Ex-Wire forward's NRL breakthrough hit by serious injury
The second-rower has been in stellar form for Canberra Raiders since joining them from The Wire for 2025, scoring five tries in nine appearances for the Green Machine.
His performances have helped Ricky Stuart's side to sit fourth on the NRL ladder after 10 matches, but he limped off during their defeat to Canterbury Bulldogs at the weekend.
Now, the Raiders have confirmed that Nicholson has suffered a fractured fibula as well as a syndesmosis injury to his ankle and will miss up to 12 weeks of action.
That would mean a return at the start of August, putting him in the frame to feature in the NRL play-offs should Canberra secure their place.
News of Nicholson's injury will also be of concern to England head coach Shaun Wane, with the 21-year-old seemingly certain to be in contention for the season-ending Ashes series against Australia to add to the two caps he won during his two-and-a-half years as a Warrington player.
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Huge boost for Scott Boland as Nathan Lyon overlooked in predicted Ashes Test team
Brendon Julian has made a number of shock selection calls for the first Ashes Test later this year, after insisting veteran spinner Nathan Lyon should be dropped and Scott Boland included in an all-out pace attack. The former Australia all-rounder also wants Marnus Labuschagne to come back into the Test side at No.3, Cameron Green to move down the order and the impressive Beau Webster to drop out of the starting XI altogether. Australia's five-Test Ashes series kicks off on November 21 in Perth, and Julian wants to see a number of big changes for the first match against England. He also believes Sam Konstas' struggles during the three-Test series against the West Indies has opened the door for Nathan McSweeney to be given another crack at opener alongside Usman Khawaja, having been dropped after the first two Tests against India last year. But Julian's biggest bombshell is the call to axe veteran spinner Lyon, who is Australia's third-greatest Test wicket-taker of all time, with 553 scalps. Lyon did find himself on the periphery in Australia's home series against India last summer, where he featured sparingly with the ball and only managed nine wickets across the five Tests. Lyon has been an ever-present in Australia's red-ball side for more than a decade but was dropped for Boland in the final Test against the Windies last month. The decision to play a four-pronged pace attack paid off handsomely as Boland took a hat-trick to lead an Aussie onslaught that saw the Windies bowled out for 27 and Pat Cummins' men complete a 3-0 series whitewash. And Julian believes it may have given selectors a blueprint about how to approach the Ashes series, on Aussie pitches more suited to the quicks. 'You don't play Nathan Lyon, that's my call,' Julian told News Corp. 'Well, if you look at Perth and Brisbane, day-night (Test in) Brisbane, Perth (is) quick and bouncy, who would you rather face? 'I think (Scott) Boland has forced his way back into the side, and you can't overlook him. The West Indies did it (played four specialist quicks) for 15 years. You have to play him (Lyon) in Sydney, play him in Adelaide, Melbourne, depending. But you know it's not the worst idea.' Boland's numbers from the last home Test series against India also provide another compelling case for his inclusion. The Victorian seamer finished the series with the second-most wickets (21 @ 13.19 ) for Australia - just four behind Cummins (25 @ 21.36 ). And that was despite playing two fewer Tests than the Aussie skipper. Fellow quick Josh Hazlewood was arguably Australia's best bowler in the opening Test against India in Perth, where he took five wickets. But after being rested for the second Test in Adelaide, he broke down with injury in Brisbane to present Boland with his opportunity. Mitchell Starc also impressed with 18 wickets @ 28.66 in the series and is considered a lock with Cummins in the Aussie pace attack. Marnus Labuschagne tipped to earn Test recall for Ashes Julian has also backed Labuschagne to force his way back into the Test team, off the back of some strong form in Australia's upcoming white-ball fixtures. Labuschagne is part of Australia's ODI squad that will play three matches against South Africa, following a three-match T20 series against the Proteas that starts in Darwin on Sunday. Labuschagne was dropped before the first Test against the Windies in June after a lean run of form with the bat across the last couple of years. But Julian admits that while runs will be important for Labsuschagne in Australia's ODIs against South Africa, his Sheffield Shield form for Queensland will ultimately decide if he earns a Test recall. RELATED: Pat Cummins makes call on Sam Konstas after struggles continue Marnus Labuschagne spotted in strange moment amid Aussie win Julian also doesn't see Green as a Test No.3 and wants the all-rounder to replace Webster at No.6, despite admitting the Tasmanian has been 'really, really good' since making his Test debut in the India series. And Julian reckons McSweeney will 'definitely play' in at least the first two Ashes Tests after struggling against India's Jasprit Bumrah last summer. Julian says McSweeney's 'technique is a lot better than Sam Konstas' and tipped him to open alongside Khawaja in the series-opener against England.
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What Ryan Matterson has said about extending his Warrington Wolves stay
RYAN Matterson's Warrington Wolves debut has already left fans wanting more in both the short and long-term. His showing in defeat to Leigh Leopards last week is made all the more impressive given the context of it being his first game in more than two months and having moved to the other side of the world at less than a week's notice. Many have seen enough to know they want to see his current arrangement – a loan deal for the rest of 2025 before returning to NRL side Parramatta Eels – made more permanent. And it appears that also goes for the Wire hierarchy, with Matterson revealing the club have already engaged his management about a longer stay at The Halliwell Jones Stadium – and it's something he says he is open to, albeit it is far from being his current focus. 'I'm loving it,' he said in his first sit-down with the media following his arrival. 'From the top all the way to the fans, everyone has been so welcoming. I can't speak highly enough of Gary (Chambers), Sam (Burgess) and all of the boys – it's been a very smooth transition.' When asked about being open to staying at Warrington for 2026, he replied: 'Most definitely. Whatever is the right fit for me is something I want to do. 'I'm definitely contracted to Parramatta for next year but I hadn't played much football this year, so I really needed to take the field and enjoy playing football again. 'You can't change teams within Australia after June 30, so my manager spoke to Warrington and it was a perfect opportunity to come over here. 'It all happened that quickly that I can only think short-term in terms of enjoying my football and experiencing Super League and England. I'm enjoying it so far. 'The club has spoken to my manager about the future and next year, but I've told my manager he can sort that out. 'I'm only focusing on the short-term in terms of this week and a big game against Wigan.' Ryan Matterson is tackled by Leigh pair Joe Ofahengaue and Ben McNamara (Image: Olly Hassell/ Matterson's move to the club was confirmed during Warrington's break from fixtures, which allowed the forward to get a full week of training in with his new teammates before debuting at Leigh Sports Village. And while he had an inkling of what to expect when he took the field, he admits he did not have chance to give it too much thought. 'I had four days to get everything sorted,' he said. 'I was more focused on getting my visa sorted, my flights and all that type of thing. 'Then when I got here, it was about ticking boxes and making sure my body was right, getting to meet the players, learning the plays and the structure. 'I was taking so much in so I didn't have time to worry about anything other than being present. 'Having so little time to prep probably did me good. 'I've had a lot of injuries this year. I've just come back from a nine-week injury and my first game back was on Friday night, so it was good to get some game time. 'I'm going to be better for it – I'm over the injury now and I'm looking for a strong end to the season.' As a veteran of more than 180 NRL games for Sydney Roosters, Wests Tigers and the Eels, not much in rugby league is new to Matterson. However, he gets his first taste of what is one of Super League's leading rivalries to mark his home debut for the club. With Wigan flying high in second and Warrington down in eighth and struggling to make the play-offs, the visitors will be favourites but Matterson insists those inside the group would not see it as a shock if they bagged two points on Friday. And in the build-up, simply being around the town has made clear to him just how important this game is. 'With the fans over here and how loud they are, people live and breath rugby league here,' he said. 'I've really noticed that driving around Warrington – I've got the club car with all the badges on so I'm getting a lot of taps on the windows saying we need to fix this and that. 'There's a lot of coaches out there but I enjoy it – I love playing for a passionate town. 'Playing in such an emotional game is a privilege because it means the people before you have created this path. 'There's a lot of history and expectation, so I'll go out there and play with pride. 'If we put in the performance we know we can at the weekend and get two points, everyone will be shocked by the result but in house, we won't be shocked. 'With how we've prepped since we've been here, there's a lot of good things that I'm seeing. 'There's been lapses – the players have been speaking about it being a familiar Achilles heel. 'We have the players, the ability and the grunt but these lapses have been bringing teams back into games when we should be wrapping them up. 'If we nullify those errors, we'll go a long way towards winning.'
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Dragons set to sign QLD Origin representative as former coach lands new role
Queensland State of Origin squad member Josh Kerr is set to return to the club where it all began in the NRL, amid reports he's agreed a two-year deal with the Dragons from next season. The development comes after news that former Dragons coach Anthony Griffin has landed a new coaching gig in Sydney club rugby. Kerr is out of contract at the end of this season and unsigned beyond 2025, with Dragons coach Shane Flanagan reportedly set to pounce on the 29-year-old forward. It's understood formalities still need to be sorted out between St George Illawarra and the player, but they have reached agreement over a deal that would see him spend at least the next two seasons back in the Red V jersey after the veteran turned down offers to play in the English Super League. The Dolphins enforcer was keen to remain in Queensland with Kristian Woolf's side but a salary cap squeeze has ultimately forced him out of the club. And it's opened the door for Kerr to return to the Dragons, where he spent four seasons and played 68 games after making his NRL debut with the club in 2019. Kerr was a member of Billy Slater's Queensland Maroons squad this year but didn't feature in any of the three games as the Maroons' clinched a come-from-behind 2-1 series victory. He was also slapped with a $10,000 fine for comments about referee Ashley Klein's performance in the Game 3 decider that seemingly brought the official's integrity into question. Kerr has been one of the most consistent performers in a Dolphins forward pack that has been ravaged by injuries this season, hence his inclusion in Slater's Maroons squad. But Woolf's Dolphins recently announced the re-signing of injured superstar Herbie Farnworth on a lucrative new extension, and with Origin star Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow and boom playmaker Isaiyah Katoa among their other big earners, the club appears unable to keep hold of Kerr. Veteran teammates Mark Nicholls, Felise Kaufusi and Kenny Bromwich are among the other high-profile Dolphins players unsigned beyond this season. The Dragons' signing of Kerr would continue Flanagan's rebuild at the club, with former Origin forward Jack de Belin set to join the Eels next season and David Klemmer, Michael Molo and Raymond Faitala-Mariner all coming off contract at the end of 2025. 📝 Josh Kerr set for Dragons returnJosh Kerr is poised to rejoin the Dragons in 2025 on a 2-year deal after the Dolphins were unable to retain weighed up Super League interest before opting for a Red V comeback.(@dailytelegraph) #NRL — NRLCentral (@centralNRL) August 5, 2025 Former Dragons coach Anthony Griffin lands new role Meantime, former Dragons coach Griffin has landed a new role after being appointed head coach of Sydney rugby club, Eastwood. Griffin spent the best part of three seasons with the Dragons before being sacked midway through the 2023 season, having had previous head coaching stints at the Broncos and Panthers. The 58-year-old has coached 231 games across his NRL career but made the switch to rugby in 2024, to take up a role as Eastwood's director of rugby. And after a successful year in that role with the Shute Shield side, Eastwood have confirmed that Griffin will be succeeding David Telfer as head coach from 2026. "Over the past 12 months, Anthony has demonstrated his dedication to Eastwood Rugby in his role as Director of Rugby, playing an integral part in shaping our football program, supporting coaches across all levels, and helping embed a culture of professionalism and accountability," a statement from the club read. RELATED: Calls for NRL rule change after second Panthers trainer incident Eels rocked as third player from grand final team 'requests release' Stunning news about Latrell Mitchell as Bennett axing divides "His commitment to the club, players, and staff has laid a strong foundation for what comes next. Anthony brings extensive experience at the elite level, with a proven track record in player development, high performance systems, and values driven teams. In his expanded role, he will not only lead our First Grade program but maintain and oversee alignment across all levels of rugby at the club, ensuring consistency in recruitment, playing style, and culture." with AAP
