Sport Confidential: Deadline approaching on Brandon Smith’s unique contract clause with Roosters
Superstar hooker Brandon Smith has a unique clause in his contract that gives him power to explore his options, but the deadline is fast approaching for him to use it.
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Sydney Roosters star Brandon Smith has slipped under the radar when it comes to players coming off contract at the end of the season.
However, Sport Confidential can reveal he has a clause in his current contract that gives him until May 31 to exercise an option in his deal for next season with the Roosters.
Smith, who has strung together some impressive displays early in the year, signed a three-year deal with the Roosters but he had an option his way in the final year of the contract which gave him the power to go to market.
This column understands Smith hasn’t actively explored his options in a pointer towards him taking up the final year of his deal to stay with the Roosters.
However, he has time on his side and it would be no surprise if rival clubs looked to prise him out of Bondi Junction prior to his option date.
Smith has played 25 games for the Roosters since leaving the Storm, including all four games this season and Sport Confidential understands he is enjoying life at the club.
JAILED PRODIGY TO MISS BROTHER’S DEBUT
A pay-TV blackout in prison means Manase Fainu will be forced to listen to the radio to receive updates about his younger brother’s NRL debut.
18-year-old Latu will become the third Fainu to play first-grade following in the footsteps of Manase and Samuela. While Samuela will line-up alongside Latu for the Tigers against the Dolphins on Saturday night, Manase – who was the first of the trio to debut – will be what seems like a worldaway.
Manase is in jail after being found guilty of a stabbing outside a Mormon church dance in October 2019. He has a non-parole period of four years and three months. With Foxtel not an option inside prison, Manase will be listening to the action on the radio. The 25-year-old is considering becoming a missionary once his stint in jail ends.
His hopes of appealing his eight year sentence quashed last October. Fainu was captured in his prison greens last season alongside fellow former NRL player Jarryd Hayne.
The pair were once cellmates at Geoffrey Pearce Correctional Centre — a minimum-security facility at Berkshire Park in Penrith.
Manase played 34 games for the Sea Eagles.
EELS DINNER DATE
Parramatta coach Brad Arthur has upped the ante in his pursuit of Zac Lomax after hosting the St George Illawarra centre at his Hills District home on Wednesday night.
Sport Confidential understands that Eels skipper Clint Gutherson was also involved in the talks as Parramatta stepped up their bid to sign Lomax for 2025 and beyond.
It is understood the talks were positive and productive and the parties have agreed to pick up negotiations next week, after the Dragons and Eels have completed their round five games.
Lomax has been given permission to negotiate with rival clubs after the Dragons announced they had agreed to a termination of his contract at the end of the season, making him a free agent.
The Eels had already made their interest known, having contacted the Eels about a month ago to ask for permission to speak to Lomax.
Now that they have been given the green light by the Dragons, Arthur has wasted no time breaking bread with Lomax as he looks to get the jump on other interested parties.
Lomax is on a deal at the Dragons believed to be worth as much as $800,000 a season and any club that signs the 24-year-old may be forced to carry the full value in their salary cap.
Under NRL rules players who are contracted are unable to move clubs for less money. That means despite Lomax cutting ties with St George Illawarra - his rich contract could still be included in his new club’s salary cap even if he agrees to a deal worth less than his Dragons contract.
The difference generally remains in the new club’s salary cap. Clubs are able to write to the NRL to seek an exemption to the rule. It is rare though.
Tyrone Peachey was allowed to leave the Tigers and return to Penrith for less money than what he had originally signed on to join the Tigers. That happened with the NRL’s blessing.
The NRL would need to determine that Lomax’s new deal – most likely with Parramatta – represents his new market value. That deal is expected to be worth about $700,000 for the next three or four seasons which still represents a significant payday. NSW Origin centre Bradman Best received about the same to re-sign with the Knights.
Lomax inked his mega six year contract with the Dragons way back in 2019 which included a final year option in his favour which he had already taken up.
The deal remains the longest in St George Illawarra’s history alongside Ben Hunt. The Dragons had earmarked Lomax to be their long-term fullback under former coach Paul McGregor and the deal indicated as such.
FLASHBACK
Manly’s John Hopoate was again in hot water on this day 20 years ago. Hopoate was sin-binned for asking referee Paul Simpkins if “is this why you became a referee because you couldn’t play?” He had previously been marched 10 metres for backchat.
FIGHT INTENSIFIES FOR EELS ROOKIE
Canberra and Parramatta play each other on Sunday and there will almost be as much interest in the curtain-raiser to the NRL game.
That’s because Parramatta halfback Ethan Sanders will be running around for the Eels’ NSW Cup team in front of Raiders faithful who may be cheering for him as early as next year.
Sanders was on the verge of agreeing to a deal with the Raiders last year before the NRL changed the contracting rules, meaning he was unable to negotiate with rival clubs until the end of round six in the final year of his contract.
In under a fortnight, Sanders will be free to speak to any club that has an interest. It is understood the Eels have tabled an offer to extend his contract but his path to first grade is blocked by Dylan Brown and Mitchell Moses.
It has been interesting to note that even with Moses sidelined, Parramatta coach Brad Arthur has turned to Blaise Talagi and left Sanders in the NSW Cup.
He couldn’t even make the extended squad for his weekend’s game despite scoring a try and making two line breaks in the club’s reserve grade loss to Wests last weekend.
Canberra remain keen and they will leap to the front of the queue once round six is over, but his form in NSW Cup has resulted in other clubs coming out of the woodwork.
DEFENDING TIMOKO RAIDS
Canberra have moved to lock up centre Matt Timoko for at least another year as they look to keep one of the game’s young guns off the open market.
Timoko is off contract at the end of 2025 - he would be free to talk to rival clubs from November - but it is understood the Raiders are close to agreeing an upgrade and extension of his current contract that will keep him at the club until the end of 2026.
Timoko has become a fixture in the Raiders side and made his Test debut for New Zealand last year under then-coach Michael Maguire. He has started this season in flying form and the Raiders have rewarded him with a new deal.
The next challenge for Canberra coach Ricky Stuart will be to lock down young five-eighth Ethan Strange, who is the early favourite for rookie of the year honours after Wests Tigers star Lachlan Galvin was ruled out of eligibility after receiving a two-game suspension.
Strange has started all four games at five-eighth for the Raiders this season, confirming his reputation as one of the game’s emerging stars. The 19-year-old played SG Ball at the Sydney Roosters - his father John is coach of the club’s NRLW side - before moving to Canberra and thriving under the coaching of Stuart.
The Raiders are well aware that the Roosters will have some holes to fill at centre and five-eighth in coming years and want to make sure Strange isn’t up for grabs.
NEXT HASLER V MANLY SHOWDOWN
Des Hasler’s court stoush with Manly is set to have its latest instalment on April 19 - the day before the Gold Coast Titans take on his former club at Cbus Super Stadium on the Gold Coast.
Hasler has been locked in a legal battle with the Sea Eagles over his axing at the end of 2022 following the Pride jersey fiasco, arguing he is owed more than the $565,000 he was offered as an initial payout.
That settlement figure was revealed in this column three weeks ago. Hasler is instead chasing a seven-figure payout from the Sea Eagles and the parties had hoped that mediation would bring an end to the matter.
However, mediation failed and they will now head back to court in less than a fortnight to determine the next steps.
Hasler is unlikely to be required to attend court but the significance of the timing has not been lost on some of those involved in the court proceedings.
Hasler’s Titans have started the season with three successive losses and languish in last spot on the NRL ladder.
Manly insiders are bemused that Hasler would allow a court battle to linger while his new club is failing to win games - he has rejected offers to end the legal proceedings.
The Titans travel to Townsville of play the high-flying North Queensland Cowboys on Sunday.
TURBO’S DRAGONS BLACKOUT
Manly fullback Tom Trbojevic hasn’t delved too deeply into his disappointing performance against St George Illawarra last weekend. Trbojevic made five errors against the Dragons, which is more than he would usually make in a month of football, as the Sea Eagles slumped to a shock loss in Wollongong.
He took a look back at his preparation and will spend more time on catching and passing this week. That aside, the sooner he can put that game in the dustbin and move on the better for all concerned.
Even the great ones occasionally have an off day.
“That is footy sometimes,” Trbojevic told Sport Confidential.
“Sometimes it just doesn’t work for you. I don’t have an answer for you. You just have to look forward. A lot of the errors I made you can’t really learn from - you just have to catch the ball, don’t you.
“I didn’t play well. Maybe do a bit more catch-pass during the week.”
Asked whether he would put himself through the agony of watching that game over again, Trbojevic replied: “Wouldn’t put my worst enemy through that. You don’t sit there and watch the whole game.
“You look at areas you can improve. We have a lot of areas to improve.”
They need to get better as well because they are up against the might of Penrith this weekend on home soil in a game which takes captain Daly Cherry-Evans past the legendary Cliffy Lyons in games played for Manly.
Even is teammates are in awe of what Cherry-Evans has achieved in a career spanning well over a decade.
“Pretty awesome achievement to be the most capped player in our history,” Trbojevic said.
“He has been so good for so long, awesome for this club. He works really hard. He is obviously a very talented football player, but he works really hard and prides himself on being durable.
“He has done that for a number of years now which is why he has such a place in the What is he now? 35. And he is still playing some good football.
“He’ll probably outlast me the way I am going.”
BROOKIE ROOF
The Sea Eagles have taken another step towards a turning 4Pines Park into a boutique stadium with a roof after a meeting with UFC chiefs this week.
Manly chief executive Tony Mestrov caught up with UFC vice-president of Australia and New Zealand Peter Kloczko to discuss the potential for a partnership that would result in Sydney’s northern beaches getting a fully-enclosed state of the art stadium.
Mestrov walked away from that meeting optimistic about the future.
“Things are progressing nicely,” Mestrov said.
“As a first conversation, it was positive.”
AMERICAN MADE
The NRL has stepped up its commitment to growing the game in the US by appointed ex-TAB executive John Vellis to lead up its American expansion.
The newly created position means Vellis is the NRL’s general manager of US expansion as the game tries to build off the success from its Las Vegas venture earlier this year.
Vellis left Tabcorp last year after seven years where was the general manager of media, sponsorship and Sky Thoroughbred Central. He joined the NRL to help oversee the Las Vegas launch in a six month role but is now a crucial full-time employee as the game looks to build on its US footprint.
SPOTTED
NSW Origin coach Michael Maguire being a keen observer during the Cronulla and Canberra match last Sunday night. The likes of Hudson Young, Nicho Hynes, Cameron McIness, Blayke Brailey and Siosifa Talakai are among those in NSW contention.
SWIMMING WITH SHARKS
Former Australian swimming head coach Alan Thompson has joined the Sharks. Thompson is now working at Cronulla in a part-time role assisting with game day duties. After a decorated swimming career, Thompson spent eight years working at Canterbury and more recently was an education and wellbeing manager at the Tigers.
YOUNG DRAGONS FIRING
There is somewhat of a changing of the guard at the grassroots level. St George’s under-19 SG Ball side finished second with ex-player Kyle Stanley doing good things leading a total revamp of the pathway system in the area.
St George last played finals in 2013 in a team which featured future NRL players Matt Dufty, Luciano Leilua, Hame Sele, Jacob Host, Addin Fonua-Blake, Izaac Thompson and Abbas Miski.
On the flipside, Penrith’s domination at the Harold Matthews and SG Ball level has come to an abrupt end. It would be more than two decades since neither Penrith side qualified for the finals. Their under-17s finished ninth and under-19s seventh.
FAREWELLING A LEGEND
Respected author, historian and journalist Ian Heads OAM will be farewelled at a private service at Northern Suburbs Crematorium on Thursday, April 11. This will be followed by a memorial service at the Sydney Cricket Ground, where Heads first watched rugby league in 1950, from 4pm on 17 April which is open to all.
SAVE LEICHHARDT OVAL
Wests Tigers fans are fighting hard to keep Leichhardt Oval relevant. One passionate fan Paddy Tobin has started a Facebook group dubbed “Save Leichhardt Oval”. Already almost 4000 people have joined.
HONOURING A ROOSTER
The family of the Roosters’ longest-serving member Patricia Miller have asked those attending her funeral to be decked in Roosters colours.
Miller died after 57 years supporting the club. The Roosters paid tribute to Patricia on the big screen at Allianz Stadium last Thursday.
Miller will be laid to rest on Wednesday at St Joseph’s Catholic Church Kingswood at 11am. The family request people to wear their Roosters colours.
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