‘He stuck, we up’: Walsh taunts Utoikamanu in brutal grand final take down

Reece Walsh has led a savage take-down of Melbourne Storm front-rower Stefano Utoikamanu, igniting a “Stefano’s stuck, We’re up” chant during the Broncos dressing room celebrations.

Utoikamanu lit the fuse at the start of the week when he admitted he did not like a number of Brisbane players, labelling them “stuck up”.

The front-rower’s words were being thrown back at him from inside the winning dressing room, with the Clive Churchill Medal winner Walsh filmed taunting Utoikamanu.

Walsh also posted a photo of himself pretending to be sad alongside the Provan Summons trophy with the caption “He stuck, we up” as well as a shrugging emoji.

Walsh’s taunts came six days after Utoikamanu started the war of words.

“I’m going to make sure I set up this week to get that first kick of the game – there are going to be a lot of people I want to run at, a lot of people I don’t like on this team,” Utoikamanu said.

“I’m keen to go out there and run someone over.

“I don’t want to name names – there are a lot of people I think are a bit stuck up. I’m pretty keen just to run out and do a job for our team.”

Titans make play for Bellamy for 2027 campaign

The Gold Coast Titans have launched an audacious bid to try to lure Melbourne Storm grand final coach Craig Bellamy to the club from 2027.

This column has been told that the Gold Coast Titans have held discussions with Bellamy about the possibility of him joining the club in a non-coaching capacity when his contract with the Melbourne Storm expires at the end of 2026.

Sources with knowledge of the situation, speaking on the condition of anonymity due to the confidential nature of the discussions, said the Titans had recently tried to convince Bellamy to take over from Des Hasler as coach of the Gold Coast.

Bellamy, however, has committed to the Storm until at least the end of next year, with the Titans moving to secure Josh Hannay on a three-year deal instead.

The Titans haven’t given up hope of bringing Bellamy to the club in a different role. His grandchildren live near the Gold Coast, and Bellamy hasn’t been discreet about his desire to move to Queensland in the future. Watch this space.

Haas’ plea to free father from Philippines detention facility

Broncos superstar Payne Haas has been working behind the scenes in a bid to get his ill father out of the Camp Bagong immigration detention facility in the Philippines.

Payne’s father, Gregor, had a red notice against him cancelled by Interpol in June, but has not been released from the facility despite the 47-year-old being detained without charge in the Philippines since he was captured there at the behest of authorities in Indonesia.

Haas has met with the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade several times in a bid to trigger his father’s release and return home. However, the government’s attempts appear to have fallen on deaf ears.

There were plenty of senior government officials in attendance at Sunday’s grand final, including Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

On top of the mounting legal costs, the Herald can reveal that Payne has taken matters into his own hands in recent months as concern grows over the physical and mental condition of his father in the dilapidated Manila detention facility. He has sought assistance from local contacts in attempts to deliver his father’s freedom.

The father of nine strongly denies allegations of shipping five kilograms of methamphetamine from Mexico, an amount sufficient to qualify for a death sentence in Indonesia if he were put on trial there and found guilty.

Indonesian investigators accused Gregor of being a member of Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel and of trafficking drugs from Guadalajara to Jakarta in December 2023, concealing them in ceramic tiles.

He emphatically denies the allegations, saying he has never been to Mexico and that his arrest came after a business dispute he had in Indonesia in relation to buying a resort.

In a recent interview with this masthead, a candid Payne spoke about his father’s plight, as well as the death of his ventilated quadriplegic brother and the incarceration of his mother, Joan.

“I can’t control what is alleged against my dad,” he says. “I grew up with my parents day-to-day, and I know who they are as people.

“They’ve had their issues, but I can’t control that. It’s been a difficult time for my family and many others who have been affected.

“But my parents also did a lot for me. It’s not all negative when it come to my parents. They’ve made me who I am today.”

Kiwis suffer Pacific Championships blow

Jahrome Hughes will be ruled out of New Zealand’s Pacific Championships squad and will undergo shoulder surgery in the coming days.

To gain an appreciation of just how much discomfort the Melbourne Storm halfback has been in, he will have to go under the knife immediately after the grand final to repair a shoulder injury he suffered earlier in the year.

Retired Gold Coast Titans playmaker Kieran Foran has answered an SOS from Kiwis coach Stacey Jones and will be named in the Kiwi squad for the Test series against Tonga and Samoa in October and November.

Out ‘n’ about at the grand final

• Penrith coach Ivan Cleary and wife Bec were sitting among the fans a few rows back from the field, watching son Jett play for the Warriors in the NSW Cup grand final. Nathan Cleary is on holiday in Bali.
• Warriors NRL coach Andrew Webster lining up for a drink at the bar at half-time of his team’s NSW Cup decider. Owner Mark Robinson and CEO Cameron George were also in attendance for their side’s 50-20 win.
• Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Papua New Guinea PM James Marape in the NRL’s suite.

Seven on the scene at Accor

For the first time in recent memory, Channel Seven was represented in the NRL’s suite on grand final day.

Seven West Media chief executive Jeff Howard was invited into the chairman’s box just weeks after this masthead’s revelation that his network had acquired the rights to the 2026 Rugby League World Cup on a deal worth close to $12 million.

It comes in the same week as the NRL sat Prime Video Australia head of content Alexandra Gilbert at table one at the grand final luncheon on Thursday. Gilbert was sitting next to NRL boss Andrew Abdo at the main table.

Kevvie’s last chance to settle on Ashes squad

Kangaroos coach Kevin Walters will stay in Sydney on Sunday before meeting with selectors and finalising his Ashes squad on Monday morning.

As reported by the Herald in recent days, Broncos superstar Reece Walsh, Roosters flyer Mark Nawaqanitawase, Cronulla hooker Blayke Brailey, Canterbury back-rower Jacob Preston, Newcastle centre Bradman Best, South Sydney enforcer Keaon Koloamatangi, and Raiders young gun Ethan Strange are all in line to be selected in Walters’ squad.

Meaney tipped for PM’s XIII selection

The Melbourne Storm will have Cameron Munster, Harry Grant and Xavier Coates representing the Kangaroos during the Ashes.

We’re hearing Nick Meaney will be rewarded for his strong season by earning a call-up to the Prime Minister’s XIII team to play against Papua New Guinea in Port Moresby next weekend.

There will be members of the Ashes squad included in the game, especially those who haven’t played any football for a number of weeks.

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