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The premiership-winning Sydney Roosters players, including Sam Walker , Mark Nawaqanitawase and Spencer Leniu, are hitting the dangerous streets of Compton in Los Angeles, and they are taking the NRL trophy with them.
The trip, organised by the club to celebrate their title, will take the players to Las Vegas – but it has a serious side to it.
Next week, the Roosters will visit Los Angeles, where they will be working with the LAPD, who are promoting Project Blue, an initiative the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Lakers are also involved in.
But the Roosters are getting hands-on in a way no other sporting team has – by taking to the streets in an area that is notorious for crime.
The neighbourhoods they will visit are violent. It’s quite a cultural move from a club that is often seen as a latte-sipping team of high-fliers.
This is groundbreaking. It’s being supported by Roosters boss Nick Politis , but driven by chief executive Joe Kelly and chief operating officer Jarrod Johnstone .
Nawaqanitawase will fly across from his new Japanese rugby club, the Saitama Wild Knights. The Eels have given their recruit Leniu permission to go, while Walker, who had a breakdown in negotiations with Politis , will also make the trip.
“The players will head straight to St Albert the Great Middle School in Compton, where they will attend the school assembly, walk the classroom corridors and then years six to eight get to spend the rest of the morning attending the rugby league clinic,” Kelly said.
“The kids will be meeting the premiership players and also getting photos with the premiership trophy before they break at lunchtime for their Thanksgiving holiday week.
“We are also looking to take a tour of one of LAPD’s local police stations in the Compton district.”
Kelly said the players would join the LA Roosters staff to host a rugby league clinic for children aged 15 to 18. The commitment by the club is a reflection that it is a pace-setter on and off the field.
Yes, it is quite the eyebrow raiser that the Roosters expect Sam Walker to be on the plane to Los Angeles. It says something about how popular he is with his team.
Here is something else to consider.
In the recent past, South Sydney coach Wayne Bennett told significant figures in the game that the Roosters would not win a competition with Walker at halfback.
Bennett will distance himself from the comment as he is now in position to try and sign Walker .
Officials in the game have relayed his comments, and the Roosters heavies are aware of this. Walker and the Roosters proved him wrong. Now Souths are being linked to the Queensland half despite not having cap space to make it happen.
Souths have a strong presence in Kangaroos camp in Brisbane.
Jason Clark, who is the Rabbitohs’ team manager, is in camp with Australia as their welfare manager. He is a man of principle and would not use his position to meet with Walker. Rabbitohs players Cam Murray , Latrell Mitchell and David Fifita have also spent plenty of time with Walker over the past month of the tournament.
Mitchell said he won’t play recruitment agent again after helping snare Payne Haas . Others may.
Roos insiders say Walker has been more relaxed this past week and say he has a clearer path forward. Bennett has a good relationship with Sam’s uncle, former Broncos livewire Chris Walker .
The Sea Eagles have hit out at suggestions from NRL insiders that they are verging on a salary cap crisis – but admit they are “open for business” as they look to avoid having to sell off some of their prime playing assets.
We have been told Manly are at breaking point in their salary cap, but the club says otherwise.
They are in danger of losing one of their brightest talents, Caleb Navale, who has rejected a very respectable offer from the club. They are trying to sign Tom and Ben Trbojevic and Lehi Hopoate . Manly have offered Tom Trbojevic a two-year deal in a bid to ensure the Kangaroos star finishes his career as a one-club player, but he is yet to commit.
The Sea Eagles admit privately the roster needs an overhaul – there are too many backs and not enough mongrel in the pack.
The NRL is also keeping an eye on the club, but is not yet digging into why they are conducting a fire sale.
This column was told Manly have only registered 25 contracts for next season and their cap is at breaking point. Manly say they are actually at 27 players, which is perfectly acceptable and within the rules.
Player agents have been saying in dealings with Manly that right now, if they had to register a full roster of 30 players, they would be $500,000 over the cap. That figure would be calculated on three more players being added to the roster at about $150,000. Manly say they still have wiggle room.
“We have some challenges to work through, but that’s part of running an NRL club,” chief executive Jason King said.
“Every club has its own set of circumstances and our responsibility is to manage ours in the best interests of Manly. I won’t comment on our specific salary cap situation as that’s confidential and it would be inappropriate to do so.
“But I can assure you that we remain compliant with the rules.
“Don’t forget prudent cap management is an ongoing and dynamic process – it’s not something you simply set and forget.
“Our focus is firmly on where we’re going. That means making considered decisions, sometimes difficult ones, to best position the club for success.”
Manly still have time to get their cap in order, but it’s causing enormous stress for the playing group and those trying to get the club back in shape.
King has walked into this mess. He has taken over from Tony Mestrov . It has also fallen into the lap of head of recruitment Craig Walker to sort out following the departure of Peter Gentle at the end of the 2026 season.
They are trying to move on quality players, including Luke Brooks , Jamal Fogarty and Ethan Bullimore . The Raiders had a look at Taniela Paseka, but he was on $900,000 a year.
The club has some players who rivals would buy, including Tolu Koula , Hopoate and Tom Trbojevic, but they are not for sale.
The Sea Eagles contracting was a laughing stock when Mestrov phoned in on a football chat show last year to offer departing captain Daly Cherry-Evans a two-season contract extension, after Nine News and this masthead had revealed the Maroons half was walking out.
King and his backroom staff have a tricky situation.
“It’s important that we look forward rather than backwards, which is what we’re doing,” King said. “We’re spending considerable time reviewing our position and exploring opportunities to balance our squad and make improvements to strengthen the club.”
Suggestions Aaron Bellamy is about to take over as head coach of the Storm from 2028 are off the mark.
What is true is Bellamy is a coach of significant potential.
And he could coach a team in the not-too-distant future. But to place him as head coach straight after his legendary father Craig would be unfair to Aaron. The comparisons would be too direct and the situation too fresh.
Those who know and love former Test opener Dave Warner, including his wife Candice, feared he would walk away from the game at the height of the sandpaper scandal, which has been thrust back into the spotlight this week.
Warner’s mental health was so bad that playing cricket was not the greatest concern for those around him. That is a fact, but it will be for Warner to speak about one day.
That’s the horrible reality that followed on from the dark moment being relived after Usman Khawaja ’s claimed in his autobiography that all the players on the 2018 South Africa tour were aware of the use of sandpaper on the ball.
Yes, Warner brought it on himself and as a leader he took the heat, but the ham-fisted handling by Cricket Australia of what happened eight years ago and the hysteria combined with the shame, the targeted attacks and the way he and Steve Smith had to bear the brunt of the scandal was brutal.
It got too much even for a Matraville mauler like Warner to handle.
Don’t forget, his wife Candice also had a miscarriage. Warner reminded the nation of that in the Fox Sports cricket coverage on Friday afternoon in response to Test captain Pat Cummins calling Khawaja’s claims “ 100 per cent wrong ”.
The loss of a child was the most serious moment of the matter. It’s something Candice struggles with today.
Anyone who has lived through that experience knows how devastating and life-changing it can be. It was too much for Candice. She got through that thanks to Warner.
When it came to the sandpaper issue, Warner knew others within the team knew. He knew team officials also knew.
Money is not everything, but it has cost Warner more than $10 million due to his 12-month suspension from playing international and domestic cricket.
He was barred from playing in the Indian Premier League on a deal worth $2.4m and it cost him personal sponsorships with the likes of Asics, Toyota, Gray-Nicholls and LG.
CA sponsors wouldn’t touch him and that remained the case even though he won the Allan Border Medal for a third time in 2020 – an award voted on by his peers, media and umpires.
What can’t be overlooked is the 100 hours of community service Warner did, driving to all parts of the state as part of the sanctions handed down by CA.
It has also cost him friendships within the cricket fraternity.
The three who were banned – Warner, Smith (both 12 months) and Cameron Bancroft (nine months) – were told to accept the punishment of CA’s general manager of team performance, Pat Howard , because he said it would be handled by CA, and not the International Cricket Council, and it would only be a small ban.
That’s why they accepted the blame.
It will be very interesting to see how comfortably Warner shares a microphone with a rising star of the Fox Sports cricket commentary team, Alyssa Healy – Test paceman Mitch Starc ’s wife.
Starc was among the bowlers who denied their role in the Sandpapergate saga. Healy, meanwhile, is media savvy. It was noted by many that she posted a photo of her and Warner travelling to Perth together for commentary work.
Warner confessed to Todd Greenberg over his role in Newlands in 2018, when the latter was Australian Cricketers’ Association boss. Greenberg knows the story.
With that knowledge on board, the former NRL chief executive championed Warner to return to leadership duties.
Now that Greenberg has taken over as chief executive of CA, Warner feels a sense of betrayal as Greenberg says the head body is moving on. It’s weak from Greenberg to stick his head in the sand when he is sitting on the truth.
It’s also soft that coaches and team officials are still employed and largely anonymous when Warner, Smith, Bancroft and Khawaja are carrying the can.
Greenberg confirmed on Friday he has had conversations about recollections of Sandpapergate with various players over the years.
“My hope is that we can retain all the friendships and relationships that have formed in Australian cricket for this generation,” Greenberg said. “They are being tested at this time.”
You also need to ask why the major sponsor, Westpac, would want to be associated with a sport that doesn’t place the highest price on integrity.
There is so much to the story. Where is former Australia bowling coach David Saker now? Why would CA hand out non-disclosure agreements to certain people, Saker being one?
Where is former CA chief executive James Sutherland ? He has questions to answer. Where are the media gurus who botched the initial media conference in Newlands?
Greenberg’s approach today really needs examining. He can’t spin his way out of this mess. And we say that with confidence as Warner is preparing his own book with the assistance of respected cricket writer Peter Lalor .
Never one to back down, Warner will tell it how it is.
Perhaps it was the desperation or arrogance of the Australian cricket team that led to the past eight years of pain for those involved.
I can’t get over the alleged role of Fox Sports cricket commentators and former Test stars Allan Border and Brendon Julian when they were in South Africa covering the series.
They were working for the host broadcaster and were aware that South Africa captain AB de Villiers was fuming about Australia getting extra and early swing.
He had his suspicions, so he went to the broadcasters and told them to increase the number of cameras that were being used and to focus on the Australians.
The story goes that Julian and Border went to the Australians and gave them the heads-up about the increased focus on them, saying that if they were doing something, they needed to stop.
This has been confirmed by Julian. How the lives of the players involved would be different if they actually listened.
There has been a thought throughout the NRL that Mark Nawaqanitawase should be able to bank at least $500,000 a year in third-party contributions as part of a deal to bring him back to rugby league.
It’s nice in theory and it would seem very doable. It’s interesting that the Rugby League Players Association thinks there needs to be considerable change in this area.
“Whether Mark wanted to remain in rugby league or wants to come back, there is a recognition from the RLPA, and even some clubs to us, that the current commercial model and its use of player IP is no longer fit for purpose,” RLPA boss Clint Newton said.
“With the significant advances in digital commercialisation and social media, we need to evolve how we maximise the value of the players’ individual intellectual property and create more opportunities for players to increase their earnings.
“This is something we will be looking to address in the upcoming CBA negotiations. We need to ensure rugby league is innovative and forward-thinking so we can continue to attract and retain the best athletes in our game. Part of that is loosening the shackles on players and clubs with the current commercial model.”
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