Source : the age
Latrell Mitchell’s long-awaited return for the Rabbitohs has been delayed for another week, but South Sydney’s highest-paid player is closing in on a comeback and much-needed game time leading into the finals.
Coach Wayne Bennett had raised hopes of Mitchell playing his first game since round 10 when he was included in the Rabbitohs extended squad for Saturday’s clash against the Warriors, with Bennett telling this masthead Mitchell was “a chance” if he could complete full training this week.
But Souths have opted to keep their superstar centre on ice for another week. They also confirmed there have been no setbacks in his recovery from an ongoing nerve issue in his lower back. The nerve damage was linked to subsequent upper leg and calf problems for Mitchell which ruled him out of NSW’s Origin campaign.
The Rabbitohs have targeted next week’s round 26 match against the Titans for Mitchell to return to the paddock, though that is still contingent on him handling increased training loads.
Bennett has flagged a potential bench role for Mitchell, who is unlikely to be played for a full 80 minutes against either the Gold Coast or arch-rivals the Roosters in the final round of the regular season.
‘I wish I got injured instead of him’: Brotherly love ahead of Trbojevic comeback
Adrian Proszenko
Jake Trbojevic has paid tribute to brother Tom as he embarks on another comeback, saying most players in his position would have written off the year.
Tom Trbojevic is a huge addition to a Manly side that remains a mathematical possibility of squeaking into the finals if they beat Newcastle at McDonald Jones Stadium on Saturday.
The Sea Eagles haven’t won a game since their captain suffered his latest hamstring injury, in round 20. However, the fullback will be a welcome addition to a side that has lost halfback Joey Walsh to a fractured jaw. Another Trbojevic, youngest sibling Ben, also returns from injury.
“I’ll be honest, it is tough, it’s really tough,” Jake Trbojevic said about playing without Tom.
“I’ve got a lot of respect for Tom, obviously being my brother and all that, but the way he goes about things – he is a true professional.
“Everyone says that about people, but he genuinely is. Sometimes I wish it was me who got injured instead of him, because he puts in 10 times more work than anyone else to get his body right, and he’s just been very unlucky.
“It’s very hard to see, particularly being his older brother. Not only that, selfishly I want him out on the field because he makes us better, you know? So, it is tough, but I’m happy for him that he’s very resilient and keeps working hard. These things don’t hold him back.
“A lesser man would probably say, ‘You know what, I’ll just sit the year out and come back next year,’ but he’s fighting. He wants to be out there, he wants to lead this club, and that’s great.”
If Tom Trbojevic’s return is successful he could put himself into contention for Australia selection for the end-of-year World Cup. Much will depend on how he and Manly perform in coming weeks, although it’s unlikely the club will feature in the post-season.
“There’s always a chance,” Jake Trbojevic said. “Tom wants to play for Manly, it doesn’t matter what’s on the line, he wants to be out there. He’s the captain of this club for a reason, and we love having him out there. The Northern Beaches loves having him out there. We’re better for it.
“So, it doesn’t matter what’s on the line—whether it’s finals or no finals—we want him out there, he wants to be out there, and he works extremely hard, so he deserves to be out there. We’re going to go out there, put in a great performance, and he’s going to lead us well. Hopefully, we can keep improving and turn this around.”
Manly winger Jason Saab said Tom Trbojevic’s return would give the team a confidence boost.
“He’s a world-class player,” Saab said.
“He’s had a tough run with injuries this year, but whenever he’s been fit and played the full game, he’s always had an impact.
“We’re a better team when the Trbojevics are playing.”
‘Proud day for NRL’: Storm valued at $150m after sale goes through
Adrian Proszenko
The Melbourne Storm has been valued at more than $150 million after the world’s second-biggest investment firm bought a majority share of the club.
After an exhaustive process to find the right partner, the Storm has completed a landmark transaction with EQT, a Swedish firm with more than $333 billion in assets under management.
The sale puts the Storm alongside Collingwood and the Brisbane Broncos as one of Australia’s top sporting franchises, just after the NRL brokered a $5.3 billion broadcast deal.
Storm chair Matt Tripp – who remains a co-owner alongside Bart Campbell, Gerry Ryan, Tom Carroll and Brett Ralph – said the deal will elevate one of Australia’s top-performing sports clubs even higher.
“I’m really proud that a firm like EQT, who are a serious blue-chip investment company, has chosen us as the team in Australia that they want to invest in,” Tripp said.
“That’s a credit to our people and the work that’s gone on over the last 27 years and the 13 years I’ve been involved as a club.
“I’ve watched people work tirelessly at the Storm. Off the back of that, EQT recognised that and wanted to be part of that. It’s a really proud day for the club and the NRL more broadly. I think the NRL should be happy that a club has attracted the attention of a company like EQT.”
The deal, which will result in EQT earning board seats, is subject to Australian Rugby League Commission approval. Tripp will remain chair, while other key positions will remain the same.
“Absolutely status quo,” Tripp said. “I’m still the largest shareholder after EQT and I’m as committed as I’ve ever been. It wouldn’t matter if I owned one per cent of 100 per cent, I’m still as passionate and my desire to drive this club doesn’t waiver …
“These guys own the IMG Academy, which will be really beneficial for us.
“It’s one of the biggest academies in the world, they effectively groom and produce through their pathways academy in the US the best of the best in gridiron, basketball, baseball and the like.
“In terms of sports science and everything that goes on that is best in class, we feel we can benefit from that and our new partners will assist us.
“They are also huge investors in the AI space and data and hopefully some of that can be transformed into improving areas of the club.”
No Red V lifeline as Sloan seeks Super League answers
Dan Walsh
Dragons flyer Tyrell Sloan says he has been “left in the dark” about the future of Castleford coach Ryan Carr, as St George Illawarra rule out extending an NRL lifeline to him and teammates Damien Cook and Mat Feagai if they look to back out of their Super League deals.
Sloan conceded after the Dragons’ two-point win over Wests Tigers on Sunday that he has had second thoughts about his move to Castleford given the uncertainty around Carr’s position. Carr was a key reason Sloan signed a two-year deal with the club last month.
Carr, who coached Sloan as an assistant and interim head coach at the Dragons, has been absent from Castleford for the past two weeks after the club launched an investigation into the 38-year-old with little detail or public explanation as to why.
Castleford head of football Chris Chester has spoken to the Dragons trio and told them they remain in the club’s plans for next season regardless of Carr’s situation.
St George Illawarra have moved on in their roster planning for 2027 and have privately conveyed that they do not have room for Sloan, Cook and Feagai in their salary cap after a significant recruitment and retention spree.
“It definitely puts a big dent in things for me, I’ll be honest,” Sloan said. “Carry was a big reason why I signed over there.
“Obviously we had a relationship here at the Dragons and I don’t really know the situation with him. We’ve been left in the dark.
“I’m really excited to go over there if Carry is there, but I just don’t know if that’s going to be the case there. Hopefully I’ll find out soon what’s going on and they make a decision.
“I have thought about [trying to stay in the NRL], but I also have to keep playing good footy here to finish the season on a high.”
Sloan, 24, has been playing with a new lease on life since Dean Young took charge of the Dragons, scoring eight tries in his past eight games.
His time under predecessor Shane Flanagan was far less consistent with several demotions to reserve grade, and 18 months ago he was given permission to explore an early exit from the joint-venture.
Immortal Andrew Johns has argued Sloan is “too good a player to be leaving the NRL at this age”, but the Indigenous All Stars representative acknowledged his form in previous years hadn’t left him with many options.
“I didn’t really have much [many options] in the NRL, and nothing really made sense, you know, to play in another jersey in the NRL,” Sloan said.
“But Joey’s always been really good to me since I came into first grade and to be getting a fair rap from someone who has done everything in the game, I hold that in such respect. At the moment, I’ve got the Super League deal and at the end of it, I’ll only be 26. I’ve been in first grade since I was 18 so no matter what happens, I’d say I’ve got a lot of NRL left in me.”
