Dragons fans will tell you the finish to Sunday’s game against the Raiders was a square-up after what happened in Wollongong earlier in the year, but the NRL is adamant the officials got the call right to not award St George Illawarra a penalty from 15m out which would have sent the match to golden point.
The Dragons were down 24-22 when Mathew Feagai broke into the clear, only to be chopped down close to the line as time was about to expire.
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The winger tried to get to his feet, but was held down by Corey Harawira-Naera and the ball then came free just as the referee blew his whistle, leaving the Red V with virtually no chance of making the finals.
Players were incensed that they weren’t given a penalty, and they were left to rue a shocking captain’s challenge at the start of the second half which meant they couldn’t send the play to the Bunker to have it reviewed.
Put asked to leave toilet cubicle | 00:16
The Dragons’ Jack Bird was furious with the decision. Picture: Mark Nolan/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images
It brought back memories of the farcical finish to the game at WIN Stadium when the Green Machine weren’t given a penalty when down 12-10 because the referee had called full-time.
However, NRL head of football Graham Annesley said the decision on Sunday was the correct one and that the Dragons would’ve been doubly disappointed even if they still had a challenge up their sleeve, because time had expired before the second movement by Harawira-Naera which pushed Feagai off his feet.
“The ball is not in play,” he said.
“There’s no possibility for the ball carrier to get up and play the ball in order to get another tackle.
“Regardless of any infringement that might take place by the defender – other than foul play – it’s irrelevant because the ball hasn’t been brought back into play and the referee can’t extend the play for a technical infringement to award a penalty.
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“They could’ve mounted a challenge had they had one left because the game is not finished at this point, even though time has expired and the referee has blown his whistle to indicate that he’s stopping play.
“He hasn’t at this point blown his whistle to say it’s full-time, so although the game could not have continued because of that technical infringement, it would not have prevented the Dragons from asking for a captain’s challenge.
“However, they would have lost the captain’s challenge because time had expired and we couldn’t restart the game for a technical infringement.
“It’s all very, very precise in terms of what can and can’t happen, and it needs to be that way because you can’t have another tackle after time has expired if the ball’s not already in play.”
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The incident was similar to the wild finish in Townsville a few weeks ago in that the Dragons would have technically been challenging the decision to end the game, just as the Cowboys did to snatch victory from the Wests Tigers.
“Not only could we not have restarted play because the tackle had been complete and hadn’t restarted, but we also couldn’t have restarted play because they’d knocked on in the ruck,” Annesley said.
“They would’ve been challenging the referee’s decision to stop the game in order to call full-time, similar to what happened with the Wests Tigers.
“They would’ve effectively been saying, ‘No, you can’t call full-time because we want to challenge what’s just happened.’
“But had they had a challenge and had it taken place, the Bunker would’ve had no choice but to deny the challenge because of not only the lost ball, but also play had not recommenced before time had expired.”
It was one of those weekends in the NRL, with a number of murky decisions.
Annesley said the Bunker made the right call to award a try to Bradman Best because the contact on Adam Reynolds wasn’t enough to prevent the try.
But he did concede the bunker got it horribly wrong at the SCG when Sam Verrills strolled over even though teammate Matt Lodge clearly held Griffin Neame back in the scrum.
Matty nails Buzz impersonation | 00:51
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Sam Verrills celebrates a try which shouldn’t have been awarded. Picture; Cameron Spencer/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images
“The contact caused Neame to do a 360, and Verrills has gone past,” Annesley said.
“It happens very quickly in real time, but I think there’s enough on this in replay that the Bunker had the opportunity to look at.
“There’s enough of a hold after the ball is out of the scrum to say that that would be a breach of the rules, and in normal circumstances, would result in a penalty to the Cowboys.
“However, in this particular case, it wouldn’t have resulted in a penalty to the Cowboys because of the off-side at the scrum, which was the first offence.”
Knights superstar Kalyn Ponga looks set to be stripped of the captaincy after a video emerged of him being kicked out of a toilet cubicle with teammate Kurt Mann.
The video came to light on Monday morning, sparking Ponga’s dad, Andre to claim the 24-year-old was “sick in the toilet and his mate went in to help him” while out celebrating “an exciting house purchase.”
Although, Fox League’s James Hooper suggested that wasn’t the real story, telling NRL 360: “You might have to get Pinocchio out again, we aren’t believing that fairytale are we?”
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Newly signed football manager Peter Parr will front the media on Tuesday and News Corp Journalist Phil Rothfield believes it could be the end of Ponga’s reign as captain.
“I think it’s a really, really bad look and I know the Knights are really concerned about the PR side of it and the culture side of it,” he told NRL 360.
“Do you know how serious I think it is, I think he will be stripped of the captaincy over this.”
Ponga was announced as co-captain alongside Jayden Brailey in February, however with the latter missing for a lot of the season Ponga carried the responsibility himself for the first 16 rounds.
Hooper agreed that “it’s a bad scene” and urged the Knights to come down hard on Ponga given prop David Klemmer was stood down for an on-field incident involving a trainer.
“If he’s had concussions, commonsense tells you he should be (on an alcohol ban), certainly Kurt Mann (who is injured) is supposed to be on an alcohol ban,” he said.
Put asked to leave toilet cubicle | 00:16
“They tore strips off David Klemmer for swearing at a trainer on the field, I’d argue that this is far more detrimental in terms of negative headlines for the club and if they’re fair dinkum they’ll read the Riot Act tomorrow morning , Peter Parr will front the media and he will say ‘enough is enough, this is the line in the sand moment, we’re not going to tolerate this sort of jibber anymore.’
“Off the back of that I think both of them are going to have to be issued breach notices and fines. Because if they’re going to breach David Klemmer and fine him for something that was trivial on the field with a trainer, you can’t cop this.”
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However Paul Kent fears stripping the captaincy could have the opposite effect and believes the club should “demand” Put “lifts his standards.”
“I would say to him ‘you’re the only guy at this club that can lead us out of trouble and we’ve paid you the money you deserve, you’re a senior player and an Origin start…’ and I would oblige him to start leading them out of the woods,” he said.
“If you’re going to spend that money on a player you’ve got to get a return out of him. The way to get the best out of Kalyn is not to banish him, not to sack him from the captaincy.
“I’m not excusing it, I would bring him in and give him the Riot Act but I’d say to him ‘you’re the guy mate’ and I would demand that he starts lifting his standards and he takes his teammates with him.
“If he’s got any sense of decency inside of him as a player from a football point of view he will respond to that.”
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Braith Anasta agreed.
“As much as he’s taken the mickey, this guy holds the key to success… you’ve got to get this blokes in your hip pocket,” he said.
“Kick him in the ass but say ‘this is it mate, this is your last chance.’ They should do some in-house stuff over the next 24 hours, teach him a lesson, scare the you know what out of him and go ‘c’mon mate.’
“If you just sack him as captain you start to lose your key player.”
Manchester United slumped to a 30-year low as their shocking start to their Premier League campaign continued, proving again when it rains it really does pour.
And monsoon season might be rolling in at Old Trafford ahead of a crunch clash with fierce rivals Liverpool next week.
After losing their opening match of the season at home against Brighton, United were heavily favored to bounce back against Brentford on Sunday morning (AEST).
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But disaster struck, with a goalkeeping howler from David de Gea allowing the Bees to strike first in what would become a 4-0 first-half riot at the Gtech Community Stadium.
It’s safe to say few saw that coming.
Manager Erik ten Hag, much like the rest of the world, was left stunned as the halftime whistle marked both a moment of reprieve and realization for the Red Devils.
The damage had already been done by that point, though, as a scoreless second period saw United languish at the bottom of the Premier League table for the first time in 30 years.
This is also the first time since 1936 United have lost seven straight away league games, while Brentford recorded the biggest win in the top division since 1938.
Premier League greats Gary Neville and Jamie Redknapp reached their boiling points after the abysmal display, as the extent of the defeat added more chaos to the existing drama the club.
“At this moment in time, it’s really desperate. There’s no leadership, there’s no voice, you can’t blame the individual player or the manager, you’ve got to look above and look to the very top,” Neville said on SkySports.
“This week, they’re going to get peppered those players, the coach, the sporting department, the new CO – they’re all going to get peppered. But there’s a family over there in America who are just literally letting their employees take all the hits for them – and that is unforgivable.”
Frustration, shock and disappointment was felt across the country with many of the UK’s leading football scribes weighing in on the reality facing the English giants – if they’re still worthy of that moniker.
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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was at the wheel for the Red Devils until he very much wasn’t, as a poor run of form saw the former United star fired.
Louis van Gaal and David Moyes, another two managers who promised so much before they were sacked, still hadn’t sunk as low as Erik ten Hag after just two matches in charge.
Ten Hag is the first United manager to lose his first two league games since John Chapman in 1921.
Former Chelsea striker Chris Sutton told the BBC United have “hit rock bottom”, while Sky Sports pundit Karen Carney believes that the club “can’t get any lower”.
Premier League legend Alan Shearer believes that issues have been festering for years at the famous club.
Shearer added that the Red Devils are currently “miles away” from the level that they should be playing at — and even suggested recent speculation about a shock move for 33-year-old striker Marko Arnautović may have been an inside job.
“I’m convinced that someone from Man United’s leaked the story linking them with (Marko) Arnautovic, just to see what the reaction was,” Shearer said on Match of the Day.
“I think that sort of sums up where United are.
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“They’re in a mess and it’s going to take time, an unbelievable amount of money to get things right inside the football club and in terms of the right recruitment and it’s going to take a lot of patience from the Manchester United fans because of where they are now to where they want to be – miles away.”
The Telegraph’s Jim White didn’t mince his words as he provided his analysis of United’s “humiliation”, saying that it was the worst performance he’s ever seen by the club.
“Having watched Manchester United for over 50 years, this performance against Brentford is without question the worst I have ever seen them deliver,” White wrote.
“The grim times of Dave Sexton, the misery of the David Moyes era, the negativity of Louis van Gaal, all looked like halcyon days compared to this performance.
“No joy, no coherence, no spirit: this was a team in name only, delivering the kind of performance that Frenkie de Jong would have had on the phone to his agent with instructions to quickly follow up any interest from Chelsea.
“Mistakes happen. But it was the response to that setback that spoke so damagingly of what is going on at Old Trafford. Instead of launching the kind of fight back that once characterized the club, United folded.
“Everywhere they looked hapless, hopeless and haunted.”
Goalkeeper David de Gea, who was once considered to be one of the best players in the world in his position, had an outing to forget in what is becoming a key issue for the club.
Two mistakes from goalkeeper David de Gea saw Manchester United trail 2-0 to Brentford early in their clash on Sunday (AEST). (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
The Guardian’s Jonathan Wilson said that while de Gea was still an “excellent shot-stopper”, that his inability to play with the ball at his feet was an issue.
“Can you play out from the back with De Gea? De Gea remains, despite Saturday’s howler, an excellent shot-stopper, which is why last season he was named United’s player of the year for the fourth time,” Wilson wrote.
“But there is a reason he has not played for Spain since October 2020 and why he has apparently fallen behind Brentford’s David Raya in the pecking order.
“He is simply not comfortable on the ball. Last season he completed just 71.3% of his passes. By comparison, Ederson completed 88.1% and Alisson 87.1%.
“While it’s true that’s partly because De Gea was encouraged to play more longer balls, it’s also true that one of the reasons United played more longer balls is De Gea.
Man U HOWLERS gift Brentford goals! | 01:17
“This is a major problem for United: De Gea is one of the few United players who has performed consistently in recent years and yet those struggles with the ball at his feet make it very hard for them to switch to a modern style.
“That, perhaps, is the most disconcerting thing for United. This is supposed to be ten Hag’s honeymoon period, but already he looks in danger of being overwhelmed by just how shambolic the club is … And they’ve got Liverpool next.”
The Athletic’s Adam Crafton said “each week manages to conjure a new sense of stupefying shock” when it came to United, with their fans ruthlessly mocked at half-time.
“At halftime, Brentford, who had not beaten Manchester United since 1938, led their opponents. And this was more than a lead. This was 4-0 and deservedly so,” Crafton wrote.
“There was, in the press box, almost a numbing madness to it all. Brentford’s supporters, too, stared at one another, open-mouthed.
“They taunted their United opponents, telling them they’d be ‘going down with the Fulham’. Fulham, on two points after two games compared to United’s zero, may be offended by the comparison.”
The Red Devils appear to be at a crossroads after failing to sign Arnautovic, as well as other players during the English summer.
Dutch midfielder Frenkie de Jong has been heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford for what feels like forever, although Chelsea have since emerged as another potential destination.
According to the BBC, United have spent £672 million ($1.14 billion AUD) since winning their last major trophy in 2017, which was the Europa League.
So far during the transfer window, United have signed Tyrell Malacia, Christian Eriksen and Lisandro Martinez.
Club great Rio Ferdinand said that he feels “sorry” for ten Hag after an uneventful transfer window has so far failed to add key players to a struggling squad.
“I don’t feel sorry for the players, I feel sorry for ten Hag,” Ferdinand told the Vibe with Five podcast.
“He’s coming under false pretenses. He’s coming expected new signings.
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“He’s probably sitting there thinking, ‘I’ve been sold a dummy here. I didn’t know I was coming into this’.
“This is an indefensible situation right now because it’s so bad, it’s terrible.
“I mean, we’re only two games in, but we’re two games in on the back of what happened last season as well by the way.
“I wouldn’t blame ten Hag right now. You can pick at his team selection or whatever but this is a bigger problem, a wider problem.”
Midfielder Bruno Fernandes, meanwhile, has been accused of getting “away with murder” on the football field by a former Premier League striker.
Gabby Agbonlahor blasted the Portuguese star on the well-known British radio station talkSPORT.
“For me, Fernandes, since he’s been in the Premier League, yes he’s had great stats, goal scoring and assists but he looks like the worst teammate,” Agbonlagor said.
“Every time a player gives it away, every time he gives it away, he throws his arms up at his teammates, he throws his arms up at the bench.
“I’ve played with players like him, you’d be smoking at him. He’ll press now and then. If that was Paul Pogba they would be slaughtering Pogba in the media.
“Fernandes gets away with murder. Did you see Fernandes do anything? It’s easy to say (Harry) Maguire, (Cristiano) Ronaldo, (Marcus) Rashford, (Jadon) Sancho.”
The Red Devils failed to qualify for this year’s Champions League after finishing sixth in the 2021/22 Premier League season – 35 points behind champions Manchester City.
While they appear set to sign Adrien Rabiot from Juventus, French journalist Julien Laurens also slammed United’s transfer strategy.
“They are not helping themselves,” Laurens told BBC Radio 5 Live’s EuroLeagues podcast.
“The non-existence of a transfer strategy, not just now but since Fergie (Sir Alex Ferguson) left, is not just baffling, it’s outrageous.”
The club have reached a new low as a non-league side threw a jab, literally laughing in the wake of United’s horror loss.
Oldham Athletic’s chairman Frank Rothwell was interviewed after his side’s 3-2 win over Dorking Wanderers, where he made the most of his chance to have a dig.
“Do you know what’s happening to United?” Rothwell said, before he reportedly began to laugh.
Manchester United face rivals Liverpool at Old Trafford on Tuesday week and when it comes to their future
Panthers fullback Dylan Edwards admits that Latrell Mitchell looks like he’s going to have an impact “every time” he gets the ball, ahead of their crunch clash on Thursday.
Mitchell has been in sensational form for South Sydney since returning from an almost three month injury lay-off against the Eels in early July.
The 25-year-old has been as his rampaging best with 42 tackle busts in just seven games, as well as 10 try assists, and four tries of his own.
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But his best performance of the year may have come against the Eels on Friday night, where he ran for an incredible season-high of 211 meters.
Rival fullback Edwards, who is a chance to return against Mitchell’s Rabbitohs on Thursday, was full of praise for the former Origin star.
“It looks like something’s going to happen every time he touches the ball,” Edwards said on Sunday Night with Matty Johns.
“(He’s) Pretty hard to tackle at the moment.”
South Sydney have made the most of Mitchell’s stellar form, winning six of their last seven to rise up the NRL ladder.
That one loss came in a golden point thriller against Cronulla, with Mitchell missing multiple field goal attempts that would’ve handed his side a key two-points.
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But Matty Johns still wasn’t convinced by the emerging premiership contenders, comparing them to a “nice Sunday drive” on his SEN radio show last week.
Johns believed that the Rabbitohs needed to maintain a higher level of intensity for 80 minutes, but his wish became a reality on Friday night.
“I’ve been waiting for this for South Sydney, an 80 minute effort and they certainly did it,” Johns said.
Crucially Cody Walker found his best football. The crucial thing for Cody is watching how he played his football game, is that Cody had more of a focus on the middle of the field if that makes sense.
“Linking with (Damien) Cook when Cook took off, rather than just trying to create numbers for his outside men.
“It was a performance where Cody just focused on Cody, and I thought that brought his best football out.”
Five-eighth Cody Walker scored two tries and forced two dropouts during what was one of his best games in Rabbitohs colors in recent memory.
Walker scored the opening points of the night after a clever link-up play with hooker Damien Cook caught Parramatta napping.
South Sydney Rabbitohs press conference | 06:28
Later on, the 32-year-old was in the right place at the right time as the ball fell to him, and allowed him to double his try scoring tally for the night.
Eels great Nathan Hindmarsh thought that Walker’s brilliance along, with Mitchell’s dominance, helped spur Souths on to a win over a “lethargic” Eels.
“Latrell playing back at his best, and then he can dominate the edges like he did on the weekend, so that leaves Cody with the opportunity to do what he does around the ruck,” Hindmarsh said.
“They just had tried. They had more intent than the Eels did, the Eels looked lethargic at times, well most of the time to be honest with you.
“Souths had this in them. They did it to the Eels earlier on in the season, they’re a dangerous side South Sydney.
“For me the disappointing thing for the Eels (was) not to score any points.”
While Souths would need an incredible win, and for the Storm to lose, to move into the top four, a win on Thursday will have a crucial say on how the ladder shapes up at the end of the season.
While Melbourne currently occupy fourth spot, they have three tough games to play against finals hopefuls Brisbane, the Roosters, and then the Eels.
However, it doesn’t get much easier for the Rabbitohs who have their own dates with destiny against the Cowboys and Roosters to finish the regular season.
Sydney FC has added further English Premier League experience to its squad with the signing of attacker Joe Lolley.
Lolley, 29, made six appearances for Huddersfield Town in the 2017-18 Premier League season.
Since then he has spent the past five seasons in the second-tier English Championship with Nottingham Forest, helping then gain promotion the Premier League for the 2022-23 campaign which started this month.
However, having been deemed surplus to requirements at Forest, he grabbed the chance to move to Sydney FC, where he will team with another ex-Premier League player in former Everton, Manchester City and Sunderland midfielder Jack Rodwell, who joined the Sky Blues last week after a season with Western Sydney Wanderers.
“I’m extremely excited to be joining Sydney FC,” said Lolley, who has signed a two-year deal with his new club.
“I know there’s a lot of expectation to win every season, which is a great challenge,
and they’ve got a fantastic plan in place to do that, which really attracted me to
make the move.
“I really appreciate the intent shown by the club in bringing me to Sydney.
“The club expects to win and I’m looking forward to getting on the pitch with the lads
ahead of the season starting in around eight weeks.”
Sydney FC coach Steve Corica said Lolly had “proven quality at a high level in England”.
“He is the type of player we were targeting and we had to be patient to secure him,” Corica said.
“He brings a goal threat with his ability to cut inside and can also pick a pass.
“He’s got great energy, an amazing ability to carry the ball and works hard for the
team.
“Fans love him because he gives his all and I know he was hugely popular at
There is finally some good news for your grocery bill, with the price of many vegetables expected to drop back to regular prices.
The change comes as growers begin to report that they are back on track with their crops after flooding earlier in the year devastated crops in NSW and Queensland, leaving empty shelves in supermarkets as well as fast food stores such as KFC having to substitute lettuce for cabbage in their burgers.
speaking to the ABCMulgowie Yowie Salads director Shannon Moss said the price of vegetables – such as iceberg lettuce which peaked at around $12 a head at the height of the crisis – have remained high for so long because farmers essentially had to start from scratch.
“You have to remember a seedling in a nursery takes about four to six weeks to grow, then it’s another eight weeks in the ground to grow lettuce,” he said.
“So you’re looking at three to four months to grow any kind of lettuce.”
And while the industry still faces challenges caused by labor shortages, high fuel costs and fertilizer costs, the better weather has at least helped even out supply issues.
Mr Moss says he’s now back in the swing of things, producing about 30,000 cos lettuces a week which get sent out to Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.
“We’ve had nice weather where a lot of growers have got stock coming on,” Mr Moss said.
But while price drops are coming, Toowoomba-based greengrocer Bevan Betros warned people not to expect them to come down immediately.
“I don’t think they’ll get much cheaper just for the next week or two,” he told ABC. “They’ll get back down as the warm weather comes on, as we get into spring.
“We should be getting down under $2 again, hopefully in September.”
A struggling Australian fitness franchise that has been savaged on the stock markets is now facing not one, but five potential lawsuits.
F45 Training Holdings Inc, known for its high intensity interval training (HIIT) classes, was at first an Australian success story after hitting the New York Stock Exchange in July last year and raking in $500 million on the first day.
But two weeks ago things drastically changed; the company’s founder and CEO Adam Gilchrist stepped down while 110 employees were laid off and expansion plans were slashed significantly.
Stock prices plunged off the back of the news and dipped to 62 per cent of its original price at its lowest, when it sank to $US1.35 ($A1.90) on July 27.
At time of writing, according to MarketWatch, F45 stock was trading at $US2.15 ($A3) compared to its listing price of $US16 ($A22.50) just a year earlier.
Now five heavyweight class action law firms from the US are calling for investors to come forward to explore the possibility of filing a class action.
The firms are investigating whether F45 misrepresented itself to investors and the most recent legal firm only announced it was investigating the company on Friday.
In July last year at its initial public offering, F45 sold 18.75 million shares of stock priced at $US16.00 per share.
It had a stunning $US1.46 billion ($A2 billion) market capitalization however that has since slipped to $US183.6 million ($A258.60).
In May, F45 thought it had secured a $US250 million ($A350 million) line of credit to keep rapidly expanding but by the next investor’s meeting in July, this had failed through.
But during the July trading update, investors learned that credit line would not be available.
After planning to roll out 1500 new franchises this year F45 will instead aim for between 350 and 450 and its forecasted revenue has dropped from $US275 million ($A387 million) to $US130 million ($A182 million).
F45 fitness founder and CEO Adam Gilchrist – not to be confused with the cricket player of the same name – reportedly immediately listed his house on the market after the downfall.
Coincidentally, the same weekend that another law firm announced it was investigating the possibility of a class action, Mr Gilchrist successfully sold his $A14 million Sydney home.
Mr Gilchrist and Rob Deutsch founded the company in 2013 in the Sydney suburb of Paddington but Mr Deutsch left in February 2020 and said he was devastated to hear what had happened since then.
“Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined this,” Mr Deutsch wrote on Instagram after the shock news of the lay-offs. “When I exited, and sold out of F45, I left a healthy, phenomenal, beast of a business. All the way from the company culture to the heart beat of the business… The workouts. F45 was special.
“I genuinely hope all of the 110 laid-off staff, find happiness and opportunities elsewhere.”
News.com.au has contacted F45 for comment.
On Friday, US law firm Labaton Sucharow called for investors to get in touch, the latest in a string of legal firms circling F45 like sharks.
Prior to that, Schall Law Firm, a US shareholder rights litigation firm, announced last Tuesday that it was investigating F45 “for violations of the securities laws”.
Then there was Bragar Eagle & Squire, PC, another shareholder rights specialist, which started its own investigation a day later.
Bragar Eagel & Squire stated the company’s revenue was “down significantly” compared to what was previously promised to investors.
James Wilson of Faruqi & Faruqi also called for investors who have “suffered losses exceeding $US50,000 ($A70,450) investing in F45 Training stock or options”.
Portnoy Law Firm also weighed in, saying it was investigating “possible securities fraud” and that it would provide a “complimentary case evaluation and discuss investors’ options for pursuing claims to recover their losses”.
Embattled CEO sells home
Mr Gilchrist reportedly listed his Sydney mansion, located in Freshwater in the city’s northern beaches region, on the market following his company’s stock crash.
Over the weekend, it’s understood to be have been sold.
The Sydney Morning Herald reported that strict gag orders prevented the real estate agents from disclosing its final price.
However, they did confirm it sold for more than he bought it for in 2019, which was $14 million.
Realestate.com.au reported that it sold more than $1 million over the reserve.
Rugby league legend Mark Geyer has made a bold prediction following the Bulldogs’ appointment of rookie coach Cameron Ciraldo — while Fox League’s Andrew Voss is concerned the club’s “gamble” could backfire.
Ciraldo inked a five-year contract to join the Belmore club from 2023 onwards in a deal reportedly worth around $800,000-per-season.
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The 38-year-old was the hottest property on the coaching market following the axing of multiple coaches including Trent Barrett, but in the end NRL supremo Phil Gould got his man.
Ciraldo has been Ivan Cleary’s assistant for several years and former Panther Mark Geyer believes his appointment means Matt Burton’s tenure with the Bulldogs will almost certainly extend past 2023 after knocking back his player option for 2024.
“He’ll be the youngest coach in the NRL, 38-years of age and signs a five-year deal as I said it’s a major coup, but what it does is makes Matt Burton, now his signature will be a lot longer, he’ll sign on for longer,” Geyer said on Triple M.
“That means that Kikau won’t get cold feet, it means Reed Mahoney won’t get cold feet, the Fox (Josh Addo Carr).
“It’s a massive signing, a lot of people will be saying look he hasn’t done much but, he’s been an assistant coach but what he’s done is he’s very articulate in the way he prepares.”
Geyer also believes the Bulldogs are set for a “special” rebuild, going as far to say they could be premiership contenders within five years.
“It’s all about the team with Cameron Ciraldo it’s never about him so I think this is a major, major boost for the Bulldogs in the next five years,” he said.
“Cameron Ciraldo will, I’m not going to say it but they’re going to do something special in five years but they’re going to be close I would say.
“I reckon they’re going to be close to pulling off the biggest prize of all within five years.”
The Daily Telegraph’s Buzz Rothfield echoed Geyer’s remarks — but explained assistants who have been mentored by elite coaches don’t always become successful bosses themselves.
“At 38 he’ll be the youngest coach in the NRL but a terrific talent, he’s been a great right hand man for Ivan Cleary at the Panthers with all their success in recent years,” Rothfield said on the Big Sports Breakfast.
“He’s their minister for defense there, he’s the one who designed all the strategies to keep their line intact which has been so outstanding in recent times.
“Look the only thing I will say is just because you’re out of a Penrith system or Melbourne system it doesn’t automatically make you a great coach.
“I wrote this morning about Trent Barrett only having a 40 per cent win record despite the rap on ‘Baz’ (Barrett) when he came out of Penrith and Garth Brennan too.
“You look at guys like Adam O’Brien who came out of Melbourne and had a year under Trent Robinson.
“It doesn’t mean you’re going to be an immediate success but I’ve got this feeling that Cameron Ciraldo will prove that theory wrong, he’s got what it takes.
“I think it’s enormous for Canterbury and that he knows the pathways so well at Penrith, he’s been there over a decade on their coaching staff.
“He knows how to bring young players through, I think it’s a huge move for the Bulldogs.
“Put them (Kikau and Mahoney) in with Matty Burton and the rest of the team I think they’re going to be a real top eight chance next year.”
While many are backing Ciraldo to be a success, rugby league commentator Andrew Voss stated he wouldn’t be “signing a rookie coach for five years”.
Five-year coaching contracts have in the past gone pear-shaped — Anthony Seibold’s short-lived Broncos deal being the most recent.
Voss explained there are only a handful of coaches across the league that could warrant the long-term contract signed by Ciraldo.
“Any five-year deal, there’s an element of a gamble in it, even with a player.”
“But five years for an untried coach?” Penrith Panthers legend Greg Alexander asked.
Voss continued: “What if they haven’t played finals in a couple of years? I think five years is too much.
“Five years for a rookie coach? Trying to think of a coach you’d sign for five years, I think you’ve got to have the runs on the board.
“(Craig) Bellamy, (Trent) Robinson, (Ivan) Cleary, I don’t think there’s too many more.
“I’m not signing a rookie coach for five years.
“But, I wish Cameron Ciraldo all the very best.”
Originally published as Why Phil Gould’s $4 million gamble on Cameron Ciraldo could backfire
NRL young gun Manase Fainu has been jailed as he awaits sentencing over the stabbing of a Mormon church youth leader during a wild and bloody brawl.
A jury took just two hours to find Fainu guilty of plunging a steak knife into the back of Faamanu Levi at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at Wattle Grove in October, 2019.
The Crown prosecution made a detention application for Fainu to be sent to prison after he was found guilty of one count of wounding a person with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, which carries a maximum sentence of 25 years.
Defense barrister Margaret Cunneen SC previously flagged to the court the verdict would be appealed.
Judge Nanette Williams on Monday morning ordered the Manly Sea Eagles hooker to be taken into custody ahead of a sentence hearing later in the year.
During his trial, the court heard that one man Tony Quach had seen Fainu stab Mr Levi in the back near his right shoulder blade during a late-night brawl in the church’s parking lot between two parked cars.
Another man, Kupi Toilalo, told the jury that he saw a man approach him and his friends with his left arm in a sling holding a knife.
It was not in dispute Fainu had undergone shoulder surgery a month earlier and had his arm in the sling at the time.
Fainu has been stood down from the NRL since the incident and has not played the last three seasons.
During the trial he denied playing any part in the stabbing or the brawl, claiming he stood back 10m because he was scared.
He said he began back-pedaling because he feared for his safety when he heard someone yell “knife, knife”.
Ms Cunneen told the court on Monday Fainu should be able to remain on bail after he had suffered an “enormous” and “unthinkable downfall”.
She said he needed time to adjust mentally and prepare financially for when he will be sentenced at a later date.
Ms Cunneen also tended to a character reference from Manly coach Des Hasler, who watched proceedings via audio visual link.
“This young man, Mr Fainu, had the promise of a most extraordinary football career ahead of him and that has been smashed,” Ms Cunnen said.
“Everyone would be entitled to say through his own fault he lost that.
“The necessary punishment the court must impose will also bring about the most extraordinary extra-curial punishment, that is the end of what had promised to be an extraordinary, exceptional stellar career in what Mr Hasler has described as the hardest game in the world. ”
The court heard he had previously battled prescription drug addiction and entered into rehabilitation.
His counselor Jan Earl told the court on Monday that Fainu had suffered a mental episode over the weekend, which involved him shaking uncontrollably, was being monitored by a mental health team and had to be prescribed anti-anxiety medication.
Ms Earl said that Fainu was feeling “great shame and remorse” and suffering depression, intrusive thoughts and suicidal ideation.
Ms Cunneen said that two of Fainu’s brothers, who were contracted to Manly, had paid his legal fees after the club advanced them money from their 2023 contracts
She argued he needed to make mental preparations to go into custody and ease the financial burden on his family, having been offered work as a laborer.
However Crown prosecutor Emma Curran said none of that amounted to special or exceptional circumstances.
During Fainu’s trial, the court heard that prior to the brawl, two of his friends – including Uona “Big Buck” Faingaa – were involved in an altercation on the church dance floor and escorted out.
Fainu told the jury he went to church dance with four of his friends because Mr Faingaa was seeking to collect money owed to him by a man for a concreting job.
He said he left the church grounds as his mates were being escorted out and apologized to a security guard for his friends’ behavior as he exited.
CCTV played to the jury showed Fainu, with his arm in a sling, jump the fence from an adjoining Coles car park back into the church grounds shortly before the brawl.
Fainu testified that he had told his friends that he would go inside to collect Mr Faingaa’s money by himself, however they followed him over.
Fainu told Ms Curran during his evidence he jumped the fence despite admitting that he could have walked back in the front gate.
Popular Aussie bedding and homewares company, Koala, has laid off 30 local staff due to unstable economic conditions.
The company shot up in popularity, particularly during the 2020 and 2021 lockdown periods, due to its competitive pricing, being all online and offering four hour delivery to metro areas.
However, just like many other companies, supply chain issues, inflation and surging interest rates have all taken their toll.
A Koala spokeswoman told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age that uncertain economic conditions had resulted in 30 Australian staff members being made redundant last week.
Describing the former staff as “amazingly talented”, she said the company was supporting them with an outplacement service and professional connections.
According to the company’s website, Koala has “more than 200” employees.
The company also confirmed it had consolidated its offices in the inner-city Sydney suburb of Alexandria after previously also having employees located in the CBD.
News.com.au has contacted Koala for comment.
But it isn’t just the Australian staff that have been impacted, with 10 roles also being made redundant in South Korea following an expansion to the region last year.
The spokeswoman again told the publications “economic uncertainty” was behind the move, along with the need to “reduce our start-up cost in the market”.
“For the near term, our operations in Korea continue as we explore more efficient ways to serve the market,” she said.
The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age also cited claims from multiple industry sources that Koala had explored the possibility of listing on the Australian stockmarket, before abandoning the plan amid the recent the recent technology downturn.
The spokeswoman for the company strongly denied these claims.
“Like any private company with proven success as a market leader in our categories and markets, we are fortunate enough to receive countless inbound introductions from potential investors,” she said.
“They see the opportunity for Koala to continue to disrupt the global furniture market.”
She did not offer specific figures, but said Koala’s margins were double those of some of its competitors, adding that the decision to offer furniture and other homewares has led to “incredible growth” in non-mattress sales.
“We will continue to invest in our operations across Australia and Asia,” the spokeswoman said.
In October 2020, Koala copped significant backlash after announcing it would cease manufacturing its mattresses domestically and make them in China instead.
Staunch supporter of Australian-made products, Harvey Norman executive chairman Gerry Harvey, previously slammed Koala’s move, saying the name of the company implies the product is made domestically.
“Anyone selling imported mattresses are doing it because they can make more money,” Mr Harvey said.
“The marketing is dishonest… they are pretending they are Australian.”
The retail giant’s co-founder said overseas imports made it harder for local companies to compete in bedding and furniture.
Mr Harvey said his store predominantly sold made-in-Australia bedding, supporting local companies such as Sealy, SleepMaker and AH Beard.
When it was established in 2015, Koala marketed itself as a retailer of Australian-made furniture with a strong focus on sustainability.
However, most of its manufacturing has now moved to China and Europe, with the company deregistering itself in 2019 from using the Australian Made trademark.
“The decision to cease production of mattresses in Australia will provide significant innovation and quality improvements to help drive our continued growth across Asia-Pacific,” a company spokeswoman said at the time.
Koala said the move offshore would mean it would have greater influence in cultivating “sustainable behaviours” in its manufacturing and supply chain.
“We are always in search of the best manufacturers, suppliers, and makers around the world who meet or exceed our environmental and sustainability standards and conduct assessments to support this,” a spokeswoman said.
