Jones also praised \u201cthe horse guy\u201d \u2013 Peter V\u2019landys<\/strong> \u2013 for the healthy state of rugby league. And he admitted the league itch remains, and he hopes to test himself in the NRL one day.<\/p>\n According to sources speaking on the condition of anonymity, Jones had a clause in his RA contract that allowed him to walk if the governing body was unable to implement the kind of high-performance set-up he wanted as part of his rebuild.<\/p>\n He could have taken a huge payout, but preferred the money be used for the development of a high-performance unit. Sources speaking on the condition of anonymity said Jones was entitled to a year\u2019s salary \u2013 or, in this case, nine months, as he didn\u2019t make a full year.<\/p>\n The cash-strapped RA jumped at the chance to leave the deal without a financial settlement. \u201cThe contract was designed so that after 12 months, if certain conditions weren\u2019t met, there was an opportunity for either party to walk away,\u201d Jones said. \u201cAnd you know, I think that\u2019s been the case.\u201d<\/p>\n Jones is adamant the Wallabies can become a force again by the time the next World Cup rolls around.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ve got to look at what Gus has done and is doing at Canterbury and what other teams are trying to do in the NRL, you\u2019ve got to fix your development system,\u201d he said. \u201cYou\u2019ve got to recruit, retain, and develop the right talent at the early age.<\/p>\n Eddie Jones says Rugby Australia could learn a lot from Phil Gould (right).<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Nine<\/cite><\/p>\n \u201cGus did it at Penrith, too, and everyone had a go at him for his five-year plan … but look at them now. It takes time, but I can see Australia having success by the time the next World Cup happens.\u201d<\/p>\n Jones has been strongly linked to the Japan job and says he wants to keep on coaching. League is still an ambition.<\/p>\n \u201cIf I get an opportunity, I\u2019d love to try it,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ve got great admiration for the NRL. That\u2019s probably one of the things that\u2019s hardest [for rugby] at the moment \u2013 the growth in the NRL and how well the horse guy is doing.<\/p>\n \u201cHe does a great job running that competition. And the game is buoyant and you can understand why kids want to play.<\/p>\n \u201cThe chance is there for rugby is to get themselves organised. Create the opportunity for talented players to pick rugby instead of rugby league and then, obviously things can change.\u201d<\/p>\n Sprint guru Roger Fabri<\/strong> has dismissed the NRL\u2019s Telstra Tracker as a gimmick that has declared Ronaldo Mulitalo<\/strong> as the fastest man in rugby league. The device measured the speed of every player in the game and has Mulitalo as No.1, followed by Jason Saab<\/strong>, Maika Sivo<\/strong>, Dom Young<\/strong> and Josh Addo-Carr<\/strong> fifth.<\/p>\n Fabri has coached most of the game\u2019s speediest stars \u2014 including Mulitalo, who he says is eighth fastest. He has the times of all their sprint sessions and while he says Mulitalo is quick, he is not No.1.<\/p>\n Fabri\u2019s own top 10 has Saab in top spot. \u201cMy impression of the Telstra Tracker is nothing short of a gimmicky tool to keep entertaining the public in the most sought-after race that will never happen: the fastest man in league,\u201d Fabri said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe tracker does not take many key factors into consideration:<\/p>\n \u25a0 If the effort is done with or without the ball. \u25a0 It\u2019s debatable that who is the fastest man in league will ever be found out as everyone has a different tolerance to speed conditioning, so if the effort of the footballer was late in the game and they are pre-fatigued but still have a great reading on the tracker, imagine if the same opportunity of being in space would have happened at the start of the game. 1. Jason Saab<\/p>\n 2. Dom Young<\/p>\n 3. Tolu Koula<\/p>\n 4. Bronson Xerri<\/p>\n 5. Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow<\/p>\n 6. Khan Pereira<\/p>\n 7. Josh Addo-Carr<\/p>\n 8. Ronaldo Mulitalo<\/p>\n 9. Bailey Simonsson<\/p>\n 10. Selwyn Cobbo<\/p>\n Penrith boss Brian Fletcher<\/strong> has taken the ultimate swipe at rugby, saying his triple premiership-winning team would have performed better at the World Cup than the Wallabies.<\/p>\n Fletcher also maintained the Panthers brand is bigger than that of the Wallabies and any other sporting team in the country. Fletcher was speaking at the announcement of new naming rights sponsor MyPlace \u2013 one of the richest deals in NRL history.<\/p>\n \u201cThey probably should have taken us over for the World Cup, we would have done better for sure … a couple of weeks learning how to ruck and maul and they would have done well,\u201d he said. Speaking of the Panthers brand, he said: \u201cTell me a bigger sporting brand in Australia … it\u2019s certainly bigger than rugby and the Wallabies.<\/p>\n Would the Panthers have outperformed the Wallabies at the World Cup? Penrith boss Brian Fletcher certainly thinks so.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Getty<\/cite><\/p>\n \u201cOur brand is big here and it\u2019s only getting bigger … there will be another 200,000 people living in the area in the next six years. It\u2019s hard to get a ticket now and it\u2019s going to be hard in the future. The young people can really relate to our players like Jarome Luai<\/strong>, Nathan Cleary<\/strong> and Brian To\u2019o<\/strong> … it\u2019s going to be a fun ride for fans over the next few years.\u201d<\/p>\n Let\u2019s start by acknowledging the vast majority of police do a magnificent job in difficult conditions.<\/p>\n But the good work and good name of many has been tarnished by the Latrell Mitchell<\/strong> and Jack Wighton<\/strong> case. What happened to the pair gives credence to those who say NRL players are not treated fairly in some situations.<\/p>\n Charges against Mitchell and Wighton stemming from an incident in Canberra were dropped this week after Sergeant David Power admitted to giving false evidence. Mitchell and Wighton are considering civil action.<\/p>\n Jack de Belin<\/strong> wouldn\u2019t have been shocked to read Power\u2019s admission. This column is not a de Belin sympathiser, but he deserves the truth to be reported. Unlike Power, who gave false evidence but didn\u2019t commit perjury, Adams didn\u2019t apologise and the judge in the first trial in Wollongong, which resulted in a hung jury, was scathing in his criticism of the investigation.<\/p>\n \u201cAdams lied to the court in his affidavit, in his evidence-in-chief and in his cross-examination, immediately prior to his receiving the Section 128 certificate,\u201d Judge Andrew Haesler said. \u201cHe admitted as much. The lies are also obvious when viewed with the objective evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n A second trial, at Downing Centre, found de Belin and Sinclair not guilty of one of six charges while the jury was unable to reach a unanimous or majority verdict on the other five counts. The DPP chose not to pursue charges at a third trial. Both de Belin and Sinclair maintained their innocence throughout.<\/p>\n Apparently, Adams has been the subject of a Law Enforcement Conduct Commission inquiry but, after more than a year, the parents of de Belin and Sinclair can\u2019t find out if Adams is still a serving member of the police force. They have been asking, only to be told he is the subject of an inquiry.<\/p>\n We knew a little more than we thought it was fair to say when we first broke the news in August that Nathan Cleary and Mary Fowler<\/strong> were enjoying each other\u2019s company. But out of respect to the pair and the early stages of their relationship, we didn\u2019t go too hard. All that is worth saying is we wish them the best. It\u2019s great to see them happy.<\/p>\n Peter V\u2019landys has rubbed shoulders with some of the biggest figures on the planet, but privately he is worried he is a jinx.<\/p>\n V\u2019landys dined with the Queen<\/strong> not long before the monarch died last year. Now, after his recent dinner engagement with Joe Biden<\/strong>, he is carefully monitoring his health of the 80-year-old US President. Whilst the majority of rugby league fans love V\u2019landys, he isn\u2019t as popular south of the border in Victoria, and you can only imagine what the AFL types are thinking as he meets some of the most prominent people in the world and pushes rugby league at every turn.<\/p>\n The Biden meeting looked good, but the real value in his trip to the White House was some of the other contacts he made with high-profile business figures in the US. A number of Australians with a passion for rugby league were at the meeting. Expect some significant spin-offs from his US adventure.<\/p>\n Michael Clarke<\/strong> cops plenty in the media, but to cast doubt on his future on breakfast radio is not reasonable. He has been offered another year on the Big Sports Breakfast<\/em> and is set to take it up. He loves the role and ratings for the show are better than ever. He often generates news for his views on cricket and even the NRL. And he laughs off most of the media interest in his private life.<\/p>\n On the BSB\u2019s rival program on SEN, there have been some changes \u2014 fewer sports updates is a big one \u2014 but co-host Greg Alexander<\/strong> has agreed to another year. It will be a simpler year for Alexander as he quit as Blues chief advisor. His insights into next year\u2019s series will be interesting.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Saab is Fab\u2019s fastest model<\/h3>\n
\u25a0 If the athlete is actually putting the accelerator pedal to the metal or just doing what they have to do to catch a rival or score the try.
\u25a0 The footballer will never ever be thinking, \u2018I need to beat the tracker\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet\u2019s just race them once and for all and then we will know.\u201d<\/p>\nRoger Fabri\u2019s Top 10<\/h3>\n
League of their own<\/h3>\n
<\/p>\n
Truth telling<\/h3>\n
Back in 2020, de Belin and fellow player Callan Sinclair<\/strong> were charged with sexual assault. During the first trial, the detective in charge of the investigation, Shawn Adams, received a Section 128 certificate to protect himself from self-incrimination after he perjured himself in court.<\/p>\nMatch made in sporting heaven<\/h3>\n
Take care, Joe<\/h3>\n
Breakfast club<\/h3>\n