Saint, Sinner, Shoosh: NRL has gone too far in protecting referees

The NRL gone too far in seeking to silence legitimate criticism of refereeing blunders, the next Konstas v Bumrah battle in Australia is booked, another 10-year NRL deal in the works and more in Saint, Sinner, Shoosh.

The NRL is doing everything to protect referees and Bunker officials this year. Appointments are no longer announced before the games. Coaches have been gagged.

Graham Annesley’s weekly briefings, in which he often had to apologise for errors, have been abolished.

That coaches are not allowed to comment on an appalling bunker blunder like the disallowed Moses Leota try (see the video above) on Thursday night is so wrong.

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SAINT

The prospect of Peter V’landys quitting Racing NSW to focus solely on the NRL. When he started in rugby league in 2018, 11 of the NRL clubs were losing a combined $60 million. Now they are all making a profit. The game is flying. However, there are some huge challenges ahead in regards to the next TV broadcast deal and expansion, and keeping the PVL/Andrew Abdo combination together is vitally important.

ARLC chairman Peter V'landys and NRL CEO Andrew Abdo at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada.

SINNER

The Daly Cherry-Evans saga. When is the NRL going to act on this madness? Surely we need to introduce a transfer window over four months – from October through to the end of January. The fans are over it. Stuff the RLPA and Clint Newton, who will whinge about it. There are not many things the AFL does better than us, but it does have player-movement rules that are far better than in rugby league … like a 10-day October transfer window.

BANNED

This column is now a George and Jim Kambosos-free zone. The boxer and his father/manager join some illustrious company – tennis brats Nick Kyrgios and Bernard Tomic and, of course, the UFC. Your columnist is completely over Jim Kambosos and his foul-mouth, f-bomb text messages, talking trash and absolute rubbish about my media colleagues, and his threats of violence to others on social media. He has officially been given life.

SHOOSH

Which NRL coach has blocked the number of a veteran reporter over a recent misunderstanding.

SHOOSH

Which highly promising NRL rookie is having difficulties at his club and could be on the move? This is potentially a big story we are monitoring closely.

A Manly superstar is missing from this official calendar. Credit: Supplied.

SPOTTED

Manly sure knew in advance that Daly Cherry-Evans would not be at Brookvale beyond this year. It probably explains why his photo was not used on the front of the 2025 calendar. Instead, they went for Tom and Jake Trbojevic, Reuben Garrick and Haumole Olakau’atu.

SPOTTED

The Sydney Roosters star riding his electric scooter across Moore Park Rd after training on Thursday without a helmet. We shall not name him, but instead remind him of the rule on the Transport NSW website: “You must wear an approved bicycle helmet that is securely fitted and fastened at all times.”

SPOTTED

There is a very good reason Eloise Sohier won’t be working the sidelines for Fox Sports this weekend, or for the next few weeks – she got married on Friday in the Southern Highlands. Eloise and new hubby Anthony are off overseas for their honeymoon. Fox Sports boss Steve Crawley and presenter Sam Squires were among the guests.

Fox Sports presenter Eloise Sohier got hitched recently. Credit: Instagram.

BIG BREKKY

Catch you on the Weekend Big Sports Breakfast at 9.40am with host Ray Thomas and Dean ‘Bulldog’ Ritchie to discuss all things rugby league.

KONSTAS V BUMRAH ON ITS WAY

There is no showdown in Test cricket as spicy or as dramatic as Sam Konstas v Jasprit Bumrah.

And we all thought we’d have to wait years to see the young Aussie opener against the world’s best bowler again on Australian soil. Not so.

It could be on again later this year – the ramp shots, the quickfire 60, the sledging – and even the mid-pitch shoulder charge from Bumrah’s buddy Virat Kohli!

We can reveal Cricket Australia has done a deal to bring India back for an ODI and T20 series.

It could well be the greatest summer of cricket of all time with an Ashes series plus the Indian team for limited overs games.

Good luck getting a ticket – it will be a summer of sellouts.

All we need now is for Konstas to make the Aussie team.

His battle with the great Bumrah on Boxing Day in Melbourne was off-the-charts tension and excitement.

The teenager on debut showed absolutely no respect for arguably the greatest fast bowler of all-time. Now all we need is for the selectors to pick him in the Australian XI.

We won’t have to wait long for another battle between Sam Konstas and Jasprit Bumbrah. Credit: David Gray.

DEAL OF THE DECADE

Knights recruitment boss Peter O’Sullivan revealed his plans in this column last week to lock down superstar Kalyn Ponga on a lifetime deal.

Penrith Panthers are ready to do the same with the world’s best player, Nathan Cleary.

I asked Panthers boss Brian Fletcher if the club would offer the champion halfback a 10-year deal that would be way more lucrative than even Dylan Brown’s $13 million Newcastle contract.

“Nathan’s definitely a footballer you would sign for a decade,” Fletcher said.

“I would say the board would look at it very, very favourably.

“You’d add seven years to the three years on his current contract.

“We’ll be respectful and sit down with Nathan and his manager at the appropriate time. His management will let us know when they’re ready.”

There’s no question that Cleary, 27, could play into his late thirties.

The danger for Penrith is that he comes off contract in 2027 when PNG and another new club will enter the competition looking for a player of his calibre to be the face of the organisation.

“I think he’s going to be a one-club player,” Fletcher said.

“The board and our management are not going to let the best player in the world go.

“The salary cap will increase with the next TV deal and we’ll look at it then.”

Nathan Cleary was a helpless onlooker during the Panthers’ loss to South Sydney on Friday. Credit: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images.

ROO TOUR FROG HOP

The end-of-season Kangaroo tour could include a warm-up game in France.

Coach Mal Meninga is in talks with Roosters coach Trent Robinson, who has strong connections in French rugby league.

The tour dates have been finalised for three Ashes Test matches in England:

# First Test – Saturday, October 25, Wembley Stadium, London 

# Second Test – Saturday, November 1, Everton Stadium, Liverpool 

# Third Test – Saturday, November 8, Headingley Stadium, Leeds

The Kangaroo tour could not be happening at a better time for struggling UK Super League clubs that desperately need the injection of funds that the Test matches create.

DON’T BOTHER ON BELLYACHE

We’re fast-approaching the annual speculation-time stories around the future of Melbourne Storm supercoach Craig Bellamy and whether he will go around again next year.

Those closest to the great man in the Victorian capital insist he has never been happier in the job.

That if another club comes knocking on his door – like the Parramatta Eels did last year and the Cronulla Sharks did in 2021 – that he will decline.

Bellamy is now 65 and has been in charge at Storm for 23 years.

No coach in the history of the game has a record of sustained success and taking his teams to finals footy as consistently as the no-fuss super coach.

He has missed the finals just once – in 2010, when Melbourne were stripped of all its competition points for rorting the salary cap from 2006 to 2010.

One day the club will need to plan for life after him – but it’s unlikely to be anytime soon.

SHARKS’ HOME TRUTH

Cronulla Sharks Leagues club closed in 2019 for the Woolooware site redevelopment.

Six years later it still sits there as an empty shell.

Previous management in 2011 agreed to a deal with the developer without a sunset clause and/or finish date. Fit-out costs have risen substantially from the original budget.

Chairman Steve Mace spoke about the club’s frustrations at last week’s AGM.

“We are dealing with complex legal, financial and operational considerations,” he said.

“We all want the club open ASAP but we will not do so at the expense of commercial risk or long-term stability.”

And the next issue for the Sharks is the future of their home ground, Shark Park.

Because right now it is barely fit to be hosting NRL games.

THE BETTER HALF – with Alexandra Tszyu, wife of boxer Tim Tszyu

Australian boxer Tim Tszyu (R) celebrates with his partner Alexandra Constantine following his victory over USA's Tony Harrison. Picture: Saeed Khan

What’s it been like dealing with Tim in fight camp?

Having a partner in a fight camp is like being a married widow – I attend weddings, christenings and dinners alone – there’s no Mr Tszyu during camp (except for in my heart).

Is he easier or harder to deal with than normal?

When he’s cutting carbs, he is a delight to be around … I’m being sarcastic. He gets hangry,
put it that way.

How often do you see him, and what are some of the things you guys do when he is locked in?

Now he is in camp in Sydney, we see each other daily – aside from when I need to go into the office for work; we are passing ships in the night. This camp we have been going to Cronulla after dinner, walking past Anita Gelato and talking about how many scoops and which flavourings we will enjoy post-fight.

Do you enjoy watching his fights?

It’s an unreal experience. The atmosphere is unpredictable. My favourite part, being a girl, is picking the perfect outfit. We take things very seriously around here …

Fighting in Newcastle next Sunday, does that almost feel like a second home for the two of you? Lots of family history in Tszyucastle?

I’ll never forget the mullet-cam I witnessed last time I was at Newcastle. That memory always brings a smile to my face. Australia is so good. Newcastle has embraced Tim, and the atmosphere is a great resemblance of the Aussie spirit. It’s so rewarding how much the community gets behind Tim as well.

Take us back ... where did the two of you meet?

We met at Tim’s gym down at PCYC Rockdale just after his first professional fight (December 2016). One of my girlfriends, who he grew up with, took me along to a class there. He was running the gym at the time and was taking the class I was doing. I developed a really close relationship with him after that.

First date?

We played arcade games at Timezone, then had a late meal at Cosmopolitan Café in Double Bay. Tim said he thought I was trying to impress him by taking him there … but they seriously had the best schnitzel and mash going for years.

What chores does he do around the house?

He just brings the chaos.

Does he have weird superstitions you can tell us?

He does, but I can’t tell you them …

What about his intensity, does he bring it home?

No, definitely not – Tim is a cool cat.

Does he let you win board games or refuse to lose?

I let Tim win so he feels better… just kidding. He’s extremely competitive.