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The 7th Tackle - with Josh Massoud and Jim Wilson

7News Sports Presenter Jim Wilson and Chief Rugby League Reporter Josh Massoud run through the burning topics from the rugby league world you may not know about.

Tackle 1 – Tigers doing things by halves

Wests Tigers have now slumped to equal last, but that wasn’t the most disturbing outcome at Concord this week. In our humble opinion, the loss of Junior Kiwi halfback Te Maire Martin was the most damning reflection of the joint venture’s immense struggle.

Martin signed with Penrith after the Tigers chose not to exercise an option in their favour to keep him for just $85,000 next season. We’re told the joint venture’s independent directors made the call, much to the disappointment of the football department. It could come back to bite them in a big, big way. There are increasing rumbles over the happiness levels of young halves, Mitchell Moses and Luke Brooks. The free-spirited Moses, in particular, has found life difficult adjusting to coach Jason Taylor’s structured style.

Junior Kiwi halfback Te Maire Martin has joined the Penrith Panthers. Image: Getty
Junior Kiwi halfback Te Maire Martin has joined the Penrith Panthers. Image: Getty

We can reveal both players will be free agents next season, as they each enjoy an option for 2017. Despite their patchy form this season, Brooks and Moses have shown enough in first grade over the past 18 months to confirm their talent. It would be a devastating blow if either – heaven forbid both – were allowed to leave, as they progressed through the local ranks together.

Tigers chairwoman Marina Go this week declared to the club’s salary cap situation was so dire that it would take three years to rectify the mess. One senior player – a forward – has already began asking around about options elsewhere. In order to placate angry fans and protect Taylor, management needs to do much, much more to explain the debacle.

Tackle 2 – Widdop on the way home . . . eventually

The UK Super League is normally regarded as a retirement home for Australians. But there’s one Englishman who is determined to swim against the tide – Gareth Widdop. The Dragons ace this week told us he’s been dreaming of finishing-up in the Old Dart since childhood, when his family immigrated to Melbourne. Widdop will be 27 years old when his contract with the Dragons expires at the end of next season – just about ripe enough to return after winning a premiership with the Storm in 2012.

Gareth Widdop is considering at a stint in the English Super League. Image: Getty
Gareth Widdop is considering at a stint in the English Super League. Image: Getty

“I was born and raised in England and that’s home,” he said. “I’ve been here a while now with my wife and kids. I’m really settled here in Australia. I always said as a kid all I wanted to do is go over there in the Super League. Hopefully one day I can do that, but for now I’m really happy playing in the NRL. It’s a fair competition and I’m at a great club and I’m really enjoying it.”

Widdop also revealed he’s frequently asked for advice about the NRL by his compatriots, who have flocked Down Under in greater numbers over the past five years. “I’ve just done it the other way around,” he continued. “Because I moved over here as a kid I didn’t have the opportunity to play in the Super League. It’s one of those dreams I had as a kid.”

Tackle 3 – Nabuli on the move again

This has to be one of the more bizarre recruitment and retention scenarios that we’ve encountered. Just a few short weeks ago, St George Illawarra awarded winger Eto Nabuli a 12-month contract extension. Now, they’ve told the Fijian flyer he’s free to play elsewhere in 2016.

Eto Nabuli is on the lookout for a new NRL club. Image: Getty
Eto Nabuli is on the lookout for a new NRL club. Image: Getty

Surprised by the change of heart, Nabuli’s management has started the search for a new home and has already ruled-out a move to England. In the meantime the Dragons remain in the hunt for more depth out wide, following Jason Nightingale’s decision to accept a sizable pay cut to remain in Wollongong for a further two years. One possible recruit we keep hearing is Titans winger Kalifa Faifai Loa, who made his debut in the Big Red V five seasons ago. Much has changed since, with Faifai Loa now one of several Titans players facing cocaine charges. Faifai Loa has maintained his innocence and the Dragons have seen enough to be confident that he’ll be acquitted when the matter reaches a trial date.

Tackle 4 – Tupou and Fergo penned in with chooks

The Roosters will very soon confirm two-year contract extensions for outside backs, Daniel Tupou and Blake Ferguson. Ferguson’s signature was in little doubt, given the tremendous support and rehabilitation he’s been given at Bondi. With that in mind, his new deal won’t be anywhere near the exorbitant figures that have been speculated and won’t even include representative bonuses.

Blake Ferguson in training. Image: Getty
Blake Ferguson in training. Image: Getty

Tupou’s retention looked far less likely earlier this year, particularly after the Roosters signed Joe Burgess from Wigan. But with Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and James Maloney moving-on, the club has managed to find enough money to make the former NSW Origin flanker a decent offer – albeit considerably inferior to the one he could have earned by switching to French rugby.

Tackle 5 – Sandow thrown to the Wolves

It’s a done deal – Chris Sandow will be lost to the NRL in a few months, having verbally agreed to a two-year contract with Warrington Wolves in the UK Super League. We understand the package is worth close to $1 million – not far off the rich offer that pushed the cheeky No. 7 from Redfern to Parramatta at the end of 2011. Having come to terms with Warrington, Sandow was keen to start the latest chapter of his career as soon as possible.

The Wolves were happy to accommodate him for the rest of this year, but wanted Parramatta to pay-out the remainder of his contract. With around $750,000 of their salary cap already tied up in players who’ve moved to other clubs, the Eels this week denied Sandow an immediate release.

It might have been a different story had Sandow asked about a month ago, when he and coach Brad Arthur had a difference of opinion over playing style. Under normal circumstances, Sandow would have been re-introduced to the NSW Cup coach. But Arthur had no choice but to keep playing him, because of the club’s wretched second tier cap situation.

Chris Sandow is all but gone to the English Super League next season. Image: Getty
Chris Sandow is all but gone to the English Super League next season. Image: Getty


Parramatta has not lost since, and Sandow’s halves partnership with the steady Luke Kelly has proved an unexpected winner. In other recruitment news, the Eels this week re-signed centre Ryan Morgan for another two years.

Tackle 6 – Bird on a tight wire

Greg Bird’s search for a new home has come up empty, meaning he will be staying on the Gold Coast for the foreseeable future. He returns from an eight week suspension tomorrow against the Knights – one of the clubs that was mentioned as a suitor for his services.

Greg Bird is set to return from his eight week suspension this weekend. Image: Getty
Greg Bird is set to return from his eight week suspension this weekend. Image: Getty

The Titans and Bird have frequently clashed over the past 12 months, but now they’re wedded together, Bird needs to convince coach Neil Henry he's committed to the cause starting tomorrow against the Knights. Meanwhile, the Titans are continuing their hard line stance over a new tenancy deal at CBUS Stadium. The Queensland Government wants the Titans to commit to a five-year deal, but the club’s ultimate master – the NRL – believes the asking price is far too great.

Tackle 7 – Bellamy to soldier on

Perhaps the most intriguing revelation of Cameron Smith’s 300th game press conference on Tuesday – considering there was precious few about Alex McKinnon – was coach Craig Bellamy’s revealing he’d been having second thoughts about retiring next year.

Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy
Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy

Bellamy had been adamant he would pull the pin at the end of 2016, but was far less forthright when asked about his future this week. Bellamy also agreed that he felt an ‘obligation’ to oversee what shapes as a difficult transition for the Storm, with Cooper Cronk, Billy Slater and Smith all set to finish over the next two or three years. Cronk and Slater could foreseeably go within 12 months, while Smith is contracted until the end of 2018.

Our mail suggests Bellamy will take the middle road and sign-on for one last season to take him through until the end of 2017. That would present an interesting scenario for the man who is widely tipped to take the reins, Nathan Brown. Since returning from the UK, Brown has parked in a consultancy role at the Storm but might have to look elsewhere to revive his NRL career should Bellamy keep going. One thing is for sure – there’s no doubting Bellamy’s commitment to the game. He’s flying to Oberon – in the NSW Central West – to attend the local footy club’s 40th anniversary of its last premiership tomorrow night.