BYRNE NO BUNNY: Todd Byrne, the Roosters winger bundled into touch by Scott Sattler towards the end of last year's grand final, is tipped to join the Warriors after failing to come to terms with South Sydney for next year. Wests Tigers winger Robert Miles has signed for another year - with an option for a further season.

The references to "hooch" and "coke" elsewhere in the lyrics to the song Hard Act To Follow probably won't be heard by most members of the crowd.

DAD MONDAY: St George Illawarra prop Luke Bailey should have no problem remembering the birthday of his new daughter, Amarli Mai, after being forced to cut short Mad Monday drinks when his partner Rebecca Condello went into labour. "I only had three or four drinks when I got the call," Bailey told the Illawarra Mercury. "Our first stop was Shellharbour pub and we only live just around the corner.

A friend drove Rebecca over and they picked me up on the way to the hospital. I cut the cord. I thought I'd be sickened, I've got a weak stomach. The few beers I had probably relaxed me a bit."

DAYDREAM BELIEVERS: That group in Brisbane that wants the grand final put back to Sunday afternoons has plenty of support, not just among the public but with the players in this weekend's game. "Everyone would prefer it to be a day game but that's just how it is and it probably just means you sleep in a bit more and kill the daylight hours, I guess," said Bulldogs fullback Luke Patten. His former St George Illawarra teammate, the Roosters' Craig Fitzgibbon, said: "It would be nice to play it in the afternoon but if it's got to be played at night, you can only play the cards you're dealt." A pizza company's national survey of more than 600 people found 69 per cent of them backed an afternoon game. Former international Wayne Bartrim felt so strongly about it he phoned 2GB's talkback program last Saturday. Bartrim - now living on the Gold Coast - also tipped the Cowboys to win the premiership.