Brandon Wakeham has spoken for the first time about the four-week ban he received for eye-gouging Tyrell Sloan, the St George Illawarra Dragons fullback he will try to stop – legally – at Magic Round.
Wakeham sparked headlines last June when he was caught raking the eyes of Sloan during a NSW Cup game broadcast on live TV.
A NSW Rugby League official took photos of Sloan’s eye after full-time before Wakeham, then playing for the Bulldogs, was referred straight to the judiciary.
He pleaded guilty to contrary conduct, with commentators describing the incident as a “grub act” and “cheap shot”.
Sunday’s clash between the Wests Tigers and Dragons will be the first time Wakeham has played against Sloan since the incident, but told this masthead there was no lingering tension between the pair.
“There was a bit of emotion, it was the heat of the battle and things happen,” Wakeham said.
Tyrell Sloan is eye-gouged by Brandon Wakeham last year.
“I had forgotten about it, so thanks for bringing it up. It was nothing personal. I’m not one to carry grudges or let things [carry on].
“I got a bit carried away, to be honest. It was a game that was televised, so it got a lot of media coverage. I spoke with Tyrell after that game and we were sweet.”
Wakeham had the utmost respect for the young No.1, whose form has been a bright spot in an otherwise frustrating year for the Red V.
“Everyone sees he can create plays out of nothing with his speed,” Wakeham said about Sloan. “We need to keep the ball out of his hands as much as we can. Having said that, they have a strong back five, so we need to work as a team and hopefully we can nullify them.”
Eye to eye : Brandon Wakeham and Tyrell Sloan meet for the first time since last year’s ugly NSW Cup scenesCredit: Getty
While the eye-gouging incident was largely forgotten by most fans, it was a different story when it came to Wakeham’s run-in with Manly’s Josh Aloiai in the sheds at Campbelltown Stadium, and the verbal battle with Sea Eagles debutant Samuela Fainu that preceded it just a couple of weeks ago.
There were suggestions Fainu had spat at Wakeham, but he refused to make an official complaint. When pushed on the matter on Thursday, Wakeham did not want to comment.
He did, however, make it clear there were no lingering issues with him and the Fainu family, including brother Sione who plays with Wakeham at the Tigers.
“There was a bit of emotion during the game, and I smiled at him [Samuela] after we scored a try, and there was a bit of friendly push and shove,” Wakeham said.
“I’m good with the family, and I’ve known them for a while. I’m sweet with him. The family and I are all good. I won’t comment [on the spitting]. There was nothing in it.”
Aloiai said at the start of the week he would have stood up for Fainu again if faced with the same situation.
Wakeham knows it was foolish to take on a front-rower and quipped: “He [Aloiai] is out of my weight division. I’ll stay away from him.”
Wests Tigers eye Johnson deal
The Tigers have reached out to Shaun Johnson’s management to gauge the halfback’s interest in joining the club next season.
Shaun Johnson captionCredit: Getty
The Tigers have held internal discussions about luring Johnson back across the ditch in 2024, identifying the Warriors No.7 as a potential replacement for the under-siege Luke Brooks.
Brooks is in the final year of his lucrative deal with the Tigers and the club has shown no appetite to extend his tenure at the club.
Johnson is also in the last year of his deal with the Warriors, enjoying his best season in recent memory over the first nine rounds of the competition.
Johnson has a long-standing relationship with Tigers assistant coach Benji Marshall, who will take over as head coach in 2025, from their time together in the New Zealand national team.
A source with knowledge of the situation talking under the condition of anonymity due to the confidential nature of discussions said the Tigers are willing to pay up to $700,000 for Johnson’s services.
They are currently paying Brooks just short of $1.1m for the final season of his back-ended deal at the club.
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