Latest news with #playerretention
The Australian
a day ago
- Sport
- The Australian
Knights boss Peter Parr admits Newcastle may struggle to keep Kalyn Ponga
Newcastle boss Peter Parr concedes the Knights face a battle to retain Queensland Origin star Kalyn Ponga in the face of a potential poaching raid from Mal Meninga's Perth Bears. Meninga will begin building his maiden Bears roster from November 1 and a prime target will be Ponga, who was born in Western Australia – making the Dally M winner the ideal poster boy for a Perth team. The Knights were rocked last week by reports that Ponga had engaged a third-party to explore options in rugby union amid fears he could embark on a code switch to one day represent the All Blacks. But Newcastle bosses believe a bigger threat exists in the NRL, with Ponga set to receive monster offers from the Perth and Papua New Guinea franchises ahead of their entry to the big league in 2027 and 2028 respectively. Ponga is contracted to the Knights until the end of 2027 and would require an early release from Newcastle to be the foundation face of a Perth team. Meninga told this masthead he will be chasing the biggest names in the game and Parr admits Perth – not New Zealand rugby – could be the real threat to keeping the Maroons fullback in Newcastle. 'There's no doubt with the introduction of the new teams that Kalyn would be a target, especially for a Perth team,' Parr said. 'He would be a great marquee signing for a new franchise, but I don't know what the future holds. 'The person who would have a major say in whether Kalyn left early would be me and that won't be happening. He is here for the next two years. 'We will do what we can to keep Kalyn at the club, but we're not naive enough to think that he won't be attractive to a start-up club like Perth or indeed any other NRL club.' As revealed by this masthead last month, Ponga has fielded interest from overseas rugby clubs in France and England, while he has repeatedly been linked with New Zealand rugby because of his Kiwi heritage. But the Knights believe the 27-year-old is reluctant to quit the NRL, which opens the door for Perth and PNG to blow Newcastle out of the water with offers in excess of $1.5 million a season. NRL players with links to Perth are rare and that makes Ponga, born in Port Hedland, the perfect promotional target for a Bears club that will be desperate for a big-name marquee signing. Even if the Knights refused to grant Ponga an early release, he would be available for the Perth Bears second season in 2028, by which time PNG will also enter the market armed with tax-free dollars. Parr says it's Newcastle's preference to secure Ponga to an extended deal, but accepts Meninga's Bears will be circling the Knights skipper, who could earn up to $2 million with a Perth team. 'Our preferred option is to keep Kalyn long-term but with the advent of new teams, I don't think anybody can predict what might happen with the player market,' he said. 'I can't speak for how Kalyn feels about rugby. 'In 2028, there will be a new broadcast deal in place and a new salary cap. 'Kalyn can't negotiate until November next year, so time is on the side of both us and Kalyn. 'Whenever Kalyn comes off contract, my expectation is he will be in demand, whether that's NRL clubs, new franchises in the NRL or rugby union. 'Someone with his talent will always attract attention.' Asked in March, on the eve of round 1, if he had shut the door on rugby, Ponga said: 'I don't know. 'I have things I want to achieve first in the NRL, like winning a premiership, and it will all depend on that. 'To be honest, I don't know if I could even pick the game up again. 'I haven't watched a union game in about 10 years. I played it as a junior and I enjoyed it, but it would be interesting to see if I could do it. 'I don't even know what position I would play. 'It'd be a massive adjustment, but it would be a great challenge.' Meninga said NRL stars such as Ponga and Broncos flyer Selwyn Cobbo, who has signed a one-year deal with the Dolphins for 2026, are on his radar. 'We'll be talking to everyone available on the market with my recruitment guy and head of footy,' he said. 'That's part of my role – to get a good footy team together and be competitive from day one. 'I know that's a challenge, so you've got to talk to the best players. 'We'll make sure that we don't leave any stone unturned.' Peter Badel Chief Rugby League Writer Peter Badel is a six-time award winning journalist who began as a sports reporter in 1998. A best-selling author, 'Bomber' has covered five Australian cricket tours and has specialised in rugby league for more than two decades. NRL Cam Munster, Billy Slater and Cam Smith have a special piece in their career which Reece Walsh missed out on - an apprenticeship away from the forensic gaze of the NRL. NRL Jake Clifford has won the battle for scrumbase contracts at the Cowboys - and it is set to deliver a former Australian schoolboys playmaker to the Broncos.
ABC News
17-07-2025
- Sport
- ABC News
Zac Hosking: I was sick of being overlooked
Canberra forward Zac Hosking has just signed a new deal at the club and it's a reward for the efforts he's had to put in to make it in 1st Grade. The 28 year old joined Quentin Hull and Billy Moore to explain how he nearly didn't take the opportunity to join Brisbane in 2022 as he was fed up of not being given a chance in 1st grade. He also explained his pride in seeing former Newcastle team mate Gehemat Shibasaki make it as a State of Origin player and how he grew up with Queensland coach Billy Slater as his idol. Plus hear the latest on the player retention plans at the Dolphins from CEO Terry Reader and get some tipping tutelage from Christopher's Corner.
ABC News
06-07-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Shane Richardson: People don't realise how hard it is to turn around an unsuccessful club
After 3 straight wooden spoons there were some high hopes for an improved year for the Wests Tigers. But 6 straight defeats going into round 18 and some interesting decisions around player retention means there were a few questions for the club CEO Shane Richardson when he dropped by the ABC box on NRL Sunday. Richo explained the size of the challenge, dismissed some of the rumours around the club, and why contract negotiation is tougher when you are at the wrong end of the ladder.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Fresno State trying to build NIL reinforcements, after close calls in transfer portal
Before the spring transfer portal closed, Fresno State had a few players receiving lucrative offers to play their college football elsewhere. Those offers ran into the mid-six figures, according to multiple athletics department sources. Those offers, between $100,000 and $450,000, were coming from Power Four conference schools. Coach Matt Entz was able to keep the Bulldogs' top players, but he has been on the recruiting trail ever since meeting with key players in the Valley. Those players don't show up on national recruiting lists, but they are essential to the future successes of a program that will be built on player development. With the university cutting back on financial support to the athletics department due to budget cuts within the California State University, NIL (name Image and Likeness) and future revenue sharing payments to recruit and retain players will likely fall to external sources. Donors, in short. 'The two things that are critical for us moving forward are going to be player acquisition and then player retention,' Entz said. 'It's going to be very important for a place like Fresno State in the future, because nowadays there is always the possibility of earning more somewhere else. 'The retention piece is going to be big. Every time you get a kid who is starting to come into his own, to put himself out there and make plays, become a consistent starter, a consistent producer, you're going to have to, as a staff, worry about keeping them.' It's not all that new, but it is reality. Is the Valley ready for it? That is at least part of the reason Entz, basketball coach Vance Walberg, women's basketball coach Ryan McCarthy and women's volleyball coach Leisa Rosen took part in a Rally the Valley coaches caravan this week, making stops in Kingsburg and Visalia, Firebaugh and Hilmar. The game has changed considerably, with NIL and in the near future, revenue sharing, where schools can share up to 22% of athletics revenue with their student-athletes. Fresno State fans, who clamored in the past about playing in the Pac-12, are a key part of the revenue equation now that they are headed there. 'Our biggest thing right now is we have to show progress,' Entz said. 'We can't stay the same, because if we stay the same we're moving farther away from our peers.' Marcus McMaryion, the former Fresno State quarterback who runs the NIL collective Bulldog Bread, said they are able to be more aggressive in efforts to retain players, as their program develops. But Fresno State is also playing catch up, and revenue from donations to the athletics department has been relatively flat for years. Fresno State in 2024 reported $5.4 million in contributions, according to the financial disclosure report it filed with the NCAA. That includes money received from individuals, corporations, associations or other organizations designated for athletics operations. In 2019, that number was $7.9 million. In 2014, $4.9 million. 'You're either growing or you're getting worse,' McMaryion said. 'In the new reality of football, there's no such thing as staying the same. 'The last thing we want is to be that premier development program that coach Entz is talking about and be OK with just being a stepping stone, build these kids up and allow everyone to take them. It makes it tough. Obviously, we're doing everything we can to keep our guys, but it'd be exciting to get to a point where we have a surplus to where we could be more aggressive in the portal and keep our guys.' It is a model that has proven to work, even with the costs of recruiting and retaining players rising through NIL; just last season Boise State, a largely homegrown team led by running back Austin Jeanty, was the No 3 seed in the College Football Playoff, losing to Penn State in quarterfinal matchup in the Fiesta Bowl. But Jeanty, who finished second in balloting for the Heisman Trophy, also had a package of NIL deals that surpassed $1 million, according to some reports. That would have accounted for a large chunk of the NIL funds Fresno State had last year, and several schools in the Mountain West or a rebuilding Pac-12 are believed to have NIL budgets between $5 million and $8 million. 'It's a never-ending cycle trying to figure out creative ways to get people involved, and then when you think about those creative ways, getting people to support it,' McMaryion said. 'But things are slowly trending in the right direction.' Bulldog Bread is turning Valley Children's Stadium into a nine-hole golf course on May 31, with proceeds from each round played going to support Fresno State student-athletes. There is a Bulldog Bread Collective vodka, made in partnership with Lake Bottom Brewery and Distillery; a Bulldog Bread Victory Vibes beer, brewed by Full Circle Brewing Co., the largest Black-owned craft brewery in the country. The collective has a number of corporate partners, and there are also a number of ways for fans to donate to the collective. 'I think we have some things in play that we can get some traction with, but it's really going to come down to how much we can get the fans to buy in,' McMaryion said. 'The expectation is to be a Top 25 program every year. It's almost challenging the fans: Are you a Top 25 fan? What does a Top 25 fan look like nowadays? A Top 25 fan is in the seats at kickoff, is screaming loud and is supporting the program. Maybe you don't have an extra $20 a month to give, but maybe you have five friends that give 10 bucks a month, and they found two or three people and they found two or three people. We have the best fans in the nation, but it's, 'How do we get them to support and have a sense of ownership in how well the team does and keep the best product on the field?''
