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<\/p>\nHis point about Joyce, the One Nation MP and former Walcha Rugby Club back-rower, started with wondering \u201cwhether you have to be a special type of grubby to join Pauline Hanson\u2019s mob, or … whether you get injected with grubby when you join?\u201d<\/p>\n
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Martin Bella in action for Queensland during his playing days.Credit: Getty Images<\/p>\n
He referred to an interview Joyce had given, in which the National Party\u2019s runaway dodged the question of whether an assertion by his new boss, Hanson, that there are \u201c[no] good Muslims\u201d was outrageous or not, and likened Joyce\u2019s contortions to be \u201cwatching a maggot on a barbecue plate\u201d.<\/p>\n
And as to Joyce\u2019s past run-in with a garden bed late at night after a heavy-drinking session, Bella took his hat, his coat and his umbrage at Joyce comparing himself to John Gorton, when he said Gorton had been a big drinker too but had never got into trouble as he was under so much less scrutiny:<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, Barnaby Joyce is trying to excuse his conduct by comparing himself to a former fighter pilot, who was shot down, smashed up, torpedoed … to his battles with a garden bed.\u201d<\/p>\n
As to Bella\u2019s painted nails, referred to in another post, they are done by his delighted granddaughters for fun!<\/p>\n
Chief concern for Chammas<\/p>\n
For the first time in my weekly Q&A with the Sun-Herald this week, I have interviewed a colleague \u2013 none other than Michael Chammas \u2013 just as he leaves a 20-year career in journalism to become the general manager of football for the PNG Chiefs, who enter the NRL competition in 2028. It is a big move for one who has never administered a ping pong team, let alone a rugby league side in the wilds of a foreign country with a notoriously difficult security problem, and I had to ask the obvious …<\/p>\n
Fitz: \u201cHow will you get players and coaches to go to Port Moresby? All of us who have visited PNG love the place, and more particularly the warm-hearted people. But, by any measure, Moresby can be very dangerous. I genuinely mean no disrespect to that wonderful country, when I say that if you put 50 PNG \u2018raskols\u2019 in a room with the 50 toughest bikies in Australia and called out \u2018FIGHT!\u2019 my money would go on the raskols to be wearing the bikies\u2019 balls for earrings within five minutes. So, how do you get people to go there?\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"PNG](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/38673cbda16d732ee6d3bc1a06810085673c0271.jpeg\")
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PNG Chiefs general manager Michael Chammas in Port Moresby.Credit: David Townsend<\/p>\n
Chammas: \u201cBy giving them an adventure of a lifetime. If they are just coming for a pay cheque, they\u2019re not the people we want. We want players who want to come here and embrace this country. And obviously, there are going to be some strong security measures that are going to be taken care of, but those who want to be part of it are going to be treated like royalty over here. They\u2019re going to be absolute rock stars in a way they won\u2019t be anywhere else. But also, we create an environment that they love, and their families will love. The families are the key.\u201d<\/p>\n
This will be one to watch. As to Toby Rudolf\u2019s public plea this week to the Chiefs \u2013 Pick me! Pick me! (see What They Said) \u2013 I reckon he\u2019d be a great start. Rudolf has greatness in him, it\u2019s just that he\u2019s come well off his heights of three years ago. If the Chiefs could unlock that greatness once more, he\u2019d be a great buy.<\/p>\n
Sydney brothers doing Italy proud<\/p>\n
Which brings us, oddly enough, to the Italian cricket team.<\/p>\n
They actually did alright at the T20 World Cup \u2013 only narrowly losing to England and putting up a good fight against the Windies, and beating Nepal. How, you ask? Well, a good part of it was due to the efforts of two pairs of brothers, Justin and Anthony Mosca and Ben and Harry Manenti, who grew up near each other out Camden way.<\/p>\n
Up against Nepal, Harry Manenti captained wisely and the Mosca lads hauled down the total required between them, giving Italy an historic 10-wicket win. Against the English, Ben Manenti scored 60 off 25 balls, while Justin Mosca, a Cabramatta PE teacher, stared down Jofra Archer and gave him a bit of hurry-up for his trouble.<\/p>\n
Here in Sydney, there were late-night parties with big TV screens up at the Marconi Club, which normally only happens for Italian soccer matches. Congratulations to them all. And everyone after me: Gotta love this city!<\/p>\n
![\"Justin](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0fb06b92b74e7f952a4e1484871895531ea96f49.jpeg\")
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Justin Mosca and Anthony Mosca after their match-winning partnership.Credit: ICC via Getty Images<\/p>\n
Zimbabwe trump Aussies again<\/p>\n
So Australia lost to Zimbabwe in the T20 cricket thingummy<\/a>? I just don\u2019t care. It is T20! But it does have an upside. It is just the kind of hook needed to retell the best sledging story ever told.<\/p>\n See, back in 1999, the Australian team was playing Zimbabwe, when one of the Australian bowlers kept forcing portly tail-ender Eddo Brandes to play and miss, coming frustratingly close to dismissing him. Finally, when Brandes completely missed the ball one more time, it was more than flesh and blood and spirit could stand and the Australian bowler finished just a couple of metres from the Zimbabwe batsman.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy are you so fat?\u201d the bowler snarled, glaring at Brandes. The reply came back instantly. \u201cBecause every time I f— your wife, she gives me a biscuit.\u201d<\/p>\n And the upshot? It was about three minutes before the Australian slips fieldsmen could again compose themselves well enough for the bowler to deliver his next ball.<\/p>\n What they said<\/p>\n Hull KR and former Roosters and Rabbitohs winger Joe Burgess: \u201cI changed a few things about my diet and stopped watching porn. It wasn\u2019t making me feel better so why was I doing it? I just stopped. I haven\u2019t watched porn in about two years. It\u2019s given me more energy.\u201d Bravo, his honesty. Fewer blisters, too!<\/p>\n Cronulla\u2019s Toby Rudolf: \u201cAll I ever do on my days off is message the team group chat \u2013 which no-one replies to \u2013 \u2018Hey boys, who want to come for coffee?\u2019 Who wants to get breakfast?\u2019 Crickets.\u201d He was spruiking himself, as you do, for a gig with the PNG Chiefs. (See item.)<\/p>\n Loading<\/p>\n Australian Winter Olympian Scotty James after again missing out on gold at his fifth Olympics: \u201cThe next 24 hours I\u2019ll probably have a bit of a cry, but I\u2019ll be happy as well because representing the country and winning a medal is unbelievable, and I\u2019m really proud of that. I think what I can live with is that I tried my best.\u201d<\/p>\n Josie Baff after winning Winter Olympic snowboard cross gold: \u201cI would like to say I can\u2019t believe it, but I kind of can. I feel like I deserve it. I put in a lot of hard work, so I knew I could do it, but to actually have the medal around my neck is very, very cool. There\u2019s been a lot of sacrifice, a lot of sweat, a lot of tears; probably not as much blood.\u201d<\/p>\n Baff on life as a gold medal-winning Winter Olympian: \u201cSo yeah, I would love to be a Weet-Bix kid. If you want to put that in your articles, I\u2019d really appreciate that. I\u2019d [also] love a car.\u201d<\/p>\n Norwegian skier Atle Lie McGrath after he crashed in the slalom, only to stomp off into the woods to have a good lie-down: \u201cI just needed some time for myself and it\u2019s hard to think that, you know, the next time I\u2019ll be able to ski the Olympics, I\u2019ll be 29 not 25.\u201d<\/p>\n What would an Olympic Games be without a story about the athletes\u2019 village running out of condoms? Has to win the biennial gold medal for tropes? Here is IOC spokesman Mark Adams, atop the Milan podium: \u201cClearly this shows Valentine\u2019s Day is in full swing at the village. Ten thousand have been used \u2013 2800 athletes \u2013 you can go figure, as they say. It is rule 62 of the Olympic Charter that we have to have a condoms story. Faster, higher, stronger, together.\u201d<\/p>\n