Close mates: Eddie Hayson, left, and Kieran Foran. While the NRL hasn't declared it publicly, it is widely known within the game – and particularly those clubs that were trying to land Foran's signature – that he can no longer spend time with the professional punter. Hayson acknowledged as much in his infamous media conference last week when he said he would never speak to him again "if that's what has to be done, no problem". Foran contacted this column on Thursday morning, claiming he and his godfather and mentor Don Mackinnon had reached out to the NRL's integrity unit six weeks ago. Mackinnon was seeking clarification around the terms and conditions of the five-eighth's return to the game after he was granted a release from his massive Parramatta deal because of his mental health.

"I've been waiting for the NRL to tell me that [I can no longer see Hayson]," Foran says. "If you ring them and they deny that then they are lying. I'm sure they will tell you the truth: they've been waiting for the contract to be put in front of them. "Then we can sit down and if they tell me they will register the contract on those terms and conditions, then that's absolutely fine. I'm not going to huff and puff about it – I will be abiding by it. "I understand their point of view and where they are coming from. Eddie does too. He will say there are no dramas there. "As for me being with him in the last week, I'm continuing to be a friend and be mates until the NRL tell us, 'This is the drill'. At the moment we're just going off hearsay. I'm waiting for the NRL to put those terms and conditions in front of me. You've got my word I won't be in contact with him. I'll be happy to pull the pin.

"You've got my word I won't be in contact with him. Then I'll be happy to pull the pin." The NRL says Foran is an unregistered player and can do whatever he wants. "If the need arises to speak with him in the future, the integrity unit will take up that option," a spokesman said. But it is understood it will take more than just cutting ties with Eddie for Foran to play again. There's a police investigation into match-fixing underway. The NRL will also quiz Foran about money coming in and out of his betting accounts. There are also questions about his abusive phone call to a Sydney journalist which ended in the police being called. Perhaps, above all this, is his mental state. He walked out on the Eels less than three months ago.

The NRL is conscious about allowing Foran to play again only to have the situation backfire when he's back on the field. In the past week, Foran and Hayson have been poking their heads up all over the place. One person contacted us to report they had been together near Terrigal's Pocket Bar around 9.45pm on Monday, telling us: "Kieran was eating a doner kebab at the time. My mate also saw them at the Terrigal Bowling Club on Saturday night." The following morning, there was another sighting. This time it was at The Times cafe at Kariong and the pair, according to a witness, were having an "animated" conversation. "Foran was gesticulating when talking to Eddie," the witness said. "He was quite animated and he did not look happy. Eddie was dressed colourfully with quite outrageous silver runners, blue jacket etc."

And then, on Wednesday afternoon, several witnesses stepped forward to report they had seen the pair at the domestic airport. "They were standing near the exit door of Terminal 2," said one. "They didn't look like they were going anywhere. They didn't have any bags." Wrestle mania Should Canberra and Cronulla make it to the Big Dance otherwise known as the grand final, the storyline of all storylines with be the coaching battle of Ricky Stuart versus Shane Flanagan. They don't particularly like each other. Flanagan was Stuart's assistant coach at the Sharks before Stuart quit midway through the 2010 season.

Stuart ramped up the hate when he accused the Sharks of UFC-style wrestling tactics in the first week of the finals. "I thought after his press conference he wasn't gong to talk about wrestling – he's done a fair job of it since," Flanagan told the Big Sports Breakfast. The wrestling debate has certainly fired up Melbourne. The Cowboys have complained to the NRL about Ethan Lowe's serious neck injury from their qualifying final loss to the Storm. What the Storm haven't declared publicly is that four of their players walked from the field with neck soreness from the same match. There are also numerous examples of rival clubs – including Canberra – using grapple tackles.

Hunt chasing Eels The whisper about Brisbane halfback Ben Hunt and Parramatta is getting stronger and stronger. It was reported in Queensland earlier this month the interest was coming from the Eels, but that's not so. Other way around. Naughty, Queensland media. Hunt's father, Geoff, played for the Eels in the 1970s and has always wanted his young fella to wear the blue and gold. We'll see. On the flipside, we keep hearing the Broncos are prepared to throw huge coin – $500,000 no less – at Parramatta cult winger Semi Radradra, who is being circled by several rival managers attempting to cut the deal.

RIP Ron Massey Rugby league lost a giant this week when Ron Massey passed away at the age of 86. Many great stories are being told about him but the one I like the most relates to the year he and Jack Gibson weren't at the helm of any side. That year was 1980 after South Sydney had sacked Gibson as coach. Instead, the pair concentrated on Jack's other business as an SP bookmaker. They took three massive bets from Kerry Packer, who was backing three teams to claim the minor premiership but come mid-season the biggest whale of them all had done his cash.

"It was a bookmaker's dream," Massey said. "We couldn't lose." The best result for Jack and Mass was an Eastern Suburbs premiership. When their coach Bob Fulton asked Massey to do his video reviews for him, he obliged without hesitation. Then Jack found out about it. "Why are you helping Easts?" Gibson asked Massey. "Easts are our best result," Massey advised.

Gibson respected Fulton but was angry that no Easts players had attended a recent meeting of the players' association, which Gibson had helped create and was trying to foster. So he put a massive bet on Canterbury. "What are you going to do now?" Gibson asked Massey with a grin. "I won't be helping Easts," Massey laughed. Of course, Canterbury beat Easts 18-4 in the grand final.

Q&A: Dylan Shiel The GWS midfielder was among the first players signed to the frontier club. On Saturday night, he plays in the preliminary final against the Western Bulldogs at Spotless Stadium. I've been told the story of a young Swans fan putting his supporter gear on eBay because he wants to become a Giants fan. Thoughts? I advise any supporters who want to jump on that arms are wide open at this footy club. It's even better that it's a Swans supporter. We might upgrade him to gold membership. What do you remember from the first week you walked into the club?

We were handed one training top to last us the pre-season and it had to be washed twice a day. There was limited funding at the footy club at that stage. We based ourselves on the Rooty Hill RSL dancefloor. Many of us were only 17. Legally, we weren't allowed in the RSL. We were under-age so we had to get special permission to walk through the gaming rooms. It was tough, it was hard, a lot of us were homesick at the time. You aren't anticipating that this is how your AFL career is going to start but I wouldn't change anything. That was the end of 2010. Just fresh out of school. It must be hard not to think about that stuff right now. You're one win away from an AFL grand final. We've got to dream, I guess. We know what happens if we win this weekend. You broke the internet earlier this year with footage of the "razor curl". The last bloke who I saw do it was Ed Jenkins, the captain of the rugby sevens team. We didn't think much of it at the time. All it is is an injury prevention technique after a heavy lift. It's funny how a club trying to get exposure gets some through something as minor as that. The kids at schools always want me to do a razor curl whenever I see them. As long as my hamstrings stay injury free.

The Week THE QUOTE "I would like to put out the actual version of events from the Saturday night at the Brunswick Hotel in mention." - This was the start of Greg Bird's Instagram message about what happened at the Brunswick Hotel in question. In mention. In something. THUMBS UP Wheelchair marathoner Kurt Fearnley only just missed out on gold at his farewell Paralympics, but his emotional interview with Channel 7 afterwards left the bottom lip quivering and sums up what he's all about. A true sporting champion.

THUMBS DOWN Why has it taken Russian computer hackers – beautifully named "Fancy Bears" – to drag into the light concerns about athletes all over the world using substances that are used for "therapeutic use exemptions". While not condoning the way athletes are being fingered over this, former WADA boss Dick Pound has been blasting their use for years. Loading It's a big weekend for … the Viking Clap. Please let Canberra beat Melbourne, footy gods, so we can hear the siren song of Raiders fans at a packed ANZ Stadium on grand final day. It's an even bigger weekend for … Melbourne. If two Sydney teams end up squaring off in the AFL grand final for the first time, they may as well shut down the place and start all over again.