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Ken Maumolo has swapped the Tigers for the Titans after being granted an immediate release to move to the Gold Coast.
Maumolo has not featured so far this year for Wests and stands behind David Nofoaluma – himself hooked last weekend and dropped this week – as well as Charlie Staines and Junior Tupou.
He had been named for the Magpies in NSW Cup this weekend but instead will move north immediately. The Titans have themselves struggled in the wing department, with young gun Jojo Fifita ditched this weekend for Philip Sami.
The Kiwi international is unlikely to be the only incoming on the Gold Coast: coach Justin Holbrook is thought to be close to landing the signature of English hooker Kruise Leeming.
Leeming is in demand from several clubs after his release from Leeds Rhinos earlier in the week. He had captained the club to the Super League Grand Final last year but was deemed a poor fit for coach Rohan Smith’s system and allowed to pursue other options. A deal until the end of the season is on the cards.
Manly have extended their winger Christian Tuipulotu until the end of 2025, shutting off transfer speculation. The 22-year-old debuted in 2021 and made his international bow in 2022, appearing for Tonga against New Zealand in the midyear Test in Auckland.
Cronulla enforcer Royce Hunt has warned Corey Horsburgh he plans to seek retribution for their on-field scrap, claiming the Sharks will go after him next time while making his own “weak-gutted dog” reference about the Canberra firebrand.
A furious Hunt was sin-binned in the Sharks’ loss to Canberra on Sunday, after he landed a jersey punch to the head of Horsburgh during the second half.
Hunt, frustrated by the altercation, has accused Horsburgh of hiding behind Jack Wighton after holding his Cronulla rival in a scrum and pushing him to the ground.
Horsburgh hit back on social media by posting a meme that had been circulated of him holding a pint-sized Hunt in a Raiders jersey with the caption: “Really happy for my little boy watching Daddy score 2 tries”.
The Cronulla prop has already taken note of the Sharks’ final-round clash with Canberra later this year, and has made no secret of the fact he will keep it in the back of his mind.
“We’ll see if he fronts up,” Hunt said. “I have never seen a front-rower hide behind a halfback.
“You can’t just hold me in and push me over and not expect anything. I was a bit upset about that.
Royce Hunt is tackled by Corey Horsburgh. (Photo by Mark Nolan/Getty Images)
“It is what it is, it’s rugby league. We get on with it and bash him next game.”
Hunt and Horsburgh spent time together in the system at Canberra, and were teammates at Mt Pritchard in NSW Cup in 2018.
But on Wednesday, Hunt labelled Horsburgh’s behaviour as a “low act”.
He also channelled Ricky Stuart in his response, quipping that Horsburgh was a “weak-gutted dog”, after Stuart made the reference about Penrith playmaker Jaeman Salmon last year.
Stuart was subsequently suspended as Raiders coach for one match and fined $25,000 over that comment.
Asked on Wednesday if he thought it was poor form from Horsburgh, Hunt replied: “Definitely.
(Photo by Mark Nolan/Getty Images)
“As Ricky Stuart would say, he’s a weak-gutted dog. We’ll get him next game.”
Hunt’s admitted his frustration that the jumper-punch proved crucial as Horsburgh scored immediately after the altercation and Canberra crossed again while he was off the field in the 24-20 win.
“I was a bit upset we lost,” Hunt said. “I got sent for 10 and put the boys under pressure. I was upset at myself for getting sent for 10 and letting him get under my skin.”
Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon said after the match that both Horsburgh and Hunt were in the wrong.
“You can’t just hold onto someone from the back of a scrum and push them over,” Fitzgibbon said. “But you can’t do what Royce did. It should have been picked up by someone before Royce retaliated, Royce shouldn’t have retaliated like that. Especially not while we were defending our goal line.”
Tim Sheens insists Adam Doueihi can be a destructive fullback in the mould of Latrell Mitchell on his move to No.1 at Wests Tigers, rejecting claims the 24-year-old has been shifted around too much.
Doueihi will return to fullback in the NRL against Melbourne on Friday night for the first time since 2020, with Brandon Wakeham handed the keys to the team in the halves alongside Luke Brooks.
The winless Tigers believe that will allow Brooks to get back to running the ball, while giving Doueihi more freedom at the back as he battles through foot pain.
Doueihi spent parts of his early career at fullback, and set up five tries in three games playing there for Lebanon in last year’s World Cup.
“If you look at the World Cup … his size when he chimes in on the edges, he is a big fullback,” Sheens said. “Big fullbacks like Latrell and company are hard to nail one-on-one with the football.
“He’s got good skills to get the ball away, and he reads the game very well. It’s just him reading the game and organising the offence that is a bonus for us.
(Photo by Speed Media/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Sheens took exception to suggestions Doueihi has been moved around too much throughout his career, and is adamant the Cedars star is happy with the change.
Doueihi has played centre, fullback, five-eighth and come off the bench in his three-and-a-bit years at the Tigers, but since Sheens’ return as football boss last year most games have been in the halves.
“He has played No.6 or No.6 or No.6, or on occasion No.1. For me, he has been mainly in the front line,” Sheens said.
Sheens was unwilling to speculate on whether Doueihi’s move will be long-term, but continues to see a role for Wakeham.
The 24-year-old played in the halves in the Tigers’ trial win over Canberra, before being brought on late as the controlling half against Canterbury when the team scored three straight tries.
Brooks’ best football last year came at five-eighth, with Jackson Hastings the controlling halfback. “It’s not that (Brooks) doesn’t understand the game. But he is much better as a runner than an organiser at this stage,” Sheens said. “Even with Mitchell (Moses), he was more of a runner off Mitchell as well.
“He’s got speed, a good kicking game, he’s a tough little competitor. And he can tell people what to do. But I’m comfortable with Adam controlling the numbers from the back and Brandon organising where we are going on the field, it becomes a little easier for Brooksy.”
Sheens indicated he remained unsure whether the club has any chance of luring Moses back for next year, and suggested winger David Nofoaluma would not remain in reserve grade for long after being squeezed out from the spine shake up.
South Sydney will play with John Sattler in their hearts and his jersey on their backs when they take the field for the first time since the Rabbitohs great’s death.
A four-time premiership-winning captain at Souths, Sattler died aged 80 on Monday after being diagnosed with dementia in 2020.
Sattler’s death prompted tributes from around the country as rugby league figures shared memories of the forward’s trademark toughness. Sattler is perhaps best remembered for guiding the Rabbitohs to victory in the 1970 grand final while battling a broken jaw, suffered in the opening minutes of the game.
Fittingly, South Sydney face the side they defeated in that decider, Manly, for their tribute match at Accor Stadium this Saturday. Souths will wear a special jersey for the match, which features the “torn Rabbit” logo that ‘Gentleman John’ Sattler made famous in the 1970 clash.
The stadium will observe a minute’s silence prior to kick-off, with the Rabbitohs telling AAP further tributes would be confirmed later in the week.
Sattler’s legacy has been the subject of reflection and discussion at the Bunnies’ Redfern training base this week.
“We’re going out there to represent him,” centre Isaiah Tass said. “We’ve got a jersey that’s going to represent him as well, the half-rabbit.”
Forward Jed Cartwright said the chance to honour Sattler’s legacy would give the Rabbitohs extra motivation when they met the Sea Eagles. “(We) want to go out and do the best for him this weekend,” he said.
“If everyone can sort of harness it in the right way, it’s going to be a really positive thing for us to go and use it as fuel to get up for a really big game. He was massive for this club. He deserves us to go out there and give our best this weekend.”
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