NRL NEWS: Lodge ready for Roosters rebirth, injuries rock Broncos, NZ to host All Stars, Dolphins nab another Panther

Matt Lodge is happy to say his time as an NRL enforcer is over after signing for his third club in the space of a year.

The prop has joined the Sydney Roosters on a contract until the end of the season after leaving Brisbane and the Warriors in acrimonious circumstances over the last 12 months.

Lodge joins a Roosters side sitting in 10th spot on the ladder in need of some added starch to ensure they don’t miss the finals for the first time since 2016.

The 27-year-old admitted a sense of relief that, unlike at his previous two clubs, he wasn’t being brought to Bondi to be the spearhead of the forward pack.

“I don’t have to come here and be the enforcer. I get to slot in behind the guys here and play a simplified role,” Lodge said on Monday.

“I don’t want to have to try to be that person. 

“Lindsay (Collins) is an Origin player, and there’s Jared (Waerea-Hargreaves) and Victor (Radley) so if I can crack into the team I can work behind them.

“The last few years I’ve had to have a bigger voice so I’m looking forward to being able to focus on my game and perfect that.”

The Broncos and Warriors are still carrying part of Lodge’s salary on their respective caps this year.

Lodge, who has been heavily linked to the Dolphins for 2023 where his father-in-law Peter O’Sullivan is the recruitment manager, has relocated his family to Sydney and says he would like to extend his Roosters stay beyond the end of this year.

“I wouldn’t come here if I didn’t want a future here,” he said.

Lodge claimed he was committed to extending his stay at the Warriors and relocating to New Zealand in 2023 until the club parted ways with O’Sullivan and halfback Sean O’Sullivan – Lodge’s brother-in-law – last year.

“When I signed for the club I got convinced – it’s no secret (who) my father-in-law (is) – and things weren’t going well at the Broncos,” Lodge said.

“Within six weeks they were both gone. It doesn’t take a genius to work out that changes the dynamic of taking your family over there.

“I was close to re-signing there and they put a big deal on the table to stay for a long period of time but there were some things outside of footy that were more important to me.”

Lodge will play for North Sydney in the NSW Cup before a likely debut for the Roosters against St George Illawarra on Saturday week. 

Payne Haas. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

Broncos hit hard by injuries

On top of Payne Haas being ruled out for Origin III, the Broncos have been hit hard by injuries to more key players.

Haas will need a couple of weeks rest at the least due to the shoulder injuries he has been carrying for more than a month.

“Payne Haas has had ongoing issues with the AC joints in both of his shoulders and it is a testament to his toughness and dedication to his team that he’s been able to continue playing on,” Broncos Head Of Performance Dave Ballard said.

In-form fullback Te Maire Martin suffered fractured rib cartilage in last weekend’s loss to the Cowboys and will definitely miss this Sunday’s home game against the Dragons.

Front-rower Corey Jensen picked up a Grade 2 calf strain which has him out for probably a month while TC Robati is out for 4-6 weeks with a broken arm and fellow young forward Brendan Piakura suffered a head knock on Queensland Cup duty and he will not be available for selection this week.

NZ to host All Stars

New Zealand will host the NRL All Stars game for the first time next year after the ARL Commission announced Rotorua as the 2023 host city.

It will be the first time the match will be played outside Australia with Rotorua International Stadium to host the men’s and women’s matches – the 12th All Stars fixture and the fifth between the Māori and the Indigenous All Stars.

NRL CEO Andrew Abdo made the announcement on Monday morning in Rotorua

“All Stars brings communities and culture together perhaps like no other week in our calendar. Knowing how important Rotorua is to Māori culture, we are excited to work with the community on becoming the first Aotearoa New Zealand location to host the event,” Abdo said.

“The 2023 All Stars game will coincide with the 50-year anniversary of the first Indigenous Rugby League tour of New Zealand, and will also be 50 years since Arthur Beetson became the first Indigenous athlete to captain Australia.”

New Zealand has been starved of top-class rugby league since the end of 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The recent Tests at Auckland between the Kiwis and Tongans were the first matches in nearly three years while the Warriors completed an emotional homecoming to Mt Smart Stadium on Sunday with a 22-2 win over the Wests Tigers.

The Maori side celebrate victory during the 2022 NRL All Stars men’s match. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

The All Stars matches have primarily been played in Queensland although this year’s fixture was held at Sydney’s CommBank Stadium in February.

ARL Indigenous Council chair Katrina Fanningwas thrilled with the decision to take the match to New Zealand.

“The impact of all 11 of our previous All Stars matches has been vast, both for Indigenous communities and more recently for Māori communities,” the former Jillaroo said.

“To be able to bring this game to New Zealand will connect the cultural growth and education with so many more people, which is what we strive for each year.”

(Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)

Panthers punt Dolphins-bound rising star

Penrith have dropped rising star Isaiya Katoa from their SG Ball side for the rest of the season after the young halfback signed with the Dolphins.

The Panthers offered the local junior a contract extension earlier this year but Katoa accepted a three-year deal with Redcliffe under coach Wayne Bennett for the expansion club’s first season in the NRL.

Penrith District Rugby League CEO Matt Cameron told the Sydney Morning Herald that the club had decided to prioritise players who would be remaining in their pathways and Katoa had done nothing wrong.

The Panthers and Dolphins have been engaged in a slanging match recently with the new club signing Katoa and fringe Penrith first-graders Robert Jennings and Sean O’Sullivan while also being linked to making a play for Stephen Crichton.

Premiership-winning coach Ivan Cleary recently said the Dolphins were treating Penrith “like their own backyard”.

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And they added another young Panther on Monday when they announced the signing of Mason Teague.

The 18-year-old lock led the Panthers to a stunning win in the NSW Rugby League’s SG Ball under-19s competition in May.

He will become part of the Dolphins’ top 30 squad in November as the club begins pre-season training for their entry to the NRL.

“Mason is fast, skillful, is very tough defensively and already has the fitness to play full games,” said CEO Terry Reader.

“He really is the full package, and that is why he will be a member of our inaugural top 30 squad.

“In the grand final, he showed his maturity by leading his team back into a game they had no right to win.

“He is yet another example of the strategies we have always had – that of building a roster for the long term – not just our entry to the competition next year – and of giving some of the best young talent in the country a shot at the NRL.”