Latest news with #MelbourneStorm
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
'Weird' signing of Storm player that could force Cobbo and Staggs out of Broncos
Questions are being asked about why the Brisbane Broncos still haven't confirmed the signing of Grant Anderson from the Melbourne Storm, or a supposed contract extension for Kotoni Staggs. Reports emerged last November that Anderson had signed with the Broncos for 2026, and Storm coach Craig Bellamy confirmed the outside back's departure in April. But the Broncos are still yet to formally announce Anderson's arrival. Coach Michael Maguire has stated on numerous occasions that he'd love to keep both Selwyn Cobbo and Kotoni Staggs, and a contract extension for Staggs is said to be all-but signed. However that too is yet to be confirmed, and it's led to renewed speculation about what the future holds. With the Broncos under immense salary cap pressure, it's likely they'll eventually have to part ways with one of Staggs or Cobbo. Cobbo has been linked to NRL expansion teams PNG and Perth, and could become a marquee signing for one of the new franchises. As for Staggs, rumours have been rife for months that he's agreed to a new deal to remain in Brisbane on $2.4 million over three seasons. But the deal still hasn't been lodged with the NRL, and it's led to concerns that one of the parties (Staggs or the Broncos) might have got cold feet. With Anderson arriving in 2026 and Gehamat Shibasaki establishing himself as a first-grader, it opens up the possibility that the Broncos could look to save a heap of money by parting ways with both Staggs and Cobbo. Neither of Anderson or Shibasaki (or Jesse Arthars or Deine Mariner for that matter) would be on big contracts, meaning the Broncos could upgrade their forward pack if Cobbo and Staggs departed. There's a serious need to improve the back-row in Brisbane, with the likes of Jordan Riki, Brendan Piakura and Kobe Hetherington struggling. Speaking on Triple M radio on Sunday, leading journalist Michael Hooper said: "The funny thing with the Grant Anderson contract is it's never been formally announced. If you speak to anyone at Melbourne, they certainly believe it is going to happen, but the Broncos have never put out a formal announcement." In the same segment, James Graham asked what more Staggs has to do to earn a new deal. He said: "He must be sitting there thinking 'I carried this team last year. Why did I bust my arse? And why would they go and sign Grant Anderson in November?' Grant Anderson's agent must have thought it was a prank phone call from the Broncos." NRL pundit Anton Posa also recently described it as 'weird' that Anderson's move to the Broncos hasn't been confirmed over six months later. That's not official yet, weirdly. — Anton Posa (@antonposa) May 28, 2025 Where do you think Grant Anderson will play at Brisbane next year?Does the official GA fanclub move between clubs? — Daniel🇺🇦 (@DJT_34) March 30, 2025 We currently have Shibasaki on the other edge, killing it on a minimum contract. Grant Anderson is available and was rumoured to sign at the end of last year. The Broncos need to spend their money smarter. We have a 2nd row disaster that needs to be fixed. I love tones but ahhhh — . (@NichollsAngus) May 7, 2025 RELATED: Andrew Johns responds amid Nathan Cleary and Mary Fowler rumour Brisbane Broncos coach spotted in eye-opening move in dressing rooms Brisbane-based journalist Ben Dobbin declared the Staggs deal "not done", despite the player and Broncos continually saying it's a mere formality. The Brisbane centre has reportedly 'verbally agreed' with club officials to remain, and will become one of the highest-paid centres in the NRL on $800,000 per season if the reports are correct. "Obviously I have just left that in management hands," he said last month. "They are sorting that out and I will continue playing footy with the Broncs. Hopefully it just gets sorted soon and we can get on with it. "I've always wanted to be at this club as a young kid and I've been here for almost eight years now. I don't see myself being anywhere else. I love the club and it has done a lot for me and helped me along my path and journey inside and outside of footy. Hopefully we can get something done."
News.com.au
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
‘He's always perfect': Melbourne Storm star's Craig Bellamy jab
Cameron Munster took a cheeky shot at Storm coach Craig Bellamy after Melbourne's 28-16 win over the Gold Coast on Saturday. At 65, Bellamy isn't showing any signs of mellowing, regularly venting his frustrations in the coach's box during the game, which was held in atrocious conditions. 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. While the Storm would win the slugfest by 12 points, you wouldn't know his team was on top judging by Bellamy's antics. Renowned as one of the fieriest characters in the NRL, Bellamy has often been seen slamming the desk or berating his players over his wildly successful 22-year tenure. On Saturday, his main move was simply to stand up and walk away whenever he was displeased by a play, rather than rant and rave. Maybe his doctor has had a chat with him about his blood pressure? Despite the Storm taking a 16-6 lead into halftime after a double from winger Sualauvi Faalogo, Munster initially had an inkling what his coach would be thinking as he spoke at halftime. 'He won't be too happy,' he said. 'I think we shot ourselves in the foot a couple of times. 'A couple of passes under pressure, myself, a couple of other guys throwing balls and not hitting targets. 'Hopefully we can do it a bit better in the second half.' It didn't get much better early in second half, however, with Ryan Papenhuyzen tackled with the ball on the last play just metres from the Gold Coast try line. That was enough for Bellamy to get up out of his seat and walk to the back of the coach's box. 'Great tackle from Brian Kelly and that's got the coach walking,' Michael Ennis said on Fox Sports. 'He's out of the box, he's had enough already, we're only five minutes into the second half.' Lara Pitt then gave a report from the sheds after the break. 'Craig Bellamy certainly looking frustrated already to open this second half,' she said. 'He was saying to his side at halftime consistency is key, they need to stick to their processes in the second half, particularly in these conditions.' There was some consistency – consistent errors in the awful weather. Just two minutes later, Storm captain Jahrome Hughes tried a grubber kick that went straight to the Titans about four metres out. Directly after that turnover Melbourne conceded a penalty to again let the Titans off the hook and Bellamy had seen enough, again standing up and walking away from the action. 'He's not happy at all Craig and rightly so,' Ennis said. 'That was unusual, you don't see Jahrome Hughes often get those wrong.' Warren Smith then quipped: 'He needs a sneaker sponsor Craig. He must go through some pairs. 'He'll need salt tablets, he'll be cramping up in the coach's box with all the metres he's done.' Ennis added: 'He's doing some laps. 'He is unhappy this afternoon, there's no doubt about that.' Imagine how Bellamy would have responded if his team had actually lost the game. While the Storm made some errors, the Titans were far more guilty, making 15 to Melbourne's six, although the visitors were on the wrong end of an 8-5 penalty count. Pitt then mentioned the coach's behaviour again speaking to a drenched Munster after the fulltime whistle. 'The coach, there were various points in the broadcast, he was almost doing a walkout of the coach's box,' she said. 'Can you give us some insight into how that plays out now when you get into the sheds?' Munster gave a sensational insight into his coach, and gave him a little clip, with his reply. 'He's a worry wart, he loves perfection and unfortunately when you play rugby league it's not always going to be perfect,' he said. 'He wants it to be, but in these conditions there's going to be dropped balls, there's going to be decisions that no one wants to do. 'No one's perfect but unfortunately for 'Bellyache', he's always perfect by the sound of it. 'He'll probably be disappointed but we only let in 16 points … pretty happy.' Fans had noticed the constant shots of Bellamy storming out of his seat during the game and provided some more commentary on social media. One tweeted: 'Can we please have the 'Bellamycam' a permanent fixture in the corner every storm game?' Another suggested: 'Gogglebox but it's just Craig Bellamy.' Some fans weren't enjoying it quite so much, with one writing: '@FOXNRL WILL YOU STOP showing the coach FFS.' Another sympathised with the legendary coach, stating: 'This Storm team has all the talent but f**k are they dumb. Probably one of the more frustrating years for Bellamy.' Regardless of his antics, or his blood pressure, Bellamy's Storm moved into second place with the victory with a 7-4 record ahead of next week's clash with the Cowboys. The Titans continue to struggle under Des Hasler, sitting on just three wins for the year and ahead of only the Penrith Panthers in the standings.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Storm secure scrappy win over tenacious Titans
Melbourne may have banked a 28-16 win but did little to convince coach Craig Bellamy to sign for another year in a scrappy showing against a battling Gold Coast. The Titans' eighth loss kept the pressure on coach Des Hasler with the team languishing in second last on the ladder, as Melbourne moved into second spot following Saturday's victory at Cbus Super Stadium. INTERCEPT! 🙌#NRLTitansStorm Telstra Moment of the Match — NRL (@NRL) May 31, 2025 But Bellamy, who said before the match he was likely to make a decision on his coaching future next week, looked far from happy with the Storm's performance. While wet weather didn't make it easy for either side, ill-discipline and errors meant Melbourne struggled to shake the Titans, with a furious Bellamy up out of his seat a number of times, storming into the back of the coach's box. Winger Sua Fa'alogo and centre Grant Anderson both scored a double on a limited Melbourne highlight reel, while Titans winger Phillip Sami also crossed twice for his side. Melbourne rested Origin stars Harry Grant and Xavier Coates while Cameron Munster, Trent Loiero and Stefano Utoikamanu all reported for duty. The Titans' three representative players - skipper Tino Fa'asuamaleaui, Beau Fermor and Moeaki Fotuaika - all backed up. But the home side were forced into some late changes after fullback Jaylan De Groot went down with a hamstring injury and five-eighth AJ Brimson suffered a head knock at Thursday's training Gold Coast got off to a bright start when Jojo Fifita beat Jack Howarth in a one-on-one battle before he scooted away and off-loaded to Jayden Campbell for a try in the fifth minute. The Titans dominated much of the half but late tries to Fa'alogo and Tyran Wishart gave Melbourne a 16-6 halftime lead. The home side must have felt hard done by when they were denied a try in the 64th minute, only for the Storm to score immediately after. Melbourne players Joe Chan and Shawn Blore were caught up on the ground at the ruck and dummy half Sam Verrills picked up the ball and dived over the line. But after a Storm challenge he was ruled to have touched Fa'asuamaleaui's leg on the way through, which impeded Ryan Papenhuyzen in defence. Anderson then intercepted the ball as the Titans attacked the line and raced 90 metres for a 12-point swing. Sami grabbed his second try soon after but by then the margin proved too big for Gold Coast to peg back.
The Age
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Age
NRL Highlights: Titans v Storm
Gold Coast Titans host the Melbourne Storm in Round 13 of the 2025 NRL Premiership at Cbus Super Stadium, Gold Coast.
Yahoo
3 days 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
