Rabbitohs halfback Lachlan Ilias has revealed Broncos captain Adam Reynolds has been a rock of support this season.
The former teammates remain tight and Reynolds was quick to contact Ilias after he was dramatically hooked inside 30 minutes against the Dragons in Round 15.
Ilias’ future was scrutinized with plenty of attention focusing on why coach Jason Demetriou decided to bench Ilias.
But Reynolds came to the 22-year-old’s support and helped him get his season back on track.
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“Reyno has been really supportive this whole season,” Ilias told The Daily Telegraph.
“Through the ups and downs, Reyno is Reyno… he is a really good bloke.
“He’s experienced it all. He made sure I was OK and said to stay positive.
“I was really close to him last year and we still message each other all the time.
“If something happens good or bad he is there with messages of support.
Rabbitohs young halfback Lachlan Ilias was hooked in the first half of their clash with the Dragons. Credit: NRL Images. Source: The Daily TelegraphSource: The Daily Telegraph
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“Obviously in previous seasons I spent a lot of time learning from him and this season he has been really good to me. He is massive in my development.”
While the 22-year-old was anxious about his immediate future in the seven jersey, he has since realized it was the wake up call that he needed.
“There was a bit of the unknown, wondering what it means… and thinking about what the chat with the coach might be like to see where he is at and where I’m at in the team,” Ilias said.
“We’ve both bounced back from that now. There has been a lot of articles of people talking about it.
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“But I didn’t want to feel like the victim in that situation. It was hard at the time and I had to sit down with JD a couple of days after the game. It was a positive chat.
“Ever since then I have been positive and changed my mindset.
“I’m hungrier now than I was before. It was probably the kick up the backside I needed. I’m loving my footy at the moment.”
Ilias has been named to start for the Rabbitohs for their Friday night clash against the Eels at CommBank Stadium.
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Eels star Isaiah Papali’i’s push for a backflip from his $1.9 million Tigers deal has taken a fresh twist with reports he is also angling for a return to the Warriors.
Papali’i raised concerns about his Tigers deal after they sacked Michael Maguire, while the Eels have upped their offer in a bid to retain his services, but a potential return to the Warriors is the latest development in his contract saga.
“Isaiah Papali’i signed a contract with Michael Maguire at the helm at the Tigers and now with Madge not there he is certainly not committing to it,” Braith Anasta said on NRL 360.
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“There is speculation about whether he will go or stay. I have not been convincing.”
Paul Kent believes the link to a return to the Warriors is a sign Papali’i is trying to make sure he does not end up at the Tigers at all costs.
“He hasn’t been convincing,” Kent said.
“Not only has he floated earlier in the year that he wants to stay at Parramatta, but it has also come out now that he is looking at a return to the Warriors, which is interesting.”
However, The Daily Telegraph’s Dave Riccio believes the links to the Warriors deny the reason he wanted to backflip on the Tigers in the first place.
“That won’t eventuate because the Warriors are the only club that provides wriggle room for Papali’i to get out of the contract because it is the only feasible reason he could use, which is for personal reasons because his girlfriend still lives in New Zealand,” Riccio said.
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Isaiah Papali’I wants to get out of his deal with the Tigers.Source: Getty Images
“That’s not the reason he wants to leave the Tigers. The reason he wants to leave the Tigers is because he wants to stay at Parramatta.
“His angst isn’t with . . . it is not about going home to the Warriors and New Zealand. It is about staying at Parramatta.”
However, Kent believes if the Warriors were able to meet his financial demands, then he could also return to the Warriors for family reasons and leave both the Eels and the Tigers in the lurch.
“That is true but if the Warriors now do come in with a late offer?” Kent questioned.
“Or is it about not going to the Tigers?”
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Isaiah Papali’I wants to stay at the Eels.Source: News Corp Australia
Paul Crawley believes Papali’i can only blame himself for signing with the Tigers, who have a history of sacking coaches.
“If he has any angst it should be with himself and his management,” Crawley said.
“I have signed with the Tigers. I have signed with a club that changes coaches almost annually.
“He took the big money on offer. Yes Michael Maguire was the coach, but the Tigers have gone through four coaches in the last 10 years. It shouldn’t come as any great surprise.
“The Tigers have got to hold their ground on this.”
However, Paul Kent and Braith Anasta pointed out that sometimes the coach is the main reason for players signing with clubs.
“Players sign with coaches,” Kent said.
“My take on this is different because when I first heard this I thought, I have not got to honor his contract,” Anasta said.
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“Then I had to think about it myself and I was in a very similar situation.
“It was the Tigers, but it could have been any club, where I signed at that club and Tim Sheens was the coach.
“He signed me for a specific reason. He wanted a certain something out of me in terms of leadership and direction with a few players there and he made the sell to me.
“He was the coach and the Australian coach and I wanted to play under Tim Sheens. That was the only reason I signed. The sole reason I signed.
“Then he got sacked a few weeks later. I honored the contract, but now I look back at it and I think it was a poor decision from me.
“If I had my time over it would have been in the best interests of me and the club not to go there because it wasn’t the right fit.
“I was taking hit ups off taps, which is one thing, but what I’m trying to say is if he doesn’t want to go there and he only went there because a coach wanted him for a specific role to play his part in that team.
“Sometimes motivation is solely because of the coach.
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“But if he has got the Warriors involved that is taking the piss because that to me is him just saying, I don’t want to go to the Tigers.”
Kent believes the Tigers are being hypocritical of Papali’i breaking his contract when they broke Michael Maguire’s in sacking him.
“The flip side for the Tigers is when they signed him (Papali’i), they had Michael Maguire as their contracted coach,” Kent said.
“They are happy to sack Maguire and break that contract, which then breaks the terms or understanding that was there with Papali’i.”
Regardless, Kent believes Papali’i’s inability to commit fully to the Tigers means the club needs to act fast to ensure their own best interests.
“Even yesterday when he spoke and he was very noncommittal and at one point he said, look I’ll just wait until November and sort it out then,” Kent said.
Wests Tigers opt not to take legal action | 00:47
“Now the Tigers have got every right to say hang on, you have got to figure out what is going on.
“They have got a salary cap to manage. They can’t sit there and wait for this guy until November.”
Riccio believes the Tigers are better off cutting their losses with Papali’i because he clearly isn’t committed to the club’s new vision for the future under Tim Sheens and Benji Marshall.
“That’s why the Tigers should move on now and use Papali’i’s money before it gets too late,” Riccio said.
“If they wait until November they won’t be able to use their money.
“The Tigers are at a critical point in their history. This is a turning point for the Wests Tigers club under Tim Sheens and the future under Benji Marshall.
“What do we stand for? What is our culture? Who do we want here? That’s all I’ve heard about what it is going to be like under Sheens and Marshall. We want players who want to represent the Wests Tigers and who want to be there.
“Have we heard Isaiah Papali’i say once, I cannot wait to get to the Wests Tigers?”
Australian cricketer Chris Lynn has officially turned his back on the Big Bash League, signing on for the inaugural International League T20 in the United Arab Emirates.
On Monday, Emirates Cricket announced that 54 international cricketers had agreed to participate in the newly-developed T20 league, which makes its debut in January 2023.
Lynn, one of the sport’s most destructive short-format batters, was the only Australian featured on a list headed by Ashes winner Moeen Ali and West Indies veteran Andre Russell.
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The 2023 ILT20 will have 34 matches, with all the teams playing each other twice before four playoffs fixtures across Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah.
It’s understood the UAE league could offer players up to AU$700,000 for five weeks’ work.
“It’s exciting to see how well the squads are shaping up for the first season of ILT20,” Emirates Cricket General Secretary Mubashshir Usmani said in a statement.
“Each team will consist of 18 players including four UAE players and two other players from ICC Associate countries. The quality of the names announced today is outstanding and so is the interest in our league of top players from all around the world.
“We are very excited that a select number of UAE representative-players, from our current pool, will also be considered and signed on to participate in the league. It is also extremely important to note that these (UAE) players will form part of the team’s playing XI.
“One of the key objectives for ILT20 is to provide opportunities for players from UAE and other Associate nations to perform on the big stage, and, ECB extends its deep appreciation to the six franchises for their support of our vision to grow our game and create stronger, more competitive players.”
The announcement effectively confirms that Lynn, the highest run-scorer in Big Bash history, won’t sign for a BBL franchise this year.
In May, the Brisbane Heat elected not to renew the Queenslander’s $200,000 contract after a couple of underwhelming seasons in the domestic T20 tournament.
Lynn was not only one of the Heat’s foundation players, winning a BBL title with the Brisbane-based club in 2013, he also served as captain for several years.
According to The Agethe 32-year-old was unable to find another club willing to meet his asking price, although he had recently been in talks with the Adelaide Strikers.
The powerful right-hander has scored 3005 Big Bash runs at 34.54 at an imposing strike rate of 148.83.
Chris Lynn of Northamptonshire Steelbacks celebrates after scoring a century. Photo by David Rogers/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images
Lynn has been in impeccable form this winter, recently smacking an unbeaten 113 from 57 balls in the T20 Blast to equal his highest individual score and set up a Northamptonshire victory.
Although the loss of Lynn is a massive blow for the BBL, Cricket Australia is reportedly on the verge of brokering a deal with superstar batter David Warner.
According to AustralianWarner has been offered a groundbreaking BBL contract above and beyond any previous player contract.
“I am very hopeful David will play BBL and I am hopeful that all of our best Australian cricketers will play in it,” Australian Cricketers’ Association chief executive Todd Greenberg told the Cricket Et Cetera podcast this week.
“There’s a variety of reasons why. There’s absolutely no doubt that someone like David and others of his ilk could earn more in the coming Australian summer if they were to ply their trade overseas, but there’s a much broader discussion and a bigger picture we are trying to solve here and that’s the discussion I am having with several of our players this week.”
CA is desperate to ensure the sport’s biggest names will make an appearance in the BBL this summer; the competition has been starved of international-quality talent after the last two seasons were plagued by Covid-19.
Earlier this year, The Daily Telegraph reported that broadcaster Channel 7 had launched Federal Court action against CA in a bid to terminate its TV rights deal.
According to the News Corp report, Seven is adamant the cricketers that featured in last summer’s BBL were not of a high enough quality for the competition to meet the standard provisions stipulated in CA’s TV rights contract.
However, the Big Bash has already secured the services of former South African captain Faf du Plessis and Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan, while Australian stars Usman Khawaja, Mitchell Swepson, Nathan Lyon and Alex Carey have also signed for their respective BBL franchises.
Australia’s David Warner. Photo by ISHARA S. KODIKARA / AFPSource: AFP
“These leagues we are talking about at the moment are competing with our Australian domestic summer and that is the first time we’ve faced this, it is a unique challenge,” Greenberg said.
“The second thing is that the reasons they enjoy the benefits and remunerations that they enjoy under this model is because of those that came before them.
“David and others understand … and are very aware that if they play in this competition it increases the opportunity for the next broadcast deal to be secured at a higher number which maybe doesn’t benefit them specifically, but it benefits the next generation of Australian cricketers coming through.
“This is a real test of our players demonstrating the level of partnership.
“They understand they have to get the best players to play, which includes them and the best players from overseas, which is why we’ve agreed in this one-year deal to ensure that there is an international draft and salary cap – an opportunity to bring the best overseas players in.”
Because South Africa has withdrawn from next January’s three-match ODI series against Australia, the country’s international stars will be available for the second half of the BBL.
However, multi-format paceman Mitchell Starc has already decided he won’t be signing for any franchise due to the sport’s busy calendar, and Australian teammates Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins will most likely follow suit.
“I have always enjoyed the BBL when I have played it … but my approach with all franchise cricket hasn’t changed over the last seven years,” Starc told AAP earlier this month.
“My approach to the IPL, BBL, I have looked at the Australian schedule and wanting to be as fit and well-performed for that as I can.
Australian cricketer Chris Lynn has officially turned his back on the Big Bash League, signing on for the inaugural International League T20 in the United Arab Emirates.
On Monday, Emirates Cricket announced that 54 international cricketers had agreed to participate in the newly-developed T20 league, which makes its debut in January 2023.
Lynn, one of the sport’s most destructive short-format batters, was the only Australian featured on a list headed by Ashes hero Moeen Ali and West Indies veteran Andre Russell.
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The 2023 ILT20 will have 34 matches, with all the teams playing each other twice before four playoffs fixtures across Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah.
It’s understood the UAE league could offer players up to AU$700,000 for five weeks’ work.
“It’s exciting to see how well the squads are shaping up for the first season of ILT20,” Emirates Cricket General Secretary Mubashshir Usmani said in a statement.
“Each team will consist of 18 players including four UAE players and two other players from ICC Associate countries. The quality of the names announced today is outstanding and so is the interest in our league of top players from all around the world.
“We are very excited that a select number of UAE representative-players, from our current pool, will also be considered and signed on to participate in the league. It is also extremely important to note that these (UAE) players will form part of the team’s playing XI.
“One of the key objectives for ILT20 is to provide opportunities for players from UAE and other Associate nations to perform on the big stage, and, ECB extends its deep appreciation to the six franchises for their support of our vision to grow our game and create stronger, more competitive players.”
The announcement effectively confirms that Lynn, the highest run-scorer in Big Bash history, won’t sign for a BBL franchise this year.
In May, the Brisbane Heat elected not to renew the Queenslander’s $200,000 contract after a couple of underwhelming seasons in the domestic T20 tournament.
Lynn was not only one of the Heat’s foundation players, winning a BBL title with the Brisbane-based club in 2013, he also served as captain for several years.
According to The Agethe 32-year-old was unable to find another club willing to meet his asking price, although he had recently been in talks with the Adelaide Strikers.
The powerful right-hander has scored 3005 Big Bash runs at 34.54 at an imposing strike rate of 148.83.
Lynn has been in impeccable form this winter, recently smacking an unbeaten 113 from 57 balls in the T20 Blast to equal his highest individual score and set up a Northamptonshire victory.
Although the loss of Lynn is a massive blow for the BBL, Cricket Australia is reportedly on the verge of brokering a deal with superstar batter David Warner.
According to AustralianWarner has been offered a groundbreaking BBL contract above and beyond any previous player contract.
“I am very hopeful David will play BBL and I am hopeful that all of our best Australian cricketers will play in it,” Australian Cricketers’ Association chief executive Todd Greenberg told the Cricket Et Cetera podcast this week.
“There’s a variety of reasons why. There’s absolutely no doubt that someone like David and others of his ilk could earn more in the coming Australian summer if they were to ply their trade overseas, but there’s a much broader discussion and a bigger picture we are trying to solve here and that’s the discussion I am having with several of our players this week.”
CA is desperate to ensure the sport’s biggest names will make an appearance in the BBL this summer; the competition has been starved of international-quality talent after the last two seasons were plagued by Covid-19.
Earlier this year, The Daily Telegraph reported that broadcaster Channel 7 had launched Federal Court action against CA in a bid to terminate its TV rights deal.
According to the News Corp report, Seven is adamant the cricketers that featured in last summer’s BBL were not of a high enough quality for the competition to meet the standard provisions stipulated in CA’s TV rights contract.
However, the Big Bash has already secured the services of former South African captain Faf du Plessis and Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan, while Australian stars Usman Khawaja, Mitchell Swepson, Nathan Lyon and Alex Carey have also signed for their respective BBL franchises.
“These leagues we are talking about at the moment are competing with our Australian domestic summer and that is the first time we’ve faced this, it is a unique challenge,” Greenberg said.
“The second thing is that the reasons they enjoy the benefits and remunerations that they enjoy under this model is because of those that came before them.
“David and others understand … and are very aware that if they play in this competition it increases the opportunity for the next broadcast deal to be secured at a higher number which maybe doesn’t benefit them specifically, but it benefits the next generation of Australian cricketers coming through.
“This is a real test of our players demonstrating the level of partnership.
“They understand they have to get the best players to play, which includes them and the best players from overseas, which is why we’ve agreed in this one-year deal to ensure that there is an international draft and salary cap – an opportunity to bring the best overseas players in.”
Because South Africa has withdrawn from next January’s three-match ODI series against Australia, the country’s international stars will be available for the second half of the BBL.
However, multi-format paceman Mitchell Starc has already decided he won’t be signing for any franchise due to the sport’s busy calendar, and Australian teammates Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins will most likely follow suit.
“I have always enjoyed the BBL when I have played it … but my approach with all franchise cricket hasn’t changed over the last seven years,” Starc told AAP earlier this month.
“My approach to the IPL, BBL, I have looked at the Australian schedule and wanting to be as fit and well-performed for that as I can.
Penrith fullback Dylan Edwards has been nominated as a shock contender to win this year’s Dally M award after another Herculean effort for the Panthers.
Edwards battled through a shoulder problem to deliver a man-of-the-match performance in Penrith’s 26-6 win over Canberra on Saturday night.
The 26-year-old continues to prove himself as one of the NRL’s toughest players — battling through a serious ankle injury in Penrith’s run to last year’s premiership.
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Dylan Edwards receives treatment during the win over the Raiders.Source: Getty Images
“Penrith, they’ve got some wonderful players but I don’t know whether they’ve got a more consistent player or a braver player than their fullback Dylan Edwards, what a player he is,” NRL great Laurie Daley said on Sky Racing’s Big Sports Breakfast.
Daily Telegraph reporter Phil Rothfield echoed those sentiments and predicted Edwards was a legitimate contender for this year’s Dally M award, especially with Nathan Cleary set to miss the rest of the regular season due to suspension.
“Well you know he played through the finals no media publicity, nothing was heard about until after the game basically with a really serious ankle injury, couldn’t train, was in a moon boot all week, he’s a really, really tough dude and he just got needled game after game,” Rothfield said.
“Again he took a heavy knock the other night and just played outstanding.
“I looked up the Dally M leaderboard when it closed and he was running eighth, in equal eighth with Daly Cherry-Evans and he was only six points behind Ben Hunt.
“I think he might be a bolter’s chance to actually win the award.
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“I think he’s a good thing to finish in the top 3 and apart from him being subject to terrific play, picking up points every week, he no longer has, for the rest of the year, Nathan Cleary and Jarome Luai in the side, competing with him for points each week.”
Rothfield said Edwards was only a “cigarette paper” behind the likes of James Tedesco, Latrell Mitchell and Tom Trbojevic in the echelon of the game’s premier fullbacks
“He’s improved out of sight in the last two years and I’m really happy for him because while he may lack a few of the skills of the boys I’ve just mentioned he’s toughness and his effort plays are up there with any player in the competition.”
NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo has confirmed an investigation will be launched into Ricky Stuart’s stunning spray aimed at Panthers young gun Jaeman Salmon — as details of the history between the pair has been revealed.
Speaking on the Big Sports Breakfast, Abdo said the NRL Integrity Unit would be looking into the matter, and The Daily Telegraph’s Buzz Rothfield also explained ARLC chairman Peter V’landys is “aware of the full background”.
The bad-blood reportedly stems from Salmon’s time in the Cronulla Sharks junior system 12-years-ago and an incident with Stuart’s son, who played in the same team, according to the SMH.
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Stuart’s son was reportedly reduced to tears following an incident with Salmon in 2010.
Stuart then made comments which saw Salmon’s father get involved.
The dads then had a heated exchange and had to be separated.
“Not pleasant, I spoke to Ricky late last night and I have spoken to him again this morning,” Rothfield said on the Big Sports Breakfast.
“He knows that this happened a long long time ago, involving junior football and his son and I think that is common knowledge.
“But Ricky last night chose the wrong platform to speak out about it, and his choice of words were probably inappropriate.”
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Rothfield also called for all parties to sit down and mediate the situation which has “lingered on for a long time”.
“I think they (NRL) will have to (investigate), I think there has been quite a significant public outrage over Ricky’s choice of words and again the platform of a press conference,” Rothfield said.
“They will certainly investigate it.
“I would like to see them do it properly and maybe get all parties involved, because it has obviously lingered on for a long time and it is not good for the game when things like that blow up like it did last night.”
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Stuart labeled the Panthers playmaker a “weak gutted dog” in his post-match press conference, referencing his previous run-ins with Salmon.
The 23-year-old was placed on report for kicking out at Canberra dummy-half Tom Starling in a tackle.
“But where Salmon kicked Tommy (Starling), it ain’t on,” Stuart said.
Canberra Raiders press conference | 06:28
“I have had history with that kid (Salmon). I know that kid very well.
“He was a weak gutted dog as a kid and he hasn’t changed now. He is a weak gutted dog person now.”
Panthers coach Ivan Cleary chose not to respond to Stuart’s comments, and Rothfield explained the Raiders coach’s biggest problem is his inability to control his emotions.
“I am very close to Ricky and we know how emotional he gets,” Rothfield said.
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“Ricky’s biggest problem as a football coach and even when he was a player, he is one of those guys that gets so emotionally worked up.
“He has never been good at controlling those emotions, and you can say it wasn’t in the heat of battle, but after you have lost an important game you are still worked up.
“You aren’t thinking as clearly.
“I am not defending him at all, but it is a difficult one for the NRL to manage, I know Peter V’landys is aware of the full background so it is going to be an important story.”
Cross-code rivals are reportedly preparing a lucrative bid for Broncos gun Payne Haas.
Meanwhile, a former Eels flyer is set for an NRL return.
Read below for the latest Transfer Whispers!
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CROSS-CODE RIVALS EYEING HAAS MOVE
Broncos star Payne Haas has reportedly received lucrative offers to make a cross-code switch to play rugby union in Europe.
The 22-year-old’s future in Red Hill has remained a topic of discussion following his shock release request handed to the Broncos in May.
Haas is currently contracted until the end of 2024 and was seeking a clause in his contract allowing him to leave if team performance targets weren’t met – a move which was knocked back by the Broncos.
Contract negotiations were halted until the end of the 2022 season, but now according to the SMH, European rugby clubs could table seven figure deals, with many already making their interest clear if the young gun becomes available.
Interested union coaches have reportedly liked Haas to legendary English lock Billy Vunipola who has 64 Test caps for his nation.
As it stands, Haas will reportedly earn $750,000 this season, $800,000 in 2024 and $850,000 the following year.
On the open market, the young gun could command up to $1 million a season, being arguably the best prop in the game currently.
According to reports, Haas hasn’t requested a release after learning of interest from cross-code rivals.
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GONE: Dragons shock call to sack NRL great as coaching clean out continues
FRENCH’S NRL RETURN
The Newcastle Knights are reportedly in hot pursuit of former Eels flyer Bevan French who is currently plying his trade in the Super League.
The 26-year-old made headlines after scoring a record seven tries during Wigan’s 60-0 win against Hull FC last month.
Now, the Knights are closing in on signing French who are seeking a return to Australia, according to The Daily Telegraph.
French is off-contract at the end of the 2022 season and could fill Adam O’Brien’s backline spots with both Tex Hoy and Edrick Lee leaving the club.
Reports suggest if French is able to make a seamless return to the NRL, the Knights could consider shifting marquee player Kalyn Ponga into the halves.
During French’s first NRL stint he recorded 35 tries in only 47 first grade appearances and came desperately close to an Australian return this year after meetings with Eels and Bulldogs powerbrokers.
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Calls for several local stadiums in Sydney to be upgraded will only grow louder after shocking footage emerged of a grandstand collapsing at Leichhardt Oval.
Radio host Ryan ‘Fitzy’ Fitzgerald was attending a high school rugby union match between St Joseph’s College and Riverview on Saturday and he shared a video of an ugly incident on Twitter.
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In the clip, a Joeys player goes over for a try to the delight of the packed crowd in attendance.
But the video then shows a railing at the front of a small grandstand collapse under the weight of the fans, causing a number of them to faceplant onto concrete meters below.
Fitzgerald wrote: “Do you reckon Leichardt Oval needs an upgrade?”
It’s unclear if any of the spectators were injured. Channel 9 reports paramedics are at the scene.
The collapse happened in front of a crowd of around 15,000 and brought the game to a standstill.
The unfortunate incident will only heap more pressure on the NSW government to commit to funding upgrades to three Sydney stadiums including Leichhardt Oval, the traditional home of the Wests Tigers.
A grandstand at Leichhardt Oval suffered a mini collapse. Photo: Twitter.Source: Twitter
This week it emerged Sydney is on the brink of losing the NRL Grand Final after the state government reportedly walked away from an $800 million pledge.
The agreed upon deal, reportedly struck in May, is on the brink of collapsing and ARLC chairman Peter V’landys is said to be fuming.
The agreement would see Brookvale Oval ($100m), Leichhardt Oval ($50m) and Cronulla’s Shark Park ($100m) receive significant upgrades — and if delivered, the Grand Final would remain in Sydney for the next 20 years until 2042 on the proviso the Olympic venue would receive an $800m upgrade.
Those plans were scrapped during the pandemic with the NRL moving to shift those funds to suburban grounds and V’landys claiming he had received verbal confirmations from NSW Premiers Gladys Berejiklian and Dominic Perrottet for between $250 and $350 million.
Penrith Stadium was also in the agreement, however $300m has reportedly been ticked off to upgrade the grounds.
“We are in delicate negotiations with the NSW government,” V’landys said.
“All options will be on the table if these negotiations fail.”
A deadline on Tuesday passed with the two parties still staring each other down with reports Perrottet is set to walk away from a $250 million pledge to upgrade grounds, according to The Daily Telegraph.
2GB host Ben Fordham grilled NSW Sports Minister Stuart Ayres, who has since resigned from his ministerial posts for separate reasons, over why Penrith Stadium had received funding but the other grounds had not.
Penrith fans will be enjoying an upgrade at Penrith Stadium. (Photo by Matt Blyth/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
“You’re the Sports Minister, your home ground is Penrith, you’re a Panthers fan and for all I know you’re probably the number one ticket holder,” Fordham said.
“So they got the $300 million, so what about Brookvale, Shark Park, Leichhardt Oval… I would be seriously surprised if you don’t know the answer I am posing to you.
“Why did your home ground get the money at your home ground and the others didn’t?
“Ben, there’s a long-term strategy,” Ayres said.
“We made decisions in what was the best interests of the public.
“We’ve had a long-term stadia strategy that we’ve been delivering since 2015. We’ve rebuilt Parramatta Stadium, we’re just about to open the new Sydney Football stadium.
“We’re committed to a stadium in Penrith, it reflects our three city strategy.
“We’ve invested well in excess of $1.5b dollars, part of that is, we’d like to have a long-term commitment from the NRL for the grand finale.
“We’ve just had Covid, we’ve had substantial flood impacts that have put more pressure on the budget.”
The Queensland government is now readying a bid to claim to NRL grand final for years to come.
Calls for several local stadiums in Sydney to be upgraded will only grow louder after shocking footage emerged of a grandstand collapsing at Leichhardt Oval.
Radio host Ryan ‘Fitzy’ Fitzgerald was attending a high school rugby union match between St Joseph’s College and Riverview on Saturday and he shared a video of an ugly incident on Twitter.
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In the clip, a Joeys player goes over for a try to the delight of the packed crowd in attendance.
But the video then shows a railing at the front of a small grandstand collapse under the weight of the fans, causing a number of them to faceplant onto concrete meters below.
Fitzgerald wrote: “Do you reckon Leichardt Oval needs an upgrade?”
It’s unclear if any of the spectators were injured. Channel 9 reported paramedics were at the scene.
The collapse happened in front of a crowd of around 15,000 and brought the game to a standstill.
The unfortunate incident will only heap more pressure on the NSW government to commit to funding upgrades to three Sydney stadiums including Leichhardt Oval, the traditional home of the Wests Tigers.
This week it emerged Sydney is on the brink of losing the NRL Grand Final after the state government reportedly walked away from an $800 million pledge.
The agreed upon deal, reportedly struck in May, is on the brink of collapsing and ARLC chairman Peter V’landys is said to be fuming.
The agreement would see Brookvale Oval ($100m), Leichhardt Oval ($50m) and Cronulla’s Shark Park ($100m) receive significant upgrades — and if delivered, the Grand Final would remain in Sydney for the next 20 years until 2042 on the proviso the Olympic venue would receive an $800m upgrade.
Those plans were scrapped during the pandemic with the NRL moving to shift those funds to suburban grounds and V’landys claiming he had received verbal confirmations from NSW Premiers Gladys Berejiklian and Dominic Perrottet for between $250 and $350 million.
Penrith Stadium was also in the agreement, however $300m has reportedly been ticked off to upgrade the grounds.
“We are in delicate negotiations with the NSW government,” V’landys said.
“All options will be on the table if these negotiations fail.”
A deadline on Tuesday passed with the two parties still staring each other down with reports Perrottet is set to walk away from a $250 million pledge to upgrade grounds, according to The Daily Telegraph.
2GB host Ben Fordham grilled NSW Sports Minister Stuart Ayres, who has since resigned from his ministerial posts for separate reasons, over why Penrith Stadium had received funding but the other grounds had not.
“You’re the Sports Minister, your home ground is Penrith, you’re a Panthers fan and for all I know you’re probably the number one ticket holder,” Fordham said.
“So they got the $300 million, so what about Brookvale, Shark Park, Leichhardt Oval… I would be seriously surprised if you don’t know the answer I am posing to you.
“Why did your home ground get the money at your home ground and the others didn’t?
“Ben, there’s a long-term strategy,” Ayres said.
“We made decisions in what was the best interests of the public.
“We’ve had a long-term stadia strategy that we’ve been delivering since 2015. We’ve rebuilt Parramatta Stadium, we’re just about to open the new Sydney Football stadium.
“We’re committed to a stadium in Penrith, it reflects our three city strategy.
“We’ve invested well in excess of $1.5b dollars, part of that is, we’d like to have a long-term commitment from the NRL for the grand finale.
“We’ve just had Covid, we’ve had substantial flood impacts that have put more pressure on the budget.”
The Queensland government is now readying a bid to claim to NRL grand final for years to come.
The Dragons’ coaching clean-out has continued with the club letting go NRL great James Graham from his role mentoring the club’s elite pathways.
Graham is a hugely respected figure in the game but the former England captain becomes the third St George Illawarra staffer to be axed in the past fortnight.
Dragons coach Anthony Griffin decided to part ways with his assistant coaches Peter Gentle and Mathew Head last week.
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Round 21
NRL
Aug 04 7:50pm AEST
FT
Roosters
3. 4
broncos
16
MATCH CENTER
*Odds are current as of 6th August 2022, 7:30am AEST
VIEW ALL SCORES
NRL
Aug 05 6:00pm AEST
FT
Storm
32
titans
14
MATCH CENTER
*Odds are current as of 6th August 2022, 7:30am AEST
VIEW ALL SCORES
NRL
Aug 05 7:55pm AEST
FT
Sea Eagles
twenty
eels
36
MATCH CENTER
*Odds are current as of 6th August 2022, 7:30am AEST
VIEW ALL SCORES
NRL
Aug 06 3:00pm AEST
rabbitohs
Warriors
MATCH CENTER
$1.08
$8.00
BET
*Odds are current as of 6th August 2022, 7:30am AEST
VIEW ALL SCORES
NRL
Aug 06 5:30pm AEST
raiders
panthers
MATCH CENTER
$2.20
$1.67
BET
*Odds are current as of 6th August 2022, 7:30am AEST
VIEW ALL SCORES
NRL
Aug 06 7:35pm AEST
Shark’s
Dragon’s
MATCH CENTER
$1.26
$3.90
BET
*Odds are current as of 6th August 2022, 7:30am AEST
VIEW ALL SCORES
NRL
Aug 07 2:00pm AEST
bulldog
cowboys
MATCH CENTER
$3.90
$1.26
BET
*Odds are current as of 6th August 2022, 7:30am AEST
VIEW ALL SCORES
NRL
Aug 07 4:05pm AEST
Tigers
knights
MATCH CENTER
$1.45
$2.75
BET
*Odds are current as of 6th August 2022, 7:30am AEST
VIEW ALL SCORES
But the trio shown the door have agreed to see out the remainder of the season, according to The Daily Telegraph.
Graham is reportedly now setting his sights on working for England at the World Cup at the end of the year.
James Graham at the Dragons.Source: Supplied
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Graham has also worked at the club in a corporate executive role this season, where his profile was a major lure for sponsors.
The 36-year-old played 423 first grade games in the Super League and NRL, while also representing England 44 times.
Graham has a strong influence in rugby league, with high-profile media roles on Fox League and Triple M.
The former Bulldogs and Dragons player was reportedly shocked by the club’s decision to let him go.
Walker perfection sets up Butcher | 01:20
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