Clunky Aussies Should Be Worried: While Australia rolled Tonga 18-0 to kick off their Pacific Championships with a much-needed win, Mal Meninga’s tide shift to start looking at the 2026 World Cup did not go as smoothly as planned.
Teams take time to build, there were a few queries around team selection including the need to move on some quality veterans.
While stars like Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow and Tom Trbojevic shone, the spine was poor and handling was bad.
Australia are very much at risk of going down to New Zealand again if they pull out a performance like they did against Tonga.
Refusing to pick your best team is a dangerous game.
Ben Hunt, The Consummate Politician: Ben Hunt’s performance to get free of his Dragons deal has been a masterclass.
Hunt hasn’t ranted or raved, he hasn’t tried to humiliate those involved, instead he has just played it beautifully.
Hunt requested a release last offseason and he put in when that was rejected while subtly shopping himself to other clubs.
The absolute cherry though was suggesting publicly that the Dragons sign Clint Gutherson – to play five-eighth instead of Kyle Flanagan, son of the coach.
Hunt will now find himself at the Roosters or the Bulldogs and laughing.
Mam Needs Long, Long Ban: The NRL needs to take a very strong stance against Ezra Mam if he is found guilty after being involved in a traffic crash and failing a roadside drug test.
Mam has been accused of driving while unlicensed, failing a drug test and his car was on the wrong side of the lines.
If Spencer Leniu is getting eight weeks for his racist remark – and he deserved it – something that puts lives in danger deserves significantly longer.
NSW Coaching Call A Lottery of Dunces: Some of the names being thrown about for the NSW coaching job would be hysterically funny if they were being treated as the joke one would hope they are – sadly, it should be sending fear through NSW.
Talks of returning to failed state coaches like Brad Fittler or Laurie Daley or rolling out failed club coaches like Trent Barrett or Paul McGregor is absolute lunacy.
The Blues coach is a job that cannot be entered into with stains or poor reputations or question marks.
The NSWRL need to find a candidate who inspires hope, who has the gravitas to lead the best players, the humility not to overplay their hand and a plan on how to build identity and team.
Coaching Xs and Os is of minimal importance.
The Blues should be all-in on Matt Johns and if Johns isn’t available, it should come down to Geoff Toovey or Michael Ennis.
Some of the other names being tossed up are utterly ridiculous.
Kumul Pride: Papua New Guinea has always been a proud Rugby League nation and with significantly improved structures and pathways – primarily the inclusion of the PNG Hunters in the Queensland Cup – is reaping rewards.
The Kumuls were outstanding in beating Fiji in Suva on Saturday night, remarkably starting as 8.5-point outsiders, before running out comfortable 12-point winners.
They were missing their best player in Edwin Ipape but were outstanding across the paddock.
Robert Derby is a star in the making on the wing while Rodrick Tai was very good in the centres.
The halves kicked superbly, Nene MacDonald had a career-game at fullback, Judah Rimbu is a future NRL player and Sylvester Namo was elite.
PNG are on the up and an NRL team will have the nation primed to compete with the big dogs of the international arena.
Kikau Cariage: Even Paul Cariage would have blushed at the complete shocker Viliame Kikau turned in on Saturday.
He threw two utterly stupid no-look passes for intercepts that led to tries.
He had a Fiji try disallowed because he lazily ran into a defender.
It was an all-time stinker and one the Bati desperately did not need.
Ruthless Jillaroos Put On A Show – And That’s It: The Jillaroos were sublime in their demolition of the Orchids on Friday night, an 84-0 demolition job that could well have been 100.
The backs went ballistic and scored for fun after a tough opening start ran away from a tired Orchids team playing their second match in five days.
The win was no way a referendum on Brad Donald’s obscene decision to leave out Olivia Kernick, a decision that should end his time in charge of the national team.
The Worst Beat of All-Time: Anyone who bet Papua New Guinea 13+ endured the worst sequence of events imaginable on Saturday night in Suva.
With the Kumuls leading by 18 with time expiring, Fiji put in a nothing kick as they did all night only for Robert Derby and Nene MacDonald – who had both been outstanding – to watch it sit in the in-goal, jumping out of the way so Maika Sivo could score.
That sent the margin to 14 but there was hope.
Taane Milne, perhaps one of the worst kickers in history, had the shot from the sideline and of course he slotted it.
Fun Fact #1: Julia Robinson broke the record for most tries in a match for the Jillaroos when she scored six against Papua New Guinea and fellow winger Jakiya Whitfeld scored five tries.
Fun Fact #2: Australia scored 17 tries against PNG, not a single one was scored by a forward.
Fun Fact #3: Australia scored 84 points against PNG – and missed nine shots at goal.
Betting Market of the Week: Who won the Battle of Jess?
$1.90: Tommy Talau – now dating Jess Sergis, comes off a career season
$1.90: Zac Lomax – dropped by Jess Sergis, debuted for NSW and Australia
Rumour Mill: John Bateman has been linked with a move to Manly and the Wests Tigers absolutely will not stand in his way as they are very keen to move him on.
Rugby Australia are reportedly planning on making a move to sign Nathan Cleary in what would be one of the most delusional ideas in history.
Sharks backup rake Jayden Berrell is expected to shift to the Cowboys.
Canterbury are making enquiries into PNG prop Sylvester Namo.
The Coaching Crosshairs: If Fiji want to get serious about making in-roads on the international scene like Tonga, Samoa and Papua New Guinea have, they need to hire a serious coach.
Wise Kativerata may be a great fella – and he may make a great coffee as Vossy suggested – but he is not a professional coach and the abhorrent preparation showed against the Kumuls.
Kativerata ran an opposed session against the Tongan women’s team, he brought in Jarryd Hayne to assist in the final week and he selected two halves with no idea how to kick a ball.
Fiji made the semis at the 2008, 2013 and 2017 World Cups.
They were miles ahead of other Pacific Nations.
They are miles behind now and Fiji needs to invest in a professional coach.
Moronic Coaching Decision of the Week: It is hard to imagine a worse preparation that running an opposed session against the Tongan women’s team in prep for a big-time Test match, particularly at home, but that is what Fiji did. Wise Kativerata is not long for international coaching.
Watch It: In 1996, at the pomp of the Super League War, champion league outfit Wigan played supposedly talented union team Bath.
It was an absolute one-goer with Wigan winning 82-6 in the league with Offiah scoring six tries in the demolition job.
Bath did win when the match was played under union rules, sneaking home 44-19.
Watch the magnificent highlights of the league one-goer that continue to show the huge gulf in athleticism between the sport of league and the game of union.