Latest news with #Rabbitohs
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Souths cop massive new blow as grim news confirmed for Cody Walker's replacement
Souths coach Wayne Bennett may have to turn to English import Lewis Dodd to solve his halves crisis after fresh injuries for veteran Cody Walker and his likely replacement, Jayden Sullivan. The Rabbitohs were dealt a couple of massive new setbacks in a season that has already been cruelled by injuries to key players, with Walker suffering a fresh hamstring complaint in Saturday's loss to the Dolphins and Sullivan stretchered off while playing in the NSW Cup over the weekend. Walker has been plagued by injuries this season and had only just returned from a groin issue he picked up in the round 14 loss to the Raiders. But things went from bad to worse for the 35-year-old in Saturday night's 50-28 flogging by the Dolphins after he picked up a new hamstring injury while setting up a try for Tallis Duncan. The veteran playmaker tried to play on but eventually had to come from the field. The Rabbitohs star will undergo scans to determine the extent of the injury and how long he'll be sidelined for but it's another concerning development for the veteran. Walker also missed the start of the season with a hamstring injury, before spending another five games on the sidelines after tearing his calf, only to pick up the groin injury against the Raiders. Souths were reportedly close to extending Walker for one more season before his latest injury setback, but with the club legend's body continuing to fail him, it remains to be seen whether that will be the case. And Souths' injury crisis has worsened with the news Sullivan has been ruled out for the rest of the season after breaking his leg in the reserve grade clash against the Newtown Jets over the weekend. Sullivan would almost certainly have come into the Rabbitohs squad as Walker's replacement for Sunday's game against Manly. But he's now heading to hospital on Monday and will have to undergo surgery, leaving Bennett with yet another headache to try and solve at Souths. 🐰 INJURY WATCH: Jayden Sullivan had to be stretchered from the field in the NSW Cup. Looks like an ankle or leg injury @zerotackle — Ethan Lee Chalk (@EthanLeeChalk) June 29, 2025 Souths have lost halfback Jayden Sullivan for the remainder of the season after he suffered a broken leg in reserve grade over the MAIL 👉 — SuperCoach NRL (@SuperCoachNRL) June 29, 2025 With Walker and Sullivan both set to miss Sunday's away game against the Sea Eagles, Bennett may have few other options but to include Dodd, having consistently overlooked the English import this season. Dodd was signed last year before Bennett's return as coach was confirmed, and is on a deal worth around $650,000 per season. However, the Englishman's opportunities in the NRL have been few and far between, with Bennett preferring fellow recruit Jamie Humphreys and Walker as his first-choice halves. Sullivan has done a solid job filling in at No.6 for Walker when the veteran has been sidelined, with Jack Wighton and Latrell Mitchell even spending some time in the playmaking roles in the midst of the club's injury crisis. RELATED: Cobbo in major Broncos twist as Walsh handed QLD role for Origin 3 Sydney Roosters lose promising young halfback to Bulldogs Jeff Fenech speaks out amid daughter's big news with NRL star With Mitchell set to miss Sunday's game on Origin duty with the Blues though, Bennett could decide to turn to Wighton to fill the No.6 role, in what would be another blow to Dodd. It would mean a further reshuffle for the Rabbitohs' backline, with Isaiah Tass likely to earn a recall in the centres and Jye Gray to get another crack in the No.1 jersey, where he's impressed in the absence of Mitchell earlier this season.
Daily Mail
20 hours ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Woman reveals the moment a kick from one of the NRL's biggest stars accidentally left her with a bloodied nose
A woman has revealed footage of the dramatic moment she was accidentally struck in the face by a ball kicked by NRL star Latrell Mitchell over the weekend. The incident occurred during South Sydney's match against the Dolphins at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday, which saw the Fins storm home to win 50-28. Mackensie Woollett, 20, was barracking in the crowd with her friends and decided to take out her phone and film the fullback kicking for touch. Unfortunately for the footy fan, the ball struck her square in the face, leaving her very 'embarrassed' with a bloodied nose. The video clip was later posted to social media with the caption: 'POV: You're getting a video of the game, and about to cop a falcon.' Ms Woollett explained in the comments that she wasn't badly hurt during the incident. 'Guys I am okay,' she posted. 'Bit of blood but all was okay. Latrell gave me his kicking tee and apologised. This is so embarrassing. I can catch I promise.' One cheeky fan responded that it would help if she caught the ball with her hands instead of her face. Ms Woollett replied: 'I was looking through my camera like omg the quality is so good - such a good video and I didn't see the ball through the phone and next thing I'm p**sing out blood'. The fan's painful injury came as Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow delivered a fullback masterclass with a four-try haul in the big win. The No.1 ran amok in his 100th NRL game as the Dolphins reached 50 points for the third time in four games and consigned the Rabbitohs to a fifth straight loss. Halfback Isaiya Katoa had four try assists, while Tabuai-Fidow's display was timely on the day incumbent Queensland fullback Kalyn Ponga was ruled out of next Wednesday's State of Origin decider with a foot injury. Tabuai-Fidow played wing in the Maroons' series-levelling victory but, after 11 tries in nine Origin games on the flanks, has done all he can to show coach Billy Slater he's ready to wear the No.1. 'I know he'd do a great job,' Dolphins coach Kristian Woolf said of his man potentially wearing the Queensland No.1. 'But that wouldn''t have been his motivation tonight; he's just such a genuine guy I think he wasn't really happy with himself last week (in a loss to Newcastle). 'I could tell he wanted to make amends for that. Playing 100 games, coming off a loss, playing in front of his family - that's what he'd be concerned about.'
Sydney Morning Herald
a day ago
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
Politics and rugby league have been thrown into a blender
Why on earth the game is dabbling in the geo-politics of the region is anyone's guess. The PNG Board announced during the week looks very well-credentialed, so a big tick there. But there was a worrying moment when all league fans would have, or should have, cringed. Politicians specialise in bagging everything opposing politicians do. It's their modus operandi. They can't help themselves and always think every other side of politics has it wrong. Their brains are conditioned to babble on about how good they, and their initiatives are, while others, even ones that are good, aren't. A prime example came when Pat Conroy, the federal minister for Pacific Island affairs, spoke about the PNG team last week. Now, we're not making this up. He actually said: 'I want to ensure the taxpayers' timeline is on track (for 2028). 'When we get this project delivered through the huge investment of all three parties, this will make Penrith look like the minnows of rugby league. They will be made to look like Sydney Roosters juniors.' What a dribbler. The last thing rugby league needs is politicians immaturely sticking their bibs in after spending in excess of half a billion dollars of our money and then insulting the thousands upon thousands of volunteers and players who have built and nurtured the game from the ground up in districts like Penrith over decades and decades by saying 'we're going to be better than you'. A little tip for you minister – you're not. Grow up. Then we get to the latest chapter of the Book of Feuds between the Sydney Roosters and the South Sydney Rabbitohs. 'A bit like the chicken and the egg - what comes first, the revamped stadium to attract the tenant or the tenant to justify the revamp?' It goes like this. The Rabbitohs signed a long-term deal to play at Accor Stadium, but say they only signed the deal because they were promised by the then-Berejiklian government that the stadium would be revamped and a roof put on. But that plan lost out in the unedifying stadium wars which saw the Sydney Football Stadium bulldozed and replaced by the gleaming, yet roofless, Allianz, and Penrith get a new boutique beauty. South Sydney maintains they were told by the government they had to sign on to provide the stadium content, allowing the government to build the case for a rebuild. A bit like the chicken and the egg – what comes first, the revamped stadium to attract the tenant or the tenant to justify the revamp? In the end, the Rabbitohs were left hanging, while the Roosters got almost exclusive rugby league use of a billion-dollar taxpayer-funded asset. When the Rabbitohs told the government they felt as though they'd been dudded and would rather move to Allianz to get better service their fans and, more importantly, the corporates in state-of-the-art facilities, they were rebuffed. Time and again. The latest was by Premier Chris Minns himself, declaring Souths would not be let out of the contract. Both stadiums fall under the control of Venues NSW, which is in a bind. It needs 'content' at Accor to try and hold membership of that venue, while membership for the SCG precinct could sell out twice over. Maybe thrice. Leading the charge to block the Rabbitohs' move is Roosters chairman Nick Politis, who has put a land rights claim over the public property as the precinct has been the Roosters only home since 1908. It's a fair enough position, ideologically, but one which has a major problem. The club doesn't own the stadium. And it can't squat on it. The Rabbitohs' position is fair too, and if 'Stingy' Minnsy isn't going to fix Accor, he can't expect the Rabbitohs, and others, to fix his problem, which is that people are jack of going to matches at a stadium built to house athletics more than a quarter of a century ago. Fans love Allianz because it's a fantastic place to watch football. Purpose built. Brand new. Accor isn't. Try driving a brand-new Mercedes for a while and then jumping back into the old Falcon. Australia is desperately falling behind the world when it comes to world-class venues. Then again, we don't seem to be even able to build enough houses, let alone stadiums. Maybe minister Conroy and his government should spend more time working out where everyone is going to live as migration booms. His party wasn't voted in to bag its constituents.
The Age
a day ago
- Politics
- The Age
Politics and rugby league have been thrown into a blender
Why on earth the game is dabbling in the geo-politics of the region is anyone's guess. The PNG Board announced during the week looks very well-credentialed, so a big tick there. But there was a worrying moment when all league fans would have, or should have, cringed. Politicians specialise in bagging everything opposing politicians do. It's their modus operandi. They can't help themselves and always think every other side of politics has it wrong. Their brains are conditioned to babble on about how good they, and their initiatives are, while others, even ones that are good, aren't. A prime example came when Pat Conroy, the federal minister for Pacific Island affairs, spoke about the PNG team last week. Now, we're not making this up. He actually said: 'I want to ensure the taxpayers' timeline is on track (for 2028). 'When we get this project delivered through the huge investment of all three parties, this will make Penrith look like the minnows of rugby league. They will be made to look like Sydney Roosters juniors.' What a dribbler. The last thing rugby league needs is politicians immaturely sticking their bibs in after spending in excess of half a billion dollars of our money and then insulting the thousands upon thousands of volunteers and players who have built and nurtured the game from the ground up in districts like Penrith over decades and decades by saying 'we're going to be better than you'. A little tip for you minister – you're not. Grow up. Then we get to the latest chapter of the Book of Feuds between the Sydney Roosters and the South Sydney Rabbitohs. 'A bit like the chicken and the egg - what comes first, the revamped stadium to attract the tenant or the tenant to justify the revamp?' It goes like this. The Rabbitohs signed a long-term deal to play at Accor Stadium, but say they only signed the deal because they were promised by the then-Berejiklian government that the stadium would be revamped and a roof put on. But that plan lost out in the unedifying stadium wars which saw the Sydney Football Stadium bulldozed and replaced by the gleaming, yet roofless, Allianz, and Penrith get a new boutique beauty. South Sydney maintains they were told by the government they had to sign on to provide the stadium content, allowing the government to build the case for a rebuild. A bit like the chicken and the egg – what comes first, the revamped stadium to attract the tenant or the tenant to justify the revamp? In the end, the Rabbitohs were left hanging, while the Roosters got almost exclusive rugby league use of a billion-dollar taxpayer-funded asset. When the Rabbitohs told the government they felt as though they'd been dudded and would rather move to Allianz to get better service their fans and, more importantly, the corporates in state-of-the-art facilities, they were rebuffed. Time and again. The latest was by Premier Chris Minns himself, declaring Souths would not be let out of the contract. Both stadiums fall under the control of Venues NSW, which is in a bind. It needs 'content' at Accor to try and hold membership of that venue, while membership for the SCG precinct could sell out twice over. Maybe thrice. Leading the charge to block the Rabbitohs' move is Roosters chairman Nick Politis, who has put a land rights claim over the public property as the precinct has been the Roosters only home since 1908. It's a fair enough position, ideologically, but one which has a major problem. The club doesn't own the stadium. And it can't squat on it. The Rabbitohs' position is fair too, and if 'Stingy' Minnsy isn't going to fix Accor, he can't expect the Rabbitohs, and others, to fix his problem, which is that people are jack of going to matches at a stadium built to house athletics more than a quarter of a century ago. Fans love Allianz because it's a fantastic place to watch football. Purpose built. Brand new. Accor isn't. Try driving a brand-new Mercedes for a while and then jumping back into the old Falcon. Australia is desperately falling behind the world when it comes to world-class venues. Then again, we don't seem to be even able to build enough houses, let alone stadiums. Maybe minister Conroy and his government should spend more time working out where everyone is going to live as migration booms. His party wasn't voted in to bag its constituents.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Isaiya Katoa handed State of Origin honour as NSW get good news on injury front
Dolphins halfback Isaiya Katoa will reportedly be named in the extended squad for NSW for State of Origin 3 on Sunday night, a huge reward for his brilliant form in 2025. The is reporting that Katoa will be part of Laurie Daley's 20-player squad when it's named later on Sunday. The 21-year-old is little chance to play in the decider unless there's a late injury disaster, but Daley is said to be keen on getting him into camp and the Origin environment with an eye to the future. Katoa is viewed as Nathan Cleary's halfback successor for NSW, and could have a long career in the sky blue jersey. The youngster had another stellar game on Saturday night as the Dolphins thrashed the Rabbitohs 50-28, laying on three try assists and having a hand in everything. He's shown he wouldn't be overawed if called upon to play Origin in the near future. And while he's a Blue in waiting, he recently admitted he's spent plenty if time watching video of Queensland's greatest spine combinations. The Dolphins have cracked 50 points in three of their last four games, as well as a 44-8 hiding of the ladder-leading Bulldogs. "We have a spine meeting where our nine, six, seven and one come together," Katoa said after his man-of-the-match display against the Dragons in Round 14. "Some of the clips we look at are Cameron Smith, JT (Johnathan Thurston), Cooper Cronk and Billy Slater all connecting (for the Maroons). "The more they connected the more success their team had. We are trying to build that into our own games and still try to play to our individual strengths. It is a work in progress for us." Meanwhile, Jarome Luai has been cleared to take his place in the halves alongside Cleary for Game 3 in Sydney. Luai was ruled out of the Wests Tigers' loss to Manly on Friday night after a boil on his chest became infected. It required a stint in hospital, but he's no chance of missing the Origin decider. The Blues are reportedly happy to bring Luai into camp even if he's not ready to train, and would be fine with him not taking to the field in their first session on Wednesday. Tigers coach Benji Marshall painted an optimistic picture over Luai's health on Friday night, believing he could have played if the game was later in the weekend. "I am pretty sure he will be OK for NSW if they pick him," Marshall said. "He got an infection yesterday and didn't come to training. He said he was going to be all right to play. And then he went to hospital and had fevers and the infection got a lot worse. If it was another 24 or 48 hours Jarome would have been right to play. But he wasn't good for today." RELATED: Cobbo twist as Dolphins player makes immediate move to Roosters Stunning development for Billy Slater and family before Origin 3 Brian To'o's status is still up in the air after he picked up a knee injury on Thursday night, while Cleary got through the game unscathed despite still not goal-kicking due to a groin issue. For the Maroons, Valentine Holmes has been cleared of injury and will be available for the decider, despite picking up a cork to the leg in the Dragons' win on Saturday night. He didn't take the last two shots at goal, sending a scare through Billy Slater and Queensland officials.
