Bulldogs withdraw from pursuit of Hunt, leaving Broncos in box seat

Canterbury have decided they will not make uncontracted playmaker Ben Hunt an offer to join the Bulldogs next season after the halfback had earlier in the week expressed an interest in joining the club.

The Bulldogs’ withdrawal from the race to sign Hunt leaves the Broncos in the box seat to secure the former Dragons star’s return to Queensland ahead of the Dolphins.

Brisbane’s recruitment manager Simon Scanlan – who signed Hunt as a 14-year-old, flew down to Sydney to meet with the Maroons and Kangaroos representative on Friday.

The Bulldogs had been mulling over the potential recruitment of Hunt for days but have now decided he isn’t the right fit for the club.

Bulldogs coach Cameron Ciraldo hosted Hunt and Canterbury general manager Phil Gould for dinner on Tuesday night after a third party told them the 34-year-old believed he could win a premiership at Belmore.

The Bulldogs agreed to meet him to get an understanding of his motivation for wanting to link with the blue and whites.

Hunt reiterated his desire to win what would be the first premiership of his decorated career. He believed the Bulldogs were in a strong position to challenge for a title in the next two years and that he could help them.

The Bulldogs had also been considering what Hunt’s potential signing would mean for incumbent No.7 Toby Sexton.

Toby Sexton was impressive for the Bulldogs in 2024.Credit: Getty

Ciraldo has a high opinion of Sexton, a popular member of the squad, for what he brings both during games and on the training paddock. The Bulldogs believed tabling an offer for Hunt could have unsettled the team.

Ben Hunt won’t be going to the Bulldogs.Credit: Getty Images

Gould, Ciraldo and chairman Adam Driussi agreed late on Saturday night that the club needed to be patient and trust in the system they have built.

The decision comes as the Bulldogs exceeded expectations in 2024, with the team winning 11 of their 16 games with Sexton at halfback.

The club’s confidence in their current direction has been further strengthened by the depth of emerging talent in their halves.

Mitchell Woods, 18, is considered one of the most promising playmaking prospects in the game’s junior ranks, while they also have Joey O’Neill and Cassius Tia (respective Jersey Flegg-winning halves) continuing their development through the club’s pathways system.

Dragons set to sign Hunt replacement, Lodge on Rabbitohs radar

St George Illawarra are on the verge of replacing former skipper Ben Hunt after putting South Sydney playmaker Lachlan Ilias through a second medical examination on Friday afternoon.

It comes as the Rabbitohs have held discussions about potentially reuniting coach Wayne Bennett with prop forward Matt Lodge if Ilias departs South Sydney.

Lachlan Ilias could be on the move in the coming days.Credit: Getty Images

The Dragons have identified Ilias as the replacement for Hunt but want to make sure they do their due diligence on the No.7 after he suffered a horrific leg injury playing NSW Cup last season.

Ilias had a medical examination with the Dragons last weekend but was asked to return on Friday afternoon to undergo an X-ray on the leg injury that saw him taken straight to hospital after suffering the blow at Accor Stadium.

The Dragons had been hopeful of getting Daniel Atkinson from Cronulla however they wanted a halfback for this season to partner Kyle Flanagan in the halves.

Sharks playmaker Daniel Atkinson.Credit: NRL Images

Atkinson has 12 months to run on his deal at Cronulla on a low salary with the Sharks indicating to his management that they had no intention of releasing him early.

While Wests Tigers utility Adam Doueihi also underwent a medical assessment with the Dragons, it appears Ilias will join the club after he went through a second examination.

Ilias, who trained with South Sydney earlier in the day, could sign his deal with the Dragons as early as next week with his agent Braith Anasta set to return from holidays in Bali on Monday.

The Dragons are awaiting final medical clearance from his final X-ray before formalising the deal. The Rabbitohs have agreed to contribute part of Ilias’ approximate $500,000 contract.

Manly prop Matt Lodge.Credit: NRL Images

He has fallen out of favour at South Sydney, with the club signing St Helens No.7 Lewis Dodd for 2025. His expected departure from South Sydney will open up a roster spot at the Rabbitohs. They currently have 30 registered players - the maximum each club can sign.

Bennett has discussed bringing the uncontracted Lodge to the club to add some starch to the forward pack. The veteran coach handed Lodge a career lifeline in 2018, signing him at the Broncos after the incident that saw him locked up in an American prison.

Ryles opens up on Addo-Carr signing

New Parramatta coach Jason Ryles is thankful to have been given a “blank canvas” to put his imprint on the club, but said Josh Addo-Carr wouldn’t have been given the chance to join it if not for their shared history.

Ryles has wasted no time in overhauling his roster, with Clint Gutherson, Reagan Campbell-Gillard and Maiko Sivo exiting and Zac Lomax, Josh Addo-Carr, Jack Williams, Isaiah Iongi and Joash Papalii coming in.

While there has been plenty of turnover, one of the stalwarts has recommitted. Forward Shaun Lane has just activated a mutual option, he remains in blue and gold at least until the end of 2026.

However, most attention has been on the acquisition of Addo-Carr, the premiership-winning winger sacked by Canterbury after he failed a police roadside drugs test. Ryles said he wouldn’t have thrown Addo-Carr a lifeline had they not had an association from their time together at the Storm.

“There was an opportunity that came up to speak to him,” Ryles said in his first official press conference as Eels coach.

Eels coach Jason Ryles.Credit: Edwina Pickles

“Had I not known him and had the relationship that I do have with him, I probably wouldn’t be talking about him now. But because I’ve had that experience with him, I had quite a bit of time with him and I know him really well.

“I know what he can do for a footy club. He’s made a mistake, he’s paid a price for it, but now it’s all about what we can do going forward.”

Addo-Carr unexpectedly became available at a time when Ryles is trying to add more speed to his backline.

“That’s the plan,” Ryles said. “I’ve been really clear with Josh, there’s no guarantees of playing in the first 13 in our team.

“He’s got a lot of work to do but fully fit, he’s gonna be certainly in the picture.”

Ryles couldn’t have been handed a more daunting start to his head-coaching career. The opening round pits Parramatta against his mentor, Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy, who has overseen a 22-game undefeated streak in season openers.

“I’m not saying nothing here because I know it’ll get played in the [Storm team] meeting,” Ryles said.

“I’m looking forward to it, it’s a great challenge. No one’s done it before, so we’ll go and have a free throw at the stumps and see how we go.”

Asked if he would be bringing a version of Bellamy to the Eels, Ryles was adamant he will be his own man.

“No, there’s only one version of me and that’s the one I know the best,” he said.

“Obviously I learned a lot off Craig over the journey, playing under him and coaching beside him and under him.

“A lot of his little traits and a bit of the stuff we do at training is a little bit replicated from Craig, but it’s definitely my version of things.”

Ryles said he hadn’t settled on a replacement captain following the departure of Gutherson and had an open mind as to whether Lomax would play in the centres or on the wing.

“The exciting part for me is that we’re resetting, we’re not starting again,” he said.

“We’ve got a bit of a blank canvas there to work with and the most impressive thing for me at the moment has been the buy-in and the commitment of the players.

“They’re very compliant, they’ve just got this work ethic about them already before I got here.

“It’s just about resetting that environment and making it one that they never want to leave and they can be the best they can be.”

Dragons-Tigers take grudge match to Magic Round as Sea Eagles snubbed

Adrian Proszenko

The rivalry between the joint-venture outfits will go to a new level in Magic Round next year when Terrell May and Sunia Turuva face the St George Illawarra outfit they snubbed before joining Wests Tigers.

The NRL has released its schedule for the Suncorp Stadium extravaganza, which will be played from Friday, May 2 to Sunday, May 4 next year. Manly traditionally play Brisbane during Magic Round, but the Sea Eagles are the team to miss out in 2025 after being handed the bye.

Instead, the Sharks will take on Parramatta in the first game on Friday night, in what could be Eels recruit Jack Williams’ first clash against his former club. The later Friday game will be an interstate blockbuster between the Roosters and Dolphins, with the winner taking home the Artie Legacy Medal, struck in honour of Immortal Arthur Beetson.

The Tigers-Dragons clash will be a highlight of the three Saturday fixtures given the number of players who have either played for, or been courted by, both teams.

The Dragons are considering a play for Adam Doueihi as a potential replacement for Ben Hunt, at a time when May and Turuva knocked them back to instead sign for Benji Marshall’s side.

There’s a growing rivalry between the Dragons and Tigers.Credit: Getty

Jack Bird was granted an early release from the Dragons to join the Tigers, while Moses Suli, Bud Sullivan and Luciano Leilua have spent time in both camps. The Red V were the big improvers in 2024, but faded out late in the season to miss the finals.

The Tigers will be looking to make their own rise up the ladder after a signing spree that includes May, Jarome Luai, Turuva, Bird, Royce Hune and Jeral Skelton.

The draw for the NRL’s Magic Round in 2025 in round nine

Friday, May 2

• 6pm - Sharks vs. Eels
• 8pm- Roosters vs. Dolphins

Saturday, May 3

• 3pm - Rabbitohs vs. Knights
• 5:30pm - Warriors vs. Cowboys
• 7:45pm - Tigers vs. Dragons

Sunday, May 4

• 1:50pm - Titans vs. Bulldogs
• 4:05pm Panthers vs. Broncos
• 6:25pm Storm vs. Raiders

Bye: Sea Eagles

All games played at Suncorp Stadium

The Saturday action kicks off between the Rabbitohs and Knights, clubs that have both been coached by Wayne Bennett. The middle Saturday game will be contested between the Warriors and Cowboys.

There will be three games on Sunday, headlined by the Penrith-Brisbane clash, which will be shown free-to-air on Nine. The Panthers were keen to have a home game at Magic Round given BlueBet Stadium is currently under construction, and head office has obliged.

That blockbuster will be book-ended by the earlier Titans-Bulldogs encounter, with Storm-Raiders wrapping up Magic Round.

Fine print in Addo-Carr’s Eels deal

Josh Addo-Carr is officially an Eel after signing a two-year deal, with Parramatta holding an option in the club’s favour in 2026.

Addo-Carr will link with his fourth NRL club immediately ahead of Jason Ryles’ first season in charge at the Eels in 2025.

In announcing the 29-year-old’s signing, the club made clear that the second season of his contract is an option in Parrramatta’s favour. The Eels roster has been hamstrung in recent years by player options in several deals, including those of Dylan Brown, Mitchell Moses, Ryan Matterson and Maika Sivo, leading to regular conjecture about their futures despite being contracted to the club.

Ryles spoke glowingly of Addo-Carr’s speed and “ability to break open games” having worked previously with the sacked Bulldogs winger during their time together in Melbourne.

Addo-Carr has been in career limbo since being sacked by Canterbury after testing positive to cocaine at a roadside police drugs test. The premiership-winning winger maintains he has never knowingly taken drugs.

His arrival at Parramatta continues an overhaul under Ryles that sees him join Zac Lomax as a marquee signing following the departures of Clint Gutherson, Reagan Campbell-Gillard, Sivo and Blaize Talagi.

“I’m grateful for the opportunity Parramatta and Jason have given me to continue my footy career and I’m ready to repay the faith they’ve shown in me,” Addo-Carr said.

“Coming here is a chance for me to start a new chapter, prove myself and show what I can do for the club and the fans. I can’t wait to put on the blue and gold and become a part of this club and the Eels community.”

NSWRL hunting for another Origin coach to halt Queensland hat-trick

A new NSW women’s Origin coach will be charged with preventing a Queensland threepeat after incumbent Kylie Hilder ended her four-year tenure coaching the Sky Blues.

Back-to-back series losses as the women’s Origin contest expanded to a historic three-game series this year have prompted Hilder to walk away from the role she held since 2021.

NSW have lost the last two women’s Origin series.Credit: Getty

The 48-year-old had been appointed on a 12-month contract each season but faced mounting pressure following the Maroons emphatic 22-6 series-deciding win in July, which came after NSW had won the series opener at Suncorp Stadium.

Hilder confirmed on Monday that she would not reapply for the position, with the NSWRL to begin canvassing for a replacement in 2025.

“I felt it was time for a change for the team, but I have thoroughly enjoyed the experience and privilege of coaching the NSW women’s Origin team over the past four years and I take a lot of pride in the contribution I have been able to make in that short time,” Hilder said.

Sky Blues coach Kylie Hilder has ended her Origin tenure.Credit: Getty Images

“To see women’s Origin grow from one game when I started coaching to a three-game series this year is a monumental achievement for the game and speaks volumes about the incredible talent pool in the women’s ranks.

“It also says a lot about the work that is being done at NSWRL in our pathways programs to develop genuine player depth at all levels, preparing them for NRLW and Origin honours.”

Ex-Dragons NRLW coach and former Blues five-eighth Jamie Soward has already expressed interest in the role, having previously served as Hilder’s assistant in 2022. The likes of Warriors NRLW coach Ronnie Griffiths and Tigers mentor Brett Kimmorley have also been touted as potential candidates.

The 2025 women’s Origin series is set to be played on its biggest stage yet following record TV ratings and crowd attendances this season, with the series to open Magic Round at Suncorp Stadium on Thursday, May 1.