RL News: Bidding war for Welsby, England star set for move and Burgess learns fate

Below is a round-up of all the latest news from the world of rugby league over the last 24 hours.

NRL sides prepared to pay for Welsby

Jack Welsby has only played once in Australia, that being the first game of the Red Vee’s current trip down under, but he’s already receiving huge plaudits from the Australian media. His performance against St George Illawarra impressed so much that it’s being reported already that clubs down under are prepared to pay a hefty sum to acquire his services.

Rhinos five men down for season opener

Leeds Rhinos have announced their squad for the season opener and whilst plenty of new signings are set to feature namely Luis Roberts, Sam Lisone, James McDonnell, Derrell Olpherts, Justin Sangaare and Leon Ruan, we won’t see Luke Hooley or Nene Macdonald. The PNG international’s fellow centre harry Newman also misses out, whereas Warrington have named a strong squad featuring four of their new signings, including Josh McGuire despite his ban.

Wire man cops huge ban

Josh McGuire being hit with a Grade F charge made major news last Thursday but the decision to appeal and take it the Operational Rules Tribunal was another surprise. The ORT ruled yesterday evening that McGuire was guilty of the offence of verbal abuse and he’s copped a huge seven-game ban and a hefty fine to pair with it. That rules him out of not just the season opener tomorrow but all of February and March, however the Wire have hinted there could still be an appeal to be made. Meanwhile Leigh’s Tom Amone was found not guilty on the same charge.

English NRL star expected to leave club

Herbie Farnworth is only 23 but he has plenty of NRL experience under his belt and he transferred that to become one of the standout performers at the World Cup. Two tries in the semi-final defeat to Samoa highlighted him as truly world-class but he’s a man who could be on the move for 2024 according to one Australian publication.

Two clubs out of race for England winger

Dom Young is one of the hottest properties in the sport at the moment with his eight-try World Cup announcing him on the biggest stage. Out of contract with Newcastle Knights beyond this season there’s plenty of speculation about where the six foot seven inch tall winger will land. Reports down under are now suggesting that the shortlist for Young has got two teams shorter, both pulling out of a potential bidding war.

Every TV game this week

With Super League launching tomorrow and the second and final round of the NRL Pre-Season Challenge also on our screens it’s a busy weekend of rugby league. The highlights are of course the Super League opener and the World Club Challenge but they’re just two of 12 games available to watch.

Huge 2030 deal filled with release clauses

Brodie Croft made headline news when he signed his huge extension that tied him to Salford until 2030 following his amazing Man of Steel campaign. It’s now been reported by Australian media that the contract is littered with release clauses at the end of each year, meaning he’s in an incredibly flexible position should he want an NRL return.

Friday Team News

Whilst Super League gets underway tomorrow night there’s two fixtures on Friday with Wakefield hosting Catalans and Salford travelling to Leigh. Trinity and the Red Devils have named their squads and both miss key players, Trinity lacking their hooker and Salford heading into 2023 without a star winger.

Tigers name captaincy duo for 2023

It hadn’t been the build-up to round one that Castleford had wished for with the off-field antics of Joe Westerman detracting from the excitement of their opening game. Despite that the Tigers made more news with the announcement of their skipper and vice for the upcoming campaign, with Lee Radford looking to experience.

Burgess learns fate of drug driving charge

Sam Burgess was undoubtably one of England’s best ever players but injuries ended his career earlier than potentially expected. With his celeb status in Australia he’s become a target for the media at times and his recent failed drugs test saw him cop plenty of abuse. It’s since been revealed that he was actually innocent, backing up his statement of being “clean and sober”.

Salford extend another key player

Fresh off extending their Man of Steel Brodie Croft until 2030, Salford have locked down another key element of their spine in Andy Ackers. The hooker who made appearances at the World Cup for England has signed on for another four years at the AJ Bell Stadium.

Rovers’ half-back tips teammate for England

Jordan Abdull has spoken ahead of Hull KR’s season opener on Saturday commenting on if Shaun Wane should remain as England Head Coach, but also which of his teammates he firmly believes can be ready for that level in the “next four or five years”.

Giants’ boss questions Man of Steel

Brodie Croft might have won the Man of Steel but Huddersfield boss Ian Watson believes that one of his star men should have claimed the award. Watson also named three other players who he believed had a stronger claim for the award than Salford’s playmaker.

Halliwell Jones to host special radio broadcast

The Super League season kicks off tomorrow evening at the Halliwell Jones with Warrington welcoming Leeds, but they’re also set to welcome TalkSport presenters Hawksbee and Jacobs. The duo will be joined by guests including coach Daryl Powell and huge fan Stuart Pearce as the new season gets some worthwhile nationwide media coverage.

Championship side victim of £1,000 pound break-in

Featherstone Rovers have sadly reported that their stadium was broken into with damage done at Post Office Road as well as thousands of pounds worth of equipment stolen. The Championship favourites released a statement detailing the break-in on Monday providing CCTV images of those responsible.

Former Man of Steel joins voting panel

Luke Gale earned the title of Man of Steel for his incredible efforts int he 2017 season when he helped guide Castleford to the Grand Final. Unfortunately that was a step too far and six seasons on he’s plying his trade with Championship new boys Keighley Cougars. Despite this he’s been elected to the Man of Steel voting panel for 2023 alongside two other major names in the sport.

John Bateman update

The former Wigan Warrior and newly signed Wests Tigers man still hasn’t made it down under and remains stuck in England just two weeks out from the NRL opener. His new chairman has spoken out on the issue, and the Daily Telegraph in Australia have explained what exactly is causing the delay as well.

How each Super League season ticket weighs up

The competition might kick off tomorrow but it’s not late to work out which clubs are offering the best or worst value deals for their hardcore fans. With varying seated or standing tickets available we’ve done the maths and found out where your club stands in terms of season ticket prices.

League One side quash player speculation

Doncaster are looking like one of the favourites to be promoted from League One this year but they’re a club that have some confusion circulating around them at the moment. They earlier had to state that Watson Boas, their 28-year-old PNG international, remains their player under contract. This had followed local PNG-based articles suggesting that Boas was returning home for the 2023 campaign.