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Newcastle coach Adam O’Brien admits his club has been embarrassed by a week in the headlines for the wrong reasons and has implored his players to “grow up really quickly”.
Knights’ skipper Kalyn Ponga and teammate Kurt Mann raised serious questions about the club’s culture after they were filmed being escorted out of a toilet cubicle at a Newcastle pub on Saturday night, while both are sidelined through injury.
That issue was further compounded when centre Bradman Best and winger Enari Tuala were stood down for being late to a team bus.
O’Brien said it was on him and his players to own the criticism of their culture and move forward, with their side still reeling from their 6-15 season.
“We’ve got some people that need to grow up really quickly and become really professional over this summer,” he told reporters.
“That’s kind of the only thing that we can do now to get this club back to where it needs to get to.
“Naturally anytime there’s a spotlight on off-field behaviour it’s disappointing … it’s not a good look for our club and the players understand that.
(Photo by Ashley Feder/Getty Images)
“They’ve taken responsibility and it’s about me helping educate them and driving standards that will make sure we’re heading in the right direction.”
Captain Ponga has drawn the bulk of the heat with his professionalism questioned, with calls for him to be stripped of his leadership as he fails to justify a $1 million-per-season pay packet.
Ponga’s father told media earlier this week his son had been drinking when he was filmed exiting the cubicle despite being on a break for multiple concussions, and while the Knights were playing in Brisbane. O’Brien admitted Ponga would need to spend the off-season repairing his relationship with teammates.
“He’s a young captain, I gave him the captaincy, so it’s my responsibility that we help him grow in that area and I’m confident that we can learn from this and move forward,” he said.
“He’s a young bloke, I don’t want to make excuses for him, he doesn’t want that. For Kalyn, it’s about helping the team prepare and trying to win back a little bit of respect and trust from teammates.”
“Honestly, I’ve given up trying to figure out what that rule is.”
Black and white obstruction rulings now look like they’re a thing of the past with the bunker’s interpretation bringing grey areas back into the NRL.
South Sydney coach Jason Demetriou was confused after a controversial Dylan Edwards try in Thursday night’s loss to Penrith with even Panthers legend Greg Alexander admitting on Fox League commentary that he thought it was a dubious four-pointer.
“There would be plenty of fans wondering why wasn’t that a penalty,” he said. “The outside shoulder (rule) has been very black and white.
“The video referee is making a judgment call on whether the player would have made the tackle or not.”
Demetriou refused to blame the bunker for the defeat but he cannot understand the latest nuances of the obstruction rule.
Dylan Edwards makes a break to score. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
With the match evenly poised in the first half on Thursday, Edwards cut through the Rabbitohs’ line on a scrum play to open up an eight-point lead for the Panthers.
In the lead-up, Panthers centre Izack Tago ran a decoy line in between Lachlan Ilias and Campbell Graham and contacted Ilias’s outside shoulder, which usually constitutes an obstruction.
But the Bunker ruled that given Edwards was able to outrun Graham, who was closer to him, Ilias would still not have reached the ball-carrier had he been left untouched.
“I don’t think there’s anything else that Izack Tago can do (to get out of the way of the defenders),” Michael Ennis said in commentary for Fox League. I think they got it right.”
In a similar incident last week, Newcastle’s Bradman Best was paid a try against Brisbane despite a decoy runner contacting Adam Reynolds on his outside shoulder.
Quizzed about the decision to award the try at his weekly briefing on Monday, the NRL’s head of football Graham Annesley said the match officials were permitted to use discretion in applying the obstruction rule.
“The referee or review officials can determine the significance of contact initiated by the ‘Block’ or ‘Flat’ runner(s) in impeding a defender’s involvement in a try scoring play,” the NRL’s rules read.
Demetriou said he was still confused by the rule. “Honestly, I’ve given up trying to figure out what that rule is,” he said in the post-match press conference. “(Tago) stops in the line. There’s no way Lachie can get off that.”
While the Panthers went on to win by only four points, Demetriou refused to blame Edwards’ try for the loss, which looks to have ended South Sydney’s last-minute top-four bid.
Instead, he lamented his side’s inability to stifle the Panthers’ attack despite the absence of creative architects Nathan Cleary (suspension) and Jarome Luai (MCL injury).
“We shouldn’t have conceded 26 points in a game when they’re missing their two most creative players,” he said. “We needed to get in front on the scoreboard and put some pressure on them to make a play and we weren’t able to do that up until the last few minutes.
“A few blokes missed their assignments in defence tonight and that’s what cost us.”
Craig Fitzgibbon is adamant Cronulla’s run into the NRL finals won’t leave the Sharks short come September despite having the softest finish to a regular season of any top-eight side in 13 years.
An analysis of finalists in the NRL era shows that the Sharks style run home is rare, with Canterbury’s 2009 team the last to play finals with a similar record.
On that occasion, the Bulldogs won through the first week but were shocked by a red-hot Parramatta after a week off in the preliminary final.
Of all premiers, only Brisbane in 1998 have won the title without a finals-bound opponent in their last five matches.
And on average, the eventual champions have played two-fellow contenders in the run home.
Nicho Hynes celebrates. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)
The Sharks’ clash with an injury-ravaged Manly on Saturday is symbolic of their last month of football, with the Sea Eagles’ finals hopes now over after last week’s loss to Gold Coast.
Cronulla have suffered a minor blow on the eve of the match, with stand-in fullback Kade Dykes ruled out with a calf injury and Lachie Miller to move to the back.
Matt Moylan (quad) and Connor Tracey (concussion) have both been cleared to return, while Fitzgibbon hopes centre Siosifa Talakai will return next week from a shoulder issue.
A win on Saturday will all but wrap up a top-four spot for the Sharks, but there are questions over the ideal build-up to finals.
Every other top-eight team will enter September battle-hardened, with at least three matches against fellow finals-bound rivals.
With upcoming matches against lowly Canterbury and Newcastle, Cronulla in contrast have none, with round 21 rivals St George Illawarra the last side they face with anything to play for.
Regardless, Fitzgibbon was confident his team would benefit from a different challenge.
“I know teams might not be trying to play in the semi finals but they’re dangerous,” Fitzgibbon said.
“They’re freeing up, they’re excited about next year. Some guys might be fighting for contracts. Some guys are trying to prove they’re in the team next year.
“It happens most weeks, you’re asked about who you’re playing, you just can’t afford not to turn up, irrespective of who is in front of us. So I try not to buy into that too much.”
Corey Oates scores a try. (Photo by Kelly Defina/Getty Images)
Corey Oates is closing in on Brisbane try-scoring history and a new contract, according to coach Kevin Walters.
The in-form winger has risen from the scrap heap last season to sit just four tries off the Broncos’ single-season try-scoring record with three rounds remaining.
Walters says Oates is close to agreeing to a new multi-year deal too, having forced the NRL club to act with his powerful form that led to a State of Origin recall for the decisive third game.
“I expect that to happen in the next couple of weeks,” Walters said of the 27-year-old, who was wallowing in reserve grade at times in 2021.
“He’s had a great season, some of his best in his days at the club and we’re looking forward to getting him back next year and hopefully for a couple more.”
Ahead of Friday night’s clash with Melbourne, Oates has 19 tries in as many games in 2022 and has importantly been a cornerstone of Brisbane’s edge defence, been strong in early-set carries and safe under the high ball.
Four more tries would bring him level with Steve Renouf (1994) and Darren Smith (1998) as the club’s joint top scorers for a single season. One try on Friday would be enough to see him become just the fifth at the club to score 20 or more in a season, while a double would be a record-equalling seventh two-try effort for the season.
Brisbane have lost their last 11 games against Melbourne and not beaten them at Suncorp Stadium since 2009.
Victory in Brisbane on Friday would all but seal the Broncos’ return to the finals after a two-year absence, while providing a dash of belief that they can make waves in September.
“The record (against Melbourne) is irrelevant; we’ve eight or nine guys to the club that are new,” Walters said.
“(Melbourne) have been good for a long time and they’ll be good tomorrow.
“We’re ready for what they throw at us and we’ll throw a bit back as well.”
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