Hello and welcome to James Hooper’s new weekly NRL column, Jimmy Brings, where the Fox League chief reporter delivers the best rugby league inside mail, tells you what you need to know, and calls those in the game who do deserve a good, hard look in the mirror.
WHY DO THE COWBOYS HAVE FLOG VAL?
The North Queensland Cowboys’ call to play injured star recruit Valentine Holmes against the Roosters left many people in the rugby league baffled.
Why did the cowboys in the Fair Dinkum department flog a Ferrari as if it were a Commodore?
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Holmes had problems with this ankle that go back to the fifth round when he contracted a second degree sprain.
At that time, the options were either in operation or trying to rehabilitate.
The cowboys chose the latter and the bottom line is that Holmes is ruled out for eight to 10 weeks after surgery.
North Queensland will defend the decision to play Holmes by pointing out how medical personnel have unlocked him.
We have heard that Holmes himself had his doubts.
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The cowboys also moved him to the wing to reduce the risk of ankle injury again for the third time this season.
But the reality is that it was a risky game that backfired, and it’s hard to see how you can try to protect a lower leg injury.
Holmes is a superstar of the game who relies on speed and power.
Follow the injury’s timeline and Holmes first injured it in round five, missed round six and round seven, and then returned to the eels in round eight.
When the cowboys were flogged, Holmes switched between fullback and wing and appeared to be injured at the end of the night.
The Cowboys medical team then re-tested him before he was released to play.
The end result is that he has now undergone a tightrope walker with 3rd to 4th degree syndesmosis injury.
The cowboys released a statement that he will be out between eight and ten weeks.
Daly Cherry-Evans and Kieran Foran both had the same surgery last year and made it back in four and five weeks, respectively.
It is undoubtedly what Holmes will strive for.
DOGS HUNT THE SUPERCOACH
George Coorey, leader of the Bulldogs League Club, has been trying to sign Wayne Bennett for Belmore for at least 10 years, and was back this week.
With Trent Barrett at the prohibitive $ 1.04 appearance rate, a quiet tip was given on Wednesday afternoon that the Dogs might play a game in the left field for the seven-time Premiership winner.
It’s not going to happen. As much as some influential bulldogs pushed for Bennett, the club is now a fair way to install Barrett for next year.
The three-year contract is expected to be announced next week.
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ROOSTERS ‘TOUCHING TRIBUTE TO NICK
The Sydney Roosters will wear black wristbands at Thursday night’s major rematch against the Raiders to pay tribute to the highly respected chairman Nick Politis.
Rooster players have been helping politis last week after his mother died in Greece at the age of 103.
Talk about good genes.
Politis is like a father figure to all Roosters players, and the players have texted the chair throughout the week to support them.
MADGES CHALLENGE ON BENDED BOOKS
Tiger’s coach Michael Maguire told deleted halfback Luke Brooks that he needed more of the $ 800,000 a season # 7.
The 25-year-old Brooks is in his seventh full season in the NRL and has given insights into the development of a really dominant halfback.
But most of his career, the Tigers # 7, has promised to save the world and has never fully realized its potential.
His downgrade to Tigers Bank after nine missed duels against South Sydney came as no surprise.
Maguire has drilled a tougher defensive determination into the Tigers in the past 18 months and will continue to enforce them.
Brooks’ greatest strength – a powerful running game – is also the key for the local junior, who wins back the Tigers from starting jumper No. 7.
D-DAY FOR FUMING BULLDOG AS RAIDERS LINK STRENGTHENS
The Bulldogs are facing another showdown on Friday with the sacked and re-deployed players Corey Harawira-Naera and Jayden Okunbor.
Harawira-Naera is steaming on the way Canterbury-Bankstown froze him and is expected to require immediate release.
The Kiwi Test Backrower spoke to the Canberra Raiders duo Jordan Rapana and Joseph Tapine and definitely wants to go to the state capital.
Rapana and Tapine played test football with Harawira-Naera and told him what a strong club the Green Machine is.
The Bulldogs asked Harawira-Naera if they could produce Josh Jackson on a zoom call on Friday, but were thanked, but no thanks.
Harawira-Naeras beef is not with his Bulldogs teammates, but with the powers that run the club.
The Friday meeting will take place with Chair Lynne Anderson and Managing Director Andrew Hill.
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SPOTTED
Phil Gould, Wayne Beavis and Bulldogs director Paul Dunn catch up on coffee late last week. Gus was Canterbury’s coach in 1988 and Penrith’s in 1991 when Dunn played in the front row of both major Final teams. Beavis is one of the great figures in the rugby league, which also acts as a consultant for Trent Barrett, Brad Fittler and Anthony Griffin.
KNIGHTS MOVE TO LOCK THE KEY PREMIUM PART
The Newcastle Knights are negotiating intensively with Captain Mitchell Pearce to extend his contract by two more seasons until the end of 2023.
The Knights are steadily building on opening a window to the Premier League, and Pearce will be fundamental.
The new contract will run through Pearce until the age of 34. The Knights Skipper has been playing with the pain of a knee injury for the past 14 days.
Newcastle is also keen to re-sign the Central Coast’s young Junior Bradman Best.
BULLDOG’S LEGEND ANSWERS SOS
Two-time Dally M medalist Mick Potter has offered to help the fighting Bulldogs as an assistant coach after the sudden departure of Dean Pay and assistant coach Steve Antonelli this week. Potter was part of the Canterbury-Bankstown teams, who won the grand finale in 1984 and 1985 under Warren Ryan and understood the structure of the family club as well as anyone else. The champion full-back won his first Dally M medal in 1984 after playing only a first-class game in 1983.
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