St George Illawarra prop Loko Pasifiki Tonga feared worst after neck scare

Promoting Parramatta full-back Isaiah Iongi will avoid suspension after photos of him apparently ingesting drugs went viral on social media.

The NRL issued an infringement notice to Iongi over the photos, which emerged in late February and “bring the game into disrepute”.

Iongi will have five days to respond to the infringement notice. But this development will not prevent one of the game’s brightest young stars from taking his place in Saturday’s derby match against his former club Penrith.

Photos of Iongi apparently ingesting the substance emerged on social media days after the Eels No.1 played in the last of Parramatta’s pre-season trial matches against the Roosters.

Sources who spoke on condition of anonymity told this imprint that the photos were published without his permission and that the photos were several years old.

Iongi’s case was the first to be decided by former High Court judge Geoff Bellew, whom the NRL recently appointed as its new ‘independent adjudicator’ on off-field integrity matters.

“The NRL today issued an infringement notice to Parramatta Eels player Isaiah Iongi, alleging breaches of the NRL Code of Conduct following an NRL Integrity Unit investigation,” the governing body said in a statement on Monday.

“The details of the infringement notice determined by the Independent Decision Maker (IDM) are that Iongi was included in the images made public on February 22, 2026, which brought the game into disrepute.

“Iongi has five business days to respond to the breach notification.”

Iongi has played in each of Parramatta’s three matches since the photos emerged and has put in strong performances against Brisbane and St George Illawarra in the last two weeks.

Iongi, who played just one NRL game for Penrith, made the Parramatta No.1 jersey his own following Clint Gutherson’s departure to St George Illawarra.

Tigers recover from Doueihi blow but Luai sidelined for month

Dan Walsh

Wests Tigers halfback Adam Doueihi has been cleared of serious injury as the club considers its options for the No.7 jersey and how it will survive next month without captain Jarome Luai.

Scans have confirmed Luai will be out for the next four weeks with medial ligament damage in his knee against South Sydney on Saturday night. Doueihi was seen with a hamstring injury, raising fears that both star halves could leave the team in the long term.

But Doueihi’s prognosis is much more positive than first expected, as he was unable to walk off the field at Gosford two days ago and was able to move freely around the Tigers’ Concord training base on Monday.

A call on his availability for Friday’s brief six-day turnaround against the Warriors will be made Tuesday, allowing for another night of recovery.

The Tigers fly to Auckland on Tuesday afternoon, but there is a temptation to keep Doueihi on the ice for round four given the extended recovery time offered by the JV fixture.

The Tigers have a 10-day turnaround after the Warriors head into their traditional Easter Monday clash against Parramatta on April 6, giving Doueihi almost another week to recover between games.

Backup half Jock Madden is expected to take on a playmaking role against the Warriors. Madden was impressive in trials and was included in Marshall’s game-day 19-man squad as an unused substitute in the first two rounds.

He last played in the NRL in Brisbane in 2024 and returned to the Tigers on a two-year deal in November, where he made 17 appearances in 2021-22.

Rising star Latu Fainu emerges as the Tigers’ other top option given he is ready to return from off-season shoulder surgery that delayed the start of the season.

The 20-year-old playmaker has gradually increased his training loads in recent weeks, but a return from the bench or via the NSW Cup remains possible if Marshall opts for a conservative approach with himself and Doueihi.

Luai’s four-week break will rule out games against the Warriors, Eels, Knights and Broncos ahead of a possible Leichhardt Oval return to Canberra in round nine.

The Tigers attack struggled to pick apart South Sydney despite Luai and Doueihi enjoying 53 tackles inside the Rabbitohs’ 20m area before falling, but back rower Kai Pearce Paul has backed the likes of Madden and Fainu to pick up the gloves in the coming weeks.

“The exciting thing for us is, if you look at the tries and especially the first game, I think the likes of Jock Madden controlled the game and made a great dig,” Pearce Paul said.

“I think it’s exciting, regardless of who’s playing and who’s not playing, it’s a good opportunity for some guys to show themselves… Latu couldn’t do everything but he looked good, he looked very fast, he was fit and I could tell he was ready to go.”

Storm owners want investors to fund youth pathways, not buy the club

Christian Nicolussi

The cashed-up owners of the Melbourne Storm have no intention of selling the NRL club but have confirmed they are exploring private equity firms in the hope they can help them invest in future training and transition programmes.

News Corp reported on Sunday that the Storm’s millionaire owners, including punter Matt Tripp, Bart Campbell and Jayco Caravans founder Gerry Ryan, were ready to hand over control of the club they bought in 2013 if they could find the right investor.

However, sources with knowledge of the situation but not authorized to speak publicly confirmed that the club’s owners are keen to find an investor to help them take the Storm forward, rather than divest the club entirely.

The Storm have become one of the most successful sporting organizations in the country: they have played in 10 NRL grand finals, have a legendary coach in Craig Bellamy and some of the competition’s best players including Harry Grant and Cameron Munster.

But without the financial backing of a league club, the Storm are struggling to fund youngsters’ development, especially in a state dominated by cashed-up AFL clubs spending millions of dollars on the next generation of talent.

While the AFL invests more than $50 million a year in youth development in the northern states, rugby league’s Victorian men’s pathways receive nothing from the NRL apart from some help with travel expenses.

The Storm are also seeking an overhaul of the training facilities at AAMI Park.

The same News Corp report said American private equity firm Ares Management was acting on behalf of Storm in the hope of finding a suitable buyer. However, Storm officials said there has been no contact with Ares Management for more than six months.

Tripp, who is also the club’s chairman, said the Storm wanted a dedicated supporter with experience in the sports industry to help them realize their big plans.

Tripp said on Sunday: “The only thing I will say is that none of our current shareholders want to bail it out and I love my role, I love this club and I’m not going anywhere.” he said.

“We are actually looking for a capital injection to take the club to the next level.”

In 2020, the Storm was reportedly worth more than $30 million on the open market. Last year, there were reports that Manly owner Scott Penn had turned down an offer to buy the Sea Eagles for a similar amount.

Brand Finance revealed at the end of last year that the Storm were now valued at $96 million, placing them behind Penrith Panthers ($129 million), Broncos ($120 million) and Parramatta ($98 million). However, these results were based solely on the club’s brand and did not include assets.

The Storm were stunned at home by the Broncos on Friday night and travel to North Queensland this weekend. They are on the hunt for an outside back who can score goals after their well-publicised attempt to sign Zac Lomax failed.

‘Tingling in my hands’: Dragon moth scare most feared after neck scare

Christian Nicolussi

Loko Pacifici Tonga feared the worst when he felt tingling in his hands moments after cracking a tackle at St George Illawarra training.

The giant propeller was placed in a neck brace on Thursday and taken to hospital by ambulance. There were initial fears that he had suffered a serious injury.

Pacifici Tonga, 20, later escaped any damage and although he hoped to resume contact work as early as this week, he said it had been a worrying few hours for his family and friends when a photo of him taken by medics from training emerged on social media.

“I got into a fight with one of the boys, instead of tackling I was running the ball and got a bit of a whiplash,” Pacifici Tonga said.

“At that moment, I heard a little noise. I also had tingling in my hands. I fell to the ground, hoping it would relieve the pain.

“I wanted to get up immediately, but I had to lie there and follow the protocols. When the ambulance arrived [the officers] “He told me to stay still and not move until the scans were finished.”

Pacifici Tonga was taken to Wollongong Hospital and was discharged later that evening.

“Everything came back perfectly; nothing was broken and nothing too scary, which was a huge relief,” Pacifici Tonga said.

“Let’s see how the contact goes this week. Everything is fine right now. I can move my neck, but I’m trying not to do that right now.”

“The target is to play the NRL again and that’s still the target, nothing has changed. Like I said, I’m glad it’s nothing serious.”

The nearly two-metre tall Pacifici Tonga was selected to play in Sunday’s NSW Cup match against Parramatta but was flatly rejected. Winger David Fale scored a hat-trick before the hour mark as the Dragons won easily.

Pacifici Tonga played 10 NRL matches last year.

Dragons coach Shane Flanagan said of his weekend training scare in Pacifici Tonga: “He’s fine, he’s doing some rehab today. He’s a bit sore but he’ll recover. We’ll re-assess him next week.”

“We’re lucky there’s no damage and it will heal in a week or two.”