Eels hand young half NRL debut, Cleary returns from injury

Parramatta are set to hand young playmaker Ethan Sanders his NRL debut on Friday night when the Eels take on Manly at 4 Pines Park.

Sanders will play in the halves alongside Dylan Brown following a disastrous 44-16 defeat to the Dolphins in Darwin last Friday.

Skipper Clint Gutherson said Sanders had learned his craft from one of the best – injured halfback Mitchell Moses, who is due to return from a broken foot in round 12.

“Eth trained out there today. We were just running low numbers, so he was out there running around with the main squad,” Gutherson said.

“He’s been great. Obviously, he’s a young kid coming through the system, just doing what halves do, which is controlling and learning … I’m sure he’ll do a good job for us.”

Nathan Cleary finally makes his return for the Panthers this week after picking up a hamstring injury in round three, while Dylan Edwards has been named at fullback despite coming off early in Penrith’s win over the Tigers last week with a suspected leg injury.

Adam Reynolds returns from injury for the Broncos.

The Roosters also get a boost in the halves for their Anzac Day clash with the Dragons, with Sam Walker returning from a concussion sustained in round five. He joins star winger Dominic Young who returns after serving a two-game suspension for a high tackle on Blake Taaffe.

Zac Lomax retains his spot in the centres for the Dragons for the Anzac Day game at Allianz, with Jack Bird named in the reserves.

Broncos coach Kevin Walters has four big inclusions for their game against the Tigers in Campbelltown, with veteran half Adam Reynolds returning from injury along with Payne Haas, Deine Mariner and Brendan Piakura. But the team will have to go without injured playmaker Ezra Mam (finger) and centre Selwyn Cobbo (shoulder).

Jye Gray gets another crack at fullback for South Sydney with Latrell Mitchell still suspended, and Damien Cook returns after being dumped to the NSW Cup in round six. Forward Jai Arrow will play for the first time since round one in Las Vegas, where he picked up a shoulder injury in the Rabbitohs’ loss to the Sea Eagles.

Elsewhere, Cronulla have named Daniel Atkinson in the halves with Nicho Hynes after Braydon Trindall was charged with mid-range drink-driving, Kaeo Weekes will play five-eighth for Canberra after Jamal Fogarty was sidelined with a bicep injury, and young fullback David Armstrong will make his NRL debut for Newcastle to replace an injured Kalyn Ponga.

Finucane 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.

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.

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

Schuster, Manly agree to million-dollar termination

Josh Schuster has officially parted company with Manly after the club agreed to a mutual termination payment worth about $1 million. The agreement was struck on Tuesday morning, ending a tumultuous stint on the northern beaches for the enigmatic playmaker.

Schuster hadn’t even began a rich $800,000-per-season contract extension that was poised to begin next season, but both parties agreed the Samoan international needs a fresh start. It means Schuster will finish his Manly stint with exactly 50 games to his credit as he begins the process of looking for a new club.

Schuster had been languishing in reserve grade after a tough pre-season, which included a dose of chickenpox, a spiral fracture of his finger and a calf strain. Then he had to publicly relive the death of his closest friend, Keith Titmuss, in the witness box during a coronial inquest in February.

Manly playmaker Josh Schuster.

The club had given him leave to deal with other personal issues and he has been training independently in a bid to get himself into playing shape.

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.

Jahrome Hughes opens contract extension talks with Melbourne.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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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Key points

Finucane will end his career with 251 games, five Origins and two premierships.

The Storm have opened talks with Jahrome Hughes over a contract extension.

Damien Cook has been recalled to the Rabbitohs side for their Anzac Day clash.