Latest news with #ImmortalBehaviour
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Cameron Munster switch gathers steam as Ponga faces brutal axing from Origin
Cameron Munster playing fullback for Queensland might not be as far-fetcher as it seems, particularly after another uninspiring performance from Kalyn Ponga on Friday night. Ponga started the year in superb form and edged ahead of Reece Walsh in the race to be Billy Slater's Maroons fullback. With Walsh suffering a knee injury and ruled out of Origin 1, the spot is there for the taking for Ponga. But the Knights have now lost seven of their last eight games, and Ponga's form has fallen off a cliff. The superstar fullback had 22 runs for a whopping 254 metres in a 28-6 loss to Parramatta on Friday night. He broke six tackles and made two line-breaks, helping set up the Knights' only try to James Schiller. It was probably enough to convince Slater to pick him in Origin 1 on May 28, but many were left suggesting the concerning dip in form might be too big of a risk. Slater has the option of using Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow at fullback, but would likely prefer he remains in the centres. There have also been whispers in recent days that Slater is even considering using Munster at fullback to accomodate Tom Dearden at five-eighth. Dearden has been in good form for the Cowboys and is the incumbent No.6 for the Australian Kangaroos. With Daly Cherry-Evans seemingly a lock to play halfback despite some poor form of his own, Slater could look to utilise both Munster and Dearden in the starting team. It would mean Ponga is forced to play the No.14 role off the bench, or miss out entirely. Injured utility Ben Hunt even flagged the possibility of Munster playing fullback this week. "There's definitely really good options - depending on what Billy wants to do," he said on 4BC radio. "You're hearing some chat about maybe Munster going to fullback and things like that. If he wants to put Munster at fullback and start Tommy (Dearden) in the halves, then you've got KP (Kalyn Ponga) on the bench, so that's pretty handy as well. [Ponga's] debut he played in the middle and was probably our best player. He wouldn't be a bad option." RELATED: Stephen Crichton learns fate after calls for State of Origin ban Blow for NSW as forward set to be ruled out of Origin opener Ponga started on the bench in Game 3 last year with Walsh at fullback, but wasn't particularly effective when he came on the field. The Maroons' attack looked a bit clunky, with too many playmakers trying to get involved. Discussing the possibility of Munster playing fullback on Friday, NRL Immortal Andrew Johns described it as "ridiculous". He said on the 'Immortal Behaviour' podcast: "You don't weaken one position to strengthen another. Munster hasn't played fullback for a long time and fitness-wise, it's totally different - you are doing a lot more running. "You're also organising the defensive line, that's an art in itself. It won't happen … not at all." Speaking on Friday night after Newcastle's loss, Ponga admitted his form isn't where he'd like it to be. 'I want to be there obviously," he said of State of Origin selection. "It's a prestigious jersey. It's an honour to wear (the Queensland) jersey. I would love to be in that arena again.' Ponga is terrible. Munster deserves the fullback spot over him. #NRLKnightsEels — Daniel (@danieleth00) May 16, 2025 Ponga will lose the origin series for us if he's picked at FB for QLD — Gillyman (@gillyman96) May 16, 2025
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Terrell May drops sad news about Origin amid staggering call to axe Stephen Crichton
Terrell May has revealed he doesn't expect to be picked for NSW in State of Origin 1 and believes media reports that he'll be overlooked are accurate. And NSW legend Andrew Johns has made the staggering call that he thinks Latrell Mitchell and Tom Trbojevic should be picked in the centres ahead of Stephen Crichton. May is the form front-rower of the competition alongside Payne Haas, and many thought they were certain to line up for NSW together in Origin 1. But reports in recent days have suggested May will be overlooked because coach Laurie Daley has concerns around his defence. Daley is likely to go with forwards who can physically dominate Queensland like Mitch Barnett and Spencer Leniu, whereas May is more known for his skill and footwork. May has been an offloading machine in 2025, but it appears Daley values other qualities in his front-rowers. Speaking on his Twitch stream while playing video games on Thursday night, May told a friend he was playing with: 'You know that Blues jersey I bought you? Chuck it in the bin." The friend responded: 'Oh yep. Have they already done it (named the team)?' To which May said: "Nah but have you seen the thing (reports) that came out?" When asked if it was just media speculation, May said the reports had to be coming from those in the know. "Nah it's not the media. How do you think it got leaked, you think they're not just playing Chinese whispers." He finished off by saying: "Might have to switch my allegiance." May has been a popular pick amongst fans for months, with many believing he's a certainty for a State of Origin debut. But tellingly, leading figures like Greg Alexander, Cooper Cronk and Johns have left him out when naming their predicted teams. Johns named the 17 he would pick on the 'Immortal Behaviour' podcast on Thursday, and there was no room for May. But bizarrely, Johns also left out Bulldogs captain and superstar Crichton. The NSW legend said he'd only pick Crichton if Trbojevic wasn't available, while predicting Brian To'o and Zac Lomax will retain their wing spots. To'o and Lomax will only have played one game apiece before Daley picks the team for Origin 1, but they were so good last year that many believe it doesn't matter. "I don't care if they only play one game," Johns said of To'o and Lomax. "They'll be right as long as they get through (this weekend)." But Johns' decision to go with Trbojevic over Crichton raised more than a few eyebrows. Trbojevic hasn't played Origin since 2023 due to a horrid run of injuries, and hasn't looked fully-fit at any stage in 2025. He's already missed games this year due to hamstring and knee injuries, and many believe it'd be too big of a risk to pick him for the Blues. As for Crichton, he's the best defensive centre in the NRL and carved up the Raiders last weekend with ball in hand. With major uncertainty surrounding Jake Trbojevic's place in the team, many believe Crichton should be made NSW captain after the leading the Bulldogs to the top of the NRL ladder. But Johns thinks Nathan Cleary will get the captaincy, and doesn't believe Crichton should be picked unless Trbojevic isn't good to go. Needless to say, it sparked some furious reactions on social media. Meanwhile, Johns picked Dylan Edwards over James Tedesco at fullback, and Mitchell Moses over Jarome Luai at five-eighth. Curiously, he went with two back-rowers on the bench in Hudson Young and Haumole Olakau'atu, despite conventional wisdom saying you need two front-rowers instead. View this post on Instagram A post shared by NRL on Nine (@nrlonnine)
News.com.au
25-04-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Andrew Johns says Dylan Brown ‘not a dominant halfback', weighs in on future position at Newcastle Knights
Newcastle have written the richest cheque in NRL history, but no one — not even club legend Andrew Johns — can tell you where Dylan Brown fits in the spine. The 10-year, multimillion-dollar bet will see the Parramatta five-eighth shift north in 2026, but whether he arrives as a No. 6, a No. 7, or somewhere completely different has quickly turned into a talking point. Brown is expected to take on halfback duties alongside Fletcher Sharpe, but his history in the role has been patchy at best. 'He is not a Nathan Cleary or a Mitchell Moses, who are dominant halfbacks that go pretty much everywhere and do all the kicking,' Johns said on WWOS' Immortal Behaviour. 'He's not that dominant voice. He's not a dominant halfback, it's not Dylan's nature.' That nature has been on full display this season — a campaign where the Eels barely functioned until Moses returned. Brown has admitted his past struggles but insists he's ready to evolve. It appears Newcastle are betting on that evolution arriving in real time. But Johns remains unconvinced. 'He is a left-side centric player, he doesn't get to the right too often. They have to work out how they will play him.' One alternative floated: shift Sharpe to halfback instead. The 20-year-old is raw but electric, though there's a catch. 'Which he is an instinctive player and great support player,' Johns said. 'But I haven't seen Fletcher kick that much, especially under pressure and fatigue. 'They need to be clear from day one at training. They need to be clear (with saying) 'here's our seven, our six, our nine and our fullback'. Lock those four players in and they don't change.' Kalyn Ponga looms large in that picture. His best outing this year saw him playing first receiver — a hint, perhaps, that the solution may lie outside traditional numbering. 'Adam Elliott doesn't really play that link role … we saw in their best victory of the year Kalyn played first receiver,' Johns said. 'Whether they split Dylan Brown down the left and Fletcher Sharpe on the right and let KP link with them, I don't know. I've heard the expression 'hybrid halfback' [for Brown], I don't know what that means, but it's going to take a lot of time in the off-season to work everything out.' Having progressed through the Eels' Pathway Program, Brown made his NRL debut in 2019 and has since played 124 games for the club. In that time the 24-year-old has built himself into one of the best halves in the NRL at Parramatta and was seen as the club's long-term term-leader. Such was the faith Parramatta had in Brown his current deal with the Eels ran until 2031 but was littered with controversial get-out clauses. Brown was set to earn $1.1 million a season in 2026 at the Eels, but whether it be the direction the Eels are headed or the extra $200,000 a season on offer at the Knights, the Kiwi international has turned his back on Parramatta in favour of a move to Newcastle.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Channel 9 host spills the beans on Reece Walsh exchange that occurred off camera
Allana Ferguson has lifted the lid on a conversation she had with Reece Walsh off camera that goes to the mindset of the Brisbane Broncos fullback and how frustrated he's been with his performances. Walsh had one of the worst games of his NRL career in Round 2, making four errors and missing four tackles as the Broncos went down to the Raiders. Brisbane put 50 points on the Roosters in the opening round, but even then Walsh wasn't at his best. There was a telling moment in the first half of that game when Walsh made a break and completely butchered a try by not passing to a teammate. Instead of drawing fullback James Tedesco and passing to one of a number of teammates in support, the 22-year-old tried to run around his opposite number. He eventually tried to pass after realising his mistake, but Tedesco managed to knock the ball down and prevent the try. Speaking on the 'Immortal Behaviour' podcast with Andrew Johns on Thursday, Channel 9 star Ferguson revealed she spoke to Walsh about that incident before he went on-air for a post-game interview that night. Ferguson ribbed Walsh about not passing and joked that she was going to mention it during the interview. But tellingly, the young fullback begged her not to bring it up and was very embarrassed about his mistake. "We were speaking to Reece off-air before he came onto the panel," she revealed. "I gave him a little bit of stick and was like 'I'm going to bring it up'. He was like 'don't bring it up' and was filthy about it. "It wasn't necessarily because he didn't want to have a laugh. But you could see how frustrated he was despite doing a lot of good things that game. To see how filthy he was after that, I feel like that says a lot." Johns said he could see how frustrated Walsh was in the loss to the Raiders, and pressure is mounting on the young fullback on a number of fronts. The 22-year-old is desperate to get the Broncos off to a good start in 2025 after they missed the finals last year, and he knows he'll have to lift his game to prevent Kalyn Ponga taking his Queensland No.1 jersey. Ponga has made a blinding start to the season and would almost be first player picked if Maroons coach Billy Slater was selecting his team right now. "It will come. He just needs to pull it back a little bit and not try to go the big play every time," Johns said about Walsh. "Especially in Origin, you can't chase the big play. You have to let the big play come to you." RELATED: Uproar over 'disgusting' act after Nathan Cleary knocked out Craig Bellamy levels accusation at own Melbourne Storm players A glaring weakness in Walsh's game has always been the mistakes he makes, which usually come about from trying too hard or rushing. His teammates have backed him to respond with a big game against the Cowboys on Friday night. "Reecey is very hard on himself," winger Jesse Arthars said this week. "He holds himself to a high standard. When we are at training, in meetings and inside the club he is always looking at what he can work on. I am sure he will be pushing to play one of his better games. I fully back him."
