Sport Confidential: Board rivalry to decide Craig Young’s Dragons future
With pressure mounting on Craig Young to stand down, details on how his future at the Dragons will play out can be revealed.
St George Illawarra chairman Craig Young is under increasing pressure to stand down following his decision to use a club letter head to support Brett Finch.
It is understood Young’s matter will come to a head – potentially as early as next week – with a push from those within the St George Illawarrra board for Young to step aside.
He has lost the support of some on his own board. The decision won’t be a matter for the Dragons board though – instead the St George side of the joint venture will decide Young’s fate. The Dragons board is split between WIN and St George representatives. Young has close allies on the St George side.
An emergency board meeting of the St George District Club is expected to be called and club insiders are of the belief that Young will make the decision to walk away.
The club has faced a significant backlash from some of its major backers while fans have also vented their frustrations. Young has admitted the error of his ways.
His chairmanship will formally end next month as part of a 12-month rotation. WIN chief executive Andrew Lancaster will replace Young as chairman.
Former St George Illawarra skipper Ben Creagh will also join the board as one of St George’s representatives.
Young’s would-be replacement would come from the St George side and join ex-chief executive Peter Doust on the board.
SONS OF PANTHERS LEGENDS UNITE AT ROOSTERS
A Fittler and an Alexander playing for the Roosters?
Well it will happen after the Roosters signed the sons of two of Penrith’s favourite sons – three decades after they led the Panthers to their first premiership.
Greg Alexander’s son Braith, 19, will join the Roosters on a one-year contract next year. Braith will link with their Jersey Flegg team as he looks to follow in his father’s footsteps and crack it into first grade.
Braith featured in Penrith’s Harold Matthews and SG Ball teams and played alongside Penrith first graders Sunia Turuva and Izack Tago last year. He is a half/hooker.
Fittler’s son Zach recently made headlines after steamrolling a defender while playing for NSW in the under-16 national rugby championships.
He played in the Roosters’ under-17 Harold Matthews squad this year and has been named in the club’s squad again for next season.
GRANT’S HEADS UP ON MUNSTER MOVE
Kangaroos and Melbourne teammate Harry Grant has revealed that Cameron Munster gave him a heads-up before he confirmed he would take up a lucrative deal to stay at the Storm.
Munster kept most people guessing until moments before he stepped on the plane to join the Kangaroos at the World Cup in England. Grant, however, was one of the few exceptions.
“He let me know – it was only a little bit before,” Grant said.
“I think it is great news for him, for us as a group, for our team. The way he carried himself this year, he is so influential on myself. He was very powerful, the way he trained, the way he was around the club and the way he performed.
“That was part of the reason I re-signed – Paps (Ryan Papenhuyzen], Jahrome [Hughes] and at the time I thought Munny was going to stay.
“I always had that faith and we got there in the end.”
Grant didn’t put any extra pressure on Munster. He was happy for the Storm superstar to take his time and move at his own pace.
“I was just happy to let him make his own decision and do what was best for him,” Grant said.
“You make a list of sacrifices when you are playing footy and living down in Melbourne.
“You leave your family behind – a lot of families are in NSW and Queensland. He has made a lot of sacrifices over the years so it was up to him to make a decision and I think he has made the right one.”
ROBINSON SETS GAME PLAN TO TAKE DOWN SUAALII
France head of football Trent Robinson insists he will never take his Sydney Roosters hat off as he prepares to put together a game plan to stop Samoa and their teenage sensation Joseph Suaalii this weekend.
Robinson has been charged with helping turn France into a force in the lead-up to the 2025 World Cup but before then, they have the chance to qualify for the quarterfinals of this year’s tournament.
Their game against Samoa will decide who heads into the knockout rounds. It means Robinson will be forced to come up with a plan to help put the clamps on Suaalii, the Roosters star who ran for more than 200 metres last weekend against Greece.
It brings back memories of when Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy was forced to coach against the Storm’s big three – Cameron Smith, Billy Slater and Cooper Cronk – in State of Origin.
Bellamy found it difficult and Robinson concedes there are challenges inherent in coaching against your own players – he coached against Victor Radley when he played for England last weekend.
“It was Rads on the weekend and then Joey this week,” Robinson said.
“I will never take a Roosters hat off. I think people know by now that is my home and I love the club. But I have a French shirt on at the moment and our thing is to tactically win.
“I will never reduce one of our players to where there is any disrespect there. But if there are holes that I haven’t coached in there, then I should coach against that and then go and fix that when I go back to Roosters training.”
Robinson kept a close eye on Suaalii’s performance against Greece – the talented teen was criticised after a tough start to the tournament against England.
“I felt like he improved a lot from week one to week two,” Robinson said.
“It wasn’t based on opposition – it was based on a lot of his positioning. I felt like he grew a lot from one week to the next.
“I was looking at him quite intently about his positioning to look if there was anything we could look at.”
JAMAICANS CAUSE A STIR
Our international rugby league spies have revealed that a woman was so overcome by excitement at Jamaica’s first try at the World Cup, she gave birth at Hull last weekend.
Rugby League International Federation officials confirmed the good news, which came as Jamaica opened their account against powerhouse New Zealand.
Jamaica fullback Ben Jones-Bishop became part of rugby league history when he scored the first try in history for the Reggae Warriors.
No confirmation yet on whether the child was named after Jamaica’s history maker.
FORWARDS TAKE TEE-RIFFIC WIN FOR ROOS
Good mates Reagan Campbell-Gillard and Isaah Yeo took the honours as the Kangaroos hit the golf courses in Edinburgh following their win over Scotland last weekend.
Halfback Nathan Cleary confirmed the pair prevailed – and let everyone know about it.
“It kills me but Reg and Yowie won,” Cleary said.
“I was quite disappointed with that. Yowie is the one who lets me know about it. We have a running battle over whether we can get one over each other.
“Unfortunately he is up now. I played with Val (Valentine Holmes). We played well but didn’t putt well.”
HILLS’ WORLD CUP APPEARANCE NO JOKE
Also in attendance at Kangaroos training was comedian Adam Hills, who is in England as a member of the Australian side for the Physical Disability World Cup.
Hills is a rabid South Sydney and rugby league fan.
“I started playing for the Warrington Wolves disability team in 2017,” Hills said.
“I didn’t know there was a physical disability rugby league in Sydney. Someone tweeted me about it so I contacted the Sydney guys and said can I support it, can I publicise it and when I am in town, can I play.
“They said well why don’t you contact Warrington. So I was straight on the phone. I have been playing ever since and now I am playing for Australia.
“To then do something like today where we are watching the Australian team as well. Someone asked me after all I have done in comedy, how does this compare.
“I said this is ridiculous. I can’t believe after everything I have done in my career that I can still have moments like this.”
When Hills was three years old, his father brought a red and green rabbit into the hospital. He has been a South Sydney tragic ever since.
He has been a Godsend to the Australian physical disability team, helping fund their trip to England for the World Cup.
They have already played two games against England and New Zealand. They made a tough start, copping a hiding from an England team that has the support of the RFL.
The Australian side is largely doing it on their own, something Hills would like to see change.
“What it has shown is the difference when the governing body get involved,” Hills said.
“The PDL in Australia has been set up separate to the NRL. Hopefully us being over here and getting a bit of publicity, they will jump in and see the value of it.”
HAGAN’S CULT FOLLOWING
Kangaroos assistant coach Michael Hagan is a legend at Halifax, the club where he scored 125 points in 92 appearances during two separate spells.
Two of his former team-mates Tony Anderson and John Fieldhouse were special guests at Australian training on Wednesday night (AEDT).
SHEENS’ SECRET MEETING WITH MOSES
Wests Tigers are preparing to launch a bid to bring Mitchell Moses back to the club after coach Tim Sheens held a secret meeting with the Parramatta star in the UK.
The Tigers veteran mentor also met with John Bateman with the English second-rower keen on returning to the NRL.
Sheens was in England to sort some personal business and advising the Italian team at the World Cup. He did not waste the opportunity to catch up with Moses who is playing for Lebanon.
Moses will become one of the highest profile free agents to hit the market come Tuesday and the Tigers have made it clear they want to bring Moses back to the club.
They will be prepared to offer mega money topping $1 million which would make Moses one of the highest-paid players in the competition.
The meeting was orchestrated by Tigers great Robbie Farah who has rekindled his relationship with Moses as part of the Lebanon set-up.
The push to land a marquee half will cast uncertainty around the future of co-captain Adam Doueihi. The Tigers are in no rush to re-sign Doueihi.
Sheens is adamant Luke Brooks won’t be released from the final 12 months of his deal and could lead to a Moses/Brooks and Sheens reunion at the Tigers in 2024.
Bateman’s six-figure transfer fee from his current club Wigan is also proving problematic.
The Tigers are expected to rekindle their interest in Newcastle prop David Klemmer after Spencer Leniu indicated to Penrith he would see out the final 12 months of his contract.
Farah will play an increasing role at the Tigers joining Sheens and Benji Marshall’s revamped coaching staff.
He has taken a leading role with Lebanon which has prompted Michael Cheika to declare he sees a long-term coach in Farah.
“I think he is learning,” Cheika said.
“In fairness, I am being not hard on him, but trying to iron out a few things. I think he has the knowledge of the game and [head coach] Tim Sheens will be invaluable to him — from what I hear about him [Sheens[ he is an unbelievably smart person around the game.
“I am sure he will teach those guys how to transition from being a smart player to a coach because it is very different. You see things in a way that other guys don’t.
“He will need the education. I can see he is already starting to change. His demeanour around players and how he prepares for training — he will take time to learn but if he is open to learning new things, he will go well.”
FLASHBACK
Australia flexed their World Cup muscles on this day five years ago. The Kangaroos beat the Wayne Bennett-coached English side 18-4 in the World Cup opener in Melbourne in front of 22,724 people. Prop David Klemmer was Australia’s best.
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