Klemmer signs with Dragons for 2025, Knights forward facing three-match ban

David Klemmer has signed with the Dragons for the remainder of the 2025 season, after being granted an immediate release from the Wests Tigers.

The announcement came just moments after St George Illawarra released winger Mikaele Ravalawa for the remainder of the season, although he remains contacted with the club for 2026.

David Klemmer has been immediately released from his Tigers contract.Credit: Dominic Lorrimer

Klemmer’s exit from the Tigers gives the club a war chest of up to $1 million to further add to one of the NRL’s most extensive roster overhauls.

The Dragons were already short of middles when the season got under way, but was worsened by a knee injury for Ryan Couchman in round one. Coach Shane Flanagan said Klemmer was a much-needed addition for the club.

“I’ve said publicly we are looking to bolster our middle forward stocks for this season so David is a great pick-up for us,” Flanagan said.

“He’s a different body shape to what we’ve got in our forward pack currently and also brings some great experience at Test, Origin and club level.”

Tigers chief executive Shane Richardson supported Klemmer’s move, and thanked the veteran prop, who had played 44 matches for the club.

“Klemmer has been a great clubman, and we thank him for that,” Richardson said.

“We understand and support his desire to take on new challenges, and we wish him and his family all the best in the future.”

Knights forward facing three-match ban

Newcastle forward Kai Pearce-Paul could spend up to three weeks on the sideline for a shoulder charge on Daniel Saifiti during the Knights 26-12 victory against the Dolphins on Thursday.

The shoulder charge was initially missed by referee Gerard Sutton in the 68th minute of the match, before the bunker wound back play to send Pearce-Paul to the sin-bin for the contact.

Kai Pearce-Paul is sent to the sin bin in round two against the Dolphins.Credit: Getty Images

If Pearce-Paul accepts the early guilty plea, he will miss two weeks and be back for his team’s round five clash against the Bulldogs in Sydney. But if he decides to test his fate at the judiciary, he could risk an extra week on the sideline.

Sutton called Pearce-Paul over to explain the contact a full set after the incident when play was paused for a penalty on Kalyn Ponga from Felise Kaufusi.

The crowd were left confused when Ponga was given a penalty, but Pearce-Paul was simultaneously sent marching.

“From the kick-off, the shoulder direct with the head,” Sutton said. “It’s on report and you’re in the bin.”

Pearce-Paul returned to the field for the final two minutes of the match.

It was Saifiti’s first match against his former club, coming up against twin brother Jacob for the first time in his NRL career.

Roosters sign grandson of Immortal

The Roosters have signed Arthur Beetson’s 15-year-old grandson on a three-year deal that continues the rugby league Immortal’s legacy at the foundation club.

Billy Beetson, who is playing above his age-group in the Roosters under-17s Harold Matthews squad, has been signed by the tricolours until the end of 2027.

A rising back-rower, Beetson has represented the NSW under 16s Koori side in New Zealand previously and will now ply his trade in the same Roosters development systems that his grandfather helped nurture.

Beetson is regarded as one of the greatest players to ever play the game and was the first Indigenous person to captain Australia in any sport.

After moving from Queensland to Sydney and starting his NSWRL career at Balmain, Beetson captained the Roosters to two premierships in 1974-75 and later coached the club. He was named as an Immortal of the game in 2007.

As a talent scout following his incredible career, Beetson helped recruit a slew of the Roosters best players this century, including Anthony Minichiello, Jake Friend, Mitchell Pearce and Mitch Aubusson.

Rugby league Immortal Arthur Beetson and his grandson Billy (inset) with Roosters recruitment manager Daniel Anderson.Credit: Sydney Morning Herald, Instagram

“Billy’s been coming through our juniors for quite a while,” Roosters coach Trent Robinson said.

“[His father] Mark works in the local area and the junior [Roosters] reps. There was only one place, he could have probably started at Balmain Tigers. Beetso’s a legend and this is home.

“He’s got great footwork and really good balance like Artie did. We’ve got to be careful with that, but he’s got really good power and agility for a young kid.”

Viliame Kikau left managing a back injury for the rest of his career

Canterbury star Viliame Kikau will need to manage the back issue that threatened to sideline him last weekend for the rest of his career but is hopeful he can avoid surgery.

Kikau was in doubt for the opening-round clash win against St George Illawarra but managed to get through 78 minutes of football. The premiership-winning forward said managing the back issue was an ongoing issue.

“It’s a bit of an old back injury that has been hanging around for a few years now, it comes and goes,” Kikau said.

“It’s actually a bulging disc on my lower back, L4 and L5 disc, right on my lumbar spine at the bottom.

“I had it a few years ago when I started playing back in Penrith, so it’s been an ongoing thing.

“Sometimes it gets treated by the doctor, I get a needle in the preseason because I don’t really play footy then. It’s just about managing myself and looking after it well, obviously with my recovery after games like this.”

Viliame Kikau has been hampered by a back issue.Credit: Getty

The Bulldogs had made contingency plans for the Dragons game in case Kikau was a late scratching, but the Fijian forward was determined to play.

“My thought process from the start of the week, I told the coaches that I was going to play,” he said.

“I didn’t want any doubt lingering around the team to disturb the boys’ preparation. I was sweet through the week, I just had to be comfortable at training.

“It’s just all about looking after it. I have a fair few games under my belt now, I’m not 21 again like I used to be, I’m turning 30 this year, so I have to look after my body well.

“It’s been good, it pulled up a bit sore during pre-season. Credit to our physio team, they worked really well around the clock trying to get me back on the field. I was happy to get the amount of minutes that I got.”

Asked if surgery may be required to rectify the issue, Kikau said: “I’m hoping that is not going to be [required].

“I’m not thinking about that option at all. The onus is on me, I need to be on top of it with how I recover and look after myself when I’m not training.

“Hopefully, I can still play week in, week out, with the boys … I can only control what I can control at the moment.”

Pie thrower to face court over alleged incident, NRL issue intention to ban

A 26-year-old Dragons fan will face court next month after he allegedly threw a meat pie at Bulldogs fans during the round one fixture at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium on Saturday.

The fan was issued a “field court attendance notice for common assault and behave in an offensive manner in a public place” by NSW police after video of the incident began circulating on social media on Sunday.

He is due to attend Sutherland local court on Tuesday, April 15.

Police officers at the stadium were alerted to the incident, and no arrests were made on the day. No injuries were reported. Parts of the pie are believed to have struck several people.

Police officers speak to a Dragons fan after a pie was thrown at Canterbury supporters.Credit: Twitter

The NRL has also issued the fan with a notice of intention to ban, which would prevent him from attending future matches.

A St George Illawarra statement condemned the “anti-social behaviour from a Dragons fan” after a social media video of the incident circulated on Sunday.

A TikTok video of the incident showed the fan buying a meat pie before skipping to a man in a Dragons jersey throwing it into a group of Canterbury fans.

A Bulldogs fan then approaches the camera asking “what are you taking a video of?” before showing the stains on his jersey and asking “me getting hit?”

The video also shows police officers talking to a Dragons fan afterwards.

“The Dragons condemn any such behaviour in the strongest terms and will assist the NRL in relation to any breaches of the NRL Spectator Code of Conduct,” a club statement read.

“The Dragons would like to sincerely apologise to the Bulldogs fan impacted by the incident. We will work with the Bulldogs to contact the fan and pass on our apologies directly.

“As a club, we want all fans, both home and away, to always feel safe at our games. Any behaviour that causes others not to feel safe will be acted upon.

“The Dragons would also like to stress that the behaviour of one individual should not detract from what was overall a very respectful sellout crowd with fans of both clubs supporting the match in a great spirit.”

South Sydney’s depth is being tested. This try will give fans hope

The weekend highlights from the NSW Cup will have South Sydney fans excited about what Bayleigh Bentley-Hape could do in his NRL debut this weekend.

The 25-year-old New Zealander is expected to be given the nod by coach Wayne Bennett to start on the left wing in place of the injured Tyrone Munro against St George Illawarra on Saturday.

Souths are still awaiting approval from the NRL to play Bentley-Hape, given he is only on a NSW Cup contract and is not part of the club’s top-30 roster.

The Rabbitohs’ depth on the left is being severely tested. Munro has suffered another collarbone injury, while long-term winger Alex Johnston is still on the comeback trail from a ruptured Achilles tendon and Haizyn Mellars has just returned from his own injury setback.

Bentley-Hape trained on the left wing at Heffron Park on Monday with Isaiah Tass moving to left centre for the suspended Jack Wighton. Campbell Graham and Fletcher Myers trained on the right, while Jamie Humphreys retained the halfback role ahead of English import Lewis Dodd.

Bentley-Hape scored a stunning 85-metre try against Manly on Saturday afternoon in South Sydney’s 22-20 NSW Cup win.

Bayleigh Bentley-Hape is set to make his NRL debut for the Rabbitohs on Saturday.Credit: Getty Images

Souths fullback Jye Gray had seen Bentley-Hape’s individual brilliance.

“He caught the ball, put in a grubber for himself and scored a length-of-the-field try,” Gray said. “It was some crazy stuff. He’s a great fella to go with it.”

Back-rower Keaon Koloamatangi was excellent in the win over the Dolphins on Friday when starting on the left edge and knows he will need to be on top of his game with Tass and Bentley-Hape combining on his outside for the first time.

Bentley-Hape spent several years in the Sydney Roosters’ junior system, including SG Ball, before being handed a contract with bitter rivals Souths for the 2023 season.

“If I don’t do my job, my whole edge crumbles – I need to make sure I do my job and help whoever is outside me,” Koloamatangi said.

“Me and ‘Codes’ [Cody Walker] are still there, and we’ll try to be that voice and physical presence on that left edge.”

Humphries has done more than enough to retain the No.7 jersey, while Dodd, who was brought to the club on a big-money deal from England, is set to return from suspension in reserve grade. Dodd wore a pink bib at the start of Monday’s session to protect his hand.

Latrell Mitchell hovered around training to help Gray at fullback, with the current No.1 unsure what happens once Mitchell returns from a hamstring injury.

“I’ll keep working hard and see what happens,” Gray said. “If I play reserve grade, I play reserve grade. I just need to take my opportunities with both hands and give it all I can.”

Crichton dodges ban for knee contact as teammate cops a shiner

Bulldogs captain Stephen Crichton will be free to lead his side at Belmore Oval after being served with an $1800 fine for collecting Dragons winger Christian Tuipulotu with his knees as he tried to save a try on Saturday.

Crichton and Canterbury back-rowers Jacob Preston and Jaeman Salmon were all put on report in the Bulldogs fiery 28-20 derby victory at Jubilee Stadium, though only Crichton and Preston were issued grade 1 dangerous contact charges by the Match Review Committee.

Both players will be free to play against the Titans next Sunday by paying monetary fines. Preston was charged for hitting Valentine Holmes off the ball in the first half.

Crichton’s slide into Tuipulotu resulted in a penalty try being awarded given the St George Illawarra flyer dropped the ball after Crichton’s illegal contact, which prompted a spray from Tuipulotu afterwards.

Crichton raised eyebrows as well when he left the field in the 71st minute due to severe cramps, but is not expected to be in any doubt for Canterbury’s round 2 return to Belmore.

Kurt Mann’s black eye.

Bulldogs utility Kurt Mann is also sporting an impressive black eye courtesy of incidental contact from Tuipulotu, which Mann provided an update on via social media on Sunday.

Dragons Emre Guler (hip drop) and Mat Feagai (dangerous contact) will not miss Saturday’s clash against South Sydney after they were issued $1800 and $1000 fines respectively out of the Bulldogs loss.

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