From The Couch: International Season

From The Couch: International Season

SJ is Back: What an absolute treat the game has been given with Shaun Johnson set to farewell his career with a stunning comeback for New Zealand in this year’s Pacific Championships.

The Kiwis have lost Jahrome Hughes with Stacey Jones sending out an SOS to Johnson, who had an emotional farewell from the Warriors.

He has not represented his country since 2019 but some of his finest moments including his stunning try at the 2013 World Cup have come in black and white.

What an almighty treat.   

The Women Shine: While the male’s PM XIII team was a complete and utter shambles under Brad Fittler, it was wonderful to see the women’s equivalent absolutely run riot in the opening half.

It really shone a light on the ineptitude of NSW coach Kylie Hilder for overlooking Teagan Berry and Kira Dibb. Berry and Dibb were sensational – as usual – while the likes of Rory Owen, Bree Chester and Ella Koster showed they are ready to step into the Jillaroos setup in a second.  

Wigan Win It All: Wigan have claimed the 2024 Super League Grand Final in eerily similar fashion to the manner they did last year with the Warriors downing a courageous Hull KR 9-2.

They downed Catalans 10-2 last year. It gave Wigan all four major trophies for the year, a “team for the ages” in a “year of perfection” in the words of the Sky Sports Commentary.

Bevan French shone, winning the inaugural Rob Burrow Medal.

There aren’t many Super League teams who could compete with their NRL counterparts but Wigan would be a lay-down Top 8 team who could easily make the Top 4.  

Oh No, It’s Marcelo: In what will prove the worst signing since Jaeman Salmon, Canterbury have signed Marcelo Montoya to return to the club after four seasons at the Warriors.

In his last three years, the Bulldogs went 8-27 when Montoya played.

He scored seven tries in those 35 games and will hopefully be nowhere near first grade.   

Bad Beat of the Week: Anyone who took Australia -24.5 to -26.5 were left sickened at the end of the PM’s XIII clash when the PNG outfit scored two of the last three tries against a completely dishevelled Australian team.

Reuben Garrick showed his defensive ineptitude as well as missing three shots on goal while Fletcher Sharpe, who had a Cariage-like game, missed the tackle for the final try before spilling the ball over the line on full time.

There is sick and then there is this.  

Fun Fact #1: Nene Macdonald, David Mead and Bal Numapo are tied as PNG’s all-time leading tryscorer with 11 apiece at international level.

Fun Fact #2: Brad Fittler has not won more than 50% of his games in charge of the Roosters, City, NSW or Lebanon.

Betting Market of the Week: Players Brad Donald considered ahead of Olivia Kernick: 

  • $2.60: Jamie Soward (“she is out of work now but she has always been very good”)
  • $2.00: Nellie Doherty (“her recent form has been solid”) 
  • $1.70: Every AFLW player (“you just have to respect their straight kicking”) 

Rumour Mill: There is almost no chance Ben Hunt lines up in the Red V next season with the Roosters and Bulldogs his most likely destination.

The Hunt departure has been coming since he wore the blame for the end of season collapse with Hunt stating recently in public that the Dragons did not seem overly interested in keeping him.

The Dragons do seem intent on building Dad’s Army by adding Josh Addo-Carr to the Valentine Holmes signing.

Jackson Hastings has been linked with a move to South Sydney and Lachlan Ilias would likely be involved in the player swap.  

The Coaching Crosshairs: Brad Donald is almost certainly in charge of his last series with the Jillaroos after the NRL launched an investigation as to how Dally M Medal winner and the clear best player in the Grand Final Olivia Kernick was left out of the squad, particularly for a player who has not played since Round 3 and was from the wooden spoon team.

Particularly concerning were comments made by Donald that Kernick had started from the bench in Origin this year when she in fact started every game.

The investigation should perhaps be looking into the tweets of one no photo/no ID @ScabbyHarry, who seems to be the only person in the world defending the non-selection with allusions to poor behaviour from Kernick that hurts the culture, despite the Roosters going on to win the NRLW.  

Moronic Coaching Decision of the Week: Brad Fittler really does find some strange hills to die on and he went once again by playing Damien Cook in the centres against the PNG PM’s XIII, a move that virtually cost him his Origin coaching job as well as costing the Blues a series.

In a game that had starting centres Reuben Garrick and Sean Russell, featured centre/backrower Dylan Lucas on the bench as wel asl genuine utility Tyran Wishart and utility back Kaeo Weekes, Fittler played Cook at centre.

Fittler should be blacklisted for life from coaching any team – rep, club, social, underage, overage – ever again.  

Watch It: When it comes to international football and PNG Rugby League in particular, there is no greater name to ponder on than that of the iconic, mysterious Stanley Gene.

A mercurial talent and heavy hitter who played 16 Tests for the Kumuls and was a 100-game player for both Hull KR and Huddersfeld, his true age is steeped in mystery.

Here is Gene at his best for Hull KR. Watch it here.