Off the Record: Rugby League Rumour and Gossip #57

Correspondent

Donaldson down under
Could James Donaldson be about to land an NRL deal? The Hull KR forward has headed down under, and has been training with the Burgess brothers in Sydney. He’s currently in contract limbo with the Robins relegated. We hear Donaldson is in talks with at least two NRL clubs, believed to be Parramatta and Newcastle. Stay tuned.

Serb stopped

Whispers come to us that Canberra youngster Nick Cotric was stopped playing for Serbia in the upcoming World Cup qualifiers. Cotric has recently re-signed with the Raiders and they have blocked him taking part in the matches. He turns 18 in November is a highly regarded young talent, but it is a shame he won’t get to take part in Serbia’s matches with a World Cup spot on the line.

Savelio could depart
Andre Savelio is in negotiations with a number of teams about an exit from St Helens. Savelio fell out of favour with Keiron Cunningham this year and spent part of the season on loan with Cas. A fresh start could be good for the young forward, but a departure has yet to be agreed to. We’re told Savelio could end up staying at Langtree Park in 2017 and then be sent out on loan again.

Personal with Pelissier
We’ve heard the reason why Eloi Pelissier left Catalans. Apparently coach Laurent Frayssinous wanted to keep him at the club, but the hooker had a falling out with senior management hence his exit. Pelissier being shown to the door was purely personal, not for footballing reasons.

Sandow to set sail?
Has Chris Sandow played his last game for Warrington? That was one juicy rumour doing the rounds in the aftermath of the grand final. The talk is of an NRL return for the Aboriginal halfback for next year. It’s just pure scuttlebutt at this point, only speculation, but we’ll see what happens from here and if it has any legs. There’s also some talk that a number of rival Super League clubs after hooker Brad Dywer, but surely Warrington will want to keep the young forward.

On the money
Success for us in recent weeks, as the end of First Utility’s sponsorship of Super League is about to end as we already told you. It appears Betfred have pipped Labrokes to be the new naming partner. We also told you that Man of Steel Danny Houghton would miss out on England, as he did, and that Hull KR prop James Green was headed to Leigh. Remember where you heard it first.