More Rabbitohs woes with Wighton charged, Munro hurt

South Sydney are staring down the barrel of another backline shortage with Jack Wighton facing a ban for his high tackle on Kulikefu Finefeuiaki.

As Rabbitohs players rallied around luckless winger Tyrone Munro and his injured collarbone, Wighton was handed a grade-two charge on Saturday morning.

It means the South Sydney centre will miss next Saturday’s clash against St George Illawarra with an early guilty plea, or risk a second week on the sideline if he fights it. Wighton’s hit went unpenalised in the 50th minute of the Rabbitohs’ 16-14 defeat of the Dolphins, before Finefeuiaki left the field with a concussion.

Wighton also copped a $1000 fine for leading with his forearm into a hit up.

Wighton’s ban will leave the Rabbitohs without their two left-edge starters from Friday night’s win, as Munro also braces for more time on the sidelines.

The Rabbitohs are already severely depleted in the backline, with Latrell Mitchell missing the first month of the season with a hamstring tear and Alex Johnston still recovering from an achilles rupture. South Sydney will also be without captain Cameron Murray for most, if not all, of the season.

Tyrone Munro celebrates a try with Cody Walker, before he was struck down with yet another injury.Credit: Getty Images

Fletcher Myers will likely be asked to come onto the wing next Saturday in Wollongong, but the Rabbitohs are stretched beyond that.

Playmaker Jayden Sullivan could again fill in at centre as he did on Friday night, with uncapped Auckland-born centre Haizyn Mellars the other back in the Rabbitohs’ squad.

English halfback Lewis Dodd is due back from suspension next week, but there is no certainty he will regain his spot from fill-in No.7 Jamie Humphreys.

Munro was left pondering the fine line between pleasure and pain after helping his team beat the Dolphins 16-14 on Friday night, before leaving CommBank Stadium with his arm in a sling.

Munro dashed over for two tries in the first 25 minutes, but was replaced at the half-time break after suffering a suspected broken collarbone, the latest of many injuries the 20-year-old flyer has endured in recent seasons.

After making his debut in 2023, injuries have restricted Munro to eight NRL games – in which he has scored eight tries – and he now faces another extended period on the sidelines.

South Sydney skipper Cody Walker felt for his young teammate but was confident he would overcome Friday night’s setback.

“I think everyone’s disappointed in the club, but he’s already positive as it is,” Walker said. “Just talking to him in there, he thinks he’s done it again, but he said he’d be all right.

“He’s been through it before, so he’ll get through it.”

Munro adds to an injury toll that already includes the man he was replacing on Souths’ left edge, Alex Johnston, skipper Cameron Murray and fullback Latrell Mitchell.

On the flip side, the Rabbitohs welcomed back former representative centre Campbell Graham, who hadn’t played since the final round of the 2023 season after requiring major surgery last year to repair a fractured sternum. Graham was quickly back into his groove, carrying the ball for 150 metres in attack from 17 carries.

“I think everyone in the four walls at Souths are really extremely proud of him,” Walker said. “He’s had a long road – I think it’s over 500 days or whatever – since he’s played NRL football.

“Just seeing the excitement when he was running out, that he was really there.

“I think he had a couple of disappointments last year where he was sort of halfway there, halfway not.

Rabbitohs centre Campbell Graham.Credit: Getty Images

“So, it would have been hard for him last year, but it’s just good to see him back out there and putting in for the team.

“And we’ve obviously missed him over the last couple of years. So, yeah, it’s good to see ‘Stretch’ back.”

The successful return of skipper Tom Gilbert, who like Graham missed the whole of last season through injury, provided some consolation for the Cowboys after they fought back from a 12-4 half-time deficit to grab the lead early in the second stanza, only to relinquish it in the 67th minute.

“I thought he played like Tom does,” Dolphins coach Kristian Woolf said of Gilbert’s 57-minute stint.

“He played with plenty of effort, plenty of passion, led from the front with those things.

“He’s only going to get better. He hasn’t played footy for 18 months … he’s a lot better for that run tonight and he’ll be better next week. I’m very happy with what he’s doing.”

Gilbert said it was an “awesome feeling” to be back playing a competition match for the first time since May 31, 2023.

“I’ve missed the game for so long and sitting on the sidelines is never fun,” he said.

“To get the opportunity to go out there tonight and play another game of NRL for the Dolphins was a privilege and something I don’t take lightly ... I just wanted to embrace it.

“You never know when your last game is. I just really enjoyed the week and saw the opportunity to play another first-grade game.”

Despite the defeat in his debut as the Dolphins’ head coach, Woolf said he was “really proud” of his team’s effort, given the disruption they endured in the lead-up.

The match was transferred on Wednesday from Brisbane to Parramatta because of concerns about the potential impact of tropical cyclone Alfred.

Three Dolphins players – Mark Nicholls, Kodi Nikorima and Kenny Bromwich – opted to stay in Brisbane to support their families, leaving Woolf with a depleted squad.

“I’m really proud of our blokes,” Woolf said. “The way they’ve handled the week, the way they’ve handled everything that’s gone on.”

This season could be the last dance for Manly’s Big Three. They want to make it count

Christian Nicolussi

They cannot remember the exact moment. But at some stage over the summer, in between the excitement of Jake Trbojevic and Daly Cherry Evans’ weddings, and Tom Trbojevic’s engagement, Manly’s Big Three came to the realisation that time is running out to win an NRL premiership together.

In fact, until Cherry-Evans makes an official call on whether to play on next year, the skipper and the Sea Eagles’ famous brothers are suddenly treating 2025 like their last hurrah.

The trio will leave a lasting legacy at the northern beaches club no matter what happens this season – but all three are desperate to win something together before going their separate ways.

If all three can all stay on the field – they will run out together on Saturday night when Manly kickstart their campaign at home to North Queensland – the Sea Eagles can beat any team in the competition.

Cherry-Evans won a premiership in 2011, but does not want to blow a golden opportunity to win a second alongside the Trbojevic brothers, with whom he has forged a close friendship with the past decade. Representative success with NSW, Queensland and Australia has provided memories to last a lifetime – but the ultimate prize is NRL silverware.

The time is now: Manly’s Big Three, Jake Trbojevic, Daly Cherry-Evans and Tom Trbojevic, take time out at training this weekCredit: Rhett Wyman/SMH

“Once you get into your early 30s, you start to really understand there isn’t long left to win another NRL title – when you get closer to 40, you’re even more aware there aren’t many chances left,” said Cherry-Evans, now 36.

“Jake and Tom still have a few years left on their contract, but with us not knowing what will happen to me beyond this year in terms of my role at the club, it’s important we throw absolutely everything at trying to win.

“When I say that, it’s not just for me, it’s because of the opportunity we have together. We had a lot of hard conversations about where we need to be better as a side. We’re willing to do the work to get better. Maybe it’s because we understand the time is now, and the doors are closing.”

Manly came close in 2021 when they reached the preliminary final, only to lose to South Sydney. They reached the semi-finals last year, and have a roster with a healthy mix of experience, youth and power that deserves to be talked up as top-four contenders.

Jake, 31, knows the club will go close if they can continue on the same trajectory of improvement that began in 2023, while 28-year-old Tom said of winning a premiership with his brother and Cherry-Evans: “Chez is a bit older than me and Jake.

“We want to win one together, we’re starting to run out of time, and it’s something we think about. Chez has done it before, but if we were to win one together, the feelings would be hard to put into words.”

Dolphins trio withdraw from Rabbitohs clash due to Cyclone Alfred concerns

Dan Walsh

Senior Dolphins trio Kodi Nikorima, Mark Nicholls and Kenny Bromwich have withdrawn from their season-opening clash against the Rabbitohs to remain at home with their families as Cyclone Alfred bears down.

The Dolphins travelled to Sydney on Wednesday night after their round one match against South Sydney and their former coach Wayne Bennett on Friday night was relocated from Brisbane to Commbank Stadium.

Kodi Nikorima has remained in Queensland while the Dolphins travelled to Sydney.Credit: NRL Photos

Five-eighth Nikorima, veteran prop Nicholls and 18th man Bromwich did not fly with Kristian Woolf’s squad, opting to stay in Queensland ahead of the cyclone making landfall, which is expected on Friday morning.

Playmaker Sean O’Sullivan has been named to replace Nikorima in the halves. Prop Josh Kerr comes onto the bench for Nicholls and Oryn Keeley has been elevated to Woolf’s 20-man squad.

Nicholls was reportedly fortifying his family home with sandbags on Wednesday before opting not to travel to Sydney.

Nikorima has foregone the Dolphins season opener given his wife is six months’ pregnant. Bree Nikorima had called on the NRL to “do better” in a now-deleted Instagram post on Wednesday morning, as she prepared to care for the couple’s two young children while her husband was away.

Dolphins chief executive Terry Reader said on Wednesday that hotel accommodation had been arranged in Brisbane City so the players’ families and partners could be together in a more secure environment.

He said the club’s welfare team would support any family that chose not to go into hotel accommodation once it was decided Friday’s game would be moved to Sydney.

“We looked at every contingency that we could – playing possibly on Sunday, or even on the Sunshine Coast or the Gold Coast … we looked at many things to try to make it happen,” Reader said.

“Because of the broadcast agreement and the way things work, thankfully, we were able to come up with something to move it. Everyone’s apprehensive about what’s happening … and we’re really cautious about what’s happening.”

Why a reformed loose unit will be one of the most important figures in the Roosters
Frances Howe

For those familiar with Victor Radley’s protracted record of on and off-field antics, it may come as a surprise that Roosters head coach Trent Robinson has elevated the regular sin-bin occupant to the role of vice-captain.

And not just because he doesn’t have anyone else. Instead, Robinson insists Radley’s “heart” made him an easy pick for the promotion.

Victor Radley has been promoted to vice-captain of the Roosters.Credit: Getty Images

“He’s from this area, he’s such an important guy for the culture of our team,” Robinson said ahead of the Roosters’ season opener against the Broncos on Thursday. “He’s growing into a really good man and we want that leadership on the field but also off the field.

“He holds the centre of our crew together, so I really like that we’ve elevated him into that leadership role.”

Robinson has not always been so complimentary.

In 2021, when Radley was kicked off a flight for being loud and intoxicated, Robinson was less enthusiastic.

“It’s not what we want from our players,” Robinson said then. “Just don’t do it. Just act like a man in public and behave yourself. It’s pretty simple. How hard is it to get on a flight and get home?”

Not long after that, Radley was handed a suspended $5000 fine for making a crude gesture caught on camera. In 2020, he was fined $20,000 and given a two-game suspension for tackling a man outside an Airbnb in Byron Bay.

On the field, Radley collected 12 weeks worth of suspensions between 2021 and 2023 and has made 10 trips to the sin bin since 2021.

Regardless, Robinson insisted on Wednesday that Radley’s promotion was on merit, not out of necessity after the club farewelled a host of experienced players at the end of last season.

“There’s a lot being made about what we don’t have but the guys that step into those roles have been here for a while,” he said.

“Senior players step up, they’re a year older, they take on those leadership roles. So it’s really about that crew taking on that role and then you give time for those, those young guys give you energy… and we need to give them time in games and it starts tomorrow.”

Mahoney’s friendly ‘hate’ for Gutherson set for latest renewal
Robert Dillon

Reed Mahoney is trying to convince anyone who’ll listen there won’t be much banter between he and Clint Gutherson on Saturday. The problem: he can’t keep a straight face.

“I hate him,” Mahoney tells those attending the Bulldogs’ media session, before cracking up at his own joke.

Clint Gutherson looked good for the Dragons in their trials.Credit: Getty Images

The Canterbury hooker quickly comes clean and confirms the pair are on friendly terms and in regular contact, although there has been radio silence this week as Gutherson prepares to make his debut for St George Illawarra against Mahoney’s Bulldogs at Kogarah.

“Me and ‘Guth’ are still good mates,” Mahoney said. “Obviously we played for a fair while at Parramatta together, so it’s always good coming up against your mates.”

Mahoney knows better than most what Gutherson will provide for the Dragons, who have signed the 30-year-old fullback to a three-season deal, after a nine-year, 206-game stint as Parramatta’s heart and soul.

Gutherson was Parramatta skipper in 2018 when Mahoney made his NRL debut, and the pair played five seasons together, including in the 2022 grand final loss to Penrith.

Reed Mahoney would prefer to be known for his football than as a niggler.Credit: Getty Images

Mahoney said the impact Gutherson is having at his new club was apparent.

“I think we’ve seen in the trials what Guth brings,” Mahoney said. “He’s obviously gone from Parra, and joined the Dragons and become captain, and that’s just how he is as a person and how hard he works on the footy field.

“He’s their leader now, and I know he’ll go out there and put his best foot forward for them, and we’ll expect him to be at his best.”

Asked if there will be any repartee with his former skipper on Saturday, Mahoney suggested that won’t be his priority.

“Maybe, but we’re both just worried about doing our jobs for our teams, so that’s where my focus will be this week,” he said.

Stuck with the label of the NRL’s most persistent niggler, Mahoney shrugged his shoulders when he addressed the subject, saying simply: “It’s just how I play my footy.”

“It is what is,” he added. “There’s nothing I can really do about it. I don’t go out there to come across like that, I go out there to play with passion and just work hard for my teammates … I just go out there and play my footy, and I stand up for my mates that I play with.”

But, when asked if he would prefer to be better known for his football ability, and less notorious for getting under the skin of his opponents, Mahoney replied: “Yeah, I guess so. It’d be much better, but it just comes with it.”

Actions generally speak louder than words, and Mahoney is confident the Bulldogs can make a statement on Saturday.

After their breakthrough campaign last year, when they reached the finals for the first since 2016, Canterbury have no intention of regressing.

They face a solid first-up challenge against a revamped Dragons side who - boosted by recruits Gutherson, Damien Cook, Valentine Holmes and Emre Guler - underlined their potential with pre-season wins against Sydney Roosters (26-8) and South Sydney (46-26).

Mahoney said the Bulldogs were expecting a fierce battle with their traditional rivals.

“We’re really confident in how well we’ve trained and how hard we’ve trained,” Mahoney said. “It’s an exciting time of the year … it’s still a few days away, but it’s been a long summer, we’ve worked extremely hard, and we just want to go out there and put our best foot forward.”

More good new for the Panthers

Christian Nicolussi

The news keeps getting better for Penrith with champion winger Brian To’o declaring himself a certain starter on Friday week when the premiers start their official two-year residency at CommBank Stadium.

The Panthers touched down in Sydney from Las Vegas on a gloomy Tuesday morning after their opening-round win over Cronulla.

Nathan Cleary, Isaah Yeo, Dylan Edwards and Liam Martin were all excellent at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday – and now the four-time premiership winners will be further boosted by the return of To’o.

To’o confirmed to this masthead he felt a hamstring twinge at the club’s final training run before they flew to the US, but would play against the Sydney Roosters.

Will Kennedy (centre) is greeted by his 2yr old daughter Rose and partner Grace McDonald.Credit: Kate Geraghty

“Yes sir,” said To’o, when asked if he would definitely start in round two. “I did it at our last session before we flew out. I felt a bit of a twinge, but it was nothing too major. I’ll do what I do and train hard, and get my energy off the boys. They’ll get me back.

“It was pretty cool being over there [in Vegas]. I was very jealous not to play at Allegiant Stadium.”

To’o left coach Ivan Cleary “freaking out” when he produced some wild dance moves on stage in the lead-up to Sunday’s game against Cronulla, and while the representative flyer said he had since received plenty of feedback about those scenes, said his problematic left hamstring was never fully stretched out.

The immediate challenge for Penrith will be how they bounce back mentally, with players from all four clubs involved in last year’s Vegas experiment admitting they needed a few weeks to deal with the comedown.

Coach Cleary said his team were given a snapshot of what to expect after last year’s World Club Challenge in England.

“I think it probably will [take a toll], but I feel our trip to Manchester last year was good practice,” Cleary said.

“That certainly had a feel of a comedown after that game. It was such a big occasion. The time difference was also significant [in England]. Hopefully we feel a bit better a bit quicker.

“I feel like we get looked after by not playing next week. In all honesty, that should be enough.”

‘Terrible news for the NRL’: Young reflects on wild week in Vegas

Adrian Proszenko

Hudson Young, in the moments after Canberra’s win against at Allegiant Stadium, is asked if he will celebrate with a few beers.

“I’ve gotta keep a lid on it,” Young grinned.

For Young, the biggest story during the NRL’s second foray into Vegas, this is the key to success. In the past, if he were involved in an incident like the one involving himself and Raiders teammate Morgan Smithies, he would have overcompensated on the field in a bid to atone.

Hudson Young experienced a wild week in Vegas.Credit: Getty Images

“I didn’t want to fall into that mindset of proving people wrong because I knew that I didn’t do much to start with,” he said.

“I just wanted to go out there and play my game and I feel like if I came out with something to prove, I feel like that’s when things go wrong.

“I just kept the same mindset that I had the whole time and try to be myself. I think previously when I’ve got in trouble I’ll probably come and tried too hard.

“I feel like that’s where I have matured. Just keep level-headed, knowing my game and back my own ability.”

Young said he was thankful that coach Ricky Stuart allowed him to redeem himself on the field.

“The one thing with ‘Sticky’ (Stuart), if you tell the truth to him he’ll back you up,” he said. “I felt terrible because I let ‘Stick’ down, I let my teammates down. I just wanted to come out and play my game and make sure that we win … The club have put so much faith and time into me and I’m trying to grow as a person off the field as well.”

Canberra’s win has come at a cost. Joseph Tapine is facing a two-game ban for a shoulder charge on Mitch Barnett, while Xavier Savage is facing one to two weeks on the sidelines for a challenge on Warriors kicker Harris-Tavita.

Michael Chammas and Andrew “Joey” Johns dissect the upcoming NRL round, plus the latest footy news, results and analysis. Sign up for the Sin Bin newsletter.