The results from Part 2 of the Sydney Morning Herald’s survey of 34 NRL club chief executives and chairmen have been revealed, with many wanting State of Origin eligibility rules left alone.
While current eligible players from Tier 2 nations such as Samoa, Tonga and Fiji are free to play for NSW or Queensland, Tier 1 players from New Zealand or England are still blocked. There have been many discussions in rugby league circles surrounding the possibility of changing the eligibility criteria for Origin, with the idea of opening it up to grow the game and allow more players to opportunity to play.
But in the recent survey, 64 per cent of club bosses want the current rules to remain, while only 36 per cent believe the NRL should change the criteria.
There was overwhelming anger at the NRL’s decision to delay Taylan May’s suspension from the 2022 finals to the start of 2023, with a whopping 92 per cent against the Penrith winger being allowed to play in last year’s finals series.
As for who is going to have the biggest impact at their new club this year, 24 per cent of the club bosses have voted that Tigers recruit Api Koroisau will be the best signing of 2023. Brandon Smith (Roosters), Reed Mahoney (Bulldogs) and Reece Walsh (Broncos) tied for second with 16 per cent each, while Mahoney’s Bulldogs teammate Viliame Kikau received 8 per cent. 20 per cent placed their votes for a mix of other players.
After finishing second in last year’s survey to Manly’s Tom Trbojevic, Penrith’s Nathan Cleary is now the number one player club bosses would want to sign if they could sign anyone. Cleary polled 29 per cent with Joey Manu (Roosters) and Cam Munster (Storm) coming in second with 17 per cent each. Manu’s teammates James Tedesco and Joseph Suiaali’i tied for third with 13 per cent each, with 11 per cent of the votes going to a variety of other players.
(Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)
It seems even the men at the top have certain teams they love to get one over, with 32 per cent voting for the Roosters as the team they love to beat the most. The Broncos were second with 24 per cent, Panthers and Storm each polled 12 per cent, the Eels and Sea Eagles each got eight per cent and the Bulldogs got four per cent.
Panthers fullbacks Dylan Edwards received an overwhelming majority of the votes for being the most underrated player in the NRL. The 2022 Clive Churchill medal winner received 42 per cent of the votes, with Titan’s Beau Fermor polling 13 per cent for second spot. Cowboys dummy half Reece Robson and Raiders forward Hudson Young each received eight per cent of the votes, while 29 per cent were spread across a variety of other players.
Jayden Sullivan has won the race for the St George Illawarra No.6 jersey with Jack Bird confirming he will start the season at lock.
The Dragons’ five-eighth role has become the poisoned chalice of the NRL pre-season, with three players holding the rights to the position in the past three months.
Incumbent Tyrell Amone was set to start the season at No.6, before he was charged with assault and stood down under the NRL’s no-fault policy. Sullivan was expected to fill the void before Bird emerged as the eventual front-runner, with his experience a big plus for coach Anthony Griffin.
(Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
However, that situation changed dramatically when both were hurt in the space of two weeks, with Sullivan sidelined by a hamstring injury and Bird a knee operation.
Sullivan returned for the Charity Shield where he impressed for the Dragons coming off the bench, while he is also known to have pleased Griffin with his training. That has been enough for Griffin to decide to partner him with Hunt when the Dragons play Gold Coast after their round-one bye, with Bird on track to be fit to play lock.
“I trained at five-eighth, then I hurt my knee and got dropped from there before I even played a game,” Bird quipped.
“I think I’ll be in 13. Hopefully, that’s where I will stay the whole season.
“I am fine with that call. I knew it was only going to be temporary at five-eighth. I didn’t expect to play there the whole season.
“I obviously want clarity around what position I will play. I was saying to Hook (Griffin) I don’t want to go there for three weeks and then all of a sudden move back to lock.
“I would rather stay in one position and try and be the best in that one position I can be.”
Sullivan’s effort to shore up the No.6 jersey comes after he requested a release from the club at the end of last season, before being convinced to stay. At the time, and before Amone’s off-field dramas, he told AAP he had been sold a long-term path to a halves spot at the Dragons.
Photo by Jason McCawley/Getty Images)
That door has now opened up far quicker than expected for the 21-year-old. It also means Hunt will be the one surviving member of their spine from last season, with Tyrell Sloan at fullback and Jacob Liddle hooker.
Regardless, Hunt insisted cohesion would not be an issue early and said it was important the Dragons persisted with the combination long-term.
“If we can keep that spine together for as long as possible, I think it will be really good for us,” he said.
NRL superstar Nicho Hynes has detailed why he’s hell bent on being at Cronulla for life and why he wants the Sharks board to keep his teammates in The Shire too.
Speaking for the first time since the Sharks revealed their hopes to have Hynes play out the rest of his career at the club, the 2022 Dally M Medallist declared the love mutual as he eyes a coveted premiership.
Hynes is locked up until at least the 2025 season but the 26-year-old wants to stay well beyond then after Cronulla this month extended coach Craig Fitzgibbon’s contract until the end of 2027.
“Look, I love this place and I’ve made it really clear I love this place. I started my career at the Sharks under Fitzy and he just re-signed and I’d love to finish my career under Fitzy,” Hynes said ahead of Cronulla’s season opener against South Sydney on Saturday night.
“I can’t see myself pulling on another jersey at the moment.”
Nicho Hynes (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
The Sharks finished the last regular season second behind only premiers Penrith following Hynes’ arrival from Melbourne and Fitzgibbon’s after a lengthy apprenticeship at the Sydney Roosters.
Hynes can sense something special in the offing.
“I’d like to keep this whole playing group together. We’re building something nice and it’s pretty special to rock up to training every day with this group who all have a common goal, which is to win a premiership,” he said.
“Look at the Penrith Panthers, who have kept their team together for an extended period of time.
“The Melbourne Storm, they kept their team together. The Roosters, when they win a competition, they all keep their team together.
“So that’s what I want to do. I want to keep this team together as much as possible and win a premiership. That’s every rugby league player’s dream: to win a premiership and I want to do that.
“If I have to re-sign to do that, then 100 per cent I will. Yeah, I love this place. I love the fans, the beach. It’s me and why wouldn’t I?”
Hynes is in some doubt for round one with a calf strain but hopes to be given until Saturday to prove his fitness to face the Rabbitohs, who ended the Sharks’ 2022 season in last year’s semi-finals.
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