St George Illawarra have met with the NRL seeking salary cap relief for stricken fullback Cody Ramsey, with a decision expected over the next fortnight.
Under NRL rules, the only form of salary cap relief afforded to a club is for players who are either forced into retirement through injury, or for players who suffer injuries while playing representative football.
Despite having undergone half a dozen surgeries after being hospitalised with ulcerative colitis before Christmas, Ramsey doesn’t fit the bill.
The NRL is now looking into the matter. They are sympathetic to the Dragons’ predicament – losing their first choice fullback in the pre-season with an illness that not only threatens his career, but Ramsey’s way of life.
Over the past couple of months, sections of Ramsey’s large intestine have been cut out. He still has to undergo one more surgery before finding out if the medical advice against playing rugby league will extend beyond the end of this season.
Ramsey is refusing to give up on his dream. The hope of returning to the NRL remains the strongest motivation through a period of his life that has tested his resolve.
Cody Ramsey back at Dragons training.Credit: Morgan Taylor
It’s why, when he’s able, Ramsey is a regular at training and on game days despite being unable to take part.
The Dragons have made it clear to the NRL that they want to keep paying for Ramsey’s contract, which doesn’t expire until the end of 2024.
What they can’t understand is why that money has to be included on the salary cap when it is the disease, which causes inflammation and ulcers on the bowel and digestive tract, that is keeping him from playing.
The NRL finds itself in an uncomfortable situation. Making an exception for Ramsey could set an expensive precedent.
But this isn’t a club trying to make up for a bad deal by forcing a player into retirement.
The Dragons want Ramsey. He was superb in the No.1 jersey at the end of last season and was going to get the nod over Tyrell Sloan to start the year before his diagnosis.
ARLC chairman Peter V’landys once told the Herald, ″all rules have to be flexible″, adding that ″if you don’t have discretion and you don’t have agility, you will fail″.
If ever there was a case for some flexibility, Ramsey’s should be it.
Burgess goes below the belt
Footage of Tom Burgess grabbing Josh Reynolds between the legs on Good Friday left Canterbury fans up in arms, especially considering Reynolds was penalised for not being onside from the next play.
Burgess’ squirrel grip went unpunished by the match review committee, with manager Luke Patten saying there wasn’t evidence to suggest it was deliberate.
“The MRC deemed contact as incidental and available footage was inconclusive in order to pursue a contrary conduct charge,” Patten said.
“Based on the evidence available, at all times Tom Burgess appears to be looking in a different direction and any contact did not appear deliberate.”
Bulldogs veteran Josh Reynolds.Credit: Getty
We asked the man himself about the incident. “I didn’t want to see him charged, but I wouldn’t have minded a penalty,” Reynolds told the Herald.
“I’m just surprised he could find them,” Reynolds later joked. Expect Burgess to be handed a concerning act warning during the week.
Hynes, Luai in Blues battle
A shootout for the NSW No.6 jersey is looming between incumbent Jarome Luai and Cronulla’s Nicho Hynes.
Blues coach Brad Fittler wouldn’t be drawn into the selection conundrum, admitting a lot can change in six weeks.
Nicho Hynes may be playing his way into the NSW Origin starting side.Credit: Getty
“He always impresses you, and I think everyone can see the quality of the bloke,” Fittler said of Hynes.
“He’s been back two weeks. There’s another six weeks to go. A lot can happen, as we’ve already seen this weekend.”
While the Panthers started the year slightly below par, they’ve roared back into premiership contention on the back of commanding wins over Canberra and Manly.
Luai can understand why Hynes is in the mix but isn’t concerning himself with the noise around the Origin arena.
“Yeah, he’s killing it man,” Luai said of Hynes. “He’s always killed it anytime he chucks a jersey on. But it’s not my job as a selector to pick the team. I can just do my job for Penrith, and that’s win games.
“But I’m in control of my own form, so let’s see how we go. I’m just motivated to get better in general and be great for my club and my teammates. That’s what motivates me every week.”
While NSW halfback Nathan Cleary admitted Hynes’ form was undeniable, he backed his combination with his Panthers halves partner.
“It’s not my decision. I love playing alongside Romey [Luai] and have done it for a long time but Nicho is a great player too,” Cleary said.
“I’m glad I’m not the one who has to make that decision because it’ll be tough. He’s the Dally M medallist for a reason. He’s a great player, but I think Romey has proven time and time again that he stands up in big games.”
Luai defends Panthers culture
Still on Luai, and the Panthers playmaker has echoed the sentiment shared by Isaah Yeo and Panthers Group chief executive Brian Fletcher in Danny Weidler’s Sun Herald column this weekend.
The five-eighth’s character, as well as that of his teammates, has come under fire from sections of the media in recent years but the Samoan international insists he’s not affected by the narrative being portrayed.
“That’s outside noise. You ask any fan in the game and they’ll tell you what we do after the games,” Luai said.
Panthers five-eighth Jarome Luai.Credit: Wolter Peeters, SMH
“I don’t know where they get their perspective from, but we’re good people if you get the chance to meet us. They can have their opinions, but it doesn’t matter to us. It’s a bit of a laugh for us, to be honest. We’ve got pretty good at having a filter for who matters and who doesn’t.”
Tigers welcome Facebook fan group leader
The creator of the Wests Tigers Action Group Facebook page, which hinted at a protest at the club’s Easter Monday fixture against Parramatta, was a special guest at Tigers training during the week.
The Wests Tigers invited Clint Schmeider and his two children down from Newcastle to the club’s high-performance centre. They watched training before being taken into the club’s boardroom to have their questions answered by Tigers powerbrokers.
If the protest that was planned goes ahead, with fans discussing turning their backs on the team in the 11th minute of the game in response to the club’s 11-year finals drought, it won’t be because it’s endorsed by the leader of the group. He’s told the club he wants the players supported, not embarrassed if the protest goes ahead.
Behind The Hammer’s Cowboys exit
North Queensland Cowboys coach Todd Payten raised some eyebrows after this week’s loss in regard to Dolphins fullback Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, who came back to haunt his old club in a sublime display on Friday night.
“Look, we made a decision around Hammer based on some of the words and his actions at the back end of last year,” Payten said in the post-match press conference when asked about Tabuai-Fidow’s exit from North Queensland.
“I’m not disappointed or bitter about him playing well. He’s a nice kid. He left here a better person and a better footballer. The Dolphins are reaping the rewards of some of our hard work and his application and talent on the pitch.”
We did some digging around what Payten meant. While there is no ill-feeling towards Tabuai-Fidow, it was made abundantly clear through both the player and his manager that he wasn’t thrilled about being out of the starting side.
The Cowboys had earmarked Tabuai-Fidow as their No.1 but the development of Scott Drinkwater saw him relegated from the starting side.
It culminated in his release from the final year of his $475,000 contract at the Cowboys, with the Wayne Bennett’s Dolphins picking up his full salary and offering him another year for 2024.
Any suggestion that he’s fallen out of favour with his old club is off the mark. When Tabuai-Fidow returned from last year’s World Cup with a syndesmosis injury, the Cowboys opened their doors for him to rehab at the club’s facility before linking up with the Dolphins. He was welcomed into the sheds after the game on Friday night.
The Dolphins have reached out to Tabuai-Fidow’s management to begin discussions about keeping him at the club long term.
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