Ivan Cleary and his new-look Tigers could be spending the off-season in Hawaii as the joint-venture outfit revisits plans to take a game to the holiday hot spot.
The Tigers are in negotiations to take a pre-season trial to the 50,000-seat Aloha Stadium, the home of the University of Hawaii's Rainbow Warriors. St George Illawarra will be their opponents if they can make the bold plan a reality.
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The Parramatta Eels saw off a late comeback by the South Sydney Rabbitohs to seal a 22 - 16 victory.
The joint-venture outfit had attempted to stage the fixture during the past off-season, although broadcasting issues weren't resolved in time for the NRL to give it the seal of approval. Undeterred, Tigers officials are beavering away at the project in the hope of becoming the first NRL side to play in Hawaii.
"We're certainly revisiting it," Tigers chief executive Justin Pascoe said.
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"It's a matter of evaluating the schedule – this off-season is going to be very busy with a World Cup, the Nines and other events.
"We've got to make sure we manage the schedule in the best interests of the team. As that becomes clearer, we'll be able to make a judgment on whether Hawaii remains a reality for 2018 or we look at it for 2019 and beyond. We still feel there's value there."
If successful, the Tigers won't be the only team in Hawaii during the upcoming off-season. Queensland Cup sides Tweed Heads Seagulls and Ipswich Jets will play for the Ohana Cup in Waikiki on October 14.
Pascoe believes there are plenty of benefits in taking the Tigers overseas.
"It's brand recognition, exposing the game and your brand to new markets," he said.
"It's getting best practice and ideas from some of the elite sports in America.
"It's a good thing for a club to be exploring to test their geographical boundaries in terms of opportunity."
Selection headache
What would Bob Katter make of this?
The maverick Federal MP has already accused the Queensland Rugby League of "cronyism" over the omission of Billy Slater for the opening State of Origin game.
"It disheartens and disillusions people when cronyism prevails over fairness and talent," Katter claimed in one of his trademark sprays.
Most observers, on both sides of the Tweed, have been stunned by Slater's omission. The Storm star is widely regarded as one of the greatest fullbacks in the history of the game and has made a remarkable comeback after almost two years out of the sport. Slater is a premiership winner, a Dally M medallist, a Golden Boot recipient and may yet end up an Immortal.
There was a strong case for Slater to be picked at fullback and for Darius Boyd to shift to the wing, but selectors opted against the move.
Corey Oates is the biggest beneficiary, with many pundits believing the Brisbane winger was lucky to retain his spot. It must have been a tough call for all the Maroons selectors, particularly Gene Miles, whose daughter, Tegan, is going out with Oates. The decision would have made for interesting conversation, whether it be at the dinner table or the selection one.
Partners: Corey Oates and Tegan Miles. Photo: Instagram
NSW finally have a win
Here's one State of Origin battle the blues have won.
When it comes to social media, NSW players have twice the social media following of their Queensland counterparts. The Blues have an audience of 2.05 million across the main social media channels, compared with 998,890 for the Cane Toads. The return of Jarryd Hayne to the Origin arena is chiefly responsible for the disparity, with the cross-code star, Andrew Fifita, Josh Dugan and Brett Morris comprising 72 per cent of the Blues numbers.
While the Blues have a greater following, the Bananabenders have a higher engagement rate with their audience, of 2.97 per cent compared to 1.8 per cent for the southerners.
The numbers have been crunched by HooZu, an influencer marketing agency with Lote Tuqiri on its books. The dual international was on a team bus during the last year of his playing career when the boys compared their social media followings. Tuqiri did the maths and worked out they had an audience 10 times larger than any television game and discussed his findings with entrepreneur Nathan Ruff, a mate he'd met through his children's childcare. The pair brought in Justin Golledge, who ran his own digital consultancy and Hoozu was born.
A typical Queenslander, Tuqiri put this spin on his Origin findings.
"NSW has double the social media fan base – mostly thanks to Jarryd – but the QLD fans engage more with the Maroons players content on their social channels, which proves Queenslanders are much more passionate," Tuqiri said.
Rabbits set to call Origin No.85
Records are meant to be broken, but we reckon this one will stand the test of time.
Ray Warren, the undisputed voice of rugby league, is about to call his 85th – that's right, 85th – State of Origin match. The legendary Nine Network commentator will notch the milestone at Suncorp Stadium next week, a venue he is planning to drive to due to his fear of flying.
There are too many golden moments to mention, although a few stick in the memory.
"I was sitting beside Darrell Eastlake for the first one and the producer behind him was hitting him over the head with a program to keep him excited," Warren recalled.
"That was totally foreign to me because I only thought you got excited when it was exciting.
"This producer had the happy knack of keeping Darryl pumped from kick-off to fulltime.
"The one with the Mark Coyne try is heavy in my memory because it keeps getting replayed.
"Wally Lewis carried Queensland to victory one year when they only had 12 available players and he scored a try.
"Billy Slater's try on the back of a kick by Darren Lockyer and then another kick by Slater, that was all memorable to me as a commentator."
Channel Nine, as a mark of respect for his loyal service, have given Warren a five-year contract. It has led to speculation that "Rabs" could yet break the 100-game Origin barrier, although it's likely he won't be calling games for the duration of the deal.
"It was an act of goodwill by Channel Nine," Warren said.
"Some people have taken it the other way and think I'm going to call football for the next five years. That's not the case.
"The contract was their way of saying thank you for being with us and for 50 years [of commentary].
"Realistically, [I could finish calling] this year, it could be next year. I don't know.
"I haven't signed a five-year contract with Channel Nine to call football. I've signed a contract to be a Channel Nine person until the day I retire completely from the media. But some people have lost sight of that and that disappoints me a bit."
What you talkin' 'bout Willis
Rugby league bad boy Willis Meehan is expected to join Parramatta this week. The former Roosters and Sea Eagles pugilist is an undoubted talent and Brad Arthur will be hoping to get the best out of him.
From the vault
He is one of the great orators, but even Alan Jones struggled to get the Tigers up during his tenure as coach. Just shows what a tough gig Ivan Cleary inherited as he attempts to keep the bus on the road.
Alan Jones was no stranger to bumpy rides at the Tigers. Photo: SMH archives
Yep, league's a funny old game
Is it just me, or does Mitchell Moses bear an uncanny resemblance to Daniel Mortimer in Eels colours? Mortimer steered Parramatta to a rare grand final appearance and there are high hopes Moses can do likewise.
Brothers? Daniel Mortimer and Mitchell Moses. Photos: Getty Images
The headline you don't want to read
"Give Pearce (another) chance"
If NSW loses the opening State of Origin game, it will be Mitchell Pearce's fault. It won't matter if he is playing behind a beaten forward pack or even if he has a blinder, his critics will be lining up for another crack.
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