In rugby league circles, he has a bit of a bad reputation – but, after he was fined $50,000 by Panthers General Manager Phil Gould, he has turned the corner – with Panthers centre Michael Jennings changed, and with Gus eager to see him play.

“Michael Jennings has been one of the standout performers this summer, both on and off the field” Panthers boss Phil Gould said.

“His training has been first class, his community involvement has been exemplary. His management have seen a real change in his attitude and a desire to become the professional athlete we all know he is.

“We have seen a visible change in his demeanour, his approach. I’ve got to say he has been one of the standout performers this summer, he has been really good.”

The question will be whether his new and improved off-field training techniques and commitments, will transcend onto the field itself.

“I still think his best is easily in front of him, easily in front of him,” Gould said.

“People are a product of their environment and what happened between Michael and I and others was all a product of a change in that environment.

“And if anything has come out of that, Michael is one of the success stories in turning around that attitude and that culture.

“Now it’s up to Michael, he has the talent and now it appears his professionalism or his attention to detail with professionalism is catching up to that talent.”

Jennings, who is still only 23 and entering his sixth season in first-grade – says that his fitness, is even better now, than it was when he was a teenager.

“I think I was getting too comfortable with my position at the club,” he said. “I’d say this time last year I wasn’t fit. I feel as fit now as I did when I first came into first grade.”

“You know, in your career, you are going to make mistakes but it is about not making them twice.

“That’s when it becomes a problem. All I can do is learn from it. I know I can get better.”

It is an injury you would not expect to see in league very often, but one that is common in car crashes – but for Roosters back Shaun Kenny-Dowall, he suffered a painful injury, that has put his immediate playing future in doubt.

It was a collision with a Roosters rookie at training 2 weeks ago, that resulted in Kenny-Dowall making a dash to the hospital, after the NZ centre realised that something was not right.

The injury is that bad, that he faces uncertainty over his immediate playing future, and is unsure as to when he will return to football.

It was due to an accidental knee in the back two weeks ago at Roosters training, that had Kenny-Dowall immediately worried.

“I went home and it all went downhill from there,” Kenny-Dowall said.

“I started getting real dizzy and started peeing blood. I got really worried and drove myself to hospital.

“I new I had to get help.

“I was pretty scared when I saw the blood. I knew that wasn’t normal. I can tolerate a fair bit of pain, but this was different. I knew when I went to the toilet and my urine was getting darker and darker that something wasn’t right. And the pain was excruciating. I couldn’t move.

“I had a weird feeling that I have never had before when I have been injured and I started to worry. So I drove myself to hospital and they gave me painkillers straight away and I felt better after that.”

He was diagnosed with a torn and bruised kidney, an injury that his doctor said is more likely to occur in car-crashes, than on the football field.

“The doctor told me that he had never seen an injury like this on a football player,” Kenny-Dowall said.

“He told me it was a car-crash injury.

“I also talked to our club doctor (John Orchard) and he hasn’t seen an injury like this, and he has been around for 20 years or so.

“They didn’t operate, but I think they were pretty concerned. They had to monitor me, monitor the urine and I had to get regular blood tests to check my blood count. They had to make sure my kidney had stopped bleeding.”

He will not be available for the Roosters Rd 1 clash on Monday night, and at this stage, is out indefinitely.

“I am feeling pretty good, but at this stage I don’t know when I will be back,” he said.

“I just have to wait and see. I am up and moving and feeling heaps better about things, but I have been told just to rest.

“I have been resting and slowly getting there.”

A country boy with a big smile. Does he have it – you bet he does. That is the message from Dragons forward Dean Young, who says that the Cootamundra local, has plenty of potential, and will make it in the NRL.

“I know a bit about him, I know he’s going to be good. He’s going to be real good.

“He’s tough, he takes no prisoners, trains hard, and the boys love playing with him.

“He certainly doesn’t have any fear, I know that.”

Growing up, there was one player that De Belin idolised. The man they call the raging bull – otherwise known as former Broncos and Dragons second-rower, Gorden Tallis.

“He was just tough, he was always looking to take the ball forward,” De Belin recalls. “And he was just aggressive.

“I’m not a very aggressive guy but you’ve got to be like that if want to make it.”

For De Belin, he has one goal – to make it in the NRL in season 2012.

Having made 3 first-grade appearances under Wayne Bennett last year, new coach Steve Price has bigger plans for De Belin, and plans to use him in a bigger role this season.

Studying PE away from footy, De Belin knows that in the NRL, you take nothing for granted, and have to work hard.

“You’ve got to make sacrifices,” he said. “There is a big opportunity coming this year and I want to step up and take it.

“Hopefully, I can get a spot in the team somewhere. It’s hard to believe after just two years I am where I am now. Like at school, you would have never dreamed of this.”

There were rumours that he may have headed elsewhere, but they can all be put to bed – with Broncos halfback Peter Wallace extending his Broncos contract until the end of the 2014 NRL season.

His halves team-mate Corey Norman, has also extended his contract, with the young utility extending his contract until the end of the 2013 NRL season.

With the Broncos season launch scheduled for tonight, the news is timely for the club, particularly with their season opener against the Parramatta Eels just 7 days away.

Wallace, who still has family in the Blue Mountains, an area of his former club Penrith – said that he just could not see himself leaving the Broncos, and rejected some big-money offers, to move back to Sydney.

“I was really happy to agree to terms and it is great to be here for another two years,” he told Bronco TV.

“I have really found a home here and have enjoyed my time here.

“I am really happy to be here for at least another couple of years.

“The club itself is in a good place for the future.”

SWT Gallagher

The topic has brought about much conjecture and argument as to where he will go exactly, but for Raiders fullback Josh Dugan, the answer is obvious – he will be staying at the Raiders.

With only minor tweaking required before the club officially announces his new deal with the club, Dugan’s manager Paul Sutton, and the Raiders club, hope to have the deal sorted out before the season starts.

”I’ve pretty much stated I want to stay in Canberra, and they’ve put the right offer out there,” Dugan said yesterday.

”In the end, staying in Canberra with my family and all my mates is the best thing for me.

”I’m pretty happy about that, and it would have been a shame to leave.

”It’s my home, these are all my mates I grew up playing with, and I think we have a good basis of a team that can go all the way.”

With the club keen to get the deal finalised before the start of the season, the man himself is not too concerned if Round 1 comes around, and the deal is still not approved.

”I don’t think it’s too much of a distraction for me, it’s more everyone else reading about the hype about it, but all the boys know where I stand and that’s the main thing,” he said.

”There’s just some last little fine print issues and that sort of thing, and we’re just hoping to get it done pretty soon. When it’s ready, it’s ready.”

13 years is a long time to be playing in the NRL, and with his career at a crossroads, Roosters utility Braith Anasta knows one thing for certain – he wants a new Roosters contract.

Set to play five-eighth in season 2012, his position will come under scrutiny, once Roosters recruit James Maloney joins the club in 2013.

Despite that however, Anasta is keen to remain the five-eighth for season 2013 – by playing consistently over the course of the season, so much so, that Roosters coach Brian Smith has no reason to dump him from the side, in favour of Maloney.

“If I stay here, I’ll be trying to play as good as I can this year to push myself into five-eighth next year,” Anasta, 30, said.

“I like the position. It’s where I belong. I’ve played there for so long, I’ve played my best football there. My best years have been at five-eighth. I’ve spoken to the club a little bit about it [Maloney coming in 2013] and obviously he’s a great player. But the way I see it, it’s a long season. All I can do is play the best football I can play. I want to start the season the strongest I can and play as well as I can all year.”

With the Roosters having a young core side, Anasta knows that it is a crucial year for him – but he denies that he has spoken to any other club, about the possibility of joining them.

“I haven’t looked elsewhere and I haven’t spoken to anyone else,” Anasta says of his contract negotiations. “I love the place and I don’t want to be anywhere else. I didn’t want any disruptions or any speculation about it because I wanted to nail my pre-season.

“I’ve kept in contact with the club, so hopefully we can sort something out for next year in the next couple of weeks. I don’t know. I’ll just keep meeting with them on a daily basis.”

With his spot on the line for next season, Anasta concedes that if the club wanted him to, he would step aside and let Maloney play in the pivot position in 2013 – but he will not be giving it away that easily.

“I am loving being back at six,” he says. “It’s been handed to me because we’ve lost our six. I haven’t really earned the right to play five-eighth. But I’ve done it before, I feel I’ve done a good job there and I did a good job there when I played there last year. I played the one game against Souths [last year] because Todd was out injured and we won. In the last four games when I played there, we won every time.

“This season, I’ve lost five kilos and I’m feeling really fit. I want to be around the action and trying to be the best leader I can be closer to the ball.

“Because we’ve got so much talent and so much ability, for me it’s about getting the most out of our guys and playing smart.”

With his fellow halves partner Mitchell Pearce always improving, Anasta can see the duo taking the club to a new level in 2012.

“I’d love to see Pearcey go to another level, and I want to help him do that this year,” he says.

“For me, it’s about him taking control and leading the team in that department.”

“Back for another year, and as the league season sits only seven days away – I will give you my two cents worth on the up coming season with a briefing of where I think each club will finish. NRL is back! Bring it on! ”

16th: Sydney Roosters:
Hello: Daniel Mortimer (Eels), Anthony Mitchell (Eels)
Goodbye: Nate Myles (Titans), Todd Carney (Sharks)

The Roosters finished 2011 in 11th position, in a year spent headlining  papers for all the wrong reasons – in what was a sour year for the club. The off field incidents were too much for this Bondi based outfit. 2012 is a new year, and a new season you could say. However, this season is a rebuilding phase for the club. Their best is about three years away sadly. This year will be beneficial for them, just not in terms of wins and ladder position. They might not be able to compete with the big boys.

THUMBS DOWN:
Losing a lot of mongrel and workload in Nate Myles and Jason Ryles, means there is plenty of youth on board, but without the experience to mentor them through the season, it could make the season longer than it actually is.

THUMBS UP:
Brian Smith and Matthew Elliott have a pool of potential for years to come, and there’d be no better coach to learn your trade under in the NRL, than these two.

15th: Brisbane Broncos
Hello: Petero Civoniceva (Panthers)
Goodbye: Darren Lockyer (Retirement)

Darren Lockyer. Need I say more? This club has been built on the back of one individual for close to twenty years. There’s no denying his loss on the field will be tremendous. Having Civoniceva back will be an added bonus, but this year will be about trying to establish themselves post-Locky. That to me is going to be a massive hurdle for this club. Does one man really make that much difference? By the halfway mark in this season, we will know for sure. They may lack the strike-power needed to compete.

THUMBS DOWN:
A lack of direction could hinder the Broncos from achieving their full potential. No doubt they have some big names, but it’s whether or not they will cope without Lockyer.

THUMBS UP:
This club is very attractive for young up and coming players. Especially in the halves department. Why would you not want to go to Brisbane?

14th: Manly Warringah Sea Eagles
Hello: Ben Farrar (Les Catalans -ESL)
Goodbye: Des Hasler (Bulldogs), Will Hopoate (Two year Mormon mission)

The reigning premiers had an unusual off season. A team that deserved the accolades it achieved in 2011, has since been in a bitter media battle which the Hasler-less Sea Eagles have copped full force. A team always under the media’s watchful eye now has all this attention, and could find its self a negative nancy for this team trying to defend its premiership title. A fall from grace is on the cards. There’s also the dreaded curse of Second Year Syndrome for Daly Cherry-Evans.

THUMBS DOWN:
Hasler turned his back on the Sea Eagles, and will revenge so personnel that it affects their on field performance?

THUMBS UP:
Daly Cherry-Evans and Kieran Foran team up again. Simply breathtaking to watch in action.

13th: Penrith Panthers
Hello: Clint Newton (Hull KR-ESL), Chris Armit (Bulldogs)
Goodbye: Trent Waterhouse (Warrington-ESL), Petero Civoniceva (Broncos)

Penrith are definitely in a rebuilding phase. They have lost a lot of leadership and impact up front, which is the main reason I have picked them to finish 13th in 2012. The boys at the foot of the Blue Mountains are however, on the right track for the future. With Gus Gould back in the mix and Ivan Clearly coaching them – the outlook is very bright. Just lacking that crucial X factor this season will be the difference between success and failure.

THUMBS DOWN:
The gaps left by Trent Waterhouse and Petero Civoniceva are too big to fill in one year. Both in leadership and physicality.

THUMBS UP:
Travis Burns and Luke Walsh enter their third year together in the halves. A very good thing.

SWT Gallagher

He has fought with them, seen a generation of players leave the club, as well as one start at the club – but now, the curtain will be closing on Anthony Minichello’s career with the Sydney Roosters – after the club made the decision to not re-sign the veteran fullback, beyond season 2012.

Minichello, who is off-contract at the end of 2012, says that despite the Roosters deciding to let him go, he still wants to play on in some capacity – either in the NRL, the ESL, or French Rugby Union.

The man they call Mini, will go down as one of the Roosters greats, having played in 227 games for the club, as well as 18 tests for his country, and 11 games for his state.

“I am keeping my options open,” Minichiello said.

“Ideally I would like to stay with the Roosters but I will see what offers come in and see who is interested. No doubt I want to play on. The body feels great.

“With the limited games I played (through injury) I feel I can extend my career. I’m not going to retire. I will make my own decision.”