Monday 18 July 2016 16:59, UK
Leeds avoiding unwanted history, State of Origin squabbles and Wolfpack auditions all feature in this week's Set of Six...
State of Origin relations
Corey Parker says relations between Queensland and New South Wales players has reached an all-time low following the latest State of Origin series but Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga is confident he can unite them for the Four Nations.
Queensland captain Cameron Smith and coach Kevin Walters slammed the Blues players for turning their back on the skipper's speech during the after-match presentation, with television cameras panning to show outgoing Blues captain Paul Gallen receiving adulation from the crowd while Smith was making his final remarks on stage.
"There's a thing called sportsmanship and I think that's what aggravated most Queenslanders through that game," said Parker.
"I do feel there's that real bad blood between the two teams."
Gallen responded by criticising Johnathan Thurston for his behaviour after Queensland clinched the series in Brisbane last month.
Australia face New Zealand in Perth on October 15 before travelling to the UK for the Four Nations, and former Queensland coach Meninga believes the animosity will have "simmered" by then.
"I've been playing Origin since 1980 and there has always been angst between the two sides," he said.
"That has never flowed over to the Australian side, in my experience. There was no indication in May [when Australia beat New Zealand] that there was any dislike between the players. They just put a different jersey on and move on.
"They will move on back to their clubs and want to try and be successful there and all the attitude would have simmered."
Gallen and Parker called time on their State of Origin careers last Wednesday but Meninga has refused to rule out selecting the pair in his Four Nations squad.
"They will get picked in the Australian side if they deserve it," he said.
"I'd be a hypocrite if I said they couldn't be if they're not playing on next year because I finished my career on a Kangaroo tour.
"It is based on their performance through the year, historical performance and probably a bit on how their clubs go."
All up for grabs on Thursday
Leeds are desperate to avoid an unwanted record in this season's Super League campaign. A thrilling 18-16 win over title-chasing Wigan on Friday took the Rhinos to 11th place, which brought some relief for coach Brian McDermott.
"Leeds have never finished bottom in their 136-year history, so of course it means a lot," McDermott said. "The job is not done yet, but we're really pleased to be off the bottom, let's hope we can finish ninth."
The Rhinos were taken closer to safety with victory over the Warriors, but are not clear of last place just yet.
McDermott's side take on Hull KR live on Sky Sports this Thursday, and if Hull KR come out on top and Huddersfield beat Warrington on Saturday, then the Rhinos will finish the regular season at the bottom of the table.
The Rhinos will want to put the matter to bed by beating the Robins to turn their attention to the Middle 8s but there is more than just history riding on the Leeds-Hull KR game - whichever side wins the game is guaranteed an extra home game in the Middle 8s.
Wolfpack auditions
The Toronto Wolfpack join the League 1 competition in 2017 and they have announced they are recruiting players for their opening season.
The franchise has set up an eight-city tour of the US and Canada to give athletes a chance to 'audition' for the final squad, with NFL hubs Chicago, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia all on the agenda.
There are expected to be some former NFL stars in the mix at trials, which director of rugby Brian Noble feels will benefit the Wolfpack.
"We're all very excited by it and ready for it - although with the characters involved I'm not sure North America will be ready for us," Noble told The Mirror.
"Personally, I've always coveted looking at the market over there and the athletes that we will be able to tap into.
"We understand that there will be an element of upskilling, but if we have guys that can do a 10-second 100 metres, or are the size of a house and can lift a house, then they'll be on the bus."
Championship goes down to the wire
The Kingstone Press Championship regular season is going down to the wire with Featherstone and Bradford meeting in a winner-takes-all clash on Sunday.
The sides are level on 28 points with Bradford currently occupying fourth place due to a superior scoring difference, but defeat for the Bulls at The Big Fellas Stadium will see them miss out on a place in the Qualifiers.
Featherstone followed up their impressive away win over Batley with a 24-20 victory over Halifax at the Shay, while Bradford winger Omari Carol scored five tries to help his side to a 44-12 victory over Oldham.
Four teams remain in the hunt for two remaining places in the Qualifiers, with Batley in pole position after beating second-placed London. John Kear's men require just a point from their trip to Swinton to join Leigh and the Broncos in the mix for a tilt at Super League.
Sixth-placed Halifax still have an outside chance of reaching the Qualifiers for the second successive year. They need to beat London and hope Batley slip up at Swinton.
Rabbitohs feeling the pressure
Sam Burgess is not having a good time of it as Rabbitohs captain - South Sydney lost 30-10 to the Broncos over the weekend to move their losing streak to over 60 days.
"It's not great is it?'' said Burgess. "Losing games? It's not great."
To add further woe, South Sydney are now almost certain to miss their first finals campaign since 2011, as Saturday's loss sent them plummeting to 13th in the league.
The Rabbitohs were NRL winners just two years ago, with Burgess then making the move to rugby union. A season with Bath and England failed to seal a permanent move as the 27-year-old returned to the NRL with his former club.
However, both Burgess and the Rabbitohs have failed to regain the form that crowned them 2014 champions.
Pat Richards' kick
Did Pat Richards make this conversion? It certainly sparked plenty of debate!
The commentary team initially thought it went over but the touch judges disagreed. The crowd felt it was between the uprights but there was no outcry from the Dragons players who accepted the call.
It had to have been close, and as no further points were scored for the remainder of the game the result hinged on the call as Richards failed to tie the game with the kick.
The replays suggests there wasn't much in it, but the men in the middle were in the best place to make the call and both adjudged it to have missed - play the video to see if you agree.
