Penrith has criticised Paul Kent and Fox Sports, while the rest of the NRL seems to be distancing themselves from him and his court case. Kent pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to intentionally choking his ex-girlfriend after they broke up. Penrith is annoyed with Kent for questioning the club’s culture. Kent also linked the NRL to the charges he is facing. The NRL says that Kent’s comments about domestic violence were a matter for Fox Sports. Kent has stated that he has the support of his employers, and has not commented on the lack of response from Foxtel or the culture at Fox Sports.
Despite Paul Gallen‘s retirement, there are still talks about a possible fight with Sonny Bill Williams. Gallen had a chat with Stan executives, indicating a desire for the fight. However, SBW’s advisor Khoder Nasser believes that Gallen might not be genuine. There is a deal on the table with Stan that SBW has agreed to, but the sticking point is the money. Gallen wants an amount that he thinks should be a 50-50 split. SBW is a big name, but Gallen says he will do the leg work in terms of promotion.
Gallen recently went to South Australia to film a shark-diving segment for Channel Nine. Despite his hatred for Sharks and the seasickness, he made fishing expert and Cronulla great Andrew Ettingshausen drop tablets into the shark cage to counter the seasickness. Gal’s friends pointed out that the renowned miser didn’t pay for them.
Manly Immortal Bob Fulton passed away two years ago, and since then, his daughter Kristie has been shown the door by the club, while his son Scott left for an opportunity in recruitment at Wests Tigers. Word is, Bob’s other son, Brett, who was a junior coach, is on his way out too, leaving Scott’s son Zac as the last remaining Fulton at Sea Eagles. With the call to remove the Fultons from the club, it will be interesting to see what happens next as Zac has another year on his contract in 2024.
There have been whispers about Tim Sheens stepping back into a head of football role at Wests Tigers after finishing up this year as the first-grade coach. While his work ethic and football knowledge are unparalleled, his ability to relate to the playing group seems to be an issue for some of the players. The NewsCorp journalists-inspired appointment of Sheens has spent the first two winless months of the season distancing themselves from it as the Tigers experienced one issue after the next.
Josh Addo-Carr has been battling to regain his State of Origin jumper. He needs a vintage performance, and ironically, his ability to bounce back from his previous injury against Souths on April 7 might have been the telling moment in his comeback. Provided he pulls up well in the morning, he will get a chance to prove himself ahead of Origin I.
Jason Ryles is 50-50 about the head coach job at Dragons. He wants to shake things up for the club’s football department. He only wants to take the job if he can put his stamp on the club and team. Ryles wants assurances that he will have the support and authority to initiate change on a large scale. The Dragons made one significant mistake during the Anthony Griffin coaching saga by appointing him in the first place. While Griffin may have done a good job in charge of pathways, he was the wrong man for the top job.