Latest news with #BenjiMarshall
News.com.au
12 hours ago
- Sport
- News.com.au
Jarome Luai makes Tigers call just 48 hours after wild Origin return
Jarome Luai remains a strong chance of backing up just 48 hours after Wednesday's State of Origin match in Perth for the Wests Tigers against the Raiders on Friday night. Luai was a late inclusion for the Blues after Mitchell Moses went down at training last week, with the four-time premiership winner heading to Leura last Thursday and then flying out with his NSW teammates to the other side of the country. FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every game of every round in the 2025 NRL Telstra Premiership, LIVE with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer. He got through the 26-24 loss unscathed and avoided a ban for an alleged eye gouge and now wants to back up against Canberra as the Tigers look to stay in touch with the top eight. 'I'll tell you exactly the conversation,' Tigers coach Benji Marshall replied when asked if Luai would play after he set up a couple of tries but also had a few errors in the narrow NSW loss. 'I said 'how'd you pull up?' and he goes 'I'm good to go, coach, put me in'. 'You've got to trust your senior players, but at the same time we'll get a medical done on him tonight when he gets back, massage, and see how he pulls up tomorrow. 'We've got back-up options if he doesn't play and we've prepared all week like he's not going to play. If he does play, it's a bonus. 'He's pulled up pretty well, apparently. We'll touch base tonight, but at the moment he's playing. 'I thought he had a lot of good moments with their tries. In the second half I thought he set up a lot of good play on their left edge. I reckon if they went there another time they probably could've jagged it at the end.' Marshall was worried that the decision would be taken out of his hands after Luai was placed on report for an alleged eye gouge on Reuben Cotter, but he escaped with a small fine after being hit with a grade 2 contrary conduct charge. Watch video of the incident with Cotter below 'I was (worried that he'd be banned) but I don't have to worry anymore. He got a fine, so he'll be right to play,' the coach said. 'You just don't know, I don't think it was intentional what he did. Anyway, that's not up to me anymore, that's been dealt with, he got a fine, it is what it is and we move on.' The Tigers have options if Luai is unable to play after a hectic few weeks where he had to deal with the pain of missing out on selection, only to be rushed in on short notice just hours after a brutal training session with the Tigers. 'I felt a bit sorry for him because we flogged him on Thursday because we had the bye and put a lot of fitness work into him,' Marshall said. 'He wanted some extra stuff to get fitter again and then he got called into camp. But professional athletes, it is what it is. You want to play at the highest level. 'He was hurting not to make Game 1, so to be back in there would've been a dream come true for him.' If Luai is ruled out, Latu Fainu will likely come into the halves to partner Heath Mason, who was elevated to the top 30 squad and signed an extension on Wednesday. Marshall has been thrilled with Mason's progression since replacing Lachlan Galvin but sees Fainu as the club's long-term option at halfback. 'Heath is such a pleasure to coach. He's a really good kid who comes from a good family and there are no dramas at all with the way that he does his work. He trains really hard and wants to learn,' he said. 'He played fullback a lot, so we've thrown him into a position that's probably unfamiliar to him. What I like about what he's done there is that he hasn't tried to overplay his hand or play like anyone else – he just uses his strengths. 'His story has been great and he deserves his upgrade and extension. 'Heath is a guy that everyone loves in the team and everything he's got has come from hard work. That's the type of player we want in our team and the type of player we want to build our team around. 'If you look at our roster, we've got young Latu Fainu, who is not far off from getting a real good opportunity in the halves and is probably our long-term option there. 'He just needs a little more match fitness coming back from his hamstring injury for him to play 80 minutes.' The Tigers, who are sitting 14th on the ladder, face the second-placed Raiders at Campbelltown Stadium from 8pm on Friday night.
News.com.au
a day ago
- Sport
- News.com.au
‘Put me in': Jarome Luai tells Benji Marshall he wants to play just 48 hours after wild Origin return
Wests Tigers halfback Jarome Luai remains a strong chance of backing up just 48 hours after Wednesday's State of Origin match in Perth after he sent a message to coach Benji Marshall simply telling him to 'put me in' for the game against Canberra. Luai was a late inclusion for the Blues after Mitchell Moses went down at training last week, with the four-time premiership winner heading to Leura last Thursday and then flying out with his NSW teammates to the other side of the country. He got through the 26-24 loss unscathed and avoided a ban for an alleged eye gouge and now wants to back up against Canberra as the Tigers look to stay in touch with the top eight. 'I'll tell you exactly the conversation,' Marshall replied when asked if Luai would play after he set up a couple of tries but also had a few errors in the narrow loss. 'I said 'How'd you pull up?' and he goes, 'I'm good to go, coach, put me in'. 'You've got to trust your senior players, but at the same time we'll get a medical done on him tonight when he gets back, massage, and see how he pulls up tomorrow. 'We've got back-up options if he doesn't play and we've prepared all week like he's not going to play. If he does play, it's a bonus. 'He's pulled up pretty well, apparently. They land at 6 o'clock tonight, so we'll touch base tonight, but at the moment he's playing. 'I thought he had a lot of good moments with their tries. In the second half I thought he set up a lot of good play on their left edge. I reckon if they went there another time they probably could've jagged it at the end.' Marshall was worried that the decision would be taken out of his hands after Luai was placed on report for an alleged eye gouge on Reuben Cotter, but he escaped with a small fine after being hit with a grade 2 contrary conduct charge. 'I was (worried that he'd be banned) but I don't have to worry anymore. He got a fine, so he'll be right to play,' the coach said. 'You just don't know, I don't think it was intentional what he did. Anyway, that's not up to me anymore, that's been dealt with, he got a fine, it is what it is, and we move on.' The Tigers have options if Luai is unable to play after a hectic few weeks where he had to deal with the pain of missing out on selection, only to be rushed in on short notice just hours after a brutal training session with the Tigers. 'I felt a bit sorry for him because we flogged him on Thursday because we had the bye and put a lot of fitness work into him,' Marshall said. 'He wanted some extra stuff to get fitter again and then he got called into camp. But professional athletes, it is what it is. You want to play at the highest level. 'He was hurting not to make game 1, so to be back in there would've been a dream come true for him.' If Luai is ruled out, then Latu Fainu will likely come into the halves to partner Heath Mason, who was elevated to the top 30 squad and signed an extension on Wednesday. Marshall has been thrilled with Mason's progression since replacing Lachlan Galvin but sees Fainu as the club's long-term option at halfback. 'Heath is such a pleasure to coach. He's a really good kid who comes from a good family and there are no dramas at all with the way that he does his work. He trains really hard and wants to learn,' he said. 'He played fullback a lot, so we've thrown him into a position that's probably unfamiliar to him. What I like about what he's done there is that he hasn't tried to overplay his hand or play like anyone else – he just uses his strengths. 'His story has been great and he deserves his upgrade and extension. 'Heath is a guy that everyone loves in the team, and everything he's got has come from hard work. That's the type of player we want in our team and the type of player we want to build our team around. 'If you look at our roster, we've got young Latu Fainu, who is not far off from getting a real good opportunity in the halves and is probably our long-term option there. 'He just needs a little more match fitness coming back from his hamstring injury for him to play 80 minutes.'
News.com.au
4 days ago
- Sport
- News.com.au
Adam Reynolds reveals why he made incredible $1m sacrifice
Broncos veteran Adam Reynolds revealed he was tempted to join the Wests Tigers but ultimately decided to sacrifice $1m to do what is best for his family. The 34-year-old is set to sign a one-year extension to remain in Red Hill in 2026 worth around $500,000 a year, with a plan in place for the experienced halfback to then join the club's coaching ranks. FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every game of every round in the 2025 NRL Telstra Premiership, LIVE with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer. But the star could have instead opted to head back to Sydney, where Benji Marshall's Tigers tabled a monster two-year deal worth around $750,000 a season. Explaining his decision to turn his back on the more lucrative offer, Reynolds said he couldn't have asked his young family to pack up and move again and also couldn't stomach leaving them for several months of the year to live in Sydney. 'Yes, I was seriously tempted,' Reynolds said speaking of his decision to remain in Brisbane with his wife Tallara and their four kids – aged 15, 14, 10 and 7. 'Benji is a great coach, I've always had a lot of time for him – I idolised him as a player when I was growing up. 'But at the end of the day, family is the most important thing, and if I did leave for Sydney, it would have been without the family, and that was going to be too hard. 'The Tigers have a great spine, and I spoke to Benji about how me and Jarome (Luai) could have worked. 'He's an instinctive player who brings a lot of energy and plays off the cuff, while I'm that organising half. The biggest thing for me was I believed I could have added a lot to that team.' Reynolds said ultimately 'no amount of money could have changed my mind' when it came to separating from his family. The halfback admitted earlier this year that his family initially struggled with the move from Sydney to Brisbane when he joined from the Rabbitohs in 2022, but says they have since become settled. 'We wanted a lifestyle change,' Reynolds told the Courier Mail in February. 'We wanted a big house with a big yard for the kids and the dogs, somewhere they could run around. 'To be honest, it was tough at first to leave all we had known, all our Sydney friends and family, and the kids were a bit nervous about leaving old friends at school, not knowing anyone. But from the moment we announced we were coming up, everyone just took us in. 'It's been a great move, we have felt very welcomed here, the people we've met and the relationships we've made, and the kids absolutely love it here. 'They don't want to go back to Sydney. They call Brisbane home now and so do we. We feel very happy with the call we made.'
Daily Telegraph
4 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Telegraph
2025 Langer Trophy live stream: Keebra Park SHS v Wavell SHS, Round 3
Don't miss out on the headlines from Rugby League Live Stream. Followed categories will be added to My News. It has been more than 20 years since a touch football phenom lit up the back ovals of Keebra Park State High School, leaving a trail of broken ankles in his wake. His name was Benji Marshall – a sidestepping freak of nature that made Keebra Park must-watch TV in the run to the old Arrive Alive Cup's national finals. Now, 22 years later, Benji's heir apparent may have arrived on the Gold Coast. His name is David Bryenton and two dizzying tries against Mabel Park last week – one scored himself, the other served up on a platter for winger Christopher Vaimili – has ignited fresh debate over whether Marshall will go down as the sickest 'stepper to emerge from Keebra Park. Keebra Park fullback David Bryenton has created havoc for defenders in the Langer Trophy. Picture Glenn Hampson School coach Peter Norman wisely will not fan the flame of comparison but is happy to let the KommunityTV audience judge for itself at 5pm on Tuesday. Keebra Park will clash with Wavell State High in the Langer Trohpy, with the double header action, which includes the Walters Cup, exclusively live streamed on KommunityTV. 'I'm not going to go on record saying David has the best footwork I've ever seen, but he is special,' Norman said. 'I don't want to heap pressure on the kid by drawing comparisons to Benji, but you can see that yourself. 'I'm super confident that even if wanted to do touch on the side of football that he'd walk into the Australian touch team.' Keebra fullback David Bryenton could 'walk into the Australian touch team'. Picture Glenn Hampson It's high praise because Norman is a current Australian touch football representative himself. The honour roll of touch stars to graduate to NRL stardom includes Kalyn Ponga, AJ Brimson, Matt Moylan, Shaun Johnston, Jayden Campbell, Ryan Papenhuyzen and the trailblazing Keebra product Marshall. 'Benji Marshall was the OG (original) to come through touch football at Keebra Park and he had an outstanding career in the NRL. Just about anyone who is that 'x-factor' guy in the NRL these days has come through a touch background,' Norman said. Benji Marshall during his schooling days at Keebra Park State High. Marshall debuted in the NRL while still at the school. Picture: Adam Ward 'It's just the speed of the game. Touch is a lot faster than rugby league so it expedites decision making and execution of skill. You come back to rugby league from playing touch and it feels like everything's happening in slow motion.' Perhaps that is why the Bulldogs-contracted full-back's untouchable left-foot step has led Keebra Park to the top of the Langer Trophy ladder after two weeks. The Blue Wall's unbeaten record will face its sternest test yet with Wavell State High School's own sidestepping expert Charlie Webb at halfback. Originally published as 2025 Langer Trophy live stream: Keebra Park SHS v Wavell SHS, Round 3
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Family detail emerges as Adam Reynolds delivers $1m dagger to Tigers in Broncos call
Adam Reynolds is reportedly set to reject the Wests Tigers and knock back around $1 million by committing his NRL future to the Brisbane Broncos. Reynolds' manager revealed to that the veteran's family - who are settled in Brisbane - are central to the decision and that they hope to finalise his new deal with the Broncos in the coming days. The same report says the Tigers tried to lure the former Rabbitohs great back to Sydney with a two-year package worth around $1.5 million. But it's understood Reynolds has decided to extend his stay in Brisbane and finish his career at the Broncos after agreeing a one-year extension for the 2026 season. Salary cap constraints meant Brisbane could not budge on their one-year offer for Reynolds, who could have locked down an extra year and considerably more money if he chose to join Benji Marshall's Tigers. But in a stunning demonstration of his loyalty to the Broncos, the 34-year-old is willing to leave close to $1 million on the table to commit his future to Michael Maguire's side. Reynolds' new deal is expected to include post-career job opportunities with the Broncos when the former premiership winner does hang up the boots. It looms as the final step to be negotiated between the club and Reynolds' manager Steve Gillis before his extension is rubber-stamped. Gillis told The Courier Mail that Reynolds is keen to remain in Brisbane where his wife and four kids are settled. If the champion halfback did decide to join the Tigers it would likely have seen him relocate to Sydney without them. Reynolds was understandably reluctant to do that but his decision is a blow to the Tigers' hopes of pairing the halfback with Jarome Luai in the halves next season after letting Lachie Galvin leave to join the Bulldogs. 'Adam wants to finish his career at Brisbane,' Gillis told . 'His family is settled there, so that's what we are working towards.' Reynolds signalled his intention to remain in Brisbane earlier this month, despite admitting he did not want it to come at the expense of teammates who the Broncos might not be able to keep hold of as well. It comes after The Courier Mail reported that Brisbane were "prepared to offload several off-contract top-liners to table a new deal for their skipper." Reynolds addressed his future at the time by saying: "I'm pretty confident that everyone can stay at the club. "I feel like the club's in a great position to achieve some success and obviously I want to be a part of that. I want all the younger boys to be a part of that. I don't think me staying forces anyone out and if it does, that's not what I mean to do." RELATED: NRL 'robbery' leaves fans incensed amid fresh fears for Roosters star Fans rage over 'ridiculous' Bunker drama amid star's horror blow Calls for immediate change amid apparent NSW rule breach Brisbane legend Darren Lockyer previously suggested that the club might struggle to hang onto all their stars due to a salary cap squeeze. The $5 million extension of Reece Walsh and the added deals of Ezra Mam and Patrick Carrigan have taken up a solid portion of the Broncos' cap. They are also in the process of extending Payne Haas beyond his current $1.1 million a season salary. Gun centre Kotoni Staggs is also in advanced negotiations to re-sign with the Broncos on a multi-million dollar deal, while there is speculation off-contract starSelwyn Cobbo could be on the move because the side can't offer him more money. Cobbo is understood to be keen to play fullback and could fetch more than $900,000 per season on the open market.
