NRL News: Raiders to accept sanctions as Stuart faces ban, Storm's dual tragedies, Grand Final call delayed

Canberra have released a statement to say they will cop whatever sanctions come their way with coach Ricky Stuart facing the possibility of becoming the first coach in premiership history to be suspended over a post-match press conference tirade.

Many coaches have been fined five-figure amounts over the past few decades for unacceptable comments when fronting the media, including Stuart, who has repeated offences on his record.

Following his extraordinary spray on Saturday night when he attacked Panthers five-eighth Jaeman Salmon’s reputation, the NRL is set to come down hard on the Raiders mentor.

NRL CEO Andrew Abdo is set to announce a breach notice on Monday which could result in Stuart being banned from attending Canberra’s Round 22 home game against the Dragons on Sunday.

He would not be able to communicate from a remote location, as some coaches have done this year when stuck in COVID-19 isolation.

Raiders CEO Don Furner said on Monday the club does “not condone the comments made by Ricky in Saturday night’s press conference and we are currently in dialogue with the NRL and cooperating with all their inquiries.

“We will accept their findings and any sanctions they hand down. Being a head coach is a high-pressure job and comes with intense scrutiny from fans, media, and public and we understand emotion is high following a match.

“However, as a club we acknowledge that coaches also have a responsibility to ensure they conduct themselves professionally when making public comment. Ricky has already publicly apologised for his actions on Saturday night, and we will continue to support him both professionally and personally.”

After Salmon had lashed out with his boot towards Raiders hooker Tom Starling during Penrith’s 26-6 win on Saturday night, Stuart fumed: “I know that kid well. He was a weak-gutted dog as a kid and he hasn’t changed now. He’s a weak-gutted dog person now.”

He tried to douse the flames on Sunday by issuing an apology: “I regret saying what I did on that platform after the game. I was speaking as a father and not as a football coach.

“My reaction was to a family situation that I thought I had dealt with, clearly I haven’t. I allowed my emotions to get the better of me and for that I am very sorry. There is a history between Jaeman Salmon and my family that I will not go into. I should not have brought it up after the game, but it just got the better of me.

“I am truly sorry that I have caused my family and the game unwarranted attention.”

The drama stems from an incident at a junior match in the Sutherland Shire more than a decade ago when Salmon was playing in the same team as Stuart’s son.

Despite the coach’s carefully worded apology, the Salmon family issued a statement of their own, calling on the NRL to take action.

Raiders coach Ricky Stuart looks on during the round 21 NRL match against Penrith. (Photo by Mark Evans/Getty Images)

“We were disappointed by the comments of Canberra Raiders coach Ricky Stuart after what was a fantastic game of football for the Panthers and our son, Jaeman. We were surprised by Ricky’s claim that he knows Jaeman personally as they have had no contact since Jae was 12 years old.

“We are calling on the NRL to take action as we believe Jaeman has been wronged in this situation. We will follow the correct procedures and let the NRL complete a thorough investigation.”

Penrith put out a statement on Sunday to say “With respect to the comments made post-game Saturday night, the club is monitoring the situation. Salmon’s wellbeing is the club’s priority, and Panthers is ensuring he is supported at this time.”

The Panthers said the usually confident and mild-mannered Salmon was still rattled by the incident when he returned to training for recovery on Monday. The Panthers expect Salmon to line up against Melbourne on Thursday, with regular five-eighth Jarome Luai sidelined for at least the next three weeks with a knee injury.

The NRL Integrity Unit investigation is expected to result in a hefty fine for Stuart as well as an unprecedented ban.

Their loss to Penrith means ninth-placed Canberra are two points adrift of eighth spot but they have a favourable draw in the final four rounds, playing teams below them on the table while many of the sides directly above them will face each other.

Panthers prop James Fisher-Harris has accepted a two-match ban for his high tackle on Canberra’s Ryan Sutton.

Storm in mourning after dual tragedies

Storm forward Felise Kaufusi will miss this Thursday’s clash with Penrith to be with his family after the death of his father, Taniela, on Saturday morning.

The Maroons veteran missed the State of Origin decider and a couple of NRL matches after recently flying to the US to be with his father, who had been hospitalised.

“Everyone at Melbourne Storm is saddened to hear of the passing of Felise Kaufusi’s father, Taniela on Saturday morning. Felise will miss Thursday’s match against the Panthers to be with his family. Our thoughts are with the Kaufusi family during this time,” the club announced on social media.

The Storm also paid tribute to Michael Purcell, a prolific try-scorer at Queensland Cup level, who died in a car crash on the weekend, aged just 28.

Purcell went close to securing a full-time deal with Melbourne at the start of last year and played in a pre-season trial at Albury. Known as “the Kangaroo catcher” after he was said to have chased a kangaroo during a race, he scored 68 tries in 82 games for Ipswich and Brisbane Tigers.

Commission again delays decision on Grand Final venue

NRL officials are poised to meet with the NSW government in an 11th-hour bid to save the game’s stadium strategy and keep the Grand Final in Sydney.

The ARL Commission met on Monday morning to discuss the venue for this year’s decider and the possibility of moving the match out of NSW. Ultimately the commissioners decided to defer a decision until later this week, allowing for further talks between the NRL and state government.

Those discussions were due to begin as early as Monday afternoon, after a week-long public feud between ARLC chairman Peter V’landys and NSW premier Dominic Perrottet.

There was some hope that a compromise could potentially be reached on the matter that would suit the two parties.

The NRL had initially signed a deal with the NSW government to keep the grand final in Sydney until 2042 with an $800 million upgrade of Accor Stadium.

Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter Vlandys. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

That rebuild was put off in 2020, and a portion of that money was to be redirected to suburban grounds.

Some $300 million has already been pledged to Penrith, but the NRL believed they had a handshake deal on around $250 million upgrades across other grounds before being told it was no longer a priority last week.

V’landys himself has made it clear in recent days he would still prefer to keep the grand final in Sydney, but a decision would ultimately rest with the entire commission.

“There are two reasons for that (desire),” V’landys told AAP recently.

“One: We honour our agreements. We gave our word, we have a legally-binding agreement (with the NSW government).

“So in order for us to protest those rights we have to continue providing the requirements we have.

“And the second thing is: I don’t want to punish the fans of NSW because of the government.”

A decision will likely have to be made by the end of this week so tickets can go on sale for the October 2 event.

(Photo by Mark Evans/Getty Images)

McCullough may retire but Dragons no certainty to sign Verrills

Veteran hooker Andrew McCullough could be hanging up his boots at the end of the season, but the Dragons are looking unlikely to land their main target to replace him, Roosters rake Sam Verrills.

Gold Coast are leading the race for Verrills’ signature with the premiership-winning hooker looking elsewhere following the Roosters’ acquisition of Kiwi international Brandon Smith from the Storm.

According to a Sydney Morning Herald report, McCullough is considering retiring despite being under contract for next year.

Moses Mbye has filled in at dummy-half this season so he could be an option for the No.9 jersey while the Dragons have also sounded out Verrills and Wests Tigers hooker Jacob Liddle, who is eyeing the exit with Panthers star Api Koroisau heading to Concord.

The Titans have been keen to bolster their inexperienced spine following this season’s disastrous campaign and have already signed Manly five-eighth Kieran Foran.

Verrills is only 23 but scored a try in the Roosters’ 2019 Grand Final win and could give the Titans much-needed creativity out of dummy-half. Erin Clark, better suited at lock, has been used for most of this season by Justin Holbrook while Aaron Booth suffered a devastating knee injury last week which will likely sideline him until midway through 2023.

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