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Sonny Bill Williams walks out on Bulldogs

Sources suggest today that prominent Bulldogs and New Zealand Rugby League forward, Sonny Bill Williams has walked out on the Bulldogs club and quit the NRL. Information is still coming to hand - but it’s believed Sonny Bill Williams has actually left the country for reasons unknown and is shortly about to link up with French Rugby Union club Toulon.

Williams apparently left Australia yesterday without letting team mates or officials at the Bulldogs know.

The star Rugby League forward has a contract with the Bulldogs in the NRL for another 4 season and the walk-out will surely see a legal battle erupt.

Bulldogs SEO Todd Greenberg said: “”I’ve had QC’s look at his contract and there is absolutely no get-out clause.”

”I’m shocked to hear of this situation with Sonny Bill Williams because I saw him Oatley at 7.30am today.’’

Williams was selected in the Bulldogs side to face the Dragons on Monday night.

While it’s only early stages and information will continue to come to light regarding Sonny Bill Williams and his quitting the Bulldogs and NRL; its hard not to speculate as to why the star backrower as not only left the Bulldogs but walked out on the NRL in 2008. Since linking with new player manager Khoder Nasser (who also manages Anthony Mundine) SBW has been keenly chasing Bulldogs management for an upgraded NRL contract and/or the option to leave the club should demands not be met.

Update: Bulldogs CEO Todd Greenberg has just told ABC radio that Sonny Bill Williams’ manager Khoder Nasser has now confirmed the star NRL Rugby League player has left the country.

“I’ve just got off the phone to Sonny’s manager Khoder Nasser and he has confirmed to me that Sonny has left the country,” Greenberg said.

“Quite simply, if Sonny intends to play overseas, we’ll be looking to take out an injunction which will effectively stop him playing in France, England or anywhere else he intends to do it.”

We are getting a lot of feedback and comments from Bulldogs fans; feel free to comment below or join in the detailed conversation on the NRL News Forums page, by Clicking Here.

Has the NRL become too edited?

By HateQld

The game of NRL Rugby League goes through constant rule changes, its probably a big plus for our game. It’s constantly evolving and keeps us ahead of other sports.

The NRL administrators have tried to make the game more attractive in recent times by bringing the video referee into several elements of the game, however this has had no effect on bringing more people through the turnstiles at the Rugby League grounds. The NRL needs to measure the benefit of rules changes they have implemented to ensure they are certainly helping, not hindering the game.

Just look at soccer. It’s the world game and the most powerful sport in the world - played in every country on the planet. The round ball game draws big crowds in most countries. It’s very successful and the administrators have not changed the rules of the game for a very ,very  long
time. They have a solid product that works and naturally they are sticking with it. At one stage, they were considering a rule change,which would have seen more goalscored. They actually wanted to widen the goalposts . But do you think more points in any given port makes that game more attractive ?

Bigger scoreline margins can also have the opposite affect and ruin a sport , whether it be NRL, soccer, Rugby Union - certainly higher scores or margins don’t really mean a better game. Would a score line of 42 - 20 be more apparelling then a score line of 14 - 7?

In the past the tight contests have attracted more crowds to the NRL game. A close game puts the fans on the edge of their seats and with time ticking away, there is nothing better than a heartstopping comeback or a 1 point victory. The golden point rule initiative has been a great step forward for the NRL, while some have complained about the field goal shootout - it adds a new dimension to the game and someone gets to leave the ground a winner.

The NRL administrators however have changed so many other rules and added video exploration to so many areas, it has become hard to keep up with whats ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ with the game , it’s caused confusion amongst fans, commentators and coaches alike . There is a difference of opinion in the commentary box as opposed to the  referees decision. The referees and the touch juges are not coming up with decisions on their own, they are relying far to much on the video referee man to get involved for tries, strips, high contact, loose carries, foul play and more. Sure, the amount that needs to be managed on the NRL field is extensive; and the referee has an extremely hard job - the video does have some place in the game.

But is the constant start stop a good thing? What about the try situation? Something needs to change there, each week there is a new controversy. Simply no consistency. Just look at recent weeks; the Bunnies get 2 tries that many felt were knock-on’s. Canberra denied what should have been a try. Manly are pulled back for a forward pass, that was actually fine. The Eels score off a bomb and despite no video evidence, the ref’s call doesn’t factor in benefit of the doubt. The video referee decision is quite simply; a lottery. Commentators, supporters, players and officials have no idea what result will be returned.

While it’s a hard game to adjudicate - other sports are laughing at the state of the video referee. It’s gobsmacking and whats even more scary is the element it leaves open for points shaving and match fixing. When a result can be swung either way in terms of a try, without any form of review or retribution - the power it gives that official is way too great. It really does open pandoras box and provides a scary thought for the future.

The game of NRL has increasingly got like NFL, which isn’t the end of the world. Stoppages can be painful sure, but if we are going to video manage a game - lets be totally clear and consistent on the calls. The rule book doesn’t always allow for this; it needs to be tightened up.

There is a big element of supporters who are frustrated with the time wasting and stoppages in the current game. Too slow, too boring which makes it more suited to a TV package rather than a live event at the stadium. The removal of referee and touch judge decisions does swing the game more to a TV package and hence the reduced crowd numbers.

Ultimately; there are to many grey areas in the NRL game today.

• Benefit of the doubt to the attacking team. (This rarely happens, or is rarely given) (This rule should replace ‘Refs Call’)
• Stripping rule. (Too 50/50, knocked back? knocked forward? during a tackle?)
• Control / Downward pressure when scoring. (Is a finger on the ball downward pressure / control? Knock-on’s?)
• The Ruck (Dominant, Surrender, Knees, Hands on the ball)
• Diving/Milking (This is becoming rife, players laying down regularly or faking for referee intervention)

A balled is passed, is it forward or backwards? The rule states that the ball must be passed backwards. Now they say “Oh its it leaves the hands and it goes forward , thats OK due to the hand pointing backwards as it was passed”.

What a load of rubbish that is.

The list goes on, with so many views and interpretation of the rule no wonder we all confused, angry and disappointed.

Keep the rules simple, allow the referees and touch judges to make a decision on their own. Reduce the usage of the video referees; sadly the video referee should not be making any mistakes as they have the benefit of slow motion video. However, they make the most mistakes of NRL officials during a game. (On top of that, they usually take way too long to adjudicate - it’s extremely frustrating.)

Give the men in the middle some more control in several areas of the game , if they make a mistake , so be it , do not continually show the replays at the grounds on the TV to crucify the men in the middle. Simplify the game and make it easy for the officials and everyone  else to follow.

Panthers pushing Wesser out the door

Speculation was rife in NRL and Rugby League circles tonight that the Penrith Panthers are secretly trying to offload Rhys Wesser for the 2009 NRL season.

The talented Wesser is reported to be earning over $300,000 a season; meaning the livewire fullback takes up a big chunk of the Panthers salary cap. A Grand Final winner with the Panthers in 2003, Wesser has been with the club for a decade and has remained tight lipped today about a possible relocation from his current club.

Named Penrith’s player of the year in 2006 at the club’s annual presentation function, Wesser has enjoyed a successful run with the Panthers. In 2006, breaking the club try-scoring record which was jointly held by Greg Alexander and Ryan Girdler.

The recent explosive form of Panthers rookies such as Lachlan Coote has put the pressure squarely on Wesser as well as Penrith club officials, as they try and justify Wessers large pay-packet. Panthers coach Matt Elliott has been forced to shift Wesser on to the wing to accomodate the exhilarating rookie Coote and have a star player on big dollars pushed to the wing wouldn’t sit well with club officials and bean counters.

As the Panthers try to arrange a deal with Wessers management and potential homes for next season, it’s believed that Penrith are open to paying at least party of Wessers contract for the 2009 NRL season in the hope a ’sub-letting’ deal can speed up the process and find the veteran fullback a home before the end of this year.

Should Wesser leave the Panthers, only a small number of players from the core group that won the Panthers the Grand Final in 2003 will remain as Penrith continue their rebuilding phase.

The Penrith club will want this contract arrangement dealt with quickly or quietly at least, as the club tries to maintain its recent good form run. The possibility of player unrest and uncertainty as the Wesser situation goes public could have a negative affect on the clubs results. The Panthers face the Gold Coast Titans at Skilled Park this weekend and enter the game with the knowledge that possibly only 4 more wins can secure them a place in the 2008 NRL Top 8

SBW rolls sleeves up, Bulldogs are back

Not just Bulldogs supporters, but most NRL supporters know the skill levels and natural ability of one Sonny Bill Williams. The guy is a freak.

But it seems yesterday, Sonny Bill Williams took on a new element of his game and became an absolute workhorse for his team.

Fighting a back injury that even his own coach Steve Folkes said should have kept him out of the match, SBW led the way as the Bulldogs upset Brisbane at Suncorp. Williams was in everything, he wasn’t just scoring tries - he was slapping balls free from attackers, fetching in-goal grubbers and was the last desperate attempted tackler for several Broncos tries.

It seems SBW has added a ‘Nathan Hindmarh’ or ‘Craig Fitzgibbon’ element to his bag of tricks. An element the Bulldogs so badly needed yesterday and for the rest of this year, they have some young, raw and skilful players - but they need experience and hard work to keep winning.

Yesterday SBW had some help. Ball playing backrower Reni Maitua also had a strong game (Maitua should have also been on the sideline with his own injury woes), hooker Corey Hughes a rib injury, Le Te Maari a hip … They were all putting their hand up for the club.

“We had a few blokes that played with things they probably shouldn’t have,” Folkes said. “But they just wanted to play. Sometimes, the power of the mind …”

“He probably played with something he maybe shouldn’t have played with,” Folkes confirmed. “That’s the spirit. There’s been a lot of talk about the team being down … we’ve been getting bombarded from all areas. But the players and coaching staff are tight-knit. It’s a really good reward for them. They’ve been trying bloody hard, and people don’t see that. They only see them on the weekend.”

Even Brisbane coach Wayne Bennett threw some praise SBW’s way: “He was outstanding. No one probably tried much harder than he did all day. He was on the right side of the field, left side of the field, he was everywhere. He played himself into the ground.”

In a Round of upsets it seems the Dogs pulled off one of the biggest of them all. The Dogs had dropped 5 games straight and had several team members injured and struggling to believe, with skipper Andrew Ryan admitting the past few months had been the toughest period he had experienced in his NRL career.

“We’ve been working our backsides off, and so to not come away with the wins, it’s been disappointing,” Ryan said. “But that’s what made today a little bit more special.

“It’s definitely the toughest, especially as we’re right down at the bottom of the table. The most frustrating thing is the last team we beat was Cronulla. And today we beat Brisbane. They’re two of the better teams. But people expect success. In a successful team, it hurts.”

Said Folkes: “It’s been really difficult for everyone at the club. Obviously, the expectation is that we’re successful, and that hasn’t been happening. It’s just a real good reward for the players, because they’ve been turning up every day and working really hard. I’m really proud of the way they played against a pretty good side.”

After the Bulldogs’ previous failure, a horror loss to South Sydney, prop Jarrad Hickey was hurting more than anyone. He had given away the ball that allowed Rabbitohs fullback Luke Capewell to score in golden-point extra time.

He too carried an injury into yesterday’s encounter, a corked thigh, and was as good as he was the previous week, without the howler to spoil it.

“I was shattered at the end of the game, very disappointed,” Hickey said. “It was probably the lowest I’ve felt. But my family and friends, my teammates, they really stuck by me. I was getting a bit depressed after the game, but they told me not to worry about it. It was just a mistake, one of those things. I don’t even care about it now.

“I reckon I’ll have a lot more lows and a lot more highs in football. If that’s the lowest I’ll feel in my life, I’ll have a pretty good life.”

BULLDOGS 26 (D Holdsworth H Nanai A Taumata S Williams tries H El Masri 5 goals) bt BRISBANE 18 (M Ennis S Thaiday P Wallace tries M Ennis 3 goals) at Suncorp Stadium. Referee: T Archer. Crowd:  37,683.

Souths Chris Sandow dodges praise; keeps cool

While Bunnies captain Roy Asotasi and coach Jason Taylor have heaped praise on new no.7 Chris Sandow for his efforts in the past 5 weeks, but the South Sydney rookie believes he still has a long way to go before classing himself as a complete  first grade player..

The livewire halfback has yet to be in a losing Souths side, playing in  Souths’ 5 wins on the trot, their longest winning succession in 14 years. Regardless of his own thoughts, Sandow has lived up to comparisons with Allan ‘Alifie’ Langer. While obviously a little green in some areas, Sandow has more than the foundations for an impressive career.

His passing selection and decision making around when to take on the line have been quite good. He initially lacked a strong mid to long kicking game, but this is improving each week. His short kicking game is virtually bulletproof, with a barrage of chips, grubbers and reverse banana kicks to get his side plenty of repeat sets against the Eels last night.

Last night’s 32-20 conquest of Parramatta at ANZ Stadium was centred around 2 upcoming playmakers, Sandow and Parramatta pivot Feleti Mateo.

Sandow had a hand somewhere in 4 of Souths’ 6 touchdowns, while Mateo also played impressively until suffering a medial ligament knee injury shortly after halftime.

He returned to the field for the last quarter after a ten minute break but given he is carrying an ankle injury as well there’s serious concern about his availability over the coming weeks.

Rabbitohs captain Roy Asotasi said Sandow had done “wonders” since coming into first grade, while coach Jason Taylor said the rookie halfback’s kicking game had made “a massive difference to our whole team.”

Sandow, who hadn’t spoken to the media before last night, was quick to down play his part in the Rabbitohs resurgence.

“I’m not a first grader yet, that was my fifth game, I’m just taking each game as it comes,” Sandow told AAP.

“I want to stay there to the end of the year, but I’ve got to perform each week.”

Taylor, Asotasi and Sandow all stressed that Souths weren’t worrying about trying to make the finals, even though their latest win pushed them to within three points of eighth spot.

However, their next three fixtures are all against teams currently outside the top eight.

Slumping Parramatta, who are just two points ahead of Souths after crashing to their third loss in four games, were sweating on scans on Mateo to be performed tomorrow.

Asked if he would be right for Friday, Mateo said: “You can never tell, sometimes they say if you don’t feel anything it’s worse, so I don’t know, we’ll have to wait and see,” Mateo said.

Parramatta hope to have captain Nathan Cayless back from an infected shin, but acting skipper Nathan Hindmarsh was brutally honest about what the potential loss of Mateo could mean to the Eels.

“We are up shit creek pretty much, we’ve got one paddle (Mateo) left, if we loose that we’re in strife,” Hindmarsh said.

“Its going to be difficult for us. “This year he’s been our standout player and sets up most of our tries and scores a lot himself.”

Paramatta coach Michael Hagan believed the Eels needed to win five of their eight games to make the finals and said he couldn’t knock the effort of his players.

Allan Tounge fuming; Pappa escapes Prowler

Canberra Raiders forward Allan Tounge was today fuming after the NRL match review committee cleared Cronulla Sharks player Misi Taulapapa of any wrong doing; after the Sharks flanker hurled himself at Tounge while the Raiders captain attempted a tackle on a ball carrying player.

It was a bizzare situation and many felt Misi Taulapapa would be charged today after video footage was reviewed.

Allan Tounge feels he is a victim due to the fact he is a low profile player, playing for a regional club.

“Imagine if it was Brett Kimmorley and I came in and busted him and he was out for the rest of the game and we came back and won the game, imagine how much (Cronulla coach) Ricky Stuart would be blowing up,” Tongue said.

“I’m not as influential in the game as someone like a Kimmorley.

“Imagine if someone came out … when it’s so close with the top eight, and took out another side’s main playmaker, I definitely think there’d be people jumping up and down.

Tounge raises a very valid point, this kind of bizzare interference could be used by a team to directly or intentionally hurt an opposition player. Consider the likes of Israel Folau or Justin Hodges targeted in a semi-final, or a half-back such as Matt Orford or Cooper Cronk being attacked by player totally independant of the ball carrier?

A physical clash could put the player out for the match and the culprit is free to play the rest of the game and the following week.

Any prowler type tackle in the NRL should be outlawed, there were a few in the Storm/Eels game on the weekend by both sides. Ball carriers were being held up by two tacklers and a third tackler was chopping legs and lower body in a dangerous fashion.

This latest unique method by Misi Taulapapa should have been stamped out quickly by the review committee, now it’s been let go - will Cronulla and other teams try to use it to their advantage?

How can NSW revive their State of Origin hopes?

With State of Origin Game 3 only days away, what can the Blues really do to reverse the trend in Game 2? While they won in Sydney - it was only by a small margin and the flood gates really opened up in Queensland for Game 2. The quality of the Queensland players shone through and the stop/start tactics - more based on prevention from NSW in the original game were now useless.

The NSW Blues should really look at starting the game with Kurt Gidley at fullback. Manly flyer Brett Stewart certainly hasn’t put a foot wrong, but his offensive impact has been limited at best so far in State of Origin.

Craig Bellamy could look to start Stewart on the bench and inject him when defence has tired, in a similar way Queensland smartly use Billy Slater.

Many believe that for Kurt Gidley to have a strong impact he needs to be out there for the full 80mins. This is how he does it for Newcastle on a weekly basis. The Queensland Origin side has four kickers in their team; Jonathon Thurston and Scott Prince on either side of the ruck and the Storm’s Cameron Smith can kick from dummy half, with Karmichael  Hunt as a fallback.

For Game 3, NSW have only two genuine kickers in the side with Braith Anasta and Mitchell Pearce. Danny Buderus is not a noted kicker therefore putting a lot pressure on the new halves combination.

Although he has a good kicking game, Pearce will be under a lot of pressure as an Origin rookie and probably doesn’t have the distance kicking game under pressure that others possess.

This is where Gidley can play a crucial role.

Gidley not only has a good kicking game but he has the options and speed, thus he can run the ball as well when the situation arises.

The Sydney Roosters do score the majority of their tries through kicks, however Queensland won’t be easily beaten in the air on the fringes. Pearce and Anasta will certainly give the Maroons more to think about on final tackle plays.

Queensland have worked overtime to ensure high balls won’t be a problem and developed a good counter-strike from these attempts in Game 2.With Gidley starting the match it will help relieve pressure on both Anasta and Pearce from the outset. The more options NSW have on tackle 5, the more difficult the situation is for the Queenslanders to defend against. Having defenders in two minds, unsure whether to stay in the defence line or drop back - this could prove very handy for NSW.

NSW will lose nothing with Gidley at the back; his defence is sound and he is a good positional player, his speed is also comparable to Brett Stewart. He is the ace up the sleeve for the Blues.

Another player who was unlucky to have missed out on State of Origin selection is Sea Eagle Anthony Watmough . He has a strong running game and can tackle with aggression. Anthony Tupo is lucky to have retained his spot after having never really fired up at Origin level, he has lost that running edge and does come up with the odd error.

From a NSW point of view, a new look side was always going to find it tough against the quality of Queensland right across the park. In Game 1, NSW had the right mix of players to frustrate the Maroons. A solid gameplan from Craig Bellamy, carried out to the letter by players - it all worked.

With several key members from that NSW side now suspended or injured; the new look side has a huge task at hand. It will probably take more than a few positional changes to get this NSW side home, they will need a full house at ANZ Stadium and the bounce of the ball to come their way all night. Buckle up NSW, this is going to be tough.

Fan Feedback: Suburban Home Grounds

At NRL News we are lucky to have a large group of active fans who regularly provide their feedback through the ‘Shout Box’ on the website. Any NRL enthusiast can quickly post their thoughts and discuss current Rugby League issues with fellow supporters of the NRL.

One of our more active users that goes by the nickname ‘HateQld’ has provided us with the first ever - ‘Fan Feedback’ article. We always encourage visitors to send us detailed feedback or articles, so if you’d like to have your article posted at NRL News.com simply email: NRLfeedback@gmail.com

Suburban Home Grounds

By HateQld

Think of the suburban home grounds etched in the memories of so many Rugby League players and supporters; the likes of Belmore Sports Ground , Kogarah Jubilee Oval, Brookvale Oval, Leichhardt Oval, North Sydney Oval,and the SCG.

I remember hearing stories about the home teams hosing down the
visitors dressing rooms before a game leave them feeling cold - trying to put them
off their game or leaving the grass slightly longer to combat a kicking game that might be employed by a certain team.

The atmosphere was always electric as you approached any of those grounds.Two to three vendors selling hot food outside the grounds, with young kids selling the big league programs as you filed into the ground.

Regardless of the suburban Rugby League ground, the opposition feared enemy territory. The fans from both teams loved to travel to those grounds to see the teams do battle. Some of those grounds would hold between 20,000 to 30,000
with an atmosphere strong enough to run a small power plant.

Where the seating capacity was smaller, you still felt the power of the hits and you were able to sit close enough to the game to provide the crowd support and cheering of twice as many people in a bigger venue.

Come September all the finals and grand finals would be played at the SCG or the Sydney Football Stadium. Teams from both sides would not an advantage due to the mutual venue.

I’ve been to ANZ Stadium (formerly Telstra Stadium) several times and it’s impossible to experience anything like the atmosphere a traditional venue can produce. The advantage to the home team is non-existent, even with a large home crowd - most of the players admit they can’t hear them at the large Homebush Stadium.

It’s simply hollow.

The ANZ stadium is now used by four clubs and it doesn’t feel like a home ground to any of them at all. Everyone you talk to says the same thing; they all want their clubs to have a specific local venue.

While corporate sponsors and amenities must be considered, the attraction of a suburban home ground still holds many advantages for clubs. When done right, a balance between a traditional ‘hill’ such as at Leichhardt Oval or Brookvale Oval combined with state of the art amenities, media and corporate areas - the best of both worlds could even be possible.

As clubs look for a quick cash grab and move operations to ANZ, they are failing to see the big picture - their future direction and earnings are being forfeited. The short sighted ’stop gap’ solution is happening too often and hurting several clubs as the Sydney crowd squeeze continues.

After watching the NRL clash today between the Wests Tigers and the NZ Warriors at Leichhardt Oval, the venue was near full even before the preliminary matches got underway. The vibe, the roar and all the family atmosphere that Rugby League was built on was totally evident. Even the lower grade players got to experience it, the place was packed.

The strong local support was most evident when a Warriors player was attempting a sideline conversion. You could see and feel the roar’s and boo’s from Wests Tigers fans putting the the kicker off. Youngsters were literally metres away from their hero’s as they watched them do battle right before their eyes; a far greater experience than sitting in a deserted ANZ Stadium and trying to get a peek at the action on a TV Screen Replay.

As the clock winds down on Sunday afternoon at Leichhardt, the sun casting a shadow over the stand, the great Australian salute is in full cry as people on the hill shield the sun from their eyes, some of them making an early exit to avoid traffic.
Some say the game must only look to the future and build bigger stadiums. While progress is always important, you still need to give the fans what they want. With crowd figures so far in the NRL season being average at best, maybe it is time to truly go ‘Back to the Future’ and use suburban grounds albeit with some future proofing? Lets try for that ‘balance’.

All that was missing from Leichhardt Oval today was Laurie Nichols shadow boxing on the sideliens, as his team did battle right before the fans eyes.

Bouncer family heartless, will sue Fatty despite death

THE family of misunderstood bouncer Greg Stacey offered their condolences to the Vautin family yesterday - but confirmed they will still continue legal action against The Footy Show host Paul Vautin. An obvious mistake that was not only made by Fatty, but by many watching the Footy Show has been taken to a ridiculous level by the Stacey family.

As confirmed by Paul Vautin, anyone with a disabled person in their family would never wish to ridicule or point the finger at someone else as they know only too well the difficult situation faced day in day out. With the passing this week of Vautin’s brother, many felt the Stacey family would retract their threats and choose to make peace after the misunderstanding.

As it stands, the Stacey family are continuing their efforts to chase Vautin in what can now only be described as a cash grab, considering Vautin has apologised repeatedly for the mix-up and pointed out clearly that a person in his position with a disabled brother would never ridicule someone in the same situation.

While Vautin grieved the passing of his disabled brother Geoff in Brisbane, a case was still being compiled against his on-air accusations that Mr Stacey, a benign epileptic, appeared “blind” drunk while working the door of Brisbane’s Caxton Hotel on State of Origin night. A misconception made by thousands of viewers after seeing the brief footage during the telecast.

Greg’s father Peter Stacey confirmed that the Vautin family had phoned to apologise for comments made against his son.

And, while he admitted that Vautin would probably not have made the comments had he known about the illness, he added: “But it’s done now.”

“We also got a call from Vautin’s mum confirming that her son Geoff was terribly ill. But we haven’t called them back because we didn’t know what to say,” Mr Stacey said.

“Our hearts go out to the family, particularly his mother, but that doesn’t change what’s happened to us and our son.

“It’s going to be a hard time for Paul. I really do sympathise for him.”

Vautin has apologised to the bouncer for his comments and was expected to repeat it during Thursday’s airing of The Footy Show.

But when asked if the long-time host would front the program tomorrow night, a Channel 9 spokesman said: “We are respecting the privacy of the Vautin family as they grieve the loss of a son and brother. We will be in contact with Paul through the week.”

Geoffrey Vautin, who had Down syndrome, died in a Brisbane care facility at 12.30am yesterday.

The death came only 2 days after he was brought into the media storm over his Fattys comments.

Vautin said he would never deliberately ridicule a disabled person - revealing that his own brother had Down syndrome.

In a statement released by his manager John Gibbs late yesterday, Vautin said his brother would be “sadly missed but always remembered”.

“I am too upset and am grieving with my family to make further comment,” he said.

“I would appreciate that you allow my family our private time.”

It has been a tough week for Vautin and The Footy Show, with 2GB broadcaster Ray Hadley alleging segments ridiculing the disabled were often a deliberate aim of the show. Former panel member Hadley is always looking to ‘get one up’ on his former employer Channel 9 and used his position to drive the knife in. Hadley while enjoying a large following among the over 60’s crowd has built up an ever growing pool of enemies in Rugby League circles.

Hadley said “Street Talk” staff were often sent in search of “nuffies” - a claim Nine has rejected.

“They search around for homeless people, derelicts, alcoholics, people who look different,” Hadley said.

Interesting comments from the 2GB host considering that Hadley himself spends a good portion of his weekly show berating panel member Darryl Brohman, various callers and other staff members.

The Cowboys downward spiral continues

Guest writer and NRL tragic Ricky Ricardo returns today and gives his opinion on the North Queensland Cowboys and their horror run of form.

Can the North Queensland Cowboys stop the rot?

Ricky Ricardo

That is a question that many fans are asking themselves. Is their team really in a bad form slump or will it be reversed with one good performance? Only time will give us the answer to that question, but at this stage it doesn’t look likely.

The Cowboys have now lost a club record 7 games in a row. That’s demoralising for any team surely, just ask the Rabbitohs. The effect that would have on player morale, team confidence both during the game and during training is just gut-wrenching to even think about. As a follower of the NRL, you cannot help but feel for the club as they go through this hard time. Sure they have had injuries to key players, suspensions to back-up players and State of Origin players, but good teams have the youth and experience to back up those players day in day out.

Jonathon Thurston is definitely not pulling his weight. As the side’s leading playmaker he needs to step up and have a more prominent role in the club’s performances. He’s losing his grip at a rapid rate as the game’s best player. He was the key to their success for the past two years as the Cowboys made it to the latter stages of the finals. But he’s losing his touch most definitely. Question us, can he get it back and inspire the Cowboys to a mid season surge? It has been done before by other teams and with each team capable of beating any other, it can most certainly happen again.

And yes, Matthew Bowen, arguably one of the best fullbacks in the game is injured, again, for a prolonged period of time. That is one area that the Cowboys really struggle, depth when their frontliners are out of the side. His meter gains are outstanding in virtually every NRL match he plays, his ability to break the line is incredible and for such a small man, he is exceptionally strong. There is no one there to cover for him at fullback. The Cowboys need someone while he is out to provide that same spark. They need someone and they need someone quick. Questions is, who?

Is the wooden spoon something that the Cowboys want? They seem to be in a two-horse race with fellow strugglers South Sydney. Both of whom are on 8 points and languishing at the bottom of the table. For the Cowboys sake, and for the sake of their fans, they need to hope that it is not them in order to remain a top flight team for many seasons to come.

Their results can only be brought upon themselves when you think about it. Dumping Coach Graham Murray before the season even started, Matthew Bowen missing out on most of the season so far, Thurston and Webb playing State of Origin, Murray forced to walk away halfway through the year, Millward taking over and seemingly not being able to lift morale.>

How can a team possibly come back from this list of disasters, all in a single year? And things were only made worse following Luke O Donnell’s suspension for two separate incidents two weeks ago. He is out for another month leaving Carl Webb as the only prominent forward in the side, the other player they rely on to get results and provide the run they need. Jonathon Thurston is the other player of course.

Lacklustre, dreadful and disorganised are just some of the words being used to describe the Cowboys and their recent performances. Ok so the Knights copped 13 straight losses last year and it’s taken them a good year to recover - but to lose 7 games in a row and your last 4 home games within that, is definitely not something the Cowboys need. As many are saying, it could be the straw that breaks their back and sends them spiraling back to the dark old days of the NRL when they simply were not competitive.

Overall, if the Cowboys don’t improve and improve quickly, they will get the wooden spoon and for the sake of their club and their history, that’s definitely not something they want on their record.

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