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Brisbane: Melbourne Storm co-owner and chairman Matt Tripp will not seek a public apology from Phil Gould for calling their captain and Queensland number 9 Harry Grant a “fraud” – twice – on national television.
Gould stirred the pot ahead of Wednesday night’s Origin decider in Brisbane when he spoke about Grant and his harassment of referees at Nine’s. 100% cloudy show.
Phil Gould called Harry Grant a “fraud”.
Nine
Tripp said Grant laughed when he first heard about the comments, but he had no plans to pursue the matter further.
“That’s what we expect from Gus (Gould) – we don’t care what he says,” Tripp said.
“Gus said last year that Harry was Queensland’s best player, trying to put him under pressure and make him nervous.
“Now he does the same thing, but this time he calls him a fraud in the hope that he will get under his skin.
“It’s like water off a duck’s back for Harry. It’s very strange to talk about a player who is one of the fairest in the game.
“Calling him a cheater is quite funny. It certainly didn’t make Harry angry.”
After posting in this header how Blues players hoped Ashley Klein wouldn’t give in to any of Grant’s antics, including his constant talking and asking for sets and penalties to be restarted, Gould was happy to share his thoughts.
The topic came up during a light-hearted discussion on Monday night’s episode 100% cloudywhen former Queensland captain Cameron Smith, a modern-day great known for regularly turning to informants during games, said: “You need the umpires to be honest.”
“Stick with me, Gus (Gould), this has been going on since 1908, hasn’t it,” Smith said.
“You took it to the next level,” Gould said.
“Let’s call it this: Harry is a fraud.”
No doubt fans will be interested to see what happens with Grant and his interaction with Klein early in Wednesday’s game.
Arrow wardrobe malfunction
Jai Arrow got married on Sunday, then flew to Brisbane where he went all out on stage at the Queensland Origin former greats’ dinner at Suncorp Stadium.
A photo has been posted on Instagram of former NRL player Jai Arrow marrying partner Berina Colakovich.Madison Rose Photography/Instagram
Arrow was due to marry partner Berina Colakovic in Italy in October, but he was so concerned motor neurone disease would prevent him from saying “I do” that he rushed the wedding.
A couple of days later, he was in great spirits when he joined the Sunshine State’s top players.
Sam Thaiday was the host and ordered Corey Oates to drink a beer when he realized he was wearing a blue shirt.
Jai Arrow with his new bride Berina.Madison Rose Photography/Instagram
“You can’t wear that color here,” Thaiday said, referring to NSW blue.
The crowd didn’t know what was going to happen when Arrow walked on stage and realized he was also wearing blue.
Thaiday, being Thaiday, told Arrow, “I don’t care what you fight, buddy, you’re wearing blue, which means you’re going to get chipped too.”
Arrow accepted the taunt good-naturedly and joined the room with a laugh in response.
Arrow retired from the NRL in May after being diagnosed with motor neurone disease. Support for the 30-year-old, who has celebrated Arrow’s success in recent weeks, has been overwhelming and has surged across rival codes including rugby and AFL.
“It’s been crazy, and I honestly don’t know what I can do to thank everyone,” Arrow told the cap.
“The amount of support was overwhelming, but in a good way. I didn’t expect anything like this at all.”
Origin salary increase
The first talk of Origin’s payout increasing from $30,000 to around $50,000 per game comes after the NRL announced a seven-year broadcast deal worth $5.3 billion on Tuesday.
Origin payouts rose to $12,500 in 2006 and then $30,000 in 2013, according to the NRL website. During the COVID pandemic, payments dropped to $10,000. The money saved was used to increase salaries for all players the following year.
There have been rumors that the salary cap will rise from $12 million next year to $18-20 million next year. In the latter case, that would represent a 75 percent jump, and some league officials expect Origin’s payout to rise accordingly.
Blues wrecking ball Addin Fonua-Blake.Getty Images
All 19 players receive $30,000, with the 20th player and players who help during training camp receiving a smaller fee.
Eddin Fonua-Blake was paid $3333 a minute for his nine-minute cameo in Origin II in Melbourne but says there is no price you can pay to run alongside champions Nathan Cleary and Isaah Yeo.
“I’ve been paid enough throughout my career and when it’s all said and done, I can look back on my career and say I played in these big games and hung around some great players,” Fonua-Blake said.
Suaaliy goes after
Joseph Suaali is not expected to catch his former NSW Origin teammates in the sheds after full time despite being in Brisbane with the Wallabies.
Suaali’s only appearance for the Blues came in Game 1 of the 2024 series when he was sent off for knocking out Reece Walsh.
The 22-year-old will be in town for the Wallabies’ Test against France on Saturday. And early training on Thursday means a quick meeting with some of his old rugby league mates is unlikely.
Joseph Swaley is in charge of the Wallabies.Getty Images
Future Wallabies coach Les Kiss, who played rugby league for Australia, Queensland and North Sydney, will take part in the Origin decider tonight.
Good to see you, Madge
The last NSW coach to win a series decider on Queensland soil joined the Blues for dinner on Tuesday night.
Michael Maguire talked for over an hour about the magical Origin victory in 2024, as well as some old stories from his days in Canberra with Blues coach Laurie Daly.
“Madge” was known for swinging a baseball bat to motivate his players, but when he arrived at the team hotel, his Louisville Slugger was nowhere to be seen.
“If you cut Michael Maguire open, his heart would be the size of a watermelon,” Blues assistant manager Matt King said.
“He’s one of the nicest guys in rugby league, he’s at the top of his game (at the Broncos) so for him to put that aside and come share a meal, swap stories for an hour and a half… Laurie and Madge were trading old Canberra stories and it was great for us young guys to hear that.
“After what he did two years ago, Madge has become part of the Blues fraternity. He is always welcome in our camp.”
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Promising to give me one star for being a New South Wales resident, Sexton’s pop Raymond told the story of how Sexton met with Canberra and Cronulla before Mel Meninga convinced him to start his career on the Gold Coast. It is possible that Sexton and Meninga will reunite on the other side of the country next year with the Perth Bears.
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