Wests Tigers are keeping an eye on Kiwi prop Nelson Asofa-Solomona’s situation at the Storm as they draw up contingency plans for the possibility of Stefano Utoikamanu leaving the club at the end of the year.
The forward is essentially a free agent, given the only remaining clause that can activate his Tigers deal for next year is if the 16th-placed club make the top eight.
The Tigers have tabled a five-year deal to the prop worth close to $4 million, but it is expected he will command significant interest elsewhere in a barren forwards market.
They are reportedly interested in Asofa-Solomona if he gets a release from his Melbourne deal.
There was speculation at the start of the season that he was on the outer after he was dropped to the NSW Cup and he has been unable to regain a spot in the run-on team.
According to a NewsCorp report, the Tigers are also monitoring the situation of Raiders forward Emre Guler, who has requested a release on compassionate grounds to return to Sydney.
Rising Wests Tigers star Lachlan Galvin has made an impassioned plea for Utoikamanu to stay at the club, adamant he and other young guns are desperate to turn the joint-venture around.
Galvin used Sunday’s 48-24 flogging of Canberra to put to bed any questions over his future, adamant his performance showed he was committed to the Tigers.
Just weeks after urgent meetings between Tigers officials and the young prodigy, Galvin is clear that he wants to see out the final two years of his deal with the club.
And he hopes Utoikamanu takes a similar path. Galvin is doing his best to keep the 24-year-old at the club, with the four local teenagers in Sunday’s Campbelltown win an advertisement of the Tigers’ future.
“We muck around, I tell him ‘just stay here, just stay for a couple more years’ and I think we can turn this club around,” Galvin said.
“We want him here. As long as I’m here, I want him here with me. One hundred per cent we’re trying to get in his ear to stay. He’s a massive part of this team.
“Hopefully (I’ve convinced him). I don’t want to be on the other side marking him. I’m already in the wrestle room with him and I get a bit scared.”
Only aged 18 himself, Galvin said he had endured a tough fortnight as questions swirled around his commitment to the club. The local junior attempted to stay off social media, but still wore comments from fans in the street around his loyalty.
(Photo by Albert Perez/Getty Images)
“Obviously it hurts,” Galvin said. “I don’t want to let people down or let the club down that gave me my opportunity.
“It was a rough two weeks, but it was good to get that (win against Canberra) and show people that I want to change this club.
“And also show them that I’m going to be at this club for the next two years.”
Galvin said the questions over his future had allowed he and his management to clear the air with the Tigers on what was best for his career. The five-eighth missed last week against North Queensland while resting a hand injury, before bagging his first two NRL tries against the Raiders.
“They were really good about and they said they were going to help me and try to get me to be the best player I can be,” Galvin said. “I just want to keep winning and enjoy my footy.”
Brad Arthur heading West?
Sacked Eels coach Brad Arthur could find himself back in the coaching ring – but with a side not yet accepted by the NRL.
Representatives from Perth’s expansion bid met with Arthur earlier on Monday before an ARL commission on Wednesday that could deem the fate of a side out West.
A Perth outfit could enter the NRL as early as 2027, with confidential sources talking to the Sydney Morning Herald.
Chairman of the Western Australian government Peter Tinkley was one of the members who met with Arthur earlier this week.
The ARL commission are putting forward a 20-team blueprint, with the North Sydney bears linked as a feeder club connection in Perth.
The Newtown Jets have also been mentioned as possible partners.
Arthur has already had interest elsewhere, with the Leed Rhinos reportedly interviewing the redundant coach for their head position.
“Brad is considering all of his options and Super League is certainly of some interest to him, especially a quality organisation like the Leeds Rhinos,” Arthur’s manager Chris Orr told Newscorp.
Peachey draws curtains on NRL career
Tyrone Peachey has announced his retirement from the NRL at the age of 32.
Peachey has played 209 games in the NRL and has been part of Cronulla, Penrith, Tigers and Titans outfits.
The utility returned to Penrith in 2023 and has played most of this season in reserve grade, only managing two games in the NRL.
“I just want to announce that I’m retiring from the NRL,” Peachey said on his Peached Podcast.
“I’ve been battling through some things… I was struggling for a bit and I’ve noticed myself being not fully committed to footy.
“I was pretty sad and rattled to admit it (to his wife).
“I’ve known for a while and it’s been hard at training, and harder to turn up every day, it’s been difficult. But I finally admitted it and I felt better.
“I’ve had (the family) follow me around for the last 13 years and it’s been a journey – it’s full on, but I just want to settle down for the kids. They’re at the age where they kind of need to get a group of friends and have best friends for the rest of their lives.
“I want to have one spot where we can settle down for them and just them give all the attention.”
Peachey intends to play to the end of 2024, seeing out his contract in a career that started back in 2013.
Maroons angry with Channel 9 Origin promo
Host broadcaster of the State of Origin series, Channel 9, are in hot water with Queensland Rugby League in it’s promotion of game two.
In the lead up to the do-or-die fixture for NSW, Nine released a 50 second advertisement. At around the 10 second mark, footage transitions to Joseph Suaalii’s controversial high shot on Maroons fullback Reece Walsh.
The action contact is not featured in the promotion, although the lead-up to the send-off is. QRL chairman Bruce Hatcher has slammed the network’s maturity in using the footage for a pump-up.
“I think it’s inappropriate and totally wrong,” Hatcher told the Sydney Morning Herald.
“There were plenty of other tackles they could have used. I hated that photo on the front page of the [Daily Telegraph] the next day [after game one] with Reece’s eyes rolled to the back of his head.
“The players are bigger, faster and tougher … they hit with a whole heap of force now, so I would err on the side of conservatism rather than [promote] the gung-ho stuff.
“I see a big cross-section of people these days. I know if we’re going to promote that type of fringe behaviour, the game will perish through litigation.
“I think Reece is a sensational talent. He’s a very different individual … but if we condone any action that takes those sort of people out of the game, then I think the game is a shocking loser.”
Panthers rivalling all-time great sides in rep arena
Penrith’s 2021 premiership team can now officially rival the great teams of this century and lay claim to being one of the most stacked sides of the NRL era.
Already in the midst of the NRL’s most dominant era, Penrith’s dynasty will have a 13th State of Origin player when Dylan Edwards debuts on Wednesday night.
His maiden NSW jersey, coupled with Spencer Leniu and J’maine Hopgood’s debuts this month, means the 2021 Panthers now have a full starting side of Origin players.
Add in Kiwis Scott Sorensen, Moses Leota and James Fisher-Harris and Viliame Kikau’s status as a Fiji-only player, and the Panthers had 17 representative stars.
And as far as Edwards is concerned, that has helped his rise to being one of the NRL’s elite fullbacks and winning the No.1 jumper for NSW.
“It’s been good to be able to talk to those guys about what they experienced and how they felt during the games,” the Blues fullback said.
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“I’m close with a lot of those guys.
“They always brought that experience back (to Penrith).The standard goes up when those guys come back.
“Being able to talk about their experience and how they felt on the field, what they might have seen, what they might have felt, it’s good.”
Squads with 13 men who would play Origin in their career are extremely rare in the NRL-era.
Brisbane’s 2000 squad remains the most representative-laden since the Super League war.
Of the squad of 30 players who won that year’s premiership, no less than 22 played Origin for Queensland or NSW at some stage of their career.
Another, in Englishman Harvey Howard, also played Test football a first-tier nation.
Melbourne’s illegally-assembled 2008 side also stands out for representative talent, with 15 men who played Origin at some point, along with two tier-one Test players.
St George Illawarra’s 2011 team also had 13 past, present or future Origin players.
But Penrith’s 2021 crew can now officially stand alongside those teams.
Most notable too, is the fact that Penrith produced the majority of their stars. Of the 13 Origin players, 10 made their NRL debuts at the Panthers.
Dylan Edwards at NSW Blues training. (Photo by Brett Hemmings/Getty Images)
Apisai Koroisau and Kurt Capewell also both earned representative status for the first time at Penrith, with the Tevita Pangai Jnr the only outlier of the 2021 squad.
“It’s pretty crazy. It’s actually a lot of us, hey. The development and training we do at Penrith is pretty special,” winger Brian To’o said.
“You can see everyone buys into it and even if they leave, that Penrith mentality sticks with them.
“After we lost the grand final in 2020 we looked at each other and wanted to come back the next year better.
“It’s pretty crazy to see how everything has panned out since then.”
Penrith’s 2021 title-winning reps
State of Origin: Dylan Edwards, Brian To’o, Isaah Yeo Matt Burton, Stephen Crichton, Jarome Luai, Nathan Cleary, Spencer Leniu, Apisai Koroisau, Tevita Pangai Jnr, Liam Martin, Kurt Capewell, J’maine Hopgood.
New Zealand: Scott Sorensen, James Fisher-Harris, Moses Leota.
Other: Viliame Kikau (Fiji), Robert Jennings (Tonga), Taylan May, Tyrone May, Izack Tago (all Samoa).
with AAP