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Matt Henjack set for NRL

The nephew of former league star Ivan, Matt Henjack looks set for NRL action after the Western Force badboy has given the Australian Rugby Union no option but to kick him out after several high level misdemeanors.

A talented half, many believe that Henjack could make a huge impact in the Rugby League game. Creative and crafty, he should revel under the free flowing game of league and behind some strong forwards he will get plenty of room to show his wares.

It seems the Canberra Raiders are keen to snare the Queanbeyan-born boy as Penrith and former Raiders coach Matt Elliott do everything they can to drag Todd Carney out of the nations capital. The rumor mill has been in overdrive for 12 months regarding Elliott snaring Carney for his struggling Panthers outfit; many believing the Gower departure was the perfect foundation for the Raider half to slot into the Penrith side.

Interestingly the Raiders felt Henjack may suit a hooking role at their club also; a surprising comment given the size and skill of the Rugby Half. Henjack should certainly be given a go at 6 or 7 first before being thrown into the lions den at hooker.

The addition of Henjack would be a great coup for the Raiders, if they could hang on to Carney and get Henjack on the books their future would certainly look brighter. The two young guns could potentially form a lethal combination and get Canberra back on track again, giving the side a chance at finals football once more.

Regardless of the club chosen and the past problems, Matt Henjack will certainly be a solid League player that should grow quickly under the structure of the NRL game.

Can Manly bounce back in 2008?

By Peter Roy

While NRL News editor Adam Sutcliffe feels Manly may struggle without the underrated Michael Mongahan on deck, Peter Roy today gives his opinion on the Northen Beaches outfit in his first article for 2008. Welcome back Peter, great to have you on board for 2008.

The recent trial game against the Melbourne Storm, probably wasn’t the ideal guage for Manly especially after many predicted them to take out months of disappointed and frustration firstly on the rival Storm side, and then continue to take out their anger on others during the rest of season 2008.

Can the Sea-Eagles, who have a long list of talented squad members make amends for their grand final shocker against the Storm in 2007? Coach Des Hasler will be sure to remind survivors from ‘07 of the pain when times get tough throughout the season, and after the poor first up showing against the Storm - chances are pretty good that Des may need to pull out the motivation card every now and then.

Possessing good speed on the fringes, strong defence that doesn’t leak too many points and a good amount of depth at the club, Manly do seem to still have the nucleus of a premiership winning side. If the leadership group of Orford, Lyon, Stewart, Watmough and Kite can remain injury free, then the Sea-Eagles have the talent to again challenge for the big prize.

Advantages:

Despite losing creative workhorse Michael Monaghan, the Sea-Eagles still seem to have a strong squad heading into season ’08. New signings Josh Perry and Heath L’Estrange will bolster an already powerful looking pack, with Perry and Adam Cuthbertson set to battle it out with Kite and King for the two starting prop positions.The addition of former Eels outside back David Vaeliki will add more potency to the Sea-Eagles backline, with the likes of Steve Bell and Steve Matai sure to be kept honest in competition for starting spots.

Concerns:

With the departure of Travis Burns, Manly remain quite light-on in the halves with the club betting the house on Matt Orford and Jamie Lyon. This doesn’t leave much room for error, should one of the two go down injured. The departure of Michael Monaghan also leaves a big hole in both the halves and hooking roles, with only the inexperienced Matt Ballin and new buy Heath L’Estrange left to fill the void. While there is depth aplenty through the outside backs and forwards, the lack of experienced, quality depth in the crucial halves department could well prove to be Manly’s Achilles heal.

Likely 2008 NRL Starting Side:

1- Brett Stewart
2- Michael Robertson
3- Steve Bell
4- Steve Matai
5- Michael Bani
6- Jamie Lyon
7- Matt Orford
8- Brent Kite
9- Matt Ballin
10- Jason King
11- Anthony Watmough
12- Glenn Stewart
13- Luke Williamson

14- Steve Menzies
15- Adam Cuthbertson
16- Josh Perry
17– Mark Bryant

Pre-Season Trial Matches:

16/02/08 v Melbourne Storm @ Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford
29/02/08 v New Zealand Warriors @ Quad Park, Kawana Waters, QLD

2008 Departures and Acquisitions:

Acquisitions:
Josh Perry (Newcastle), David Vaeliki (Wigan), Heath L’Estrange (Sydney Roosters), David Williams (Parramatta), Tom Browne (South Sydney), Jared Waera-Hargreaves (NSWRU)

Departures:

Michael Monaghan and Chris Hicks (Warrington), Travis Burns (North QLD), Aaron Groom (Canterbury)

Tigers without several players for Cup clash

Wests Tigers second-rower Chris Heighington will miss the second annual Foundation Cup match through suspension. Heighington will serve out a one match suspension carried over from 2007.Although suspended from the NRL, Heighington is free to play in the NSW State Cup trial match against Newtown Jets at the Sydney Football Stadium on Saturday, February 23, from 3.20pm.
In more bad news for the Wests Tigers, they will also be without the services of Dean Collis, Shannon McDonnell, Danny Galea, Bryce Gibbs and Mathew Head who will miss the trial through on-going  injury concerns.

It’s understood that Collis, McDonnell and Galea only have hamstring injuries and are tipped to return for the Gold Coast Titans trial on Saturday, March 1.

Prop Bryce Gibbs has an ankle injury and has been earmarked for a round three return against the Bulldogs and new half-back Mathew Head has a shoulder injury and is confident of being right for round one against St George-Illawarra Dragons; many Tigers fans will watch the progress of Head closely as the former Dragons star is expected to do big things for the club that really missed the organisation skills of Scott Prince during 2007.

The Roosters won the inaugural Foundation Cup 10-4 last year in front of a crowd of 16,000.  The Foundation Cup will be the first chance for the Tigers new signings in winger Nick Youngquest and second-rower Corey Payne to be unleashed in their new club colours.

 

Dene Halatau makes a return to his original centre position after spending a few seasons in the forwards.

 

Tigers Coach Tim Sheens has elected to give rising young half back Tim Moltzen and rookie winger Peni Tagive the chance to test themselves in first grade. Moltzen represented the Junior Kangaroos in 2007 with Tagive having played alongside Chris Lawrence on the Australian Schoolboys tour of 2006.

 

Wests Tigers team

 

1 Brett Hodgson ©

2 Nick Youngquest

3 Dene Halatau

4 Chris Lawrence

5 Taniela Tuiaki

6 Benji Marshall

7 John Morris

8 Todd Payten

9 Robbie Farah

10 Keith Galloway

11 Bronson Harrison

12 Ben Te’o

13 Liam Fulton

 

14 Stuart Flanagan

15 Tim Moltzen

16 Ryan O’Hara

17 Corey Payne

Roosters name strong side for Foundation Cup

Sydney Roosters coach Brad Fittler is wasting no time in unleashing his big guns in 2008, with the Sydney side announcing a near full strength lineup to take on the Wests Tigers this Saturday.

The expectations are growing rapidly around the new look Roosters outfit, primarily around the recruitment of Willie Mason and the return of match winning fullback Anthony Minichiello. While new boy Mason might be in trouble for piddling in public, he is set to don the new colours and join fellow piddler Anthony Toupu in the second row for the charity clash.

With a full off-season under new coach Brad Fittler, we feel the Roosters will play a much more confident brand of football and will have the added punch with the new signings and prominent players returning from injury. Half Mitchell Pearce should have much more room to work in with the forwards in front of him certainly packing some power, with Mini chiming into the backline it really could be the Roosters of old.

1. Anthony Minichiello

2. Amos Roberts

3. Brent Grose

4. Setaimata Sa

5. Shaun Kenny-Dowall

6. Braith Anasta

7. Mitchell Pearce

8. Lopini Paea

9. Riley Brown

10. David Shillington

11. Anthony Toupu

12. Willie Mason

13. Craig Fitzgibbon

14. Nate Myles

15. Shane Shackleton

16. Rory Kostjasy

17. Shaun Foley

Can it get any worse at the Bulldogs?

Regardless of who won control of the Bulldogs board, the situation at the NRL club is obviously dire. While several position holders at the Dogs have come out and said we are not a club in crisis, their good intentions are probably just as believable as Pinocchio on steroids.

Malcolm Noad’s fallout was just as stellar as his rise to power at the Bulldogs, thrown into the fire during their darkest hour Noad was the cleaner - sent in to save the NRL club from itself. At the time, players were performing well on the field but were out of control off the field. Malcolm Noad seemingly reigned the trouble makers in and obviously some corners haven’t taken too lightly to his iron fist rulings. Hence the situation he finds himself in now.

While the problems at the Dogs are presently in the corridors of power, an inkling of the problems ahead could have probably be traced back to Steve Price leaving his long term club. A smart operator and genuine Rugby League good guy, for Price to walk away from the Bulldogs even for less money should have rung alarm bells all over the place. Price obviously didn’t feel confident staying on board and didn’t just get out of Belmore, he took the first plane out of the country.

Usually it was the Bulldogs who would pickup discards from other NRL teams and turn them into superstars, just take Luke Patten and Willie Tonga in recent times who have excelled at Belmore. But these days, Jonathan Thurston was let go and became the best player in the NRL and now Willie Mason, Mark O’Meley and Brent Sherwin, all Premiership winning players were let go.

While Noad may have a massive target on his head, as the club looks for someone to blame - the real concern should be with the team for 2008. While there are still a few prominent players in the squad, the this is a team devoid of creativity and struggling to keep up with the improvement in other clubs. Whether it stems from the coaching program, a lack of interest from the players or a culture of good times - this could really be a disaster year for the once proud family club.

As Steve Folkes walks the plank in the early season, the power brokers putting pressure on the long term coach before a ball has been kicked - everyone will be watching over their shoulder at Belmore. They were very fortunate to secure Luke Patten and Andrew Ryan as they did, will rumours abounding that Ryan well and truly wanted out.

While the clock might be ticking for several troops on and off the field at the Bulldogs, getting pushed off the Titanic might be the best thing that ever happened to them.

NRL News Top 8 Predictions

It’s always a tough ask trying to work out which teams will make the cut each year in the NRL. Last years predictions by our Rugby League team here at NRL News were fairly impressive, apart from a horror choice of Newcastle at the top of the table (we never assumed Andrew Johns would retire!) we did get some long shot predictions 100% right.

We picked Manly to finish 2nd as they eventually did and our team also correctly picked South Sydney to finish in 8th spot, which at the time copped plenty of criticism. We find the best way of putting together a Top 8 list, is to remove the teams you feel cannot make the cut at the end of the year - which seems a simpler task than picking the winners first.

As we all eagerly await kick-off in the 2008 NRL Premiership, here’s how the NRL News team of Adam Sutcliffe, John Chelsea and Peter Roy see things happening:

1st - Melbourne Storm: An obviously choice for most punters, the Storm have been the best side in the competition for the last 3 years. While they have lost some playing talent, they have so much in reserve it’s scary. This well coached side with plenty of depth should roll on like a well oiled machine.

2nd - NZ Warriors: The Kiwi’s under the guidance of Ivan Cleary and his team have another year under their impressive belts. The players at their disposal are all growing in confidence and experience plus the re-emergence of the New Zealand crowd should continue to see this team continue on the rise. A dark horse sure, but showed enough in 2007 to give an indication they will be better for the run in the finals.

3rd - Parramatta Eels: Surprised many in 2007 with their eventual finishing position. Talent production has never been an issue for the Western Sydney club, but it seems under the relaxed guidance of Michael Hagan the players are enjoying their football and the results are continuing to come. While prop forward depth continues to be a concern, they have plenty of skills and speed men to make other teams fearful.

4th - Manly Sea Eagles: Apart from the disaster on Grand Final night, the Eagles were reborn in 2007. A good blend of players, both experienced and talented Manly did most things right. Will be another consistent performer this year, however will miss Monaghan more than they realise and Jamie Lyon isn’t their answer at pivot.

5th - Sydney Roosters: Showed enough promising signs late last year under Brad Fittler to almost steal an amazing finals birth. Have solved their coaching problems it seems and have recruited smartly, added Willie Mason and Mark O’Meley to their forward stocks. With Mini returning at the back, they look potent again and should they remain healthy will be back with a bang.

6th - North Queensland Cowboys: A regular force these days and near unbeatable at home, the Cowboys should be extremely potent with the new combination of Jonathan Thurston and Travis Burns in the halves. Injury killed off their challenge in 2007, with their forwards back and some smart buying they will remain a Top 8 contender. The recent coaching announcement forced us to drop them slightly lower, as uncertainty for next year may play on their minds.

7th - South Sydney Rabbitohs: Should go one better this year and prove much more potent in the finals series. Their achievements in 2007 gave them the thing they have craved for so long: belief. Armed with more confidence and the impressive coaching of Jason Taylor, they will again make the final 8. Now, a well run club - they should continue to behave and perform like winners.

8th - Brisbane Broncos: Can never be counted out of things come September. Many talk about their player departures for this season, but smart buys in the form of Peter Wallace, Joel Clinton and PJ Marsh should see them remain a force. A fit Darren Lockyer, plus Karmichael Hunt and Justin Hodges on the fringes will put fear into any defending team. Benny’s final year might see his players add extra fuel onto the fires when needed.

9th - Wests Tigers: On their day can be the most exciting team in the NRL. Boast great skills and exciting attack, however their defence let them down badly at the backend of 2007 and they probably don’t have anywhere near the depth they once did. Will pull off some big wins, but probably can’t make the Final 8 this year unless luck falls their way.

10th - Cronulla Sharks: Their defence continues to win accolades under the guidance of Ricky Stuart and their ability in that area probably allows them to punch above their weight. Have the right foundation to give themselves every chance, but with their current squad they just don’t have the firepower to put points on. The Shire crowd needs to find voice once more and get back out to support their team.

11th - Gold Coast Titans: Have a great platform from which to make an assault on the NRL Premiership this year. Starting with their new Skilled Park homeground and a year under their belts they should be better for the run. Feature some big name players, with skills and know-how, but lack that all important depth. If they get a dream run without injuries could finish higher.

12th - St George Illawarra Dragons: The Dragons will be keen to unleash long term injured stars Mark Gasnier and Dean Young, with 2007 turning out to be a long year for the Red Vee without them. We can’t see the Dragons getting into the Top 8 this season, no question about it they will have injury problems again - It’s the only guaranteed thing in the NRL these days. Will have more confidence in the halves with Soward now settled and possess good strike power in the forms of Chase Stanley and the Morris boys - but the uncertainty of their coaching future after this year might have their minds wandering.

13th - Newcastle Knights: Hard to gauge the mood in Newcastle after the turmoil of 2007. Their first up trial win against the Warriors suggests they will have a gritty attitude, but probably can’t see things turning around so much to allow them into the finals. Kurt Gidley and Jarrod Mullen are top billings, but might find things hard if the forwards can’t fire up their engines. 2008 should be an improvement for them, heck it couldn’t get any worse could it?

14th - Bulldogs: Many will be surprised at our choice for the Dogs, but the old war machine has lost more than a few missiles. Forget the fact that they have lost plenty of big name talent during the off-season, the problem for the Bulldogs is their playing style. Lucky to scrape into the finals in 2007, the Dogs are playing a grinding physical style of NRL that is probably better suited to the 80’s. Devoid of creative play on many occasions last year, with respect to Steve Folkes - the Dogs need a real re-think. This is going to be a long season for them, if injuries set in - it could be a real disaster.

15th - Canberra Raiders: We found out how passionate the Raiders fans are after a recent article by NRL News on their troubled times in the ACT. They might have some potential stars of the future in the mix, but the Raiders just haven’t been able to win consistently for a long time now. Under the guidance of the well respected Allan Tounge, the Raiders will at times show everyone what they are capable of but they probably won’t challenge for the finals this year. Yes, while Neil Henry continues to win friends with his impressive management abilities and new accolades at Origin level - put simply, premiership winning players won’t sign with Canberra until someone with the pull of Wayne Bennett is signed as coach.

16th - Penrith Panthers: In 2007, the Panthers melted quicker than a Mr Whippy Ice-Cream in the Cambridge Park sun. In-fighting, lack of effort and shocking discipline tore their quest apart. Lost some major talent during the off-season, with Craig Gower, Peter Wallace and Joel Clinton all moving on.It seems the Panthers faithful are pinning their hopes on Petero Civoniceva, but the workhorse forward can’t do it alone. The Panthers haven’t changed things enough for our liking. While former Knights Brad Tighe and Adam Woolnough will offer depth at their new club, its probably Joe Williams that holds the real key. Matt Elliott seems keen to use Jarrod Sammut in the courted No. 7 position, but Williams could really be the man to get this former team of giants going again.

Sammut stars at half in Panthers trial win

Livewire fullback Jarrod Sammut starred at halfback and new Penrith skipper Petero Civoniceva had his first run in new colours as the Panthers kick-started their 2008 NRL campaign with a series of low key trials at Windsor.

The entire Panthers squad from the juniors right through to the top grade had a run, but all eyes were on Civoniceva following his off-season move from Brisbane.

The Australia prop didn’t disappoint either, leading an experimental Panthers outfit to a 28-0 win over the Erina Jim Beam Cup side in a 30 minute trial.

Panthers coach Matthew Elliott used the match to test out a few new combinations, which included a new halves pairing featuring last year’s rookie sensation Jarrod Sammut at halfback and former New South Wales winger Luke Lewis at five-eighth.

Sammut showed plenty of heart and potential when thrust into the top grade at fullback last year, but with Rhys Wesser back from injury, his path to the No.1 jumper appears blocked.

One of Sammut’s rivals for the halfback spot, former South Sydney No.7 Joe Williams, missed the trial due to a virus.

Elliott rested most of his first choice players for the second 30-minute clash which ended with the Panthers running out 16-0 winners over the Windsor Jim Beam Cup side.

The Panthers step up the 2008 preparations with their first official trial against Parramatta in Albury on Friday night.

Their final pre-season game is against the Bulldogs on March 2 at ANZ Stadium.

Broncos beat Cowboys in Rockhampton Trial

In a match where assistant coaches Ivan Henjak and Ian Millward took the reins of their respective clubs, the Broncos built on a 12-point halftime lead to work into some handy pre-season form.

Hannant played a busy prop’s game, but also found time to kick goals and spirit a one-on-one strip of possession from Cowboy opposite Carl Webb.

On a soggy field, the Broncos secured the honours when Nat Bowman - one of four players on a one-night loan to Brisbane from affiliate club the Central Comets - went over in the corner just before three-quarter time.

With 15 minutes left the Cowboys showed spark by running on the last tackle, a clever chip from halfback Anthony Watts allowing Ray Thompson to score.

In the first half, the Cowboys had the best of territory for the opening exchanges but it was the Broncos who scored.

A long pass from Watts was plucked from the air by Broncos’ captain Justin Hodges in the 17th minute, with the international centre jogging 60 metres downfield to score next to the posts.

Hannant was the surprise choice for the conversion and it was 6-0.

The Broncos went 12-0 ahead when Greg Eastwood stepped through the line in the 24th minute, dishing the ball for PJ Marsh to score his first try in Broncos’ colours.

Four minutes late the Broncos were in again when a backline move created enough space for teenager Gerard Beale to slip down the blind and dive over for 16-0.

Local boy Guy Williams, another on loan to the Broncos, was sin binned for a professional foul after a Cowboys’ break.

Almost immediately Jackson Nicolau put the Cowboys on the board by crashing over on the halftime siren, leaving it 16-4 at the break.

Raiders defeat rookie Titans

GOLD Coast’s band of rookies gave Canberra an almighty scare before a flurry of late tries sealed a 34-28 victory for the Raiders in their NRL trial in Ipswich.

The highlight of the match was undoubtedly a 40th-minute try to fullback Shannon Walker, an excitement machine who must surely play NRL football this year.

The 2007 Queensland Cup Player of the Year found himself in space on the left flank and put a wicked step on Raiders fullback Bronx Goodwin before sprinting to plant the ball under the posts.

Walker, 18, was safe under the high ball and showed blistering pace whenever he carted back the ball.

Titans coach John Cartwright would be delighted with the effort from his youngsters, drawn from the state competition, considering centre Kingi Aka-Oula was sent off early in the match for a high shot on Michael Brophy.

Playing against a team boasting nine regular first-graders, the Titans were level at 18-all at the three-quarter time break.

But the Raiders ran in three quick tries to blow out the scoreline to 34-18.

Joel Rapana, who scored a 90-metre try to opening the scoring, bagged his second to reduce the Titans’ deficit to 34-22.

Kayne Lawton added even more respectability to the scoreline with a try just before the final siren.

Canberra coach Neil Henry said Brophy had suffered concussion and would need to undergo scans for a suspected fractured eye socket.

Halfback Michael Dobson (hip flexor) failed to finish the match while Queensland State of Origin back-rower Neville Costigan was a late withdrawal after straining a quad muscle at training yesterday.

Titans winger Esi Tonga (foot), the brother of Bulldogs star Willie Tonga, was the only injury concern for the Gold Coast.

“I thought the Titans were good considering it was a fairly young side,” said Henry. “It just shows the depth they’ve got.

“We didn’t really mount any serious pressure on them but credit to the Titans, I thought they played well. It was a good hit-out all round.”

How will the Titans backup this year?

By most accounts they did a good job of their inaugural NRL year in 2007, showing some great signs for the future and only just falling short of a historic finals birth. This year the Gold Coast Titans will be looking to build on their strong platform from last year and with the addition of a new purpose built Stadium at Robina they will have plenty of advantages on their side. Their biggest problem in 2007 came from poor depth, an understandable one considering they haven’t had an eternity to build a complete squad. Ultimately finishing 12th, they certainly punched above their weight and took some big scalps along the way.

No doubt, only a semi-final birth will be the goal for coach John Cartwright and his team, with solid acquisitions and a stunning new stadium sure to see increased turnouts by the Titans fans in what will become solid Rugby League heartland. The Gold Coast have boosted their halves depth with new buy Ashley Harrison, and coach  Cartwright will be keen to use explosive rookies Shannon Walker and Will Matthews should injury bite the main squad this season.

If the Titans can improve their ability to travel, then this will go along way to helping them into the big time in September.

Advantages:

The Titans barring injury should have a lot more depth this year with added quality amongst their playing ranks, with some impressive new signings making the move to the growing holiday strip. The Titans inaugural season was interrupted badly by a huge injury toll to key forwards, with only captain Luke Bailey and James Stosic at one point the only available prop forwards in the club.

Thanks to smart recruiting, the Titans now have the enviable problem of competition for positions in most positions, with John Cartwright having to work out who to leave out of a blistering backline. The Gold Coast have speed to burn on the flanks, with new signings Ben Jeffery, Brenton Bowen and Esi Tonga set to challenge the likes of Chris Walker, Mat Rogers, Matthew Petersen, Preston Campbell and rookie Shannon Walker for starting spots.

Concerns:

While the Titans have the luxury of a new home ground at Robina which is set to become a solid home fortress for the club, the NRL’s newest club will have to learn to win on the road if they want to challenge for a semi-final position. The Gold Coast could only manage a disappointing two wins outside of Queensland in 2007, which ultimately saw them finish just two competition points outside of a Top 8 finish.

Gold Coast Titans likely 2008 Starting Squad:

1- Chris Walker
2- Brenton Bowen
3- Mat Rogers
4- Luke O’Dwyer
5- Matt Petersen
6- Preston Campbell
7- Scott Prince
8- Luke Bailey
9- Nathan Friend
10- Brad Meyers
11- Anthony Laffranchi
12- Mark Minichiello
13- Ashley Harrison

14- Gavin Cooper
15- Luke Swain
16- Aaron Cannings
17– Michael Hodgson

2008 Trial / Pre-Season Matches:

16/02/08 v Canberra Raiders @ Briggs Rd Sporting Complex, Ipswich
23/02/08 v North QLD Cowboys @ Barlow Park, Cairns
01/03/08 v Wests Tigers @ Skilled Stadium, Robina

2008 Player Acquisitions and Departures:

Acquisitions:

Ashley Harrison (Sydney Roosters), Billy Ngawini and Esi Tonga (Canterbury), Aaron Cannings (Parramatta), Brenton Bowen (North QLD), Ben Jeffery (Wests Tigers), Matt Cross (Penrith)

Departures:

Richie Mathers (Wigan), David Myles (retired), Matt Hilder (Newcastle), Jake Webster (Hull), Lelea Paea (released)

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