Latest news with #SixTacklesWithGus
The Age
13 hours ago
- Sport
- The Age
Their season is in the balance. Inequities of NRL draw could tip Panthers over the edge
As well as the travel, there are also the short turnarounds to factor in. As Knights coach Adam O'Brien said after his team's recent loss to St George Illawarra, when he begrudgingly rested Kalyn Ponga so that the Queensland Origin star wasn't playing three games in eight days: 'In this battle, we lost to the scheduling and the draw. Whoever does the draws either hasn't lived it or doesn't care, so I don't know which one it is.' Some may have felt O'Brien's comments were a bit rich, given that a week earlier, the Knights had enjoyed the rub of the green, beating a Penrith side minus their five-man Origin contingent. Panthers coach Ivan Cleary copped that loss on the chin and was disappointed that his depleted team had been unable to give a better account of themselves. It's not in Cleary's unflappable nature to complain publicly or to create controversy but, after Penrith's 18-14 win against Wests Tigers two weeks ago, he made an exception. Cleary's concern was not the game the Panthers had just played, but the double whammy looming on the horizon, after his team's round 15 bye. First Penrith face the Warriors in Auckland on Saturday, barely 72 hours after their Origin stars – Nathan Cleary, Isaah Yeo, Brian To'o, Dylan Edwards and Liam Martin – were on duty with NSW in Perth. It's basically a day in transit from Western Australia to New Zealand, once time zones, connecting flights and layovers at airports are factored in. Not long enough, the coach said, to risk taking his NSW reps across the ditch. 'The Origin players won't be playing, because they can't,' he said. 'That's another story. I don't think it's fair. We should be able to make that decision. And just through flights, we can't get them there.' Front-rower Lindsay Smith, who was a stand-by player for NSW in Perth, is nonetheless expected to rack up some frequent flyer points and suit up for the Panthers on Saturday. Cleary found an unexpected ally in Phil Gould, formerly his mentor at Penrith before a well-documented falling-out. 'What about the ridiculous scheduling for the poor old Panthers this week?' Gould said on his Six Tackles With Gus podcast. 'They are playing on Wednesday night in Perth, all these Origin players … how would they expect those players to back up? It's terrible. If I was the Panthers club, I would be blowing up deluxe.' Gould may have been thinking two moves ahead, given the Panthers' next assignment after Auckland is the Canterbury club he oversees, on Thursday next week. Penrith's Origin quintet should be nicely freshened up for their clash with the table-topping Bulldogs, although Cleary was again disappointed with the scheduling, saying the rest of his players faced a five-day turnaround, which included the trip home from New Zealand. In recent seasons, Cleary has happily rested his Origin players during this phase of the season. In 2022, he gave seven state representatives the weekend off and their back-ups were too good for cellar-dwellers the Wests Tigers. A year later, Penrith beat the Knights with their five NSW players watching from the stand. This season, he doesn't have the same luxury as the reigning four-time champions face a dogfight to make the finals. And perhaps that is the crux of the issue. Loading We all realise the draw has flaws in it. NRL officials understand that, even though they are loath to publicly admit it. Instead, they try their best to juggle myriad complex issues and requests while keeping any inequities to a minimum. Impartial observers might form the view that it's all swings and roundabouts and that it usually evens itself out in the long run. That's all well and good until you're in Cleary's shoes, preparing for two tough games, five days apart in different countries, with your whole season potentially hanging on the outcome. Dynasties don't last forever. In Penrith's case, they can only hope the next two games don't prove to be the draw that broke the camel's back.
Sydney Morning Herald
13 hours ago
- Sport
- Sydney Morning Herald
Their season is in the balance. Inequities of NRL draw could tip Panthers over the edge
As well as the travel, there are also the short turnarounds to factor in. As Knights coach Adam O'Brien said after his team's recent loss to St George Illawarra, when he begrudgingly rested Kalyn Ponga so that the Queensland Origin star wasn't playing three games in eight days: 'In this battle, we lost to the scheduling and the draw. Whoever does the draws either hasn't lived it or doesn't care, so I don't know which one it is.' Some may have felt O'Brien's comments were a bit rich, given that a week earlier, the Knights had enjoyed the rub of the green, beating a Penrith side minus their five-man Origin contingent. Panthers coach Ivan Cleary copped that loss on the chin and was disappointed that his depleted team had been unable to give a better account of themselves. It's not in Cleary's unflappable nature to complain publicly or to create controversy but, after Penrith's 18-14 win against Wests Tigers two weeks ago, he made an exception. Cleary's concern was not the game the Panthers had just played, but the double whammy looming on the horizon, after his team's round 15 bye. First Penrith face the Warriors in Auckland on Saturday, barely 72 hours after their Origin stars – Nathan Cleary, Isaah Yeo, Brian To'o, Dylan Edwards and Liam Martin – were on duty with NSW in Perth. It's basically a day in transit from Western Australia to New Zealand, once time zones, connecting flights and layovers at airports are factored in. Not long enough, the coach said, to risk taking his NSW reps across the ditch. 'The Origin players won't be playing, because they can't,' he said. 'That's another story. I don't think it's fair. We should be able to make that decision. And just through flights, we can't get them there.' Front-rower Lindsay Smith, who was a stand-by player for NSW in Perth, is nonetheless expected to rack up some frequent flyer points and suit up for the Panthers on Saturday. Cleary found an unexpected ally in Phil Gould, formerly his mentor at Penrith before a well-documented falling-out. 'What about the ridiculous scheduling for the poor old Panthers this week?' Gould said on his Six Tackles With Gus podcast. 'They are playing on Wednesday night in Perth, all these Origin players … how would they expect those players to back up? It's terrible. If I was the Panthers club, I would be blowing up deluxe.' Gould may have been thinking two moves ahead, given the Panthers' next assignment after Auckland is the Canterbury club he oversees, on Thursday next week. Penrith's Origin quintet should be nicely freshened up for their clash with the table-topping Bulldogs, although Cleary was again disappointed with the scheduling, saying the rest of his players faced a five-day turnaround, which included the trip home from New Zealand. In recent seasons, Cleary has happily rested his Origin players during this phase of the season. In 2022, he gave seven state representatives the weekend off and their back-ups were too good for cellar-dwellers the Wests Tigers. A year later, Penrith beat the Knights with their five NSW players watching from the stand. This season, he doesn't have the same luxury as the reigning four-time champions face a dogfight to make the finals. And perhaps that is the crux of the issue. Loading We all realise the draw has flaws in it. NRL officials understand that, even though they are loath to publicly admit it. Instead, they try their best to juggle myriad complex issues and requests while keeping any inequities to a minimum. Impartial observers might form the view that it's all swings and roundabouts and that it usually evens itself out in the long run. That's all well and good until you're in Cleary's shoes, preparing for two tough games, five days apart in different countries, with your whole season potentially hanging on the outcome. Dynasties don't last forever. In Penrith's case, they can only hope the next two games don't prove to be the draw that broke the camel's back.
West Australian
06-06-2025
- Sport
- West Australian
'You're accepted, you're loved': Galvin a hit at Dogs
Bailey Hayward says Canterbury teammates already "love" Lachlan Galvin, even if the utility has to admit the new arrival may threaten his spot as the Bulldogs' Mr Fix-It. Galvin is in the frame for a possible club debut against Parramatta on Monday, only days after his messy exit from Wests Tigers and mid-season arrival at the Bulldogs. The Bulldogs have welcomed Galvin with open arms since his arrival late last week. Captain Stephen Crichton selected the 19-year-old playmaker to lead the squad out onto the training paddock at a session earlier in the week. Canterbury's leaders choose a different member of the squad to perform the ritual at each session as a mark of respect. "It's kind of just all the boys getting around that person for a special occasion, whether it's a milestone game or anything like that," winger Blake Wilson explained. Hayward said the gesture was the Bulldogs' way of showing Galvin, once ridiculed on social media by some of his ex-Tigers teammates, he was welcome in Belmore. "That's one thing we probably pride ourselves on, our culture is really big," the 24-year-old said. "No matter who you are wherever you've come in from, you're accepted. You're loved. "I hope that's what he's feeling because he's fitted in really well and that's definitely the way it is." Bulldogs football boss Phil Gould said on his Six Tackles With Gus podcast this week Galvin's club debut would likely come from the bench this Monday, if at all. The 19-year-old is open to progressing through NSW Cup onto a maiden first-grade appearance as the ladder-leaders determine where the versatile teen fits into their team. Playing Galvin as a bench utility at least initially would throw him into a selection battle with Hayward, who has filled that role during a breakout season. Hayward, highly prized at the Bulldogs for his leadership qualities, said he would "100 per cent" welcome the internal competition with Galvin. "There's no animosity or anything like that," he said. "The club's in a great position to be competing for spots. It's probably a position the club hasn't been in for a while. "I can only control what I can control and that's putting my best foot forward every day at training, continually trying to work on myself and get better at my craft." Longer term, Hayward would be open to switching to hooker should the club release Reed Mahoney to a rival club before his contract expires at the end of 2026. Gould confirmed Mahoney's management was given permission to test the market with the hooker linked to North Queensland, who are losing Reece Robson to the Sydney Roosters at season's end. Hayward has played dummy-half from the bench at NRL level but is yet to start at hooker in 31 first-grade games. "Whatever the coach sees me to do, I'll do. Whether that's 9, 13, 6, 7, whatever it is, I'm happy to fill wherever the team needs me," he said.
Perth Now
06-06-2025
- Sport
- Perth Now
'You're accepted, you're loved': Galvin a hit at Dogs
Bailey Hayward says Canterbury teammates already "love" Lachlan Galvin, even if the utility has to admit the new arrival may threaten his spot as the Bulldogs' Mr Fix-It. Galvin is in the frame for a possible club debut against Parramatta on Monday, only days after his messy exit from Wests Tigers and mid-season arrival at the Bulldogs. The Bulldogs have welcomed Galvin with open arms since his arrival late last week. Captain Stephen Crichton selected the 19-year-old playmaker to lead the squad out onto the training paddock at a session earlier in the week. Canterbury's leaders choose a different member of the squad to perform the ritual at each session as a mark of respect. "It's kind of just all the boys getting around that person for a special occasion, whether it's a milestone game or anything like that," winger Blake Wilson explained. Hayward said the gesture was the Bulldogs' way of showing Galvin, once ridiculed on social media by some of his ex-Tigers teammates, he was welcome in Belmore. "That's one thing we probably pride ourselves on, our culture is really big," the 24-year-old said. "No matter who you are wherever you've come in from, you're accepted. You're loved. "I hope that's what he's feeling because he's fitted in really well and that's definitely the way it is." Bulldogs football boss Phil Gould said on his Six Tackles With Gus podcast this week Galvin's club debut would likely come from the bench this Monday, if at all. The 19-year-old is open to progressing through NSW Cup onto a maiden first-grade appearance as the ladder-leaders determine where the versatile teen fits into their team. Playing Galvin as a bench utility at least initially would throw him into a selection battle with Hayward, who has filled that role during a breakout season. Hayward, highly prized at the Bulldogs for his leadership qualities, said he would "100 per cent" welcome the internal competition with Galvin. "There's no animosity or anything like that," he said. "The club's in a great position to be competing for spots. It's probably a position the club hasn't been in for a while. "I can only control what I can control and that's putting my best foot forward every day at training, continually trying to work on myself and get better at my craft." Longer term, Hayward would be open to switching to hooker should the club release Reed Mahoney to a rival club before his contract expires at the end of 2026. Gould confirmed Mahoney's management was given permission to test the market with the hooker linked to North Queensland, who are losing Reece Robson to the Sydney Roosters at season's end. Hayward has played dummy-half from the bench at NRL level but is yet to start at hooker in 31 first-grade games. "Whatever the coach sees me to do, I'll do. Whether that's 9, 13, 6, 7, whatever it is, I'm happy to fill wherever the team needs me," he said.
