Manly Sea Eagles legend Cliff Lyons is expected to present the Clive Churchill Medal for best player on ground at the NRL Grand Final after Parramatta hero Peter Sterling informed the league he had other plans.
The Clive Churchill Medal is named for one of the greatest players of all-time and has been awarded by a member of The Little Master’s family, most recently Rod Churchill.
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But after Churchill landed in hot water over his comments around Latrell Mitchell where he labelled the Bunnies’ current fullback “an embarrassment to the No. 1 jersey”, “lazy” and “a cancer on the club” — all comments which were panned across the league — the NRL and the family have come to an agreement for a former champion to hand out the award.
Churchill had requested that Sterling, as the first winner of the award, would present the medal this year.
The award has been handed out since the 1986 Grand Final, a year after the death of Clive Churchill, with Eels legend Peter Sterling the inaugural winner after Parramatta’s 4-2 win over Canterbury.
But that’s where the problem arises — Sterlo’s got plans.
Speaking on Triple M’s Rush Hour with Gus, Jude & Wendell on Tuesday, Sterling revealed the NRL hadn’t actually been in touch.
“To be honest gentlemen, no one has spoken to me about it, no one has been in touch with me about it and I actually have plans for that weekend,” Sterling said.
“I’ve spoken to no one at the moment.”
After the shock of the hosts, they asked what he had planned.
“I’m going away for a golf weekend,” Sterling said. “(I’m going) up north. It’s all a bit crazy.
“My daughter actually called me this morning and said it’s all in the papers.”
Host Gus Worland said: “That is ridiculous.”
Asked if he’d do it if they asked, he said: “I don’t know, I honestly don’t know because I’ve got stuff in place that has been for quite a while. It’s less than ideal and I guess that’ll be a conversation I have if and when someone gets in contact.”
Bolton said: “I’m staggered by that.”
The Sydney Morning Herald confirmed that the NRL had now asked Lyons, who won the award in 1987, after Sterling revealed his golf weekend.
It’s expected that Sterling will be asked for next years’ grand final.
Sterling told the SMH that the NRL hadn’t asked as of Tuesday evening.
“When it was in the papers this morning, I didn’t know about it and my first reaction was that I have plans that weekend,” he said.
“I don’t want to appear disrespectful but I have stuff in place and that was the case for quite a while. I’m not going to make the grand final and I don’t see how that will change.
“It might be disrespectful when such an honour is expected to be asked of me but, unfortunately, I have plans.”
