Isaah Yeo. Photo: NRL Photos.
MASKED PANTHER Panthers trainer suspended, club fined over Finals breach
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JOEL CAINE The incredible challenges faced by the game’s top coaches this season
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MATT RUSSELL Brutal Finals game showed it’s not all about points
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FINALS FLASHBACK Panthers overcome shock start to beat Broncos in 2003 beauty at Penrith Stadium
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GIVE US STRENGTH PANTHERS FACE STORM IN EPIC PRELIMINARY FINAL MATCH PREVIEW: PAGE 27
Friday, September 24, 2021 « the western weekender • extra time
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TEAM LINE-UPS PANTHERS
storm
1 Dylan Edwards
1 Ryan Papenhuyzen
2 Stephen Crichton
2 George Jennings
3 Paul Momirovski
3 Reimis Smith
4 Matt Burton
4 Justin Olam
5 Brent Naden
5 Josh Addo-Carr
6 Jarome Luai
6 Cameron Munster
7 Nathan Cleary (c)
7 Jahrome Hughes
8 Moses Leota
8 Jesse Bromwich (c)
9 Api Koroisau
9 Brandon Smith
10 James Fisher-Harris
10 Christian Welch
11 Viliame Kikau
11 Felise Kaufusi
12 Kurt Capewell
12 Kenneath Bromwich
13 Isaah Yeo (c)
13 Dale Finucane
14 Tyrone May
14 Harry Grant
15 Scott Sorensen
15 Tui Kamikamica
16 Tevita Pangai Junior
16 Nelson Asofa-Solomona
17 Liam Martin
17 Nicho Hynes
18 Izack Tago
18 Aaron Pene
19 Spencer Leniu
19 Tom Eisenhuth
20 J’Maine Hopgood
20 Chris Lewis
21 Brian To’o
21 Isaac Lumelume
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the final word
the western weekender • extra time » Friday, September 24, 2021
match preview
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Dylan Edwards in action against Parramatta. Photo: NRL Photos.
TROY DODDS
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’m no coach but if I was Ivan Cleary, part of my preparation this week would be a movie night. The main feature – Penrith’s epic 12-10 victory over the Melbourne Storm back in Round 3 at Panthers Stadium. The critics gave it five stars. It had everything – suspense, drama and a late twist that kept you guessing until the credits. It also proved that the Panthers can beat this Storm side with a defensive onslaught, something that has tripped the Storm up a couple of times this season. In their three defeats this year – that match against Penrith and two against the Eels – the Storm were limited to just two tries. In other words, you don’t beat Melbourne 30-26. While most believe the Storm have Penrith’s measure this Saturday afternoon, there is hope in the reality that defence wins competitions.
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SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 25 | 4.00PM | SUNCORP STADIUM | REFEREE: GERARD SUTTON You saw that last week in Penrith’s epic 8-6 victory over Parramatta. It was one of the great Finals battles of all-time, sadly overshadowed by a salty coach, a fan base that would prefer to complain about the referees and a mainstream media desperate for something to complain about. As the game went on, it was clear that a moment of attacking brilliance wasn’t going to win the contest. This was a defensive battle to the bitter end, with both teams only scoring tries off kicks. It was good old fashioned September football and most accept it was the game of the season – ironic given how much effort the NRL has gone to in promoting attacking footy and high scorelines. I accept this Melbourne team is brilliant. But I’m not convinced they’re as far down the straight as many think they are. Performances against North Queensland, Manly, Canberra, Cronulla and Parramatta in the
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final six weeks of the regular season showed some chinks in the armour – though you can’t deny they were at their blistering best against Manly in the opening week of the Finals. Ivan Cleary must throw everything at the opening 20 minutes of this game. If the Storm go up by a couple of tries, it’s game over – they control matches better than any side in the competition once in front. But if Penrith can go hard early, and even grab a lead, I’d be confident they could defend their way to another gritty win. I’m not overly concerned with Mitch Kenny’s omission due to injury. While he’s been playing some decent footy, Tyrone May will return to play a similar role and can cover even more positions – so not a lot is lost there. Viliame Kikau being in doubt is a worry. He may be rocks and diamonds, particularly at the moment, but you get the feeling
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he’s still after a bit of redemption from that Grand Final last year. He tasted a little of it when his superb effort on the line saved the game back in Round 3, but surely he wants more. Redemption. It’s a big word heading into this one. Sure, most expected that Penrith and Melbourne would face-off in the Grand Final this year, but the game happens to land a week early. Both sides would have always felt the other was their biggest roadblock to winning the competition and that hasn’t changed – we’re just going about things a little differently. The week’s rest will certainly be a bonus for this Melbourne team. But often teams with the week off can take a little bit of time to click into gear. If the Panthers can capitalise on that and get on the board early, I’ll back their defence to get them home. Tip: Panthers by 4.
STORM $1.31 PANTHERS $3.25
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Friday, September 24, 2021 « the western weekender • extra time
panther rumblings
WITH THE MASKED PANTHER
PANTHERS HIT WITH FINE ! Panthers trainer Pete Green has paid a heavy price for asking match officials to halt the game against the Eels when Mitch Kenny went down injured last Saturday night. Green has been suspended for the rest of the 2021 campaign, while the Panthers have been hit with a $25,000 Breach Notice. The Breach Notice alleges Green stopped play incorrectly in the 76th minute. A Head Trainer can only stop play after making an initial assessment that circumstances require a doctor to enter the field of play, but Green asked for play to be stopped before he had even assessed Kenny on the field.
Trainer Pete Green (right) helps Mitch Kenny from the field. Photo: NRL Photos.
! NRL Head of Football Graham Annesley has confirmed the decision to penalise Will Smith for a high tackle on Liam Martin just before half-time in last week’s game between Penrith and Parramatta was correct. He’s also backed the decision to penalise Marata Niukore for his off-theball hit on James Fisher-Harris. However, Annesley has conceded that Jarome Luai should have been penalised for his interference on Mitchell Moses after Parramatta made a break down the sideline in the 67th minute. He also confirmed Ray Stone knocked the ball on in the 70th minute, despite howls from Eels fans that the ball went backwards. ! Spotted: State Penrith MP Stuart Ayres showing his Panther Pride by wearing a Panthers mask at two COVID-19 press conferences with Premier Gladys Berejiklian over the past week. !
It was interesting to note Panthers CEO Brian Fletcher’s confidence this week about the club re-signing Viliame Kikau. “We’re very confident that we will be able to come to an agreement with his management and have him on the roster for another three or four years as well. Every indication is that he’ll be staying,” Fletcher told Sky Sports Radio. He’s far more confident than Chairman Dave O’Neill was in his comments to the media a few weeks ago. I’m still hearing Kikau will test his value on the open market, which means he won’t re-sign until after November – if he does at all.
! Another player off-contract at the end of next seasons is Dylan Edwards. While the 25-year-old has a chance to prove his elite status against the Storm on Saturday and then potentially in a Grand Final, I have no doubt that some questions will start to be raised should the Panthers exit this weekend. Edwards is a great player, but whether or not Penrith need someone more explosive at the back is potentially something worth questioning. It’s likely to be part of the conversation if this Panthers team doesn’t go all the way this year. !
The Dally M Player of the Year is set to go down to the wire, with Penrith captain Nathan Cleary taking a one point lead into the final six weeks of the competition. Points for rounds 13 to 19 were revealed on Monday night, with Cleary finishing round 19 on a total of 24 points. Manly’s
Tom Trbojevic is closing fast, and sits just one point behind Cleary. The major Dally M winners will be announced on Monday night in a broadcast on Fox League.
! “Come on, throw something at them!” The words of Fox League commentator Michael Ennis, urging on the Parramatta Eels in the final minutes against Penrith last Saturday night. Anyone would have thought Ennis had blue and gold blood flowing through him! ! Spotted: Weekender production crew member Ian Beard (right) checking his blood pressure shortly after full-time last weekend. Like most of us, it was through the roof! !
Have you heard some Panthers gossip or a rumour? I don’t keep secrets,
but I certainly protect my sources! Email maskedpanther@westernweekender.com. au immediately!
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PLAYING WITH PRIDE FOR THE WEST NATHAN TAYLOR
I
t’s been a tough few months for western Sydney. In fact, no one’s probably experienced the trials and tribulations of the COVID-19 lockdown more than us folk out west. Thankfully rugby league has been somewhat of a saviour throughout this long, drawn out winter – giving locals something to look forward to each weekend in what’s become a rather depressing and mundane existence. Now with Penrith the last western Sydney team remaining in the 2021 NRL Finals, it’s down to the Panthers to continue flying the flag for the west and hopefully give us all something to look forward to for at least another week. Speaking from the Sunshine Coast via Zoom on Tuesday, proud western Sydney resident Jarome Luai said he would love nothing more than to give local supporters doing it tough the best ‘jab’ of all – an NRL Premiership. “The majority of our team are based in that area and we sort of grew up in western Sydney as well,” he told Extra Time. “Every time we put on this jersey we feel like we are representing where we come
from. We play with our area on our sleeves every weekend and we know they are behind us, so this one is for you guys.” Panthers and western Sydney footy fans in general will be glued to the couch this Saturday afternoon hoping Luai and his troops can continue their historic 2021 campaign and qualify for next weekend’s NRL Grand Final. Since October 25 last year, Penrith supporters have been dreaming of another crack at Melbourne on the big stage and they’ll finally get their wish with the competition’s two top teams set to do battle for a place in the 2021 decider. Luai said he and his teammates have also been eager for a rematch with last year’s Premiers, hoping to finally accomplish the mission they were unable to last season. “We’re pretty keen,” the 24-year-old said of his excitement to play the Storm. “We all sort of knew to get a premiership Melbourne were going to be in our way at some point down the track. We’re facing them this week and, like I said, we’re pretty hyped and ready to go.” Many believe that if Penrith don’t get the job done this weekend and don’t go on to win an elusive premiership, that it will be regarded as a failure of a season. Luai, who made his State of Origin debut earlier this year, said season 2021 will be
the western weekender • extra time » Friday, September 24, 2021
feature
Jarome Luai is hoping Penrith topple Melbourne on Saturday. Photo: NRL Photos.
regarded as a success for the club no matter the result on Saturday. “Definitely it’s a success,” he said emphatically. “I think it’s an exciting time for any club to be at this point in the season. This is where the business end is; this is what we all work
for; this is what we all dreamt about as young kids to be in this position. “We’ve got a beautiful opportunity in front of us and hopefully we can make the most of that.” And western Sydney hopes the Panthers can too.
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Friday, September 24, 2021 « the western weekender • extra time
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Battle of the game’s best coaches as Grand Final approaches
joel caine T
his year’s Premiers will be lifting the trophy in just nine days, in other words, it’s so close. Well… so close, but still so, so far away. Whichever coach is ultimately crowned the champion next Sunday night, they may one day look back on it as their greatest achievement. At the conclusion of this weekend, this quartet of coaches would have combined for a total of exactly 1400 wins. That’s a lot of team victory songs. On the top of relocations due to COVID, here is a look at the difficulties faced in 2021 from each coach’s perspective.
natural number nine – what he has achieved with Lachlan Croker has been remarkable. The Manly performance against Sydney highlighted how much they missed him the week prior. But, they haven’t beaten a top four side all year and now have to knock off two in a row.
Ivan Cleary These young Panthers have had to go the long way home here. Nathan Cleary has been nursing a shoulder injury, and Brian To’o has his own battles. For Ivan, if he is to get the job done, he will need to win consecutive games over Craig Bellamy and one of Hasler or Bennett.
Des Hasler Manly were $5 with Sportsbet after just four rounds to win the wooden spoon, and they have played the entire year without a
Craig Bellamy Getting a team to be as motivated as they were the year prior when winning a comp is so, so difficult. It becomes almost impossible when a future Immortal in Cameron Smith retires. This would be his first Premiership without at least one of Smith, Cronk or Slater.
Wayne Bennett At the start of the year, many were tipping the Bunnies to go all the way. This was largely due to the fact they went so close last year and did it without Latrell Mitchell, and that this year they would have him and that would make all the difference. Well, Latrell got suspended and so did the enthusiasm for the Rabbitohs to win the competition. How many teams win premierships with their best player on the sidelines come Grand Final Day? Any other club choosing not to re-sign a club legend like Adam Reynolds would find it almost impossible to get things on track, but Wayne has turned it into his advantage. If Souths do get through Manly this week, they face either Melbourne or Penrith … both sides have handed them a 50-point trouncing just this year. This could really be the hardest Premiership ever won. And it will be a history-making one too, given the game will be played at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, the first time the NRL Grand Final has taken place outside of Sydney. 2020 was certainly bizarre, but 2021 has been even weirder and unusual for every team, and that only continues in the final two weeks. Immortality awaits whichever coach is holding the cup aloft come October 3.
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the western weekender • extra time » Friday, September 24, 2021
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CHASING A GRAND OPPORTUNITY NATHAN TAYLOR
P
aul Momirovski has been a member of two Premiership-winning teams but has never played in a Grand Final – a unique piece of trivia he’s hoping ends this Saturday if Penrith can knock off his former club. The 25-year-old was part of the Sydney Roosters’ squad during their title run in 2018 and he was even a member of the Melbourne Storm last year when they got the better of the Panthers on Grand Final Day. While Momirovski wasn’t a regular player in either of those sides, he certainly played a role in their successes throughout the season. Speaking with Extra Time on the eve of the biggest game of his career, Momirovski said he’d love to finally play in a Grand Final if all goes to plan this weekend. “I think being part of those other teams (Storm and Roosters) makes this one a bit more special to try and get out there and play,” he said. “But before that happens, we’ve got to play this week first and that’s our focus.” Prior to this weekend’s match, the Alexandria Rovers junior has already played in
one Preliminary Final when he was part of Trent Robinson’s side that defeated South Sydney in 2018. That clash, in which Momirovski scored an important try, was only his second game in first grade ever. Momirovski said despite that game being played three years ago, he knows that experience will put him in good stead come Saturday afternoon. “I think playing in that game gave me a lot of confidence at the time – it’s been a while since that game happened but, just in general, being in that position before and knowing what it feels like is definitely going to help,” he said. “It absolutely means nothing on Saturday, it’s not going to give me much, but knowing I’ve been there and done it at least once it definitely does help.” While not many punters are giving the Panthers much of a hope against a wellrested Storm side this Saturday, anything can happen in rugby league and Penrith certainly have the team and coach to prove the doubters wrong. Momirovski, who knows Melbourne and how they tick better than anyone at Penrith, said they have been such a force for so many years because of strong bonds and leadership. “There’s a lot of reasons why they’ve been successful and it’s not down to one person
Paul Momirovski in action against the Eels last weekend. Photo: NRL Photos.
– it’s a collective, it’s a group,” he explained. “They’ve got strong leadership down there and I’m sure they’ll be ready for this weekend like we will be.” And while the Panthers proved they deserved to be in this position after last week’s monster effort against Parramatta, they know it’s going to take a lot more to beat Melbourne and reach their second NRL Grand Final in the space of a year.
“In the Finals you can’t expect to turn up and win games,” he said. “You have to play the whole 80 minutes and look what it took from us on the weekend, it took a massive effort just to get through last week, so this week will be even more. “Any time you want to beat Melbourne you have to put in your best effort for 80 minutes, so we’ll be looking to do that.”
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Friday, September 24, 2021 « the western weekender • extra time
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Low scoring, gritty games are what rugby league is all about
matt russell R
arely this year have I enjoyed a game more than the Penrith v Parramatta Semi Final last weekend. It featured only two tries, had no points scored in the second half, but was tough rugby league, with controversy, drama and intrigue to the final whistle. Who would have thought the lowest scoring game of the season would also be, maybe, the best game of the season? It was like Penrith’s gritty 12-10 win against Melbourne in Round 3 or Souths’ dramatic 18-14 Golden Point escape against Wests Tigers in Round 6. As if we needed a reminder, it’s obvious plenty of points doesn’t necessarily equal the best entertainment. Two evenly matched teams (the above were at the time) slugging it out, doesn’t activate the new rules and momentum surge that has seen huge scorelines and, at times, big margins. Think Melbourne 66-16 over Wests Tigers in Round 15, Souths 60-22 against the Warriors in Round 19, Manly 56-24 versus the Titans also in Round 15. How many of the other games featuring more than 70 points jump to mind as classic contests and compulsive viewing? Maybe South Sydney’s comeback win against Gold Coast in Round 7 40-30. Fixing that will fall under the umbrella of the post season review and refinement of some rules. More immediately, it should get us excited for the three games to come.
Penrith and Parramatta were both epic in defence last weekend. Photo: NRL Photos.
Penrith finished the regular season as the best defensive team and Minor Premiers Melbourne not far behind. Surely another 12-10 thriller isn’t out of the question. If ONLY the law of (defensive) averages applies, Penrith will win 13-12. But of course, there is attack to consider as well. Souths’ last six weeks of the regular season saw them concede 14, 12, 6, 25, 12 and 16.
The 25 was against Penrith, which they corrected in Week 1 of the Finals by holding the Panthers to 10. So that’s an average of a tick over 13 points per game conceded in their last seven outings. Manly has the biggest defensive question mark. Only once in the final two months of the regular season did they hold an opponent under 18 points. They gave up
40 against Melbourne in their first final. Against the other three Preliminary Finalists, they’ve conceded on average 33 points per meeting this season. I can’t wait for the end of the season. 8-6 games are fine by me. May the best team win. And if the best team wins on the back of superb defence, no one should be surprised.
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the western weekender • extra time » Friday, September 24, 2021
finals flashback
EVENTUALLY, THE BOYS CLICKED W
e all know how the 2003 season ended, but there was almost a major hiccup for eventual Premiers Penrith in the first week of the Finals. Operating under the old McIntyre Finals system, the first-placed Panthers took on the eighth-placed Broncos at Penrith Stadium – do or die for Brisbane, a week off waiting for Penrith. Penrith were short-priced favourites to easily get past the Broncos, but the visitors had other ideas on that warm Sunday afternoon at the foot of the Mountains. In just the second minute, Gorden Tallis and Darren Lockyer combined to send Stuart Kelly over for the first of two tries, giving Brisbane an early 6-0 advantage. That try exposed Penrith’s right edge, so the Broncos went there again – Lockyer sending Kelly over to make it 12-0 after 12 minutes. The Panthers got on the board through Luke Lewis in the 25th minute, but Brisbane would score on the right edge again soon after, Scott Minto diving over to open up an 18-4 lead. The crowd was stunned, but just before halftime they were given hope – Ben Ross charging
over under the posts to reduce the deficit at the break to eight. When Lewis got the best of a Craig Gower bomb just minutes into the second half, it was evident the Panthers were rolling and things were looking shaky for the Broncos. Leading 18-16, Brisbane’s hearts would be broken in the 50th minute when Ryan Girdler intercepted a Darren Lockyer pass to run 60 metres to score under the posts. It put the Panthers in front for the first time in the match. Ray Warren’s call of that intercept, just as Phil Gould was explaining how Brisbane could beat Penrith, was commentary gold. A Craig Gower 40/20 in the next set ended with a Scott Sattler try – opening up the eventual 28-18 scoreline. It may not have been pretty, but Penrith managed to overcome their stage fright to secure a week one Finals win and advance to a Preliminary Final against the Warriors at Telstra Stadium. The rest is history. Penrith would beat the Warriors, and then go on to defeat the Sydney Roosters in the Grand Final.
Ryan Girdler in action for Penrith against Brisbane. Photo: NRL Photos.
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PHOTO SPECIAL
A WIN WE’LL REMEMBER
panthers edge eels by two points in finals thriller
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the western weekender • extra time » Friday, September 24, 2021
There’s reason for hope ahead of Preliminary Final showdown
lang on league
with Peter Lang
N
ot many pundits outside of die-hard Panthers supporters are giving Penrith much of a chance against the Melbourne Storm in this weekend’s second Preliminary Final. Yes, I admit, I did say last week that I didn’t think the Panthers could beat the Storm either. I mean if I’m being honest, we’ve been their ‘bunny’ more times than not over the last 20 years. Out of 38 matches played between the two sides, Penrith have won only 10. However a look at some of the more recent results shows that perhaps I should be a little more optimistic. In 2018 Penrith broke a long losing drought down in Melbourne when they defeated the Storm 22-16 in round 25. Granted Melbourne rested plenty of players for that game but they still fielded a handy side with skipper Cameron Smith leading the way. That night Waqa Blake and Josh Mansour both grabbed a double. Then last year the honours were split when the Panthers came away with a convincing 21-14 round six victory over the Storm at Campbelltown Stadium. That night the scoreline flattered Melbourne as Penrith ambushed the boys in purple and never really looked like losing. They controlled the tempo of the game with Nathan Cleary producing a masterclass. The Storm more than squared the ledger however when they beat the boys in last
Viliame Kikau’s incredible defensive performance against Melbourne earlier this season. Photo: NRL Photos.
year’s Grand Final 26-20. However the fact that Bellamy’s boys leaked 20 points in as many minutes showed that Penrith had plenty of fight in them, they just decided to start throwing punches way too late. Which brings us to 2021 and so far, after two games the series is tied at one win apiece. Few Panthers fans will forget the epic 12-10 last gasp victory in round three at BlueBet Stadium when the ‘hand of Kikau’
stopped what seemed a certain Justin Olam try with only seconds left on the clock. It was an extremely even affair which clearly showed that the gap between the two teams was definitely closing. Here’s hoping that gap closes even further this weekend. The Final Word As a Penrith supporter I got jack of the mostly negative coverage the Panthers received in sections of the media following
their close win over the Eels last Saturday. Now I expected a pasting after the Bunnies loss but I thought the coverage would be a lot more positive after Penrith and Parramatta produced one of the games of the season. Both sides deserved credit for such a wonderful gritty defence-orientated performance, instead we had a mixed media reaction towards the Panthers with many choosing to focus on the ‘bad’ refereeing decisions Parramatta received.
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James Tedesco has won the Roosters’ Player of the Year. Photo: NRL Photos.
!
James Tedesco has taken out the Jack Gibson Medal at the Sydney Roosters presentation night. In doing so he created a slice of history – becoming the first player to win the club’s Player of the Year in four consecutive seasons. The popular skipper also took out the Members Player of the Year, while Sam Walker won the Rising Star gong.
! The NRL Integrity Unit has been made aware of an alleged incident involving former Broncos five-eighth Anthony Milford. The 27-year-old, who is due to join Souths next season, was charged with three counts of ‘assault occasioning bodily harm’ and one count of ‘wilful damage’ earlier this week, and will front court on October 20. !
The Finals drew a huge audience on TV last weekend. Friday night’s battle between the Roosters and Sea Eagles saw 608,000 metro viewers tune in on
Channel Nine, while 358,000 watched on Fox League – making it Foxtel’s number one program of the day. On Saturday, 690,000 watched the Battle of the West on Nine, while a whopping 442,000 tuned in on Fox League.
!
Manly centre Morgan Harper says he was “pissed off” at himself after his performance against Melbourne in week one of the Finals, and was determined to bounce back against the Roosters. “I was pretty disappointed in myself to be honest... I knew that’s not how I can perform and I definitely sat down and reviewed myself and did my very best to turn everything around,” he said.
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The Wests Tigers have confirmed that Michael Maguire will remain the club’s head coach for the 2022 NRL season, after undertaking an internal review.
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