Dual premiership-winning forward set to announce immediate retirement

Inspirational Cronulla forward Dale Finucane will announce his retirement from the NRL on Tuesday after 13 seasons in the top grade.

The 32-year-old, who has been out with a broken cheekbone, is set to hang up the boots with 251 NRL games to his name after debuting with Canterbury in 2012.

Dale Finucane comes from the field at Leichhardt Oval last month.

Sources talking under the condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the situation said Finucane has been given medical advice to retire due to repeated head knocks.

Finucane has been a respected figure in the game across stints with the Bulldogs, Melbourne and most recently the Sharks, playing five State of Origin games along the way.

He has one more year to run on his contract with Cronulla but has opted to walk away from the game a season early. He joined the Sharks from Melbourne in 2022 on a four-year deal.

Finucane played in six grand finals, winning two with the Storm.

Storm open Hughes extension talks

The Melbourne Storm have opened contract extension talks with star halfback Jahrome Hughes to keep him at the club until the end of 2028.

The Storm have opened negotiations with Hughes’ management about a new deal that will see him finish his career at the Melbourne Storm.

The Storm have been well aware of murmurs linking Hughes to a return to Queensland and have moved to quash suggestions he will depart the club by opening extension talks.

Hughes is contracted until the end of 2026 but the Storm want him to remain at the club for another two seasons beyond that.

Jahrome Hughes opens contract extension talks with Melbourne.

It comes as Broncos and Queensland great Corey Parker revealed he had heard “rumblings” that Hughes is considering making the move back to Queensland for family reasons.

Speaking on SENQ Mornings, Parker believed that the New Zealand-born star was keen to part ways with the club to be closer to his family, who live in Queensland.

“I’m hearing rumblings that one superstar in the game wants to come home to Queensland and be with the family,” Parker revealed. “That player is Jahrome Hughes. Whether that’s at the end of his contract or not, that remains to be seen.

“I know his wife is from the Gold Coast and at this stage, it’s just rumblings that I’m hearing,” Parker said.

Cook to return to NRL side after axing

South Sydney coach Jason Demetriou has recalled hooker Damien Cook for Thursday night’s clash with the Melbourne Storm.

Cook will return to the NRL after he was dumped to NSW Cup leading into the club’s round-six clash with the Cronulla Sharks at Accor Stadium on April 13.

The veteran hooker is expected to come off the bench, with Peter Mamouzelos to keep the starting No.9 jersey.

Demetriou said Cook reacted well to his axing and had proven, through his performance in reserve grade and application at training, that he warrants a return.

Damien Cook will return to South Sydney’s NRL team.

He didn’t play NSW Cup over the weekend, with Souths having the bye in reserve grade as well as the NRL.

Jacob Gagai is expected to play his first game since the opening match of the season in Las Vegas on the wing for the injured Tyrone Munro. Forward Jai Arrow will also return from injury for Souths in the AAMI Park clash on Anzac Day.

Crichton’s future a talking point

Angus Crichton’s future is still up in the air, with the 28-year-old Rooster yet to sign a deal for 2025.

But Crichton, who has been one of the club’s best players during a challenging few weeks, has piqued the interest of NRL rivals the Dragons and the Eels, along with two French rugby clubs.

Angus Crichton is yet to secure his future in football past this year.

The former Origin and Kangaroo forward isn’t fazed about not having a contract for next year, and said if he continues to play the way he is a new deal will follow.

“I still think my best is ahead of me, but I’m definitely sort of in that ballpark where I am getting closer to putting my best performances out every week,” Crichton said.

“Obviously, peace of mind is always nice, but sometimes it’s not a luxury that everyone gets. I’ve been in positions where I have peace of mind, I’ve been in positions where I’ve had to sort of play myself into a contract or play into a position.

“So I’ve been in this position before, and I’m no sort of stranger to it. I think if I work hard, I play good footy, the rest will sort of look after itself.”

There has been no indication from the Roosters that they’re interested in extending Crichton past his current deal, which ends after this season. With Crichton on a base salary of about $675,000 this year, it’s unclear whether the Roosters would even have the salary cap space to accommodate him, even with Joey Manu departing to Japanese rugby next year.

However, Crichton said he was open to all options, whether that is staying at the Tricolours, moving to an NRL rival, or making the switch to rugby union.

“I think, obviously, you want to go somewhere where you’re going to get the best out of yourself, you want to be growing as a person and as a player, and put yourself in a good environment,” he said.

“That’s why I was so keen to jump across and come here [to the Roosters] because I think I became a better person, a better player, a better man and made some great friends and great memories.

“So, wherever I go, I want to be challenging myself, get the best out of myself, and ultimately just having fun and being happy.”

The 28-year-old made his NRL debut with the Rabbitohs in 2016, but played rugby in high school, and said he’d love the challenge of playing the 15-man code.

“I think the challenge [is what interests me] and also the game,” he said. “I’ve been out of the game for a while now, I’d be interested to see where I would pick back up and where I would find myself.

“I think the challenge is something that appeals to me, and I’ve got some friends over there and I’ve enjoyed watching them.”

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