The mystery rich-lister on stand-by to fly Matt Burton in for Origin duty
Not when the Bulldogs star was around for boots, mouthguard and a private plane owned by a 'good mate' worth a lazy $800 million just in case the Blues needed him for emergency duties once again.
Burton's bye week leading into Origin I was interrupted by clubmate Stephen Crichton's game one injury scare, when the Canterbury skipper was in doubt right up until game day.
Burton, who has taken the field twice for NSW since 2022 and been 18th man five times, was in his home town of Dubbo when the call came from Blues management.
If Crichton wasn't fit, South Sydney's Campbell Graham would be called in to debut. And if he could get to Brisbane, Burton would be 18th man with the chance to play if any further late dramas struck or a HIA was caused by foul play.
So he called Wes Maas – the Dubbo-raised one-time Rabbitoh, founder and majority owner of the Maas Group.
After two games with Souths in 2002, Maas took a $14,000 bank loan, a bobcat and a tip truck and started a $1.5 billion construction materials and equipment company – which has since seen the 45-year-old's estimated worth pegged at $814 million last year.
'There wasn't going to be a flight straight from Dubbo to Brisbane, they'd been booked up, and obviously you want to give Critta as much time as possible to be right,' Burton said after joining NSW camp, again as 18th man, for game two in Perth.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
5 hours ago
- News.com.au
Eels coach ‘clear' on Dylan Brown plans as rumours swirl
The Dragons and Rabbitohs' horror injury runs have both worsened, with fresh blows that are set to end a pair of superstar seasons. That is according to Code Sports, who report Latrell Mitchell suffered a quad injury at training on Thursday in what was his first day back after having a few days off. 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 > The NSW Origin star is absent for Souths' clash with the Panthers and isn't expected to return until Round 24 the earliest. And with the Rabbitohs' finals hopes all but dashed, coach Wayne Bennett just put a line through Mitchell for the remainder of the season. For the Red V, Valentine Holmes is set to go under the knife on a shoulder injury which will see him sidelined for six months. Elsewhere, Broncos young gun Blake Mozer is reportedly set to go under the knife on a shoulder injury, while also battling with a broken jaw suffered last weekend. According to Code Sports, the young gun will now eye a return in 2026, with his season over after battling with his shoulder problem throughout his 2025 campaign. Mozer is seen as one of the club's best up-and-coming talents, being handed an extension through to the end of the 2027 season despite not featuring in the NRL this year. Meanwhile, the Eels are set to welcome back their marquee man Mitch Moses next week. Coach Jason Ryles discussed Dylan Brown, who wasn't named in the 17 this week. But despite this, Ryles doesn't believe the five-eighth has played his final game for the club before he departs for the Knights at season's end. 'No, he hasn't, I don't think, but I don't have a crystal ball,' Ryles said. 'The option to use him again is certainly there … one thing's clear, he won't be playing Cup. He'll either be with us (in the NRL) or with no one.' While former Panthers player Mark Geyer said on 2GB earlier in the week the Eels had 'put their cue in the rack' by demoting Brown, Ryles dismissed that kind of talk on Friday. 'That's not true at all,' he said. 'Every time we go to training, we look to get better, and every time we go to play the game, we're competing hard every single play.' Regarding the team's other star half Ryles confirmed that Moses will be named for Parramatta's Round 21 clash against the Broncos next week. Moses has been sidelined with a syndesmosis injury and has only played in six NRL games this season. FRIDAY JULY 18 Penrith Panthers vs South Sydney Rabbitohs at CommBank Stadium, 8:00pm Panthers team: 1. Dylan Edwards 2. Thomas Jenkins 3. Paul Alamoti 4. Casey McLean 5. Brian To'o 6. Blaize Talagi 7. Brad Schneider 8. Moses Leota 9. Mitch Kenny 10. Lindsay Smith 11. Scott Sorensen 12. Luke Garner 13. Isaiah Papali'i 15. Liam Henry 16. Luron Patea 17. Matt Eisenhuth 18. Jack Cole. 18th man: 20. Mavrik Geyer Rabbitohs team: 2. Alex Johnston 3. Isaiah Tass 4. Tallis Duncan 11. Euan Aitken 5. Tyrone Munro 6. Jack Wighton 7. Jamie Humphreys 8. Tevita Tatola 9. Siliva Havili 10. Keaon Koloamatangi 12. Jacob Host 13. Jai Arrow 15. Lachlan Hubner 14. Peter Mamouzelos 16. Sean Keppie 17. Lewis Dodd 18. Liam Le Blanc. 18th man: 19. Thomas Fletcher SATURDAY JULY 19 Canberra Raiders vs Parramatta Eels at GIO Stadium, 3:00pm Raiders team: 1. Kaeo Weekes 2. Jed Stuart 3. Matthew Timoko 4. Sebastian Kris 5. Xavier Savage 6. Ethan Strange 7. Jamal Fogarty 8. Josh Papali'i 9. Tom Starling 10. Joseph Tapine 11. Hudson Young 12. Zac Hosking 13. Corey Horsburgh 14. Owen Pattie 15. Simi Sasagi 16. Morgan Smithies 17. Ata Mariota 18. Chevy Stewart 21. Danny Levi Eels team: 1. Isaiah Iongi 2. Zac Lomax 3. Bailey Simonsson 4. Sean Russell 5. Josh Addo-Carr 6. Joash Papali'i 7. Dean Hawkins 8. J'maine Hopgood 9. Ryley Smith 10. Junior Paulo 11. Charlie Guymer 12. Jack Williams 13. Dylan Walker 14. Tallyn Da Silva 15. Jordan Samrani 16. Matt Doorey 17. Sam Tuivaiti 18. Dylan Brown 19. Dan Keir Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs vs St George Illawarra Dragons at Accor Stadium, 5:30pm Bulldogs team: 1. Connor Tracey 2. Jacob Kiraz 3. Enari Tuala 4. Stephen Crichton 5. Jethro Rinakama 6. Matt Burton 7. Lachlan Galvin 8. Max King 9. Reed Mahoney 16. Josh Curran 11. Viliame Kikau 12. Jacob Preston 13. Jaeman Salmon 14. Kurt Mann 15. Harry Hayes 17. Bailey Hayward 19. Sitili Tupouniua 20. Blake Wilson 22. Kurtis Morrin Dragons team: 1. Clinton Gutherson 2. Tyrell Sloan 3. Moses Suli 18. Corey Allan 5. Sione Finau 6. Lyhkan King-Togia 7. Kyle Flanagan 8. Emre Guler 9. Damien Cook 10. David Klemmer 11. Luciano Leilua 12. Jaydn Su'A 13. Jack de Belin 14. Jacob Liddle 15. Blake Lawrie 16. Hamish Stewart 17. Michael Molo 19. Loko Jnr Pasifiki Tonga 22. Nicholas Tsougranis Melbourne Storm vs Manly Sea Eagles at AAMI Park, 7:35pm Storm team: 1. Nick Meaney 4. Grant Anderson 3. Jack Howarth 18. Joe Chan 5. Xavier Coates 6. Cameron Munster 7. Jahrome Hughes 15. Tui Kamikamica 9. Harry Grant 10. Josh King 11. Shawn Blore 12. Eliesa Katoa 13. Trent Loiero 8. Stefano Utoikamanu 14. Tyran Wishart 16. Nelson Asofa-Solomona 17. Ativalu Lisati 2. Kane Bradley 19. Bronson Garlick Sea Eagles team: 1. Lehi Hopoate 2. Jason Saab 3. Tolutau Koula 4. Tom Trbojevic 5. Reuben Garrick 6. Luke Brooks 7. Daly Cherry-Evans 8. Matthew Lodge 9. Jazz Tevaga 10. Siosiua Taukeiaho 11. Corey Waddell 12. Ben Trbojevic 13. Jake Trbojevic 14. Jake Simpkin 15. Tommy Talau 16. Ethan Bullemor 17. Toafofoa Sipley 18. Aaron Schoupp 20. Caleb Navale SUNDAY JULY 20 Wests Tigers vs Gold Coast Titans at Leichhardt Oval, 2:00pm Tigers team: 1. Sunia Turuva 2. Charlie Staines 3. Taylan May 4. Starford To'a 5. Jeral Skelton 6. Jarome Luai 7. Latu Fainu 8. Terrell May 9. Apisai Koroisau 10. Alex Twal 11. Alex Seyfarth 12. Tony Sukkar 13. Adam Doueihi 14. Tristan Hope 15. Sione Fainu 16. Fonua Pole 17. Jack Bird 18. Brent Naden 19. Heath Mason 20. Kit Laulilii 21. Luke Laulilii 22. Krystian Mapapalangi Titans team: 1. AJ Brimson 2. Jaylan De Groot 3. Brian Kelly 4. Jojo Fifita 5. Phillip Sami 6. Kieran Foran 7. Jayden Campbell 8. Moeaki Fotuaika 9. Sam Verrills 10. Reagan Campbell-Gillard 11. Chris Randall 12. Beau Fermor 13. Tino Fa'asuamaleaui 14. Alofiana Khan-Pereira 15. Jaimin Jolliffe 16. David Fifita 17. Klese Haas 18. Iszac Fa'asumaleaui 19. Jacob Alick-Wiencke 20. Arama Hau 21. Sean Mullany 22. Tom Weaver Newcastle Knights vs New Zealand Warriors at McDonald Jones Stadium, 4:05pm Knights team: 1. Dane Gagai 2. Dominic Young 3. Fletcher Hunt 4. Bradman Best 5. Greg Marzhew 6. Jackson Hastings 7. Jack Cogger 8. Jacob Saifiti 9. Jayden Brailey 10. Leo Thompson 11. Brodie Jones 12. Kai Pearce-Paul 13. Phoenix Crossland 14. Tyson Gamble 15. Mathew Croker 16. Tyson Frizell 17. Jermaine McEwen 18. Thomas Cant 19. James Schiller 20. Elijah Leaumoana 21. Jack Hetherington 22. Kyle McCarthy Warriors team: 1. Taine Tuaupiki 2. Dallin Watene-Zelezniak 3. Adam Pompey 4. Kurt Capewell 5. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck 6. Chanel Harris-Tavita 7. Tanah Boyd 8. James Fisher-Harris 9. Wayde Egan 10. Jackson Ford 11. Leka Halasima 12. Marata Niukore 13. Erin Clark 14. Te Maire Martin 15. Jacob Laban 16. Demitric Vaimauga 17. Tanner Stowers-Smith 18. Samuel Healey 20. Eddie Ieremia 21. Bunty Afoa 22. Ali Leiataua 23. Kayliss Fatialofa
Sydney Morning Herald
15 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Sam Konstas was a Boxing Day hero, today he can barely make a run. Where to now for cricket's golden boy?
'I think everything's up in the air at the moment,' former Australian Test captain Mark Taylor, who presented Konstas his baggy green on Boxing Day last year, told this masthead. 'That's for Sam and Usman [Khawaja] because they both haven't set the world on fire.' The numbers are jarring for a player nicknamed 'Pinter' — a pint-sized Punter (Ricky Ponting) — by some in NSW cricket circles. Scores of 60, 8, 23, 22, 3, 5, 25, 0, 17 and 0 leave Konstas with a Test average of 16.3 — the lowest ever by an Australian opener from as many innings. 'You can see the effects of Test cricket affected him mentally,' said former NSW and Australian wicketkeeper Brad Haddin. 'Test cricket's a tough place. Mentally, if things aren't going your way, there's nowhere to hide. His confidence would have taken a big hit.' How did it get to this point? Where to from here? 'We've got to be really, really careful,' said a former Australian cricketer, speaking on the condition of anonymity. 'He's such a young kid. I feel sorry for him.' A rapid rise and even sharper fall A little over 13 weeks before Konstas walked out to bat on Test debut at the Melbourne Cricket Ground against the best fast bowler on the planet, India's Jasprit Bumrah, he was bowled by a 15-year-old fourth grader in a Sydney Premier Cricket match. Konstas, playing for Sutherland's under-21s Poidevin-Gray team, had already blasted what ended up being a match-winning hundred, yet was dismissed by a young Northern Districts bowler by the name of Rubeindranath Gobinath. The anecdote isn't to crticise Konstas, but to highlight how quickly his star rose. Some believe that hundred, albeit against teenagers, kick-started his season. No one could have predicted he'd be playing for Australia by December. Professional sport is full of sliding door moments and Konstas had several late last year. Konstas was selected to bat at No.6 in a NSW trial match early last season. He then made 25 and 8 in a second XI game for NSW. Only when Steve Smith didn't return for NSW - Konstas thought Australia's No.4 was going to be playing the match - did the teenager get a start at the top of the order in the Sheffield Shield. He responded with twin hundreds at Cricket Central in Sydney and became the name on everyone's lips. Even then, had any number of more experienced found form - Cameron Bancroft, Marcus Harris or Matt Renshaw - Konstas probably wouldn't have debuted at the MCG. An audacious century at Manuka Oval in a Prime Minister's XI game against the touring Indians only added to the intrigue and hype. If Nathan McSweeney had made one reasonable score against India, Konstas wouldn't have played in Melbourne. He was brought in as a 'disruptor', in the words of head coach Andrew McDonald. Had one of Bumrah's seaming deliveries caught his edge on Boxing Day, his debut 60 would not have happened. 'It was not as if he made huge scores,' Taylor said. 'It was the fact he made the papers for a different reason. It gave him a spotlight he probably didn't need. 'Normally, you try and make your way in quietly and then assert your authority once you become a bit more of a senior player. That didn't happen to Sam. It's a lot to handle. I think he's now trying to, quite rightfully, backpedal a bit and settle into the side.' Haddin believes the uniqueness of the debut shaped perceptions. 'I think that might have played a role in the hype around what everyone expected in Test cricket,' Haddin said. 'I don't think we'll ever see a debut quite like that. What comes with that was a lot of outside pressure and expectations.' In October, Konstas became the third-youngest player to make centuries in both innings of a Shield game, behind Ponting and Archie Jackson. Then, his first-class average was 50.25. After another 28 first-class innings, it's now 30.34. 'I think he's still probably trying to work out exactly the right way to play,' Taylor said. 'He hasn't been helped [in the West Indies] by not being given a decent pitch to play a normal, orthodox innings.' Much has been made of conditions in the Caribbean. Australia anticipated dry wickets and the chance to play two spinners. Instead, all three surfaces — in Barbados, Grenada and Kingston — offered exaggerated seam movement. 'That cricket was borderline impossible to play at some stages,' Australian head coach Andrew McDonald said this week on SEN. According to data seen by the Australian team, the average seam movement in the third Test was 0.84 degrees, which is extreme. Of the 670 Test matches where data has been kept on ball movement, Australia's latest rout of the West Indies was the 15th most for seam in history. Konstas' strike rate for the series was 33.11 and he was caught between batting styles. 'If you look at the contrasting techniques of the way the openers went about it, some tried to nut it out, work hard and battle through. You end up making 20 off 100 balls and still nick one anyway,' Taylor said. 'I think Sam wasn't sure whether to try that method or try, dare I say it, the Boxing Day method and some different shots.' There have been other changes. Since becoming a household name, Konstas has increased his social media presence. 'I don't want to get distracted,' Konstas told in February last year at the under-19 Cricket World Cup. 'I don't really need it – I just try to live in the moment and not be glued to my phone.' Konstas now updates his Instagram regularly with brand endorsements and behind-the-scenes glimpses to his 286,000 followers. It would be difficult to not soak up the adulation and added attention. A shirtless walk down a Barbados beach sampling local fish burgers before the first Test went viral. According to those close to Konstas, he is still in good spirits and eager for a reset before the Sheffield Shield season. His demeanour on tour certainly did not change as the runs dried up. He worked hard in the nets, desperate to turn his fortunes around. It just didn't translate to the middle. Loading 'I think you can see at the end of the tour, it was all mental,' Haddin said. 'He's never been exposed to any pressure like this before. He wouldn't have gone on a run like this in any of his cricket, like in junior cricket, without being able to dominate an attack. 'What we've got to remember is the kid's 19. He's only had half a season of first-class cricket. This would have been a huge learning curve for him … which is a good thing. The learnings he'll take will be enormous.' What about the Ashes? Konstas received a strong endorsement from Ricky Ponting this week, who said he wouldn't change Australia's top three. 'I think he can make the Ashes,' Taylor said. 'He's a young fella. There's no doubt he'll be feeling down after the series, but Australia won 3-0. If he can make some runs in the first couple of Shield games, I think he still can play.'
The Age
15 hours ago
- The Age
Sam Konstas was a Boxing Day hero, today he can barely make a run. Where to now for cricket's golden boy?
'I think everything's up in the air at the moment,' former Australian Test captain Mark Taylor, who presented Konstas his baggy green on Boxing Day last year, told this masthead. 'That's for Sam and Usman [Khawaja] because they both haven't set the world on fire.' The numbers are jarring for a player nicknamed 'Pinter' — a pint-sized Punter (Ricky Ponting) — by some in NSW cricket circles. Scores of 60, 8, 23, 22, 3, 5, 25, 0, 17 and 0 leave Konstas with a Test average of 16.3 — the lowest ever by an Australian opener from as many innings. 'You can see the effects of Test cricket affected him mentally,' said former NSW and Australian wicketkeeper Brad Haddin. 'Test cricket's a tough place. Mentally, if things aren't going your way, there's nowhere to hide. His confidence would have taken a big hit.' How did it get to this point? Where to from here? 'We've got to be really, really careful,' said a former Australian cricketer, speaking on the condition of anonymity. 'He's such a young kid. I feel sorry for him.' A rapid rise and even sharper fall A little over 13 weeks before Konstas walked out to bat on Test debut at the Melbourne Cricket Ground against the best fast bowler on the planet, India's Jasprit Bumrah, he was bowled by a 15-year-old fourth grader in a Sydney Premier Cricket match. Konstas, playing for Sutherland's under-21s Poidevin-Gray team, had already blasted what ended up being a match-winning hundred, yet was dismissed by a young Northern Districts bowler by the name of Rubeindranath Gobinath. The anecdote isn't to crticise Konstas, but to highlight how quickly his star rose. Some believe that hundred, albeit against teenagers, kick-started his season. No one could have predicted he'd be playing for Australia by December. Professional sport is full of sliding door moments and Konstas had several late last year. Konstas was selected to bat at No.6 in a NSW trial match early last season. He then made 25 and 8 in a second XI game for NSW. Only when Steve Smith didn't return for NSW - Konstas thought Australia's No.4 was going to be playing the match - did the teenager get a start at the top of the order in the Sheffield Shield. He responded with twin hundreds at Cricket Central in Sydney and became the name on everyone's lips. Even then, had any number of more experienced found form - Cameron Bancroft, Marcus Harris or Matt Renshaw - Konstas probably wouldn't have debuted at the MCG. An audacious century at Manuka Oval in a Prime Minister's XI game against the touring Indians only added to the intrigue and hype. If Nathan McSweeney had made one reasonable score against India, Konstas wouldn't have played in Melbourne. He was brought in as a 'disruptor', in the words of head coach Andrew McDonald. Had one of Bumrah's seaming deliveries caught his edge on Boxing Day, his debut 60 would not have happened. 'It was not as if he made huge scores,' Taylor said. 'It was the fact he made the papers for a different reason. It gave him a spotlight he probably didn't need. 'Normally, you try and make your way in quietly and then assert your authority once you become a bit more of a senior player. That didn't happen to Sam. It's a lot to handle. I think he's now trying to, quite rightfully, backpedal a bit and settle into the side.' Haddin believes the uniqueness of the debut shaped perceptions. 'I think that might have played a role in the hype around what everyone expected in Test cricket,' Haddin said. 'I don't think we'll ever see a debut quite like that. What comes with that was a lot of outside pressure and expectations.' In October, Konstas became the third-youngest player to make centuries in both innings of a Shield game, behind Ponting and Archie Jackson. Then, his first-class average was 50.25. After another 28 first-class innings, it's now 30.34. 'I think he's still probably trying to work out exactly the right way to play,' Taylor said. 'He hasn't been helped [in the West Indies] by not being given a decent pitch to play a normal, orthodox innings.' Much has been made of conditions in the Caribbean. Australia anticipated dry wickets and the chance to play two spinners. Instead, all three surfaces — in Barbados, Grenada and Kingston — offered exaggerated seam movement. 'That cricket was borderline impossible to play at some stages,' Australian head coach Andrew McDonald said this week on SEN. According to data seen by the Australian team, the average seam movement in the third Test was 0.84 degrees, which is extreme. Of the 670 Test matches where data has been kept on ball movement, Australia's latest rout of the West Indies was the 15th most for seam in history. Konstas' strike rate for the series was 33.11 and he was caught between batting styles. 'If you look at the contrasting techniques of the way the openers went about it, some tried to nut it out, work hard and battle through. You end up making 20 off 100 balls and still nick one anyway,' Taylor said. 'I think Sam wasn't sure whether to try that method or try, dare I say it, the Boxing Day method and some different shots.' There have been other changes. Since becoming a household name, Konstas has increased his social media presence. 'I don't want to get distracted,' Konstas told in February last year at the under-19 Cricket World Cup. 'I don't really need it – I just try to live in the moment and not be glued to my phone.' Konstas now updates his Instagram regularly with brand endorsements and behind-the-scenes glimpses to his 286,000 followers. It would be difficult to not soak up the adulation and added attention. A shirtless walk down a Barbados beach sampling local fish burgers before the first Test went viral. According to those close to Konstas, he is still in good spirits and eager for a reset before the Sheffield Shield season. His demeanour on tour certainly did not change as the runs dried up. He worked hard in the nets, desperate to turn his fortunes around. It just didn't translate to the middle. Loading 'I think you can see at the end of the tour, it was all mental,' Haddin said. 'He's never been exposed to any pressure like this before. He wouldn't have gone on a run like this in any of his cricket, like in junior cricket, without being able to dominate an attack. 'What we've got to remember is the kid's 19. He's only had half a season of first-class cricket. This would have been a huge learning curve for him … which is a good thing. The learnings he'll take will be enormous.' What about the Ashes? Konstas received a strong endorsement from Ricky Ponting this week, who said he wouldn't change Australia's top three. 'I think he can make the Ashes,' Taylor said. 'He's a young fella. There's no doubt he'll be feeling down after the series, but Australia won 3-0. If he can make some runs in the first couple of Shield games, I think he still can play.'
