Innholdsfortegnelse for 2019 - Round 14 i Big League Weekly Edition

ST GEORGE Illawarra prop Paul Vaughan said the return of Corey Norman will lift the team over the representative period. On return from a fractured cheekbone, Norman combined with halfback Ben Hunt to lead the Dragons to a comprehensive 36-12 win over the Bulldogs last Monday. “Corey was great. It’s a massive inclusion for him to be back,” Vaughan told Big League. “He leads the boys around the field really well. He’s very dangerous in attack and is very strong in defence. “It’s a big boost for us at this time of the year. It’s a busy time, so to have our star players back is a massive advantage.” With Gareth Widdop sidelined indefinitely with a shoulder injury, Norman and Hunt could be the halves for the remainder of the…

You made your NRL debut in Round 1, can you recall how Ricky Stuart told you and who you shared the news with first? He pulled me up into his office with ‘Hodgo’ [Josh Hodgson] and just said ‘you’re getting a run this week mate’ – I went downstairs and called dad straight away. He’s been there with me the whole way so he was the first person I told. He stills comes to nearly every game even though he lives in Brisbane. He loves it. Who did you support growing up? Did you have a favourite player? I grew up in Caboolture, which is about 40 minutes from Brisbane, so I supported the Broncos. Corey Parker was my favourite player growing up and I’ve met him a few times…

I WENT into last week’s Origin series opener with plenty of tactics that I wanted to employ, but I can assure you I never thought about ripping Boyd Cordner’s boot off and tossing it towards the Suncorp faithful. To be honest, I don’t know what happened because I’ve never thought about doing that before. I seemed to have him by the calf and then I ended up around his boot. I thought I’d try to pull it off, and once I got it, I just threw it away without thinking about it. It definitely wasn’t pre-planned on Boyd or anyone from the Blues. After I threw it I didn’t think about it until someone mentioned it after the game. It wasn’t going through my mind so I didn’t even think…

Raiders v SharksTitans v WarriorsCowboys v Wests TigersStorm v KnightsRabbitohs v PanthersEels v BroncosSea Eagles v DragonsRoosters v Bulldogs David Middleton League Historian SharksTitansCowboysStormPanthersBroncosDragonsRoosters Michael Carayannis The Sunday Telegraph RaidersWarriorsCowboysStormPanthersEelsDragonsRoosters Maria Tsialis Big League SharksWarriorsCowboysStormPanthersBroncosDragonsRoosters Rebekka Wake Reader Tipster RaidersTitansWests TigersKnightsRabbitohsEelsSea EaglesBulldogs Michael Chammas NRL.com SharksTitansCowboysKnightsPanthersEelsDragonsRoosters Footyhead Little League RaidersTitansWests TigersStormPanthersEelsDragonsBulldogs…

EELS forward David Gower epitomises the new-age approach to life after rugby league, with the veteran on track to forge a lasting legacy once his playing days are over. In years gone by, athletes solely focused on their careers, putting all their energy into 15 years of footy. But that left them vulnerable once retirement hit, and unless they landed a coaching or commentary gig, options were scarily limited. Thankfully those days are long gone, with the NRL putting pathway programs in place to ensure all players from a junior age are safeguarded once their careers come to an end. Gower has always had an eye on his future after footy, and recently broke new ground by completing a Certificate IV in Elite Athlete Wellbeing. “It’s a new course designed…

IT was once considered a social sport that allowed colleagues to bond after work, but touch footy has broken new ground and is now considered one of the fastest growing sports in Australia. In 2018, total participation grew 11 per cent, with 679,156 registered participants, while the NRL Touch Premiership was also launched in a huge coup for the sport. Wests Tigers star Nick Good (pictured) knew from an early age that he wasn’t going to make it in the NRL, but that didn’t stop him from putting his skills to good use. “I started as a 10-year-old down at the oval,” the Australian skipper tells Big League. “Rugby league is the greatest game of all. Every kid aspires to make the big stage. Unfortunately not everyone does, so this…

THE Katrina Fanning Cup is a state-wide competition for girls in both primary and high school. More than 150 primary school-aged girls recently converged on Caltex Park in Dubbo to participate in the local qualifying division. In freezing conditions they displayed great skill, tenacity and sportsmanship while enjoying the day playing rugby league with their friends. The Bathurst/Orange primary division will take place later in the month, with the Western region high schools getting their chance to play early in Term Three. The Katrina Fanning Cup is for under-12s, 14s, 16s and 18s age divisions and is open to every school in NSW and ACT. For information on how to enter in your area throughout NSW or ACT, ask your teacher to contact your local NRL Game Development Officer. Kaitlyn…

THE build-up to Origin I was interesting to say the least – but in the end, it didn’t matter whether the word ‘Blues’ was said or not – Queensland had clearly prepared to ambush New South Wales in a fast, exciting contest. Many pundits picked New South Wales by a big margin, and though they did well to control the first half, Queensland’s dominating first 20 minutes of the second half did the damage that led them to a win. Veteran Josh Morris opened scoring following an early a penalty and an 8-nil buffer was opened. The tried and tested combination of hooker Damien Cook and fullback James Tedesco terrorised the Queenslanders, though a couple of prime opportunities were missed. Trouble also began to show itself on the Blues left-hand…

Form: The Cowboys had chances to push home their advantage against the Sea Eagles last Saturday, especially when rookie Reuben Cotter went close to scoring on his first touch in the NRL, but their inability to capitalise left the door open for Manly. A win would have made it four-straight and would catapulted the Cowboys all the way to seventh. As it stands, their hopes for 2019 remain in the balance, making it critical for them to ice the games they are expected to win. Wests Tigers have taken several backward steps in recent weeks and it’s possible that talk of players being moved on has been destabilising. They failed to handle slippery conditions at Bankwest Stadium last Friday and were unable to score against a Canberra side that looked…

Form: The loss of Clint Gutherson early in their clash with the Sharks last Saturday night and a decision that went against them as they fought to stay in the game before half-time was too much for the Eels at PointsBet Stadium as they slumped to a 42-22 defeat. Coach Brad Arthur said his team “needs to harden up” and it was a point that was hard to argue after the seven-try capitulation. It was the Eels’ fourth loss from their past five games and leaves them perched precariously in eighth position. The Broncos suffered an early setback of their own against the Titans when rookie halfback Tom Dearden was forced off with an ankle injury, and he will be missing for several weeks. Without Corey Oates, Matt Gillett and…

NEWTOWN leapfrogged Wentworthville into the top eight by defeating the Magpies in the inaugural Pride & Diversity Day at Henson Park. The Jets donned rainbow socks and celebrated the special occasion with a 22-10 win, inspired by fullback Will Kennedy. The ladder-leading Panthers stunned North Sydney 32-0 thanks to a Stephen Crichton hat-trick, while Mounties snapped a two-game losing streak against a Western Suburbs side featuring Elijah Taylor, Chris McQueen and Paul Momirovski. Michael Lichaa assisted two tries and scored one fas the Bulldogs overcame Blacktown, and the Dragons whacked the Warriors 28-6 across the ditch to enter the top four. South Sydney joined the Red V on 14 points with a 26-6 win over Newcastle. This week, the Bulldogs and Bears clash in what should be an exciting encounter,…

DO you feel the anticipation in the air? The June 30 transfer deadline is fast approaching and players are switching clubs at a rapid rate. We had Kodi Nikorima (Broncos to Warriors) earlier in the year, followed by James Roberts (Broncos to Rabbitohs) and Dallin Watene-Zelezniak (Panthers to Bulldogs) in quick succession. At time of print, Eels veteran Tim Mannah looks like he is on his way to the Wests Tigers. There have been rumours surrounding the likes of Moses Mbye, Tyrone Peachey and Reagan Campbell-Gillard and their immediate futures. And there are still three weeks for moves to be made on the great rugby league chessboard. The Bulldogs have definitely done well here. Watene-Zelezniak will line up in the centres this week and brings plenty of experience and confidence…

RAIDERS enforcer Josh Papalii said strong depth at the club will allow the Raiders to emerge from the State of Origin period without losing momentum. All three Origin players – Papalii, Jack Wighton and Nick Cotric – backed up against the Wests Tigers just two days after Game One, but coach Ricky Stuart could opt to rest them in the coming weeks. Papalii said having depth in the middle forwards is a huge advantage at the Raiders. “When one goes down, it doesn’t matter because we’ve got lots of depth,” Papalii told Big League. “We’ve got a lot of young boys capable of doing a job. That’s what we’re trying to create here and it’s going well.” The Queensland representative, who played off the bench against the Tigers, was impressed…

IS it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s the new king of Origin – Dane Gagai The Maroons winger was at his devastating best in Game One of this year’s series, crossing for an impressive second-half double that was vital to Queensland’s second-half revival, including a barnstorming 95-metre intercept Gagai has now scored 11 tries in 11 Origin games, and at this rate he’ll finish as one of the greatest Origin tryscorers of all time…

IT’S almost incomprehensible to think of regular drawn matches where competition points are shared, let alone a squared State of Origin series. There have been only 13 drawn matches from more than 1,300 NRL clashes since the golden point rule arrived in 2003. Yet in Origin it happened twice in four years (and 10 games) – both times allowing the Maroons to keep the shield – before the weight of opinion saw the interstate series added to the new way of deciding matches. The Blues benefitted just four games into the new era, with Game One of 2004 decided by Shaun Timmins, who kicked his only career field goal to give the Blues a 9-8 victory two minutes and 37 seconds into overtime. It was a matter of time before…

“I still have to pinch myself I can’t believe I have the opportunity to play behind [Cam Smith] and learn from him I take it for granted a little bit ” BRANDON Smith may come across as a jovial, fun-loving character these days, but his unconventional childhood hardened him like a diamond under pressure. He is as tough as they come – because he had to be. Caught up in the wrong crowd, it took an altercation with a police officer and being sacked by North Queensland for Smith to realise he needed to turn his life around. He grew up on the small island of Waiheke, a beautiful destination 20km off the coast of Auckland, but his adolescence was far from picturesque. “I had to move away from my…

PANTHERS SKIPPER James Tamou has called on New South Wales selectors to pick James Maloney for Origin II. The experienced five-eighth missed out on selection for Game One, but has raced back into contention after a stunning performance against the Roosters last Sunday. “I don’t know what the go with Origin is, but [Maloney] has certainly put his hand up and put selectors on notice with that performance,” Tamou told Big League. “I’d love to see him in there but we’ll see how that pans out.” With Blues prop David Klemmer ruled out for Game Two with a fractured wrist, there’s a position vacant in the middle forwards for the Blues. Cowboys prop Jordan McLean is set to miss out through injury, leaving Matt Lodge and Dale Finucane as the…

The Titans won six of the first eight meetings with the Warriors when they entered the competition, but they’ve had barely any luck since. Of the 17 games they’ve contested from 2011-19, they’ve come up with two competition points just twice. After beating the Broncos last week – thanks largely to Tyrone Roberts (pictured) – they’ll be full of confidence, and they’ll need to be if they’re any chance of stopping the rot against their bogey side.…

Form: The return from injury of John Bateman a fortnight ago has raised the spirits of the Raiders immeasurably. In a downward spiral in his absence, the Raiders have climbed back into the top four with successive wins over the Bulldogs and Wests Tigers. The Sharks are knocking on the door of top four after claiming four victories from their past five games. Their line-up continues to take on a more formidable look by the week with Matt Moylan and Wade Graham the latest to return to football with Shaun Johnson and Aaron Woods to join them imminently. History: There is no shortage of feeling between these outfits; the rivalry fuelled by a famous confrontation between Paul Gallen and Josh Papalii in an elimination final in 2012. Papalii got under…

Form: The Storm have rarely been brilliant this season but they’ve been and good enough to climb to the top of the competition standings with 10 wins and two narrow losses from 12 games. By comparison, Newcastle have dazzled in their run of six consecutive wins and their most recent scalps have included competition hotshots the Roosters and Rabbitohs. This week they’ll aim for a seven-game streak that hasn’t been achieved by the club since Andrew Johns was at the height of his powers in 2002. History: The history of these contests reads bleakly for the Knights, who have eked out only three victories since 2010. The past six results have all gone the Storm’s way, and in three of the past four Melbourne have notched 40 points or more.…

Form: Manly worked hard to reverse the Cowboys’ momentum at 1300SMILES Stadium last Saturday after it looked like the home side would finish over the top. The Sea Eagles had the early running as they skipped to a 12-2 lead but their situation looked grim when the Cowboys scored three times before half-time to charge to the break at 20-12. With Daly Cherry-Evans and Jake Trbojevic backing up after Origin I and Tom Trbojevic making his much-anticipated return from a hamstring injury, they were good enough to finish on top. The return of Corey Norman proved the X-factor for the Dragons when they broke a five-game drought last Monday. The effervescent five-eighth combined superbly with Ben Hunt as the Dragons overran the Bulldogs by 24 points. History: The Dragons have…

THERE were plenty of upsets in the Jersey Flegg this week, as three top four sides tasted defeat. The Panthers were beaten by the Roosters, who climbed into second spot on the ladder, while Newcastle’s win against South Sydney saw them replace the Rabbitohs in third position. It was business as usual for the Sharks, who pumped the Eels, while Manly finally registered their first win of the year against North Sydney, who move to the bottom of the table. The Warriors left it late to share the spoils with the Victoria Thunderbolts, who were moments away from their first win of the season. The Warriors could have won, but failed to convert Harley Maynard’s last-gasp try. The round closed out as Canterbury edged past the Dragons in a tense…

Titans wingers Dale Copley and Anthony Don have scored a combined 16 tries this season. Cowboys five-eighth John Asiata will play his 50th game at 1300SMILES Stadium. Manly have won three of their past four home games. Eels winger Maika Sivo has scored nine tries in his past seven games. The Warriors will play their 600th game since joining the premiership in 1995. The Roosters have scored 98 points in their past three games at the SCG. Penrith have lost all seven games against the Rabbitohs at ANZ Stadium. Cronulla have won four of their past five games against Canberra.…

IT was the moment the Brailey brothers were dreading, and the day of reckoning appears to be drawing near, with Jayden (pictured) likely to leave the Shire to link up with the Knights in 2020. Jayden has been a shining light at hooker since he made his NRL debut in 2017 but his long-term future at the club is uncertain given the Sharks recently re-signed his brother Blayke for a further three seasons. While he remains under contract for next season, Jayden has been approached by Newcastle as they look to bolster their dummy-half stocks. “There’s been contact, but I’m still contracted here next year so I’m just focusing on the Sharks for now,” Brailey told Big League. “That’s all I can do at the moment. I know there are…

WESTS Tigers veteran Chris Lawrence hopes his return will give his side a boost for the remainder of the season. The back-rower returned for the first time this season in last week’s loss against Canberra, after starting the campaign sidelined with a nasty facial injury. “Hopefully I can have an impact with driving standards at training games, and hopefully that leads to better results on the field,” Lawrence told Big League. “I know I need to get my own performance right first, then lead from the front.” With Lawrence ruled out, the Tigers have struggled with consistency in 2019, sitting 10th on the ladder with five wins and seven losses. “It’s been frustrating to watch,” he said. “We put good periods together where we play well, but then at times…

Maroon-wash In addition to winning the main game at Suncorp Stadium last Wednesday, Queensland ran riot against New South Wales in the under-18s curtainraiser. The 34-12 win broke a three-year drought for the Maroons in this game. Winger Xavier Coates won man of the match honours. The Maroons have been victorious in the Residents clash, the Universities game and the Queensland under-16s Murri team also tasted success over NSW. With women’s Origin and Game Two of the series to come, they have a very good chance of taking out every major clash. Lights out After suffering a loss to Penrith last Sunday afternoon, it wasn’t an ideal recovery for the Roosters after the full-time siren when they returned to the dressing rooms without power. The team entered the sheds with…

AFTER 1,014 days in the NRL wilderness, Roosters playmaker Drew Hutchison finally returned to the top grade against the Panthers last Sunday afternoon. Once touted as a future star of the game, the former Junior Kangaroo and NSW under-20s skipper has been on a disrupted journey over the past couple of years. His career hit a massive setback when he tore his ACL during pre-season with St George Illawarra in 2017 – the same year he looked certain to secure a starting halves spot next to captain Gareth Widdop. The Albion Park-Oak Flats junior had played just four NRL games with the Dragons, but after missing the entire year – and with the arrival of marquee signing Ben Hunt – he was no longer needed at the club. “It was…

A DAM Blair will become just the 36th player in premiership history to make 300 appearances when he runs out for the Warriors on Friday – and only the third non-Australian after former Kiwi team-mates Ruben Wiki and Simon Mannering. But few members of the ‘300 Club’ have left behind a more complex legacy. Blair has played in grand finals for two clubs and captained his country 48 times – a tally second only to Wiki in New Zealand’s history. A big-match player, he scored tries in the Kiwis’ 2008 World Cup final triumph and the Storm’s 2009 Grand Final win. But an aggressive style that sometimes blurs the line between enforcer and judiciary-prone, along with periods of inconsistent form, has also made Blair an occasional scapegoat for media and…

Rabbitohs speedster Corey Allan talked to Footyhead about his new club and his old coach who joined him at Redfern Were you a Broncos fan as a kid? I was actually a Cowboys supporter. I loved watching Matty Bowen play, and when he left it was Johnathan Thurston. They were my favourites. Did you grow up in North Queensland? I was born and raised in Logan, near Brisbane. I don’t know why I supported the Cowboys, I just did! It still must’ve been a big deal to leave Brisbane… It’s very exciting. From day dot I loved it down here. The only thing is the traffic, it’s crazy. Other than that I’m loving it, living near the beach. Bondi is just 30 minutes from home. Who has welcomed you most…

IS anyone else suffering from some post-Origin blues? For NSW fans, no, I’m not talking about the result on June 5, but the impact on some of the best players in Fantasy. David Klemmer picked up a wrist injury, meaning he was a late out on Friday and is sidelined for at least the next few weeks, making him a sell. His team-mate Kalyn Ponga sat out the weekend, as did Roosters Angus Crichton and Latrell Mitchell. Some players who are less of a factor in Fantasy were also rested or had minor niggles including Cody Walker, Josh Morris, Corey Oates, Matt Gillett and Joe Ofahengaue. Origin was almost certainly a factor in below-par scores from popular guns Damien Cook (29), Cam Murray (32) and Paul Vaughan (35,) while Jai…

Form: The Titans bounced back from their listless one-try effort in Round 12 to record a second-straight win against the Broncos at Suncorp last Sunday and put some distance between themselves and last-placed Canterbury. Brian Kelly was in scintillating touch while Tyrone Roberts produced a vintage display that included a 30-metre solo try. The Titans have managed back-to-back wins only once this season but coach Garth Brennan will be imploring his men to reproduce the levels of intensity that they took to Suncorp. The Warriors matched Melbourne for 40 minutes at Mt Smart last Saturday but their application in the second half left plenty to be desired. They conceded four second-half tries without adding to their own tally. History: The Warriors have been thoroughly dominant in this contest for almost…

Form: In Round 12, the Panthers overcame a Manly side missing both Trbojevic brothers and captain Daly Cherry-Evans and last week they lined-up against a Sydney Roosters team without Keary, Mitchell and Waerea-Hargreaves. This week the Rabbitohs up the ante with a pair of Burgesses (Sam and Tom) and Adam Reynolds (among others) absent from the line-up. If Penrith’s luck was all bad in the early rounds of the season, they’ve suddenly discovered a boxful of four-leaf clovers as they mount a rags-to-riches recovery. Although they remain 14th on the ladder, the Panthers are only two points adrift of the top eight, with a bye in hand. After a run of seven-straight wins, the Rabbitohs have lost consecutive games to the Eels and Knights. History: The Rabbitohs have won eight…

Form: The Roosters will be desperate to regain winning form when they return to the Sydney Cricket Ground after successive losses to the Broncos, Knights and Panthers. Their run of seven-straight wins early in the season has allowed them to absorb the run of outs and hang on to third place on the ladder despite the below-average form. It’s a far bleaker position for the Bulldogs, who sit in outright last position. They were well beaten by the Dragons on Monday and face a horror stretch of upcoming games against the Sharks, Knights and Broncos before meeting the Roosters again in Round 19. History: As grim as things may look for the Bulldogs it will never be as bad as the first year that Canterbury played Eastern Suburbs back in…

SUNSHINE Coast equalled the record for most wins to begin a Queensland Cup season after breezing past Tweed Heads on Sunday. The 34-0 thumping sees the Falcons go 13 from 13 this year. Wynnum Manly, meanwhile, stretched their own winning streak to seven games against Ipswich. Burleigh tamed Easts Tigers, as winger Troy Leo scored a hat-trick to consolidate his spot atop the try-scoring charts with 16 this season. Norths Devils made it back-to-back wins after defeating the Dolphins 28-16, with Mitch Frei scoring three tries. Townsville returned to winning ways against Souths Logan away from home, while Northern Pride crunched the Capras. Mackay closed in on the top six after edging past the Hunters in Papua New Guinea. The Falcons will look to break the record for most consecutive…