NRL News: Stuart unrepentant over ban, Abdo defends in-house drug policy, Brisbane tipped to host Grand Final

Ricky Stuart has returned to training this morning after his week-long ban for abusing Panthers five-eighth Jaeman Salmon but the Raiders coach doesn’t appear to be too apologetic for his actions.

Stuart labelled Salmon a weak-gutted dog in a heated press conference rant, whch earned him a $25,000 fine from the NRL and a one-week suspension.

He spoke to Channel Nine on Tuesday night and when asked if he would have handled things differently in hindsight, he replied: “Yep. Who knows? You know what I’m like. But it’s behind me now, mate. I said what I said. Behind me now.

“I’ve just got to get back to work.”

Ninth-placed Canberra claimed a 24-22 victory over St George Illawarra at GIO Stadium in his absence to maintain their playoff hopes. When asked if he was worried his ban could have cost his team in their bid to make the playoffs, he added: “No. I was very confident that we’d go out there and win on the weekend, we should have won by more.”

Stuart has not made contact with Salmon since the incident and said he has learned who his friends are during the adversity he had faced.

Although his CEO Don Furner had suggested to him before he was suspended that he needed a week off, Stuart denied he needed time to clear his head. “I didn’t need a week off.”

He said in the wake of former premiership-winning coach Paul Green’s death last week due to mental health issues, people need to understand the pressures coaches are under.

“It’s real out there in regards to the pressure a lot of people are under,” he said. “Administrators, coaches, players and it’s getting worse. It’s something that needs to be made very much aware by people who want to keep taking potshots who’ve never put themselves in the arena to try and succeed.”

(Photo by Jono Searle/Getty Images)

Veteran prop Josh Papalii said Stuart returned to training “with so many good ideas”.

“Sitting at home with the pen and paper coming up with all these other plays,” Papalii told reporters. “He obviously means so much to the club and the club means so much to him. He wears his heart on his sleeve and obviously it shows on his return, he was straight back into his office and straight to doing meetings with the boys. We love Stick and it’s good to have him back.”

The first item on Stuart’s agenda will be masterminding an unlikely tilt at finals football for his team.

The two-point win over the Dragons means the Raiders are two points outside the top eight with three matches to play.

But given Canberra’s percentage (-31) is significantly worse than the eighth-placed Sydney Roosters (121), it means nothing less than three wins and other results falling their way can lead to a play-offs berth.

Abdo says Ponga-Mann drug tests will remain in house

The NRL has confirmed results of drug tests on Kalyn Ponga and Kurt Mann won’t be made public as an integity unit investigation continues into the Newcastle pair’s toilet cubicle drama.

Ponga and Mann remain in the spotlight after they were filmed being escorted out of a toilet cubicle at a Newcastle pub on Saturday night.

Both Newcastle and the NRL say they have no reason to be concerned that drugs could be involved, with claims Ponga was ill after celebrating the purchase of a house and was being aided by Mann.

NRL CEO Andrew Abdo on Wednesday defended the integrity unit’s decision to investigate. It’s believed the pair were drug tested on Tuesday. However that is unlikely to shed any public light on the matter.

Under the NRL’s illicit drug policy, players who record a first strike are handed a suspended fine, with only a second incident made public with a 12-match ban. “We have an illicit drug policy…and when someone has a positive test there’s a series of protocols that then happen. But those are not made public,” said Abdo.

“Our job is to protect the players and protect the sport, that’s the job of integrity (unit). They will do everything that they deem reasonable in order to protect the game, including protecting the players and stakeholders.

“If we have information, then we need to act on it and do it professionally. And I think that’s what’s unfolding at the moment.”

(Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)

Neither of the pair are due to play against Canberra on Sunday, with Mann still sidelined with a quad injury and Ponga out for the season managing repeated head knocks.

Abdo was asked if it would be appropriate for a player sidelined by concussions to be drinking alcohol.

“No-one is saying that they have breached the rules. But clearly there’s been a lot of talk and a lot of media publicity around the incident,” Abdo said. “Our job is to get all the facts and then make the determination. And not to prejudge anything.”

The issue is not the only one currently under the eye of the NRL integrity unit.

Abdo revealed the league was concerned over alleged use of postcode hand signals in a Manly try celebration against Gold Coast. Second-rower Haumole Olakau’atu appeared to make a “61” symbol after he crossed, interpreted by some as reference to the 2161 postcode where he grew up with Manase Fainu.

Fainu was last Thursday found guilty of stabbing a youth leader at a church dance in 2019, and has since been denied bail as he awaits sentencing.

“I’m not necessarily pleased with the fact that we have allegations of players showing support potentially under these circumstances,” Abdo said. “It’s important for us to understand the context of what’s happened, first and foremost.

“But we’ll need to look at it. We’re in dialogue with the club and I think the club will deal with the matter.”

Brisbane tipped to host Grand Final

Brisbane is now the front runner to host this year’s NRL grand final with Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk making a final public pitch on the state’s behalf.

The ARL Commission is set to meet on Wednesday evening in Sydney to discuss the October 2 decider, after negotiations with both the NSW and Queensland governments.

NSW was expected to host rugby league’s showpiece event at the 82,500-seat Accor Stadium but an announcement two weeks ago that Sydney’s suburban grounds would not be upgraded gave Queensland an opportunity to snatch the hosting rights.

ARL commissioner Kate Jones said a report saying the decision was now 60-40 in Queensland’s favour was accurate.

“Obviously we’ve continued to negotiate in good faith with the NSW government around this long-term standing agreement we had … we’re continuing to do so right up until today,” Jones told ABC Radio in Brisbane.

“But also the chairman’s made it very plain that for footy fans we need to have a location so we can get tickets out to the market and people can come along and secure their place to be a part of what will be a really thrilling grand final.”

Palaszczuk spoke about the situation in Queensland’s parliament on Wednesday, highlighting Brisbane’s successful hosting of last year’s grand final and the good relationship her government shares with ARL Commission chairman Peter V’Landys.

“It is no secret the NRL is considering a new home for this year’s grand final, why not Brisbane for the second year in a row?,” Palaszczuk said.

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

“The NRL knows Queensland is a safe pair of hands and there are no greater fans of rugby league than the current State of Origin champions Queensland.”

The league had initially struck a deal with the NSW government in 2018 to keep the grand final in Sydney until 2042.

However that was contingent on an $800 million upgrade of Accor Stadium, which was pushed back due to the pandemic.

The NRL claims a verbal agreement was then reached that the money would be decreased and redistributed to suburban grounds, with $300 million to be spent on Penrith’ stadium and upgrades elsewhere.

However the league was left furious when told a fortnight ago the money for other grounds was no longer a priority, with Brookvale, Leichhardt and Cronulla’s Pointsbet Stadium all going without.