Newcastlerabbit
Coach
- Messages
- 14,937
- Josh Massoud, James Phelps and Christian Nicolussi
- From: The Daily Telegraph
- May 13, 2011 12:00AM
Target for Souths: Tim Moltzen. Picture: Gregg Porteous Source: The Daily Telegraph
TIGERS utility Tim Moltzen has surged from nowhere to become South Sydney's top playmaking target for next year.
The versatile Country rep player is all the rage at Redfern because he can cover for fullback Rhys Wesser, who is expected to be released, and Parramatta-bound halfback Chris Sandow.
Moltzen is contracted to the Tigers for another year, but that didn't stop desperate Rabbitohs officials making an approach to the 22-year-old's management this week.
Ironically, Moltzen faces his new suitors at ANZ Stadium tomorrow night. He would prefer to be lining up at halfback, but can't dislodge Robert Lui from the scrumbase and has been shifted to the centres.
With young gun No. 7 Jacob Miller also at Concord, the Tigers are willing to entertain an early release as they strive to keep a host of top young forwards and finalise a deal for Storm superstar Adam Blair.
As reported this week, CEO Stephen Humphreys has granted veteran duo Bryce Gibbs and Liam Fulton permission to negotiate elsewhere after an approach from their agent Daryl Mather nearly two months ago. Gibbs and Fulton have been in business together off the field for the past five years and they want to keep playing alongside one another.
Mather met with Cronulla recently and Melbourne could also come into calculations for Gibbs, who is getting better with age.
But Humphreys is adamant both players will be accommodated next year should they not strike a deal with a rival club.
LUI FEND-OFF
STILL at Concord, Lui is gaining a better understanding of his worth as one of the game's best up-and-coming playmakers.
Wests Tigers last week attempted to start negotiations to extend Lui's deal until the end of 2015, well before the Queenslander comes off contract next year.
But with Sandow's $400,000-
plus deal at Parramatta fresh in his mind, Lui's agent Mark Stewart told the club they would prefer to wait and test the open market.
We definitely can't blame the talented No. 7 for chasing the best deal possible, but it should also be pointed out that the Tigers have stood firmly by Lui through some tough times off the field.
It would be nice to see him remain in the same environment and entrench his blossoming scrumbase combination with five-eighth Benji Marshall.
LOWE AND BEHOLD
GRAHAM Lowe finishes at Brookvale next week and he is set to give the Sea Eagles a perfect farewell gift: a new major sponsor.
We have heard Lowe is on the verge of sealing a jersey-front deal with a company that has only supported the AFL previously.
It's also understood Lowe has been in fruitful talks with Sanyo, the electrical giant that's backed the Panthers for the past five seasons, for a broader sponsorship.
It was recently revealed that Sanyo is reviewing its support of Penrith. The fact they are readying to part with big dollars to sponsor a rival Sydney club doesn't spell good news out west.
For Manly, however, the impending deals are a godsend. Without a major sponsor this season, the silvertails are already believed to be at least $500,000 in the red and Monday night's rain-affected attendance of 6000 hit the club hard.
FOOTY OR FAITH
AFTER disposing of Canberra on Monday night, victorious Manly players belted out Happy Birthday for William Hopoate, who celebrated his 19th birthday on the same day.
But Sea Eagles officials aren't singing the praises of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, which is well and truly their biggest obstacle in keeping the teen sensation. The deeply religious Hopoate is deadly serious about quitting the game for the next two years to undertake Mormon missionary work overseas.
Sources close to the youngster say the choice between football and faith comes first.
If he chooses football - and it's a big if - Hopoate will then make a second choice between the seven clubs that are vying for his services: Manly, Parramatta, Canterbury, St George Illawarra, Cronulla, New Zealand and Newcastle.
We reckon Canterbury and Parramatta are the only two suitors with enough coin to wrest him away from the Northern Beaches. The mail around Hopoate heading to Parramatta is growing stronger, with his management said to be very impressed by Stephen Kearney.
And the fact Hopoate roomed with Eels superstar Jarryd Hayne in last week's City camp wouldn't have hurt Parramatta's chances.
TIGER CUB ON PROWL
THE famous Jack surname is about to be revived at the proud Balmain club with Rhys Jack, son of champion fullback Garry Jack, to pull on the Tigers' colours at Leichhardt Oval tomorrow.
Jack was named to play off the bench for Canterbury this weekend in the NSW Cup, but league officials rubber-stamped his transfer papers yesterday.
The 21-year-old five-eighth is expected to be rushed straight into action against the Sea Eagles.
Balmain president and Jack's former teammate Paul Sironen said it would be great to see the name live on in senior rugby league football.
Jack, the younger brother of Swans star Kieren Jack, played junior footy with the Tigers before switching to Belmore.
"It's great to have the name of a Balmain legend back with the club," Sirro said.
"As long as he's not as tight as his old man he'll fit in with all the boys."
ANTHONY Mundine is the only person to have beaten Australian boxing's new favourite star Daniel Geale - and The Man did his best to remind anybody who cared to listen about that statistic this week.
Geale became an overnight hero when he went all the way to Germany last weekend to snatch the IBF middleweight belt from Sebastian Sylvester.
But "The Man" was obviously filthy with the mega press coverage afforded to Geale and wrote on Twitter how back in 2009 he had beaten Geale "by at least four rounds" and how "I'll whip him again if he wants it".
Many debated if Mundine deserved the split decision that night in Brisbane.
And it seems Sylvester was one of those people who thought Geale deserved the triumph.
In a German magazine handed out at last weekend's fight, titled Boxen im Ersten, Sylvester said Geale remained undefeated in his eyes.
"His fight record is true that he has a single defeat, against Anthony Mundine in May 2009, but he won that fight, in my view. Therefore he is unbeaten," Sylvester said. That's got to hurt.
CANTERBURY coach Kevin Moore has already had a bumper week. On Wednesday, playing off a handicap of 20 at Bankstown Golf Club, Kevvy picked up 43 points to win the C grade and overall day.
He also won the nearest the pin competition.
Let's hope he still has some luck left when his Dogs clash with the Dragons tonight.
AN NRL player must surely be worried about some nude photographs of himself that are in the hands of an angry ex-girlfriend.
We had eight pics sent to us of the player.
Word has it the girlfriend claims she is owed money and no qualms about flicking the happy snaps into cyberspace. Why players continue to strip for the camera is a mystery.
RABBITOHS STILL TOPS FOR PROPS
FORWARD crisis? What forward crisis?
South Sydney may have a host of props piling up in their casualty ward with Roy Asotasi (hand), Luke Stuart (knee) and Sam Burgess (ankle) all out of action, but it turns out that since 2009 the Rabbits have used just eight starting forwards, well behind Brisbane (14), Melbourne (13) and the Dragons (11).
According to Fox Sports Stats, the Bunnies have only used Stuart, Asotasi, Burgess, Ross, Jaiman Lowe, David Fa'alogo, Ben Ross and now Shannan McPherson.
McPherson will take the first hit-up against Wests Tigers tomorrow night, and is keen to impress from the opening whistle.
"They've got footwork and more ball players and an ability to offload," McPherson said of the Tigers. "We have to keep working from the inside and not give up."
It will be Chris Sandow's first game since he announced he would join Parramatta in 2012, but we don't expect the halfback to be booed.
Sandow was the tearaway leader in a members-only player of the month poll.
JEFF Robson has at least two NRL clubs sniffing about for next year, as well as one English Super League club, now that Sandow is coming to wear his Parramatta No. 7 jumper next year.
Robson, 28, said it would be easy to spit the dummy, but he had every intention to bust his hump, especially with prospective employers looking on. Robson said he only learned of the Sandow signing via the media.
STILL on the Eels, the club plans to sit down soon and start talks with Joel Reddy, the centre on the radar of a few rival outfits. The talk around town is Reddy may pop up at Belmore and play alongside bro-in-law Bryson Goodwin.
GRAEME Hughes' Talkin' Sport has been forced to abort next Tuesday's broadcast from Danny's seafood restaurant in La Perouse, which was to feature all the players from the NSW Origin team.
All week Hughes has pumped up the big afternoon and pre-sold tables for some excited listeners.
So it's a shame rival network 2GB are reportedly peeved and, because they're the official commercial rights holder, ordered Danny's and 2SM to dump the Blues get-together.
To say Hughes and 2SM were disappointed is an understatement. They've got every right to blow up. Danny's has vowed to honour all pre-sold tables.
POPULAR Brisbane race-caller Alan Thomas says he will have some rare race-day nerves when Black Caviar tries to stretch her unbeaten career record to 13 at Doomben tomorrow.
"It will be a fine line between nerves and excitement. I'll have the tingles in the tummy," said Thomas, who this column regards as the best in the business.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...move-for-moltzen/story-e6frexnr-1226055036890
