Sign up now!!! <\/a><\/p>\nEels react to Zac Lomax’s code switch | 01:02<\/p>\n
Sua Fa\u2019alogo was fantastic at fullback as the club moves on from Ryan Papenhuyzen, who retired from rugby league last year, with a major off-season change helping the young gun convince Bellamy that he deserved the spot. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe big improvement in Sua\u2019s overall being here is that he\u2019s fit this year,\u201d the veteran coach said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not quite sure with his mindset last year whether he thought he was fit enough, but you\u2019ve probably got to be the fittest guy in the team to play fullback. That\u2019s the toughest position to play physically with the endurance.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe came back a lot fitter this year, and I think that\u2019s been the difference. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve given him first shot at it, but we\u2019ve got a few other guys in our squad that can play fullback, so he\u2019s not going to rest on his laurels.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Dragons have a good recent record against the Storm. Picture: Mark Metcalfe\/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images<\/p>\n
The Storm faces a tricky trip to Wollongong to take on the Dragons who were unlucky to lose in golden point to the Bulldogs in Las Vegas.<\/p>\n
The Red V have given the Storm plenty of headaches recently, with the Dragons winning their past two including a gritty victory in the wet 12 months ago. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey are a good side, they\u2019re a big physical side,\u201d Bellamy said, with Dragons duo Clint Gutherson and Damien Cook high on his radar.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll need to defend a lot better than we did last week, and hopefully we can do that.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ve got some good players in that side and some good halves, and they\u2019ve got good experience in the spine with Gutherson and Cook at fullback and dummy-half, so they\u2019ve got the brains there as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
“He should be back in rugby league” | 04:07<\/p>\n
UNTOLD STORY BEHIND BRUTAL PANTHERS CALL<\/p>\n
Most NRL fans know the story of how Tom Jenkins resurrected his career at the Panthers last season, only to lose his spot in the finals despite scoring 13 tries in 21 games.<\/p>\n
But only a handful of people know the painful truth about what he went through during the week leading into Penrith\u2019s finals clash in New Zealand.<\/p>\n
Jenkins had been one of the feel-good stories of the year after returning to the golden west without any guarantees before a brilliant pre-season earnt him a spot in the side where he was one of their most consistent players.<\/p>\n
Tom Jenkins had to smile for the cameras last year knowing that he\u2019d been dropped. Picture: Rohan KellySource: News Corp Australia<\/p>\n
It\u2019s why on September 8, five days before their game against the Warriors, the reliable outside back spent nine minutes fielding questions from journalists about how awesome it would be to play his first finals match. <\/p>\n
What the media didn\u2019t know on that Monday morning was that Jenkins had just been told by coach Ivan Cleary that he wouldn\u2019t be in the 17 and he\u2019d been replaced by Paul Alamoti, who had a terrific finals series. <\/p>\n
\u201cI like to be an honest person so it was hard to be misleading,\u201d Jenkins told the NewsWire, with the winger not giving anything away at the time even though it must have been so uncomfortable.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s also part of footy. You naturally have to swallow your pride at times and do what\u2019s best for the team. At the time, that was what was best. Ivan and I had the conversation and I knew what was happening. <\/p>\n
\u201cNaturally, it was hard talking about my first finals series and how exciting it is when you\u2019re not playing, but I was just trying to keep an open mind because you never know what might happen.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf there was an injury, Ivan put the confidence in me that I could go out and do the job.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jenkins was a revelation for the Panthers on the wing. Picture: Jeremy Ng\/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images<\/p>\n
Jenkins appreciated Cleary\u2019s honesty and that he told him so early in the week.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was a lot of disappointment there and I was spewing that I missed out,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut in saying that, I appreciated Ivan\u2019s honesty and how early he told me. He got on the front foot and didn\u2019t beat around the bush. He explained it and I was OK with it.<\/p>\n
\u201cNaturally, you\u2019re upset because you want to be there, but that\u2019s footy and you can\u2019t change some things.\u201d<\/p>\n
The brutal selection call was justified as Alamoti came in and dominated, with the powerful outside back scoring three tries and busting 15 tackles in their big win over the Bulldogs in the second week of the finals. <\/p>\n
It\u2019s why Jenkins says his coach made the right call, and it\u2019s why he spent the pre-season working on ways to elevate his own game. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt was more of a case of how I could improve my game,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n
Madge hits back at Round 1 criticism | 02:05<\/p>\n
\u201cI spoke with the head of performance here on what to improve and how I can get my body right for the season, whether that was putting on weight, getting stronger or different things.<\/p>\n
\u201cI implemented a few things over the pre-season but nothing too drastic.\u201d<\/p>\n
The footy gods work in mysterious ways, with Jenkins not named in the original starting squad last week, only for him to be picked on the left wing where he scored a double in the win over the Broncos. <\/p>\n
\u201cI found out early last week. It wasn\u2019t a big thing. It was a simple case of him (Cleary) telling me that I was going to start,\u201d he said following a much better meeting with his coach. <\/p>\n
\u201cThat was exciting and something that I was keen for and ready to take that challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n
‘Top four at least’ Panthers pristine | 06:48<\/p>\n
He has kept his spot in the team ahead of Izack Tago for Saturday\u2019s game against Cronulla, with Jenkins and the Panthers looking for a much different result compared to what happened last year in Bathurst when they were embarrassed by the Knights. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt was so disappointing to go out there and put on that kind of performance. It\u2019s never something that you want to do,\u201d he said, with that loss turning their season around.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wouldn\u2019t say that\u2019s been brought up because it\u2019s in the past and we\u2019re more focused on what we can do this year.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2018NOWHERE ELSE I\u2019D RATHER BE\u2019 AS DOUEIHI EXTENDS WITH TIGERS<\/p>\n
Wests Tigers halfback Adam Doueihi says \u201cthere\u2019s nowhere else I\u2019d rather be\u201d after he signed a contract extension that will keep him at the club until the end of the 2029 season.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a major boost for the Tigers just a day before they open their season against the Cowboys at Leichhardt Oval. <\/p>\n
Doueihi was already locked in until the end of 2027 but has extended his stay for a further two seasons, which rules him out of any potential move to one of the NRL\u2019s two new franchises.<\/p>\n
The Lebanese international made his NRL debut with the Rabbitohs in 2018 but has spent the past six seasons at the Tigers, with Doueihi overcoming several serious knee injuries throughout his career.<\/p>\n
The Wests Tigers have re-signed halfback Adam Doueihi. Picture: Matt King\/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images<\/p>\n
But his long-term future is now sorted, with the 27-year-old keen to build on his partnership with five-eighth Jarome Luai as the pair continue to evolve under coach Benji Marshall. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m really excited to be locked in with the Tigers for the next four seasons. It\u2019s a special place for me and my family. There\u2019s nowhere else I\u2019d rather be,\u201d Doueihi said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re building something special here amongst this group and I\u2019m looking forward to ripping in this year and putting all our hard work into practice.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m loving playing alongside \u2018Romey\u2019 (Luai) in the halves and working with Benji. We\u2019re in a great position as a group to continue growing and improving.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m grateful to Benji and the club for the faith they\u2019ve shown in me over the last few years, I\u2019m looking forward to repaying that on the field.\u201d<\/p>\n
Benji’s law: “There’s the f***ing door!” | 01:27<\/p>\n
Doueihi has played several roles in the backline and even spent time at lock forward, but he is settled in the No.7 jersey and shapes as a key part of the Tigers\u2019 squad as they continue their journey to the finals under Marshall. <\/p>\n
\u201cReally happy for the club that we get to extend Adam until the end of 2029,\u201d the coach said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a credit to Adam\u2019s character and work ethic to bounce back from injuries and put himself in a position to sign an extension with us.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot only do we value what Adam brings us on the field, his leadership and influence off it are just as important.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re so pleased to have Adam and his amazing family stay on with us.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Storm coach Craig Bellamy says it\u2019s a \u201cshame\u201d that Zac Lomax has left the NRL to sign with…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":537320,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[266481,1724,64,63,689,81870,9421,651,4428,4738,763,2105,266482,4582,4556,266267,55319,33441,1136,36720,22326,673,677,701,33195,85,36721,670,30516,64027,12000,4515,21380],"class_list":["post-537319","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports","tag-amazing-family-stay","tag-asia","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-australia-and-new-zealand","tag-bathurst","tag-benji-marshall","tag-brisbane","tag-brisbane-broncos","tag-craig-fitzgibbon","tag-fox-league","tag-getty-images-inc","tag-immense-character","tag-jarome-luai","tag-jason-ryles","tag-johan-pezet","tag-lebanon","tag-long-term-contract-extension","tag-looks-set","tag-mark-evans","tag-mitchell-moses","tag-new-south-wales","tag-oceania","tag-queensland","tag-season-opener","tag-sports","tag-sunia-turuva","tag-sydney","tag-two-year-extension","tag-veteran-playmaker","tag-western-asia","tag-wests-tigers","tag-work-ethic"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/537319","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=537319"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/537319\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/537320"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=537319"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=537319"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=537319"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/poster-fallback.png\"\/)
<\/p>\n