By Dan Walsh, Michael Chammas and Robert Dillon
NRL player agents Chris Orr and Nash Dawson have been issued prospective six and nine month bans over an after-hours altercation at a schoolboy rugby league carnival.
The pair are alleged to have taken an argument outside a Port Macquarie pub last year while they were in town for the under 15 national titles.
Chris Orr with recently announced Australian coach Kevin Walters.Credit: Instagram
Dawson - whose company manages Reece Walsh, Ezra Mam and Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow - is facing a nine-month suspension and $15,000 fine.
Orr - the veteran agent who acts for Dylan Brown, Jahrome Hughes and Kevin Walters among Pacific Sports Management’s lengthy list of NRL clients - has been issued a six-month ban and a proposed $10,000 fine.
“The notices allege that both agents have breached the NRL Accredited Agent Scheme Rules and the Accredited Agents’ Code of Conduct following a physical altercation between the agents at the Australian Secondary Schools Rugby League Championships in 2024,” an NRL statement read.
“It is also alleged the agents failed to co-operate with the NRL Integrity Unit.
“Under the Accredited Agents’ Code of Conduct, Accredited Agents are required to operate with high personal and professional standards”.
Both Dawson and Orr will have five business days to respond to the breach notice.
The NRL’s latest breach notices to the two agents follow similar show cause notices being delivered to rival player managers Mario Tartak and Matt Desira for breaching NRL agent accreditation rules.
A size 14 to the face the only thing stopping Bulldog Bronson right now
Dan Walsh
Tom Trbojevic and his Manly teammates couldn’t stop Bronson Xerri.
Viliame Kikau’s size 14 boot has in fact done as good a job as any centre standing opposite Xerri of late.
The 24-year-old Bulldogs flyer has put together a fine season that culminated in two tries against Trbojevic and the Sea Eagles on Sunday afternoon.
That led to a bold call from respected pundit Matty Johns that Xerri could become the game’s best centre in coming seasons, the kind of praise that followed Xerr’s meteoric rise as a teenager before a four-year drug ban put his life, and career, on the rocks.
The only downside of late was an eye-watering case of friendly fire from Kikau, who broke Xerri’s nose with both feet when he was swung around in a tackle at Allianz Stadium.
“He owes me a nice lunch or something, I’m still waiting for Kiks to come through,” Xerri says, having not bothered with stitches or an x-ray.
Happy dogs: Bronson Xerri celebrates a try.Credit: Getty Images
“People are asking if I’ll go and fix it, but no, I’ve broken [my nose] before and I’ll break it again.
“Aside from that though, Kiks has been great to play outside and when [Matt] Burton’s running like he is, the sky’s the limit for us as an edge.
“Playing with Kiks gives me so much confidence. He’s got such presence. I’d hate to play against him. Even if he is kicking me in the face now.”
As for Xerri’s potential since returning to the game after a four-year hiatus, the Aquinas Colts junior is aiming big.
He has spoken more than once of wanting to play Origin for NSW, with star teammate and Blues incumbent Stephen Crichton backing him in.
State honours were seen as nigh inevitable when he first emerged and played NSW under-18s and -20s.
To then watch the career he could have had played out by others for four years, only for Xerri to emerge as a key cog in Canterbury’s premiership charge upon his return, is something to behold.
Coach Cameron Ciraldo saw it coming last year.
“Ciro made that clear pretty early in the summer,” Xerri says.
“We had a meeting and he just told me, ‘I see the potential in you. You’ve got another level you can go to.’”
Trbojevic, albeit seemingly hampered and enduring a rough day at right centre, felt every bit of Xerri’s power and pace, with Manly’s marquee man at one point carried for several metres to the tryline.
With Crichton and Jacob Preston on Canterbury’s right edge and Xerri and Kikau on the left, confidence is growing at Belmore. Regardless of the star power standing opposite.
“I’ll never go out there if I’m not backing myself,” Xerri says. “I can’t play that way. I’ve just got to play with confidence because that’s how I do my best for the team.
“I’ve got big goals for myself and as a team. I’ve spoken about that, playing Origin and winning competitions. Right now, I’m feeling good and I’m coming in each day trying to be the best player I can be. It feels like I’m at the right club to do that.”
Coaching may be next as Townsend bids farewell to 15-year career
Robert Dillon
Sydney Roosters skipper James Tedesco predicted Chad Townsend has a bright future as a coach after the veteran playmaker announced on Tuesday that he will retire at season’s end.
Townsend has played 268 NRL games for Cronulla, the Warriors, North Queensland and the Roosters and is best known as the halfback who steered the Sharks to the 2016 premiership.
Townsend admitted he was unsure what his next occupation would be, but he has already kicked off a media career with a podcast and said he was also open to learning the coaching trade.
Tedesco had no doubt the 34-year-old would be an asset on the coaching staff of any club.
“He’s [Townsend] a very good communicator. I noticed that straight away, when he first came to the club,” Tedesco said.
“As a halfback playing the amount of games he’s done, and what he’s achieved in the game, he has that experience to pass on.
Chad Townsend has announced he will retire at season’s end.Credit: Getty Images
“He pretty much does that with our young halves already, around [NSW] Cup and Jersey Flegg. He has great communication skills and really likes to help these younger boys, so definitely I think coaching would suit him well.”
Townsend admitted to struggling to contain his emotions at Tuesday’s press conference, but was at peace with his decision.
“To be honest, there were aspects of it where it was hard and not hard,” he said.
“I feel like when you know, you know, and I feel like that my time is now.
“I’ve given this game everything I’ve had for the last 15 years, and I feel like I don’t want to play any more next season, and that’s a really comforting thought for me.
“I got told by an ex-teammate of mine that when you know, you know, and I’m very grateful that I’m in that position that I know.”
Townsend said his plan is “definitely to stay involved in the game”, either in the media or as a coach.
He had many fond memories and career highlights, but winning a premiership with the Sharks was the pinnacle.
“I grew up in the Shire,” he said.
“I was a Sharks fan. I had my Sharks flag on the hill. I got a photo of ET [Sharks legend Andrew Ettingshausen] signing a shirt of mine in the sheds.”
Fonua-Blake had given up on Origin. Now there’s a glimmer of hope
Robert Dillon
He resigned himself long ago to never being able to play State of Origin, but if the goalposts were to shift suddenly, Addin Fonua-Blake would love to have a shot.
Fonua-Blake, the Cronulla and Tongan international front-rower, is one of a handful of players likely to be impacted by a landmark ARL Commission proposal to change Origin eligibility rules.
ARLC chairman Peter V’landys confirmed last week that he was considering an overhaul of Origin qualification criteria, specifically so that NSW and Queensland players have an opportunity to represent tier-one nations other than Australia.
Under the current rules, players such as Jarome Luai, Stephen Crichton and Brian To’o are able to represent their states as well as playing internationally for a tier-two nation, in their case Samoa.
Players are not permitted to play Origin if they align themselves with tier-one nations New Zealand and England.
Fonua-Blake, who was born in Sydney and played his junior football with Mascot Jets, cost himself any chance of Origin selection when he accepted a position in New Zealand’s 2017 World Cup squad, playing one game off the bench in a 74-6 hammering of Scotland.
Addin Fonua-Blake has never had a chance to play Origin after making a one-off Test appearance for New Zealand.Credit: Getty Images
He has since changed his allegiance from the Kiwis to tier-two Tonga, whom he captained at the Pacific Championships last year.
And while Fonua-Blake insists he has no regrets about the momentous decision he made as a 21-year-old, he would be open to the prospect of pulling on a sky-blue jersey.
“Oh look, at the moment if the opportunity comes along and I’m good enough to make the team, then yeah, obviously I’d welcome the idea,” he said.
“But right now, I’m just focused on the Sharks. Either way, if they keep the rules, change the rules, they’ll do as they see fit. All that is outside my control.”
Addin Fonua-Blake captained Tonga at last year’s Pacific Championships.Credit: Getty Images
Fonua-Blake is at peace with his Origin exclusion, saying: “That ship sailed a long time ago for me, and I’m happy representing Tonga and playing for the Sharks.”
But he admitted to being “a bit jealous” every year when the interstate series kicked off.
“They’re probably the biggest games on the calendar and you’d love to be a part of it,” he said.
“So yeah, like I said, if the opportunity came along, I wouldn’t mind having to go in that arena and see how I go. We’ll see what happens, I guess.”
Meanwhile, Fonua-Blake was confident an Achilles issue that hindered him during Cronulla’s 14-12 win against South Sydney on Saturday was nothing to worry about.
He still managed to carry the ball 162 metres and make 20 tackles in his 47 minutes on the field, helping Cronulla to post their third consecutive victory.
“It was an ugly win, but sometimes you’ve got to win ugly,” Fonua-Blake said.
Dragons boss locked in for three more years as recruitment guru arrives
Dan Walsh, Michael Chammas
Dragons chairman Andrew Lancaster will continue in the role for another three years following changes to the St George Illawarra constitution aimed at providing further off-field stability at the joint-venture club.
Lancaster’s lengthy extension comes at a critical juncture for the club given last Friday’s gallant loss to North Queensland has coach Shane Flanagan staring down a second successive bottom-eight finish, which would extend the Dragons’ finals drought to seven seasons.
Daniel Anderson starts as recruitment manager at St George Illawarra this week, having been lured from the Roosters, while chief executive Tim Watsford took charge of the club only in June.
Lancaster’s current three-year tenure was due to expire at the end of this season under terms agreed to following WIN Corporation’s purchase of the Steelers’ 50 per cent share in the club in 2018.
The initial privatisation agreement stipulated a new chair every 12 months on a rotational basis. Between 2018 and 2022, Andrew Gordon, Brian Johnston, Craig Young and Lancaster served in the role, before club policy was changed to guarantee a minimum three-year term for each chair.
A similar agreement has now been signed off by the St George Illawarra board. As a result, Lancaster – a member of the board at Nine Entertainment, publisher of this masthead, and WIN chief executive – is now set to remain at the Dragons helm until at least the end of 2028.
Dragons chairman Andrew Lancaster.Credit:
On the field, Friday’s defeat to the Cowboys was St George Illawarra’s ninth by eight points or less this season. Had the Red V won half of those tight losses, they would be among the five-team log jam scrambling for a finals spot.
Anderson will lead a revamped recruitment department at the club from Monday, with the Dragons in the market for star power up front and in the halves to complement a promising batch of emerging local juniors.
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