Parramatta should punish Addo-Carr, not abandon him

Parramatta should punish Addo-Carr, not abandon him

Parramatta should retain Josh Addo-Carr, provided he confronts what he has done and accepts a substantial punishment. He returned a positive roadside drug test, his B sample remains pending, he must go to court and he is currently in rehabilitation. This is his second offence and he could have put people in danger. There can be no sugar-coating any of that.

But rehabilitation is supposed to mean something. I’ve walked a similarly difficult road and know it is bloody hard, which is why I don’t believe tearing up his contract is automatically the strong decision. Sometimes it is merely the easiest one.

Addo-Carr has been a popular leader in a young Parramatta group, a match-winner and an overwhelmingly positive presence throughout his career. None of that excuses his conduct; it explains why he may still be worth saving. Parramatta are also approaching a decision on their next chief executive, whose first major call will be whether Addo-Carr remains in blue and gold.

He has only himself to blame and must wear the consequences. He should not, however, be lost to rugby league.

Luai is the Tigers’ worst financial signing

Jarome Luai is the worst signing in Wests Tigers history from a financial point of view, and his absence from the awards night was the final grubby optic in a relationship that has become toxic.

Luai was paid $1.2 million last year and another $1.2 million this season, while the Tigers will contribute $500,000 for him to join fierce rival Parramatta next year. In return, they have slipped from 13th to 15th. Yes, they won five of their opening seven games and Luai lifted training standards and helped recruitment, but elite contracts are ultimately judged by results, not testimonials.

He was in Samoa promoting the Rugby League World Cup when Alex Twal won the Kelly Barnes Medal and Api Koroisau collected the players’ player award. Luai loves Samoa and will be integral to its World Cup involvement, but he was also the Tigers’ co-captain. Turning up, or at least properly acknowledging Twal, was the minimum mark of respect.

The way I heard it, his earlier third-party trip was also undertaken without the Tigers knowing. Benji Marshall defended Luai fiercely, yet Luai badly let him down. The Tigers mishandled plenty themselves, but the final ledger is ugly: enormous money, regression and a $500,000 farewell gift.

The Dolphins cannot let escort walls decide a final

The NRL must crack down on escort walls before one decides a preliminary final or grand final. Jack Bostock is arguably the game’s premier aerial threat when Isaiah Katoa sends the ball skyward, yet the Warriors repeatedly built walls around their catchers and prevented him competing.

Kristian Woolf has contacted the NRL and demanded action, and he is right. Referees have an almost impossible job monitoring the kick chase, the offside line and bodies moving at speed, but that is precisely why the bunker must intervene when an escort is blatant. Protecting the catcher is one thing; manufacturing a human barricade is another.

The Dolphins’ victory also reinforced the importance of retaining their elite outside backs. The Hammer and Herbie Farnworth won the defining moments before Bostock joined the party, while Morgan Knowles has been one of the season’s unsung recruits and Kurt Donoghoe remains a dangerous, ball-playing jack-in-the-box through the middle.

Farnworth is the contract to watch. He has had all season to re-sign and hasn’t, and I reckon he would have done so by now if staying were straightforward.

Don’t rush Walker back into a functioning Roosters spine

The Roosters should not rush Sam Walker back simply because September creates panic. He is already running less than three weeks after ankle surgery, but he was not named in the 22-man squad and Hugo Savala played well against Penrith, particularly with a kicking game that relieved pressure on his senior half.

Penrith strangled the Roosters with line speed and defensive pressure, while Dylan Edwards outplayed James Tedesco and must be the Kangaroos fullback on that performance. The Roosters were on the back foot for much of the afternoon, yet they will improve from being forced to survive that sort of examination.

Angus Crichton’s return is significant against Cronulla, as is the front-row collision between Naufahu Whyte and Addin Fonua-Blake. Cronulla have lost twice to the Roosters this season and have not improved enough over the past eight to 10 weeks. I think the Roosters win comfortably because their power game will create the time their dummy halves need.

The Warriors will survive Newcastle — but not Penrith

The Warriors will beat Newcastle, but their vulnerable edges and conservative football will bring them undone against Penrith a week later.

Their edges have been shaky for the final month, and once one opponent exposed the weakness every other club copied the blueprint. The Dolphins attacked it ruthlessly, while the Warriors’ pack failed to generate its usual momentum and Erin Clark, Wayde Egan and the halves all had quieter games. Tua Piki was their best player, but the team looked frustrated and too willing to protect a lead through penalty goals.

They have also lost Jackson Ford, while my mail is the forward who injured his hamstring in last week’s warm-up is unlikely to play. DWZ is a much better chance.

I’m not writing the Warriors off against Newcastle because they have too much class and should be properly switched on after last week’s jolt. But Newcastle will test players who have not faced this level of pressure, and Penrith will expose any side still trying to rediscover its nerve in real time.