The ability to handle the media is also vital,as Maguire showed during this year’s series. Despite Slater having a strong media pedigree – he works for the Nine Network – Maguire got the better of Slater and got under his skin.

‘Small and fragile’

Brandon Smith has rattled some of his former Storm teammates and officials with a scathing take down ofRyan Papenhuyzen.

Smith may not have made the impact he was hoping to at the Roosters,but he is continuing to forge a good media career.

His comments went unnoticed by most in the media. They were made on his podcast withJames Graham calledJam and Cheese. The pair were discussing a story broken by this column that Papenhuyzen was facing a pay cut and would,therefore,test his worth on the open market.

Graham was strong in his support for Papenhuyzen. He referred to figures in this column that while Papenhuyzen’s deal next year is worth about $1.1 million – a $900,000 contract and $200,000 in endorsements – his next deal may only have a contract base of about $750,000.

Smith’s response was brutally honest.

“I don’t think they[the Storm] undervalued him,” he said. “I think if you look back in the last three years,he’s played 15-odd games. I think that would have been a part of the decision-making process. We can’t continue to pay this guy 1.1 mill when he’s playing 30 per cent of the season. He’s small and he’s fragile.“

Smith appears to just be shooting from the hip,which is his style,rather than having anything against Papenhuyzen. He’s telling it straight from his perspective but,nevertheless,it caused eyebrows to be raised.

Smith was not missed when he left the Storm,but he has done them a favour by talking down Papenhuyzen’s worth. Melbourne have been restricted in what they can offer due to salary cap restrictions.

Mum of Mam crash victim conflicted on star’s future

The family that suffered the most in the accident involving Brisbane starEzra Mam is conflicted about his future in rugby league.

Mam has been in a rehabilitation facility since the car accident on October 18 that left a number of people injured. Mam allegedly failed a roadside drug test following the incident.

The Broncos are waiting for the results of a second drug test based on blood samples and whether Queensland police will charge their star five-eighth before they make any decisions on Mam’s future.

While all indications are that the Broncos will stick by their man,there is growing pressure externally for Brisbane to come down hard on the star of their 2023 grand final loss.

The Bulldogs have shown they will not tolerate drug driving at their club by sacking wingerJosh Addo-Carr after he returned a positive reading on September 6. This column revealed last week that decision has put pressure on Brisbane to act as there is a growing belief among NRL clubs that the game has gone soft on drugs such as cocaine.

The good news for the game and Mam is that the young girl who was injured in the accident is recovering. The concern,though,is while her physical injuries are healing,the mental scars may take a lot longer to mend.

The victims of the accident can’t be identified,but the mother of the child who was hurt has provided the following update.

“My daughter went to an orthopedic surgeon last week;she won’t need surgery,her fractured hip is healing well,” she said. “She can’t jump up and down,which is a tough thing to tell a four-year-old. She’s suffering from bad nightmares. She couldn’t get to sleep last night with nightmares and stayed home from daycare today.“

When the child’s mother was asked about how she would feel about the prospect of Mam being back with the Broncos,she said:“I don’t know how I’d feel. Part of me believes people deserve a second chance,but part of me feels that people need to face the consequences of their actions. I don’t know how I’d feel;I’d be torn.“

New Broncos coach Michael Maguire is a family man and is not taking the situation lightly. He has had to deal with serious off-field incidents before,including allegations made againstBen Te’o at South Sydney (he was later cleared by police and the NRL integrity unit) and overdoses byDylan Walker andAaron Gray that nearly cost the pair their lives in 2015.

The Mam incident did not happen on Maguire’s watch,but he is being left to deal with the consequences. Maguire knows how closely the Broncos’ reaction to this will be scrutinised and the need for standards to be set.

The Hunt goes on

Ben Hunt knows that after today’s Pacific Championships final,the focus will again be on his future.

Plenty of good judges have been tipping the Roosters as a potential home for Hunt. The Roosters are certainly not giving anything away or indicating they are about to make a play for him. In fact,those who are close to the situation keep telling me their young halves will be given every opportunity to prove themselves. They have also signedChad Townsend,who can cover for the injuredSam Walker. The thought is that Hunt could provide leadership,as well as cover for Walker and injured hooker Brandon Smith.

It was noteworthy thatZac Lomax – who has also left the Dragons – backed Hunt’s character and decision to leave the Red V.

There is no question that Dragons coachShane Flanagan will get value from new recruitsClint Gutherson,Damien Cook andValentine Holmes,but losing two Australian representatives in one year is hard to overcome.

There are a couple of other interesting situations at the club. The fact that there has been no contact with representatives of fullbackTyrell Sloan while Gutherson was linked to the club is interesting. It may mean Sloan has no concerns,but from his perspective,it would be nice to know where his future lies.

Unwanted May’s Ciraldo connection

If there is one coach in the NRLTerrell May could feel comfortable playing for and trusting,apart from Roosters mentorTrent Robinson,it is Canterbury’sCameron Ciraldo.

The May family trust Ciraldo and hold him in high regard. It goes back to his days as a Panthers assistant coach. May has frequently lent on the Bulldogs coach to get him through challenging times,and you can be sure the pair would have talked after the Roosters told the forward he was free to negotiate with other clubs.

Such is his relationship with the Bulldogs that May had,in fact,agreed to join Canterbury prior to a last-minute management change,joining the Roosters in 2022 instead.

There has been chatter that the May brothers — Terrell,Tyrone and Taylan — are again trying to somehow package themselves up into a deal,but that is hard to fathom,particularly given the serious situation that Taylan is in with the law,where he is facing domestic violence-related charges.

Roosters players have privately confided that Terrell has not been a disruptive figure at the club,but they also feel the call that was made by Robinson to move him on was the right one. It is fortunate for the Roosters that May will be able to land himself a deal bigger than the one he was on at Bondi Junction,so he won’t consider any kind of recourse against the club that re-signed him for two years in April.

Pacific Championships is Live and Free on Channel 9&9Now.