Big League Weekly Edition 2018 - Round 06

ST GEORGE Illawarra forward Jack de Belin has called on incoming Blues coach Brad Fittler to select up to six Dragons in his first State of Origin team. With the Dragons starting the season with five wins, de Belin believes several of his team-mates should be rewarded with places in the Origin line-ups. “Whether I’m in there or not, I’d love to see plenty of Dragons picked. I think half a dozen deserve to be there,” de Belin told Big League. “There are at least six guys you could pick from right now, who are putting their hand up and saying ‘pick me’ with their form.” As well as Tyson Frizell maintaining his place in the team, de Belin singled out four players who deserve to debut for the Blues, starting with Cameron McInnes,…

I HAVE seen some things in my time, but never have I witnessed such a savage serve as Nathan Brown delivered Wayne Bennett on Saturday night. I have a feeling the moment will go the way of Mal Meninga’s political career, Paul Carige’s 1998 finals performance and Geoff Toovey’s “there’s got to be an investigation into this” – straight to the pool room of rugby league folklore. To me at least, it wasn’t so much what Brown chose to say, but that he took the opportunity to stand up for his team, which has been the lowest hanging fruit to knock off for several years now. In that moment the Knights coach decided not to continue to allow his club to be viewed as easy fodder, but instead make it…

LIKE Sam Moa, Blake Green, Pat Richards and Sia Soliola before him, Wests Tigers recruit Corey Thompson is bucking the theory that moving to Super League signals the end of a player’s NRL ambitions. Thompson was an unheralded off-season pick-up amid a major recruitment drive by the joint venture, but the diminutive flyer’s electric form epitomises the Tigers’ remarkable start to 2018. The Tigers sit fourth with the best defensive record in the NRL and have already defeated premiers Melbourne twice. “We had a lot of new players so it all depended on how we gelled together. From the first day of preseason we’ve gelled brilliantly and it shows on the field,” Thompson told Big League aftertheTigers’ 11-10 win over the Storm . “We’re playing like we’ve played together for years, and with Benji…

STORM centre Curtis Scott has leapt to the defence of housemate Brodie Croft and has tipped the halfback to bounce back big, should he make his return to the starting side later in the year. Croft has had to contend with unfair comparisons to former Storm halfback Cooper Cronk since he took over in the No.7 jersey, and while he has done a stellar job overall, he was exposed a few times in the narrow loss to the Wests Tigers. As a result, the youngster has been relegated to the extended bench for Friday’s clash with the Knights, with Ryley Jacks to take his place in the halves. “I live with Brodie and he’s a really switched-on kid,” Scott told Big League. “His head is screwed on tightly and I’m sure he won’t let…

NORTH Queensland coach Paul Green has insisted he has never been given an ultimatum concerning his future, slamming recent reports he was ever given a deadline to re-sign or leave the club. The 2015 premiership-winning coach is off-contract at season’s end, but said his future will be sorted soon. “There’s been a bit said about [my future] and I’ve been pretty careful not to say anything, particularly since the season started,” Green said. “I will say though, at no point has the club ever given me an ultimatum.” Green is optimistic a decision can be made in the coming weeks. “I’ve left it for my agent [George Mimis] and Laurence [Cowboys chairman Lancini] to sort out and it’s progressing nicely,” he said. “The talks have been fairly positive and we’re all committed to getting it done…

PARRAMATTA fans have finally received some good news with Clint Gutherson (above) named to make his season debut after recovering from a knee injury. In a further boost, speedster Bevan French is back on the wing, although his inclusion has been tempered with news Nathan Brown is out with an ankle injury. Prized recruit Josh Reynolds is set to play his first game for the Wests Tigers when he comes off the bench against the Sea Eagles. The former Bulldog had been sidelined by a hamstring injury, with veteran Benji Marshall winding back the clock in the early rounds in the No.6 jersey. The Sea Eagles have also received a huge boost with star fullback Tom Trbojevic cleared to return from an ankle injury. Manly clearly missed him in attack last week, and…