PATRICK CARRIGAN (BRISBANE)

Tonga will join New Zealand as top seeds alongside England and Australia in an expanded Rugby League World Cup format in 2021.

Queensland coach Kevin Walters has reacted to a rare State of Origin series loss by axing long-serving Trevor Gillmeister and hiring some of the Maroons’ biggest names.

One week of NRL pre-season training has been enough to convince Matt Gillett that Jack Bird is finally ready to deliver for Brisbane in 2019.

CANBERRA are not formally considering Shaun Johnson, but management for the highly paid Warriors NRL star have sought out the Raiders’ interest.

Kiwis and NRL star winger Jordan Rapana has been ruled out for six months and will undergo surgery this week to repair his dislocated shoulder.