Dogs’ coaching shake-up as legend returns; ‘personal’ rivalry to reignite: NRL Daily

There has been a shake-up at the Bulldogs, with the club moving on from Jason Taylor as its NSW Cup coach.

Taylor, who had previously worked as an assistant under NRL head coach Cameron Ciraldo, confirmed the news in an interview with Code Sports.

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He said that he went to speak to Bulldogs head of football Phil Gould “a few weeks ago” and was told that club legend Josh Jackson would be taking over the role.

“Which I can understand,” Taylor added, revealing he asked Gould if there were any other roles at the club only to be told there weren’t.

“That’s rugby league,” Taylor said.

“You don’t expect those conversations to be too fluffy.

“I really enjoyed my time at the Bulldogs. There is a great playing group there.”

Taylor had previously coached at the NRL level for the Wests Tigers, Parramatta and South Sydney and is on the lookout for a new job.

The Bulldogs are not the only team to have made a change to their coaching staff, with David Penna returning to the Sea Eagles as NSW Cup and Transition Coach for the next two seasons.

Penna spent more than a decade in coaching roles at Manly during its glory days which included 2008 and 2011 premierships, and moves into the role following the recent departure of Brett Kimmorley.

“It’s like a dream come true to be honest to come back, I love the place,” Penna said.

“I spent ten years at the club and to reunite with Kieran is really exciting and something I’m very much looking forward to.”

Sea Eagles head NRL coach Kieran Foran said in a statement that Penna was “very well suited” for the “challenging” role, while also thanking Kimmorley for his service over the past season.

‘VILLAIN’: PERSONAL ‘RIVALRY’ SET TO REIGNITE (via Martin Gabor, Newswire)

Roosters enforcer Naufahu Whyte says he won’t hesitate to defend his teammates again if Friday night’s preliminary final against the Dolphins explodes as it did a year ago when four players were sent to the sin bin in the opening 10 minutes.

The clubs have only been going at it for four years, with the Dolphins famously shocking the world when they upset the Roosters in the club’s first NRL game back in 2023.

There have been some memorable moments since then but none more chaotic than last year’s clash at Suncorp Stadium where Whyte, Spencer Leniu, Francis Molo and Aublix Tawha were sent from the field for an in-goal melee.

The Roosters were celebrating a Mark Nawaqanitawase try in the right corner when all hell broke loose after Leniu shaped up to fight Tawha after the pair had a couple of early confrontations.

Whyte then rushed in to protect his teammate, which prompted Molo to get involved, with referee Gerard Sutton sitting down the four behemoths before the Roosters slaughtered them 64-12.

“There’s no hesitation, there’s no ‘what if’. If I see my brother Spencer there and Dolphins boys are around him, I’m going to make sure I have his back, and I’ll do that for anyone in our team,” Whyte told the NewsWire.

“It doesn’t matter who you are. If you’re in a scuffle there and you’re alone, I’ll make sure I’m one of the first ones there. That’s all it was. There was nothing personal behind it, we didn’t want to start anything, we were just having each other’s backs.

“Signs like that also show how connected and strong our team is. When one brother is by himself, you see the whole team come and have his back. If it happens again, I’ll make sure to be the first one there as well.”

Experienced front-rower Lindsay Collins was one of the first to speak to Leniu after the brawl and backed up Whyte’s comments about supporting teammates.

“It’s your brother so I don’t know why you wouldn’t,” he said.

“You’re going to stick up for your teammates, and it doesn’t matter who’s in front of you or anything. You’re just going to stick up for your teammate.”

Both teams scored a try with 11 men on the field before the Roosters let loose with the next eight tries, including a powerful solo effort from Leniu who silenced the crowd just before halftime.

It came after a pretty quiet stint in the sheds, with Whyte not regretting sticking up for his mate.

“You don’t really need to thank your brothers. It’s our job, it’s what we do. Spencer knows inside that I’ll always have his back on that field, and everyone’s going after him too,” he said.

“He’s the villain of the sport, and every time I’m out there with him, I’ll make sure I’m there.

“But there was no chat in the change room whatsoever. We were just trying to cool our heads and calm down before going back onto the field. We were just chilling with little chats between each other about making sure we go back out there, do our job, and pay the brothers back for us coming off.

“We managed to come back, do our role, and dominated them at their home ground. Nothing changes going into this week. I’m keen to get this rivalry on and get this game going.”

Leniu has often been portrayed as the villain, with the Samoa and NSW prop copping it recently after his mid-game stoush with Souths star Keaon Koloamatangi that cost the Roosters a penalty.

But that external noise doesn’t affect the wrecking ball who is adored inside the four walls at the club.

“I don’t think he’s one to look at the news and social media,” Whyte said.

“He’s the man. I’ve had the privilege to be roomies with him for the past couple of years, and it’s definitely built that connection between us.

“Just like Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, you judge people based on what they do on the field, but off the field, he’s one of the nicest people. He carries himself with pride and won’t change for anybody, no matter how you perceive him. That’s just Spencer.

“If you get a chance to meet him off the field, you understand how nice he actually is. He just goes about his business, doesn’t really care what anyone says.

“He’s got a family of his own, and that’s all he’s trying to do is to provide for them and look after them.”

The rivalry is still in its infancy, but there may be more fireworks on Friday night with the players unlikely to ease up even with a spot in the grand final on the line.

“It’s definitely been a rivalry for the four years they’ve been here, and it’s a rivalry out of respect and love,” Whyte said.

“We carry that personally with us as players, but off the field, it’s another game of footy and we just go out there as athletes and try to do our best to get the win. That’s the main purpose of why we play the game.

“But I’ve been loving the rivalry lately. Last year it definitely kicked off, and I’m expecting another one come this Friday, and our boys will be up for it.”

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