NRL larrikin Brandon Smith back as Souths cop fresh injury blow to Euan Aitken
Smith's NRL return comes against Manly some 308 days after he ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament in what turned out to be his last game for the Sydney Roosters.
When Smith joined Souths in May, coach Wayne Bennett flagged low expectations of the forward hitting top form on his return from injury this year.
But Bennett confirmed on Saturday the 2020 premiership winner will come on from the bench at Brookvale Oval following a leg injury to Euan Aitken.
'(Smith) is pretty excited about it all, he's trained pretty well. Everything is right for him to go,' Bennett said.
Souths are still determining Aitken's return-to-play timeline as the centre becomes the latest Rabbitoh to be struck down by injury in a difficult 2025 season.
Latrell Mitchell, Alex Johnston, Cam Murray, Jamie Humphreys, Cody Walker and Campbell Graham are among key men to have spent time out of the side this year.
The latest injury comes just as 16th-placed Souths appeared to be approaching full strength and could open up a spot for beleaguered Lewis Dodd to return to the halves.
Signed before Bennett's coaching return was confirmed, the Englishman has been given only one chance to start in the halves at struggling Souths - at Magic Round amid a slew of injuries.
But Bennett may now have little option other than to shift Jack Wighton from five-eighth to Aitken's centre spot and promote Dodd from his bench.
Bennett was reluctant to detail Dodd's path into favour at the Rabbitohs as speculation mounts he could be forced out of the club.
'He knows and I know so we'll leave it at that. I don't really want to make it public. It's nothing to do with anybody else,' the coach said.
Anthony Seibold insists Tom Trbojevic is happy staying at centre for a consecutive week after a controversial shift from fullback for Manly's win over Wests Tigers.
'He actually said he enjoyed the challenge and the opportunity. He's had a good week's preparation,' the Manly coach said.
'He's the current Kangaroos centre, he's played for the Blues at centre so he's an elite centre as well as an elite fullback.'
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Mercury
2 hours ago
- Mercury
Mudgee preview, tips: David Smith banks on Lockdown Gamble's class in Cup
Don't miss out on the headlines from Horse Racing. Followed categories will be added to My News. It will be the rain and not a crushing weight that denies local idol Lockdown Gamble a win in the much anticipated XXXX Cup (1400m). The David Smith-trained gelding boasts an exemplary record at the Mudgee 1400m and towers over his rivals in the Benchmark ratings department. Add in a four kilo claim and Lockdown Gamble seems to have all bases covered, but for one, the weather. 'I am not sure he will get out of third or fourth gear here with the wet conditions but if the track improves, he will be terribly hard to beat,' Smith said. 'He needed the run (last start at Canterbury). He was about five or six weeks between runs and he just got away from us fitness-wise. The Form: Complete NSW Racing thoroughbred form, including video replays and all you need to know about every horse, jockey and trainer. Find a winner here! 'It was just a sit and sprint over the last 600m and I am quite pleased with how he has come through the run.' Given all of Lockdown Gamble's past heroics, it was only fair to the others that he was afforded 64kg in the XXXX Cup. Not that Smith saw it as an impossible task but has managed to cut the impost down to a manageable 60kg thanks to the whopping claim of young apprentice jockey, Nicholas Hyde. 'I saw an article on him on the Racing NSW (website). I watched him on Cumboogle there at Narromine and I thought he was quite strong for a four kilo kid being able to ride one out,' Smith said. 'That's pretty much what we're after. Once we dropped a few points after that Canterbury run, we thought if we could find a half decent kid who is going to be able handle him, we can pick up another Cups race out here with him.' Smith, meanwhile, is suitably bullish about the prospects of the supremely well-bred mare Champers Girl when steps out in the Oriental Hotel Benchmark 66 Handicap (1200m). Smith's mare was nothing short of the eye-catcher in the race when she finished second to one of Dubbo's most in-form horses - Midnight Dream - at her most recent outing. 'I'm extremely happy with her too,' the trainer declared. 'I think she is probably my best chance on the card.' Champers Girl, as her name may suggest, is a great granddaughter of Champagne who won the 1998 Mackinnon Stakes, four days prior to her close second to Jezabeel in the Melbourne Cup. Smith's stable of blue bloods doesn't end there. His Mudgee digs are home to Instead who was once part of Sheikh Mohammed's Godolphin racing string. A daughter of Lonhro, Instead is a very close genetic relative of the Hong Kong champion Vengeance Of Rain, AJC Oaks winner Dizelle and her VRC Oaks winning daughter, Pinot. Instead has been holding her form admirably, evidenced by her determined fourth in a deep 2200m Benchmark 58 at Dubbo last weekend. 'I have no hesitation in her backing up and the reason for it is she just likes the wet track,' Smith said. 'The only time I have done it, she was coming off a Coonabarabran win when she stepped up to the mile for the first time at Dubbo and she was only just nabbed on the line there.' Fans of Johnny Cash will be drawn to Smith's participant in the final race, the Wild Oats Country Boosted Class 2 Handicap (1400m), namely A Boy Named Soo. The son of the now Indonesia-based stallion Sooboog has been somewhat hot and cold over his career but is warming up to another win says Smith. 'He is going much better than his record suggests this time in,' Smith offered. SHAYNE O'CASS' TOP SELECTIONS BEST BET Race 4 No. 1: LAST LALIQUE Half-sister and stablemate of Dollar Magic. Might just be better than these. NEXT BEST Race 6 No. 6: RED SPECTOR Left a lasting impression when he won at Coffs Harbour back in December. VALUE BET Race 7 No. 2: THE IMPECKABLE Third-up; good draw, good jockey, good prospects. QUADDIE Race 4: 1 Race 5: 1, 4, 8, 10 Race 6: 2, 6 Race 7: 2, 3, 6, 9 JOCKEY TO FOLLOW AARON BULLOCK has a 20.7 per cent winning strike-rate at Mudgee. Aaron Bullock can add to his impressive record at Mudgee. Picture: Getty Images INSIDE MAIL - MUDGEE RACE 1: Mudgee Florist (Bm66) 2000m DE LOUVIERE (3) is a Matthew Smith trained son of the German Derby winner Sea The Moon who was scheduled to race at Beaumont on Tuesday, only the meeting was washed out. Smith's Irish-bred import blotted an otherwise exemplary copybook with that fading seventh of eight at Wyong last start but he did plenty of overtime up there in a no holds barred 2000m. AVION FURY (1) boasts a plethora of provincial form. Failed last start too but this looks a lovely race for him to bounce back. Maybe BUSH TELEGRAPH (2) wants 2000m now. Bet: De Louviere to win, exacta 3 to beat 1 ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ RACE 2: McGrath Country Boosted Mdn Plate 1200m GREAT IDEA (2) is a rising six-year-old with just one start on his resume this far; that was on March 9 this year when an eye-catching fourth at Tamworth in a 1200m race at $61. Resurfaced at Scone on June 25 winning a 1000m trial. Good draw, Grant Buckley rides, nice race for him. ANOTHER PEACH (9) has been blessed with what might be a 'winning draw'. She should do no work and thus have no excuses if she can't run up to her best from box three. Mack Griffith's local SILENT ACE (6) is a massive watch. Bet: Great Idea each-way ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ RACE 3: XXXX Cup (Bm82) 1400m LOCKDOWN GAMBLE (1) has won seven times with six placings in his 31 starts. He is of course trained here at Mudgee where his record at this track and trip is rather impressive; five runs, one win and two thirds. The win was in an 82 and the thirds were in the Mudgee Cup and the CDRA Championships Qualifier. ZULFIQAR (2) was scratched from the Midway at Rosehill to run here. Hasn't been far away his last two. MEDINAH (7) is a Mack Griffith-trained local whose own record at the Mudgee 1400m is almost faultless being three starts for two wins. FLORINO (3) should be very prominent in the run from that alley. Bet: Lockdown Gamble to win ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ RACE 4: Goree Super Mdn Hcp 1400m LAST LALIQUE (1) is a half-sister to stablemate Dollar Magic. This three-year-old daughter of Star Witness has raced three times so far for a fifth, a fourth and lastly a third, that one at Scone when closing off willingly. That was 1300m, this is 1400m. How perfect could it be. GHAZNAVI (5) remains winless after 16 starts but he has placed five times; two of them have been since he joined the Cameron Crockett. He does look to be getting close but we've said that before. BONNIE AND BRUCE (2) can figure. Bet: Last Lalique to win ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ RACE 5: Oriental Hotel (Bm66) 1200m CHICO CASINO (8) is a handy horse. The Dean Mirfin-trained four-year-old was an easy winner on debut at home. His record as it stands is 15 starts for two wins and nine seconds, four of them are seconds. We should also point out that he ran in the 2025 CDRA Qualifier and wasn't awful either. Drawn wide but has Aaron Bullock to assist. Stablemate DE FORERUNNER (1) has raced at Mudgee twice for a win and a third. He is the top-rater in the race which has to count for something and the trial was a beauty. GRINS (4), CHAMPERS GIRL (10) and VOIGNER (3) are in medal contention. Bet: Chico Casino to win, Daily Double 1st Leg 8, 2nd Leg 2 ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ RACE 6: Bisec Hcp (C1) 1200m RED SPECTOR (6) is one of the handful of progeny of Red Henno to have raced so far and all of them can gallop. None better, or faster, than this Jake Hull-trained three-year-old who was just so impressive when he won that 1205m maiden at Coffs Harbour on December 30. Brilliant again in his June 16 trial. PRESSNELL (2), the horse named in honour of the great man himself (Max) has his first run at Mudgee after some tidy efforts away from home. Has plenty of wins in him. WILD SENSATION (5) has drawn well and is in good shape off a recent second at Nowra. Bet: Red Spector to win, exacta 6 to beat 2, quinella 2, 6 ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ RACE 7: Wild Oats Country Boosted Hcp (C2) 1400m THE IMPECKABLE (2) sent out signs that a win was imminent when he came from well back at the 400m to finish third in a 1400m Benchmark 58 at Tamworth on June 16. That was second-up so it stands to logic that he should be at his peak now for this very suitable race. Gets Chad Lever, good draw and 1400m. PODCAST (3) wasn't too bad in his first Highway attempt at Rosehill on June 14. This is easier of course but made slightly harder than it could have been given a very wide draw, Still, he gets back anyway and has Aaron Bullock to help out. Bet: The Impeckable to win, quinella 2, 3
News.com.au
4 hours ago
- News.com.au
Flanno fumes at shocking forward pass call in Dragons' loss to Canberra
Dragons coach Shane Flanagan was left fuming at a controversial forward pass call that denied Tyrell Sloan a hat-trick and ultimately proved the difference in his side's 28-24 loss to the Raiders. Sloan scored a classy double, but he was denied the first try of the game for a forward pass from Moses Suli that, at worst, looked flat and, at best, was well backwards. FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every game of every round in the 2025 NRL Telstra Premiership, LIVE with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer > Flanagan believes his side should have won the game and would have won if Sloan's first try had stood. 'I'm not going to talk about the list of injuries or the players who we have got out, I'm talking about the players that were out there,' Flanagan said. 'Whoever puts that jersey on just goes out and does the job and they did that tonight and I thought we should have won. 'Lucky the rules are changing in relation to press conferences because I'd be paying a fine.' A journalist pressed Flanagan on whether he was referring to the forward pass call that denied Sloan's try. 'You know exactly what it's about, everyone knows it's there, what was there and it's tough,' Flanagan said. 'When you're a side flying high like the Raiders, you probably see that they get the bounce of the ball and they deserve it because they're at the top of the table. 'And when you're where we're at in the middle of the table sometimes you feel that you just don't get the rub of the green, so it's a tough one and in the end that's the difference.' Sloan has been given permission to talk with rival clubs, but Flanagan admitted he showed how good he can be against the Raiders. 'That's what we know he can do, speed and finishing,' Flanagan said. 'There was another little moment there where I would have liked him to tidy up, which resulted in a try to the opposition, but he showed some real class to score two tries.' In an awkward moment, Flanagan was pressed on the Raiders fans booing his son Kyle Flanagan during his goal kicking, which caught the Dragons coach off-guard. 'Never heard it. What would the crowd be booing Kyle for?' Flanagan asked. 'Just kicking the conversion early in the game, they were quite passionate,' the journalist replied. 'I think they do that, so good on them, it's going to happen everywhere,' Flanagan said. Despite the loss Flanagan believes his side can be proud of their effort against the competition leaders. 'We're a proud club, we have a strong group, Canberra are a good side and we fought back and we should have won without a doubt,' Flanagan said. 'I thought everyone stepped up. I thought everyone had some moments, we had some not so good ones and we had some really good ones and we put ourselves in the game.' The loss means the Dragons sit 11th and are two points outside the top eight, but Flanagan challenged his side to show consistency with their effort and commitment. 'If we had that attitude and that commitment week in and week out, we're going to win a lot more games on the way home,' Flanagan said. 'So they're number one and we just need to roll that commitment over. 'We had a good win last week, we came down here and play the competition leaders and as I said could have, should have, would have won. 'We didn't because of a few things and I respect Ricky and the Raiders, they hung in there and that's what good sides do. But we just got to stick at it for the rest of the year.'
ABC News
7 hours ago
- ABC News
Michael Maguire: "Welcome to Coaching!"
Brisbane made it 4 straight wins in the NRL in dramatic fashion to kick off round 18 fighting back from 18-0 down to win 22-18. This is right after 4 straight losses piled the pressure on coach Michael Maguire (25:16) But in response to being asked what he's done differently all Madge told Andrew Moore and the team was "Welcome to Coaching!". However he did say he's welcomed the return of Ezra Mam and still has more quality players to inject into his side. Also on Saturday NRL Luke Lewis and Billy Moore go head to head to discuss Origin 3 (2.46:04). You can also check in on the NSW Origin camp with Hudson Young (1.20:34) who explained that the Blues are getting even closer as a group on and off the field. From the Queensland camp Tom Dearden (1.36:58) explained what it like to prepare for a match when the series is on the line. And as part of the series looking back over the decades in Origin - Noel Cleal (2:15:59) joins Andrew to discuss the 1985 Blues win. You can also get all the latest Rugby League News - and speculation - in MC's Hammertime (46:48)
