There's never a quiet moment in rugby league and with the 2018 NRL season just around the corner, The Repeat Set is here to deliver your weekly dose of insight.
MORE: Storm don't want Brodie Croft to replace Cooper Cronk | Cameron Smith and Johnathan Thurston back each other as number one
Read on below for all the info...
Why Smith missed Cronk's big day
Cameron Smith was a noticeable no show when ex-teammate Cooper Cronk and Tara Rushton tied the knot on Sydney northern beaches just before Christmas.
It led to speculation that it was another sign all is not good between Smith and Cronk after the halfback’s departure from Melbourne.
But The Repeat Set can now reveal the real reason Smith missed Cooper’s big day – he was interstate on holiday.
“Cameron, (wife) Barb and the kids had a holiday planned post-World Cup in Cairns,” Melbourne football manager Frank Ponissi told us.
“I’m sure he wasn’t the only bloke to miss it because of other commitments.”
Smith is adamant there is life after Cronk and his departure will have little impact on Storm’s premiership defence.
NRL a ‘fu*kin myth’ says Origin great
Queensland State of Origin great Chris Close has launched an extraordinary attack on the NRL, claiming the game is a ‘lie and ‘a fu*kin myth full of overpaid participants’.
Close, who was man-of-the-match in the first two Origin games and later served as Maroons manager, tweeted his disapproval at the state of the game late Monday night.
The NRL is no longer the game for the people, it is a falsehood for the fans, a mockery of the community and the grass roots, a lie, a fuckin myth for the media and marketing moguls making false idols of overpaid participants and making excuses for those who cannot aim up.
— Chris C Close (@chop59) February 19, 2018
Close is a man who speaks his mind but it’s not known what triggered such a savage outburst.
Several Twitter followers backed his assessment of the modern day game, including former Test and Origin star Willie Mason.
Choppy, you are on fire today buddy BUT sadly no one will listen. They gorge on their corporate benefits, sitting in their ivory tower not giving a shit about the fans or the grassroots. Come out to the country and see the sad state of affairs in junior league @NRL #NFI
— Mark Tramby (@MarkTramby) February 20, 2018
Close, a hard-running centre, played 99 games for Manly between 1982-87 before spending four seasons at the Gold Coast.
He played 14 Origin matches for Queensland and three Tests for Australia.
Moses Suli should never be late for training again
Canterbury have taken immediate steps to ensure new recruit Moses Suli doesn’t miss another training session, relocating him closer to the club’s training headquarters at Belmore.
Suli’s move to the Dogs from Wests Tigers got off to a rocky start, with the teenager winger reportedly sent home by coach Dean Pay after arriving late to training and/or not finishing sessions on at least two occasions.
The young back was relying on public transport or lifts from mates to get to Belmore on time, but not anymore.
“He’s moved closer to Belmore. He is now within walking distance to training,” a Bulldogs spokesman told The Repeat Set.
“He is knuckling down to pre-season training and is fitting in well. There are no issues with his commitment.”
New NRL website not holding back
The revamped NRL website promised a change in editorial direction this year, but not everyone in the game is happy.
The site is chasing harder and more controversial news and that will inevitably mean treading on toes.
Already they’ve run stories on Melbourne’s Cameron Munster and Canterbury’s Moses Suli that the clubs would have preferred not to have seen on the game’s official site.
It will be interesting to see whether the site can maintain the rage or if the clubs force the NRL into a back down.