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Rock legend Ozzy Osbourne stuns world at Commonwealth Games closing ceremony

Rock legend Ozzy Osbourne stuns world at Commonwealth Games closing ceremony

Legendary Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne brought the curtain down on the Commonwealth Games in spectacular style on Monday as dominant Australia celebrated finishing top of the medals table yet again.

Athletes swarmed Birmingham’s Alexander Stadium for a closing party that also featured UB40, Dexys and a tribute to Peaky Blinders, the global hit TV show about the city’s most notorious gang.

Birmingham-born Osbourne, known as the “Prince of Darkness”, brought the ceremony to a climax after emerging as the surprise act.

Osbourne was recently seen looking frail following a major back operation in June, two years after he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.

But the 73-year-old put on an energetic performance of the Black Sabbath’s biggest hit paranoid to put a cap on the 11-day sporting extravaganza.

The show, celebrating Birmingham’s rise from the wreckage of World War II and its emergence as a diverse and vibrant modern city, brought 11 days of sporting action to a close.

Earlier, six-time defending champions Australia wrapped up their campaign in style, hammering India 7-0 in the men’s hockey final to end up with 67 golds overall.

Hosts England ended in second place with 57 golds, ahead of Canada on 26 and India on 22, with para sports included in the medal tally.

Sporting powerhouse Australia have topped the table at every Games since 1990 except in 2014, when England finished in first place in Glasgow.

Australia hockey captain Aran Zalewski said winning the Commonwealth Games title is “harder than you think”.

“We have won seven, but it’s not as simple as coming out here and winning,” he said.

Elsewhere on Monday, Scotland’s James Heatly and Grace Reid won the mixed synchronized 3m springboard final, with England pair Noah Williams and Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix taking gold in the 10m event.

India celebrated a golden double in badminton.

World number seven PV Sindhu won the women’s singles, overcoming Canada’s Michelle Li, while Lakshya Sen beat Malaysia’s Ng Tze Yong to win the men’s gold.

India’s Sharath Kamal Achanta beat England’s Liam Pitchford 4-1 in the men’s singles table tennis gold-medal match.

Birmingham 2022 CEO Ian Reid told a briefing earlier that the Games had been a huge boost for the city and the surrounding area.

He said more than 1.5 million tickets had been sold, with most venues above 90 per cent capacity.

“One of the goals at the outset was to put the city on the world map and instill that huge pride across everyone that lives in the region and I think we’ve achieved that,” he said.

“I think that can lead to much bigger and greater things.”

Commonwealth Games Federation CEO Katie Sadleir said there had been “huge engagement” with the Games globally.

She added a number of countries had expressed an interest in staging future Commonwealth Games, including African nations.

She said Birmingham, which already had many facilities in place, could be a blueprint for the future.

“It is definitely not something we want people to spend huge amounts of money and capital investment if it is not needed and desired by the long-term plans for the country,” she said.

The Birmingham Games made history in being the first to award more medals to women than men.

Australian swimming great Emma McKeon became the most decorated athlete in Commonwealth Games history, with 20 medals — including six golds in Birmingham.

And the tiny island of Niue won its first ever Commonwealth Games medal, a boxing bronze for Duken Tutakitoa-Williams.

Commonwealth Games Federation president Louise Martin handed the flag to Linda Dessau, the governor of the Australian state of Victoria, which will host the 2026 Games.

Martin said Birmingham had put on an event “unlike any we’ve seen before”.

“We are emerging from one of the most challenging periods in modern history, where the Covid-19 pandemic has kept us apart,” she said.

“Birmingham 2022 proved to be a special moment when we reunited, when the power of sport to connect us came into sharp focus.”

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Carlton Blues, Patrick Cripps, court, appeal, suspension, ban, bump, Callum Ah Chee, West Coast Eagles, Willie Rioli, Matt Rowell, appeal

Carlton Blues, Patrick Cripps, court, appeal, suspension, ban, bump, Callum Ah Chee, West Coast Eagles, Willie Rioli, Matt Rowell, appeal

Carlton needed to use the Willie Rioli defense in a bid to free skipper Patrick Cripps to play in this weekend’s must-win clash with Melbourne, according to Jonathan Brown.

Like Cripps, Willie Rioli was banned for his mid-air collision with Sun Matt Rowell as the Eagle’s impact sent the midfielder crashing into the turf.

Rioli was given a one-match ban for the heavy bump, but was successful in overturning the suspension at the court by arguing his actions were not “unreasonable”.

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Cripps has been hit with a two-match ban for his similar action that left Lion Callum Ah Chee concussed on the Gabba turf.

Brown believes a “precedence” was set in Round 1 – with the difference being Cripps’ has been graded as high impact and not medium like Rioli’s.

“The end of the day, the precedence has been set for my belief when Willie Rioli was let off with Matty Rowell in Round 1. I don’t think there’s been a rule change,” Brown said On the Couch.

“To me, it looked like Willie Rioli was later (in making contact).

“Yes, you can argue that it was a marking contest however it was an aerial contest. One was in play, one was a marking contest.

Longmuir confident yet coy on Freo | 03:48

“They were both scenarios where the player’s had to leave the ground. I don’t think Patty Cripps could do much. I actually think that (Rioli’s) looks worse and was let off.”

Fellow panelist Nick Riewoldt agreed that the Blues needed to use Rioli’s appeal as the basis for their challenge, should they decide to make one by 11am AEST on Tuesday.

“Whether you are jumping in the air in a marking contest or to intercept the ball from a handball is irrelevant,” he said as Brown added: “It should be irrelevant.”

“So they walk in (to the court), you press play on the Willie Rioli tape and you walk out five minutes later – that’s how it should go down,” Riewoldt said.

Brown felt Rioli’s argument that his conduct was “not unreasonable” should apply to Cripps as well.

“The argument for Willie Rioli (was) he couldn’t reasonably expect contact in that situation and obviously had to brace – but so did Patty Cripps.”

Fans were shocked back in Round 1 when Rioli escaped sanction for the hit on Rowell, with some calling on the Eagle to “buy a Lotto ticket”.

Koch statement awkward for Hinkley? | 01:36

Gerard Whateley said the Blues were in the process of preparing for an appeal on Monday night, but didn’t think the Rioli comparison was as “cookie cutter” as some believed.

“First they have to show it’s not a bump. The second part is there an alternative?” he said.

AFL360 co-host Mark Robinson agreed with coach Michael Voss that it was a “split second decision” for Cripps.

“My flinch reaction was: ‘You’re gone Patrick Cripps’ … but I said the same with Willie Rioli,” he said.

“We were gobsmacked at the time they appealed and got off. I don’t think the court can suspend him if they put up the Rioli (vision).

“But my gut feels is you can’t have that in our sport anymore.

Feet rebound from cap scandal | 02:10

“He didn’t mean to do it – but what’s more important? He didn’t mean to do it or the health and safety of Ah Chee?”

On the Couch host Garry Lyon believes Cripps’ actions are worthy of suspension, claiming it was “not a great surprise” the Match Review handed down a two-game ban on Monday.

“It’s a hold your breath moment,” he said.

“I don’t think in this state that we are in and the game we’ve got, if that goes unpunished, then we are kidding ourselves.”

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AFL: ‘As flat as I’ve been’: Star Demon Jake Lever on Melbourne’s loss to Collingwood

AFL: 'As flat as I've been': Star Demon Jake Lever on Melbourne's loss to Collingwood

Melbourne defender Jake Lever expects the Demons to address a worrying trend of blowing strong starts after Friday night’s fadeout loss to Collingwood.

The reigning premier has lost three of its past five matches – to Geelong, Western Bulldogs and the Magpies –Despite leading two of those by about four goals in the first half and the other by 11 points early.

Melbourne dominated Collingwood in inside 50s, clearances and center clearances, especially in the opening two quarters, but never led by more than 23 points and was run down in a seven-goals-to-three second half.

The Demons also coughed up match-winning advantages in defeats to Fremantle, Sydney and the Magpies in rounds 11 to 13, so it’s not a new problem.

“We’re very disappointed that we lost (on Friday night). I was extremely disappointed the next day – probably as flat as I’ve been after a game,” Lever said.

“I thought that we played some good footy in the first half and it has been a little bit of a trend at the minute of us starting well and then not being able to finish.

“I’m sure we’ll touch on it but we’re pretty disappointed. But to Collingwood’s credit, they just found a way.”

Lever suggested the unenviable record might owe to Melbourne falling into a bad habit of thinking more about the result than the process as they try to lock in a top-four berth in the next fortnight.

“We didn’t take our chances and we’re sitting here without the four points and we’ve got a pretty important couple of weeks coming up,” he said.

“It’s obviously pretty important (to make the top four) – I think history suggests that. But the good thing is it’s kind of in our own hands now.

“I haven’t done the maths, but I think that if we win the next two, we probably finish top four, so that’s super important for us.”

The Demons face Carlton (MCG) and Brisbane (Gabba) in the final two rounds, with the Blues’ two-headed forward monster of Charlie Curnow and Harry McKay presenting a significant challenge.

But Lever said it was an “exciting” opportunity for he and his fellow defenders, particularly after the Pies’ hectic ball movement brought them unstuck last week.

“You look at their names up there and they’ve got some serious talent,” he said.

“I think Charlie’s kicked 60 goals this year, and Harry wouldn’t be far behind, so we know that they’ve got a lot of scoring power up there.

“But, for us, and especially with guys like Steven May, ‘Hibbo’ (Michael Hibberd) and Harry Petty, they thrive off that sort of stuff… we’ll be looking forward to the challenge.”

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Jane Fonda: Oscar-winner doesn’t feel part of Hollywood | Stellar interview, Luck Apple TV+

Jane Fonda: Oscar-winner doesn't feel part of Hollywood | Stellar interview, Luck Apple TV+

At almost 85, actress and activist Jane Fonda says it took her 70-something years to “become young”, and that feeling as good as she does now is something of a miracle.

Ahead of her new role in an animated movie, Fonda speaks exclusively with Stellar about what her late, lauded father taught her about life and regret on his deathbed, why she has never truly felt like a classic Hollywood icon, and her rubber-band trick for treating heartbreak.

You recently said, “I am younger now [at age 84] than I was in my 20s”. How do you stay young?

I don’t think that it’s true of everyone, frankly. How we are in our 20s – at least in the first part of our lives, before we understand that we can actually put an oar in the water and steer our life in a different direction, if we so choose… until I got to that point in my life, I was lost, I didn’t know what to do or who I wanted to be. I was very unhappy and I felt old and didn’t feel like I would live for very long. So to be almost 85 years old and to feel like I do now is a miracle to me. I have been very intentional in trying to … make myself a better person, make my life have more meaning. [The artist] Picasso once said, “It takes a long time to become young” and that’s sure true for me. It took 70-something years for me to become young.

When you say “become young”, what do you mean?

Young, [as in] light, not feeling a great burden on my shoulders. Learning how to be present, learning how to accept what comes, learning that we don’t have any control… something bad will happen, been there, done that and I survived. It’s much easier being older than it is being younger. It’s so hard to be young! There’s nothing but questions: “What am I supposed to do? Who am I supposed to know? Don’t give up, keep going and try to learn from all this, so when you get a little older, you can get more agency over your life.

You’ve spoken previously about not living a life of regrets. How have you influenced your decisions in Hollywood – and your life?

when my father [the late actor, Henry Fonda] was ill, it took him a long time to die. I would sit by his bedside of him. He didn’t speak much when he was young and healthy, and you don’t change when you’re on your deathbed. What I realized [was] he was going to die with regrets, when it was too late to do anything about it. It’s not the dying that I am scared of, it’s the coming to the end of life with a lot of regrets when it’s too late to do anything.

And that came to me at about the age of 60, so I thought, “All right, that means you have to live now until the end of your life in a way that will minimize the regrets and to go out feeling pretty OK about what you’ve done.” Regrets are usually about what you didn’t do … rather than the things you did. I am trying to do what I feel needs to be done before the end, right now, in my life.

You’ve been married three times and previously stated: “Part of the reason I get into a relationship with a man is that I feel he can take me down a new path”. How do you reflect on the defining relationships of your life?

Well, all of my three husbands definitely took me down paths that I probably would not have gone down had I not married them. And then, in between the marriages, I have had boyfriends that didn’t take me down any new paths, that really had nothing to teach me, and I got bored pretty fast. I feel like I needed to always be learning and growing and expanding, and my husbands have all helped me do that.

What is your advice for dealing with heartbreak?

Put a rubber band around your wrist and when you get really angry or sad, snap it. That sudden pain, it changes the neural pathways in your brain, and will help you kind of come out of it for a minute. Then, write him a letter, pour your thoughts out – but don’t send it.

Years from now, you’ll read it and be amazed at how different you are when you read it, than the time you wrote it.

Between projects, such as the 1968 movie Barbarella and Netflix series Grace and Frankie, and now your voice role in new animated film Luck, on Apple TV+, you’ve had incredible longevity and diversity in your acting career, and you’ve won two Oscars for Best Actress. What has your experience been as a woman working in Hollywood?

I’ve never felt part of Hollywood, really. I mean, I know it sounds strange to say that because my father was a movie star, Henry Fonda, but he was not really part of Hollywood. I didn’t go to Hollywood parties much. I mean he did, sometimes. It was not a life that was totally focused on glamor and Hollywood. My life has never been, either. Most of my friends are activists and not involved in Hollywood. I have plowed ahead, even when it looked like my career would be over. I just try to stay relevant, I guess.

You’re the voice of Babe, The Dragon, in Luck. What drew you to the role?

She is the president of the Kingdom of Luck, where they create luck. Human beings are not allowed there because it’s thought they’ll bring bad luck with them. It’s a story about a young girl named Sam, who is in the foster care system and who has nothing but bad luck. With the help of some of the creatures in the kingdom, she manages to get in and teaches the dragon that bad luck is really the other side of the coin of good luck, that the two go together. That good luck doesn’t mean anything without bad luck, and vice versa. It’s like, life doesn’t have meaning without death.

The climate crisis is the main subject of your activism, as founder of the Jane Fonda Climate PAC (Political Action Committee). What is your message to lawmakers – in the US and globally – about the state of the environment?

I have to say, the people of Australia understand the climate crisis better than most. I mean, boy, you just can’t catch a break with the fires and flooding. We have to look at what the scientists say. We have to cut our fossil fuel emissions – the pollution that happens when we

burn coal and gas – in half by 2030. In the US, that’s four election cycles. That’s a very short period of time. It’s a massive challenge that requires not just laws and policies to be passed, but a new way of thinking. Think about nature differently, think about our responsibility – this is particularly true in the United States, stop thinking about me, me, me. It’s pretty scary and we don’t have a lot of time. We have to do everything we can, all of us.

Luck is now streaming exclusively on Apple TV+

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Ricky Stuart weak-gutted dog spray, one-game suspension, fine, punishment, Jaeman Salmon, Raiders, Panthers

Ricky Stuart weak-gutted dog spray, one-game suspension, fine, punishment, Jaeman Salmon, Raiders, Panthers

Raiders coach Ricky Stuart will reportedly be suspended for one game and slapped with a $20,000 fine for his “weak-gutted dog” spray directed towards Panthers player Jaeman Salmon.

Stuart produced the stunning comments after the Raiders’ loss to the Panthers on Saturday. It was triggered by Salmon kicking Raiders hooker Tom Starling during the game.

“I have had history with that kid (Salmon). I know that kid very well,” he said.

“He was a weak gutted dog as a kid and he hasn’t changed now. He is a weak gutted dog person now.”

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MORE NRL NEWS

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TALKING POINTS: NRL facing moment of truth after ‘ugly’ Ricky spray

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news corp Journalist Phil Rothfield reported on NRL 360 that Stuart will likely be stood down from coaching the Raiders’ clash with the Dragons on Sunday.

“I spoke to them (the NRL) about 15 minutes ago and Ricky Stuart will not be coaching the Canberra Raiders this weekend,” Rothfield said.

“In the next 24 hours they will announce, the NRL, a one-week suspension and a $20,000 fine.”

NRL 360 co-host Paul Kent revealed Stuart had spoken to Jason King at the Integrity Unit and revealed the “personal” story behind the attack on Salmon.

“I rang the NRL today, they are aware of it and they will put their investigation together and such is the personal nature of this investigation there will be things that will not be going into the written report,” he said.

One game suspension harsh on Ricky? | 03:27

“King will speak to (Andrew) Abdo, disclose some of what’s happened, but out of respect for the personal nature of what it actually is about, it will be kept out of the written submission.

“Whether that damages Ricky in his overall fight to not get suspended, I don’t know. When I asked him about that he was prepared to live with the consequences of that.”

Rothfield confirmed that the NRL is “aware” of “all the personal details” and while Stuart has not revealed anything publicly, he “did tell the Integrity Unit every single detail.”

Rothfield added: “This is something that’s been boiling away at him for over a decade and he hasn’t been able to have closure on it. It’s his own kids from him… I’m not defending him but I’m trying to give context on what triggered what happened.

Kent, who had also heard about Stuart’s looming one-game suspension, slammed the NRL for entertaining a suspension when the investigation had not yet completed.

“The investigation is not even over yet and you’re saying — and I’ve heard the same — one game for Ricky,” he said.

Salmon family calls for action on Stuart | 03:00

“I’ve got no problem with them fining him, but to suspend him for this… (News Corp journalist) Dave Riccio was speaking on radio saying how the NRL has come out and basically for some time now has been saying coaches aren’t ‘t paying enough attention to the ends, we might need to start suspending them.

“That’s in one area, then in the second area we’ve got all these people saying this is well-beyond what anyone else has done so he needs to be suspended. The two things don’t actually correlate, yet people are marrying it up together to give him one game.

“It looks like a Kangaroo court the fact that the disciplinary hearing is not even over and we’ve all heard he’s going to get a game — it’s not even over yet.”

Paul Kent said the NRL ”knows the truth” and

“It’s not a good look and I accept that but it’s not about whether it is right or wrong.

“To suspend a game for that

“Any person that gets hung out for defending their family, and I get its the wrong ga

“The NRL should sit there and says it’s not a personal matter

However, news corp journalist Michael Carayannis believes the ban is “fair.”

ARL to decide Grand Final location soon | 05:25

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“I would have much rathered if Ricky confronted Jaeman after the game in the sheds and sprayed him one-on-one… but you can’t be doing that in public. He essentially slandered him — he can’t be unpunished,” Caryannis said.

“I think the one-game suspension is fair. You can’t be doing that.”

Kent said the NRL “knows the truth” behind Stuart’s reaction and reiterated that the issue for him is the suspension.

Caryannis responded by asking “what’s the deterrent then?”

Meanwhile, Rothfield revealed that Stuart will be the first coach to cop a one-game suspension.

“It’s never ever happened before in the game,” he said.

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My Kitchen Rules 2022: Kate and Mary rocket to top of leaderboard

My Kitchen Rules 2022: Kate and Mary rocket to top of leaderboard

They talked a big game from the very first episode, but My Kitchen Rules’ most outspoken duo have proven they’re the biggest threat in the competition.

Queensland radiologists Kate and Mary, who on Sunday’s opening episode declared themselves a “threat” while Kate also had a dig at her fellow contestants taste palates, have achieved near-perfect scores for their main course and dessert from judges Manu Feildel and Nigella Lawson.

There were high hopes for the “fine-dining” friends, who only faulted on their barramundi entree which was inconsistently cooked and served without crispy skin.

British home cooking queen Lawson, who is Pete Evans’ replacement for 2022, said she understood where they were going with the entree, but that they failed on the execution.

“I eat barramundi a lot when I come (to Australia), it doesn’t exist where I come from,” Lawson told them.

She added: “I think you understood what you were trying to go for and it just needed a bit more acidity and a bit more salt to make it what you wanted to. You don’t want to drown flavors out, but you don’t want to be too timid.”

But the self-confessed “food snobs” bounced back with their main course, with their “perfectly cooked” quail praised by the judges and their fellow contestants.

And they went another step further with their dessert, a macadamia tart with poached pears and creme fraiche, which Feildel dubbed “textbook”.

Kate and Mary’s fellow contestants equally enjoyed their instant restaurant, giving them overall scores of 7s and 8s.

Meanwhile, the judges scored them a combined total of 87, which saw them rocket past Peter and Alice’s score of 54 on the leaderboard.

The winner of the instant restaurant round goes straight through to the semi final, with Kate and Mary potentially scoring high enough to finish on top.

“After our instant restaurant, I think the contestants are going to be double thinking what they do for their restaurants,” Kate said.

“We’re a threat,” Mary added.

My Kitchen Rules continues tonight on Channel 7 at 7.30pm

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Commonwealth Games 2022: Australia vs India hockey final, Kookaburras win gold in bloodbath

Commonwealth Games 2022: Australia vs India hockey final, Kookaburras win gold in bloodbath

It was sheer, cold-blooded murder—everything you would expect of a team of champions.

It is only a penalty shoot-out loss to Belgium at the Tokyo Olympics in the gold medal match last year that stops the Kookaburras being in the same conversation as the Aussie women’s cricket team as our greatest national teams going around right now.

They have everything you can want.

Ruthless, silky ability to find goals in the final third. Check.

Brutal intensity off the ball. Check. Even ahead 7-0 in the fourth quarter, the Aussie defense was screaming and scrambling like their lives depended on it. “They have really had each other’s back,” former Hockeyroos star Georgie Parker said on Channel 7.

A humble, classy Aussie spirit that conceals a killer-instinct. Check. Veteran Eddie Ockenden was selected to carry the Aussie flag at the Opening Ceremony for a reason.

Ockenden, at the age of 35, didn’t rule out the possibility of playing through to the 2026 Commonwealth Games — admitting the lure of competing in Victoria had real appeal.

For all these reasons and more, poor India didn’t stand a chance in Monday night’s Commonwealth Games final at the University of Birmingham.

It ended 7-0 and the score was a fair reflection of the Kookaburras’ dominance.

It was a fourth Commonwealth Games gold medal for Ockenden — and the Kookaburras kept their perfect record of winning every gold medal since hockey was introduced at the Commonwealth Games in 1998. They are the only team to win every gold they have competed in since that time .

The first half was a surgical carve-up that quickly turned into a bloodbath.

India simply had no clue how to stop the onslaught and it was 5-0 at the half time break.

Australia was denied an early goal when Daniel Beale stumbled on the ball as he was running in to tap it past the goal keeper.

It didn’t matter as gun finisher Blake Govers got Australia’s opening goal when he converted on Australia’s third penalty corner. It was 2-0 before quarter time as Nathan Ephraums finished off a sweet mid-field run to leave Australia in a dominant position.

When Jacob Anderson tapped in the third goal early in the second quarter, Channel 7’s Alister Nicholson said the Kookaburras were looking “lethal”.

When the fourth goal came he said: “This is just looking like a clinical side, used to playing in big matches, asserting itself.”

He said it was a “state of despair” for India in the second half.

The Kookaburras made the final on the back of an epic comeback win over England in the semi-final where controversy surrounded Australia’s winning goal.

On Monday morning (AEST) the Hockeyroos fell just short in the final where hosts England won gold in hockey for the first time ever.

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MAFS’ Daniel Holmes and Carolina Santos split – after Olivia Frazer and Jackson Lonie break up

MAFS' Daniel Holmes and Carolina Santos split – after Olivia Frazer and Jackson Lonie break up

Two Married at First Sight couples have called it quits in one night – with Daniel Holmes revealing he has broken up with Carolina Santos.

He shared the news on Instagram, just hours after Olivia Frazer and Jackson Lonie revealed they had split.

“I’m getting bombarded so much at the moment, considering all the articles outright know about the status of Carolina and I,” he wrote.

“I think it’s been obvious for a while we have gone our separate ways. There’s no right way to deal with these situations.

“I wish Carolina all the best and I know she feels the same for me. We had a very unique experience together full of every emotion possible, but life just has a different plan for us.”

Carolina had previously hinted at the end of their relationship, writing on Instagram: “Smile and no one will see how broken you are inside.”

Earlier on Monday night, Olivia and Jackson announced they were breaking up too.

“After a wonderful 10 months together we have decided to go our separate ways,” they said.

“There has always been a lot of love in our relationship and there will continue to be as we transition into a friendship.

“We have nothing but love and respect for one another, and no one is to blame for the end of this relationship. Simply a case of ‘almost perfect’.

“We hope you all can please show compassion as we navigate this privately.”

The pair were last seen together on Saturday as they attended a friend’s party, and they seemed to be getting their relationship back on track.

Olivia, 28, had taken a five-week trip to the UK after they hit the rocks when Jackson was seen getting close to another woman in Melbourne in May.

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Isaiah Papali’i backflip on Wests Tigers contract, Parramatta Eels, Michael Maguire sacked

Isaiah Papali'i backflip on Wests Tigers contract, Parramatta Eels, Michael Maguire sacked

Isaiah Papali’i has confirmed he is yet to make a decision on whether he will honor the contract he’s signed with the Tigers or backflip on it to remain at the Eels.

Papali’i told 9 News that he’ll make a call “in the off-season” and also revealed the moment he began mulling over his future.

The 23-year-old signed a big-money three-year contract last November with the Tigers beginning next season.

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However just under a month ago reports emerged that Papali’i had a change of heart and was considering backflipping on the contract.

Speaking to 9 News on Monday, Papali’i was still unsure about what he was going to do.

“Obviously people ask me about it, just even on the street or family and friends are hitting me up but that’s kind of for my manager look after and even if I don’t stay here or I do go next year, I want to make sure that this year has no regrets,” he said.

“I reckon somewhere in the off-season because this is distracting me at the moment,” he added when asked when he wants to make a decision by.

“We have a massive opportunity and I don’t want to leave any stone unturned this year and look back on it and think ‘I shouldn’t have left that stuff get in the way’.”

One game suspension harsh on Ricky? | 03:27

MORE NRL NEWS

IN TROUBLE: Stuart facing unprecedented ban with NRL boss ‘so angry’

TALKING POINTS: NRL facing moment of truth after ‘ugly’ Ricky spray

WHISPERS: Dragons eye hookers amid shock retirement; Haas’ lucrative switch

DRAMA: Knights trainer breaks silence, reveals word that made Klemmer saga ‘worse’

Papali’i also revealed that it was the sacking of Michael Maguire in June that “rattled the cage” for him.

“I think it was the coaching axing that went on,” the Kiwi international said.

“When I did sign it was talking to Madge — he’s an awesome coach. That rattled the cage a bit and I guess you have to have those conversations and I guess that was a massive factor for me.”

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Cameron Munster, contract, future, Melbourne Storm, Dolphins, Craig Bellamy, Brandon Smith, Felise Kaufusi

Cameron Munster, contract, future, Melbourne Storm, Dolphins, Craig Bellamy, Brandon Smith, Felise Kaufusi

news corp Journalist Phil Rothfield fears that if Cameron Munster leaves the Storm, the club will be in a “serious decline.”

Munster is contracted to the Storm until the end of 2023 but from November 1 rival clubs can officially table the star five-eighth offers.

The Dolphins, who join the competition next year, have made their interest in Munster no secret, however even if they were to land him it won’t be until 2024 with the 27-year-old reiterating his commitment to the Storm in July.

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Munster, nor his manager Braith Anasta, have given any indication of where the Queensland Origin star’s future lays beyond next season.

But Rothfield suggested on NRL 360 that the Storm could not afford losing Munster.

Asked if the Storm are on a decline off the back mixed form this season, Rothfield said: “Depends what happens with Cameron Munster.

“If Munster leaves I think they are definitely in a serious decline. If he stays, I know they’ve lost a couple of forwards but I think they’ll be OK if Cameron stays,” he added.

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The Storm will farewell Brandon Smith, Felise Kaufusi and the Bromwich brothers at the end of the season with the former joining the Roosters and the others joining the Dolphins.

fellow news corp Journalist Michael Carayannis acknowledged that losing Kaufusi and the Bromwich brothers shouldn’t hurt the Storm too much.

“I think some of the forwards they’re losing are at the right age to lose them,” he said.

“They’re going to be hard to replace and they’ve given them great service but they’re in the back end of their careers.”

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However NRL 360 host Anasta believes this next chapter “is the biggest test in their history.”

“We just spoke about their success over a long time, this is going to be their biggest challenge and I think they’re a little bit worried about that,” Anasta said.

“Every other year, over the past couple of decades, they’ve had the depth in the club, they’ve had leaders there, they’ve had successful players that can carry them through this.”

Paul Kent added: “And Craig Bellamy only has one more year.”

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Bellamy signed a five-year extension in 2021 that allows him to decide each season whether he will continue as head coach or move into a coaching director role.

In May Bellamy, who has steered the club to three premierships, committed to coaching again in 2023.

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