The Obstruction Rule

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Sharks net Josh Morris

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Having lost exciting young centre Jesse Ramien to the Knights next season, the Sharks have opted to replace him with experience. A LOT more experience.

According to The Daily Telegraph, the Sharks have agreed to terms with Bulldogs centre Josh Morris on a two-year deal, that will see the former Origin and Test star head to the Shire until the end of 2020.

It was reported that the Bulldogs were hoping to keep Morris after recently clearing cap space, but it seems that the Sharks have gotten in first.

Morris has played 255 first grade games for the Bulldogs and Dragons, 14 Origins for New South Wales, and 6 Tests for Australia.

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Titans looking at Morris

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The Titans have so far done a good job of addressing their weaknesses with recruitment, having shored up their forwards with the addition of Shannon Boyd. Next on the menu: their edge defense.

To that end, the club are reportedly looking at signing Bulldogs centre Josh Morris, according to The Australian.

The report indicates that the Bulldogs are likely to put up a fight to retain Morris, and suggests that the Sharks are also interested.

Morris would be an immediate upgrade at centre, where neither Brenko Lee or Konrad Hurrell have been able to cement a spot this year. He also happens to one of the game’s best defensive centres, and would be a huge boost to the Titans’ notoriously weak edges.

Whether they ultimately land him or not, the Titans have certainly done a good job of identifying where they need work, and attempting to fix it.

Morris has played 254 first grade games for the Bulldogs and Dragons, 14 Origins for New South Wales, and 6 Tests for Australia.

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The Weekend Wrap: 20/5/18

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The race for the Blues halves spots are believed to be down to Panthers halves James Maloney and Nathan Cleary, and Roosters five-eighth Luke Keary, after Blues selectors finally realised that Mitchell Moses is terrible.

Prior to their loss on Friday night, the Eels released edge forward Kenny Edwards, who had been suspended indefinitely by the club, anyway.

The edge depth took a further hit during the game, with second-rower Beau Scott suffering a season-ending ACL injury.

The Broncos will have to get used to the absence of forward Payne Haas, who’s decided to have surgery on his injured shoulder, that will rule him out for an extended period.

The howler of a call to sin-bin Roosters forward Dylan Napa for a head clash (that turned the match) has been effectively proven wrong, with the Match Review Committee clearing Napa of any wrongdoing.

The Knights have been left counting the cost of their narrow loss to the Titans, losing forward Jacob Saifiti (up to 12 weeks) and half Brock Lamb (up to four weeks) to a fractured shoulder and fractured cheekbone, respectively.

The Rabbitohs took a few injuries out of their win over the Cowboys, with both forward Sam Burgess and fullback Alex Johnston failing to finish the game due to a glute strain and hamstring strain, respectively.

The Cowboys and Maroons will be breathing a little bit easier, with prop Matt Scott believed to have only suffered a Grade One MCL injury, which shouldn’t impact his availability for State of Origin (though whether or not his form warrants selection is debatable).

The abomination of a match between the Storm and Sea Eagles will have ramifications for both sides, with Sea Eagles hooker Api Korisau (1 week) and Storm centre Curtis Scott (2 weeks) both charged for striking.

Sea Eagles utility back Dylan Walker meanwhile, faces 3-6 weeks on the sidelines with a fractured eye socket, after being on the receiving end of the punches from Scott.

Bulldogs fans will be sweating on news about centre Josh Morris, who failed to finish his side’s loss due to a knee injury.

Blues coach Brad Fittler has stated that he hasn’t yet ruled out selecting Sharks forward Andrew Fifita for New South Wales, despite Fifita being unavailable for Game 2, due to being Tongan.

It’s been revealed that a $10,000 mural of former Kiwis coach David Kidwell will remain in place until October – meaning that the mural of Kidwell will last longer in its role than he did.

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Five Bulldogs for sale, going expensive

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For those of you wondering what the Bulldogs’ plan is for getting under next year’s salary cap, Fox Sports’ James Hooper appears to have the answer: moving on their highest paid players.

To be fair, that much was pretty well assumed knowledge at this point, but his report goes even further, specifically naming the five players that the club is actively shopping around.

Those players are (reportedly): Greg Eastwood, James Graham, Brett Morris, Josh Morris, and Moses Mbye. The players’ estimated contract values are (in order): $800,000, $1 million, $700,000, $700,000, and $800,000. 

At those prices, it’s hard to imagine any rival club picking them up at full freight, and at some point, the Bulldogs appear likely to be forced into paying a portion of at least one player’s contract in order to move them on.

If they were willing to do that, none of those players (other than possibly Eastwood) should be too hard to find homes for. Plenty of clubs – in particular the Knights, Tigers and Warriors – are searching for a quality front-rower like Graham, the Morris twins are both playing at a decent level, while Mbye is still only 23 years old, and would probably benefit from a change of scenery. The sticking point appears to be price.

And unfortunately for the Bulldogs, they’ve got no leverage. If reports are true that they’re close to $800,000 over the cap, they’ll need to shed players, and their opposition knows that. 

Which puts the Bulldogs in a tough spot. It’s hard to feel sorry for them – it’s a mess entirely of their own making. However, we do feel sorry for their fans, who are likely to be forced to watch more club favourites walk out the door, after already losing Josh Reynolds and Sam Kasiano.

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