Brian Smith deserved better than this
Brian Smith’s death is a terribly sad story, made worse by the speed with which the cancer apparently took him. My understanding is he was only told recently that it was aggressive, and it grabbed him before he could really act.
He was still young in many ways, looked after himself and was a good bloke. He came from the Wallabies with enormous potential, played for Balmain and had a really good season at the Roosters, but his arrival at Balmain also dropped him into the circus of Alan Jones.
One training session ended after a perfect set from the kick-off because Jones declared nobody could improve on it. His grand attacking plan was equally wild: Smith would kick into the corner for Darren Clark, the so-called fastest white man in the world, to chase. It didn’t work, but it remains pure rugby league folklore.
Condolences belong with Smith’s family, former teammates and the wider game. His death is also a blunt reminder: the Australian government provides a free bowel cancer test. Use it.
The Roosters have invited trouble with Walker
I’m with Sam Walker. The Roosters delayed while they questioned whether he could deliver a premiership and handle the biggest games, then watched him tear through Origin and prove he is the playmaker who can lead their future.
Now a four-year, $5 million deal has stalled, with talks put on hold until after the season. That averages $1.25 million, would apparently rise each year and therefore start lower, while Walker is already earning $1 million. Against a salary cap being discussed at $20 million within a few years — and possibly even $23 million or $24 million — that is hardly a king’s ransom.
I think the pause is designed to stop negotiations disrupting the finals, but November 1 lands during the World Cup and the Chiefs can legally negotiate then. Walker will probably be in Australia’s squad, although I don’t expect him to start ahead of Nathan Cleary, and any smart manager will wait to discover what Papua New Guinea puts down.
Forget Brisbane. I think that link was sentimental and their halves money has already been spent. I’ve heard nothing concrete about Canterbury, while the Titans have marquee money but don’t look the destination Walker wants. The real danger is the Chiefs.
The Chiefs have shattered the parity myth
The salary cap no longer equalises anything. The Chiefs can offer tax-free money, which means an $800,000 contract there leaves a player vastly better off than the same $800,000 at Penrith, without costing a greater percentage of the club’s cap.
Brian To’o is going. Nathan Cleary has delayed his Penrith negotiations until after the finals and, because Penrith has not released him to negotiate, must wait until November 1 to hear the Chiefs’ pitch. I believe he wants to see their offer, which will be enormous, tax-free and bigger than the deal offered to Jarome Luai. If Cleary stays, Walker has always been the fallback.
James Fisher-Harris has already illustrated the punishment, while Cleary and Isaah Yeo are among the key players coming off contract after next season.
Canberra face the same ambush with Hudson Young. They found him in Newcastle’s system, paid overs early, supported him and developed him, just as they did with Joseph Tapine and Ethan Strange. Now the Chiefs have reportedly targeted Young and I cannot see how Canberra compete. Once the Chiefs nominate their man, I reckon the fight is almost over.
They will also carry brutal expectations. Two years may be too quick, but failure to win a premiership within five years would be abject.
Horsburgh and Canberra are finished
Corey Horsburgh needs to leave Canberra because the relationship has run its race. The Raiders have given him permission to negotiate despite his contract covering next season, and I think he will go because his relationship with Ricky Stuart sounds untenable.
The Bears move still needs a satisfactory offer for Horsburgh and an agreement over how much Canberra subsidises, but neither side has any appetite to continue. That usually gets a deal done.
Horsburgh is tough, passionate and State of Origin quality, exactly the sort of player the Bears need. His hot temper remains the challenge, but I reckon Mal Meninga will be a very good influence because his criticism lands differently. Meninga has presence, authority and a way with footballers. Horsburgh should flourish under him.
Hull is the right final chapter for Cherry-Evans
Daly Cherry-Evans should take the Hull FC opportunity and finish his playing career properly. He is talking to Hull, has not slowed down and could probably squeeze out another season without diminishing the quality of his football.
The Roosters, however, likely need his salary-cap space, particularly while Walker’s future remains unresolved. Cherry-Evans has a coaching job available there if he stays next year and retires, but I expect he will play one season in England and probably return to join the Roosters’ coaching staff afterwards.
He will not make the money in England that he once might have because its salary caps have plummeted. So what? Careers should contain experiences, not merely transactions, and one final campaign abroad is a better ending than sitting in a tracksuit wondering whether he retired too soon.
Keep the Grand Final in Sydney
Moving the 2028 Grand Final because the Pope is visiting would be naked opportunism. Sydney is big enough to stage rugby league in one part of the city and a papal event in another, and almost nobody will be agonising over which one to attend.
My understanding is the NRL signed a 20-year agreement with the New South Wales government. The Grand Final is contracted there. The deal is done.
Western Australia has offered $20 million, while Brisbane, Melbourne and a New Zealand city have all pushed themselves forward. It is political chest-beating dressed up as event strategy, although the NRL is talking it up and may be tempted if another bidder throws down even more money.
Don’t do it. Rugby league cannot keep prostituting its biggest occasions whenever a government waves a cheque, particularly after binding itself to an agreement. Not everything should be for sale.
