The NRL season may be over, but there's never a quiet moment in rugby league with The Repeat Set delivering your weekly dose of insight.
MORE: Smith undecided on rep future | Fijian remains strong
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Mitchell Pearce photo frenzy
This is the photo (below) that sent the rugby league world into a frenzy on Tuesday, with some fans convinced it showed Mitchell Pearce sitting down with Newcastle officials to sign off on a three-year deal.
Knights Official signing contracts. Mitchell Pearce to the Knights surely @NRLFootyShow @NRLNEWS @NRLKnights @FOXNRL pic.twitter.com/7imd9QFVSD
— Matthew Authurs (@pies2211) November 20, 2017
The ‘mail’ was Pearce had travelled to Newcastle for the meeting, catching up with coach Nathan Brown before putting pen to paper.
As is usually the case with social media, there was more guess work than detective work.
A cursory glance at the tweet would have told punters the picture was taken in Surry Hills – some 165 kms from Newcastle.
And an even closer inspection reveals Pearce wasn’t even in the picture!
It just looks like three dudes catching up for breakfast with some work talk thrown in.
Pearce was nowhere near Newcastle or anyone from the club on Tuesday.
That all happened on Friday.
But all the smart money has Pearce headed to the Sea Eagles, with Melbourne Storm on the second line of betting.
Gal weighs in on Pearce
Still on Pearce, and his old Origin teammate Paul Gallen reckons a move to Newcastle would be good for the game, but maybe not for Pearce himself.
“It’d be a real positive thing for Newcastle and for rugby league…to show they are on the rebuild and are getting back to the Newcastle we all knew,” Gal told Sporting News.
“But I’m not sure Newcastle will be in the top eight for the next year or two.
“If Mitchell goes there he may lose that opportunity to play rep football playing in a team that will be battling to make the top eight.”
What's a contract?
Apparently the new tactic among some player agents looking to secure releases for their clients is to tell clubs the player will ‘run dead’ if forced to stay against his will.
And when we say ‘against his will’, we mean honouring his contract.
Sure, clubs also get rid of players asap when surplus to needs.
But it’s a sad state of affairs when players threaten to drop the bottom lip and not put in rather than stay and put in 100 per cent for their paymaster, fans and teammates.
It makes you wonder why we bother with contracts at all.
Val back to the wing
Valentine Holmes’ six try effort against the Fijians has all but sealed his fulltime return to the wing at Cronulla next year.
Matt Moylan or Josh Dugan could fill the No.1 jersey, allowing coach Shane Flanagan to shift Val back to the flank.
The Sharks know Holmes isn’t the same attacking force at fullback as he is on the wing and Flanagan is willing to risk upsetting the Kangaroos star for the good of the team.