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Andrew Johns will commentate Newcastle's first grand final in 25 years despite nerves, while David Fifita's stolen phone was recovered during the Prime Minister's XIII trip to Papua New Guinea.
Andrew Johns will commentate Sunday night's NRL grand final despite being offered the chance to skip the broadcast by Channel Nine. The Newcastle legend said he is more nervous than at any time since his playing debut.
Johns Takes Commentary Opportunity
Nine gave me the option, but Cam Smith will be near me, and I told him if I need to go and have a breakdown, he will be there, Johns said. It is my job, and I want to do my job. But I am nervous. I do not think I have been this nervous since I made my debut as a player.
I think it is because I have got no control over the result. Johns was given the option of skipping commentary duties so he could enjoy the club's first grand final in 25 years. He led Newcastle to premierships in 1997 and 2001. He now lives in Bronte, a beachside suburb in Sydney Roosters heartland.
On Sunday morning, as he left for Accor Stadium, he was ambushed by a handful of Roosters supporters who blocked the road and gave the eighth Immortal a friendly serve. The comical incident happened outside the home of his good friend Rob Bruns, who runs the Bronte Boardriders. A banner outside the house read, Get Back To Newy Joey You Blow-In. My son Louis must have told them when I was leaving, Johns said.
They blocked the road and started shaking my car. I was like, can you leave me alone. It was all fun and games. Johns said Louis is a Knights fan but is in the Roosters SG Ball system.
Fifita Phone Theft in PNG
He is not torn and he never will be, Johns said. David Fifita was left shaken during the Prime Minister's XIII trip to Papua New Guinea when a fan stole his phone. Team management tracked the device by GPS and local police were called to find it. The South Sydney back-rower revealed last month that he still listened to voice messages and watched videos of his late father, who died just over 12 months ago.
He was understandably upset during the frantic search. Authorities eventually found the phone, and none of his photos or videos had been wiped. Fifita and Ezra Mam were the biggest crowd favourites among the Australian team. The PM's XIII team won 60-10 against the Kumuls, a side made up mostly of local talent.
The official attendance was less than 10,000 fans, a figure not expected to improve for the Kumuls' World Cup games. The cost-of-living crisis is also very real in PNG. On the trip home late Saturday, at least one PM's XIII player playfully heckled Chiefs general manager of football Michael Chammas about tabling him a tax-free deal. Chammas struggled to hear the player because he was seated at the front of the plane, according to sources not authorised to speak publicly.
Edwards Misses Kangaroos World Cup
Dylan Edwards will be one big name missing when Kevin Walters names his Kangaroos World Cup team on Monday. Edwards required surgery for a PCL injury suffered in the first half against Newcastle last Sunday. He will also use the off-season to undergo a shoulder reconstruction. Edwards aggravated the shoulder saving a try against the Broncos late in the season, which forced him to miss a month.
It also cost him points in the Dally M race, where he finished third behind teammate Nathan Cleary. Roosters players, including Mark Nawaqanitawase, brought sand from Bondi Beach to sprinkle in the corners of the Accor Stadium surface before Saturday's captain's run. Stadium management confirmed this really happened. Aussie sprint sensation Lachie Kennedy ran 100m in 9.85 seconds to win silver at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games this year.
Kennedy Partnership and Player Retirements
He is helping promote Athletics Australia's new seven-year partnership with Nine, the owners of this masthead, running through to the end of 2033. Kennedy loves the North Queensland Cowboys. Nelson Asofa-Solomona joined the retiring players parade at Accor Stadium and strolled right past Paul Gallen, the Cronulla champion he will fight at the end of the year.
Broncos captain Adam Reynolds and Daniel Saifiti, the brother of Knights prop Jacob Saifiti, along with Konrad Hurrell, the new Tongan media manager for the World Cup, were also among the 18 players to call it a day.
theage 
brisbanetimes:‘It’s my job, but I am nervous’: Andrew Johns’ grand final dilemma 
smh:‘It’s my job, but I am nervous’: Andrew Johns’ grand final dilemmaThis story was compiled and edited by the HeadTopics newsroom and HT AI from the reports above.
Newcastle Grand Final David Fifita Dylan Edwards PNG Prime Minister's XIII NRL Grand Final Prime Minister's XIII Kangaroos World Cup
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