has been used as a fill-in this year. The Dragons are showing their faith in youngsters Jayden O’Sullivan and Junior Amone to partner Ben Hunt next season with Clune and Corey Norman moving on. Hayden Lomax, the older brother of Zac, has also not been offered a new deal at the club.
PANTHERS LOCK IN MAY
Penrith are continuing to lock down the core of its squad by this time extending Tyrone May’s deal for another 12 months. May has agreed to a one-year extension to keep him at the club next year.
One-year deal’s are familiar to May, whose past three deals have been year by year. While injured at the moment, May has become the Panthers’ Mr Fix-It this season, playing largely as a bench utility, centre and his preferred halves spot. With Matt Burton leaving at season’s end, he may get more opportunities next season.
TIGERS EXTEND STAY
The Tigers have locked away forward Thomas Mikaele for another season. The 23-year-old has agreed to stay at the club for at least one more year having made 58 top grade appearances already. Mikaele has been a mainstay of the Tigers out-fit since making his debut in 2019. The Tigers also re-signed Alex Seyfarth on a two-year deal.
CLOSE CALL
Jack de Belin was not the only Jack being considered to skipper the depleted Dragons. Jack Bird’s name was also discussed internally but, like de Belin, it was knocked on its head by the Dragons’ hierarchy – potentially lining up as co-captains. But they were both dismissed because of their recent BBQ appearance. Tariq Sims was eventually appointed stand-alone captain, which seemed the logical – and easy choice – to begin with.
MASKED SINGERS
Players have been told they must be wearing masks when they are singing their victory song this weekend. NRL general manager Jason King wrote to club bosses telling them their players and coaches have to be extra vigilante with their mask wearing to show their “continuing compliance with the protocols/Queensland health orders.”
Clubs have been reminded that:
— Masks must be worn during half-time briefings and post-match. All personnel on the team bench must wear a mask at all times unless actively warming up.
— All personnel in the coaches box must be wearing a mask at all times. In exceptional circumstances where is it necessary to remove a mask for clear communication it may be removed momentarily but immediately replaced.
— All personnel in the dressing room must be masked post-match this includes when actually singing the team song.
STARS ALIGNING FOR TSZYU
Tim Tszyu is on the verge of backing both world champions Brian Castano and Jermell Charlo into a corner for a title showdown next year.
Already the No.1 contender for Castano’s WBO super-welterweight belt, Tszyu could also become No.1 for Charlo if cards fall the right way.
Charlo holds the WBC, WBA and IBF belts in the 70kg division.
Castano has already panned the idea of fighting Tszyu this year, leaving the Aussie frustrated but determined to carry on. Tszyu is trying to get former world champion Tony Harrison out to Australia for a November fight on the huge Boxing Magic Weekend event.
Suddenly, there is a new twist.
WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman has indicated the Tszyu vs Harrison fight could be an eliminator for a title fight against Charlo. That means if Tszyu defeats Harrison, he would be the mandatory challenger for Charlo and Castano.
Charlo and Castano had a controversial draw for the unified titles last month, so both kept their respective belts and are keen for a rematch. Neither has been overly keen on an immediate fight with Tszyu, but they may have no choice in coming months.
MOEROA’S BIG TURNAROUND
Tepai Moeroa could become the first man to win a wooden spoon and a premiership in the same season.
It has been a stunning career turnaround for Moeroa, who two months ago was in rugby limbo but now is on the cusp of becoming a Melbourne Storm mainstay.
Moeroa was part of Super Rugby’s worst team, the winless NSW Waratahs, and had struggled since making the switch to union from Parramatta Eels at the end of 2019.
Ignored for many games in the top grade, Moeroa found himself playing club rugby for much of his stint, despite being among the Waratahs’ highest wage earners.
He managed to secure an early release from his NSW contract in June to join the NRL’s top club, Melbourne, on a short-term deal for the rest of the season.
However, we can reveal Moeroa is now about to sign a contract extension for 2022, with an option in his favour for 2023.
He will move his family down to Melbourne post-season when lockdown restrictions allow it.
The Storm are hot favourites to go back-to-back and win the 2021 NRL premiership.
NRL RIVALS CIRCLING STARLING
The Dragons, Broncos and Parramatta are circling Canberra hooker Tom Starling after learning he has an exit clause in his contract.
Starling, who played on with a broken jaw against Melbourne last week and is set to be sidelined for some time, has struggled to work out a contract extension with the Raiders despite talks in the past few weeks.
While contracted until the end of 2022, Starling has a caveat in his contract allowing him an early release. Sensing an opportunity to snap up the lively dummy half, the three rival clubs have this week reached out to Starling, who is playing behind Englishman Josh Hodgson.
FINGERS CROSSED FOR BLEDISLOE
Rugby Australia remains confident the third Bledisloe Cup match will go ahead in Perth on Saturday week.
West Australian Premier Mark McGowan announced a mandatory 14-day quarantine requirement for Kiwi travellers on Thursday, however the All Blacks could get an exemption and arrive on Saturday.
The All Blacks are still in Auckland, which is now under a seven-day lockdown due to the outbreak of Covid Delta cases. The third Bledisloe match is due to be played at Perth’s 60,000-seat Optus Stadium on Saturday, August 28.
Beyond that, The Rugby Championship’s future remains unclear due to the Covid restrictions throughout Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. It’s unlikely the WA or Kiwi governments will grant exemptions to travelling teams given their new cases.
Queensland is seen as the preferred city for Australia and New Zealand, but they have already got a host of NRL and AFL games pencilled in.
South Africa wants to host TRC but the Wallabies and All Blacks aren’t keen to base themselves there for a month, given they’re averaging more than 12,000 Covid cases a day.
HELPING HANDS FOR WALGETT
Rugby league has come to the aid of Walgett after the region was plagued by Covid-19 but sadly missing a heap of essential medical supplies.
President of the Collarenebri Bulldogs rugby league club and local police officer Ryan Dale reached out to Andrew Voss via his breakfast show on SEN to tell him of the region’s plight.
Already Covid-19 had postponed the local grand final and they were struggling to buy masks or hand sanitiser.
“Masks are mandatory, they protect everybody but there is just a shortage,” Dale told Breakfast with Vossy. “Some people can’t afford to buy them. We would love to be in a position where something as basic as marks and sanitiser don’t’ have to be bought and are readily available.”
Upon learning of their plight, Chemist Warehouse rang in during the interview and offered to donate 1000 boxes of masks and 3000 units of hand sanitiser. Australian Managed Servicing transported the stock.
BLAST FROM THE PAST
NADER HAMDAN
Former Australian super-welterweight and middleweight champion, two-time world title contender, professional record 44-14-1 (19KO)
Nader Hamdan had a reputation as a hard case in the inner streets of Sydney as a youth, so much so that after a fight with police in which he grabbed an officer’s gun, he was sent to a boys’ home.
“I loved fighting on the streets, once I found boxing I thought, ‘Why not fight for money and travel the world?’ And that’s how it started,” Hamdan said.
Quickly, his skills developed, but Hamdan had a quality no gym could teach – courage.
He built win after win on guts and determination, featuring in several Fight Of The Year classics on the way to winning the Australian super-welterweight title and earning the nickname “Lionheart”.
By 1999 the undefeated Hamdan became the No.2 contender for superstar Oscar De La Hoya.
“But they never gave me the shot,” Hamdan said. “De La Hoya had fought a Frenchman (Patrick Charpentier), and it tanked in the television ratings, so instead of taking me on they chose to fight African-Americans and Mexicans, those were the guys generating the most money for him.”
Hamdan spent four years chasing De La Hoya but to no avail, and now with a record of 32-0 he decided to move up a weight class.
“I was disillusioned and disappointed, I called out Sam Soliman, he was the best middleweight in Australia,” Hamdan said. “We fought in 2003, I dropped him early in the fight, but to his credit he got back up and did the job.”
Hamdan suffered his first loss by unanimous decision against Soliman, who would go on to become world champion.
Hamdan took on some of the best in the world in the following years; Arthur Abraham, Otis Grant, and then his first world title shot against Anthony Mundine in Sydney.
“Choc and I had grown up around each other, that was an amazing night, I left it all in the ring,” Hamdan said.
Mundine won via decision but Hamdan won a new legion of fans for his bravery in contesting the WBA World super-middleweight title. Hamdan would get one more chance at becoming world champion, travelling to Germany to take on WBO super-middleweight title-holder Robert Stieglitz, only to lose by decision once more.
“Being world champion wasn’t meant to be for me, but I still look back on those two world title fights as the highlights of my career,” he said.
“That and winning the two Australian titles. I lost my dad two years ago, he was most proud of me becoming Australian champion, because he was so proud to be an Aussie, and had seen me achieve that having come from where I did and what I’d gone through.”
Hamdan retired in 2012, but felt the itch to return to the ring four years later.
He had four bouts in 2016, losing the last three including his final fight, against then world No.1 ranked Australian Trent Broadhurst.
“I wanted to fight the best out there, I did, and am proud,” Hamdan said.
Outside the ring, Hamdan pursued acting, appearing in television shows Fat Pizza, East West 101 and more recently Mr Inbetween. He also worked for City of Sydney council as a street cleaner, but is now employed by Santos as a premium coffee deliveryman.
“I’m content in life, my wife Amira and my three boys complete me,” Hamdan said.
His eldest son Hassan is following in his footsteps as a professional boxer, while younger boys Ali and Muhammad are star junior footballers.
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