Parramatta dominated their trial against the Dragons 28-6 with some of their rookie backs showing plenty of promise while veteran playmakers Will Smith and Jordan Rankin controlled proceedings expertly.
Teenage Dragons fullback Tyrell Sloan has credited his impressive pre-season campaign to gruelling running sessions he did with the Sydney Swans before St George Illawarra training began.
Sloan, who played under 18s for Dapto last year after the NSWRL senior competitions were cancelled, wanted to give himself a head-start for pre-season training so he accepted an invitation to join the Swans players for some distance running.
The 18-year-old has never played AFL and is not interested in a code switch but he is good friends with Swans forward James Bell, who suggested he train with the Moore Park-based club to prepare him for his first season in St George Illawarra s NRL squad.
The Unity Dance performed by Indigenous players before the All Stars clash has transcended the game and is fulfilling Dean Widders vision for a war cry to help bring Australians together.
Seven years after Widders outlined the concept at an NRL Indigenous Players Camp in the Hunter Valley, the Unity Dance has been performed by Bangarra Dance Theatre and featured the likes of Adam Goodes, Michael O’Loughlin, Cody Walker and Stan Grant.
The dance is also the subject of a documentary to be released later this year and there are plans to introduce it into primary schools as part of an education program about Indigenous history and culture.
Dragons forward Eddie Blacker has been suspended for three games for a dangerous contact charge arising from Friday night s trial loss to the Sharks.
Blacker pleaded guilty to a grade-two dangerous contact to the head/neck on Jack Williams, which resulted in the Sharks half being hospitalised with nerve damage to his throat.
Williams was discharged from hospital on Monday and watched Cronulla s training session on Tuesday morning, having been placed in an induced coma as a precautionary measure for a few hours due to breathing difficulties.
Blacker collected Williams with a forearm to the throat as he ran into the defence from a kick-off.