Jan 8th, 2018

Jan 8th, 2018

Shark's Gold Coast move on again

Sharks centre Ricky Leutele’s proposed move to the Gold Coast is back on again after it collapsed mid-season.

Wide World of Sports revealed months ago that premiership-winning centre Leutele wanted to leave Cronulla on compassionate grounds to join the Titans.

Leutele and his wife have three young children and have no family support in Sydney, but have relatives in south Queensland.

Wife Char is currently living in Brisbane with the kids, making it difficult for the star centre to spend quality time with his young family.

Cronulla Sharks' Ricky Leutele's move to the Gold Coast is back on the agenda again. (AAP)

The Sharks were reluctantly ready to grant Leutele his wish - until Jarryd Hayne joined the Titans and ate up much of the club’s salary cap space.

But now that Hayne has left the Titans for Parramatta, the Titans have space in their roster once again and are keen to lure Leutele up north.

The 27-year-old Samoan international has been a quiet achiever for the Sharks and made the final tackle on Storm winger Marika Koroibete after the siren had sounded as Cronulla held on to win their maiden title in 2016.

Roosters link with fitness guru again

The Roosters have made a major acquisition - but he won’t appear on the club’s much discussed salary cap.

Keegan Smith - son of former Roosters coach Brian - has come back on board and brings a unique, cutting edge aspect to the club’s training and nutrition programs.

Smith was last with the Roosters in 2013 - when the club won the premiership in devastating style.

The Sydney Roosters will benefit from the addition of Keegan Smith to their coaching staff. (AAP)

The great Sonny Bill Williams was a huge disciple of Smith’s radical ways - which he learned travelling through South America and Africa.

The Roosters were fitter, faster and stronger than any team in the NRL under Smith’s watch - and his return to the club could signal another massive season for the Bondi boys.

Manly thrilled with rookie hooker

Manly officials are tipping unknown hooker Manase Fainu as an early contender for rookie of the year in 2018.

Sea Eagles coach Trent Barrett is a huge admirer of the youngster, who recently signed a new two-year deal with the club.

Rookie Manly hooker Manase Fainu (r) holds the trophy aloft after winning the 2017 National Youth Competition grand final. (Getty)

Just 19, Fainu captained the Sea Eagles team that won the Toyota Cup grand final last season and has been training with the first grade squad.

Star hooker Api Koroisau is mentoring Fainu and the two could give the Sea Eagles a deadly one-two punch out of dummy-half in the upcoming season.

Wigan fume at big bopper

Officials at glamour English club Wigan are fuming with former Roosters and Raiders prop Frank-Paul Nuuausala.

A report in the Newcastle Herald on the weekend quoted Wests coach Matt Lantry claiming that Nuuausala had signed with the club and was due in the coalfields next week.

Wigan knows nothing of it - and have Nuuausala on contract for another two years on a six-figure salary.

Canberra Raiders' Frank-Paul Nuuausala has upset his England Super League club Wigan after being linked to Newcastle. (AAP)

It’s the type of money Wests Newcastle couldn’t come close to matching - I can only assume Nuuausala has a bad case of homesickness after a brutal winter in the northern hemisphere.

Ironically, Wigan tried to offload Nuuausala at the end of last season but couldn’t find anyone to take him on given his hefty salary.