The NRL Agenda: Battle for spoon, Ricky on Blues future, honeymoon over for Gould and Ciraldo?

The Brad Fittler era at the NSW Blues could be coming to an end, and the man earmarked as a potential replacement has given fans a look at what might come next.

Ricky Stuart. Picture: Getty Images

The three-way battle for the wooden spoon is about to heat up, NSW fans get a glimpse of what the Blues could look like under Ricky Stuart and the NSW Blues snub that has gone under the radar.

Here are some of the major talking points ahead of this weekend’s NRL action.

RICKY’S BLUES

NSW fans potentially got a glimpse of what the post Brad Fittler era could look like when Canberra coach Ricky Stuart revealed what direction he believes the Blues should be heading after this series.

Fittler is in a battle to save his job as Blues, and already Stuart has been earmarked as a potential replacement in 2024.

Is Ricky Stuart the next Blues coach? Picture: Brendon Thorne/Getty Images

Stuart, who coached the side in 2005 and 2011-2012, believes the Blues toughness has abandoned NSW in recent years.

“It’s not fantasy league. It’s not about giving people a start for an opportunity. It’s about giving people a position for the future. You can’t select and hope,” Stuart said on ABC.

“You’ve got to be confident in what you want to select, confident in what direction you want to go in and pick a football team that is tough enough to play Origin.

“It’s not about the best players in the game, it’s about the toughest players that can play Origin football.

“It’s a completely different game of football to playing NRL.

“Some people are made for it and NSW have seen now there are some people who have shown they can’t do it.”

TAGO IS A BLUE IN WAITING

Softly spoken Penrith centre Izack Tago is quickly, and now not so quietly, emerging as one of the best centres in the NRL.

If he continues on the same trajectory Tago could be the best centre in the game.

And if the NSW Blues are looking to the future, Tago has to be in Origin conversation.

It’s easy for Tago to go under the radar in Penrith outfit oozing star power.

But anyone who has watched Tago closely enough over the last two years would know his powerhouse performance against Melbourne wasn’t an anomaly, and has the potential to be the standard week-in-week out.

Izack Tago leaves Melbourne’s Harry Grant in his wake on the way to a try. Picture: Getty Images

Tago scored a double, made two linebreaks, 13 tackle busts and 106 metres against the Storm.

The week before, it was 258 run meters and 10 tackle busts against Newcastle.

If the difference between Blues selection or not was an 80-minute performance over the weekend than surely Tago’s blockbuster showing against Melbourne rated higher than Bradman Best’s against a hapless Canterbury side.

Penrith are onto something good with Tago, will the Blues hierarchy have enough smarts to notice?

HONEYMOON OVER FOR GOULD, CIRALDO?

Cameron Ciraldo and Phil Gould have earned the right to a honeymoon period as the rebuild at Belmore begins, the question will be just how much grace will passionate Bulldogs fans give the duo to deliver results?

Newcastle put 66 points on Canterbury and there could be another month of bloodletting thanks to a rough draw with clashes against South Sydney, Brisbane and Penrith.

The vocal cords of passionate Bulldogs fans could be about to get a good workout.

For now, the rest of this season will be about damage control and avoiding a wooden spoon.

From the recruitment drive, to the brightest rookie coach and one of the best brains in the league in Gould, Canterbury have ticked the right boxes, still, there could be more pain on the way.

The future feels a lot more uncertain for a club that has finally found some stability.

Phil Gould’s rebuild at the Bulldogs has hit a snag. Picture: Damian Shaw

Coach Ciraldo and Gould have a halves conundrum to solve.

They recruited Matt Burton and Reed Mahoney but need a big scalp at halfback.

The young side, and spine in particular, need an experienced head like Ben Hunt at the helm.

The forward pack needs some venom.

With likes David Fifita and Tino Fa’asuamaleaui seemingly hitting the market, there’s a chance for Gould to make some immediate moves.

The days of political infighting at board level are over, the club secured Ciraldo, nabbed Gould and signed the likes of Mahoney and Viliame Kikau.

Coach Cameron Ciraldo is enduring a rough season at the Bulldogs. Picture: NRL Photos

But still, the Bulldogs are languishing.

Re-building NRL clubs after years of dysfunction takes time. There is no magic pill, or quick fix.

It’s a lesson Tigers and Dragons fans should take from the Bulldogs as their own embattled clubs try to turn the corner.

There will be pain, potentially years of it even after getting your house in order. Ciraldo will be hoping fans give him as much patience as he is asking from them.

THREE-WAY SPOON BATTLE HEATS UP

Round 19 is shaping as the weekend that truly exposes the gulf between the best teams and the not so good sides.

The Bulldogs and the Tigers conceded a combined 140 points against sides outside of the top eight.

Third placed Cronulla did a number on Dragons too, running 52 points.

Worryingly for fans of all three sides, the Bulldogs, Dragons and Tigers will all line-up against top eight sides this week.

Another bloodbath is on the cards.

The ability to bounce back this week shapes as a prelude to round 21 when the Tigers take Dragons in what is likely to be the spoon bowl.

Before then the Tigers have to find something to play for if they are any hope of avoiding a hiding at the hands of Cronulla on Thursday night.

If that ‘something’ is not the jumper or pride, than it has to be the fans.

It’s a similar story for the Dragons, who will be without Ben Hunt against the Raiders.

Will Newcastle backflip on Bradman Best contract move? Picture: Getty Images

MARKET WATCH - BRADMAN BEST

Newcastle is said to be open to moving Bradman Best on from next year but there just might be some Olympic level backflips happening at the Knights right now.

Best’s powerful performance against the Bulldogs has turned him into an Origin player and no doubt put him on the radar of rival outfits.

But should the Knights resist a re-think based on Blues call-up?

His salary is set to jump to around $700,000 next season, a price the Knights are seemingly reluctant to pay for Best, who does have the tendency to be a rocks or diamonds type player.

A strong Blues debut, and run home for the Knights, could yet prove Best is actually more diamond than rocks.

But at $700,000 a season, that’s an expensive bet.

Originally published as The NRL Agenda: Battle for spoon, Ricky on Blues future, honeymoon over for Gould and Ciraldo?