Category

Rugby League

Category
Rugby League

Elsie Albert to Lead PNG Womens Prime Ministers XIII Side

By
Elsie Albert PNG Prime Ministers XIII Womens Side Captain

Elsie Albert will be leading the Papua New Guinea Prime Ministers XIII womens side today against Australia.

Albert has been power house in the Women’s National Rugby League Competition in Australia. She is currently playing for the Paramatta Eels women’s team. Elsie will be one of only four women that play in the WNRL in Australia.

Others include Essay Banu and Sareka Mooka who play for the North Queensland Cowboys and Ua Ravu with the Canberra Raiders. There is a handful of players from the Queensland Cup and other Australian based competitions. The rest of the team is made up of women from Papua New Guineas National Women’s Rugby League Competition the Santos Cup. The squad comprises of 22 women.

Elsie Albert as captain of the Women’s Prime Ministers XIII side is confident the team will be up for a win against the Australian side.

“You have to have confidence in the team and I am confident that the team that we have can get the job done for Papua New Guinea.

“Its always a proud moment when we put on the jersey and it will be the same this Sunday and we will be giving our best shot to get the win this Sunday,” Albert said.

Coach Tahnee Norris says the team has jelled well and after a few training sessions together they are looking well prepared for todays match. She said the Prime Minister XIII match will help in her selection for the Orchids side that will take part in the Pacific Championship.

She is eager to see how the women selected from the Santos Cup will perform on Sunday.

“We had a couple of training sessions and the girls have come together.

“There are a few girls that featured well in the Santos cup and have put their hands up for selection in the Prime Ministers 13 side.

“It has given them every opportunity to make that side for the Pacific Championships and I am very keen on seeing how they perform on Sunday,” Norris said.

The Australian Womens Coach Jess Skinner said they are anticipating a tough encounter with the PNG womens side.

She added that some of the women will also be looking to impress the coaches for their chance to make the Australian Jilaroos side for the Pacific Championship as well.

“The games going to be really tough and there is a lot of experience in the Papua New Guinea Prime Ministers 13 team as well. We are looking forward to the match on Sunday it will be really entertaining.

“We have the Pacific Championships and some of the other girls will be joining us then but we have a job to do this weekend,” Skinner said.

Read more: Prime Minister XIII Mens Side to Focus on Defense

Keep Reading
By
Rugby League

PNG Prime Ministers 13 Men to Focus on Defense

By

The Prime Ministers 13 fixture for 2024 is set for Sunday the 13th of October, the teams from Australia arrived on Friday (11/10/24) in Port Moresby for Sundays matches.

Papua New Guinea still has about 20 spots to fill in the PNG LNG Kumuls Pacific Championships side and will be using the Prime Ministers 13 as the final showcase to decide a team for the National side that will take on the Fiji Bati in Suva on the 19th of October.

Australia has a relatively young side in this year’s PMs 13, but all their players are emerging future Kangaroos in the NRL competition.

Papua New Guinea on the other hand has a bulk of it’s players from the Queensland Cup Competition with additions from the Super League and the Digicel Exxon Mobil Cup.

Australia has always come out on top in the PMs 13 fixtures, always the winners over the past years. PNG has only a draw with Australia in a 24 all scoreline in 2007.

PNGs new Coach Jason Demetriou has shifted focus for the team on defense, adding that they need to work on stopping the Australians from scoring.

“There is a few things we have worked on in and around our defense we want to put some practice into that before we go to Fiji for the Pacific Test,” Demetriou said

Demetriou has picked a team that is dynamic and can score points, with a couple of breakout stars in the Queensland Cup such as try scoring sensation Dudley Dotoi of the Townsville Blackhawks.

“Like I told the boys we will get tested by a quality side from Australia, I know we can score points but we will have to work on our defense.” Demetriou added.

Australian PMs 13 Coach Brad Fittler says the opportunity to represent their country is the highlight for most of the players in his camp, most of the players are just starting out their careers in the NRL.

“The one thing I have noticed picking this teams is the immense talent and potential they have, It is a long process to pick a side and the NRL season is a long season, but the players show a lot of enthusiasm and they will be a great team to challenge the PNG Prime Ministers 13,” Fittler said.

He added that the players are excited for the match. Fittler has encouraged his team to take the match as a stepping stone towards a Kangaroos jersey.

“I think anytime these players get a chance to get selected and improve, they get the chance to wear the Australian Jersey and play along side some of their idols like Damian Cook. I think its very important to them.

“A lot of these players are at the start of their careers and let alone representative careers.
This is a stepping stone to hopefully be the team that are playing in the Pacific Championships in the future. It’s up to the players to see this as the challenge and stepping stone,” Fittler adds.

After the PMs 13 clash, the focus for Jason Demetriou will shift to the Kumuls side, in preparation for the Pacific Championships.

Only 10 players will leave early for Fiji while the rest of the team will be made up of players from the Prime Ministers 13.

“Every player that goes out on Sunday will have the opportunity to present themselves and put their name forward for the Pacific Championships.

“Its such a strong feeling to give the guys the opportunity to put on the jumper to represent their country. There is so much emotion from some of the guys that will be playing in this game on Sunday, it is a privilege to present that opportunity to them,” Demetriou said.

Read More: insidepng.com

Keep Reading
By
Sport

Similar paths, but halves are now meeting expectations

By

Luke Brooks has revealed he will go into his halves pairing with Lachlan Galvin cold, having only just met despite the pair’s similar paths at Wests Tigers.

Brooks will play his first representative game in almost 10 years for the Prime Minister’s XIII against Papua New Guinea on Sunday, with Galvin alongside him.

On the surface the careers of Brooks and Galvin appear tightly entwined, and in another world they could have been the Tigers’ long-term halves pairing.

Galvin’s debut this year at Wests Tigers was the most hyped of any player at the club since Brooks’ in 2013, when he was labelled by critics as the next Andrew Johns.

Brooks battled under that spotlight, enduring almost a decade of being a punching bag for Tigers fans, before eventually leaving for Manly at the end of 2023.

His exit allowed Galvin to be picked out of SG Ball for round one this year, without ever having played a senior game.

Halves
Lachlan Galvin of the Tigers runs with the ball during the NRL Round 24 match between the Wests Tigers and the South Sydney Rabbitohs at Campbelltown Stadium Saturday, August 17, 2024. (AAP Image/MARK EVANS)

Galvin subsequently starred, was named the Rugby League Players Association’s rookie of the year, and would likely have won the same award at the Dally Ms if not ineligible due to a suspension.

But despite those paths, Brooks said he and Galvin had only met for the first time at a sizing day last week, and never trained together at the Tigers.

“I actually don’t know him too well,” Brooks said ahead of Sunday’s clash in Port Moresby. 

“I didn’t meet him when I was at the Tigers, but I did meet him (last Wednesday).

“I don’t think he played 20s, so we didn’t have anything to do with each other.

“But it’s exciting. I haven’t been over there (PNG), but I’ve heard it’s a crazy experience, so I’m looking forward to that.”

Regardless, Brooks said he had been impressed by the way Galvin had handled the spotlight this year at age 19.

“It’s tough to be in your rookie year in that sort of situation, but he really stood out in that side and I thought he was great,” Brooks said. 

“He’s an attacking weapon. 

“The one thing I noticed when we played against him was just how busy he was. He was moving around the whole field and getting his hands on the ball. 

“He’s always looking to create something, so for him to be able to do that at such a young age is pretty special.”

Brooks admitted he thought the chance to wear a green-and-gold jersey had passed him by, and was surprised by the call-up to the PM’s XIII.

He will be one of the senior players in an inexperienced side, with Damien Cook to captain and Brad Fittler coaching.

Written by: Scott Bailey © AAP

Keep Reading
By
Sport

Penrith’s Sorensen passed fit for NRL grand final

By

Ivan Cleary has no concerns about throwing Scott Sorensen into the cauldron of an NRL grand final after clearing the Penrith forward to feature against Melbourne.

Cleary confirmed on Saturday that Sorensen was fit to take the field in Sunday’s decider after being sidelined for the past month with a hamstring issue.

The Penrith coach would not confirm who would drop out for Sorensen, but the return of the New Zealand international is a significant boost for the Panthers.

“He’ll be playing. It’s awesome. Sorro’s been a big part of our team the last three years,” Cleary said on Saturday. 

“He’s a real soldier in our team.

“Everyone was pretty bummed when he got injured a few weeks ago (against Parramatta) and it looked like that was the end for him this year. 

“He was really devastated. To be able to work so hard and get back and for him to be able to make a contribution tomorrow is really good.

“Last week he definitely was (pushing to play and) if it was a round game throughout the year, you probably wouldn’t do it, but we definitely considered it. 

“In the end it was just too big a risk, so we were always hoping we’d win the game and we’d be able to give him a chance this week. He has ticked every box.”

Cleary, however, would not be drawn on which player would miss out.

Matt Eisenhuth – a long-serving player at Penrith, who has yet to win an NRL grand final – looms as the most likely casualty of Sorensen being given the all-clear.

Still named on the bench as the Panthers trimmed their squad 24 hours before kick-off, Eisenhuth said earlier this week he would have no issue making way for a fit-again Sorensen. 

Daine Laurie is the other Penrith player alongside Sorensen to be spared the axe from the Panthers’ extended squad.

“That’s the real downer when it comes to this time of year and these sorts of games,” Cleary said.

“You’d love them all to play but they can’t, unfortunately.

“We’ll confirm the 17 tomorrow (on Sunday) … I’ve got things covered.”

Sorensen’s inclusion gives Penrith an extra experienced head to match it in the middle against a Storm side deprived of Nelson Asofa-Solomona due to suspension.

“They (the Storm) had a great season and they’ve been very dominant in their two finals games,” Cleary said. 

“When you get to grand final day you expect to play against the best. That’s certainly the case for us.

“It’s the old saying, to be the best you’ve got to beat the best, and we are looking forward to that challenge.”  

Written by: George Clarke © AAP

Keep Reading
By
News

NRL’s Hughes, NRLW’s Kelly voted best in 2024 by peers

By

Jahrome Hughes has added the Players’ Champion award to his Dally M Medal, voted the best player in the NRL in 2024 by his peers.

Hours before the NRL grand final against Penrith, Hughes became the first Melbourne player in history to win the players’ union’s major men’s honour.

Sydney Roosters captain Isabelle Kelly claimed the women’s award, also hours before she was due to lead her side in the NRLW grand final against Cronulla.

Best of NRLW 2024, Isabelle Kelly
Isabelle Kelly of the Roosters on her way to scoring a try during the NRLW Round 3 match between the Sydney Roosters and the St. George Illawarra Dragons at the Sydney Cricket Ground in Sydney, Thursday, August 3, 2023. (AAP Image/Mark Evans)

Both Hughes and Kelly have been standouts this season.

Hughes’ maiden Dally M Medal on Wednesday night came after a season in which he took charge of the Storm’s attack.

The No.7 then flourished upon Cameron Munster’s return from injury, with the pair’s combination a big part of the reason they finished first on the ladder and are in the decider.

The Kiwi halfback beat out fellow finalists in Roosters second-rower Angus Crichton, Warriors prop Addin Fonua-Blake and Canterbury centre Stephen Crichton for the latest award.

“This is a massive honour for me to be voted the Players’ Champion,” Hughes said.

“I really hold this in high regard, and I think it is definitely one of the best individual accolades you can get.

I’m so honoured to be able to receive it, and just to get the praise from the players that you go against week in, week out.

“For them to vote for this, it is truly massive for myself. I’m super grateful and really honoured to win the Players’ Champion.”

Voting for the Players’ Champion awards is done at the end of each regular season, on a 3-2-1 system open to all contracted NRL and NRLW players for their respective competition. 

Kelly’s award was also her first, following a year in which she shifted from fullback to the halves and then to centre for the Roosters.

The NSW State of Origin star was expected to feature prominently in the Dally M race last week, but was outgunned by her Roosters teammate Olivia Kernick.

But in the eyes of the players, Kelly has now risen to No.1 in the women’s game after a season in which she broke the line nine times and averaged 198 metres per game.

She won the players’ award ahead of fellow finalists Kernick, Parramatta’s Abbi Church, Brisbane’s Julia Robinson and Newcastle’s Tamika Upton. 

“Looking at the calibre of players who have won this award before is super special for me,” Kelly said. 

“Being voted by the wider playing group is something that I am honoured with and I’m really grateful for all the girls who voted for me.”

“When you look at those (previous winners), they’ve been pioneers within our women’s game. 

“To be alongside them and have my name with theirs is a massive honour and something I don’t take very lightly and something that I am super proud of.”

Written by: Scott Bailey © AAP

Keep Reading
By
Sport

2020 grand final of little use to Storm now: Bellamy

By

Storm Coach, Craig Bellamy says there is nothing but “nice memories” to take from Melbourne’s 2020 NRL premiership win as he leads the new-look Storm into the grand-final rematch against Penrith.

Rarely in the ensuing four seasons have triple-reigning premiers Penrith been as comprehensively outplayed as they were by the Storm in the 2020 decider.

Playing his last match, NRL great Cameron Smith skippered the Storm to a 26-0 lead early in the second half, with the side eventually holding on for a 26-20 win and fourth premiership.

Fuelled by their heartbreak, the Panthers twice eliminated the Storm from finals in the years that followed, before the two undisputed best sides of 2024 booked in a grand-final date for Sunday.

But while much has been made of roster changes undergone at Penrith over the past four years, the Storm have been undergoing their own regeneration.

Just four players from the Storm’s 2020 grand final team – Jahrome Hughes, Cameron Munster, Ryan Papenhuyzen and Christian Welch – will face Penrith at Accor Stadium.

And while Penrith’s squad is now largely comprised of players who came through their famous junior nursery, nine of the Storm’s 17 were recruited after the 2020 triumph.

“I was just looking at the last team we had in a grand final in 2020. Nine of those 18 played against us this year,” Bellamy said.

“Having lost them and obviously Cameron (Smith) being the big loss, our side has changed a lot in four years. It’s changed a heap.”

Newly-minted Dally M Medallist Hughes, wily five-eighth Munster and athletic fullback Papenhuyzen were all in the spine on grand final day in 2020, with the last of that trio winning the Clive Churchill Medal as man of the match.

But with Smith still the chief architect at the time, Bellamy said the team had undergone a shift since 2020, and was quick to point out injuries had meant the current spine was only just clicking into gear. 

“It’s a different era with those guys,” he said.

“These guys are just basically starting together. They’ve still got a bit to go, to be quite honest.”

While Sunday’s fixture marks only the second grand final rematch of the NRL era, Bellamy is looking at the two deciders as separate from one another.

“Four years is a long time in life, four years is a real long time in footy,” he said.

“At the end of the day, that was a great result for us back then but I can hardly remember it to be quite honest. 

“What’s important is now. In the past, they’re nice memories, but halfway through next week we’d like to have a nice memory of what happens (on Sunday) too.”

Written by: Jasper Bruce © AAP

Keep Reading
By
Sport

Melbourne Storm prepares to halt Penrith dynasty

By

Craig Bellamy has revealed how a sit-down meeting with Melbourne’s new ‘big four’ has put the Storm on the cusp of marking a fresh era in the club’s history and ending Penrith’s stranglehold on the NRL premiership.

The Storm return to their first grand final since the 2020 decider when fullback Ryan Papenhuyzen stole the show and Cameron Smith signed off with a premiership as Melbourne knocked off the Panthers.

In the time since Smith followed Billy Slater and Cooper Cronk into TV punditry, the Storm have fallen short and Penrith have risen to take their mantle as the game’s premier club with three-straight premierships.

Despite Penrith’s success-laden run, Panthers coach Ivan Cleary still humbly refers to Melbourne as “the benchmark” in the NRL.

But after some relatively lean years, Bellamy heads into his 10th grand final with a side believing they can mark the start of a successful post-Smith era against a Penrith team aiming to become the first since St George (1956-1966) to claim four consecutive titles.

It sets up a grand final for the ages.

Like Melbourne’s champion sides of old, the 2024 iteration is underpinned by workaholic forwards and a spine that can make magic happen.

Halfback Jahrome Hughes won the Dally M Medal earlier this week and hooker Harry Grant has begun to add more craft to his dummy-half play.

Crucially, too, five-eighth Cameron Munster and Papenhuyzen look back to their best after wretched runs with injury over the last two seasons.

They got a reminder of what they could achieve when after an unconvincing 28-16 win over South Sydney in round 23, Bellamy sat his ‘big four’ down for a heart to heart.

“(I said) we need you guys to go above and beyond what we usually do or what we’ve expected to do if we’re going to have success this year,” Bellamy said.

“We can wait until next year, but no one wants to do that. Let’s do it now.

Storm head coach Craig Bellamy speaks to media following a Captain’s Run training session, ahead of the 2024 NRL Grand Final at Accor Stadium in Sydney, Saturday, October 5, 2024. (AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts)
Storm head coach Craig Bellamy speaks to media following a Captain’s Run training session, ahead of the 2024 NRL Grand Final at Accor Stadium in Sydney, Saturday, October 5, 2024. (AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts)

“It’s not all physical, it’s about talking about it and watching a bit of vision together. It was about putting a bit more time and effort in, and then going from there.”

Remarkably, Sunday’s grand final at Accor Stadium will just be the 20th time the quartet of Papenhuyzen, Grant, Munster and Hughes have played together at NRL level.

Grant said the meeting with Bellamy went a big way to explaining the Storm’s added attacking spark at the end of the year, their preliminary final win over the Roosters highlighting the synergy between their awesome foursome.

“Sometimes you feel things and you assume things,” Grant said.

“But that conversation just cleared a few things up for each other, and set us on the straight and narrow for the back end of the year, which was really important at that time.”

Melbourne will begin the grand final as slight favourites even accounting for Penrith’s experience of appearing in five straight deciders and the absence of Nelson Asofa-Solomona due to suspension.

Sunday’s grand final (7.30pm kick-off) will be the final Panthers game for prop James Fisher-Harris and five-eighth Jarome Luai.

“If there is any sort of that energy where it’s my last year amongst the group then I want this to be a positive one,” Luai said.

“You never really take it lightly, the effort and the achievement it is to be here.

“But between winning and losing there’s a big difference on how you look at your season, so I really want to win this one.”

Written by: George Clarke © AAP

Keep Reading
By
Sport

To Hull and back: Panther Schneider eyes NRL redemption

By

A little over 18 months ago, Brad Schneider was given a week’s notice to pack up his life and head to the Super League knowing his dream of becoming an NRL player could be over.

Fast forward to Sunday’s grand final against Melbourne and the 23-year-old Panthers utility has the chance to come off the bench and cap his second coming in Australia with a premiership ring.

Penrith fans know how vital the impact of supersub Jack Cogger was to last year’s grand final success and with question marks over Nathan Cleary’s fitness, Schneider has to be ready to step into the fold.

If Schneider gets on the park it will complete a whirlwind period in which he was shown the door by NRL club Canberra and had to resurrect his career in England with Hull Kingston Rovers. 

Signed by the late, great talent scout Peter Mulholland, Schneider was once touted to become a star halfback for Canberra after captaining his school to the national title.

He was named the Raiders’ rookie of the year in 2022, but mid-2023 it began to dawn on him that he was no longer in the Green Machine’s plans.

“I probably wasn’t in contention for any spots, at least it didn’t feel like I was,” Schneider told AAP. 

“I got that feeling pretty quickly and I was pretty lucky that Hull KR came in for me.

“All I wanted to do was play regularly and there was an opportunity in England.

“There was a feeling of ‘holy crap, I’m going to England’, I’d never been before and it happened in a week. 

“There’s a few examples of people who have gone over there and then come back … I always wanted to come back, but whether it would happen or not I really wasn’t sure.”

Luckily for Schneider he started to realise his potential in a 12-match stint with KR.

In his first two games he kicked match-winning field goals, the second of which came in golden point and booked Rovers a Challenge Cup final berth.  

He played at Wembley in a narrow final loss and took the club within 80 minutes of the Super League grand final.

Penrith came calling not long after and Schneider has proven a shrewd acquisition, deputising while Cleary and Luai have been out of the Panthers side at various points throughout this season. 

“Ivan (Cleary) has been awesome for me and my development,” Schneider said. 

“It’s pretty cool having been on that side of the world and then to be part of a grand final team is pretty crazy.

“Seeing what happened last year with ‘Coggs’ and how he went on and handled it, you know you’ve got to be ready for anything.” 

Written by: George Clarke © AAP

Keep Reading
By
Sport

Yemini Pursues Kumuls Dream

By
Timon Yemeni

BRISBANE, Australia – Timon Yemini is a rising star of Papua New Guinea rugby league.

A young prospect carving his own path in the rugby league scene in Brisbane, Australia.

It is on the field that Yemini shines as the lock forward for Carina Tigers, a local club in the Brisbane Rugby League Competition.

Now 23, the Carina Tigers lock forward stands 180cm and tips the scale at 102kg; and with some serious pedigree in the sport, has begun to make some noise on the local rugby league scene in the game he so dearly loves.

In 2023, Yemini took to the field with the Kokomo Nines representing Papua New Guinea in the annual Queensland Pacific Cup which they won.

He impressed enough to earn a two-year rugby league contract with the Carina Tigers in the Brisbane Rugby League competition.

As the accomplishments stack up for Yemini, he’s inching closer to realizing his ultimate dream of playing for the Papua New Guinea Kumuls.

As a young boy growing up in Kaundaka village, Upper Mendi in the Southern Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea, Yemini has drawn inspiration from Kumuls players such as Wellington Albert to motivate him in his rugby league journey.

It was in Mendi that Yemini developed his love for the game we call rugby league.

From 2014 to 2017, the schoolboys rugby league competition in Mendi provided the exposure that Yemini needed to kick start his rugby league career.

And in 2019, Yemini impressed selectors during the Ipatas cup and was signed by Hela Wigmen but had to put on hold his rugby to complete his year 12 studies in 2021.

Yemini’s talents were sought after by rugby league franchises in Papua New Guinea who were eagerly awaiting his return to the field.

The young Kaundaka man did not disappoint the selectors with his performance in the Southern Highlands Provincial 9s rugby league competition while playing with the TNT Brothers in Mendi.

In 2021, Yemini was scouted by the Enga Mioks rugby league club and made his debut in the Digicel cup.

His rise in the national rugby league competition would see him play for the Port Moresby Vipers in 2022 for three months before moving to Brisbane.

The journey may be long but Yemini is putting in the work with the Carina Tigers and is determined to be eligible for the Papua New Guinea Kumuls in the coming years.

Written by: Mickey Kavera (Contributor)

Keep Reading
By
Sport

Premiership window wide open: Roosters skipper Tedesco

By
James Tedesco wearing a Rooster Jersey standing with his arms crossed in front of the Sydney Opera House.

James Tedesco has laughed off suggestions the Sydney Roosters’ premiership window is closing as the side uses its imminent exodus as motivation this NRL finals series.

The Roosters will lose around 900 games and eight premierships worth of first-grade experience when they farewell Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, Joey Manu, Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, Luke Keary and Sitili Tupouniua this summer.

36-year-old centre Michael Jennings, the NRL’s oldest player, and third-string hooker Zach Dockar-Clay could join that list given neither holds a contract for 2025.

The changes will force the Tricolours to nominate two new first-choice centres, bank on Sandon Smith as Sam Walker’s full-time halves partner and find a new forward pack leader as the influential Waerea-Hargreaves heads to England.

But their ability to contend with on-field reconfigurations will be under the microscope even before then as Walker and Brandon Smith miss the play-offs, starting with Friday’s qualifying final against Penrith.

The Roosters were hot-and-cold beating lowly South Sydney in their first game without the injured pair and Victor Radley, sidelined with a shoulder issue.

James Tedesco of the Roosters makes a break during the NRL Round 27 match between the South Sydney Rabbitohs and the Sydney Roosters at Accor Stadium.
James Tedesco of the Roosters makes a break during the NRL Round 27 match between the South Sydney Rabbitohs and the Sydney Roosters at Accor Stadium Friday, September 6, 2024. (AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts)

“‘Rads’ is still confident that he can be back during the finals some time, we’ve just got to see how it’s healing,” said Roosters captain Tedesco.

“The other two boys are doing it tough but they’re still in good spirits so that’s good.”

The Roosters have made finals in 11 of the last 12 seasons and Tedesco is adamant that even after Keary and co. left, their premiership window would not close.

“No, not at all,” he said laughing.

“(The window) is closing on their time at the Roosters and we want to make the most of that for those guys leaving.”

It nevertheless feels like the end of an era for Tedesco, who played alongside the departing Keary, Waerea-Hargreaves and Manu in the Roosters’ 2018 and 2019 premiership seasons.

Mark Nawaqanitawase’s stunning NRL debut against Souths will have assured the Roosters the ex-Wallaby can become a bonafide starter in the backline next year, while Sandon Smith has the chance to prove himself as an NRL-calibre half replacing Walker this finals series.

Nevertheless, Tedesco admitted it would be difficult for the Roosters to replace their outgoing brigade.

“The guys that are leaving at the end of the year are so big for our club, have been legends of our club now for a number of years now. It is sad to see a lot of those guys go,” he said.

“You can’t just replace guys like that but we’ve talked about that amongst ourselves and at the club that this is a great opportunity for us.

“We won’t be able to play with these guys again (after finals).

“We won’t leave any stone unturned, just go all in at training and away from training and make sure we’re as prepared as we can for Friday.”

WRITTEN BY: Jasper Bruce (AAP)

PHOTO FILE: (AAP Image/Bianca De Marchi) AAP ©

Keep Reading
By
Pin It