That turned out to be the case. And it may explain why Walsh wondered out loud in an interview with me whether the tackle from Joseph Suaalii that cleaned him up was “deliberate or not”. The ferocity of the tackle was deliberate, but the question is whether there was intent to hurt Walsh.
That would seem ridiculous and the Blues have rubbished that suggestion, but the Queenslanders were convinced the Maguire-coached side would come at Walsh in a manner that sailed close to the line.
A bigger issue was the scramble to fill the hole left by Suaalii’s send-off. If Fittler had taken as long to readjust his back line after losing a player, as Maguire did after Suaalii was sent off, the News Corp media would have been all over him. Fittler endured stinging criticism regularly, when every decision he made was scrutinised.
Maguire deserves praise for the commitment he got from his players, but he left himself open to criticism by picking the Blues centres on the opposite side of the field to where they play in club football. The 15 minutes it took him to shift Stephen Crichton from the left to the right side to cover Suaalii’s absence was also a head-scratcher. There has been some criticism of the use of his captain, Jake Trbojevic, who spent just 25 minutes on the field, and the weird situation of having his other leader, Isaah Yeo, on the bench.
It had Kurt Gidley vibes, when the Newcastle utility captained the Blues from the pine. There is no question the Blues played with courage and determination on Wednesday night, but at this level that should be a given. Instilling spirit into the Blues jumper has been Maguire’s catch-cry, which is honourable but hardly new, while the big focus on Steve Mortimer in the build-up this year was also done by Fittler during his time in charge. The only thing that will shut down the noise is a win in game two.
Kent marooned
NRL officials were stunned to learn that Paul Kent was at Origin as a guest of Queensland Rugby League CEO Ben Ikin on Wednesday night. Kent was seen mixing with the Maroons faithful, and my phone ran hot after the match with people asking why he was allowed in those areas after recent events.
The Daily Telegraph league columnist was charged with affray in April after a drinking session at an inner-west pub ended in an altercation that was captured on video. A court heard on Friday that Kent drank 21 schooners of beer during a session at the Sackville Hotel before the alleged street brawl.
Kent still has friends in the industry. Ikin was a longtime colleague as host of Fox Sports’ NRL 360 and has stood by him. Ikin is considered an upstanding figure in the game, and his public support is significant as Kent tries to get his life back on track.
It comes as high-level talks take place about Kent being moved on by News Corp. We were initially told that a decision was made to let him go over a week ago. His alleged street fight is said to have been the final straw for a company that stood by him as he defended charges of domestic violence against his former partner.
According to well-placed sources not authorised to speak publicly, Kent’s friend, Fox Sports supremo Steve Crawley, has told him he will no longer be required. But we were unable to confirm this. We contacted Kent and Crawley but neither replied.
Kent previously worked in a part-time capacity at Mannings Funeral Home as a driver.
Overthinking Origin is calf the battle for Hynes
Players slapping media bans on themselves in the lead-up to big games often screams of drama or insecurity. Brad Fittler believed that if you can’t handle the media, you will struggle to handle the pressure of Origin football.
So it was interesting that the media was told Nicho Hynes would do only one all-in press conference in the week leading up to the biggest game of his career. Hynes is a polished media performer and you would have thought he could handle any inquiry.
His performance on Wednesday was OK at best and gave ammunition to the critics who say he’s not ready for Origin. The conclusion was he was “in his head”, overthinking everything he did. The positive way of looking at his build-up is that he was focused on his task and getting the most out of his body.
Nicho Hynes’ calf on ice after Origin I.
This photo of Hynes icing his calf muscle may show the real reason for his quiet game. Hynes was poor in the lead-up match against Penrith, and maybe his lingering calf problem was playing on his mind.
Michael Maguire’s first playing group has been a breeze to deal with, but it’s hard to ignore the intensity of the coach. After all, he was sporting a significant cut on his head after walking into a metal object at Accor Stadium.
Johns brothers’ battle with O’Brien
There is a public split between Newcastle’s most famous footballing family and Knights coach Adam O’Brien. Andrew and Matthew Johns don’t agree on much and have hardly been on the best of terms in recent times, but they are both backing the inclusion of Will Pryce in the Knights’ first-grade side immediately.
Pryce, the son of former Great Britain international Leon Pryce, was signed from England some time ago. Andrew has called for Pryce’s inclusion, but O’Brien has brushed those calls aside, questioning how much lower-grade football the eighth Immortal has been watching. Johns has been scathing of the Knights’ lack of direction in the halves, hence his call for the rookie Englishman to get a chance.
Andrew’s comments were backed by brother Matthew on his podcast, where he reminded O’Brien that Andrew’s opinion is worth respecting and that his brother’s name is on the grandstand at McDonald Jones Stadium.
The Knights believe that Pryce still has a way to go in all areas of his game before he can be considered a regular first-grader. Matthew has said he should be a bench player at least. Usually when a coach comes in for this sort of criticism, there is increased scrutiny on his position – but Newcastle say that is not the case with O’Brien.
‘Trellavision’ off air
It has been pointed out that for a while there, Latrell Mitchell was being positioned as the next big TV talent by Fox Sports – the channel he called out recently after incessant criticism by its pundits. You have to wonder what has happened with the deal he signed to join Fox’s coverage of the NRL in 2023. And you have to wonder if he will ever appear on the network.
Latrell Mitchell had a good game against the Titans on Saturday.Credit: NRL Photos
Fox Sports executive director Steve Crawley spoke glowingly about Mitchell’s recruitment at the time, and we were promised “Trellavision” and “Trell TV”.
Crawley told News Corp: “His interest in the business is real and we just want a relationship with him and build it over time. In our business you’ve got to be modern, you’ve got to be contemporary. It’s great to have all the stars of yesterday but you’ve got to have the stars of today as well.”
Instead, Mitchell has become a target for the network. He recently challenged NRL 360 host Braith Anasta at Surry Hills restaurant Chin Chin over perceived negative coverage of the South Sydney club.
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Millie in the swim
Fresh from another TV ratings record for Women’s State of Origin, Sky Blues star Millie Elliott will don the swimming cap and goggles in Brisbane on Wednesday night for Nine’s celebrity relay race during the network’s live coverage of the Olympic swimming trials.
Elliott will be joined in the pool by Johnathan Thurston, Sam Thaiday, Karl Stefanovic, Michelle Payne, Sylvia Jeffreys, Susie O’Neill, Duncan Armstrong and many more.
Maybe Elliot has an eye on a gold medal to go with her multiple NRLW premierships.
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