Saint, Sinner, Shoosh: Andrew Fifita on $18,000 a minute
Craig Gower finished in front in the 2003 Dally M Medal, but the NRL claims there is insufficient evidence to award it to him. All the latest NRL chatter and more.
NRL
Don't miss out on the headlines from NRL. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Cronulla Sharks front-rower Andrew Fifita has become one of the most overpaid players in rugby league history.
We can today reveal Fifita has earnt an outrageous $18,064 per minute in the NRL this year for 31 minutes of football – 15 tackles and 95 metres.
This is the sort of money that would even make an English Premier League superstar blush.
Between rounds one and nine the 31-year-old front-rower played for Newtown but got suspended for three weeks for a crusher tackle.
He played 18 minutes in Round 10 of the NRL against the Rabbitohs, did his hamstring and missed two games.
Stream selected Fox League shows on Kayo Freebies completely free this June including NRL 360, Sunday Night with Matty Johns, Big League Wrap & more. No Credit Card. No Brainer. Register Free Now >
In round 14 against the Panthers he was hooked after 13 minutes for giving away a crucial penalty.
Now he has been dropped again.
Fifita is on $850,000-a-year at the Sharks. He has been paid approximately $560K this year for 31 minutes of first grade.
That’s $18,060 per minute played.
This is the same player who recently slammed former coach John Morris as ‘disrespectful.’ For simply asking him to think about his future last year.
Incoming coach Craig Fitzgibbon has a big call to make.
Fifita is not up for the new demands and mobility required by front-rowers under new rules. He is again on $850,000 next year. No other clubs are interested.
There is a hard call that needs to be made.
SAINT
The Mark Hughes Foundation and the wonderful Beanie For Brain Cancer fundraising activity. Celebrity publican Stu Laundy joined Mark Hughes, Billy Peden and others on a walk from the NRL to Terrigal on Thursday. The Foundation has raised more $20m to fund research into a cure for brain cancer.
SINNER
The NRL’s adjudication of foul play. Parramatta forward Isaiah Papalii deliberately knees a defenceless rival lying on the ground and in the head. It happens at a time when there is a focus on concussion and head knocks. He gets off with a $1500 fine. It is a complete disgrace Papalii is free to play against the Bulldogs this weekend.
SHOOSH
Which NRL referee is posting videos of himself on his social media where he is shirtless and singing while strumming a guitar. True story.
SHOOSH
Which retired old jockey was spotted at the TAB at The Star casino on Wednesday morning putting what looked to be tens of thousands of dollars on Justis Huni to beat Paul Gallen?
SHOOSH
Trent Robinson has three premierships in nine years at the Roosters to sit alongside Craig Bellamy as the best coaches in the game. For some weird reason NRL players disagree. In a poll of 100 players in Nine newspapers, Bellamy (30%), Ivan Cleary (26%) and Wayne Bennett (13%) were the top three. Robinson (7%) and Nathan Brown (6%) were next best. Robbo’s rating – just 1 per cent higher than Brown – makes a complete sham of the poll.
SHOOSH
The Roosters are about to sign yet another big name … this time a female. We are hearing superstar Jillaroo Jessica Sergis will quit the Dragons and head to Bondi Junction.
SPOTTED
Paul Gallen demolishing a huge burger and a block of chocolate for lunch on Thursday in the Shire – his first takeaway in the eight weeks he prepared for the Justis Huni fight.
SPOTTED
Rabbitohs skipper Adam Reynolds exploring the real estate market in Brisbane over the weekend after the Thursday-night match against his new club the Broncos.
SPOTTED
Joey Johns and many of his old Newcastle Knights teammates having a beer at the Clovelly Hotel on Wednesday afternoon. Billy Peden, Mark Hughes and others were in town for the launch of the Beanie For Brain Cancer round.
DALLY M BLOW FOR PANTHERS LEGEND
The NRL has slammed the door closed on retrospectively awarding the 2003 Dally M Medal to former Penrith Panthers star Craig Gower.
Gower missed out on the game’s most prestigious award because of an RLPA industrial campaign and boycott.
The NRL claims to have conducted an independent review of the voting and found there was insufficient direct evidence to justify Gower being awarded the medal.
This is despite News Corp, who ran the award in 2003, reporting he had finished in front.
The Gower decision was made at the last meeting of the independent commission but kept in-house.
NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo is refusing to hand over a copy of the independent report to The Sunday Telegraph, which is poor form for an organisation that often boasts about its transparency.
MARGINAL SEAT WILL BENEFIT PANTHERS
It always pays to have a state government minister in a swinging seat. Stuart Ayres’ electorate in Penrith has jumped to the front of the queue for a new stadium for the Penrith Panthers.
It would hold 25,000 fans and be like a mini-Bankwest. There were concerns about Ayres holding on to the seat before the last election.
Now there is a potential redistribution of the seat it becomes even more marginal.
The Manly Sea Eagles are in a safe northern beaches Liberal area. This is why Brookvale Oval, which needs upgrading more than any other venue, has been stalled.
Brookvale, or Four Pines Park as it is now known, is a dump. It needs to be bulldozed far more urgently than the perfectly good venue at Penrith … but there is an election in 2023.
Boyd Cordner & Jake Friend forced into early retirement. Ryan Papenhuyzen (5 weeks), Wade Graham (6+ weeks), Ryan Matterson (4 weeks) & Liam Knight (5 weeks) missing significant time. 2021 will see more games missed due to concussion in 14 rounds than any entire season previously
— NRL PHYSIO (@nrlphysio) June 14, 2021
CRACKDOWN PROVES A ZERO
The NRL’s high-tackle crackdown since Magic Round has had zero effect on concussion numbers.
NRL Physio Brien Seeney said the stats had actually gone up.
Between rounds one and nine, there was an average of 0.58 failed Head Injury Assessments (HIA) per game.
Since Magic Round it has risen to 0.67 – further proof the NRL rushed in without proper research.
No amount of spin from head office will convince fans otherwise.
CURFEW MAY HAVE BEEN BEST DEFENCE
One of the boxers on the Paul Gallen-Justis Huni undercard had to convince a magistrate to vary his bail conditions so he could fight in Darling Harbour on Wednesday night.
Alex Hanan is living under a strict court-ordered curfew after being charged with destroying or damaging property and common assault.
His bail conditions restricted him from leaving home between 11.30pm and 5am.
This was a major problem as he was fighting fierce Russian middleweight rival Andrei Mikhailovich in a sport that traditionally goes late into the night.
Bail conditions were varied in Liverpool court on the morning of the fight. Hanan had to find an ‘acceptable person’ to lodge $10,000 bail security before the magistrate Imad Abdul-Karim allowed him to break the curfew for one night only.
It turned out to be a tough night out for Hanan, who was knocked out in the second round.
This is after he struck Mikhailovich in the ribs when the ref asked the fighters to touch gloves before the first round.
TSZYU V ZERAFA IS GOING GLOBAL
Timmy Tszyu’s toughest fight to date against Michael Zerafa will be beamed worldwide into the UK, the US, Russia, New Zealand and across Asia as part of a deal secured by promoter Matt Rose. It will ensure Tszyu gets unprecedented exposure across the giant ESPN network in front of the world’s top promoters and match makers. Tszyu has such a massive following, the Newcastle EntertainmentCentre was sold out in 24 hours for the fight on July 7.
NOT SO RADICAL ROOSTER
We are not apologists in this column for footy players who step out of line. However there’s talk airline staff may have slightly overreacted in booting Roosters star Victor Radley off a plane on the Gold Coast last weekend. Victor refuses to blame anyone else for his drama, however an eyewitness has told us that while his mates were a little boisterous and rowdy, Radley’s biggest crime was laughing loudly. A high-powered bank executive was sitting three seats away and has volunteered a letter of support.
REYNOLDS NOW A STOCK CAR RACER
It looks just like V8 race-car data but it is not.
Bathurst champion Dave Reynolds has revealed the three screens he lugs to race tracks around the country are used for buying and selling shares and having nothing to do with trying to make his Ford Mustang go faster.
“I’ve got into day trading,” Reynolds said.
“I’m only a student at the moment but it has become a real passion of mine.”
The Kelly Racing star spends his non-racing days glued to his computer following the ASX.
Reynolds reads up on all the financial news before beginning his trading day at 10am when the Aussie stockmarket opens.
“The only time I am not on it is when I am in the gym training or in the car racing,” Reynolds said.
More Coverage
Originally published as Saint, Sinner, Shoosh: Andrew Fifita on $18,000 a minute
NRL star’s blunt reality as exit looms
An NRL star has spoken out for the first time over his contract situation as he confirmed his club are not interested in re-signing him.
Aussies run riot in PNG demolition job
An Australian team bursting full of young NRL stars has proven far too strong for PNG in an annual clash against the PM’s XIII.