Josh Addo-Carr is so intent on showing his attitude and mind are right that he has been urging the Bulldogs to clear him to play in the Koori Knockout despite a serious finger injury.
But it is not what the Bulldogs want to hear or want to do.
Canterbury are not opposed to Indigenous players expressing themselves and enjoying a great football event, which will run from next Friday to Monday at Bathurst. Rather, they are seeking a level of professionalism from players as a standard, not an exception.
Addo-Carr has already put himself offside with some people at the club with his positive roadside drug test for cocaine. He is facing a four-game ban and a $15,000 fine following that result after the NRL issued him with a breach notice on Tuesday.
The finger injury requires immediate repair. The problem for Addo-Carr is that when he originally hurt his finger, he failed to keep it in a brace as doctors recommended. The result is the image of a swollen finger he can’t straighten, which needs to be operated on.
Included in that procedure is the breaking of the finger before the ligaments can be surgically repaired. Had the injured finger been kept in a brace, Addo-Carr would not be facing significant work on the injury.
Josh Addo-Carr’s injured finger.
Addo-Carr was also involved in an incident at last year’s Koori Knockout, which resulted in action from the NRL for his part in a fight.
The Bulldogs need Addo-Carr to take care of his finger and get it right, as clubs will want him in good health when he inevitably leaves Canterbury.
From all his public comments, you get the feeling Bulldogs general manager Phil Gould actually likes Addo-Carr, and still sees him as an asset to the club. However, the “Foxx” is not helping himself, and many at the club are growing increasingly frustrated with his behaviour.
It is hard to understand why Addo-Carr would even want to play at the Koori Knockout after everything he’s been through in recent weeks. His deception of the club resulted in a four-week penalty instead of a two-week ban proposed by the NRL.
His penalty was doubled because he was not truthful to the Bulldogs. He also did not receive a suspended fine – instead he will be made to pay $15,000. That is a rarity from the NRL.
The Bulldogs have been treating Addo-Carr with a level of respect they have not necessarily received from him in recent times. They want to make his exit from the club smooth, but his desire to play at the Koori Knockout make it hard for them to continue to be supportive.
The Bulldogs have displayed a significant level of care, when they could have just showing him the door, as many have suggested.
Daley back for Blues?
Michael Maguire was given a standing ovation at Accor Stadium during the Roosters-Rabbitohs clash in the final round. Those cheers may be replicated for Blues great Laurie Daley as he is already being pushed by powerful figures for the NSW job if Maguire is named Brisbane coach. Daley will take the Blues job if it is offered to him.
NSW coach Michael Maguire could take over from Kevin Walters at the Brisbane Broncos next season.Credit: Kate Geraghty
If Maguire did not know already what the Blues victory meant to the people of NSW, he sure did in that moment at Accor Stadium. The Broncos sacked Kevin Walters on Thursday, and the job is a no-brainer for Maguire, but leaving the Blues after beating Queensland will tug at his heart strings.
NSW management were quick to remind people it was Maguire who insisted on a two-year deal. To say they are less than thrilled by Maguire’s impending Brisbane move is an understatement, and he understands that.
Given the investment he has made in the Blues culture and getting the players to buy into that, he feels like he is not representing the message he pushed. The Blues held informal discussions with Maguire on Saturday.
Attack on media smacks of hypocrisy
There’s not much players hate more than anonymous attacks – so it was ironic the Rugby League Players Association made such an attack on the media via a press release during the week.
With no one identified as the author, the media are now questioning what the problem is and who it’s with.
No one from the players’ union has taken ownership of the lengthy statement attacking the media, nor have they identified the journalists or commentators they are taking a swipe at.
“We once again spend our time trying to demoralise and cut people down instead of being responsible about how we analyse rugby league,” the statement reads.
“The disappointing part is, unfortunately, that it’s not surprising. We’re so conditioned to the brutal negativity that some genuinely think this is the only way to critique and promote our game.”
In a direct crack at mainstream media, the statement says: “You only need to look to the growing success of modern media platforms hosted by players, past players and fans to see what people are craving when it comes to an evolution of what balanced and genuine critiques of our great game look and sound like. Thankfully, there are still lots of good people in the broader media who want to and do tell great stories while also expressing their honest opinions and fair criticisms. There are, however, some loud voices that try to dominate what most of us are trying to achieve and what the game deserves.
“No one is saying you can’t have an opinion or criticism. But there’s a difference between having an opinion and tearing apart people’s characters. There’s a difference between acknowledging genuine mistakes and crossing the line into reputational damage. Players are allowed to make fair and reasonable decisions without the fear of retribution.”
I don’t dispute that some attacks on players by sections of the media are heartless and over the top but, in fairness, many come from former players who, whether you like it or not, have the right to have an opinion on the game.
I can only assume that the union’s complaints relate to media coverage of the form of Sharks star Nicho Hynes, and maybe Kalyn Ponga’s initial decision to snub the Kangaroos, which he later backflipped on.
This column acknowledged that the Hynes pile-on was an overreaction. Particularly when you consider the syndesmosis injury he is coming back from. What there is no hiding from is that his form was not up to scratch for a $1 million-a-season player and any attack on his playing ability has largely come from former players in the media.
Then there is the Ponga situation, which again has been scrutinised heavily but mainly by former players. The general media has also had a say, but the attack has not been on Ponga, rather the way the matter was handled, and the lack of respect shown to Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga, ARL Commission chairman Peter V’landys and the Australian jumper.
Rugby League Players Association boss Clint Newton.Credit: Rhett Wyman
RLPA boss Clint Newton has often spoken about his desire for the players and the union to be genuine partners in the game. So you can imagine the surprise of NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo when a player poll facilitated by the RLPA popped up on News Corp websites in the hours leading up to the first game of this year’s finals series.
To make matters worse, Newton was in a high-level meeting with Abdo that morning and failed to mention the forthcoming release of the poll.
NRL powerbrokers later learnt that as part of the arrangement to provide News Corp with exclusive access to the results, they would be prohibited from mentioning the poll to head office. They were also prohibited from going to the NRL for comment, which News Corp agreed to.
V’landys has a strong relationship with News Corp through his roles in rugby league and racing. You can be assured the secrecy from the RLPA and the media company has not gone down well.
Luai laces to the top
Jarome Luai’s upcoming switch to Wests Tigers has not damaged his commercial value. The Panthers star has just done a huge deal with Canterbury sportswear and will be wearing their boots in future. Some say it’s worth about $500,000 over five years. He was close to the Blues best in Origin and broke the series open. He’s worth investing in.
Large consequences
The ridiculous clauses in Stefano Utoikamanu’s Wests Tigers contract, where he could leave if they missed the top eight, have resulted in the club adopting a new approach, and that has cost them rising star Onitoni Large.
Large, who has joined Manly, wanted clauses inserted in his contract that made him a free agent if Lachlan Galvin signed a new deal to stay at the Tigers beyond 2026. The Tigers no longer want to do deals that can come back to haunt them in the future. Particularly when the intention is for Galvin to be a long-term Tiger. It would mean they would have developed Large for another season or two and then potentially lost him.
Wests Tigers teen star Lachlan GalvinCredit: Getty
It is Large’s agent’s job to do the best deal for his client, but the Tigers don’t want agents setting the tone for them.
It may cost them a player or two, but the feeling is they can’t be pushovers or they will never drag themselves out of the cellar. Taking a strong stance when you are running last is a brave move, but one they are comfortable with.
The write stuff
Tigers coach Benji Marshall has turned author. His first children’s book hits the shelves on Tuesday.
He wrote it after he retired from playing and it means the world to him. The committed father is all about creating a legacy for his two kids, Ever and Fox, and this is a big part of it.
You have to love how Benji does things his way and hopefully that produces results, not only in the publishing world, but also on the field next year.
