Broncos 'spy' funnelling 'inside information' from Storm

The Broncos are getting inside information on the Storm from a "spy" in the lead-up to Sunday's grand final. Brisbane forward Ben Talty was in the Storm's inner sanctum only a few months ago, spending the pre-season and trials with Craig Bellamy and his men. He narrowly missed the cut for a spot in the Storm's top 30 in February and returned to feeder club Norths Bears in the NSW Cup. But then in June, the Broncos decided to give the 26-year-old his chance. Brisbane coach Michael Maguire left Talty out of his 17-man squad named on Tuesday - but may still have a change of mind before game day. "He's actually spent the past two off-seasons with them so he knows a fair bit about their combinations and approach to games," a Broncos insider told Wide World of Sports. "We'd be silly not to have a chat to him and ask him for any insights in the lead-up to Sunday." Talty has played 10 games for the Broncos since his move north, winning nine. Ironically, his one loss was to the Storm by 22-2 in round 23. Maguire left Talty out of his 17-man squad named on Tuesday - but may still have a change of mind before game day.

'I've got to not': Terrell May weighs in on bro's contract call

Terrell May has declared he's not going to pressure his brother, Taylan, into any decision regarding his contract future amid the Rabbitohs' interest. The former Panthers centre has been out of the NRL since July 2024, when he was subject to the NRL's no-fault stand down policy after he'd been arrested on domestic violence charges. Those charges have since been withdrawn with Taylan free to play. Speaking ahead of the Beer, Footy, Food Festival at North Sydney Oval this Sunday, Terrell said he'd be "happy as" to see his brother return to the NRL. "Obviously he's my brother so I speak to him every day," he told Wide World of Sports. "I just said whatever's going to make you happy and go and do that. I don't want to be selfish and try to force anything onto him. "Wherever he's going to be happy and wherever that suits him the best that's where I want him to go and play. If that's at Souths then he should go do it. "I've got to not be selfish and try to force him to come play with me, hopefully he does. I just want him to be happy and enjoy life again." In May, Taylan told 9news his preference is to play with his brother. When charges were withdrawn, the Tigers were immediately linked to Taylan. However, South Sydney's interest appeared to put Bennett in the box seat. The Tigers declined to comment when asked whether the club still has interest. WWOS has contacted Taylan's management. Terrell has previously stated his intention to play with Taylan and his other brother Tyrone. The prop said that's still the plan. "Hopefully man, that's all in god's timing, but we'll let god take care of that. No one's going to take care of that besides him," he said. Tickers for the Beer, Footy, Food Festival at North Sydney Oval are available at beerfootyfood.com

'Would be ideal': Turbo to Super League gains surprise backing

Andrew Johns has thrown his support behind an overseas move for Tom Trbojevic as the injury-plagued Sea Eagles superstar weighs up his future. The 28-year-old is off-contract at the end of next year, with reports from The Sydney Morning Herald this week indicating the fullback would ponder a career in the Super League if he can't come to terms on an extension with Manly. Trbojevic is one of the game's best players, but has battled with various injuries during his career and has been sidelined again in recent weeks. The local junior, along with older brother Jake, has expressed his desire to never play against Manly, which has now opened the door for a switch to England. When asked about the potential move on Wide World of Sports' Immortal Behaviour, Johns said it "would be ideal" for the former NSW Blues and Kangaroos star. "Maybe - yeah, maybe [I could see him] going over," Johns said. "Tom hasn't got a young family, he doesn't have kids. I think that would be ideal for Turbo, for sure. It would be amazing for the Super League over there if he did go. "We need some of the superstars to go over there." Johns is a massive advocate for the UK competition, having spent time with Warrington at the back-end of his own glittering career with the Newcastle Knights. While it remains an outside chance that Trbojevic does finish his career overseas, there will be some major decisions to be made by his current club before November 1. Trbojevic's injury history combined with his enormous salary has hindered Manly for many years, leaving them without their marquee man at crucial periods. Things have become even more tricky with the emergence of young gun Lehi Hopoate, who has filled in at fullback with Trbojevic sidelined and done a tremendous job. According to Johns, desire from both Tom and Jake to finish their careers playing on the Northern Beaches will likely see the club offer them a short-term extension, before they potentially ride off into the sunset as one-club legends. "This is his [Tom] 10th year, average that out at around 26 games … it works around 260 [in total] and he's only played around 159 games, so he's missed 100 games over that period and this year he has only played seven out of 14," Johns said. "We know he's a special player, but with the injuries and especially with Lehi Hopoate, the end of next year we're probably looking at one more year for Turbo. Manly will already farewell Daly Cherry-Evans at the end of this season in a move that divided the fanbase, with Raiders halfback Jamal Fogarty signed to replace him and will partner Luke Brooks in the halves for the 2026 and 2027 seasons. Joey Walsh and Onitoni Large are seen as the future halves pairing for the club.

Ben Ikin delivers concerning message to Michael Maguire after telling Kevin Walters claim

Former Broncos footy manager Ben Ikin has declared Michael Maguire will need to adapt to the current playing group or risk being pushed out the door, despite the current squad being built in the vision for previous coach Kevin Walters. On the weekend, Ikin watched his former club suffer their sixth defeat in seven matches as Maguire's reign as coach was called into question. Fans took to social media and urged the club to bring back their former player. Ikin was formerly the head of football at the Broncos, but departed in 2023 to become the CEO of Queensland Rugby League. On Tuesday, Darren Lockyer made some telling comments after he was asked about Maguire's future having not guaranteed his job if things continue in the same manner. And on Wednesday, Ikin also raised the alarms having suggested Maguire needs to adapt quicker than he expected. There have been reports of player unrest at the club with talks Maguire's style of coaching is taking its toll on the players. On Tuesday, Kotoni Staggs slapped down these suggestions having defended the coach. But Ikin feels the coach is struggling to implement his style with a squad put together to help former coach Walters' vision. "They look like a group that is not all on the same page at the moment," Ikin said on SEN Radio. "Most people could tell you that Madge's style is probably a lot different from Kevvie's. That current roster and footy program was built in Kevvie's image. So you bring in someone who is a polar opposite in Madge and it's going to take a while to adapt."

Luck Needed for Warriors Recruit

The in-form Warriors have picked up a good one in Englishman Morgan Gannon for next season - but he will be hoping for a change of luck in the NRL. Still only 21, the Leeds forward has had a nightmare run with concussion - so much so that he sat out the entire 2024 season. Gannon appears to have overcome the problem but is still being closely monitored by medical staff. Leeds were upset to lose the rising forward, who played for England Knights in 2021 - the British equivalent of the Prime Minister's XIII in the NRL. The Warriors are hoping he will fill the void left by the mid-season departure of ball-playing forward Dylan Walker to the Eels.

'New drama' for Tigers after 'chilling' Instagram post

A new week, a new drama for Wests Tigers. With the ugly Lachlan Galvin affair finally put to bed, the Tigers have a new battle on their hands to retain one of their brightest stars. Starford To'a, their best player in the loss to the Cowboys last weekend with two slashing tries, has cast doubts about his future with the club. Reports emerged this week that T'oa, who is poised to go on the open market on November 1, was set to sign a new deal with the club. No sooner were Tigers fans breathing a sigh of welcome relief that T'oa went to social media with two chilling words. "All rumours," he said via Instagram. The brief comment would tend to suggest that the speedy centre intends to go onto the open market, giving Tigers fans and officials another reason for anxiety. T'oa has been a standout in a struggling Tigers side for the past couple of seasons and is certain to be in hot demand if the Tigers don't lock him in for 2027 before November.

Four Broncos in the gun after 'embarrassing' performance

Michael Maguire has no alternative but to wield the axe after the Broncos' embarrassing performance at Brookvale on Saturday night - their sixth loss in seven games. But where to start? Analysing the heavy defeat to a weakened Manly team, there are four players whose stats were woeful and will be lucky to keep their places. I'll name names - though they had plenty of mates:

1. Ezra Mam - 5 missed tackles and 3 errors
2. Cory Paix - 1 run for 1 metre
3. Kobe Hetherington - 4 runs for 29 metres
4. Billy Walters - 1 run for 5 metres.

These four - and plenty more - will have a nervous wait until the team is named on Thursday afternoon.

Giant Dragon on path to stardom

The Dragons have found a genuine front-row prospect in giant youngster Loko Pasifiki Tonga. Just 12 months ago, the 19-year-old was playing in the SG Ball Cup and led the Dragons to a grand final win in the competition. The Bulldogs junior, who also played in both Melbourne and Queensland, impressed club officials with his application to training over the summer and was rewarded with a spot in the top squad. A former NSW under 19 State of Origin player and Australian Schoolboy, he bagged his first NRL try with a fearsome charge up the middle against the Knights on Friday night. There aren't many teenagers playing in the toughest spot in the toughest sport in the world, but Pasifiki Tonga has handled the rise in class with ease.

Fullback the key for Warriors' finals charge

Luke Metcalf keeps grabbing the Dally M points, but Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad is the most crucial player in the Warriors' finals charge. The star fullback ran for an incredible 342 metres in the thrilling 36-30 win over the Rabbitohs in Sydney on Sunday, including 100 post-contact metres, and added a try for good measure. It was the sixth time this season CNK has passed the double century - a stat that James Tedesco, Kalyn Ponga and Dylan Edwards would struggle to match. If the Warriors can keep him healthy, a top four spot is a real chance.

'Desperate' Tigers bounce back

The Tigers were desperate to finish a troubled week with a win when they travelled to Townsville on Saturday night - and it didn't happen. But Benji Marshall got the next best thing in one of rugby league's toughest road trips - a real dig from his players. Down 32-6 early in the second half, the Tigers looked set for a hiding. But in an amazing fightback, they piled on four quick-fire tries in an amazing 14-minute burst to reduce the deficit to 32-28 before time ran out. One more try and it would have been the greatest comeback in league history - that doesn't look like something an unhappy team - which some would want us to believe the Tigers are - could produce.

Storm's reputation at risk

The Storm came away with the two points on the Gold Coast on Saturday afternoon - but did little to lower Craig Bellamy's blood pressure. The 28-16 scoreline may look comfortable enough, but in reality wasn't a true reflection of the match. The Storm were once again off their usually impeccable game and had it not been for a couple of intercepts and a contentious bunker decision that cost the Titans dearly, the result may have been different. Melbourne missed 20 tackles, committed six errors, gave away eight penalties and big guns Ryan Papenhuyzen and Cam Munster both had mixed games. The Storm remain right up there in premiership betting - but at the moment it's more on reputation than form.

Broncos 'buried' despite Manly star's rotten injury luck

Manly's Josh Aloiai has suffered another injury blow after he was ruled out of his side's clash with the Broncos in the first half. The Sea Eagles' prop played just 21 minutes before he left the field in discomfort. By half-time, his fate was confirmed with Manly ruling him out for the game. In round six against the Sharks, Aloiai suffered a shoulder injury that ruled him out until this round (13). Earlier, the Sea Eagles went on a first-half blitz to continue the misery for Brisbane. Clayton Faulalo scored first in the fifth minute before Brisbane's Ezra Mam hit back. After Mam's try, it was all the Sea Eagles, though. Faulalo scored his second before Nathan Brown and Haumole Olakau'atu crossed the line to make it 22-6 at the break. Daly Cherry-Evans was the star in the first half, finishing with two try assists. After the break, it was all Manly again. Olakau'atu grabbed his second in the 70th minute before Tolutau Koula finished off a beautiful set play with minutes remaining. "They have buried the Broncos tonight. I wasn't expecting this," Greg Alexander said on Fox League. Manly finished 34-6 winners. The loss pushes the Broncos to 11th with Manly seventh on the ladder.

Hasler fumes over costly Bunker call

Titans coach Des Hasler has slammed a controversial Bunker ruling against his side that sparked a 12-point turnaround for the Storm, declaring “it was the wrong decision” based on what he’d been told by the NRL. The Storm left the Gold Coast with a sloppy 28-16 win in awful conditions, but it could’ve been a very different result had the Bunker not denied the home side a try that proved very telling as the visitors scored a minute later. Down 22-10 with 16 minutes remaining, Titans hooker Sam Verrills waited an eternity at the ruck to pick up the ball before he burrowed through some flimsy defence to score under the posts. The original decision was a six again to the Titans and a try on the field, but Kasey Badger in the bunker intervened and ruled that Verrills had burrowed through Tino Fa’asuamaleaui who had blocked Ryan Papenhuyzen from making a tackle. The Titans received the penalty but it didn’t help as Grant Anderson picked off a pass a few plays later to put the Storm further in front. “Kasey got it wrong. Again.” A fuming Hasler ended the press conference abruptly and received some support from Storm coach Craig Bellamy who didn’t see much wrong with the contact. Coaches have been told not to criticise officials, with North Queensland’s Todd Payten recently receiving a warning from head office. “I didn’t think there was a whole heap wrong with it when I watched it live, but I didn’t look at any slow motion (replays),” he said. “All of a sudden when we were trying to rearrange things, it got disallowed so I wouldn’t comment on it.”

'Not happy': Bellamy furious with 'unusual' Storm play

Despite Melbourne heading to the Gold Coast and finishing victorious, coach Craig Bellamy did not cut a happy figure throughout the fixture. The supercoach's frustrations boiled over early in the second half when Melbourne was leading 16-6. Ten metres out from the Titans' line, with Cam Munster and Jahrome Hughes on the left, Ryan Papenhuyzen overrode the call as Tyran Wishart swung the ball to the short side. "That's got the coach walking. He's out of the box, he's had enough," Michael Ennis said on Fox League. Minutes later, Melbourne was attacking again. On the third tackle, Hughes tried a grubber which was smothered by the Titans. Then an off-side penalty was blown on the first tackle for the Gold Coast. Bellamy once again walked out of the box. "He's not happy at all, Craig, and rightly so," Ennis said. "That was unusual. You don't usually see Jahrome Hughes get those wrong ... (Bellamy) is unhappy this afternoon." In the first half, a double to Sualauvi Fa'alogo gifted Melbourne a 16-6 lead. Jayden Campbell was the try-scorer for the Titans, while Wishart scored the other for Melbourne. The Titans struck first in the second half when Phillip Sami crossed. However, a double to Grant Anderson put the match beyond doubt at 28-10. Sami nabbed his second in the 67th minute but it turned out to be merely a consolation try with Melbourne winning 28-16. Post-match, Munster said Bellamy was a "worry wart". "He loves perfection and unfortunately when you play rugby league it's not always going to be perfect ... In these conditions there's going to be dropped ball and decisions made that no one wants to do," he told Fox League.

Galvin confirmed at Bulldogs on monster deal

The Wests Tigers have finally confirmed the worst-kept secret in the NRL – that Lachlan Galvin's time at Concord is officially over. And he has now signed with the Bulldogs on a deal that will keep him at the club until the end of 2028. Hours after video was posted to a Bulldogs fan account of Galvin training in Canterbury kit, the Tigers released a short statement announcing the two parties had "mutually agreed to an immediate conclusion of his playing contract". "We wish Lachlan all the best with another NRL club," Tigers chief executive Shane Richardson said. Then shortly after came the statement from the Bulldogs: "The club is thrilled to welcome Lachlan to the Bulldogs family," the statement read. It contained no quotes from club officials or from the 19-year-old himself. Asked earlier on Friday if he was disappointed Galvin was gone, Tigers coach Benji Marshall was honest. "I don't know if disappointment's the word," he said. "Look, at the same time we like our players we've got, we love the squad we've got. "We're excited about some of the young players we've got coming through and for us, we want to try and make a mark on the competition this year and with the squad we've got, we're confident we can do that but we've got to put it together this weekend." Galvin's relationship with the Tigers was rocky at best, and reached a head last month when his manager Isaac Moses refused to consider a lucrative contract extension with the club. With fellow young gun playmaker Latu Fainu still sidelined, Mason Heath comes in to play five-eighth against the Cowboys on Saturday. Marshall says spirits in Tigers camp are high. "It's been a great week of training," he said. "Everyone's looking forward to just playing. We had a week off last week with the bye. The energy around the place has been really good, really positive. We've got a lot of guys excited to play. "I've noticed a real lift in energy amongst the group. "Obviously, (we've) got a few guys coming in that haven't played, guys like Heath who've brought a lot of energy to the team and then with our leaders they've been driving a really good preparation coming off the back of a bye." The Tigers sit 12th on the ladder with five wins from 11 outings.

'Ease back': Tigers star's plea after Galvin saga ends

Adam Doueihi has urged people to "ease back" on criticising Lachlan Galvin as the young gun prepares to leave the Wests Tigers. After endless speculation, the 19-year-old now looks destined to join the Canterbury Bulldogs on a long-term deal in a major coup for the ladder leaders. While it has been incredibly messy, both the Tigers and Galvin can now move on and start fresh for the remainder of the 2025 campaign. A deal hasn't been formally signed yet but the expectation is that the playmaker will be at Belmore within the coming weeks or even days. His Tigers teammates clearly aren't attempting to keep up with the twists and turns of the negotiations. "Is there a resolution? I don't know too much," Terrell May said on Wednesday. "We had our first training session on Monday and got told that he was free to leave. "He's a good kid, wish him all the best - he's got to do what's best for him and his family. Obviously I'm sad, because me and him were pretty close. "I wish him all the best and I know he will do a great job at any club he goes to." Galvin has copped plenty of scrutiny throughout the process, which started when he and manager Isaac Moses told the Tigers they wouldn't accept a new deal beyond 2026. It led to claims of bullying within the club and Galvin's character called into question. But with things finally coming to a head, Doueihi said he hopes all parties can move on. "There's definitely been some news articles about it," the experienced utility said. "I enjoyed playing with Lachie, he's a good kid and definitely got a lot of talent. I guess if his future is at the Dogs, I wish him all the best and hope he has plenty of success there. "Seeing such a young kid with so much talent have that much media attention on him is definitely hard to take. There's always good players and bad players that come and go at each club. His future wasn't with us and I wish him all the best. "Coming into the NRL, he's had so much hype and media pressure on him and I know dealing with him here, he's dealt with it really well. "I hope everyone can ease back on him a bit now and let him play his footy." May went through his own contract saga last year after being told he was free to leave the Roosters and admitted he had spoken to Galvin about dealing with it. "Me and him spoke in private pretty deeply, but I'll leave that off the camera," May said. Benji Marshall's men will take on the Cowboys this weekend, with Heath Mason named to play five-eighth in place of Galvin.

'New nightmare' facing Tigers as rivals chase rising star

The besieged Tigers are facing a new nightmare with several clubs, headed by the Eels showing interest in talented young hooker Tallyn Da Silva. In the week in which the club lost brilliant playmaker Lachlan Galvin to the Bulldogs, the battle to retain Da Silva is of critical importance. The problem is that Da Silva knows he has the quality to be a starting NRL hooker - but can't achieve that goal at the Tigers, with veteran Api Koroisau is still playing great football for the club, is the team captain and is currently negotiating a new deal. Parramatta have struggled for a class hooker since losing Reed Mahoney to the Bulldogs in 2022 and Da Silva would be a great addition to their ranks. Da Silva's manager Mario Tartak confirmed to Wide World of Sports that five rival clubs have expressed interest in the classy hooker. "Tallyn loves the Tigers - this isn't a Lachlan Galvin-type situation," Tartak emphasised. "We can't talk to clubs at this stage but five have told me that if Tallyn goes to the marketplace, they are keen. "It's up to the Tigers to decide what they want to do but if Api stays, chances are Tallyn will have to go." North Queensland could also use a good dummy-half after losing State of Origin star Reece Robson to the Roosters.

Knights Speedster in Demand

A host of clubs are chasing boom Knights fullback Connor Votano. Votano joined the Knights full-time squad this year but is finding it hard to get a start behind Kayln Ponga and now Fletcher Sharpe, who had a blinder against premiers Penrith last weekend. The 19-year-old from Gosford is held in high esteem by the Knights, having won the Kurt Gidley Award for the Harold Matthews Cup Player of the Year in 2023 and playing for NSW under 19s against Queensland last year. Votano is signed with the Knights until the end of 2026 but two rival clubs have told me he is set to change colours well before that.

Bulldogs State of Origin rep facing the axe as Lachie Galvin set to make immediate switch

Reed Mahoney is reportedly on the nose with Canterbury Bulldogs officials, and could be the odd man out once Lachie Galvin arrives. Galvin is set to make an immediate switch from the Tigers to Bulldogs on a three-and-a-half year deal. The 19-year-old five-eighth rejected a contract extension with the Tigers earlier this season, and the joint-venture has now agreed to allow him to leave the club immediately. Galvin informed the Bulldogs on Sunday that he's rejecting an offer from Parramatta to join the Belmore club. The Bulldogs will pay the Tigers a $165,000 transfer fee, and the move could be finalised this week. "What I understand of the situation right at the moment is that Lachlan Galvin has expressed his desire to play with the Bulldogs," Canterbury general manager Phil Gould said on Channel 9 on Sunday. "We still haven't closed off on a deal yet, and there are still some things that have got to be worked out with the Wests Tigers. I would hope that in the next 48 hours we have far greater clarity." Where Galvin fits into the Bulldogs line-up remains to be seen. Halves Matt Burton and Toby Sexton have led the Dogs to the top of the NRL ladder after 12 rounds, however Burton might be shuffled to fullback or the centres.

Knights stunner raises awkward $1.4m Ponga question

Who would have thought that after 12 rounds of the 2025 season, the best performance by a Knights fullback would come from Fletcher Sharpe? Kalyn Ponga is the heart and soul of the Knights and one of the game's superstars - but with his Origin selection, Sharpe got his chance in the No.1 jumper against the premiers Penrith. Sharpe ran for nearly 300 metres, made four line breaks and had 16 tackle breaks against the weakened Panthers team. Ponga - who is the highest paid player in the NRL on $1.4m a year - has had a couple of decent games this season - but nothing to match the performance of Sharpe, who is having a great year in an inconsistent Knights side.