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NSW Blues to base themselves at The Star casino for State of Origin II 2017

Andrew Webster

The NSW Blues are expected to base themselves at The Star casino as they prepare for State of Origin II this year.

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Plays of the Week

Once in a hundred year upsets, drought breakers and the return of rugby league, these are the plays of the week.

I mean, what could possibly go wrong?

With a 24-7 sports bar, Marquee nightclub, hundreds of poker machines and blackjack tables and the fact it is the very place where many a rugby league player has thrown away his career – and where Corey Norman was last year busted with MDMA and muscle relaxants while rubbing shoulders with underworld figures – it seems the logical place to stay.

Coach Laurie Daley's side will base themselves at Kingscliff just south of the Queensland border for the first (May 31) and third (July 12) matches of the series but the NSWRL has decided that the camp for game two at ANZ Stadium on June 21 should be in Sydney.

Some players wanted a return to the Crowne Plaza in Coogee. A venue on the northern beaches remains an option but, as we understand it, The Star is firming as the most likely home for the Blues.

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NSWRL chief executive Dave Trodden confirmed The Star – a sponsor of the team since 2015 – was being considered.

Asked if he understood the choice of venue would raise a few eyebrows, he said: "Laurie will pick the best venue for his side to prepare for the game."

It remains to be seen if Daley will increase security around the team, or ban his players and staff from going anywhere near the gaming floor and its bars.

When Ricky Stuart was Blues coach, he banned the team from going anywhere near Crown Casino in Melbourne when the side stayed at the adjacent Metropol for the first game of the 2012 series.

Look, we understand The Star is an interesting choice of venue. Most people we have raised it with have broke into laughter, concerned about temptation being so close. Believe us, we know: Fairfax Media is about an eight iron away from the front door.

And the casino was once the late-night destination of Blues camps on their traditional first-night bonding session, including the infamous "Fire Up!" evening in 2004.

The reality is Origin camps are as raucous as a book club meeting these days. Daley and the NSWRL have worked tirelessly in professionalising the team's culture since Blake Ferguson's notorious night out in Cronulla in 2013.

Daley has them all on a tight leash. We expect the atrocity meter to stay on zero throughout the 10-day camp.

WORKING TOGETHER

Former Wallaby Dan Vickerman was going to be one of the keynote speakers at the "Crossing The Line" summit at the University of Technology in Sydney this Saturday.

Vickerman, who tragically died at home in Sydney last Saturday, was set to join a panel of elite athletes including Greg Louganis, Kim Brennan and Mike McKay to discuss the real difficulties of making the transition out of professional sport. Tickets are still available and can be purchased at the door.

The 37-year-old's death has devastated the rugby community, especially those who played alongside him. Our thoughts are genuinely with all of those doing it tough.

SIMPLY THE BEST

Bring back Tina! Bring back Tina! Bring back Tina! Turner, not Arena!

The NRL launched its season (Ha! Like it ever ends) at Martin Place at lunchtime on Thursday and, despite a couple of technical glitches, it was actually quite OK as the captains from the 16 clubs were presented to a healthy and vocal crowd.

"The porch light is off," Sharks captain Paul Gallen told the mob, "and we intend to keep it that way."

Then we saw the television campaign around the "Make History Happen" theme and it was effectively a call-to-arms for fans to engage in as much social media as possible, because apparently that's what makes you a fan these days.

The NRL needs a star act sooner than later, but it's not prepared to fork out huge amounts for an international name because it simply doesn't have the money.

But let's make this very clear. Tina Turner - she of the "Simply The Best" campaign, which was shown on Thursday and it still brings tingles to the spine - must be used again.
She is 77 and before she slides off this mortal coil Tina and rugby league need to get into bed together once more.
 

ROTTEN STATE OF AFFAIRS

NRL Integrity Unit boss Nick Weeks spoke to media executive John Hartigan following our item last week about Kieran Foran's putrid abuse of Hartigan's late wife, Rebecca Wilson.

Wilson, the Daily Telegraph columnist who lost her brave battle with cancer last October, was subjected to appalling text messages and a phone call midway through last year because – like many of us – she was reporting about the former Parramatta captain's career.

Some readers thought Wilson simply doing her job meant Foran had every right to randomly call her mobile phone and shout threats down the line. There's some twisted logic right there. As reporters, we have to roll with the punches – but that type of abuse is unacceptable.

Others also squared up this column, claiming it was opportunistic to report about it just as Foran's contract had been registered.

Let's be clear: it's been reported several times, in print, on radio, on television, and mentioned on air by Wilson herself.

As for the sucky counter-column from some bloke called David Skipwitt from the New Zealand Herald, not only did he completely misinterpret what was written but defended Foran's abuse of a female, claiming "it can to a degree be understood in the context of a person battling mental illness".

Sorry, mate. It can't. We wonder if he would be so forgiving if it was directed at one of his family members.

The Foran decision has left many officials from other clubs shaking their heads in the disbelief. Roosters recruitment manager Peter O'Sullivan has been rubbed out indefinitely for having close dealings with Foran's close mate Eddie Hayson.

Yet Foran misses two matches. Go figure.

The decision also seems to undermine the very existence of the integrity unit because Foran has been cleared to play primarily because of a meeting with NRL chief executive Todd Greenberg during the Auckland Nines.

SOMETHING IN THE AIR

The legendary Big Sports Breakfast annual lunch will be held at Luna Park on Friday. Lock up your daughters and the Ferris Wheel.

The function isn't just about sports chat and ballyhoo while enjoying a cold beverage as hosts Terry Kennedy and Michael Slater entertain the 800-plus crowd.

It's also about love.

In recent years, the lunch has resulted in two weddings, including that of former Fox Sports newsreader Alana Smith and now Adelaide Crows chief executive Andrew Fagan.

This year's guests include Steve "Blocker" Roach, Aaron Woods, Hugh Bowman, Corey Brown, Chloe Esposito and Craig Lowndes.

Dulcet tones: Darren Flindell.

Dulcet tones: Darren Flindell. Photo: Nick Moir

Q&A;: Darren Flindell

We speak to Sky Racing's silky voiced racecaller Darren Flindell about calling Winx, who steps out in the Chipping Norton Stakes at Randwick on Saturday.

How many of her 24 starts do you think you've called?

Every Sydney start since her second in the Oaks behind Gust of Wind (in April 2015). You feel a lot more pressure calling horses like that because you just cannot stuff it up. I think the key part now is that when you call her races, you've got one eye on the entire field and the other one on her. When she won the Apollo and she was second last out of the gates, and there were a few other Godolphin horses in the blue colours with her, that extra pressure making sure it is definitely her out the back. On the other side of the coin, it's getting to the stage where you want to get the right line delivered for a victory. You know it's coming, because she's that reliable with that trademark run at the 300m when she sidles up beside them and puts them to bed in two strides.

Which race stands out for you?

The Doncaster was pretty special. That was day she really could've been turned over, when she was badly hampered just before the home turn. Then she was off balance. Then Bowman went to the inside to ride her for a bit of luck, she reacted so quickly to his steering. Within a hundred metres, it was all over. That's the day, in my mind, when I thought I would never see her beaten again in Australia. There is nothing in her league here.

The other call I always love from you was the Chautauqua "Boom!" call from the TJ Smith last year ...

It's my favourite now, it's the one that's got the public's attention. It's a shame he's unlikely to be heading to the TJ again. It would've been special if he could make it three. They've suggested the Doncaster is an option this autumn. He could also come up against Winx in the Ryder.

THE QUOTE

"The Earth is flat. It's right in front of our faces. I'm telling you, it's right in front of our faces. They lie to us." – Cleveland Cavaliers star Kyrie Irving. Well, of course it's flat – like my stomach.

THUMBS UP

So great to hear that NRL referees won't be afraid to dispatch players to the sin bin this season, especially for infringements when defending their try line. Let's hope, though, this "crackdown" has a longer lifespan than most "crackdowns", which is about two rounds.

THUMBS DOWN

Sutton goalie and cult hero Wayne Shaw has been sacked for eating a pie during the FA Cup match against Arsenal because his mates got on him to do so at 8 to 1 with bookmaker Sun Bets. An investigation has been launched. Seriously, if a bookie is fielding markets on that, they deserve to be stung.

It's a big weekend for … the Australian cricket team as it battles away in the first Test against India in Pune, trying to respectably lose a series nobody expects them to win.

It's an even bigger weekend for … NRL clubs as their players have one final weekend of freedom before the season starts. It's a weekend of "double demerit points", as David Gallop once called it.

You can follow Andrew Webster on Facebook.

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