Saint, Sinner, Shoosh: NSW Blues coach Michael Maguire opens on Joseph-Aukoso Sua’ali’i State of Origin selection chances

Sporting lovebirds Mary Fowler and Nathan Cleary have reunited at a coffee shop in Cronulla before the Panthers’ game against the Sharks in the Shire. Meanwhile, Michael Maguire defends his selection of Joseph-Aukuso Sua’ali’i.

Joseph-Aukuso Sua'ali'i and Michael Maguire.

Blues coach Michael Maguire has defended his decision to hand a NSW Origin jersey to the rugby union-bound Joseph-Aukuso Sua’ali’i.

Breaking his silence on the debate over the Roosters star, Maguire insists it’s his job to pick the strongest possible line-up to beat Queensland – without any prejudice.

“Joseph has played rugby league since he was seven years old,” Maguire said.

“At the moment he’s playing the game that he’s loved for a long period of time.

“I’d have no problem picking him.”

Your columnist has been arguing for weeks that State of Origin jerseys should be kept for those committed long term to rugby league. The Roosters centre/winger has signed a $5 million rugby union deal for three years, making him the highest-paid footballer in Australia in any football code.

Joseph-Aukuso Sua'ali'i received strong backing from NSW coach Michael Maguire. Picture: AFP

And it’s not as if Maguire is short on options.

He has Brian To’o, Zac Lomax, Josh Addo-Carr or even the Bulldogs’ other winger Jacob Kiraz, who is in sensational form.

However, the Blues coach insists Sua’ali’i should – and will be – be a contender.

“Just because he’s going to rugby union doesn’t mean the Blues jersey doesn’t mean anything to him,” Maguire said.

“He’s passionate about representing his state.

“I’m living in the now.

“I want to pick the best available team. I want to win the series.

“I want everyone in NSW to be happy and proud of the team.”

* * * * *

SAINT

The manner in which Brad Arthur accepted his time was up at Parramatta. Like Jason Demetriou a few weeks back, Arthur has handled himself with class and composure. He is too good a coach not to get a start elsewhere.

SINNER

You’d think Triple M in Brisbane would have been all over Magic Round in their home city last weekend. Not so. On Saturday night they didn’t bother calling the Cowboys v Rabbitohs. Instead they covered an AFL game. Your columnist complained to Triple M’s Ben Dobbin, who didn’t seem to even care.

SHOOSH

Both the Knights and Roosters have strongly denied the latest rumour doing the rounds — that Kalyn Ponga could be headed to Sydney’s eastern suburbs — as the result of a contract problem with Newcastle.

A Queensland Paul Gallen number plate?

SPOTTED

Who said old NSW Blues warhorse Paul Gallen is hated north of the border? The man who spent his career baiting and infuriating Maroons players and fans now appears to have his name on a pink Queensland number plate that we spotted on the Gold Coast last week.

Or is it just a lady born in 1991?

SPOTTED

Sporting lovebirds Mary Fowler and Nathan Cleary have reunited at a coffee shop in Cronulla before the Panthers’ game against the Sharks in the Shire.

Fowler is back in town for the Matildas game against China at Accor Stadium on Monday week - a match that will attract a sellout crowd of more than 80,000.

The hugely popular Manchester City star was with Cleary ahead of the NRL match on Saturday night, which the Panthers star missed because he is still sidelined with a hamstring injury.

While Cleary attended the match, Fowler was en route to Adelaide where the Matildas go into camp ahead of their match against China on Friday night.

They were spotted at Nulla Nulla cafe in the main street of Cronulla.

Spotted: Mary Fowler and Cleary at Nulla cafe in Cronulla

Cleary has played just five games all year and has forced the Panthers’ medical staff to re-examine their approach to treating hamstring injuries.

“It’s been a great period of self reflection for myself and everyone involved, harnessing plenty of expert opinion, and targeted testing, and all of us re-setting as a medical and performance team to get Clez back on the park,” said Panthers head physio Peter Green.

“Clez is still in the early stages of getting full, pain-free movement and strength back, and letting the injury settle and heal. He’ll look to start some light, rehab running mid to late next week.”

SPOTTED

Veteran player agent Steve ‘Chimes’ Gillis having a discussion with St George-Illawarra coach Shane Flanagan over a coffee in Wollongong, no doubt discussing the future of off-contract middle forward Jack de Belin.

SPOTTED

Footy in the front row is a tough old game. It has cost Dolphins prop Mark Nicholls two of his front teeth. To hide it, Nicholls did an interview for the Matty Johns Show at Magic Round with his mouthguard in … until Nathan Hindmarsh asked him to remove it. And he did. The punters loved it.

Dolphins prop Mark Nicholls flashes his ‘toothy’ grin on live television. Credit: Fox Sports.

SHAKE-UP AFOOT AT BUNNIES’ WARREN

The South Sydney Rabbitohs have begun a senior management shake-up as a result of their trainwreck season.

Long-serving general manager Mark Ellison is the first major casualty – he will no longer be in charge of football operations.

Instead, Ellison will concentrate on recruitment.

Chief operating officer Brock Shaefer quit on the same day coach Jason Demetriou was sacked.

There has been some scuttlebutt around chief executive Blake Solly and his future as well.

Whether Solly can work alongside Sam Burgess, who is likely to return at some stage as Bennett’s assistant, is the big question.

But surely his job is safe for now.

“Like everyone at the club, I’m really excited about working with Wayne again,” Solly said.

“We had a lot of success last time he was here, and hopefully we can repeat that.”

Solly was also quick to praise Ellison, despite his apparent demotion.

“With Wayne joining us, and given his experience in the game, there will be a few changes,” Solly said.

Rabbitohs CEO Blake Solly has defended the club’s decision to move Head of Football Mark Ellison to a recruitment role. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)

“We won’t have a Head of Football, with Mark Ellison concentrating solely on recruitment and retention in a new role.

“Ello’s understanding of our club and its history is irreplaceable, and he is a huge asset to our recruitment of players.”

Souths have had a number of issues during the past 12 months, not just the team’s poor form.

There have been question marks around their high-performance area, none more so than in the case of Origin and Kangaroos centre Campbell Graham.

Graham fractured his sternum last year, but the club waited until February to send him to surgery. He would be playing now if he’d had the operation at the end of last season.

The fitness of a number of players has also been the subject of debate since the beginning of the season.

A-LEAGUE KICKS $2M OWN GOAL

The A-League is dying a slow and painful death.

Clubs are going broke; crowds, sponsorship and TV ratings are all down.

And it missed a golden opportunity to bring $2 million of extra revenue into the game.

The grand final between the Central Coast Mariners and Melbourne Victory was played at the 20,000-capacity Central Coast Stadium.

This match would have attracted 40,000 fans at Allianz Stadium in Moore Park, and hundreds of thousands of dollars more in corporate suite opportunities.

The people in charge of the A-League basically locked out 20,000 fans.

It is also a huge lost opportunity for NSW tourism in that more than 10,000 Victory fans would have flown into town, booking hotel rooms and restaurants, had tickets been available.

Central Coast locals are no doubt rapt to be playing at home.

Gosford is their fortress. They love it.

Yet the game should be bigger than that.

To survive in this country, the A-League needs to think a lot smarter.

It needs to make the most of every financial opportunity like a grand final.

It needs to put as many bums on seats, and as many corporates into suites as it possibly can.

Otherwise the A-League will die.

It’s wonderful to have all the excitement around the Matildas, but it means nothing for the future of the A-League.

LEICHHARDT FUNDING A HEAD-SCRATCHER

Premier Chris Minns’ government will contribute $10 million to help save Leichhardt Oval.

The money, together with federal and inner west council funding, will bring rugby league’s most famous old suburban ground and its facilities up to scratch to continue to host NRL games.

Yet it’s an interesting one in that Venues NSW – run by the Minns government – is trying to do a deal with Wests Tigers to drag them across to play home games at CommBank in Parramatta.

That’s why CEO Shane Richardson was their guest at the recent Anzac Day game.

So the question needs to be asked … why spend the $10 million on Leichhardt if you want Wests to play at a major stadium?

It doesn’t make any sense.

Erin Molan, Isaac Heeney, Jana Hocking and Dave Hughes

LAST LAUGH TO MOLAN

After a week of blazing publicity around the treatment of women at Channel 9, it’s interesting to note how well former journalist, presenter and Footy Show host Erin Molan has performed since leaving the network.

Molan was also treated appallingly by network bosses, who sat back and did nothing about Andrew Johns and his refusal to work alongside the presenter.

Molan has been going gangbusters since leaving Nine, both on breakfast radio and on Sky News.

Her Sky News program has been the network’s highest-rating Friday show for three straight weeks.

SUPER COOPER TO HAUNT TIGERS

We reported in this column last year how the Wests Tigers had lost an outstanding young prop
from their Campbelltown juniors to Melbourne Storm.

Teenager Cooper Clarke won player of the tournament at the Queensland schoolboys titles last week on the Gold Coast.

According to his player agent Luke Lombardi, Wests Tigers showed no interest in signing him. Absolutely none.

Former Wests Tigers junior Cooper Clarke won player of the tournament at the Queensland Schoolboys titles last week. Credit: Supplied.

Since his performances on the Gold Coast, five NRL clubs have contacted Lombardi in regards to the 17-year-old prop, who is at Caloundra High on the Sunshine Coast.

They say he has a motor like Payne Haas, and is fast and mobile.

He is probably 18 months off becoming an NRL player.

And Isaiah Papali’i has quit to join the Penrith Panthers.

The Wests Tigers are in a real mess with recruitment from their NRL squad to junior pathways.

There is also talk the likes of John Bateman, David Klemmer and Jayden Sullivan will be encouraged to look for opportunities elsewhere, despite being under contract.

COUGH UP, ALBO

Venues NSW chairman David Gallop was spotted deep in conversation with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at Accor Stadium on Friday.

The PM was hosting his annual PM’s luncheon at Homebush in front of a crowd of more than 500 people as he gets ready for an election.

We wonder if Gallop put the ask on Albo for a little more than the PM’s $20 million pledge for Leichhardt Oval, to spend at the home of the NRL grand final?

COOK UNFAIRLY FRIED

Rabbitohs star Damien Cook has copped plenty of flak over his form this year in a struggling and injury-riddled South Sydney outfit.

At one stage he was even dropped to NSW Cup by recently sacked coach Jason Demetriou.

A lot of this criticism of Cook has just been unfair.

At Magic Round last weekend he was exactly that.

Cook – a hooker by trade – played 50 minutes at lock against the Cowboys.

He did everything but take kick-off returns off the back fence. He scored a try and made four tackle busts.

Cook had also filled in at fullback and in the centres.

The Rabbitohs have far bigger problems this year than the 32-year-old hooker’s contributions.

Rabbitohs star Damien Cook has copped plenty of criticism for his form so far in 2024. Credit: NRL Images.

BENNY BACKFLIP FEARS

No wonder the Rabbitohs were nervous about Wayne Bennett doing a possible late backflip to join the Parramatta Eels.

Back in 2019, Wests Tigers were confident they’d secured Bennett’s signature to replace Ivan Cleary, before he pulled out and joined the Rabbitohs.

They say a Bennett deal is never over the line until he has put pen to paper.

TRELL’S KITCHEN

Latrell Mitchell loves good Asian food and a flash restaurant.

Last week he was at Chin Chin in Surry Hills where he finished up on the footpath in a verbal disagreement with NRL 360 host Braith Anasta.

On Thursday afternoon the Rabbitohs superstar was in a much calmer mood over lunch with his great mate Jack Wighton at Mr Wong.

Originally published as Saint, Sinner, Shoosh: NSW Blues coach Michael Maguire opens on Joseph-Aukoso Sua’ali’i State of Origin selection chances