Canberra Raiders prop Josh Papalii has reportedly pledged his allegiance to Samoa for the upcoming Rugby League World Cup held in England later this year.
Papalii has dabbled in the Samoan and Kangaroos camps in the past with four games with Samoa and 11 with the Kangaroos.
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The Maroons veteran is the latest Australian eligible player to commit to a Pacific Island nation, joining Panthers duo Jarome Luai and Brian To’o.
“As an older player, I feel like it’s a movement I just don’t want to be missing out on,” Papalii said.
“Just seeing the likes of a few of the Penrith boys coming out and I’ve had few text messages from other players who haven’t come out yet saying they’ve put their hand up for Samoa.
“I have put my hand up to play for Samoa. Mal Meninga knows that and I’ve had a coffee with Mal as well to speak about what I’m planning to do… but that’s a long way from here, anything can happen in the next hopefully eight weeks.”
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This year’s Rugby League World Cup will be Papalii’s second for Samoa. (Photo by Anthony Au-Yeung/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Papalii represented Samoa at the 2017 World Cup but has since pulled on the green and gold of Australia.
“I guess probably my last World Cup wasn’t the best, I sort of treated it as a little vacation and probably drank a bit too often, ate more than I should have,” he admitted.
“I’m looking to just play a bit of World Cup for the Motherland and represent my wife and my kids and especially my parents as well and just make Samoa proud.”
This year’s Rugby League World Cup will be hosted in the United Kingdom, making it Papalii’s third appearance in the major tournament, being his second with his native country of Samoa.
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Canberra Raiders prop Josh Papalii has reportedly pledged his allegiance to Samoa for the upcoming Rugby League World Cup held in England later this year.
Papalii has dabbled in the Samoan and Kangaroos camps in the past with four games with Samoa and 11 with the Kangaroos.
Stream every game of every round of the 2022 NRL Telstra Premiership Season Live & Ad-Break Free During Play on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >
The Maroons veteran is the latest Australian eligible player to commit to a Pacific Island nation, joining Panthers duo Jarome Luai and Brian To’o.
“As an older player, I feel like it’s a movement I just don’t want to be missing out on,” Papalii said.
“Just seeing the likes of a few of the Penrith boys coming out and I’ve had few text messages from other players who haven’t come out yet saying they’ve put their hand up for Samoa.
“I have put my hand up to play for Samoa. Mal Meninga knows that and I’ve had a coffee with Mal as well to speak about what I’m planning to do… but that’s a long way from here, anything can happen in the next hopefully eight weeks.”
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This year’s Rugby League World Cup will be Papalii’s second for Samoa. (Photo by Anthony Au-Yeung/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Papalii represented Samoa at the 2017 World Cup but has since pulled on the green and gold of Australia.
“I guess probably my last World Cup wasn’t the best, I sort of treated it as a little vacation and probably drank a bit too often, ate more than I should have,” he admitted.
“I’m looking to just play a bit of World Cup for the Motherland and represent my wife and my kids and especially my parents as well and just make Samoa proud.”
This year’s Rugby League World Cup will be hosted in the United Kingdom, making it Papalii’s third appearance in the major tournament, being his second with his native country of Samoa.
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The Newcastle Knights and their coach Adam O’Brien are at a crossroads after a horror season that could see them go from the finals to the wooden spoon in one year.
The Knights have the worst defensive record in the NRL and their attack is not much better with the pressure ramping up on O’Brien to keep his job amid turmoil and player unrest at the club.
Paul Kent believes the recent changes to the club’s football department is evidence that the Knights desperately need to change the way they operate in time for next season.
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“This is a touchstone moment for Adam O’Brien,” Kent said on NRL 360.
“His career now is at a tipping point. After the season they have had where they have shown no improvement on the two previous seasons. In fact they have gone backwards.
“You have got player unrest. You have got a club that is trying to turn things around.
“Phil Gardner has moved himself away from much of the football operation, which he needed to do because he was inexperienced and after putting his toe in the water for 18 months he failed to come up with what they need.
“They have got a rookie football manager in Danny Buderus, who has suddenly been pushed sideways to bring in Peter Parr. They are trying to start the turnaround.
“Adam O’Brien has realized that he is either part of the solution or part of the problem and it starts now.”
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Knights coach Adam O’Brien.Source: Supplied
Phil Rothfield revealed O’Brien admitted he has eight weeks next season to turn things around, but Kent believes that might be generous, given their current predicament.
“Buzz said he has six to eight weeks next year,” Kent said.
“I don’t think he has got that because if the Knights find out eight weeks into next season that they have made a blue, then next season has gone as well.
“Adam O’Brien touched on in that press conference that their summer training was not up to speed this year as it should have been.
“He said, that is the one thing he would like to get in order going into next season. That’s where it starts for them next season. It begins for him now.”
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Kent accused the Knights of being too soft on their players in the wake of the decision to reprimand David Klemmer.
“It began it appears today with David Klemmer and let’s talk about player discipline and how players buy into what is going on at teams,” Kent said.
“David Klemmer is known for not wanting to go off the field. Let’s cop that. It happened at Canterbury. It has happened before.
“But we talk about Brandon Smith and what Melbourne have done to him since he got sin-binned and suspended a couple of weeks back and how they drive their discipline, which Adam O’Brien has been aware of.
“I think for too long up there he has been running a soft ship and they basically have been taking the mickey out of him, so I think that is where it starts.”
Is O’Brien under pressure at Knights? | 05:59
The Daily Telegraph’s Dave Riccio agreed O’Brien’s future is on thin ice, given they are unlikely to win another game in 2022, with the wooden spoon a real possibility.
“I think Adam’s coaching career is right on the precipice,” Riccio said.
“Don’t forget this Newcastle Knights side can still get the wooden spoon. They play the Tigers this weekend.
“If they lose to the Tigers you can bet your bottom dollar the heat will be turned up.
“They then play the Broncos away. They play the Raiders at home. The Titans away and they finish with the Sharks at home.
“I haven’t got the Knights winning any of those games.”
Kent believes the introduction of Parr as the club’s director of football means that Phil Gardner will no longer have the final say on O’Brien’s future.
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“Gardner has no longer got the say,” Kent said.
“Parr will have the say. Parr will sit there over summer and if he decides things aren’t looking the way they need to look, he can still find himself a coach.
“He has got trainers and strength and conditioning coaches in from the Roosters and the Panthers and everywhere else. They are in good hands there.”
Riccio agreed the board will decide who the long-term coach will be based on a recommendation from Parr.
“I think it will come down to the board,” Riccio said.
“I think Peter Parr has been put there for a reason. Not only for his experience and know how, but I believe he can make a tough call.
“And Gardner can remove himself from what has been a car crash since he got there.”
In light of O’Brien’s comments that he has seen what success looks like at the Storm and the Roosters, Kent believes it is time for less talk and more action at the Knights.
“At some point you have got to start living the standard and not talking the standard,” Kent said.
“I think for too long at Newcastle they talk about what they want to do.
“It has been going on for too long where they just basically pull the shades down over everybody’s eyes and say, don’t worry about us we are going OK, when in fact they are not doing what Newcastle are known for, which is playing tough, hard football and being constantly competitive.”
Incoming Wests Tigers coach Tim Sheens has confirmed he wants halfback Luke Brooks to remain at the club next season and beyond on a reduced contract.
The Daily Telegraph reported Sheens wants Brooks to see out the remainder of his contract which expires at the end of 2023, before signing an extension on a reduced salary.
Speculation is rife that the Tigers were keen to move Brooks on given his salary is worth a reported $1.3 million on their salary cap for 2023.
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Brooks reportedly twice sought a release from the remainder of his contract last season to move to the Knights, despite denials from the No.7.
The 27-year-old, who is currently injured, has scored 42 tries in 189 games for the Tigers since his debut in 2013, but has never tasted finals football during a tough period for the club, who have the longest finals drought in the NRL stretching back to 2011.
Brooks has been linked to the Dolphins and the Knights for 2023, but Sheens, who will take over the team for 2023 and 2024, wants him to stay, but on a reduced deal.
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Tim Sheens wants Luke Brooks to stay.Source: Supplied
“Obviously everyone would prefer it to be at less money,” Sheens told The Daily Telegraph.
“But we can sit down and negotiate with him and extend the contract out.”
Sheens categorically denied the club were looking to move Brooks on to free up salary cap space for 2023.
“On the record, he’s contracted,” Sheens said.
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Luke Brooks and Benji Marshall.Source: AAP
“Point blank. He is contracted to us and I expect him to turn up for pre-season training.”
Jock Madden starred in Brooks’ absence in a win over the Broncos in Round 20, but remains unsigned beyond 2022, while the club also has Adam Doueihi and Jackson Hastings on their books for next season.
Sheens and incoming assistant Benji Marshall have publicly thrown their support behind the embattled playmaker, but the former refused to guarantee Brooks would finish his career at the Tigers.
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“Unless the world changes, that’s what I’m doing (trying to get Brooks to stay),” Sheens said.
“Can I ever (guarantee he’ll stay)? Not one can. But I’m not indicating he’s leaving.
“I like the kid and I want him in the side. Benji loves him and wants him in the side. But we can’t say any more than that.”
Tigers chairman Lee Hagipantelis also threw his support behind Brooks.
“A guarantee is not a word that I use comfortably in my capacity as chairman or as a lawyer, but Luke Brooks has a contract with the Wests Tigers for 2023,” Hagipantelis told Fox Sports News.
“Tim Sheens spoke publicly in the last 24 hours of his intentions to retain him. We are all big fans of Luke.
“He is a one club player. I would love to see him finish out his career at the Wests Tigers.
“Are there challenges there for both parties? Perhaps. Both have identified those.
“But the reality is he is a truly gifted footballer and I would love to see him perform at his best for the Wests Tigers.”
Hagipantelis clarified that there would be no pay cut for Brooks’ existing contract and it would be up to the club and the player to meet in the middle over a contract extension.
“There will be no pay cut concerned with his current contractual arrangements,” Hagipantelis said.
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“He will be paid in full. We will honor that. I think Tim was alluding to the end of the current contractual arrangements.
“Those are matters for the club and the player to negotiate what they think is a fair market value.
“It is always up in the air. There is an underlying tension of course. Players want to receive as much as they can, which is understandable and clubs want to pay as little as they can, which is of course just as understandable.
“At the moment those discussions have not been held. There is a long way to go.
“Tim Sheens, Benji Marshall and Robbie Farah are assimilating themselves into the roster at the moment. They will decide moving forward.
Is O’Brien under pressure at Knights? | 05:59
“Unfortunately the injuries to Luke and Jackson Hastings have thrown a little spanner into the works because I know the boys were very keen to see the combinations work for the balance of this year. But they will work it out.”
However, like Sheens, Hagipantelis left the door ajar for Brooks to potentially move on in the future if it suited both him and the club.
“Never say never because every option would be considered on its merits at the time,” Hagipantelis said when asked if he would consider an offer from another club for Brooks’ services.
“But as we speak at this very moment there is nothing on the table. There is no consideration. There is nothing before me or the board to suggest Luke Brooks will not fulfill his contractual obligations with the Wests Tigers and nothing would make me happier.”
Knights coach Adam O’Brien has reportedly conceded the club’s 2022 campaign is over — putting a timeline on his own tenure as the man to lead Newcastle forward.
The Knights have struggled this season, recording only five wins from 19 games, with pressure mounting on the men from the Hunter to turn their fortunes around.
O’Brien’s future as the club’s head coach has been firmly thrust into the spotlight, and now the 44-year-old has admitted he may have “six to eight weeks” at the start of the 2023 season to save his job.
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“I spoke to Adam O’Brien this morning, he asked me ‘how are the punters seeing it from outside’,” The Daily Telegraph’s Buzz Rothfield said on NRL360.
“I said I think everyone is happy that you are safe for the rest of the year, I then said I think you have six to eight weeks at the start of next year.
“I have agreed, 100% I have agreed.”
But NRL360 co-host Paul Kent disagreed, questioning why the club would take a gamble on a coach that has failed to meet expectations in 2022.
Meanwhile, Newcastle have signed Peter Parr as the director of football, handing over control of the Knights’ football operations.
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Kent believes that Parr won’t be willing to gamble at the start of next season as beginning each year strong is crucial to slotting into the top eight.
“If that is the case, I would now shorten that, Peter Parr has now come into the club, why would Newcastle take a gamble on the start of next year?” Kent asked.
“If you gamble the first six to eight weeks next year, after that it is all over.”
“What he is saying is this season is over, what he is saying is that the patience and the loyalty that he expects from the board will go for six to eight weeks next year,” Rothfield said.
NRL360 host Braith Anasta likened O’Brien’s situation to that of embattled Titans coach Justin Holbrook — who is also facing the ax after a tumultuous 2022 campaign.
Both made the decision to dump experienced halfbacks in Mitchell Pearce and Jamal Fogarty, and both are paying the price.
“The start of next year is just everything for both coaches,” Anasta said.
“The six weeks to start next year is going to be everything.”
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“The halfback, Mitchell Pearce going, he took them to finals two years in a row and he walked,” Rothfield added.
Meanwhile, O’Brien came under fire for referencing his resume as an assistant after the club’s poor performance against the Bulldogs.
O’Brien worked under Craig Bellamy during a successful period for the Melbourne Storm, explaining he knows how to win premierships.
“Previous to getting this job here I was involved in four grand finals,” O’Brien said.
“I know how those teams prepared. I know the systems they used defensively.
“You don’t unlearn that knowledge. Applying it and getting it ingrained is clearly going to take some time.”
Kent slammed O’Brien’s claims, explaining there is a major difference between watching someone else teach a system and implementing it in your own team.
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Inside Klemmer’s failed move to the Eels | 02:08
“If Adam O’Brien had his chance again he would have shut up and said nothing,” Kent said.
“And what he said there is irrelevant because it doesn’t matter if you have seen it… you have got to start being the head coach and making decisions.
“There is a big difference between being the assistant and the head coach, to know what it looks like doesn’t mean you can teach it.
“Everyone just looks at what everyone is doing, okay we will start coaching that.
“We spoke about it earlier in the year when Trent Barrett was trying to integrate Penrith’s style of attack into Canterbury.
“They are two different playing groups and sometimes you can’t just sit down and teach a fifth grader four-unit maths, you need to take the stepping stones to get there.”
