\u201cI\u2019ve been playing phone tennis with him all week,\u201d Jones said. \u201cI know what he wants to say because he spoke to Hamish and I appreciate it. His actions in calling up says it all about the sort of kid he is. He is quality. He will be right when it comes to his deal. He\u2019s fine.\u201d<\/p>\n
McLennan is the man who drove the $5 million deal to take Suaalii to rugby in 2025, and he knows it played a big part in his demise as RA chairman. It gave his detractors something headline-grabbing to latch on to. But McLennan doesn\u2019t regret the signing, saying Suaalii will be an \u201ciconic figure\u201d for kids in the game.<\/p>\n
As an advertising guru and experienced media man, he knows what sells.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve talked to Joseph this week,\u201d McLennan said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was decent enough to give me a call, which is a reflection of the kind of young man that he is \u2013 and after our conversation I have no doubt he will take his contract up with RA.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Joseph Suaalii.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Getty Images<\/cite><\/p>\n \u201cI initially contacted his family to tell them I was sorry I would not be there when he was coming. When he called, I didn\u2019t ask him about his intentions but he made it clear he wants to honour his deal.<\/p>\n \u201cHe has said all along it was his dream to play for the Wallabies and Waratahs, and I will be so delighted when he does. He wants to make a difference to the sport and help out the boys.<\/p>\n \u201cThe criticism of him and the deal is crazy. Before he pulls on a jumper he has generated over $50 million worth of publicity for rugby … and the first time he plays for the Waratahs in front of a full house, he pays for himself. It\u2019s a no-brainer.\u201d<\/p>\n The Roosters were privately hoping Suaalii would change his mind and stay put at Bondi Junction. They have fallen in love with him all over again as a player.<\/p>\n But the Roosters \u2013 or more specifically their chairman Nick Politis<\/strong> \u2013 certainly haven\u2019t patched up their relationship with Suaalii\u2019s agent, Isaac Moses<\/strong>. There has been speculation Suaalii would consider a new agent, which would help with any future deal to bring him back to the Roosters, who say Suaalii has told them he will return to the club after his rugby contract.<\/p>\n Jones, meanwhile, has left Australia to live in Japan permanently. He flew out on Saturday, the day his RA deal expired. And he says he is going there without a job.<\/p>\n Peter V\u2019landys<\/strong> has had the last laugh in his battle with rugby as NRL clubs explore the opportunity of a salary cap free-kick when it comes to signing players from the 15-man code.<\/p>\n V\u2019landys\u2019 idea of cap exemptions for NRL clubs signing players from rival codes was first raised in this column at the time of the Suaalii defection, and it\u2019s due to be discussed by the ARLC at its board meeting next month.<\/p>\n Rugby was talking tough about poaching NRL players, but a shocking World Cup, the exit of the Wallabies coach and RA chairman, and the backlash on Suaalii\u2019s salary, combined with financial concerns, has put the brakes on any plans to raid league\u2019s ranks.<\/p>\n V\u2019landys has sat back and watched rugby return to the dark days of Fort Fumble \u2013 the name given to the old ARU by the late John Fordham<\/strong> when they failed to sign Andrew Johns<\/strong>. The sport is struggling and V\u2019landys has pointed out that the war between the codes was always an unfair fight.<\/p>\n \u201cI will always do what\u2019s best for rugby league and its fans,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m sure the office-holders of rugby union will do the same for their sport, however I hope they learnt bringing butter knives to a gun fight isn\u2019t the best strategy.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s almost five years since the NRL\u2019s off-season from hell, when stars Jarryd Hayne<\/strong> and Jack de Belin<\/strong> were hit with a raft of serious sexual assault charges.<\/p>\n The fallout is being felt today. Hayne is in jail after being found guilty of two counts of sexual intercourse without consent.<\/p>\n De Belin and his co-accused, Callan Sinclair<\/strong>, meanwhile, are free men after a jury found them not guilty of one count of sexual assault and could not reach a verdict on the remaining four charges. But their families are still looking for retribution against the NSW Police in relation to the conduct of an officer involved in their case.<\/p>\n During the first trial in Wollongong, the detective in charge of the investigation, Shawn Adams, was granted a section 128 certificate protecting him from self-incrimination after he admitted lying to the court about legally protected material he accessed on de Belin\u2019s phone.<\/p>\n Judge Andrew Haesler was scathing in his criticism of Adams\u2019 conduct in the investigation but ultimately allowed the case to proceed to preserve public confidence in the legal system.<\/p>\n \u201cAdams lied to the court in his affidavit, in his evidence-in-chief and in his cross-examination, immediately prior to his receiving the section 128 certificate,\u201d Judge Haesler said. \u201cHe admitted as much. The lies are also obvious when viewed with the objective evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n Callan Sinclair arrives at the Downing Centre in Sydney in May 2021.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Dominic Lorrimer<\/cite><\/p>\n A second trial also ended in a hung jury, and the DPP chose not to pursue charges at a third trial. De Belin and Sinclair maintained their innocence throughout both trials. Callan\u2019s parents, Terry and Gai Sinclair, travelled to Sydney from Merimbula for a one-hour chat to tell the world what they are still going through. They are speaking after consulting de Belin\u2019s parents, with whom they have become close friends.<\/p>\n The case has cost them $1 million in legal fees and other expenses. They had to sell their home and now live in a space under the house owned by Gai\u2019s mum.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s hurt us financially but it\u2019s the best money we\u2019ve ever spent,\u201d said Gai. \u201cWe are ordinary people whose life was taken over by an extraordinary situation. The way everything happened makes you question a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n Adams has been the subject of a Law Enforcement Conduct Commission inquiry into his conduct. The LECC passed the case to the Police Standards Commission. In March last year, the PSC Investigations Unit confirmed in an email to the Sinclair family an investigation of police conduct was proceeding.<\/p>\n But, after more than a year, the parents of de Belin and Sinclair can\u2019t find out if Adams is still a serving member of the police force.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is before the police standards commission, and occasionally we get an email from them,\u201d said Gai. \u201cWe actually did have a meeting at the beginning of last year but we\u2019re actually now on our sixth investigator handling this case. And we have emails going backwards and forwards …we send an email saying, \u2018Is there anything happening?\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cAnd they send it back and say, \u2018Well, yes, we are making progress and will be in touch\u2019, or, \u2018We\u2019ve got new investigators on it now\u2019.<\/p>\n Said Terry: \u201cIt\u2019s like they want us to go away. I\u2019ve got a message for them. We are not. The actions that we are angry about are not hidden. It\u2019s on public record.\u201d<\/p>\n Gai said the ordeal had taken a huge toll on the families. \u201cIt has changed us and our lives,\u201d she said. \u201cWe know what people say.<\/p>\n \u201cThose boys \u2026 they\u2019ve both been through an incredible amount and I\u2019m in awe of them every day in how they carry themselves and handle what they have dealt with.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not just them, it\u2019s not just us. It\u2019s not just our family and our friends. It\u2019s our whole communities. You know, we\u2019re from a country town \u2013 the whole community is affected.<\/p>\n \u201cThey know these boys and they know how ridiculous this is. It\u2019s just unfathomable that this could even happen.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s now 2\u00bd years since the last trial finished with no result, even though everybody\u2019s well aware that there\u2019s been misconduct. We know there are investigations under way, but it\u2019s just taking too long. And anything we can do to speed that up by drawing attention to it, we\u2019ll do it.\u201d<\/p>\n Wests Tigers abandoned Grappa, their usual wine-and-dine venue, to have lunch with Addin Fonua-Blake<\/strong> at Haberfield Rowers on Thursday, before the unsettled Warriors prop caught up with the Bulldogs at Sydney airport on Friday.<\/p>\n Addin Fonua-Blake met with the Tigers and Bulldogs during the week.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Getty<\/cite><\/p>\n Tigers recruitment boss Scott Fulton<\/strong> was part of the lunch meeting. He and his late father, Bob, were instrumental in getting Fonua-Blake to Manly after things went south at the Dragons early in his career. It will be interesting to see if the Fulton connection is a factor and if the Dragons exit all those years ago will play on Fonua-Blake\u2019s mind.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, it\u2019s doubtful that Bulldogs general manager Phil Gould<\/strong> will leave it to a brief chat if he is serious about getting Fonua-Blake to the club. Gould is the master salesman and the airport pitch won\u2019t be his main play.<\/p>\n We told you all about rising Bulldogs star Mitchell Woods<\/strong> and his decision to choose rugby league over the Swans and AFL. He has agreed to a three-year contact extension at Canterbury. At one stage during the Ashes, The Australian<\/em>\u2019s cricket podcast Cricket Et Cetera<\/em> was the most popular sports podcast in the country. Keen listeners are now mourning its demise, but those putting out the new version don\u2019t seem to want you to know it\u2019s not what it was.<\/p>\n Well-connected journalist Peter Lalor<\/strong> and respected author Gideon Haigh<\/strong> were hosts of a show that took you into the lives of two writers on the road with our national team. They talked about cricket and their own touring experiences, and it was a good listen. Then, without notice, the hosts changed \u2014 but their images were still used to promote the podcast.<\/p>\n There has been speculation about why the pair departed, but the reason is simple: Haigh has quit the paper.<\/p>\n News Corp bosses were prepared let Haigh continue in his podcast role, but the pair wanted to do it independently of the company. And Lalor was not allowed to do that. There is an opening now for two well-respected cricket writers to produce something similar.<\/p>\nPVL sticks knife in<\/h3>\n
Sinclair family\u2019s hell goes on<\/h3>\n
<\/p>\n
Tigers\u2019 AFB Trump card<\/h3>\n
<\/p>\n
The new Turvey?<\/h3>\n
It\u2019s a coup for the Dogs. Gould met with Woods\u2019 parents and did the deal on Wednesday. He also told radio host Jimmy Smith<\/strong> that Woods reminds him of Steve Mortimer<\/strong>. He certainly looks the real deal in highlights packages I\u2019ve seen.<\/p>\nPartnership broken<\/h3>\n
Remember the name<\/h3>\n