Sport Con: Loved up Titan’s well deserved NRL debut, Ben Te Kura’s NFL dream

Life is looking good for Brock Gray, married to one of the NRLW’s best and set to earn a long-awaited NRL debut, the Broncos sign another Haas and more in the full Sport Confidential.

The NRL has a new family love story.

The Titans will hand an NRL debut to NSW Cup journeyman Brock Gray when he comes off the bench against Canterbury at Belmore on Sunday.

Gray is the brother of former Rabbitohs and Sharks winger Aaron Gray, who is married to Jillaroos star Tiana Penitani.

Aaron and Tiana introduced Brock to his partner - Penitani’s sister and Wests Tigers NRLW prop Natasha Penitani.

The Gray brothers and Penitani sisters are items, but Brock insists there’s no family rivalries.

“Tash and I actually met during a family Christmas and have been together for over seven years now,” Brock said.

“We all just spent Christmas together at my Mum’s place down in Sydney but we don’t talk too much footy at the dinner table, so there’s no real rivalries going on.”

A forward, Brock racked up 129 NSW Cup appearances before moving to Tweed Heads this season and securing a train-and-trial contract with the Titans.

He impressed coach Des Hasler and will make his NRL debut at age 28.

Brock Gray and Natasha Penitani

HAAS’ DOUBLE TROUBLE

Brisbane superstar Payne Haas has outlined his dream to play alongside his younger brother after sibling Hans inked a deal with the Broncos.

The Haas family is also making headlines in the NRL with Payne one of the code’s best props and his younger brother, 22-year-old Klese, impressing in the top grade at the Titans last season.

Now another Haas is on the production, with 15-year-old Hans signing a development deal with the Broncos.

With his parents battling off-field legal issues, Payne has taken custody of Hans and hopes there could be a Haas dynamic duo at the Broncos in the NRL in the years to come.

“Hans has signed for three years. It’s pretty cool,” Haas said.

“I am proud of him. There’s a lot of work for him to do.

“He is playing with Easts Tigers (junior league). He is a second-rower, he is a bit leaner than me which is good. He loves the game. I bring him to training sometimes and the boys love their footy and being around it.

“It’s good to see and hopefully he plays NRL one day.”

HITCH HIKING HAYDOS

Aussie cricket legend Matthew Hayden hitched a ride back to Brisbane with the Broncos last week.

Hayden landed in Sydney last Thursday on a flight from Dubai and had no way of getting back to Brisbane due to the impending threat of Cyclone Alfred.

After hearing the Broncos had been granted permission to fly into Toowoomba on a charter flight following their round 1 game against the Roosters, ‘Haydos’ dropped the club a message asking if there was any chance he could jump on board.

It was a tiny plane, but the Broncos managed to find a spare seat for one of Australia’s greatest ever cricketers.

We’ve heard a few Broncos players that are big cricket fans were a little star struck to see Hayden on the flight.

They even managed to squeeze his luggage on board.

The same couldn’t be said for Broncos players and their team gear. It only arrived back in Brisbane on Tuesday.

Australian cricket legend Matthew Hayden. Picture: AFP

BROWN DEAL NO $13M KNIGHTMARE

The leading player agency which brokered Dylan Brown’s $13 million Knights deal has hit back at critics of the NRL record contract.

Veteran agents Chris and Gavin Orr were the duo behind the stunning 10-year deal which convinced Brown to quit the Eels and join Newcastle until the end of 2035.

The Orr brothers have become the masters of the long-term contract. They also negotiated the code’s first 10-year deal for Jason Taumalolo in 2017 and also put together Daly Cherry-Evans’ eight-year “lifetime” contract at Manly.

The Knights have come under fire for agreeing to a 10-year term but Brown’s agents have defended the deal, saying every NRL player deserves financial security.

“People criticise these 10-year deals but would anyone in their own workplace knock back the security of a $13 million deal?” said Gavin Orr of Pacific Sports Management.

“The NRL is one of the most brutal sports in the world. Players’ careers can be over with one tackle.

“The risk is always around the corner.

“These guys give up opportunities to study, so if we can secure their financial security and the clubs are happy to sign off on the deal, I don’t see the issue.

“People who only criticise because it’s not happening to them. I haven’t met a single person who says they wouldn’t take the same deal.”

Orr scoffed at suggestions the Taumalolo deal has crippled the Cowboys under the salary cap.

“If you look at the Jason Taumalolo deal, he has won more Dally M lock of the year awards than anyone,” Orr said.

“He has also won a record amount of player of the year awards. He has given his life to the Cowboys.

“We did Daly’s lifetime deal and he has been a great servant to the Sea Eagles.

“He is their captain and leader and when you look at what Daly has done, he has repaid that tenfold and I think Dylan will do the same.

“Dylan is 24 - he is coming into the best years of his career.

“We also did the biggest deal in AFL history for Mac Andrews, so we know what we are doing.”

TITANS HUNT FOR NEW HOME

The Titans are scouring the Gold Coast for a new permanent home.

This week’s flood debacle at Parkwood, which has forced the Titans to spend the week in Sydney before Sunday’s game against Canterbury, has reinforced why the NRL club needs to find a fresh headquarters.

An incredible amount of water submerged Des Hasler’s dojo and the Titans’ training field at Parkwood Village.

Titans staff spent two days moving equipment to higher ground because they knew what was coming.

It’s not the first time the place has gone underwater and the facilities will still be unusable next week before their first home game of the year.

The Titans have called Parkwood home since 2016, but not for much longer.

They are expected to vacate the premises at the end of 2026 and are currently assessing a few options.

Emerald Lakes, just a stone’s throw from the home of the AFL’s Gold Coast Suns, has been mentioned as one potential new home.

VIVA LAS COWBOYS

The Cowboys have rocketed into the mix to go to Las Vegas with North Queensland putting their hand up to launch premiership on American soil in 2026.

Sport Confidential can reveal Cowboys chief executive Jeff Reibel has expressed interest in North Queensland being part of the edition of the NRL’s Vegas venture next year.

The Cowboys have reached out to their fans and sponsors to gauge their level of interest in being part of Vegas 3.0.

The Broncos were among the NRL’s Vegas pioneers in 2023 but no Queensland club returned to Sin City this year as Cronulla, Penrith, the Warriors and Canberra flew rugby league’s flag at Allegiant Stadium.

Reibel confirmed the Cowboys are keen to be the second Queensland club to head to Vegas, subject to the commercial terms of being the NRL’s ‘away’ team in the US.

“Vegas has been a terrific spectacle for the NRL,” Reibel said.

“It not only kicks off the season with a huge amount of hype, but also brings new viewers and fans to our game.

“The Cowboys are certainly interested in going to Vegas in 2026, subject to the right terms with the NRL.

“For us to play in Vegas, we would need to be an away team as we are locked into 12 home games in North Queensland.

“We have started to collect expressions of interest in travelling to Vegas in 2026 from our fanbase and have had close to 2000 replies in 24 hours.”

Mark Nicholls may back up for 2026. Picture: Getty Images

DOLPHIN’S BACKFLIP?

Evergreen Dolphins cult hero Mark Nicholls is considering putting the boots on again in 2026.

Nicholls is off-contract at season’s end but is having so much fun at the Dolphins the popular prop hasn’t ruled out another rodeo with Redcliffe beyond his 36th birthday in 2026.

Nicholls’ management will sit down in coming weeks with Dolphins bosses to discuss the prospect of a 12-month extension.

The 35-year-old Nicholls, who turns 36 next January, has enjoyed a lengthier career in the NRL than he even imagined and has been a revelation for the Dolphins.

The Dolphins initially weren’t sure about signing Nicholls but foundation coach Wayne Bennett worked with the no-nonsense bookend at Souths and liked his leadership skills.

Nicholls has a key role for the Dolphins this season mentoring their young forwards following the retirement of Jesse Bromwich.

The former Storm and Raiders forward has played 174 NRL matches and a new deal could see him reach the 200-game milestone.

MENTAL AS ANYTHING

Leading player agents will raise the issue of mental health of rugby league’s top stars at an upcoming summit with NRL bosses.

Sport Confidential can reveal several agents have concerns about the standard of welfare officers in the code and believe more needs to be done to address mental health among the 17 clubs.

One agent, speaking on the condition of anonymity, claims he had to seek external professional help for one of his NRL players after failing to get sufficient help from his club’s welfare team.

It will be one of several matters raised by agents following a series of recommendations put forward by a Pathways Steering Committee led by QRL boss Ben Ikin.

One of the recommendations will be a ban on agents signing players before they turn 18, but the agents also have their own concerns.

“I will be raising this issue with the NRL around the qualifications of welfare officers at clubs,” the agent said.

“The player agents are due to meet with the NRL over some recommendations put forward by the PSC and we’ll be raising a number of matters.

“There’s some concerns with the welfare people working at individual clubs and whether they are appropriately qualified to handle more serious mental health issues.

“I had one NRL star suffering depression and, in my view, the club wasn’t equipped or resourced to deal with the problem.

“As soon as I got professional help with a qualified psychologist to deal with depression, his problems went away.”

SHOOSH

Which rival NRL club recruitment managers are massively off each other following recent comments made by one in the media?

Scans confirmed Connelly Lemuelu suffered a fractured eye socket in Round 1 - thankfully doesn’t require surgery & the Dolphins expect a 4 week recovery.

Was unable to fly home from NSW (change in pressure during the flight brings risks) so travelled back by car. pic.twitter.com/VS5xEvTSKj

— NRL PHYSIO (@nrlphysio) March 11, 2025

PHIN’S ROAD TRIP

Dolphins forward Connelly Lemuelu had to drive home from Sydney after last week’s loss to the Rabbitohs.

Lemuelu suffered a fractured eye socket in the round 1 defeat at CommBank Stadium on Friday night.

That meant he was unable to fly on the Dolphins’ charter flight, due to increased pressure at altitude, so the only way home was by road.

Dolphins football manager Grant ‘Crusher’ Cleal hopped in the drivers’ seat for the 1000km trek from Sydney to Redcliffe.

They had to take the country route given the Pacific Highway was closed at Byron Bay.

Ironically, Cleal and Lemuelu made it back to Brisbane on Saturday before the rest of the team after their flight to Toowoomba was delayed six hours due to air traffic control shortages.

Titans Coach Des Hasler. Picture Glenn Hampson

DES CALLS FOR PAYOUTS

Titans coach Des Hasler has called for insurance companies to pay up in the aftermath of Cyclone Alfred.

The Gold Coast was hit hard by the weather event, leaving hundreds of thousands without power for days and damage to properties.

Hasler used his pre-game press conference to call for insurance providers to look after their customers.

“What we need is for the insurance companies to really step up here,” he said.

“They can be the good guys. They need to develop a conscience.

“We need the big four (banks) to keep an eye on them.”

BRONCOS GIANT WON’T RULE OUT BID TO PLAY NFL

He is the biggest man in NRL history. So big that Broncos man mountain Ben Te Kura hasn’t ruled out testing himself in the NFL.

The hulking 205cm Te Kura told Sport Confidential he is happily contracted to the Broncos, but revealed his longer-term goal of one day emulating Jordan Mailata by trialling for an NFL contract.

Mailata gave hope to every big Australian kid when he made history last month by becoming the first Aussie to win the Super Bowl with Philadelphia.

In 2018, the boy from Bankstown quit the NRL at South Sydney after being told he was too big to make it in rugby league, with his 203cm and 160kg frame more suited to American football.

The same could be said for Te Kura, who is two centimetres taller than Mailata and was recently identified as a potential recruit by Dwane Bugden, a contract adviser for the NFL Players’ Association.

(L-R) Jordan Mailata vs. Ben Te Kura.

Te Kura is contracted until the end of 2027 and has no intention of walking out on his Broncos deal, but says a move to the NFL is not out of the question.

“I do enjoy watching NFL,” Te Kura said.

“I do like the Eagles. I was actually a fan of them before they even won the Super Bowl.

“It’s cool what Mailata has done. It’s pretty unbelievable, but the fact he did it from rugby league opens up a pathway for people from Australia and gives you that belief that you can do it.

“Obviously I am worried about this sport at the moment. Right now my priority is getting a Broncos jersey, but it could be something I am interested in down the track.

Big Ben Te Kura is the tallest man in NRL history. Source: Random Stats Guy

“Some opportunities only come once in your life. I’m happy at the Broncos and I want to prove myself in the NRL, but you have to do what’s best for yourself and your family.

“Down the road, it (having a crack at the NFL) is an option for me.”

Mailata graduated from the NFL’s International Player Pathway program and Bugden said recently Te Kura had the size to test himself in American football.

The Broncos monster is only 21, giving him plenty of time should he wish to pursue a switch to the NFL.

“I think he (Te Kura) would be perfectly suited to the NFL,” Bugden told radio SEN in the wake of Mailata’s Super Bowl heroics.

Ben Te Kura towers over his teammates at training. Picture: Adam Head

“He’s 6 foot 8 so he’s a bit taller than Jordan (Mailata) but he’s athletic, he’s got that great arm span, fast feet, he’s intelligent and that’s what they look for… a kid like that.

“The NRL is a fast game and Jordan (Mailata) in the under 20s was a good player but his size and the speed of that game would’ve made it super hard for him to get up and down and back and forth those 10 metres all game.”

Te Kura says he enjoys his reputation as the biggest man in NRL history.

“It’s a cool title to have,” he said.

“Obviously people just think I run over people but I have other assets to my game.

“It can be a bit embarrassing at times, people come up to me all the time and say you’re the biggest player in the game.

“I’m enjoying being at the Broncos. I’m working hard under ‘Madge’ (coach Michael Maguire). I had a few holes in my game after my injury with my fitness but Madge has given me one job to do – to work on my fitness and I’ve done that.”

Originally published as Sport Con: Loved up Titan’s well deserved NRL debut, Ben Te Kura’s NFL dream