Storm star Harry Grant facing two-game ban for shoulder charge

Melbourne captain Harry Grant is set to spend the rest of the regular season on the sidelines after being handed a two-match ban for a shoulder charge in his team’s 20-14 victory over the Bulldogs on Friday night. 

Grant was sent to the sin bin in the 45th minute of the match after the bunker reviewed a tackle made by the hooker. As Melbourne forward Tui Kamikamica left the field for a head injury assessment, referee Adam Gee marched the Storm No.9 for 10 minutes for his shoulder charge on Harry Hayes earlier in the set.

“Harry, Harry, down here from kick-off, no attempt to wrap, shoulder charge, contact with the head,” Gee said.

The charge means Grant will miss the rest of the regular season, which will be a big blow to Melbourne’s hopes of stealing the minor premiership from the Raiders.

The Storm play the Roosters in Melbourne next Friday, before closing out their season against the Broncos at Suncorp Stadium.

However, if Grant and the Storm decide to challenge the charge at the NRL judiciary on Tuesday and are unsuccessful, the hooker will miss the first week of the finals.

With a top-two position on the ladder all but wrapped up after Friday night’s victory, Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy indicated they could rest some players in the final matches anyway.

When asked about the sin bin after the game, Bellamy conceded it was a penalty but said he did not believe it was worthy of 10 minutes in the bin.

“Obviously, it wasn’t what we wanted,” Bellamy said. “In my opinion, I’m not quite sure he deserved a sin bin. Certainly a penalty, but I thought a sin bin was harsh. But again, it’s just my opinion.”

It means Grant is on thin ice heading into the finals. Friday’s shoulder charge is Grant’s first, but because it was judged to be a grade-two offence, it means he faces a minimum two-match ban rather than just the $2000 fine if it was classified as a grade one.

If Grant is slapped with another shoulder charge during the finals, he could be up for a minimum two-match ban, while a second, more serious offence grade-two offence would be a three-match sentence.

Nawaqanitawase eyes exclusive club

More than 30 years after the last Wallaby jumped the fence to become a Kangaroo, Sydney Roosters sensation Mark Nawaqanitawase is rapidly staking a claim to become the next member of an exclusive code-crossing club.

The 24-year-old has been a revelation since the Roosters signed him mid-season last year, after a rugby union career that brought him 11 caps for the Wallabies and an appearance in Australia’s Sevens team at the Paris Olympics.

After scoring a spectacular try on his rugby league debut last year with a high-flying mark in a final-round win over South Sydney, Nawaqanitawase has produce crowd-pleasing highlights aplenty throughout his first full NRL season.

Among the 16 tries he has delivered in 19 games this season was a remarkable chip-and-chase effort against Canterbury in round 11, when he went outside the field of play and regathered before scoring, and a hat-trick two weeks ago in a 64-12 slaughter of the Dolphins.

His dynamic form has helped the Roosters win their past three games to latch onto the eighth rung on the competition ladder, and they will be out to extend the streak and take another step towards the finals by beating Parramatta at CommBank Stadium on Saturday night.

Roosters coach Trent Robinson knew Nawaqanitawase was an elite athlete when the club signed him but he said his transition had exceeded expectations.

“I have been surprised at how quickly he’s adapted,” Robinson said. “There’s some things that he’s brought to us that rugby league has probably been surprised about. The freedom with which he attempts things is really good to see.

“But it’s hard - the physical contact coming out of our end for an outside back, and then also the defensive decision-making. It’s different. You end up having to make a lot more.

“His desire to be really good in the backfield has been credit to him ... we like to think ourselves as the superior sport when it comes to physicality, and I think we are.

“But he’s done a pretty good job in representing them quite well in coming across and saying, ‘I’m going to roll my sleeves up’. I think he’s done an amazing job.”

Nawaqanitawase has three regular-season games and a potential finals campaign to push his case for a call-up for the Kangaroos’ Ashes tour in October and November.

If chosen, “Marky Mark” will become the first ex-Wallaby since Scott Gourley in 1991 to wear the green and gold in rugby league.

In all, 48 players have represented Australia in both rugby codes. But since rugby union turned professional in 1995, the traffic has been one-way.

Since Gourley’s lone Test for the Kangaroos in 1991, there have been seven dual internationals – Andrew Walker, Wendell Sailor, Mat Rogers, Lote Tuqiri, Timana Tahu, Israel Folau and Karmichael Hunt – but all converted from league to union.

Asked if Nawaqanitawase could reverse that trend, Robinson replied: “We’ll see on Saturday night.

“I think he’s developing really, really well. I think he’s hungry to get better in the way that he plays the game. If we perform how we want to perform, rewards will come for guys. He’s still got improvement left in his game.

“He’s playing really good footy, but there’s that continual search for him. He’s only just started so that’s a real positive for his future.”

The Kangaroos are expected to take 22 players for the three Tests in the Old Dart, and incumbent Test wingers Xavier Coates and Zac Lomax would appear certain selections.

But new Kangaroos coach Kevin Walters could find it more problematic choosing a centre pairing, especially if Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow confirms recent speculation that he is defecting to Samoa.

Tabuai-Fidow partnered Tom Trbojevic in last year’s Pacific Championships.

But Trbojevic has endured a frustrating, injury-plagued season, as has Latrell Mitchell. Another Test veteran, Valentine Holmes, is recovering from season-ending shoulder surgery. That could open the door for the likes of Kotoni Staggs, Bradman Best, Bronson Xerri, Toluta’u Koula and Casey Mclean, and also possibly Nawaqanitawase, who has played eight games this year in the centres.

Robinson feels Nawaqanitawase is more suited to the wing, although his ability to play both positions might be an asset on tour.

“I think he’s a better winger,” he said. “I think that’s his better position. I think we can use him more in the way that rugby union plays their wingers and fullbacks. I think we can do that a little bit more with a little bit more time with him.”

Meanwhile, Robinson has traded one Tupou for another on the opposite flank to Nawaqanitawase for the Parramatta clash, after veteran Daniel was ruled out with concussion, allowing namesake Junior to make his Roosters debut.

Junior Tupou has played in 36 NRL games for Wests Tigers and the Dolphins, scoring 10 tries, but has been biding his time in NSW Cup since his mid-season transfer from the Redcliffe club.

“He came here for quite a clear purpose, and that was to learn off Daniel and continue in a similar mould,” Robinson said.

“He’s got his own personality, but he’s got really strong traits about carrying in the backfield, high ball catch and good defensive decisions, and that’s what we want out of a winger. That’s what he’s here for and I’m looking forward to getting him started.”

First-time father at 11:55, kick-off at 2: Jake Simpkin’s whirlwind Sunday

Manly hooker Jake Simpkin ran onto Allianz Stadium on Sunday just two hours after becoming a father for the first time.

Sea Eagles coach Anthony Seibold gave Simpkin’s partner, former Love Island contestant Cartier Surjan, until 12:15pm to deliver the bub, which would provide just enough time for the new dad to arrive for the 2pm kick-off for the clash with Wests Tigers.

Thankfully, newborn Hunter arrived just 15 minutes before the cut-off, but the deadline provided some nervous moments for the new parents.

“It was a full-on day, mate,” Simpkin said. “My missus came a week early, she was supposed to come this Saturday for the captain’s run. Obviously, it can happen, at midnight on game day she just said ‘I’m having contractions’.

“I was like, ‘Right here we go, of course it’s on game day’. I was happy, but obviously wanted to play. Anyway, we’ve just gone through that, had contractions, we’ve gone into the hospital and the water broke around 5am.

“Basically, [I was] there until 11:55 when he was born, and then I’ve had to jump in an Uber at 12, because Seibs’ cut-off was 12:15 – that was whether I was playing. If it was 12:15, I was playing – if it wasn’t, then I had to give him a call and say, ‘Nah mate, I can’t make it.’

“Luckily I made it. So, literally born, held him for like a couple of seconds, and then just out the door, jumped in an Uber, met Manly security at the front of Allianz, they ushered me in and then I got there around 12:30ish.”

As noon approached, Simpkin admitted he was getting nervous.

“I was like, ’12:15 is the cut-off, love, so you’ve got to get him out, and you’ve got to get him out now’,” Simpkin recalled.

“She was good about it. She was, ‘If he comes, I’m happy for you to go play.’ So that was good. It was an important game for us even though it didn’t go the way we wanted it to, I wanted to play it.”

Simpkin, who met Surjan at Clovelly Beach six years ago, said his head was a mess when he ran onto the field.

“I had a good chat to Chez [Daly Cherry-Evans], he was pretty good to me,” Simpkin said.

“He just said I’m not a chance today, just take a second and breathe. When you get out there, obviously there were all the formalities at the start of the game, he was just, ‘Take that time, that minute or two to just have a couple of breaths and just clear your mind before the game.’

“That helped me, I had a couple of moments like that. Everyone was really good, they got me in shape and ready to go pretty quickly, so it was good.”

Murray lifting training standards as Rabbitohs get their groove back

Christian Nicolussi

Cameron Murray has been credited with helping South Sydney win their past two games, simply by returning from injury and lifting the standards at training.

The Rabbitohs’ skipper was not named to return from an Achilles injury for Thursday night’s clash against St George Illawarra, while Latrell Mitchell was also left off the team sheet as he continues to battle a nerve issue in his back.

The sight of Murray back in full training at Heffron Park has been the circuit-breaker the Bunnies needed, according to injured representative centre Campbell Graham.

“The way he leads and communicates with the boys out there, you can see training has gone up a gear,” Graham said. “In all honesty, I think he has helped contribute to our wins the last couple of weeks, just with his presence.

“Cam is giving himself every opportunity to get back and play. The medical staff aren’t pushing him, but Cam is his own man, and if he feels like he’s ready, he’ll push to play.

“Just seeing someone like that and how dedicated he is to his rehab, how professional he has been about the whole thing – he hasn’t left any stone unturned – it’s pretty admirable.”

Murray and Mitchell went down within minutes of each other in the pre-season, with the captain rupturing his Achilles tendon. He wants to play in the last round against the Sydney Roosters if fit, and has the full blessing of coach Wayne Bennett.

The easy thing would be to keep Murray on ice and let him be fresh for day one of 2026 pre-season training, but as Bennett said recently, “He wants to reward himself for nine months of rehab. Even if it’s just a couple of games, it’s a game he loves, and it’s something he hasn’t been able to do.”

Mitchell has also had an injury-interrupted year, with the latest back injury forcing him to miss another week. With the bye next week, he is also a chance to return for the Roosters.

Bennett acknowledged the role Murray had played by being back at training, but was equally complimentary of Mitchell and Cody Walker, who both played big roles in their returns against the Titans and Eels, respectively.

“Cam is a pretty exceptional guy, he’s one of the elite players in the game with his attitude, and everything he does is at 100 per cent,” Bennett said.

“We appreciate him being back at training, but the wins also come down to having quality players on the field. Cody and Latrell have played the last two weeks; they’ve been really good for us and made a difference.”

A summer to relish breaking Irvine’s record sits fine with AJ

Alex Johnston hopes to break Ken Irvine’s all-time try-scoring record at the start of next season – not in the coming weeks – so he can have all summer to savour the prospect of achieving the historic feat.

Johnston failed to add to his career tally against Parramatta on the weekend to remain on 209 tries, three shy of Irvine’s long-standing mark.

The player marking him on Thursday night, when the Rabbitohs take on St George Illawarra, will be former Rabbitoh Corey Allan, who gave Johnston the easiest try of his career in the final round of 2020. Johnston needed five tries in the final round to finish as that year’s top try-scorer, and Allan got across the line, only to wait for Johnston to catch up to him and give him the ball to score.

Allan said he was yet to receive the carton of beer Johnston had promised.

“I’m still waiting for that case – it will be interesting to see if it ever rocks up at my doorstep,” Allan said.

“I could have scored that night, but I thought I better look behind me to see if he was coming. He needed five to draw level with Kyle Feldt [on the top try-scorers list]. Lo and behold, he was screaming my name, and his eyes lit up when I turned around. The rest is history.

“I don’t think the record will be broken again. ‘AJ’ is a special player.”

Johnston said of Allan: “Hopefully he can help me with a couple of more tries this weekend.”

South Sydney coach Wayne Bennett said after the win over the Eels that the likely return of Latrell Mitchell to left centre would help Johnston in his quest to break the record.

“I love playing with ‘T-Mitt’ [Mitchell],” Johnston said. “Cody Walker has given me most of my tries, but Trell would be the second most.

“I sort of only want to get three tries this year, that way I’ve got the whole off-season and the lead-up [to] next year to try and get it in round one.

“I’ve been thinking about what I should do [to celebrate]. I’ll have to do something.”

Souths have asked fans not to storm the playing pitch when Johnston reaches the milestone, but the winger has other ideas.

“I think it will happen, and the NRL and Souths will have to be prepared for it to happen,” Johnston said.

“There were pretty crazy scenes in the AFL when [Sydney Swans forward Lance] Buddy Franklin [kicked 1000 goals], so there will be a lot that goes on behind the scene to make sure it is safe. I’m all for it. I think the NRL will need to prepare for it.”

The Bunnies are chasing three straight wins, while the Dragons need three replacements, for Jack de Belin, Hamish Stewart and Hame Sele, who were all ruled out with category-one concussion symptoms on the weekend.

Origin star chooses Tonga over Roos as Haas revels in ‘Taumalolo moment’

Dan Walsh

Queensland Origin centre Rob Toia will prioritise his Tongan heritage over a potential Ashes tour berth as fellow Kangaroos defector Payne Haas declared Samoa now has the playing stocks to win next year’s World Cup.

Haas confirmed on Sunday his switch of allegiance to the rising Pacific nation, with high hopes that fellow Australian stars Tino Fa’asuamaleaui and Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow do the same for this year’s Pacific Championships.

Tonga’s October 26 clash with Samoa at Suncorp Stadium is predicted to draw one of the best Test attendances in decades on Australian soil and outsell the 33,196 who turned out for Australia’s win over the Mate Ma’a in Brisbane last year.

Toia’s decision to represent his family’s Tongan roots does, however, take another outside back option off the table for Australia’s three-Test tour of the UK in October and November.

Big names Latrell Mitchell and Tom Trbojevic loom as the Kangaroos’ first-choice centre pairing for the first Ashes tour since 2003. However, both have been hampered by injury as South Sydney and Manly have struggled this season, and arguments could be made for them focusing on club commitments given their injury histories.

Toia’s rise as a rookie of the year contender and an eye-catching debut Origin series keeping Mitchell quiet had him in Kevin Walters’ sights, particularly given Stephen Crichton (Samoa), Valentine Holmes (torn rotator cuff) and Campbell Graham are unavailable for Australia.

Like Tabuai-Fidow, Brisbane’s Kotoni Staggs is still considering whether he makes himself available for Australia or Tonga at season’s end.

Melbourne’s Xavier Coates, Canterbury’s Matt Burton and Jacob Kiraz, Parramatta’s Zac Lomax and Josh Addo-Carr, and Roosters rugby convert Mark Nawaqanitawase loom as Australia’s other leading three-quarter options.

Under current international eligibility rules, Toia’s opting to play for Tonga after coach Kristian Woolf got in contact won’t preclude him from representing Australia or New Zealand (where his father was born), just as Haas’s call won’t impact his NSW Origin career.

“Woolfy reached out, and I responded. I was very surprised to be honest, but I told him I’d love the opportunity to play for Tonga if he was to choose me,” Toia said.

“I had a chat with my parents about it, telling them that opportunity was there, and they were over the moon. My grandparents on both sides have lived in Tonga the majority of their lives, so they were probably the happiest. They were telling me they can’t wait to see me represent them if that happens.”

League Immortal Andrew Johns on Sunday likened Haas’s decision to represent Samoa to Jason Taumalolo’s generational switch to Tonga for the 2017 World Cup.

Haas said he was inspired by the North Queensland veteran’s move, though he was reluctant to put public pressure on Fa’asuamaleaui to follow his lead.

“Hopefully, we get a few more boys over, but they have to follow their heart and do what’s right for them,” Haas said. “To play with [Fa’asuamaleaui] would be special. I hope he makes the switch.”

Haas said on Sunday that new Australian coach Walters was understanding of his decision, which was first set in motion when he played against Samoa in 2023, and the island’s national anthem played.

Haas, Crichton, Jarome Luai, Brian To’o and Terrell May headline an already star-studded Samoan contingent under coach Ben Gardiner, prompting Haas’s prediction of World Cup glory at next year’s tournament.

“I feel like we can win it, especially with the team we have got now,” Haas said.

“We have got great players in this team, and it is our goal to win this World Cup. We will focus on the Pac Champs this year, but that is the main goal.”

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