NRL NEWS: Papenhuyzen out of Origin, Sharks duo cop bans, Annesley ‘no excuse’ for Kikau blunder

Storm fullback Ryan Papanhuyzen will miss 4-6 weeks after the after suffering knee and hamstring injuries in Sunday’s big win over St George Illawarra.

Melbourne announced on Tuesday that he had a hamstring tear plus a PCL injury.

The in-form fullback, who was possibly closing in on his first NSW jersey as a bench utility for the Origin series opener on June 8, will miss at least a month, according to the Storm statement.

Due to injuries in the Storm’s outside backs, the NRL has granted approval for development squad member Marion Seve to be available for selection in the top grade from this weekend.

Storm centre Reimis Smith is out for 10-12 weeks with a pectoral tear.

Cronulla duo Will Kennedy and Jesse Ramien have been handed suspensions stemming from the Sharks’ 29-10 win over the Warriors on Sunday.

William Kennedy tackles Reece Walsh high. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

Both players entered early guilty pleas with the NRL’s match review committee after being involved in grade-three careless high tackles. Kennedy will miss two games after he was sent off for his coathanger tackle on Warriors fullback Reece Walsh in the first half.

Ramien will leave a void in the Sharks’ right centre spot for the next three games for his shoulder charge on Euan Aitken. The centre was handed the extra week’s suspension owing to previous offences.

Their absences will leave Cronulla coach Craig Fitzgibbon with a conundrum ahead of the club’s Magic Round game with Canberra on Sunday.

Halfback Nicho Hynes is likely to take the fullback berth vacated by Kennedy while Connor Tracey is expected to replace Ramien in the centres.

Rugby sevens convert Lachlan Miller is also thought to be in contention after impressing in the NSW Cup.

Annesley: No excuse for Kikau blunder

NRL head of football Graham Annesley has hit back at critics of the bunker getting involved by saying there would be a lot more errors if not for the video review system.

Raiders coach Ricky Stuart last week called for the bunker to be stripped back so it only ruled on contentious try-scoring plays while there were more incidents on the weekend which put the review system in the spotlight.

Jason Taumalolo was denied a try in North Queensland’s win over Newcastle.  Annesley was adamant it could not be proven that defender Lachlan Fitzgibbon initiated contact with decoy runner Jeremiah Nanai, and rejected claims the bunker should stay out of obstruction calls.

“If we don’t get the bunker involved in these decisions the referee will have many more incidents in the game to rule on,” Annesley said. 

“And when you’re on ground level … the odds of you getting it right are quite slim.”

Parramatta were fuming when officials missed Viliame Kikau’s clear knock-on in the play before Penrith’s try on half-time in what turned out to be a 22-20 Eels victory on Friday night.

Replays showed referee Gerard Sutton put the whistle to his mouth, before a sideline official advised him the ball went backwards.

Annesley said the fault lay with both officials.

“If he (the touch judge) was unsure or if he was unsighted, he should have let play go without an opinion,” Annesley said.

“There’s no doubt that was a knock on … It should not have been play-on.”

Cobbo sorry after losing driver’s licence

Brisbane NRL young gun Selwyn Cobbo has lost his driver’s licence for six months after appearing in court on traffic offences.

Cobbo was charged with driving an unregistered and uninsured vehicle while on a suspended licence after an incident in April. The 19-year-old appeared in Nanango court on Monday where he was disqualified from driving for six months and fined $700. No conviction was recorded.

“I know I’ve done the wrong thing and I take full responsibility for that mistake,” Cobbo said. “I’ll learn from this and I will strive to make better choices in the future.”

The drama is the latest off-field incident for the Broncos after Payne Haas and Albert Kelly both received a one-game ban and fines after video circulated of the pair in a fracas at a Sydney hotel.

Broncos chief executive Dave Donaghy, who conceded the club must start walking the walk after the Haas/Kelly incident, said the club would stand by teenager Cobbo.

“Selwyn has acknowledged to the club that he made an error in judgement on this occasion,” Donaghy said. “Selwyn understands he will need to make better decisions in the future, particularly when it comes to complying with road safety.”

Cobbo, who scored a double in Brisbane’s 32-12 win over South Sydney last weekend, is off-contract at the end of next season but is reportedly in talks with the Broncos to sign a new deal at Red Hill and keep rival clubs such as the Dolphins at bay.

Peters lands Hull KR coaching gig

English Super League club Hull Kingston Rovers have appointed Australian Willie Peters as their new head coach for 2023 on a three-year deal.

The 43-year-old will join the Robins after spending six years in the NRL as an assistant coach with Manly Sea Eagles, South Sydney and Newcastle Knights, where he has worked since 2020.

A former Souths and St George Illawarra halfback he played in England for Gateshead Thunder, Wigan and Widnes. 

Peters will succeed Tony Smith, who announced a month ago that he would not be renewing his contract at the end of the season.

Hull KR chief executive Paul Lakin said: “From the first time we spoke to Willie it was clear that he understood the progress we have made under Tony, our philosophy on recruitment, the quality of our squad, the passion of our fanbase and how he could build and develop our team further over the next three years.

“Willie knows Super League well. He’s a fan of the competition and he has six years NRL assistant coaching experience across three clubs with high-quality cultures, who have consistently reached the play-offs.

“He initially worked as a development coach and is clearly passionate about promoting youth at every opportunity, again a key discipline that we believe in as a club.

“Both former coaches and players who have worked with Willie spoke in such high regard of his coaching abilities.

“With Willie’s significant coaching experience, his initial development coaching background and his clear understanding of the Super League game, we believe he is the ideal fit for Hull KR, to progress from the firm foundation stones set in place.

“It is vitally important that we make this announcement now to enable retention and recruitment discussions to happen immediately whilst we remain fully focused on the 2022 season.”

Peters said: “I always had an ambition to go back and coach in the Super League. When the opportunity came up, it just felt right.

“I’ve got so many good memories of when I played in Super League, I’m just grateful for the opportunity and I can’t wait to come back over there.

“I’m joining a team that’s well established and definitely on the rise. I’ve worked with a number of quality coaches and taken a lot away from what their strengths are. But of course, I’m going to do it my way.

“We don’t need to change too much in the way we’ll play our footy. Naturally, I’ll have my spin on things and some principles that I think are important.”

“I’ve just got to build on the foundations that (owner) Neil (Hudgell), Paul, Tony and the staff have set on the back of their hard work. So for me, it’s just about building on the great work people have done so far.”

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