Sep 17th, 2018

Sep 17th, 2018

Shock swap deal for star fullbacks

Cowboys recruit Ben Barba and Sharks superstar Valentine Holmes are set for a shock player swap in 2020.

WWOS has learned that negotiations are under way for Barba to move back to Cronulla after playing next season for the Cowboys, allowing Holmes to return home to North Queensland.

Holmes homesick for Qld

Holmes has been desperate to get closer to friends and family next year, but the Sharks are holding him to the final year of his contract.

But they won’t stand in his way the following year, with Barba returning to Cronulla after last playing for the club in the 2016 grand final triumph.

Barba was subsequently suspended by the NRL after a positive drug test and has spent the past two seasons with English club St Helens, where he has been in scintillating form.

The former Dally M Medallist will fill the fullback spot for the Cowboys next season, with Lachlan Coote heading to England.

(AAP) Former Dally M Medallist Ben Barba is heading back to the NRL.

Barba and Holmes, who are both handled by the same management group, Pacific Sports Management, will then swap clubs.

Dragons to sign Fijian flyer

Some good news for the Dragons in the wake of last weekend’s heart-breaking loss to Souths - the club has landed Fiji’s World Cup flyer Mikaele Ravalawa for 2019.

The club has been in talks with the Canberra youngster for months and an announcement is imminent.

Ravalawa could be the man to replace veteran winger Jason Nightingale in coming seasons.

(Getty) Mikaele Ravalawa in action at the Commonwealth Youth Games in 2015.

At just 20, he is a real crowd pleaser who scored five tries in one game for Raiders feeder club Mounties earlier this year and was the club’s top try scorer for the season.

Fast and strong, he’s set to continue the tradition of exciting Fijian wingers in the NRL.

Brown gets tips from All Blacks

Knights coach Nathan Brown got the experience of a lifetime last week when he got a behind-the-scenes look at the operations of the world champion All Blacks.

OK - the Kiwi rugby greats suffered a shock loss to the Springboks on the weekend - but Brown picked up some invaluable tips nonetheless.

(AAP) Newcastle coach Nathan Brown spent time recently with the All Blacks.

Few league coaches have had the privilege of being invited to see how the All Blacks do their stuff.

But Brown, whose stocks are on the rise as a league coach after steering the Knights through some difficult times over the last couple of years, has joined a select group that includes Melbourne’s Craig Bellamy and former Blues coach coach Laurie Daley.

Panthers poised to make ‘big pitch’

The Panthers will give star halfback Nathan Cleary a week or two to clear his head following the disappointment of the one-point loss to Cronulla before making their ‘big pitch’.

Panthers boss Phil Gould is putting together a massive deal to keep Cleary, who comes off contract at the end of 2019, at the club for five years.

Cleary to re-sign with Panthers

The classy youngster becomes a free agent on November 1, with rival clubs free to talk to him from that date.

Gould is hoping to head off the chasers before then, seeing Cleary as the future of the club.

The youngster has the ability to lead Penrith to a couple of premierships in the next decade - but will be in hot demand from rival clubs, especially the Tigers if dad Ivan stays in command there.