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NRL News: Tamou WINS at judiciary, Hunt may walk after dud Dragons offer, Dugan sent off for fight

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23rd August, 2022
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A relieved James Tamou will be granted a possible Leichhardt Oval farewell after successfully downgrading his contrary conduct charge at the NRL judiciary.

Off contract and fighting to keep his career alive, the 33-year-old Wests Tigers captain will now cop a one-game ban only and is free to play against Canberra in Round 25.

But it only came after he was forced to sit through 55 minutes of deliberation, awaiting his fate for telling referee Ben Cummins he was “f***ing incompetent” in the Tigers’ 72-6 loss to the Sydney Roosters.

Supported by his wife Brittney and Tigers CEO Justin Pascoe, Tamou admitted on Tuesday night he was “embarrassed and appalled” as he was shown footage of his outburst for the first time in an 80-minute.

He also claimed he had never spoken to a referee like that before and had immediate regret upon leaving the field and hanging his head in his hands in the change rooms.

“In 300 games I have played I have never sworn at a referee,” Tamou said. “I know their job is hard enough as it is. To let players walk up to them makes it twice as hard. 

“I was very remorseful after the game. I wanted to apologise to Ben after the game because I wanted him to know that’s not what I think of him. It was completely out of character for me with things that were going on around me, the scoreline.”

But in evidence tendered to the panel of Bob Lindner and Michael Hagan, the NRL’s counsel Lachlan Gyles claimed the former NSW and Australian Test prop had twice been warned by Cummins before initially being sin-binned.  

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SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 12: James Tamou of the Tigers watches on during the warm-up before the round one NRL match between the Wests Tigers and the Melbourne Storm at CommBank Stadium, on March 12, 2022, in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

(Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

Gyles also accused Tamou of throwing the toys out of the cot just a minute before the incident, before letting loose at Cummins when he was binned before being marched.

“There is a special responsibility of the captain to treat the referee with respect, and set an example to young players,” Gyles said.

“When we see people like you … acting in the way you did, it’s a bit hard to expect a carpenter in ground nine or a kid in Townsville or Penrith to treat the referee with respect.”

Gyles also pleaded with the panel to issue a strong deterrent to all players and argued Tamou’s character and prior history was irrelevant.

Tamou’s lawyer Nick Ghabar also pointed to a round-11 incident involving Sydney Roosters prop Jared Waerea-Hargreaves as proof the grade-three charge against Tamou was too harsh.

In that matter, Waerea-Hargreaves twice swore at referee Gerard Sutton and claimed the official had made a point of penalising him every time he had refereed him.

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The Kiwi international was only handed a grade-one charge and accepted a fine. “That is not on a par with what Tamou did,” Ghabar said.  “It’s actually worse. There was a long period Waerea-Hargreaves stood over the referee. Waerea-Hargreaves’ (claims an) alleged bias of a referee against him for a long period of time.”

Dragons dud offer means Hunt may walk

Ben Hunt could be on the way out of St George Illawarra after knocking back the club’s first offer to extend his contract.

Hunt, who has opted into the final year of his multimillion-dollar deal for next season, recently kicked off negotiations for a two-year extension to take him until the end of 2025.

According to Nine reporter Danny Weidler on 100% Footy on Monday night, the Queensland Origin star’s management was underwhelmed by the $700,000 per season offer put forward by the Dragons.

With clubs like the Dolphins and Bulldogs in the market for a marquee halfback, there is a chance Hunt could walk sooner rather than later if he can attract a better deal.

Redcliffe are cashed up despite filling most of their roster spots for their foundation season as they have yet to land a top-line playmaker to complement their roster of young prospects, solid first-graders and veterans.

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Hunt is in career-best form and one of the leading contenders to win the Dally M Medal.

The Dragons have a balancing act on their hands because the management of young halfback Jayden Sullivan, who has signed until the end of 2025, have indicated they would seek a release if Hunt re-signs, blocking the rising star’s path to the No.7 jersey.

Hunt has stated he wants to remain at the Dragons with Anthony Griffin at the helm but the coach’s future is also uncertain heading into the final year of his three-season deal. 

Despite saying he did not think a rebuild was required and the team could challenge for the finals, Griffin has taken them to 11th spot last year and they are 10th heading into the final two rounds of this season.

Poor discipline has been an ongoing problem – Francis Molo (four games) and Moses Mbye (two games) accepted high tackle bans on Tuesday which will end their season early, joining Tariq Sims, who has already played his last match for 2022 due to suspension. Josh McGuire ($1000 for dangerous contact) also entered an early guilty plea.

Josh Dugan (left) shapes up to a Trundle opponent.

Dugan sent off in bush league

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Former international Josh Dugan is again in the news for the wrong reasons after he was sent off for fighting while playing for Group 10 team Orange United Warriors on the weekend.

Playing in the Woodbridge Cup, Dugan ran the ball from the field of play over the dead-ball line as time expired and opponents from the Trundle Boomers took exception to him showboating as he pulled off the unsporting act. 

WATCH THE FOOTAGE IN THE PLAYER AT TOP OF STORY

After Dugan threw the ball back at a Boomers player, he can be seen throwing a punch at another one as players from both sides rushed into the melee in amateur footage published by NewsCorp.

Dugan’s team is due to play Oberon in the preliminary final this weekend but the former Raiders, Sharks and Dragons fullback may be suspended for his fisticuffs.

The 32-year-old, who was released by Cronulla at the end of last year after an unproductive four-year stint, has a long history of misdemeanours on and off the field.

He was fined $50,000 by the NRL and booted out of Cronulla’s biosecurity bubble for his second COVID-19 breach in less than two months late last year.

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Johnston best finisher of all time – Latrell

Latrell Mitchell has paid Alex Johnston the ultimate accolade, declaring his South Sydney teammate the best finisher of all-time with the prolific winger on the greatest try-scoring run in rugby league history.

Johnston has bagged 57 tries since the start of the 2021 NRL season, surpassing the legendary Dave Brown’s previous record haul of 53 from 1935 and 1936.

He is also on track to become first player in the game’s history to score 30 tries in consecutive ARL/NRL seasons, needing three more this campaign to achieve the unprecedented feat.

And at his rate of the past two seasons, Johnston will break Ken Irvine’s once-untouchable record in 2024 – before the age of 30.

“He’s No.1 – the best ever. The best I’ve ever seen,” Mitchell told AAP, without hesitation, when asked where Johnston ranked as a finisher.

(Photo by Brett Hemmings/Getty Images)

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“Just for the smarts he has, the intelligence to stay in or pick his time. Like, he has one moment here and there but everybody does. But nine times out of 10 he makes the right decision.”

With 163 four-pointers in 187 games for the Rabbitohs, Johnston could well also reach Irvine’s magical 212 tries in less than the Manly and North Sydney great’s 236 matches.

“It’s very surreal to even think about it at the moment. I still feel so young and feel like I just started my career,” Johnston told AAP.

Still only 27, Johnston is equal seventh on the all-time try-scoring list with Brett Stewart, trailing only Terry Lamb (164), Andrew Ettingshausen (165), Brett Morris (176), Steve Menzies (180), Billy Slater (190) and Irvine.

On his current strike rate, Johnston could even pass Lamb and ET in Saturday’s clash with North Queensland, with Irvine’s record looking inevitable unless he suffers a career-ending injury.

“It would be such an honour if it happens one day, touch wood,” Johnston said.

“I don’t know what I’d do. It’s pretty special.”

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Incredibly, the closest Johnston has been to a State of Origin call-up came when he was named as NSW’s 18th man in 2015, the same year he played his lone Test for Australia.

Mitchell believes Johnston shouldn’t have to wait until next year’s Origin series to receive another major representative honour.

“I’d put him in the Australian side, to be honest. He deserves it,” Mitchell said.

Johnston’s 2022 World Cup selection chances may well hinge on how Souths end up in the premiership race.

If it doesn’t happen this year, Johnston is likely to get many more opportunities in the future.

In an era of 40 being the new 30 in professional sport, the flyer hopes to play on well beyond when his current contract with the Rabbitohs expires in 2025.

“As long as I’m doing my job and playing good footy and enjoying it, I’ll play as long as I can,” he said.

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“As old as I can play. As long as my body is sweet. If I take care of my body, hopefully a lot longer than three years.”

Kikau thrilled Ciraldo joining him at Dogs

Penrith second-rower Viliame Kikau is looking forward to continue working with Cameron Ciraldo, the incoming Canterbury NRL coach from whom he has taken leadership cues during his time at the Panthers.

Ciraldo has been Ivan Cleary’s right-hand man at the Panthers during their resurgence and after weeks of speculation, was confirmed as the Bulldogs’ new head coach earlier this month.

Kikau is so far the only Panthers player joining the Bulldogs next year, having signed a lucrative four-year contract before the 2022 season started.

Ciraldo’s impending arrival at the club has only sweetened the deal. “Obviously I was happy about it. I like ‘Ciro’ as a coach,” he said. “He’s taught me a lot of stuff since I got to Penrith. I’ve learned a lot.”

Currently responsible for Penrith’s premiership-winning defence, Ciraldo has shown Kikau that leaders aren’t always the loudest people in the room.

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“Some days he comes in and does so much of the talking and sometimes he’ll just leave it to the boys asking questions,” he said.

The softly spoken Kikau seems to have taken this revelation to heart as the Panthers embark on their quest for back-to-back titles.

“Last year I was talking way too much and I feel like when I talk too much, I can’t focus on what I really need to do,” he said.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - JULY 17: Viliame Kikau of the Panthers is tackled during the round 18 NRL match between the Wests Tigers and the Penrith Panthers at CommBank Stadium, on July 17, 2022, in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)

(Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)

“So this year, I’ve still wanted to take that leadership role but I’m just trying to do my job. I talk when I need to, but I don’t need to talk all the time. That’s worked for me. I’ve done that this year and I’ve played well when the boys have been missing.”

A key component of Penrith’s destructive left edge, Kikau said he hoped to bring more than just leadership to the Bulldogs from 2023.

“For myself, it’s just all the little stuff,” he said. “Being reliable, turning up week in, week out, still learning when you’re winning, that’s been the best thing for us this year. 

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“We’ve been winning but at the same time, everyone is still eager to learn every time you walk into this building.”

Kikau is keen to keep learning, insisting his best football is still to come. “I’m still chasing that. Where that’s going to be, I’m still finding out,” he said. “I’m still finding my feet and trying to play consistent footy.”

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