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Valentine Holmes is set to miss the start of next season with the NRL Integrity Unit to hand down a one-game suspension and a $25,000 fine for the social media post that showed him with a bag of white powder.
While the official reckoning has not yet come down from the league, multiple sources are reporting that it will be just one match.
One game appears to be par for the course, with a similar incident last year involving Melbourne’s Cameron Munster, Brandon Smith and Chris Lewis also earning the same suspension.
The Cowboys may end up with their centre available if Mal Meninga has included Holmes in the Kangaroos long list that was submitted to the NRL this week, as that would allow him to serve the ban in international footy rather than club competition.
Holmes is of Cook Islands and Maori descent, and could theoretically also be included for either of their squads in order to serve the ban.
The Kukis will play PNG and Fiji, and Holmes could miss their first game and play the second if he wanted to serve his ban.
Though he has never played for the Maori All Stars team, he is eligible and could serve his ban there at the start of next year, as Roosters forward Jared Waerea-Hargreaves is likely to do.
Ben Gardiner and Jamie Soward have been respectively appointed Samoa’s men’s and women’s coaches in time for the upcoming rugby league Pacific Championships.
Penrith assistant coach Gardiner replaces Matt Parish, who led Samoa to the final of last year’s World Cup before stepping down in August.
Parish’s tenure had been marked by player unrest, including a petition to have him ousted in 2021 following a string of poor results prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The new coaching appointments have enticed former Samoa captains Nigel Vagana, Tony Puletua and Willie Poching to return to the fold in mentoring roles.
Gardiner was on New Zealand’s staff at the 2017 and 2022 World Cups and coached the Maori side in this year’s All Stars match.
“It is a privilege and honour to be entrusted with the role of head coach for Toa Samoa,” Gardiner said.
“It is a great opportunity to build connection and relationship as we move into a new era for Rugby League Samoa.”
Soward currently coaches St George Illawarra’s NRLW side, which finished the year in seventh place on the ladder after significant roster turnover in the off-season.
He has also worked with the Dragons’ men’s side as a specialist coach focused on game management and kicking.
“It is an extreme honour and privilege to coach Fetu Samoa,” Soward said.
“There is a large number of Polynesian women in the NRLW competition, and it’s exciting to have many of these players represent Samoa.”
The Pacific Championships begin on October 14 and will include teams from Australia, New Zealand, Samoa, Tonga, Papua New Guinea, Fiji and the Cook Islands.
(AAP)
The four NRL clubs set to travel to Las Vegas for next season’s opening round will be kept away from the famous Strip in an attempt to stop off-field scandals from occurring.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the league is set to book hotels 3km away from the heart of the Vegas action with hotels on the Strip deemed a potential source of trouble as well as a more expensive option.
Inevitably, the idea of four whole teams’ worth of rugby league players let loose on Las Vegas has caused some consternation, and the NRL will seek to limit this by putting them up at Resorts World, a 45-minute walk from the heart of Sin City.
It is also considerably cheaper and poses fewer logistical problems, with clubs not required to navigate the busy Strip to get to and from training and gym sessions. With upwards of 120 players and staff to travel, the net savings will run into the millions of dollars.
Brisbane have already announced a link up with the LA Rams and will be based at their facility ahead of their game, while South Sydney are likely to go for either Los Angeles or San Diego as their camp.
The Roosters will also travel via California with Manly the only side to go straight to Vegas.