Luai out of Manly clash on Friday; Cobbo to join Dolphins

Jarome Luai is out of Friday’s clash against Manly as he deals with a boil on his chest.

Luai did not feature at Thursday’s captain’s run at Concord, and when asked about the co-captain’s absence, coach Benji Marshall told this masthead he was simply resting because of the heavy workload – and the fact he was about to play a third game in nine days.

Jarome Luai is out of Friday’s clash against Manly – and there are now concernsd about his availability for Origin III.

Adan Doueihi slotted into five-eighth alongside new halfback Latu Fainu and Luke Laulilli trained at left centre.

But Api Koroisau is expected to move into the halves against Manly, with Tallyn Da Silva to start at dummy-half.

Marshall spoke a day earlier about why the club were keen to extend Koroisau, 32, ahead of 20-year-old Da Silva who has since met with four rival clubs – and is a chance of departing the Tigers by Monday’s transfer deadline.

Luai is being treated for a boil, which is not expected to impact his chances of taking the park for NSW in the Origin decider on July 9.

Cobbo to join Dolphins

Selwyn Cobbo will leave the Brisbane Broncos at season’s end to join cross-town rivals the Dolphins.

Cobbo has decided his career needs a change and will join the Dolphins one a one-year deal. The former Maroons star is currently languishing in reserve grade after failing to crack Michael Maguire’s starting team at the Broncos.

Broncos officials were hopeful the 23-year-old would accept a deal worth about $300,000 - about half of his current contract - to remain at Red Hill. However, Cobbo will be on the move in 2026 and intends to officially inform his teammates of the decision in the coming days.

The Dragons had expressed interest, although they have decided to now pull out of the race for his signature. Instead, they will turn their attention to premiership-winning Penrith forward Luke Garner, who is also a target for Parramatta.

Cowboys coach Todd Payten had also publicly expressed his interest in Cobbo, if he was prepared to go at the right price.

“I think Selwyn Cobbo would help any club he is going to,” Payten said.

“He carries the ball strongly, he can find the tryline and break a game open. He has proven that over time.

“There’s no doubt we could help him get to where he wants to get to, but if we get to that point, it’s down to him.

“I don’t doubt our club would be a good fit.”

Cobbo won’t leave the Broncos before the June 30 deadline.

Dragons withdraw from Cobbo race, eye premiership-winning back-rower

St George Illawarra have withdrawn from the pursuit of out-of-favour Broncos star Selwyn Cobbo.

Sources with knowledge of the situation talking on the condition of anonymity said the Dragons did not want to be used as leverage in a bidding war and on Thursday decided to end conversations with his management.

The Dragons hosted Cobbo at the club’s Wollongong base last week and were willing to make him an offer for the next 18 months if he left Brisbane.

However, the Broncos have shown no appetite to release the Queensland centre before June 30 and the Dragons have concluded it would be best to look elsewhere to bolster their roster.

The Dragons, meanwhile, have joined Parramatta in the hunt for premiership-winning Penrith forward Luke Garner.

Garner is contracted with the Panthers for 2026 but has been given permission to test the market. The Eels have already expressed interest in the former Tigers back-rower.

Garner is on a deal worth around $350,000 for next year and the Dragons are in the market for an experienced forward to compliment some of the young talent at their disposal.

While they have allowed Garner to test the market, the Panthers have not guaranteed Garner a release for next year.

The Dragons’ interest in Garner comes the day after it was revealed long-serving lock Jack de Belin would leave the club at the end of the season to join the Eels.

Horror injury set to sideline Knights star for rest of season

They’ve scored fewer points than any team in the NRL this year, and now the Newcastle Knights’ attacking options have been further depleted by a horror injury that is expected to prematurely end the season of leading tryscorer Fletcher Sharpe.

Sharpe suffered a lacerated kidney and ruptured spleen during Newcastle’s 26-20 win against the Dolphins in Perth on Saturday, and was taken to hospital later that night when the club’s medical staff became concerned about his condition.

After undergoing a surgical procedure and spending four days in hospital, the 21-year-old Prime Minister’s XIII representative flew home on Wednesday and now faces an indefinite period of convalescence.

Knights coach Adam O’Brien admitted to being “shocked” when the extent of Sharpe’s injuries were confirmed, “because Fletcher doesn’t say much and he’s tough as nails”.

Sharpe pain: Fletcher Sharpe suffered the injury in his side’s win over the Dolphins at the weekend.

O’Brien said the utility back, who was set to be called up to train with the NSW Origin squad next week as a development player, was receiving the best possible medical care, but his prognosis was unclear.

“He’s got to go through a process now where he’ll meet with specialists in a couple of weeks,” O’Brien said. “But I think we’re a long way away from knowing when he’ll be actually participating in contact sport or even [able to] lift anything heavy, I’d imagine. So it’s a pretty significant injury and something that we won’t take lightly.”

Asked if it would be a bonus to get Sharpe back this season, O’Brien replied: “Well, I’d look at it that way, yeah. I’d actually be surprised if we do see him back this season. But I’m not the expert there. I’ll leave that up to the guys that are a lot smarter than me.”

Asked if there was any concern that the injury could potentially be career-threatening, O’Brien said the initial information was that Sharpe would make a complete recovery.

“I believe that life will go on as normal for him, and footy and that’s all intact,” he said. “It’s just the immediate part of it, I think he can’t participate in. But from what I can gather, everything will go back to normal over time.”

The Knights have scored 39 tries in 15 games this season – seven fewer than the second-worst attacking team, Parramatta, who have played only 14 times.

Sharpe has been their leading contributor with 11 tries, taking his career tally to 22 in 26 NRL games.

O’Brien was confident the return of winger Dominic Young from Sydney Roosters, and former NSW Origin representatives Bradman Best and Jacob Saifiti from injuries, would help boost his team’s firepower in Sharpe’s absence.

Jackson Hastings has been named to replace Sharpe at five-eighth when the Knights host Canberra on Friday night.

Ray Dib, Marcus Bai appointed to PNG board

Former Bulldogs powerbroker Ray Dib has been appointed the chairman of an inaugural Papua New Guinea board that also includes former Storm star Marcus Bai.

Seven directors were unveiled at an announcement at Santos National Stadium in Port Moresby that was attended by PNG Prime Minister James Marape, Minister for Pacific Island Affairs Pat Conroy, NRL CEO Andrew Abdo and ARLC chairman Peter V’landys, who was making his first visit to the nation.

The first board of the PNG franchise will comprise: Ray Dib (Chairman), Lorna McPherson, Richard Pegum, Stan Joyce, Wapu Sonk, Ian Tarutia and Marcus Bai.

Dib was the chairman of Canterbury for eight seasons before he was ousted at the ballot box by a ticket led by Lynne Anderson at the start of 2018. The Bulldogs made the 2012 grand final under Dib’s tenure, but the decision to re-sign coach Des Hasler which ended in an ugly payout dispute ultimately cost him his position.

Conroy declared the PNG franchise would eventually “make the Panthers the minnows of the NRL”, while Marape said a competition will be conducted to determine the team name.

“The importance of this franchise goes well beyond winning games of football, it is about nation building and bringing our two countries closer together,” V’landys said.

Ray Dib was chairman of the Bulldogs for almost a decade.

“The new NRL club will provide a pathway for young people in PNG to follow their dreams and it will help transform societal and economic outcomes. This is an important moment for the NRL as PNG is set up to become a nursery of talent in the region for the entire competition, not to mention the millions of fans that will now follow a new team entering the competition.

“Today’s announcement is a major milestone and sets the franchise on a path to great success both on and off the field. This club will act as beacon of hope and opportunity across PNG and offer opportunity to young people hoping for a better future.

“Rugby league is the number one sport in the Pacific, and this new club will solidify rugby league’s role as the unifying language of the region.”

Dib aside, the most prominent director for league fans is Bai. The former Storm winger scored 70 tries in 144 NRL games and also featured in the club’s 1999 grand final win over St George Illawarra.

“The Albanese Government is proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with PNG in supporting this once-in-a-generation opportunity,” Conroy said.

Tigers star Bula set to miss next month

Michael Chammas

Star fullback Jahream Bula is set to miss the next month with a hamstring injury, dealing Wests Tigers a blow.

Bula suffered the injury in the last play of the game against the Raiders last week and is set to face an extended period on the sidelines.

Bula pulled up sore after attempting to chase a Jarome Luai grubber in the final seconds of the game.

The news of Bula’s hamstring injury is expected to shift Heath Mason back into the No.1 jersey, opening the door for Latu Fainu to join Jarome Luai in the halves.

Broncos extend Karapani as Dragons circle Cobbo

Michael Chammas

The Broncos are set to extend the contract of winger Josiah Karapani for a further two seasons, placing an even greater cloud over the future of Selwyn Cobbo.

The Dragons have expressed an interest in luring Cobbo to the club before the June 30 transfer deadline after meeting with him in Wollongong last week.

The Broncos are not keen to let Cobbo go immediately but it is becoming increasingly unlikely he will be at the club beyond the end of this season.

The Dragons are willing to offer Cobbo an 18-month contract. They haven’t made him an offer as yet and want to make sure he is willing to leave Brisbane before tabling him a deal believed to be worth around $600,000 for next year.

The Dragons have also held internal conversations about the future of out-of-sorts winger Tyrell Sloan and are expected to give him permission to explore options at rival clubs despite having another year to run on his deal worth around $500,000.

Rooster out for six weeks after cannonball tackle referees missed

Dan Walsh

Siua Wong will miss up to six weeks after being the victim of a cannonball tackle that was missed by match-day officials, yet punished by the match review committee with one of the most serious charges of this season.

Scans have confirmed that Wong, who has played every game in the Roosters back-row this season, will miss 4-6 weeks with a MCL tear in his knee after being hit by Karl Lawton on Sunday.

Lawton was not punished on the field in the Roosters 42-8 thrashing of the Cowboys, despite Wong’s injury pausing the game and allowing referee Ashley Klein and Bunker official Chris Butler to review the incident.

The MRC issued Lawton with a grade 3 dangerous contact charge on Monday, the highest possible grading before a player is referred directly to the judiciary.

Lawton is now facing a 2-3 week ban for the third man in contact on Wong depending on his plea to the charge.

Manly prop Tof Sipley is the only player to have received a higher grade charge for his hip drop tackle on Dragons winger Mat Feagai earlier this year. Sipley served a four-match suspension for the tackle that fractured Feagai’s leg.

Scans have cleared Roosters five-eighth Sandon Smith of any damage after he left the field early with a knee injury on Sunday.

The off-contract No.6 is expected to be fit for the Tricolours round 18 clash against Wests Tigers after their third and final bye of the season this weekend.

Elsewhere, Parramatta’s Will Penisini is facing a three-game ban with an early guilty plea to a dangerous throw on Titans forward Beau Fermor. Eels teammate Ryley Smith is facing a 2-3 game ban for his own spear tackle on Phil Sami earlier in the match.

Radley to take month off, Knights playmaker hospitalised by lacerated kidney

Dan Walsh

Victor Radley is set to take a month off from his latest head knock while Knights livewire Fletcher Sharpe has been hospitalised with a lacerated kidney suffered in Saturday’s last-gasp upset of the Dolphins.

Radley met with a concussion specialist on Friday after his fifth HIA of the season continued a worrying history of head knocks for the Roosters enforcer.

Radley came off following what appeared reasonably innocuous head contact while tackling Newcastle’s Fletcher Hunt in round 14, though actually passed his subsequent HIA.

Roosters medical staff made the call to rule Radley out of the Knights game in any case.

Radley has only failed one HIA this year - when he was knocked out against Brisbane in round one - but has had several concerning concussion incidents over the years, including a 2022 collision that left him convulsing on the turf against Melbourne.

Along with the Roosters round 16 clash against North Queensland and the subsequent bye, Radley is likely to be stood down on July 6 when the Roosters host Wests Tigers.

Victor Radley will miss a month of play for the Roosters.

No return date has been set for Radley at this point but the 27-year-old has been in good spirits at Roosters HQ this week.

“He’s gone through some really good testing with some specialists and he’s on a really clear plan over the next few weeks,” Robinson said.

“He’ll follow the plans of the doctors and he’ll be back when he’s ready to be back.”

Sharpe, meanwhile, has remained in a Perth hospital receiving treatment for a kidney laceration while his teammates travelled home on Sunday.

The rising Knights five-eighth was floored in the 48th minute after an awkward tackle by Jeremy Marshall-King as the pair chased a chip kick by Sharpe.

Sharpe was initially taken off for a HIA but reported abdominal pain to Newcastle medical staff as well, before requiring further treatment at hospital.

He will remain under observation in WA this week, with return to play times for kidney lacerations dependent on the extent of damage.

Several players have returned within 4-6 weeks from similar injuries over the years, with Sharpe’s immediate absence bringing Jackson Hastings back into contention for Saturday’s clash against Canberra. Utility Tyson Gamble also returned from a broken thumb in reserve grade on the weekend.

Michael Chammas and Andrew “Joey” Johns dissect the upcoming NRL round, plus the latest footy news, results and analysis. Sign up for the Sin Bin newsletter.

Key points

Cobbo signs one-year deal with Dolphins for 2026

Tigers star Bula set to miss next month

Cannonball tackle missed by officials sidelines Roosters back-rower

Radley to take month off

Knights playmaker hospitalised by lacerated kidney