Latrell to Perth fixes the Bears and saves South Sydney from their own salary cap
Latrell to Perth fixes everybody’s problem
The Perth Bears need Latrell Mitchell and, frankly, Latrell might need Perth. The mail has the Bears preparing a big-money play, and it is the first recruitment move from them that carries genuine weight.
Latrell would immediately become the face of the club. When the new broadcast deal begins in 2028, the offer could reach $1.7 million, helped by the NRL changing the rules so its Perth club can access third-party money for a marquee player.
That is not loose change. It is an enormous investment, but expansion clubs cannot sneak into relevance. They need a player who commands the city, sells the club and gives opponents something to fear. Latrell does all three.
Perth could suit him, too. He escapes Sydney’s rat race by going to his farm, and in Western Australia he could buy outside the city and commute to training. He would still carry the club publicly without living every minute beneath Sydney’s suffocating glare.
I think it is a really smart move. Secure his commitment, settle the money and terms, then ask South Sydney whether they will release him early.
South cannot keep paying fullback money for a centre
South Sydney appear to have reached the obvious conclusion: this squad cannot win the competition without serious change. I think they are subtly and respectfully looking to move Latrell on, regardless of Wayne Bennett publicly saying he wants him there.
Bennett has always understood the brutal mathematics of winning. Sentiment does not balance a salary cap.
Latrell was recruited and paid as a marquee fullback. He now plays centre through no fault of his own, but the cap does not care whose fault it is. A left centre might see the ball once in a set, perhaps twice, while a fullback operates across the field and can be involved on basically every play.
That makes a centre earning about $1.2 million and playing 11 games a rotten piece of roster construction. Latrell still has an almighty impact when involved, but he does not receive enough ball on his side. South might retain him for next year, or they could use the space to chase Tom Dearden, Ezra Mam or an available fullback. I do not know who will be available. I know the current balance is wrong.
The Dolphins can blow the Roosters off the park
The Dolphins will win if this preliminary final becomes a shootout. They can score from anywhere, have produced 90-metre tries and possess the speed to punish one loose defensive read.
The Roosters have repaired their defence, but they also tend to mimic whatever an opponent brings. If the Dolphins open the game at full throttle, the Roosters will be tempted into trading punches. That is dangerous. Five of the past six meetings have produced at least 62 points, and the Dolphins were already slicing through the edges when they led 26-6 in the game in which Sam Walker was injured.
Walker’s return gives the Roosters more points than Hugo Savala, but the opening 10 to 15 minutes will set the terms. If it remains 0-0, 2-0 or 4-0, the Roosters can drag the Dolphins into a defensive grind and probably wear them down. If the scoreboard starts racing, the Dolphins have them.
The week off matters enormously. It clears the corks and soreness before a second week devoted entirely to team training. The Dolphins are playing their first finals series, but Kristian Woolf will not lose emotional control of them, while their squad contains Origin and international experience. The occasion will not break them.
Referee accountability has become public theatre
Ashley Klein made mistakes, but dumping a referee to satisfy an angry crowd is not accountability. It is theatre.
Klein showed a pattern of letting incidents go because he wanted the game to flow, and that approach came back to bite him. More missed or ignored moments emerged as the week continued, yet judging his entire performance through one or two decisions produces the wrong verdict. His game still looked far better than Adam Gee’s the previous week.
Isaah Yeo called Gee’s six-again interpretations weird. I have enormous respect for Yeo because he is measured, intelligent and does not throw around stupid comments. When he speaks that plainly, the game should listen.
I fear the new refereeing regime will increasingly adopt a simple policy: make one mistake and you are gone. Fans will cheer, while ignoring that a halfback can kick three balls into touch without being dropped. Coaches keep their best player and fix the mistake. Referees deserve the same rational treatment.
I am no Klein fan, but he controlled all three Origin games this year and did okay. The bloodlust has buried the detail.
Tedesco’s peers delivered the verdict that matters
James Tedesco’s sixth selection as the RLPA Dream Team fullback is a mighty achievement. Players alone cast those votes, and nobody understands an opponent’s danger better than the men forced to contain him.
Tedesco had to fight his way back into Origin and still produced a season his peers rated above every other fullback. That carries more weight than noise from outside the field.
Kurt Donoghoe was the real marvel of the side. He went from struggling as a halfback at Newcastle to becoming a ball-playing lock at the Dolphins who can fold opponents in defence. Recognition from other players is a huge feather in his cap.
Wayde Egan’s selection surprised me despite his good season, while Simi Sasagi undoubtedly benefited from playing well when many Raiders did not. He had a strong year, but with my life on the line I probably would not select him at centre. The players did, and their verdict deserves respect.
The players were stupid to disparage the Dally Ms in the past. Attacking the game’s highest individual honour only hurt them. Both awards should carry prestige.
Newcastle must turn emotion into scoreboard pressure
Newcastle can trouble Penrith, but only if they seize the game early. They are playing above themselves, much of it powered by emotion, and that fuel disappears quickly if they spend the opening exchanges defending their own line.
Their two finals victories were upsets, achieved despite losing core players including Trey Mooney, Daniel Saifiti and Dylan Lucas. They now have the worst completion rate of the four remaining teams, partly because their instinct is to move the ball rather than grind through conservative sets.
That risk gives them a chance against Penrith, who play differently. Newcastle must complete their early sets, establish field position and earn the freedom to shift the ball. Get in front and the emotion can carry them. Fall behind and the occasion becomes exhausting rather than inspiring.
This cannot become reckless hero football. The Knights need intelligence before adventure. They have already shown they can survive elimination pressure, and they can win again, but only through a strong start that turns belief into control.
