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Bulldogs boss Phil Gould has taken aim at the media for criticising the return of Kyle Flanagan to the NRL this weekend, describing it as ‘disgraceful journalism’.
There have been multiple articles this week questioning the decision of Bulldogs coach Trent Barrett to bring Flanagan back for this weekend against Penrith, the currently unbeaten reigning Premiers, with many questioning the duty of care towards the halfback ahead of his return in what is seen as a hiding to nothing.
“There has been a campaign from certain sections of the media towards our coach in the off-season, for reasons best known to themselves,” said the Dogs supremo on his podcast.
“This is a rather extraordinary attack on Trent Barrett, on the club, and I’m trying to understand the motivation for that. What they don’t reveal is their motivation for this or where they got their facts for it.
“There is nothing within our club that remotely supports anything they say. They certainly haven’t done their research. Not that I ever want to be drawn into a response from them because that’s exactly what they want. I can say this has been nothing but disgraceful journalism.
“I’d much prefer they come after me more than anything because, to be honest, I’m the one that’s controlled the Kyle Flanagan off-season and preparation, and I’m the one that’s made the decision on where and when he comes back into first grade.”
Testy Brisbane coach Kevin Walters has claimed the club’s culture is sound, playing down Payne Haas’s latest brush with the NRL’s integrity unit as minor, saying he doesn’t think he “did anything too wrong, to be honest”.
The Broncos aren’t sure if the NSW Origin prop will be suspended ahead of Friday’s clash with the Sydney Roosters, almost a week after footage of him in an off-field altercation with teammate Albert Kelly was released on social media.
Their scuffle, apparently sparked when Kelly stepped on Haas’s shoes, came after the Broncos’ second straight win to begin the season.
It came to light on Sunday after a second straight loss, with suspension a possibility for the pair after interviews were conducted midweek. It is the third time Haas has been referred to the league’s integrity unit, with fines and suspensions handed down in 2019 and 2021.
News cameras caught a Broncos trainer jokingly grab and punch Haas in jest later in the week.
But the coach insists they’re taking this incident seriously, aware of the attention the high-profile club attracts as they look to improve on two poor seasons.
“We’re in the spotlight here at the Broncos, whether you like it or not and have to abide by all the rules like all the other clubs do,” Walters said in a Thursday media conference that ended abruptly.
“It hasn’t been a hectic week, it’s been a week in rugby league, that’s what it is. As a club we’re very focused on where we’re going, our culture, our playing group.
“There’s going to be some minor hiccups here and there, we’ll deal with them internally and get on with things. I wouldn’t say it keeps happening; it’s one or two incidents over 12 months and all clubs face these challenges, not just us.”
Haas is the focus of Friday’s clash regardless, given the tug-of-war between the clubs for his services.
Walters said he was worth the trouble as they looked to secure him on a long-term deal despite big-money interest elsewhere.
It’s the return of Kurt Capewell that could prove key against the Roosters though, the Penrith recruit capable of organising their defence and setting a hard-working tone fellow recruit Ryan James admitted had been lacking in back-to-back losses.
Jordan Riki will also return from injury, while Kobe Hetherington will start for Pat Carrigan, who will miss four-to-six weeks with a knee injury.
Jaydn Su’A. (Photo by Jason McCawley/Getty Images)
Blues coach Brad Fittler believes the Dragons are going to continue to struggle this season unless they rectify their poor discipline.
St George Illawarra enter Saturday’s clash with Souths on the back of a three-game losing streak to Penrith, Cronulla and Parramatta to sit in second last position on the ladder, only above the winless Wests Tigers.
Anthony Griffin is known for coaching teams to be aggressive but the lack of discipline has been costly since they started the season with a 28-16 win over the Warriors.
Sin-binnings have been an ongoing problem, particularly for second-rower Jaydn Su’A, who has been marched three times and returns from a high tackle ban this weekend.
“I think they have,” Fittler said when asked if they had a discipline problem on Wide World of Sports Radio. “In the games I’ve seen them play, I found the one against Cronulla particularly – because we were down there [in Wollongong] and we called that game – at the crucial periods of the game they were very undisciplined.
“When the game was there to be won and lost they were the ones who were giving penalties away. On Jaydn, he’s talking about I need to change my execution and that’s right. You need to change something or all you’re going to do is cost your team.”
Fittler said the NRL’s use of the sin bin this year had not been excessive and teams need to get the message that professional fouls and high contact will not be tolerated.
“I’m a fan of the sin bin. [Teams] defend so well these days, if you want to slow the game down or you want to cheat or you’re consistently hitting people high, then I think 10 minutes is fine,” he said.
“Good teams can defend 10 minutes and if they can’t, they need to practise more because I just don’t see it going away.”
His fellow Blues legend, Andrew Johns, said the fact that there had been 22 sin bins this year but one player suspended out of that meant it had been overused.
“Any of those minor high shots, where the arm bounces off the ball for instance, should be just five minutes. It’s too much punishment to be 10 minutes and has too much impact on the outcome of a game,” he wrote in his Sydney Morning Herald column.
Still on Joey and the Knights Immortal, like many fans, is sick of the growing influence of wrestling in the ruck and has come up with an easy solution to solve the problem.
Returning to two referees.
The NRL went back to one referee in 2020, partly due to a saving costs during the COVID-19 pandemic, in conjunction with the six-again rule changes.
“One referee can stand at the ruck, adjudicating on the tackle, calling players to get off the ball-carrier. The other referee, the dominant referee, can make decisions on offside, foul play and so on. They never swap over,” he wrote for the SMH. “The ruck referee needs to stop the third man coming in.”
Johns said tackles are now well-choreographed dances where defenders “catch” an attacker before waiting for teammates to wrap up the arms and legs to lengthen the play-the-ball time to as much as eight seconds.
(Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)
Jai Field, who’s been the Super League’s stand-out player this season, has signed a new deal with Britain’s biggest club Wigan.
The former Parramatta and St George Illawarra back has signed another two-year deal with the Warriors, with the option of a third year, which will see him through to at least the end of the 2024 season.
The 24-year-old from Wollongong had a calamitous time in his debut Super League season last year with injuries.
Yet he’s been flying as Wigan’s fullback this term, after grabbing his chance when his star Aussie teammate Bevan French was back home on compassionate leave following the death of his mother.
“Rugby league is a funny game. You can be at two ends of the spectrum really quickly,” said Field, reckoning it was an “easy decision” to extend his contract even though he seemed bound to attract interest from NRL clubs.
“Last year we all know what happened but it’s pleasing to have the start I’ve had so far. I had a great pre-season, got my body right … I’ve hit the ground running and it’s definitely pleasing to have started the season in that way.”
Field is leading the race to win the Man of Steel, the annual award to find the best player in the British and European game, by a clear margin.
He’s tallied 15 points from the opening seven rounds of matches to lead by a clear five points from his nearest challenger, former Newcastle Knights forward Sione Mata’utia, who’s been shining for St Helens.
Champions Saints are currently joint top of the league with their great local rivals Wigan, who’ve been powered by Field’s breathtaking running, including his hat-trick against Leeds Rhinos on the second weekend.
He tops the list for clean breaks (12) and metres gained (1,126) in the Super League and has won four man-of-the-match awards in Wigan’s opening eight games in all competitions.
After making a successful transition to coaching in the NRLW this season, Jamie Soward will join the NSW women’s squad as an assistant coach for the State of Origin clash with Queensland in Canberra on June 24.
Soward, who represented NSW for three games in 2011 and won an NRL premiership with the Dragons in 2010, has guided St George Illawarra to the NRLW grand final this Sunday where they will meet the Roosters.
Coincidentally, Blues coach Kylie Hilder is an assistant at the Roosters so they will be friendly foes this weekend before uniting for the Blues in their bid to reclaim the Origin shield from the Maroons.
“I’m really excited to get this opportunity and I’ve enjoyed working with the Dragons players in the NRLW this season,” Soward said.
“I’m passionate about NSW and I’m looking forward to working with Kylie as we strive to return the Origin Shield home in 2022.”
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