Latest news with #Origin2
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
'Hasn't progressed': Laurie Daley's worrying admission about Blues player for Game 2
NSW coach Laurie Daley has provided a worrying update on Blues winger Brian To'o after admitting his recovery from a hamstring niggle has not progressed as much as medical staff had hoped. Bulldogs winger Jacob Kiraz was called into Blues camp on Wednesday as a potential replacement for To'o if the Panthers flyer is unable to recover in time for Game 2 in Perth, where NSW will hope to wrap up the series with another win. To'o has already had two hamstring strains this year and missed the start of the NRL season for Penrith. And while Daley insists the injury hasn't 'flared up' and he remains hopeful the winger will be right to face the Maroons in Game 2, the NSW coach did concede on Thursday morning that the Blues' medical team were concerned the hamstring niggle had not improved as quickly as they expected. "We thought earlier in the week Brian would be OK ... but it just hasn't progressed as far as what we need him to," Daley told Nine's Today Show. "We're still confident that he'll be OK, but we thought it'd be better off to have Jacob come here on standby if Brian doesn't get up. "With hamstrings, they're tricky things. You want to make sure they're 100 per cent right to go. You can get through training. But then, of course game night, you don't want to injure yourself and then put the team at risk. We're just going to have to weigh up all those factors towards the end of the week." Brian To'o is dealing with a hamstring niggle - is expected to play in Origin 2 but NSW have called Jacob Kiraz into camp as cover (via @Danny_Weidler)To'o has already suffered 2 hamstring strains this season - a call on his Origin fitness expected before Kiraz's Round 15 game. — NRL PHYSIO (@nrlphysio) June 11, 2025 Fellow NSW winger Zac Lomax was more defiant about the prospects of To'o playing in Game 2, and backed the Blues' medical team to ensure he would be good to go in just under a week. "He's obviously a professional and he's going to get the job done," Lomax told Fox League on Wednesday night. "And we've got the best staff in the world here with us so I think he'll sit out tomorrow's training session just in regards to loads. "But on the flip side it gives someone like Jacob Kiraz a big boost to be able to come in and train with the squad. It's massive for him too, he's been playing unbelievable footy there at the Bulldogs. But for us we need to get 'Bizza' (To'o) right and I think that's him having the day off tomorrow and he'll be flying by Wednesday night." To'o scored one try and ran for a game-high 225 metres in a standout performance for the Blues in Game 1 at Suncorp Stadium. His tackle-busting ability and willingness to tough carries from the back has frequently helped the Blues get out of their own half and dominate field position against the Maroons and it would be a big blow if To'o was ruled out. Fortunately for NSW, Kiraz offers many of those same qualities and despite being less of a try-scoring weapon than To'o, he is more of an aerial threat and has an offloading game that could really hurt Queensland. Daley confirmed the Bulldogs star was training with the Blues squad for the first time on Thursday morning. Bulldogs teammate and Blues 18th man Matt Burton is another option to come into the NSW starting side if To'o is ruled out.
ABC News
09-06-2025
- Sport
- ABC News
InZane Rugby League - Frank Ponissi -We don't want the Bears to steal our players like the Dolphins did
On InZane Rugby League this week - Zane Bojack and former Raiders halfback Sam Williams are joined by Melbourne Storm General Manager of Football and NSW Head of High Performance Frank Ponissi to preview Origin 2 and discuss the likelihood of the club retaining their stars from the threat of the Perth Bears. Ponissi says he has a soft spot for the Bears as a former football boss at the club but does not want them to pillage the Storm like the Dolphins did in 2023. He said Melbourne is willing to discuss roster management with Mal Meninga to ensure the Bear's success but not at the expense of the Storm's playing list. Zane and Sam also discussed the coach Mal Meninga is chasing to be his protege, the changes Billy Slater made to Queensland for Game 2 and the weekend's magic moment in Canberra when Josh Papalii scored two tries and kicked a conversion in his record-breaking 319th match for the Raiders.
ABC News
09-06-2025
- Sport
- ABC News
InZane Rugby League - is Peter Wallace set to be Mal Meninga's protege?
On InZane Rugby League this week - Zane Bojack and former Raiders halfback Sam Williams are joined by Melbourne Storm General Manager of Football and NSW Head of High Performance Frank Ponissi to preview Origin 2 and discuss the likelihood of the club retaining their stars from the threat of the Perth Bears. Ponissi says he has a soft spot for the Bears as a former football boss at the club but does not want them to pillage the Storm like the Dolphins did in 2023. He said Melbourne is willing to discuss roster management with Mal Meninga to ensure the Bear's success but not at the expense of the Storm's playing list. Zane and Sam also discussed the coach Mal Meninga is chasing to be his protege, the changes Billy Slater made to Queensland for Game 2 and the weekend's magic moment in Canberra when Josh Papalii scored two tries and kicked a conversion in his record-breaking 319th match for the Raiders.
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Thurston's dagger for DCE after poor moment that could end State of Origin career
Johnathan Thurston has criticised the game-management of Manly - led by Daly Cherry-Evans - that saw them cough up a 16-0 lead to lose to Newcastle on Thursday night. And it could spell the end of the Queensland captain's State of Origin career. The Knights produced a woeful first-half and were booed off by their own fans, but came back for a staggering 26-22 victory in the second. Speaking on Channel 9 after the game, Thurston said the game-management of Cherry-Evans and the Sea Eagles "wasn't up to scratch". Fellow Queensland legend Cameron Smith agreed that Cherry-Evans needed to ice the game for Manly considering he's one of the premier halves in the NRL. But the comments from Thurston were most telling considering he's an assistant coach to Billy Slater for the Maroons. Many have called for Tom Dearden to start at halfback in State of Origin 1, after Cherry-Evans failed to fire in Game 1. The Manly halfback produced a strong performance against the Broncos last weekend, but crashed back to earth on Thursday night. There was a particularly poor moment with 23 minutes remaining that might spell the end of Cherry-Evans' Origin career. After the Knights had reduced the deficit to 16-12, the Manly halfback took the ball on the short-side near the halfway line and looked to kick it into touch to give his team a breather. But he belted it out on the full and gave the Knights prime field position for another attacking raid. James Schiller crossed a short time later to make it 16-16, and despite Manly regaining the lead the Knights managed to win in golden-point. Thurston's comments paint a grim picture for Cherry-Evans as Slater weighs up whether to axe his halfback and captain for Origin 2. "I don't know. I will find out Monday or Sunday," DCE said in his post-match presser. "You always find out on the Sunday or Monday." DCE kicking the kick off out on the full probably summed up their issues; scrambled thinking rather than game management — Stuart Akister (@StuartAkister) June 5, 2025 Didn't have to do anything in attack once you lead 22-16 with 10 to go. Kick long and defend for less than 10 minutes. 5 sets of defence. DCE just had absolutely no game management in the final 20. Embarrassing for someone who wants 1 mill next year — Sam (@desmoneyfr) June 5, 2025 Is DCE trying to kick his way into the Original team? That's 3 shockers so far #gomanly — Lyn Shields 🦅 (@lynshields) June 5, 2025 Andrew Johns is among the many who have called for Dearden to replace Cherry-Evans, and the Cowboys half will get another chance to impress against the Storm on Friday night. "I genuinely don't know what has been said," Cherry-Evans said on Thursday night about the speculation he'll be axed. "I understand it's a pretty busy period when it comes to my name. But I am just doing my best to keep my head down. Train and play with the Manly boys and be a good dad." RELATED: Cameron Smith's truth bomb for Billy Slater after 'weak' accusation Kevin Walters calls out Broncos amid sad Adam Reynolds situation Speaking before the Knights game, Cherry-Evans' Queensland predecessor Cooper Cronk urged his old teammate Slater to meet with the half before making a call. "I think Billy should have a heart-to-heart coffee catch up with Daly and ask him how much the jersey means," Cronk said on Fox League. "Because the series is on the line, and Daly the captain and halfback needs to deliver. (How he plays against Newcastle), I don't think it matters. Billy would have made that gut instinct call up already." Tellingly, a poll of over 28,000 Yahoo Sport Australia readers has Dearden and Cameron Munster as the overwhelming favourites to be the Queensland halves for Game 2. Over half of the readers who voted would axe DCE for the game in Perth. with AAP
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Door ajar for Reece Walsh as Kalyn Ponga could be banned from entire Origin series
Kalyn Ponga has reportedly been spotted meeting with International Rugby League boss Troy Grant in a move that could spell the end of his State of Origin career. Ponga scored the match-winning try in golden-point against Manly on Thursday night, and probably did enough to retain his spot for the Maroons in Origin 2. The fullback had 19 runs for 191 metres, five tackle breaks and the winning try as Newcastle came back to beat the Sea Eagles 26-22. And while he may have done enough to retain his spot in Game 2, his future in State of Origin has been thrown into massive doubt. is reporting that Ponga has recently seen in a meeting with IRL boss Grant, in what was most likely a discussion about switching his international allegiances from Australia to New Zealand. Ponga has always been bound to play for Australia at international level because represented the Aussie team at the Rugby League World Cup 9s event in 2019. However he's never played a Test match for the Kangaroos, and has constantly avoided making a call that would rule him out of playing for NZ. It's believed Ponga hasn't wanted to turn his back on the possibility of playing for the Kiwis one day because of his Maori heritage. The IRL recently changed the rules and allowed AJ Brimson to switch allegiances from Australia to England. Brimson had been bound by the same situation that Ponga was in that he too played for Australia at the World Cup 9s event in 2019. But the IRL - headed by Grant - recently approved Brimson's application to represent England and declared the World Cup 9s event was no longer a relevant factor. The IRL said because the 9s event has effectively been discontinued, it doesn't hold any standing anymore and was "unfairly" blocking players from featuring at Test level. 'At the time, the 9s World Cup was part of IRL's calendar planning and it was intended to be held every four years,' a statement from the IRL read. 'However, the tournament has effectively been discontinued and is not part of IRL's medium term planning. 'Therefore, the tribunal felt that players who had played in the 2019 World Cup 9s were being unfairly restricted as they elected for their country based on a different set of circumstances to players who elect for a country through a 13-a-side match.' The rule change effectively opens the door for Ponga to play for New Zealand if he so wishes. And the fact he was recently spotted meeting with Grant has fuelled the rumour mill that he wants to play for the Kiwis. But a switch in international allegiances would bring an end to Ponga's Origin career. Because New Zealand are a Tier 1 nation, anyone who represents the Kiwis isn't allowed to play State of Origin. It's the same for Brimson, who has ultimately ended his Origin career with Queensland by defecting to England. RELATED: Cameron Smith's truth bomb for Billy Slater after 'weak' accusation Kevin Walters calls out Broncos amid sad Adam Reynolds situation Ponga is likely to see out this year's Origin series for the Maroons, but a switch to represent New Zealand next season would mean Billy Slater will have to find a new fullback for Queensland. It opens the door for Reece Walsh to reclaim the spot he lost this year, while Slater also has the option of using Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow in the No.1 jersey.
