Benny Elias previews State of Origin II
State of Origin: Former NSW Blues hooker Benny Elias joined Fox Sports News to preview State of Origin II in Perth.
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News.com.au
34 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Ten places to watch the State of Origin decider in Darwin and surrounds
The 'Decider' is set to take over the screens and minds of Top End punters tonight as the Queensland Maroons seek to level the series 1-1 in Perth against reigning shield holders NSW Blues. In what is hotly anticipated to be a firey clash, here's where you can catch the game in Darwin and surrounds. 10 Places to watch the Decider THE PRECINCT TAVERN (7 Kitchener Drive, Darwin City) The Waterfront establishment will have the clash playing on its giant lawn screen as well as all its big screen TVs throughout the venue. With plenty of food and drinks and a Qld x NSW jersey giveaway, the pub is encouraging all patrons to wear their team colours and promises a 'night to remember'. BERRY SPRINGS TAVERN (795 Cox Peninsula Rd, Berry Springs) The famous tavern will be hosting a decider party with the clash to be on every big screen. Themed cocktails will also be available – Blue Blitz and Maroon Madness. 'The drinks are cold, the screens are big, and the rivalry is real. Whether you bleed blue or maroon, BST is the place to be tonight.' HOWARD SPRINGS TAVERN (280 Whitewood Rd, Howard Springs) The 'Howdy' is going 'all out' for game 2 with their 'Wilder Wednesday'. The Tavern will host two live shows before kick-off and at halftime with 'juicy T-bones' on the menu. PALMERSTON TAVERN (1110 Chung Wah Terrace, Palmerston) Promising a complimentary drink to any patron that's dressed in team colours as well as XXXX Gold Footy Jugs, and themed cocktails, Palmerston will have the match playing across all its big screens. SHENANNIGANS IRISH BAR & RESTAURANT (69 Mitchell St, Darwin) Promising $9 Pints from 5pm onwards, 'Shags' will also be serving up its pie and pint special to keep your belly full. The pub will have the game on the big screen and will also have live music in the beer garden and main stage throughout the night. HIBISCUS TAVERN (8 Leanyer Drive, Leanyer) The popular adult sports bar is promising its patrons 'smokin staff, ice-cold drinks' and 'atmosphere that's better than your lounge room', as it hosts game 2 on the big screen. HOTEL DARWIN (CNR Herbert and Mitchell St, Darwin) The long standing 'meeting place' in the heart of the city is hosting another Origin watch along party on its big screens both outside in the courtyard and inside in the air conditioner on TV. COOLALINGA TAVERN (425 Stuart Highway, Coolalinga) Putting a pause on its weekly trivia night for the big game, Coolalinga wants to see its patrons sporting their team colours, with good mates and sinking cold ones as they watch the game on the big screens. Inviting anyone and everyone to attend, Silks will be serving up some delicious specials and ice cold drinks as the decider plays live and loud on the big screens. The northern suburb sports club is hosting a watch along on the big screen. With cheap schooners and a special offer for members, patrons will be able to drink house schooners and basic spirits until the final siren.
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
Billy Slater apologises for raising former Qld coach Paul Green's name in emotion-charged press conference
Queensland coach Billy Slater concedes he got it wrong and is 'deeply and genuinely sorry' for referencing former Maroons mentor Paul Green in an emotional response to a question about being called a 'grub' by former NSW forward Aaron Woods. In a rare move on match day in Perth, hours before the second State of Origin clash, Slater confirmed that he called Green's widow, Amanda, to apologise after widespread condemnation of raising his name. Green, the former Marrons and North Queensland coach, took his own life in 2022 after which it was revealed he was suffering from CTE, a degenerative brain disorder that happens due to repeated head impacts. Slater said he felt 'terrible' and issued an apology. 'Yesterday, I wrongly made the link between Paul Green's death and the stress and pressures of coaching, which wasn't accurate, nor was it appropriate,' he said. 'I feel terrible about what I said and I spoke to Amanda Green this morning and apologised for any hurt I may have caused her or her family. 'Paul had CTE, that's a different disease to what I was referring to. Once again I am deeply and genuinely sorry.' On his radio show on Wednesday morning, Woods also hit back at Slater for using Green's name, calling it 'completely unnecessary'. 'It's a hard position he's in at the moment,' Woods said of Slater. 'He's lost game one of the series up in Queensland. 'He's coming off a losing series, which was a decider in Queensland as well, so he's under a lot of pressure. 'But one in particular comment that he did make, I just thought Billy went a little bit over the boundary. I just think it was completely unnecessary for the situation.' Woods also said he stood by his comments about Slater, which referenced his multiple suspensions during his playing days. 'I had those comments I made last Tuesday, so that was a week ago,' Woods said. 'I stand by them. It's part of something I said in the lead-up to this game. 'You've got to be critical of people's performances sometimes which is what Billy is a lot of the time. 'I watch him on Channel 9. 'And you've got to be positive as well, which he is at the same time.'
Herald Sun
2 hours ago
- Herald Sun
Kerry Stokes must hand back South Sydney membership over Perth Bears blackout
Billionaire media giant Kerry Stokes should immediately hand back his prestigious South Sydney Rabbitohs life membership if he continues to sabotage rugby league's foray into Perth. Stokes and his media cohorts in Australia's west are behaving like petulant children. The chairman of the Seven West Media empire, Stokes has essentially blackballed Perth Bears coverage on his Seven television network and only aims to condemn rugby league through his print arm, The West Australian newspaper. Perth wants to be careful about being seen as a small-minded country town, who cannot accept change, by eastern state sports supporters. AFL gets a pretty good run in the Sydney media. It's called being grown up. Banning coverage of rugby league because your station is the rights holder to AFL – a rival winter sport – is petty and juvenile. It's also a clear sign how uneasy Stokes must be about the NRL's incursion into WA. And this from a man who was awarded life membership at Souths in 2004 for his significant financial contribution during a challenging era for the club. Stokes was happy to accept the gong from rugby league back then but now wants to inflict damage on the game. Clearly the honour meant little to Stokes. If Stokes is seeking to obstruct and vandalise rugby league then he should return his life membership. Perth's media resistance shows how paranoid and protective they are over their beloved AFL. Can't have anyone upsetting the precious AFL now can we? Stokes cannot seem to accept that WA's Government gave the NRL a whopping $65m in funding for the Bears to relocate and now the Perth media have taken their bat and ball and gone home. Said to be worth $12.6 billion, Stokes is among the top ten richest Australians with his Seven network being number one in Perth. He owns the AFL broadcast rights and The West Australian, a newspaper which has been hugely critical of the Bears' shift into Perth. This was the same paper which, when Perth Bears were announced as the NRL's 18th franchise to excited fans, ran a massive front page headline which screamed 'Bad News Bears', describing the club as a dud second division team. How bloody rude, arrogant and disrespectful to a foundation rugby league club. Yes, Stokes wants to protect his biggest asset, AFL, but they can't spare rugby league some air and print space? The NRL doesn't want to storm Perth in a bloody takeover. We just want a fair and equitable portion of the WA media pie. Maybe State of Origin in Perth on Wednesday night can mend a few misconceptions about rugby league and show WA punters what a wonderfully exhilarating sport it can be. Stokes has decided to brush attending Origin II, claiming to be in Sydney on business. The Perth Bears will need Stokes, no doubt, but rugby league has survived and flourished for 117-years without him. Stokes' preferred sport is AFL but he also has a long history with rugby league. His greatest gesture was a $3m sponsorship over three years with Souths around the start of the century, money which helped the club navigate financial difficulties. Stokes' high-profile support also played a pivotal role in Souths' reinstatement into the NRL, thus his deserved life membership at the time. 'Kerry made a tremendous contribution to the club in its darkest hours, and was a fully deserved recipient of life membership,' said Souths CEO, Blake Solly. 'Without Kerry it's doubtful whether the Rabbitohs would be in existence today.' Now Stokes appears to have abandoned rugby league. Rather than excluding Bears' coverage, maybe Stokes should tell his two AFL teams to lift their performances. The once mighty West Coast Eagles, who were laughably compared to Manchester United during the 1990s, are running dead last on the AFL ladder, having won one from 14 games this season while Fremantle are faring better with eight victories from 13 matches. The NRL has attempted to win over the hearts and minds of WA sports fans by appointing the one-and-only Mal Meninga as the franchise's inaugural coach. But Meninga and new Bears CEO Anthony De Ceglie, a former Seven West Media director of news and current affairs and editor-in-chief of West Australian newspapers, are fully aware of the looming push-back from AFL-loving local media. 'We can't just go over there and beat our chest and say 'we're here',' Meninga said. 'It's more around building respect.' I just hope Mal and his team are given the same respect by Seven West Media in return, otherwise rugby league must rid itself of Kerry Stokes. DOG TREATS Champion Sydney-based horse trainer Chris Waller has claimed rugby league's push into New Zealand's rugby union heartland was 'scary.' Kiwi-born Waller said: 'When I was growing up, there was no rugby league at our school and rugby union held centre court. It was pretty strict. If you played rugby league, you couldn't go back to rugby union. '(So) it will change, for sure, especially if you've got administrators like Peter V'landys involved. It's a bit scary and the All Blacks had a bit of a loss in terms of their business this year. They will have to change a few things to make sure it's not losing its dominance. 'Rugby league is portrayed in such a great way. The Kiwis love Australia, they are in awe of Australia – the population, wealth and opportunities. The All Blacks are probably more seasoned – they don't play as many games so they don't get the same exposure.' MERRITT ON THE TOOLS Former Souths winger Nathan Merritt has started working as a scaffolder. Merritt, who has recovered from a 2023 serious health scare where he was placed on life support, was spotted on a building site at Concord last week. One co-worker said: 'I couldn't believe it was him.' Merritt, 42, scored 154 tries during a 13-year, 237-game career at Souths and Cronulla. TIGERS DREAM In a unique situation, Wests Tigers debutant Charlie Murray is managed by a company called Enriched, where Tigers CEO Shane Richardson is a shareholder. Richardson's son, Brent, Enriched CEO, said: 'I'm Charlie's agent, not Shane. If you speak to Paul Massey (operations manager for NRL's Accredited Player Agency Scheme), it will have my name under Charlie's on the registry. 'He came to Wests Tigers with no guarantees and no real contract. Charlie's dream was to play NRL. He's a great kid, a hard trainer who puts the club first. 'Shane doesn't manage anyone in the business.' Brent admitted the player-son-CEO relationship was 'quirky'. MID-SEASON MADNESS Which two well-known players from a Sydney club are tipped to be moved on before June 30. One isn't a shock, the other will be contentious. RAIDERS MENTORS Is there a better club when it comes to developing and educating coaches than Canberra? Check out this list of current coaches who have, at some point, shifted through the Raiders system. Mal Meninga (Perth), Laurie Daley (NSW), Michael Maguire (Broncos), Craig Bellamy (Storm), Anthony Seibold (Manly), Todd Payten (Cowboys), Wayne Bennett (Souths) and, of course, the one-and-only Ricky Stuart. Originally published as Media mogul Kerry Stokes and the Western Australian media are being childish over the Perth Bears
