Former NSW enforcer Aaron Woods ‘cannot believe’ Billy Slater’s call to axe Daly Cherry-Evans from Queensland’s Origin II team.
After a lacklustre Game 1, Slater has rung the changes ahead of Game 2 in Perth, with Cherry-Evans sensationally dumped as captain and replaced by Cameron Munster – the first time the Maroons have dropped a skipper mid-series since the 1990s.
Speaking on Triple M, Woods, who played 14 games for the Blues between 2013 and 2017, was scathing of the call to make Cherry-Evans a ‘scapegoat’, adding that the decision was extra hypocritical given Slater’s infamous ‘we’re still Queenslanders’ remark from last year’s Origin series.
“To me that’s piss poor form from Billy Slater,” Woods said.
“After game one in your press conference, you said it wasn’t about the personnel, you said you didn’t play too well.
“You’ve come out and axed your captain Daly Cherry-Evans. You’ve said it wasn’t a scapegoat, but mate, it’s a scapegoat.
“I think he did respond to backlash – the pressure and criticism got to Billy.
(Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
“He’s lost three in a row, which is unheard of for Queensland, they’re going to Perth, which is a flat track for NSW.
“I’ve heard his commentary around it that he got his chance in game one. Well, there should be a lot of other players that should be moved on too.
“You look at guys like Harry Grant – he’s 0-6 starting at hooker. It’s very hard to play behind a forward pack that’s not going forward. You look at Mo Fotuaika, he had 39 metres in the first game.
“It’s so funny, because you watch these blokes up north and they say we [NSW] don’t get Origin, and they use this pick and stick mentality. Well Billy, you’ve just turned on your skipper.”
Woods added that Slater may face a tough fight to keep his job if the Maroons lose the series, saying he was ‘lucky NSW didn’t play well’ in their Game 1 win.
“If you lose this second series, does that mean you’re going to get sacked? Because Kevvie Walters got sacked after two series losses and he only coached four,” Woods said.
“There’s a lot of pressure on Billy Slater. I watched his body language in the press conference, and he not a man that is confident in what he’s doing at the moment.”
May turns back on Bunnies
Wests Tigers CEO Shane Richardson believes Taylan May deserves a second chance in the NRL, after signing the outside back on a train-and-trial deal.
The Tigers on Tuesday formally won the race for May’s signature, with the Samoan international agreeing to a deal for the rest of this season.
The contract is May’s first since he was released from Penrith last season, after the Panthers attempted to rip up his contract over a number of off-field indiscretions.
May played 30 games for the Panthers between 2021 and 2024 but never featured in any of their grand finals because of injury.
The 23-year-old also had domestic violence charges against him dropped in March, after his wife who had accused him of punching did not show up in court.
May had pleaded not guilty to the charges and has since spent time in a mental health facility undergoing treatment.
The former Panther will not be able to immediately return to the field, with the NRL only conditionally approving his comeback.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Tigers said training and off-field standards needed to be met before May could play again.
“Taylan, like all our players, will be joining a club which has a culture of putting healthy relationships first,” CEO Shane Richardson said.
“Taylan has made enormous strides since we first met with him 10 weeks ago through voluntarily attending education and counselling sessions.
“All players deserve a second chance and we think this is the environment which gives him the best chance of success both on and off the field.”
May’s move to the Tigers came after he had met with South Sydney coach Wayne Bennett and toured the club’s Heffron Park facilities.
But the Tigers signing will allow him to play alongside his brother Terrell, with the duo and older brother Tyrone May all keen to one day play together.
Taylan May. (Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images)
“Clearly, Taylan is a quality player who will further strengthen our squad in the back end of the competition,” Richardson said.
“But we also believe his best chance of success on and off the field is if he is around family and friends.
“He will now have the chance to not only return to a team environment but also to play alongside his brother Terrell – which is important to him.”
Savelio hobbled by painful kneecap injury
Canberra have suffered a mega blow with winger Savelio Tamale in a race to play again before finals after dislocating his kneecap.
Tamale failed to finish the Raiders’ win over South Sydney on Sunday, before scans confirmed he would miss a minimum of 10 to 12 weeks with the injury.
The Raiders flyer is scheduled to see a specialist who will determine an exact return path, but either way it looms as a devastating blow to both Tamale and club.
Tamale’s power and strike on the left wing has played a part in Canberra’s rise to second on the ladder, with three byes still to come before the end of the season.
The 20-year-old was a serious contender for rookie of the year, providing great yardage and busting tackles at will in 2025.
After playing one game for St George Illawarra at the end of last season, the former rugby union talent had also been close to the buy of the year across the NRL.
Even a best-case 10-week return for Tamale would have him back on the field just a few rounds out from the finals, while any longer could leave his season in doubt.
Fellow winger Albert Hopoate was also ruled out for the year in March with a ruptured ACL.
Coach Ricky Stuart’s son Jed is every chance to debut in place of Tamale, having loomed as the next option in Canberra’s extended squads this year.
Michael Asomua is the other uncapped option in reserve grade, unless the Raiders opt for an entire backline reshuffle with Tamale out.
Canberra have their first bye this week before taking on Wests Tigers next Friday night at Campbelltown.
Sorensen tackle can revive Panthers’ season
Penrith players believe Scott Sorensen’s match-saving tackle against Wests Tigers could prove season-defining, with their bid for an NRL five-peat still alive.
Sorensen provided a hero’s play late in the Panthers’ win over the Tigers on Sunday, rushing from the other side of the field to stop Jahream Bula inches from the line.
Prop Lindsay Smith then provided a similar effort on the next set, getting back to help deny Bula again with the Panthers leading 18-14.
Dylan Edwards passes. (Photo by Jeremy Ng/Getty Images)
The Panthers’ win meant they finished the round in 13th spot but just one point out of the top eight, after a horror start to the season had them sitting last after 12 rounds.
Penrith players saw similarities between Sorensen’s effort, and Viliame Kikau’s famed effort to hold Melbourne’s Justin Olam up after the siren in the Panthers’ 2021 grand-final rematch.
Kikau’s desperate play has for years helped Penrith set the standards for success, and teammates believe Sorensen’s effort on Sunday can have a similar effect.
“We’ll look back on that as a pretty defining moment. It was huge,” fellow second-rower Liam Martin told AAP.
“I remember the (Kikau) one, where he slid and held (Olam) up over the line.
“It’s just those little plays that you just value … They’re just little plays that probably not a lot of people notice, but they get so valued in our team.
“It gives you so much confidence when you see stuff like that happening, your teammates doing that, and you just build energy off it.”
Penrith face a tough run ahead to keep their season revival on track, with a trip to Auckland without State of Origin players after the bye.
They then face Canterbury off a five-day turnaround, before having the Bulldogs again, Melbourne and Canberra on their run home.
Martin admitted the Panthers may have lacked that kind of desperation in their game as they went 2-6 to start the season, a point Nathan Cleary agreed with.
“That’s probably been the difference between winning and losing games,” Cleary, who was involved in both tackles on Bula with Sorensen and Smith, said.
“At the start of the year we weren’t doing that at all and it was biting us in the butt a fair bit.
“That’s what we want our DNA and identity to be like. And we definitely applaud plays like that.
“Then it starts to become something that happens just by DNA … there were even a few of those last week (against Parramatta) as well.”
Sorensen, for his part, dodged the praise after Sunday’s win.
“It’s no different to anyone else in this team,” he said.
“It’s just doing your job, and tonight was my time to do my job. It’s as simple as that.”
with AAP
