Latest news with #BillySlater
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Sad detail about Slater and Smith as Melbourne Storm severe Queensland ties
Some of the Melbourne Storm's most iconic players have come through their historic Queensland Cup pathway, including champions like Cameron Smith, Billy Slater and Cooper Cronk. But the NRL club is severing it's traditional ties to Queensland in favour of a more stream-lined 'reserve grade' team in the NSW Cup. The Sunshine Coast Falcons and Brisbane Tigers (formerly known as Easts) have been feeder teams for the Storm for the past 27 years. But in a bombshell decision, the revealed this week that the long and successful partnership will be ended after this year. Starting next season, the club will have a Melbourne Storm team playing in the NSW Cup - the tier below the NRL in NSW. Unlike in the Queensland Cup, teams that play in the NSW Cup predominantly have the same name as their NRL equivalents. The current North Sydney Bears team that plays in the NSW Cup is also a feeder club for the Storm. But that will have to change when the Perth Bears enter the NRL competition in 2027. According to the Courier Mail report, the move is designed around stream-lining the Storm's reserve grade squad and keeping their fringe first-graders in the Melbourne colours. This "builds the continuity that many of their Sydney-based rivals enjoy with their NSW Cup teams," the report states. The Storm released a statement on Friday confirming the move, while promising to maintain their affiliation with Queensland through other means. 'There is no doubt our partnership with the Falcons and East has helped us find some of the best talent to have ever pulled on a Storm jersey,' said the Storm's director of football Frank Ponissi. 'However, like all clubs, we are always looking at ways to improve our pathways, particularly with the expansion of the NRL and NRLW in the coming years. While we might be exploring new opportunities to develop and expand our male and female programs, our commitment to south-east Queensland will be maintained whether through our existing recruitment programs or new partnership opportunities with the Falcons or Easts.' The move is an extraordinary one considering the rich history of Queenslanders making their mark with the Melbourne Storm. Smith, Slater, Cronk and Greg Inglis all played for Norths Devils in the Queensland Cup, which is actually in Brisbane Broncos territory. But they signed with the Storm when the club started moving into Queensland territory in the early 2000s. Former Storm coach Mark Murray said in 2017: 'The Broncos had Queensland to themselves for so long, so our focus was pretty narrow up there, and our strike rate ended up being pretty good as a result.' Current players Harry Grant, Trent Loiero and Tino Fa'asuamaleaui all came through the Sunshine Coast Falcons, as did the NSW-born Ryan Papenhuyzen. And Cameron Munster played for the Brisbane Tigers before making his NRL debut. RELATED: Blow for Billy Slater with Queensland player banned from Origin Trainer at centre of Origin incident unmasked as NRL great's brother The historic ties to the Queensland Cup is the main reason the majority of Melbourne Storm players represent the Maroons at Origin level. Whether or not that trend continues remains to be seen. The move away from Queensland will seemingly open the door for the Dolphins to recruit more talent through the Sunshine Coast pathway, while the Tigers will likely become a feeder for the Broncos. Make sense when you think about it. Falcons would be a logical feeder club to the Dolphins, and the Tigers as a feeder to Broncos. — behind_th_8ball (@behind_th_8ball) May 29, 2025 Wow. Big change — clayton johns (@5Nouseforaname) May 29, 2025 Terrible — nolesfan2011 (@nolesfan2011) May 30, 2025
The Age
a day ago
- Sport
- The Age
The Blues were able to out-Queensland Queensland. Enjoy it while it lasts.
In the changing rooms later, Queensland players were carrying their babies just like NSW players were. Nobody was destroying walls or slamming doors. Billy Slater looked morose, but morose like the only single dad at a kids' birthday party. The rest of the players were chatting, having a drink, putting it all behind them. I know we've heard this before, but look at the depth of talent Laurie Daley was able to leave out. He had the luxury of omitting four of the most destructive forwards in the NRL in Keaon Koloamatagi, Stefano Utoikamanu, Terrell May and Haumole Olakau'atu. He didn't need Api Koroisau. He didn't even have to think about Jake Trbojevic. He could overlook Jarome Luai, Campbell Graham, James Tedesco and Ryan Papenhuyzen. His selections and style of play were more conservative than the National Party. He has a whole Origin second team in reserve, and a new generation ahead with the likes of Ethan Strange, Mark Nawaqanitawase, Jacob Preston, Blake Steep, and who knows, one day Lachlan Galvin. Depth? He's drowning in it. Queensland, meanwhile, are spoilt for lack of choice. Tom Dearden for Daly Cherry-Evans: is that it? 'Mobility' in the middle forwards eventually came to mean 'too small'. They were being pushed back on Wednesday before they started giving away penalties. Tino Fa'asuamaleaui, their best big man, responded to being dominated by trying to separate NSW players' heads from their necks. This tactic used to work in Origin but now it just means penalties, backpedalling, exhaustion. Cherry-Evans and Kalyn Ponga play behind beaten packs most weeks; Wednesday was more of the same. So. Is it really happening, and if it is, what are the structural causes behind it? One is rugby league's increasing control of raw violence. The on-paper Origin always failed to eventuate because Queensland compensated for their shallower talent pool with their power to intimidate. Even in the era of Cameron Smith, Johnathan Thurston and the other galacticos, they had their Josh McGuires and their Nate Myles, their Felise Kaufusis, their Josh Papaliis and their Matt Scotts. Out wide, they had Will Chambers and Dane Gagai. It's easy to forget that in their almost uninterrupted success from 2006 to 2017, their pack was repeatedly written off and they won as much through primitivism as polish. Now that whacking people is a liability, Queensland lose one of their advantages. Not that NSW didn't whack Queenslanders too, but Queenslanders did it better. The current Queensland team is being criticised, up north, as 'too nice'. Nobody likes being called too nice, but the curbs on brutality and the close attention of video referees have hurt Queensland more than Les Boyd or Paul Gallen ever did. Another change is cultural. After a generation of effort, NSW have managed to find the darkness within. Through their old boys' stories of humiliation, their baseball bats, their misery on Caxton Street, the Blues have discovered, or manufactured, a chip on their inside shoulder. On Wednesday, the hatred seemed to be flowing against the laws of nature. A third structural change is the conversion of young players to a NSW-first mentality. This loyalty used to be Queensland's, but the NSW hierarchy is now spotting talent early and bringing it into Origin camps, which now indoctrinate youngsters like Crusader Camps. Maybe the turning point was the widespread belief that Macksville's Greg Inglis played for Queensland because he wanted to. NSW lost a generational player when he gravitated towards passion and a perception (unique to rugby league) that Queensland treated Indigenous players better. To see Latrell Mitchell being won over to the NSW-first cause is to see a shift that may prevent the Inglis situation from being repeated. After 43 years, maybe NSW have found a way to tap their bigger talent pool. Yeah, I know. Having committed these thoughts to print, I do realise that Queensland will now win in Perth and Sydney. And we'll reassess game one and realise that if a few penalties and six-again calls had gone the other way, if one ball wasn't dropped, one tackle wasn't missed, then the momentum reversed and history changed. Instead, NSW succumbed to hubris, which should be reserved for spectators and journalists. Loading But until then, let's say that the thing has happened and Queensland have run out of their magic. It's happened before: from 1990 to the early 2000s, the Blues won 10 Origin series to Queensland's four. Losing made Queensland more like Queensland. They said that NSW dominance would kill Origin. The league imagined how to change eligibility rules, to get non- Queenslanders into maroon jerseys. Anticipating that it might be happening again, already the NRL has spoken of the wealth of Kiwi and Pasifika players who are sitting watching the game's mid-season showcase. Eventually, the show needs Queenslanders to win again and if that means putting New Zealand and Tonga in Queensland, that's what we'll see. But it might take time, and NSW should enjoy that time while it lasts. Especially if it's only a couple of weeks.
Sydney Morning Herald
a day ago
- Sport
- Sydney Morning Herald
The Blues were able to out-Queensland Queensland. Enjoy it while it lasts.
In the changing rooms later, Queensland players were carrying their babies just like NSW players were. Nobody was destroying walls or slamming doors. Billy Slater looked morose, but morose like the only single dad at a kids' birthday party. The rest of the players were chatting, having a drink, putting it all behind them. I know we've heard this before, but look at the depth of talent Laurie Daley was able to leave out. He had the luxury of omitting four of the most destructive forwards in the NRL in Keaon Koloamatagi, Stefano Utoikamanu, Terrell May and Haumole Olakau'atu. He didn't need Api Koroisau. He didn't even have to think about Jake Trbojevic. He could overlook Jarome Luai, Campbell Graham, James Tedesco and Ryan Papenhuyzen. His selections and style of play were more conservative than the National Party. He has a whole Origin second team in reserve, and a new generation ahead with the likes of Ethan Strange, Mark Nawaqanitawase, Jacob Preston, Blake Steep, and who knows, one day Lachlan Galvin. Depth? He's drowning in it. Queensland, meanwhile, are spoilt for lack of choice. Tom Dearden for Daly Cherry-Evans: is that it? 'Mobility' in the middle forwards eventually came to mean 'too small'. They were being pushed back on Wednesday before they started giving away penalties. Tino Fa'asuamaleaui, their best big man, responded to being dominated by trying to separate NSW players' heads from their necks. This tactic used to work in Origin but now it just means penalties, backpedalling, exhaustion. Cherry-Evans and Kalyn Ponga play behind beaten packs most weeks; Wednesday was more of the same. So. Is it really happening, and if it is, what are the structural causes behind it? One is rugby league's increasing control of raw violence. The on-paper Origin always failed to eventuate because Queensland compensated for their shallower talent pool with their power to intimidate. Even in the era of Cameron Smith, Johnathan Thurston and the other galacticos, they had their Josh McGuires and their Nate Myles, their Felise Kaufusis, their Josh Papaliis and their Matt Scotts. Out wide, they had Will Chambers and Dane Gagai. It's easy to forget that in their almost uninterrupted success from 2006 to 2017, their pack was repeatedly written off and they won as much through primitivism as polish. Now that whacking people is a liability, Queensland lose one of their advantages. Not that NSW didn't whack Queenslanders too, but Queenslanders did it better. The current Queensland team is being criticised, up north, as 'too nice'. Nobody likes being called too nice, but the curbs on brutality and the close attention of video referees have hurt Queensland more than Les Boyd or Paul Gallen ever did. Another change is cultural. After a generation of effort, NSW have managed to find the darkness within. Through their old boys' stories of humiliation, their baseball bats, their misery on Caxton Street, the Blues have discovered, or manufactured, a chip on their inside shoulder. On Wednesday, the hatred seemed to be flowing against the laws of nature. A third structural change is the conversion of young players to a NSW-first mentality. This loyalty used to be Queensland's, but the NSW hierarchy is now spotting talent early and bringing it into Origin camps, which now indoctrinate youngsters like Crusader Camps. Maybe the turning point was the widespread belief that Macksville's Greg Inglis played for Queensland because he wanted to. NSW lost a generational player when he gravitated towards passion and a perception (unique to rugby league) that Queensland treated Indigenous players better. To see Latrell Mitchell being won over to the NSW-first cause is to see a shift that may prevent the Inglis situation from being repeated. After 43 years, maybe NSW have found a way to tap their bigger talent pool. Yeah, I know. Having committed these thoughts to print, I do realise that Queensland will now win in Perth and Sydney. And we'll reassess game one and realise that if a few penalties and six-again calls had gone the other way, if one ball wasn't dropped, one tackle wasn't missed, then the momentum reversed and history changed. Instead, NSW succumbed to hubris, which should be reserved for spectators and journalists. Loading But until then, let's say that the thing has happened and Queensland have run out of their magic. It's happened before: from 1990 to the early 2000s, the Blues won 10 Origin series to Queensland's four. Losing made Queensland more like Queensland. They said that NSW dominance would kill Origin. The league imagined how to change eligibility rules, to get non- Queenslanders into maroon jerseys. Anticipating that it might be happening again, already the NRL has spoken of the wealth of Kiwi and Pasifika players who are sitting watching the game's mid-season showcase. Eventually, the show needs Queenslanders to win again and if that means putting New Zealand and Tonga in Queensland, that's what we'll see. But it might take time, and NSW should enjoy that time while it lasts. Especially if it's only a couple of weeks.
News.com.au
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
‘Worst game I've seen': Craig Bellamy's brutal NSW hit job on Harry Grant
The last time Craig Bellamy had anything official to do with State of Origin, he walked away a broken and beaten man. For all the magic he has conjured with the Storm, he just couldn't make his inferior NSW side rise to a level to match Mal Meninga's dynastic Maroons. He walked away after three series defeats between 2008 and 2010. FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every game of every round in the 2025 NRL Telstra Premiership, LIVE with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer. In his defence, God might not have been able to make that NSW side rise to a level capable of beating Queensland, so as good as he was, Bellamy probably didn't stand a chance. But there was one thing in particular which really bothered the supercoach: he hated conspiring against the guys he looked after every week. Cameron Smith, Billy Slater, Greg Inglis, Cooper Cronk. For maybe the only time in his coaching career, he never felt truly at ease. Fifteen days is a long time in rugby league, let alone 15 years. While he sat mostly stony faced and emotionless in the back of the NSW coaching box at Suncorp Stadium on Wednesday night (at least when the cameras caught him), Bellamy is on the cusp of scratching that Origin itch. It might not have been as headline-grabbing as Zac Lomax's aerial prowess, Latrell Mitchell barely leaving his fingerprints on a pass to set up Brian To'o, or Connor Watson's supreme strength to hurl the ball for Dylan Edwards' match sealer, but there was a theme to NSW's historic game one win: the hit job on Harry Grant. Make no mistake, this is Laurie Daley's NSW team. He deserves all the credit for this win, perhaps series defining, in a match which will never come near the annals of Origin classic. But when he pitched to the NSW Rugby League board to replace Michael Maguire at the end of last year, he came with a secret weapon: Bellamy's guarantee he would be his adviser. Everyone else applying was bringing a knife to a gun fight. On his Big Sports Breakfast program on Monday, Daley waded into an area he usually avoids. He was asked an innocent question about how the Blues expected Queensland to use interchange star Tom Dearden, and whether it would be in tandem with starting No. 9 Grant. He ever so slightly peeled back the curtains on the Bluesprint. 'I don't know how much Harry has done,' said Daley, referencing Grant's injury-interrupted preparation, which restricted him to just 55 minutes of game time in six weeks before Origin I. 'He'll be a little bit underdone. If he's making 50 to 60 tackles, he could be buggered.' That's the appeal of Origin: one week Bellamy is putting his Melbourne captain in cotton wool on his return from a hamstring complaint, the next he's part of a brains trust which put a moving target on arguably Queensland's most influential player. Of the tired and battered bodies which trudged from The Cauldron after game one, none looked more scarred than Grant. He kept throwing his body in front of giant NSW forwards, and by the time Queensland had the ball, the zip was out of his legs. They challenged him at marker in defence, arrowed at him when he was close to the ruck, and stood Payne Haas two passes wide when Grant was scouting wider in the Maroons line. By the time it got to 53 minutes, Queensland coach Slater had seen enough. He hooked Grant for Dearden, only sending him back into the game for the final five inconsequential minutes. Grant's numbers told a story: 43 tackles in just 59 minutes of field time. With a fuel tank lower than Peter Dutton's approval ratings, he ran the ball just five times for 23 metres. Job done. Like they did in last year's grand final when they strangled the life out of the Storm and Grant (after he scored the first try) by forcing him to make 59 tackles, Nathan Cleary and Isaah Yeo pulled the right strings containing Grant. Yeo was far more prevalent running the ball rather than distributing, a clear tactic to up Grant's workload. If Grant had played all 80 minutes of Origin I and kept making tackles at the same rate, he would have just about equalled his tally from last year's grand final. But numbers only tell part of the story. Watch NSW's three first-half tries. The first, Grant rushed Cleary on a last tackle play, presumedly in the hope of pressuring the kick, but all it did was force Cleary to chance his hand on the last, shovelling the ball to Haas and then immediately stepping around Grant to take him out of play. Cleary touched the ball a second time in the sequence before it finally landed in Lomax's hands for the opening try. Two minutes later, Reece Robson and Haas forced Grant into error as he fumbled the ball with a rare run near the halfway line. Next set, NSW scored through Brian To'o. Ceding momentum and field position, Grant's next telling contribution was one borne by frustration and fatigue. He tried to con referee Ashley Klein by sneakily toeing the ball out of Lomax's grasp as he attempted to play it. Penalty. Before Queensland could touch the ball again, Lomax had his second. 'That was probably the worst game I've seen Harry play,' Andrew Johns said on Channel 9 post game. On Thursday, Bellamy will have Grant and the rest of his Queensland Storm disciples back at the club as they prepare for Saturday's game on the Gold Coast. It will be like Wednesday night never happened. But after a long Origin hiatus, Bellamy is back helping Daley and the Blues – and it came with an almighty mission on one of his own.
News.com.au
2 days ago
- General
- News.com.au
Pressure on Qld and captain Daly Cherry-Evans after opening Origin loss but teammates blame themselves
Queensland teammates have defended the performance of Maroons skipper Daly Cherry-Evans in the opening State of Origin loss as pressure mounts on the veteran to keep his place for game two. Amid the fallout from the lacklustre 18-6 defeat at Suncorp Stadium – Queensland's second consecutive home ground defeat – the spotlight is on 36-year-old Cherry-Evans, who failed to inspire the Maroons attack. A forward pass late in the game, as the home team tried to muster a final charge, was indicative of a battling night for the veteran No.7. NSW great Andrew Johns called for Cherry-Evans to be axed for game two and replaced by Tom Dearden, who looms as the playmaker in waiting and came off the bench in Brisbane on Wednesday night. But Dearden wasn't prepared to throw his captain under the buss and called the criticism 'unfair', instead pointing the finger at failures across the team. 'It's unfair criticism like that,' he said on Thursday. 'Daley's our captain, and he's at half back, and he doesn't deserve that because last night as a team, we didn't get our discipline right, and that puts you under pressure.' Former Maroons skipper Cameron Smith said the Queensland key position players, including Cherry-Evans, 'couldn't get the job done' and selection decisions would be crucial to level the series. 'I think (coach Billy Slater) will have that discussion with his selection panel and he'll go through this game thoroughly,' Smith told Channel 9. 'There's no doubt that the key position players of Queensland lacked a bit of cohesion tonight.' Dearden said the Maroons would 'get back to work' before the second game in Perth. 'And work out the areas where we went wrong, where we can get better, and then turn it around for game two and for game three,' he said. Slater said he would look at every element of the game, including the lead-in, adamant there was 'so much more' in his squad. 'Probably some decisions … about the discipline side of the game (have to be better),' Slater said. 'And I'll look at my preparation as well. I'm not out of this. It's not just the players, it's everyone, and we'll all look at ourselves. 'I know there's so much more in this footy team. 'It's a best of three. You've only got to win two games, and that's still alive.'
