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Sterling says he is in good health but is aware of “a negative family history when it comes to illness.”
“I don’t want to get that bad call and think, wow, I wish I did this and I’m sorry I didn’t. I don’t want regrets. Right now my health is excellent. [But] I don’t just want to see things in books, I want to see them for myself.

“I know how lucky I have been. Some people collect stamps, others go bird watching; my hobby has been watching soccer games. I have always been fortunate to be able to find beauty in even the most ordinary games.

“The best part of the trip has been the people I have worked with and for whom I have worked, especially Fatty [Paul Vautin] and Rabs [Ray Warren], all the commentators and bosses, the ones behind the scenes. I have had a professional life that I would never have dreamed of. I knew when I started that this is the kind of industry where you can be tapped on the shoulder any day. I am extremely satisfied that in the end I tapped. ”

Channel Nine sports director Brent Williams said Sterling’s record on the field was as good as any player’s, and his move to television had been just as impressive.

“As a player, he was one of the greats, helped his beloved Eels win four prime minister titles and went on to represent the Blues and his country with distinction,” Williams said. “His transition to the comment box was just as successful, where he became an integral part of Nine’s biggest games … To this day, he is still considered one of the preeminent voices and best analysts in the game. “.

Fox and hound

The Rugby League Players Association has targeted Fox Sports for giving the bullies a voice online, telling a story on foxsports.com.au and an Instagram post highlighting criticism of Dragon Corey Norman on Friday night that encourages abuse of players by fans.

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In a bizarre decision, Fox Sports collected fan attacks on Norman at a time when the players, led by Latrell Mitchell, are doing their best to counter this behavior. Players throughout the game stood behind Norman and contacted the RLPA to express their concerns. Storm forward and RLPA board member Christian Welch strongly supported Norman.

“We all recognize as players that criticizing our performance on the field is fair play,” he said. “I was very disappointed to see an important [broadcasting] partner posts something completely unnecessary and done to purely humiliate Corey. Hiding behind ‘staff writers’ instead of owning their content is a poor way. Unfortunately, it seems that website traffic and clicks were a priority over a person’s mental health. “

Union boss Clint Newton wants answers. “What the NRL players do not support is the aggregation and promotion of criticism towards any player,” he said.

“Promoting negative comments on social media about a player encourages people to act inappropriately, in an environment where players and clubs are already trying to manage online abuse issues. Many tweets and comments are standard criticism, but collecting and posting them widely can transform them from fan comments to online abuse. “

Fox Sports boss Steve Crawley said yesterday that as soon as he found out about the story, he asked to stand down.

Living on a sled

Will Chambers has taken a beating in light of his sleigh party against the Warriors last weekend. It’s easy to jump on the train and kick one of the last remaining characters in the game.

Writing this without anyone being prepared to tell me exactly what the likes of Matt Lodge and Kane Evans were told last weekend, and even Dylan Walker the week before, is not ideal. But the politically correct NRL found nothing that could fine or ban him.

There may have been other goals for Chambers that we don’t know about, but those three players aren’t exactly role models. Chambers certainly has a lot to say on the field, but his goals were well chosen.

Chambers has never been the best player on any of his NRL teams, but he has been a player that champions with a Melbourne Storm champion team wanted to play with. The same can be said for some pretty practical sides of Queensland and Kangaroos. Chambers’ combative style was a key part of his winning formula.

Cronulla signed him because he is a winner. Whatever it takes. They knew what they were getting. Chambers did not want to sign with the Sharks until he had made his peace with Paul Gallen, so fierce was his Sharks sled and his former captain. Chambers did it privately and then went on Channel Nine news with Gallen to publicly acknowledge the situation and clear things up.

If the stories are correct that Chambers told Lodge he’s lucky he’s not in jail, it wouldn’t be the first time the great rower has found out about that. There are many in the game who do not believe he should be allowed to gamble after he was arrested and charged with assault for threatening two tourists in New York in 2015 and then attacking a man who tried to help, before breaking into the man’s apartment. men. and terrorizing those within.

As for the division in the Sharks’ ranks over Chambers, I was told that coach Josh Hannay asked his players after the Warriors game if they had any issues with Chambers or his approach. They told me that only Andrew Fifita expressed concern. He then spoke to Chambers away from the playgroup. Fifita and Lodge are close by.

Interestingly, Chambers received public support from several Sharks players. Ronaldo Mulitalo took to Twitter and Instagram without anyone asking. The couple has formed a strong bond. When he joined the Sharks, Chambers told Mulitalo that he wanted to help him become an Origin player.

The Warriors were upset, but long-term players have a lot of good things to say about Chambers. He has relationships with them through many Anzac Day games where he played for Storm against the Warriors and socialized later.

Players from a rival club at the same center as the Sharks questioned Chambers about his “goals” coming into the game, and he told them there was no one on his radar. A punch to Lodge’s face in an early inning changed all that. That’s what infuriated him. And finished with Chambers now unlikely to get a new deal at Cronulla.

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King’s rescue

Several old stories about Brad Arthur and the eels have been repeated lately, but they pale in comparison to suggestions that Clint “the king” Gutherson’s agent retired for a meeting with the club. The theory was that Sam Ayoub was so offended that the Eels didn’t offer their client $ 1 million per season that he left.

That makes Ayoub look immature and Gutherson greedy. The fact is that there was no strike. Someone left the meeting – Eels CEO Jim Sarantinos – because he had another meeting to attend. Gutherson has never made a request for $ 1 million.

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