The Dragons are set for a cleanout following their disappointing exit from the finals race, with cult hero winger Mikaele Ravalawa already shopped round to rival golf equipment.
The Fijian flyer was the Dragons’ pin-up boy final season, scoring a document equalling 20 tries – a outstanding feat in a group that struggled to attain factors all yr.
However the 26-year-old Ravalawa has not been the identical participant in 2024, battling a knee harm and being dropped from the group mid-season.
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Ravalawa has scored simply three tries in 12 video games within the NRL and was lately suspended for abusing a contact decide within the NSW Cup.
Within the should win sport in opposition to the Eels final weekend, the burly winger had a shocker.
An official from a rival membership confirmed he had been supplied Ravalawa – who has two years to run on his contract – for 2025.
“The Dragons are purchasing him round however he’s a winger on large cash who’s struggling for kind,” the official advised Broad World of Sports activities.
“I do not fancy their possibilities of discovering a purchaser.”
A number of different Dragons are prone to be additionally moved on or given the choice to discover the market in coming weeks.
SON OF A GUN DEBUTS
Fashionable rugby league has by no means recognized a tryscorer like the good Martin ‘Chariots’ Offiah – who as soon as scored 10 tries in an English first grade sport.
Offiah had a few visitor stints in Sydney with the Roosters and Dragons within the ’80s and ’90s, scoring tries for enjoyable.
Watch the 2024 NRL premiership reside and free on 9 and 9Now.
And one other Offiah might be about to make a reputation for himself – Martin’s 18-year-old son Tyler made his rugby union debut for Tub in England final weekend in opposition to the mighty Munster… and scored the profitable attempt.
It prompted his proud dad to re-name him ‘Tryler’.
COUNTRY RUGBY LEAGUE DRAMA IN JUNIORS
There’s been large drama within the Newcastle junior league, with the NSW Rugby League investigating studies that an on-field coach has been utilizing soiled techniques in underneath 15 video games.
At the least two rival golf equipment declare they heard the coach on the sector inform his gamers to ‘take out’ star gamers throughout video games.
An e-mail leaked to Broad World of Sports activities from a distressed mother or father to the native league contained the next snippet:
“On 16 August 2024, throughout a match the place my group was enjoying, I clearly heard Mr [redacted] instructing his son to focus on the knees of one in all my gamers. Particularly, Mr [redacted] directed his son to ‘assault the knees of quantity 12 and put him out for the yr’.”
Each the NSWRL and Hunter Junior Rugby League are wanting into the allegations.
BENNETT’S BUNNIES REBUILD CONTINUES
When Wayne Bennett calls and presents you a job, it is fairly arduous to say ‘no’.
And so Steve Antonelli will be a part of Souths subsequent season as defence coach.
Antonelli brings a wealth of expertise to the Bunnies and rounds off a effectively balanced teaching group with the legend Bennett and interim coach Ben Hornby.
“I can not wait – it will likely be an awesome problem,” stated Antonelli, presently an assistant on the Eels.
“It was nice to listen to from Wayne once more and I wasn’t about to say no.”
A former Australian Schoolboys rugby union participant, he switched to rugby league and signed with the Panthers in 1985.
However his true calling was teaching and he has an intensive resume together with stints at Canberra, Parramatta, Canterbury and at Souths in 2021, the place he first met Bennett.