Jesse Bromwich is the highest paid prop in the game with the front-rower leading a clear attitude shift over how much props should be paid.
In a game-changer for the code, the front-row position is now the highest-paid position in the NRL.
The second highest-paid prop is Roosters recruit Matt Lodge on $900,000. A portion of his current salary is being paid by former clubs, the Warriors and Broncos.
From the Rich 100, 26 of the top-earners are front-rowers.
The next best grossing position across the NRL is back rowers (15) and locks (14).
Halfbacks (10) are ranked fourth overall for position in the 2022 Rich 100, a possible insight into the death of quality halves currently in the NRL.
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Bromwich’s $1.05 million salary with the Melbourne Storm will shock league fans, who routinely rate Penrith’s James Fisher-Harris, Eels prop Junior Paulo, Broncos spearhead Payne Haas or Roosters powerhouse Jared Waerea-Hargreaves as the best go-forward merchant in the NRL.
Climbing from a 53rd ranking on the Rich 100 last year to be 13th overall this year, Bromwich has hit pay dirt in his final year in Melbourne on the back of a stellar career at the Storm which has included three premierships and three Player of the Year awards.
The Kiwi International and Storm captain is edging closer to 300 first grade games in what is his final season in Victoria before moving north to become an inaugural franchise player with The Dolphins.
The 33-year-old will take a major pay cut to join the NRL’s newest baby, but could still figure inside the top-50 highest-paid players next year.
The stunning increase in salaries for props is in direct contrast from a long-held view of supercoach Wayne Bennett, who historically refused to spend big-money in his pack.
Lodge has landed at the Roosters for the remainder of this season on a cut-price deal, although his full salary continues to be supplemented by payouts from both the Brisbane Broncos and New Zealand Warriors, the latter of whom have paid him out in full for next season.
Lodge is hoping to earn an extension with the Roosters.
A mainstay of the Rich 100, the next highest-paid prop is Andrew Fifita, who will farewell the list at the end of this season.
The off-contract Sharks prop is in the final year of a five-year contract that is valued at $850,000 a season.
His current overall ranking of 19 on the Rich 100, is shared with fellow front-rower Addin Fonua-Blake.
The Warriors scored a coup when they managed to get Fonua-Blake from Manly for the 2021 season.
He was already one of the game’s premier props when he arrived at the Warriors and he continues to lead from the front for a side that has faced plenty of recent adversity.
Locked in until the end of 2026, Fonua-Blake’s challenge will be delivered upon his worth at the back-end of his contract.
Knights prop David Klemmer is the next highest-paid prop. He is ranked 28th overall on the Rich 100 on a salary of $850,000.
Rugby league legend Billy Slater has slammed Isaiah Papali’i’s potential Tigers backflip following the news the 23-year-old would make a decision at the season’s end.
Reports suggest the backrow enforcer will honor his contract and ply his trade for the merger club in 2023, but doubts still linger over Papali’i’s future.
The 23-year-old penned three-year deal with the Tigers late last year, but after the sacking of Michael Maguire the young gun said he wants to have “no regrets.”
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“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 to 9 News.
“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.”
Now, Slater has been left stunned that Papali’i could potentially backflip on his deal and urged him to honor his contract.
Warriors whack Bulldogs in Auckland | 02:17
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“If you sign with a club, go to the club,” Slater said on Nine’s coverage.
“You’re signing with a club. You’re not signing with a coach, you’re not signing with a player — you’re signing with a club. Go to the club.
“You’re not allowed to walk away from a contract. It’s just pressure, public pressure if you want out.
“If you sign with a club, you want to take that money and you sign the deal, go to the club.”
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The Broncos have beaten the Knights 28-10 on the back of brilliant displays from Te Maire Martin and Ezra Mam and a hat-trick to Selwyn Cobbo.
Martin’s return from injury gave the Broncos an edge in attack and Cobbo cashed in with a brilliant three-try performance as the Knights’ edges were blown apart.
MATCH CENTER: Broncos vs Knights teams, SuperCoach scores, videos, updates
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Cobbo opened the scoring in the corner after some brilliant lead-up work from Adam Reynolds and Martin.
Corey Oates crossed in the opposite corner for his 19th try of the season after a questionable last pass from Delouise Hoeter was cleared.
Mam and Martin combined for one of the long-range tries of the season to push the Broncos out to a commanding 18-0 lead.
Daniel Saifiti barged over from close range to give the Knights a chance at a late comeback.
Bradman Best dived over to cut the deficit to eight points and set up a grandstand finish.
However, Cobbo snuffed out the comeback after securing his double to seal an important win for the Broncos.
Cobbo sealed his hat-trick when Reynolds put the ball on a dime for him to score in the corner and put the icing on the cake.
Here are the key takeaways from the match.
MARTIN PROVES MISSING LINK FOR BRONCOS
Te Maire Martin returned for his first game since Round 16 and showed the Broncos exactly what they have been missing in a masterful display.
Martin is a five-eighth turned fullback and his playing ability adds another dimension to the Broncos attack.
Corey Parker believes Martin’s inclusion ensured the Broncos looked far more cohesive in attack and it took the pressure of his halves and allowed them to play their games.
“They look more in sync with Martin back,” Parker said.
“He has got a real nice slight of hand. Not your traditional fullback in regards to getting lots of run meters, but he had two try assists in the first half.
“He alleviated a lot of pressure off the halves just by his ability to be able to ball play and Cobbo and Mam were the beneficiaries of that.”
Michael Ennis credited Martin with getting the Broncos out of their funk in terms of their attack over their two game losing run.
“What a game from Te Maire Martin,” Ennis said.
“Coming into the side after being out since Round 16, boy he made a difference just with his composure and his control.
“He has ignited the Brisbane attack.”
MAM SHINES AS REYNOLDS STEERS BRONCOS TO VICTORY
The Broncos were not at their best but with the brilliant running game of Ezra Mam providing the perfect foil for Adam Reynolds’ organisation, Brisbane took the game by the scruff of the neck in the key moments.
As long as the Broncos can get their defense in order, with Mam and Reynolds driving the ship and Selwyn Cobbo finishing in the corner, they can create more than enough points to make a deep run in the finals.
Cooper Cronk noted that the Broncos were not at the peak of their powers against the Knights, but Reynolds and Mam were able to ice the try-scoring opportunities.
“The Broncos did it in second gear,” Cronk said.
“They had the tools to break open the game at any stage with the likes of Adam Reynolds with some craft to sell the dummy for the Oates try.
“This was the attempt of the first half from Ezra Mam.
“He scored with five minutes to go and it set the tone for the rest of the game for the Broncos.”
Michael Ennis marveled at Mam’s ability to break the game open out of nothing at such a young age and with a long career ahead of him.
“Mam was electric,” Ennis said.
“19 years of age. Boy isn’t he an excitement machine.
“The Broncos have now jumped the Eels into sixth and have a healthy points differential lead over them.”
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KNIGHTS WOEFUL ATTACK GOES FROM BAD TO WORSE
The Knights had enough ball and field position to win easily against the Broncos, but a combination of their soft defense and inept attack gave them no chance at Suncorp Stadium.
Cooper Cronk lamented the Knights’ inability to create any real try-scoring opportunities despite a mountain of possession in the first half.
“It was a strange first half because statistically the Knights were the better team,” Cronk said.
“They had more ball and more possession but to be honest they didn’t look like scoring a try.
“Their centers Bradman Best and Dane Gagai were under immense pressure.
“They carved up Dane Gagai on the right edge for the Knights.
“The Knights didn’t look like firing a shot.
“When they get down the other end they are just not engaging that Brisbane defensive line at all.”
Corey Parker slammed the Knights’ horror attack, which failed to put the Broncos under any sustained scoreboard pressure.
“25 times the Knights were tackled inside the Broncos 20 without even looking like scoring,” Parker said.
“The only time they were able to mount any sort of pressure was off a couple of repeat sets.
“They were awful with their attack the Knights.
“The Knights are in all sorts at the moment.”
Michael Ennis was at a loss as to why the Knights haven’t been able to be more competitive with the roster they have at their disposal. in 2022.
“You just watch that Newcastle side come out and you see the Saifiti brothers, Dane Gagai and Tyson Frizell who are absolute weapons and great leaders at different stages throughout their careers and I find it hard to fathom that Newcastle are sitting where they are this year with the roster they have,” Ennis said.
MATCH PREVIEW
The Brisbane Broncos host the Newcastle Knights in a clash at Suncorp Stadium.
Te Maire Martin returns at fullback for the Broncos, while Delouise Hoeter replaces Brenko Lee in the centers after his hamstring injury.
Ryan James starts at lockout, with Kobe Hetherington switching to the bench.
The Knights have lost David Klemmer to injury, with Jacob Saifiti to start and Sauaso Sue joining the bench.
Adam Clune returns to the No.7 jumper with Jake Clifford out with a fractured arm.
The seventh place Broncos desperately need to avoid a third straight loss to keep their slim top four hopes alive, while the Knights are playing for pride as they look for their second straight win.
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The Warriors’ ‘shoey’ fan has reportedly been slapped with a lifetime ban after being kicked out of Mt Smart Stadium on Friday night.
The Sydney Morning Heraldreports Calley Gibbons was approached by police after his first ‘shoey’ and was escorted out of the ground by security, who informed him he was banned for life.
Gibbons became a Warriors cult hero after being spotted on TV sinking a beer from his shoe in front of the coaches box — where he has sat since 2006.
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The 31-year-old brickie from Auckland was first spotted on TV during the Warriors’ homecoming game against the Tigers in Round 16, again in Round 20 against the Storm and most recently during the first half of Friday’s 42-18 win over the Bulldogs .
Gibbons told the herald he had no idea why he had been tossed out of the stadium given he was not intoxicated and had purchased the beer from inside the venue.
However according to the report stadium officials weren’t not happy with an unauthorized camera crew following Gibbons.
“I was evicted from the stadium and the security guard escorted me out and told me I had a lifetime ban,” he said.
“Your guess is as good as mine as to why I was kicked out. It’s just wrong.
“I told them I had purchased the beer from the venue, I was not intoxicated and it was my choice as to how I consumed the beer.
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“I’m not sure if one particular security guard had it in for me. He told me, ‘You won’t be coming back here in this lifetime’.
“I’d only done the one shoey. At least I got one good shoey in. I went to a bar and did a few shoeys every time the Warriors scored.”
Triple M host Tony Squires was stunned to hear that the popular footy fan had copped such harsh treatment.
Johnson double dummy MELTS Dogs | 01:05
“This is a poor bloke who’s waited a couple of years (for a Warriors home game). He gets there, he’s excited and now he’s got a lifetime ban,” he said on Saturday.
news corp Journalist Brent Read said a lifetime ban “is a bit over the top,” while Rabbitohs star Jai Arrow, who was a guest on Triple M, said “it’s like you’re not allowed to have fun anymore.”
A change.org petition to overturn the ban was started on Friday and had already amassed over 3,500 signatures by Saturday afternoon.
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Junior Paulo has handed the Kangaroos a major blow as the Parramatta prop confirmed he will play for Samoa at the World Cup.
The 28-year-old male is yet to represent Australia at international level but has nine State of Origin games for New South Wales under his belt.
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Paulo also has nine caps for Samoa to his name and although he was “torn” between the blue shirt of the nation or the green and gold of Australia, it was a quote from Phil Gould that ultimately swayed his decision.
“Gus Gould really hit the nail on the head when he said, ‘What nation do you cry for when you sing the anthem,’” Paulo told 9News.
Johnson double dummy MELTS Dogs | 01:05
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“That plays a big part for me, and for me that’s being proud of my home, and that’s Samoa.”
Paulo joins Canberra forward Josh Papalii as well as Panthers duo Brian To’o and Jarome Luai as NRL stars who have confirmed they will represent Samoa instead of Australia at the World Cup.
The Parramatta star also hopes that by not choosing to play for the Kangaroos, it could inspire several youngsters to be proud of their home nation when it comes to representative footy.
“I want to be able to inspire the next kid who is coming through the ranks and will be at home, or whether they’re in the islands watching that World Cup thinking they want to be able to represent their country,” Paulo said.
The Blues star is also hoping that by playing for Samoa, he can make his family proud as punch.
“I’ve got my two grandmothers, who are both overseas and while they’re still alive I want to make them proud,” Paulo said.
The Bulldogs and Warriors have traded blows as the score sits 24-18.
Mick Potter’s side sparked a huge comeback after a horror Walsh error on his own tryline, before backrower Eliesa Katoa again handed his side the lead with a charging try.
MATCH CENTER: New Zealand Warriors vs. Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
57TH MINUTE
Warriors gun Eliesa Katoa has crossed for a crucial try. charging onto a Shaun Johnson short ball to hand his side the lead.
“There is no stopping Katoa, he is a crash ball specialist,” Smith said.
44TH MINUTE
The Bulldogs have scored off the back of a horror Reece Walsh mistake.
Halfback Kyle Flanagan scooped the ball up to cross untouched and bring his side back into the contest.
“An early error from the Warriors, and the Bulldogs exactly what they needed,” Flanagan said.
“We have a game here in Auckland,” Smith said.
Only moments later, Bulldogs flyer Josh Addo-Carr reeled in an intercept to charge away for an 80-meter try.
Multiple Warriors defenders charged across in cover defense but Addo-Carr streaked away to score.
17TH MINUTE
Bulldogs fullback Jake Averillo crossed for his side’s first of the night, running onto an Aaron Schoupp short ball.
Mick Potter’s side charged at the Warriors line, with Matt Burton breaking through before Averillo crossed.
“Matt Burton going so close on the previous play… good heads up play by Averillo,” Smith said.
Only moments later, the Warriors scored off the back of a scrum with Reece Walsh finding Edward Kosi in space.
“He is a class player Reece Walsh, that was beautifully done, he just skips on the outside,” Shane Flanagan said.
“That is all class from Reece Walsh.”
6TH MINUTE
The Warriors have opened the scoring courtesy of a Shaun Johnson short ball to find Viliami Vailea.
The 19-year-old crossed for an untouched try in his return to the New Zealand side after suffering a broken jaw.
The Bulldogs now trail 12-0 on return to Mt Smart Stadium, having played their last game across the Tasman in Round 1, 2019.
MATCH CENTER: New Zealand Warriors vs. Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
“Broken jaw, has been out now for the best part of ten games,” Warren Smith said.
Only moments later, veteran winger Dallin Watene-Zelezniak intercepted Matt Burton pass to cross untouched from 90 meters out
“He is a real pro of wing play, a great carrier and he can still scoot,” Smith said.
“He’d have been a great decathlete, he has speed, he has power and great jumping ability.”
PRE-MATCH WRAP
The Bulldogs will make the trip abroad to New Zealand for the first time since Round 1, 2019 for their clash against the Warriors.
Kiwi-born players Jeremy Marshall-King, Jackson Topine, Zach Dokar-Clay and Raymond Faitala-Mariner will make a big homecoming to face their rivals across the Tasman.
Mick Potter’s Canterbury-Bankstown side will be without star enforcer Tevita Pangai Junior for family reasons, shifting Faitala-Mariner to lock.
An hour before kick-off, Potter also made a late change, shifting Harrison Edwards into the starting side in place of Jack Topine.
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MATCH CENTER: New Zealand Warriors vs. Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
Meanwhile, the Warriors have made a raft of big changes.
Daejarn Asi returns at five-eighth, shifting regular hooker Wayne Egan back into the dummy-half role.
Young gun Viliami Vailea has also slotted into the centers, while interim head coach Stacey Jones has reintroduced Storm recruit Eliesa Katoa onto the bench.
Tom Ale, 23, will also make his first appearance of the 2022 season off the bench, taking the field for his fourth NRL game.
TEAMS
Warriors: 1. Reece Walsh 2. Dallin Watene-Zelezniak 3. Viliami Vailea 4. Marcelo Montoya 5. Edward Kosi 6. Daejarn Asi 7. Shaun Johnson 8. Addin Fonua-Blake 9. Wayde Egan 10. Tohu Harris 11. Euan Aitken 12. Jack Murchie 15. Bunty Afoa 13. Josh Curran 14. Freddy Lussick 16. Eliesa Katoa 22. Tom Ale 17. Jackson Frei
Bulldogs: 1. Jake Averillo 2. Jacob Kiraz 3. Aaron Schoupp 4. Braidon Burns 5. Josh Addo-Carr 6. Matt Burton 7. Kyle Flanagan 8. Max King 9. Jeremy Marshall-King 10. Paul Vaughan 11. Josh Jackson 16. Harrison Edwards 13. Raymond Faitala-Mariner 12. Jackson Topine 14. Zach Dokar-Clay 15. Joe Stimson 17. Chris Patolo 20. Kurtis Morrin
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The Brooklyn Nets absolutely deserve this no-ring circus, and every absurd sideshow that defines it.
They deserve to be universally mocked after Kevin Durant followed up his trade demand with a vicious put-back dunk — one call for the firing of the general manager who hired him, and another for the head coach he got hired.
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In May, Sean Marks and Steve Nash announced in a news conference that it was time to dump their culture of superstar appeasement in favor of the old one, under deposed coach Kenny Atkinson, of player development and organic team-centric growth.
Over the weekend, The Athletic reported, Durant announced in a London meeting with Nets owner Joe Tsai that it was time to dump Marks and Nash in favor of replacements capable of driving a championship-level roster to a more desirable postseason location than a first- round sweep.
Durant has reportedly made these terminations the terms of his re-engagement, his only road back to Brooklyn, and on a certain level Tsai might feel tempted — despite tweeting out his support for the front office and coaching staff — to give him what he wants .
Kevin Durant looks headed for a messy exit from the Brooklyn Nets. Al Bello/Getty Images/AFPSource: AFP
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After all, KD is better at his job than Marks and Nash are at theirs, and in a cold, cold business, a question needs to be asked: Who gives you a better chance to finally win a championship, Durant with a new head coach and GM, or Marks/Nash with whatever assets the Nets acquire in a KD deal?
They call the NBA a players league for a reason.
Basketball has fewer players in the arena than football, baseball, and hockey, adding more value to the individual juggernaut who can control the ball on nearly every possession.
Durant will go down among the top dozen or so all-time NBA greats, and even with his injury history at an opening-night age of 34, there really is no replacing him.
On the other hand, Durant has proven to be a less effective GM than Marks and one who shouldn’t be making personnel decisions.
As we’ve written before, KD executed one of the worst trades in league history when he exchanged Steph Curry and Golden State’s winning DNA for Kyrie Irving and a whole lot of problems to be named later.
Things haven’t gone to plan in Brooklyn for Durant. Michelle Farsi/Getty Images/AFPSource: AFP
Had Durant stayed with Curry and the Warriors, he ultimately would’ve won more rings than LeBron James’ four and climbed another step or three on the legacy ladder.
But Durant wanted to prove he could build his own winner, with Irving by his side, and what a colossal miscalculation it’s been.
Nobody blames the Nets for doing what they had to do to beat the Knicks and others in the free-agent race for Durant and Irving in the summer of 2019.
Smart people do blame them for taking on DeAndre Jordan at $40 million, for axing Atkinson, and for shipping out nearly their entire development system for 13 high-maintenance months of James Harden as part of the price of doing business with KD and Kyrie.
“The Nets should be fined by the league if they ever use the word ‘culture’ again,” said one prominent NBA source.
Of course, the Nets had already exposed their soulless core when they caved in on their initial COVID stance with the unvaccinated Irving, all in pursuit of on-court victories that wouldn’t come.
Tsai and Marks have found out the hard way that once you turn over your business to the talent, there’s no getting it back.
Durant hadn’t even started playing on his four-year extension worth nearly $200 million before he told the Nets he wanted to be somewhere else.
Right after Irving opted in, Durant opted out.
Durant reportedly wants Steve Nash gone as head coach. (Photo by Eric Espada/Getty Images) (Photo by Eric Espada/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Though he pushed for his buddy Nash, a man with no coaching experience, to get the Nets job two years ago, KD now believes Nash has little idea what he’s doing. Beautiful.
After the Celtics swept his team in April, Durant was asked if he believed Nash was still “the right guy to lead this group.”
With a dose of incredulity he responded, “I mean, come on man. Like, yeah, Steve has been dealt a crazy hand the last two years, when he’s had to deal with so much stuff as a head coach, a first-time coach. He trades, injuries, COVID, just a lot of stuff he had to deal with, and I’m proud of how he just focused on his passion for us. And we’ll all continue to keep developing over the summer and see what happens.”
We all know what happened since that response.
The Warriors won another championship, beating the same team in the Finals that had embarrassed the Nets, and Durant decided to lash out.
He realized that Brooklyn was a million miles away from legitimate title contention — in large part because of deals and hires he notarized — and he wanted to get to a team that could cut off Golden State’s advance on more rings.
No, I needed to get to a team that could cut off Golden State’s advance on more rings.
Durant eventually realized the Nets’ asking price in a trade is so high, any team that lands him will be too depleted to win it all.
So in a brutally hot summer, he turned up the heat on Tsai by telling him he’d return if the owner makes Marks and Nash disappear. Durant is trying to will a trade into existence.
In the process, he has left the Nets looking like the kind of league-wide joke they often were in the bad ol’ days in Jersey.
This article originally appeared on the New York Post and has been reposted with permission
Superstar fullback Latrell Mitchell put on an absolute clinic as the Rabbitohs thrashed the Warriors 48-10 on Saturday afternoon.
Mitchell scored 24 points after producing two tries, two assists, two linebreaks, four tackle busts and slotting 8/8 conversions.
MATCH CENTER: Rabbitohs v Warriors, score, teams, videos, stats
It was South Sydney’s highest score of the season and the win leapfrogs them into sixth place on the NRL ladder with a real shot at a top-four finish.
Souths started as unbackable favorites and they quickly showed why – scoring at almost a point a minute in the first half.
The Warriors’ defense was atrocious all afternoon and it’s now the worst in the competition.
Rabbitohs lock Cameron Murray set up the opening three tries, with Lachlan Illias, Damien Cook and Tevita Tatola all crossing.
“He’s run for 75 meters, made a bunch of tackles and now has a third, yes a third, try assist,” Warren Smith said on Fox League after 17 minutes.
Murray passed to halfback Lachlan Ilias who stepped off his right foot and went through a yawning gap to score the opener in the fourth minute.
Murray then made a break down the middle and offloaded to hooker Cook who showed some nice footwork to score in the 10th minute.
The Souths captain made it three assists when he broke a few tackles close to the line before offloading for Tatola to score.
Next it was Keaon Koloamatangi who broke through some more soft defense to score from close range in the 22nd minute.
The Warriors pulled one back through Edward Kosi but the Rabbitohs were soon back at it when Mitchell burst through several tackles to score under the posts.
“You can’t put him down when he gets a chance winds up from that sort of range,” Warren Smith said on Fox League after Mitchell charged over from almost 20 meters out.
Mitchell then turned provider for winger Alex Johnston who joined NRL legends Matt Sing and Hazem El Masri on 159 career tries.
Mitchell picked up where he left off in the second half, throwing a bullet cut-out pass for debutant Izaac Thompson to score.
Warriors halfback Shaun Johnson crossed for a sharp try in the 51st minute when he passed and then wrapped around to take back the ball from Josh Curran and score.
Mitchell scored the simplest of tries after Jai Arrow ran a decoy and the former crossed untouched in the 56th minute for his double.
Here are three of the biggest takeaways from the match.
LATRELL SHINES AGAIN
Souths transformed into a different team upon the return of superstar Latrell Mitchell in Round 16.
They’ve now won five of six games since Mitchell came back from a lengthy hamstring lay-off, and their only loss came in golden point against the Sharks.
Mitchell’s individual brilliance simply makes his teammates better – and it was on display again against the Warriors.
The classy fullback scored a personal record 24 points after producing two tries, two try assists, two linebreaks, two linebreak assists, four tackle busts. He was rested for the final 20 minutes of the game.
“That was a big step in the right direction, tonight was about earning the right and all the boys kicked into another gear,” Mitchell told Fox League.
Latrell Mitchell of the Rabbitohs celebrates scoring a try. Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images
“It’s all about holding the ball and whoever does that and defends their line the best takes the lollies.
“I’m really enjoying this group and I couldn’t be at a better club.”
Mitchell set up tries on the each side of halftime for wingers Alex Johnston and debutant Izaac Thompson, with the second leaving rugby league great Steve Roach in awe.
“We are watching a magician in play here, Latrell Mitchell. Sit back and watch just how good that pass is,” Roach said.
“Watch this for class. Just the vision, bang, catch and pass. There’s not a lot of blokes who could throw that pass in the history of the game. That’s just brilliant.”
“That was poor play from the Warriors, they got caught flat footed and Ilias couldn’t believe his luck,” Steve Roach said on Fox League.
RABBITOHS EYEING TOP FOUR
Souths are charging towards the top four after clinching their fifth win in six games, and setting a new club record against the Warriors.
It’s the first time in over 100 years since the Rabbitohs have scored over 30 points in five straight games against an opponent (North Sydney 1917-19).
It was the Bunnies’ highest score and biggest win this season, their fourth 40-point scoreline and fifth win by at least 18 points.
They’re now sitting sixth and just one win outside the top four with four rounds remaining. They face top-eight sides the Eels, Panthers, Cowboys and Roosters on their run home.
“I thought the first half was pretty clinical,” Rabbitohs coach Jason Demetriou said.
“We’re looking good for our back end of the year with some of our key players hitting some form.
South Sydney press conference | 05:54
“Everyone talks about the draw but the beauty about what we’ve got at the back end is that we’ve got teams that are going to influence where we finish and it’s on us.
“Every two points will decide where we finish at the end of the year. There’s another two points up for grabs next week against a team that’s playing some good footy as well.”
Latrell Mitchell and Cameron Murray were sensational as the latter set up three tries but left the game late for an HIA.
“I’m feeling good, I’ve come away from it unscathed,” Murray said.
“Overall I thought we were pretty good tonight, we’re building nicely, everyone is buying into what we’re doing and we’re building our combinations.”
WARRIORS’ WOES CONTINUE
The Warriors started the game with the second-worst defense in the competition and they finished it with the worst.
The Kiwis were simply abysmal in defense as the Rabbitohs crossed with ease, scoring eight tries in the opening 56 minutes.
The Warriors have now conceded 561 points in 20 games this season, allowing more than 28 points per game.
They’ve lost 10 straight outside New Zealand and four of their past six by more than 20 points. It was the fourth time the Warriors have conceded 40 points this season.
Interim coach Stacey Jones said it was the worst performance he’s seen since replacing Nathan Brown two months ago.
“Since I’ve taken over in this role, that’s the most disappointed I’ve been,” Jones said.
NZ Warriors press conference | 03:18
“I thought our attitude to defense was terrible, we didn’t want to get physical with them and if you allow a team like that to dominate early that’s what happened.
“I told the boys we need to address not just how to turn up on game day but how we train. We’ve got four weeks to go and we need to show a lot more than we showed tonight.”
The Warriors copped it from Fox League commentators Warren Smith and Steve Roach all afternoon.
“That was poor play from the Warriors, they got caught flat footed and Ilias couldn’t believe his luck,” Roach after the first try.
“That was a little bit too easy. I said they were brittle, well maybe scratch that, they’re beyond brittle, they’re Swiss cheese, there’s not much defense from the Warriors,” Smith added after the third.
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The NRL Match Review Committee has come under fire for some glaring inconsistencies regarding foul play in a confounding weekend of rugby league in Round 20.
Storm enforcer Nelson Asofa-Solomona escaped sanction for an elbow to the face of Warriors hooker Wayde Egan, while teammate Josh King went unpunished for a potential eye-gouge.
Meanwhile, Titans hooker Aaron Booth escaped sanction for a cannonball tackle on Raiders forward Joe Tapine, while Jared Waerea-Hargreaves got away with a fine for a similar action to Asofa-Solomona’s, on Manly rookie Zac Fulton.
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And Broncos lock Patrick Carrigan was neither sin-binned or sent off for a hip drop tackle that saw him referred directly to the Judiciary and has him facing a lengthy ban.
Foxsports.com.au breaks down the five incidents to point out the stunning inconsistency from the MRC.
NELSON ASOFA-SOLOMONA
Asofa-Solomona was placed on report for an elbow/forearm on Warriors hooker Wayde Egan, but was not charged by the match review committee.
The incident in the fourth minute of the Storm’s win over the Warriors saw the Asofa-Solomona come down hard on top of Egan’s jaw with his forearm and elbow.
The Warriors rake had to leave the field and there were fears such an action had the potential to result in a broken jaw.
Andrew Johns smoked at the MRC for failing to take action against Asofa-Solomona for an incident that he believed could have resulted in an on-field send-off.
“It’s laughable,” Johns said.
“I back the players all the time, but for me that’s a four-week suspension.
“Nothing for that, or even fine? That’s close to a send-off. I can’t believe it.”
Ryan Girdler accused the MRC of not taking the rules seriously in a stinging rebuke of the Asofa-Solomona decision.
“It was very avoidable as opposed to running the football rather than when you are the defender,” Girdler said on Triple M.
“We spoke about Dale Finucane and the onus needs to be on the defender and there needs to be a duty of care to the player with the ball, especially now we see so many people in tackles and technique and holding and so forth.
“That needs to be taken seriously by the players.
“But if you want to take it seriously then the match review committee need to take it seriously as well.
“Letting Nelson get off with that sends a sign out there to the players, that sort of behavior is OK and it’s not.”
It begs the question, would the Storm star, who has formed, have been suspended or even sent off had he broken Egan’s jaw?
Any player that now finds himself in a similar tackle will be bringing up this Asofa-Solomona incident as their main defense in the future and a dangerous precedent has now been set.
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Nelson Asofa-Soloma escaped sanction for an elbow on Wayde Egan.Source: Supplied
JOSH KING
Storm lock Josh King escaped sanction for a potential eye-gouge on Warriors forward Jazz Tevaga, despite being placed on report and penalized.
In fairness to King the action may have been accidental, but it came just a week after Bulldogs enforcer Corey Waddell copped a five week suspension for coming into contact with the eyes of Titans skipper Tino Fa’asuamaleaui.
In Waddell’s case there was no genuine proof of a gouging action, but he copped a monster ban for coming into contact with the eyes of an opponent.
Gorden Tallis and Greg Alexander believed that King would be in trouble, given the harsh reaction to the Waddell incident, even if it was incidental contact.
“I think it is minimal contact, but you can’t make contact with the eyes,” Tallis said.
“I don’t like it. Don’t go near the eyes.”
“Corey Waddell got five weeks for not even gouging someone,” Alexander added.
“In slow motion it doesn’t look good. His hand went over the top of the face and got somewhere in the eye vicinity so he could be in trouble.
King could have been given the opportunity to protest his innocence at the judiciary and may well have proven it, but the decision not to charge him a week after giving Waddell five weeks on the sidelines smacks of inconsistency.
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King eye gouge raises questions! | 00:41
AARON BOOTH
Titans hooker Aaron Booth went unpunished by the MRC for a potential cannonball tackle on Raiders forward Joe Tapine.
The incident in the 32nd minute of the Titans 36-24 loss to the Raiders saw two Gold Coast players tackling Tapine before Booth came in late down around his legs from behind in a cannonball style tackle.
Tapine took issue with the tackle and the pair got into a scuffle, which resulted in the Raiders star being sent to the sin bin.
On his way to the sin bin Tapine questioned the tackle to the referee but Ben Cummins said the tackle was cleared.
The cannonball tackle is up there with the hip drop as one of the most dangerous tackles on a rugby league field for its ability to cause serious injury.
“Joe Tapine must have felt what he thought was a cannonball as Aaron Booth comes in right at the knees,” Matt Russell said.
Aaron Booth tackles Joe Tapine.Source: FOX SPORTS
“You have got to be above the knees. Quads or higher.”
While Booth may have initially hit Tapine on the hamstrings, the speed and force at which he came into the tackle from behind as the third man in, had the potential to cause Tapine a serious injury, which is why he was so angry.
Gorden Tallis told Triple M that he didn’t think Patrick Carrigan’s tackle “was as bad as some that I’ve seen this year” and brought up the Booth incident.
“So Aaron Booth, I have spears into the back (of Joe Tapine). Which one is worse in your eyes?,” he asked.
“I can’t believe he didn’t get reported,” Ben Dobbin said.
“It wasn’t even a penalty,” James Hooper added.
“Probably the one from the Titans game, it seemed to have more intent in the tackle,” James Graham added.
If the MRC are serious about stamping it out of the game, Booth should have at least been charged and given the opportunity to defend himself at the judiciary.
Failing to charge these incidents gives the players no deterrent to stop employing the cannonball tackle if they think they can get away with it on a technicality.
Tapine binned for punching Titan | 00:23
PATRICK CARRIGAN
Broncos lock Patrick Carrigan is facing a lengthy suspension for his hip-drop tackle on Jackson Hastings after being referred directly to the judiciary.
Carrigan deserves to be suspended for the ugly tackle that broke Hastings’ leg and ruled him out for the season.
However, if the incident was deemed serious enough to refer Carrigan straight to the judiciary, why was he not sin-binned or sent off?
Nathan Cleary coped with a five week suspension after being sent off for an ugly lifting tackle on Dylan Brown.
If Carrigan is looking at a similar ban, the Tigers should have got the on-field advantage of having the Broncos reduced to 12 men for 10 minutes at least.
James Hooper believes Carrigan will miss the remainder of the regular season with a five week ban.
Patrick Carrigan’s hip-drop tackle.Source: Supplied
“In all likelihood the fact he’s been referred… I think Pat Carrigan is rubbed out for the rest of the season and he’s back for September,” Hooper said.
If Carrigan cops a five game ban, it is confounding how he wasn’t sent off for the tackle or at the very least sin-binned.
On the other hand Gorden Tallis questioned why Carrigan is potentially meeting the same fate as Waddell who is out for five weeks due to an eye-gouge.
“If you tell me that tackle is as bad as an eye gouge… if someone has their fingers around your eyes I’d bite their fingers off,” Tallis said.
It raised the question of Hastings’ injury playing a part in the punishment, which comes back to Asofa-Solomona potentially facing a ban had he broken Egan’s jaw.
Carrigan’s hip drop injuries Hastings | 01:01
JARED WAEREA-HAGREAVES
The Roosters enforcer Jared Waerea-Hargreaves escaped with a fine for an early guilty plea after being charged by the match review committee for a similar incident to Asofa-Solomona’s.
The Roosters star was penalized and placed on report for an elbow to the face of Manly rookie Zac Fulton while he was on the ground.
Waerea-Hargreaves’ punishment brings up two questions. Why was he not banned because a small fine is not a deterrent for these actions?
Jared Waerea-Hargreaves escaped with a fine.Source: Getty Images
And given Asofa-Solomona’s incident is widely considered to be much worse than the Roosters star’s actions, why wasn’t the Storm forward charged by the MRC?
Referee Grant Atkins labeled Waerea-Hargreaves actions unacceptable.
“Jared can’t do what he did, that is unacceptable, that is why it is against you,” Atkins said.
But how can an unacceptable action on a rugby league field receive only a small $3000 fine.
Coupled with the Asofa-Soloma incident, a small fine for Waerea-Hargreaves and no punishment at all for the Storm forward offers no deterrent whatsoever for players who employ these grubby tactics.
