Draining exercise aids Blue Lewis

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LUKE Lewis will run for the first time in seven days on Wednesday after revealing he was forced to have his knee drained of fluid just 72-hours prior to Origin I.

Confident that he will be 100 per cent fit for the potential series clinching Origin II clash on June 18 for NSW, the experienced forward has told how his lead-up into the opening match of this year's series and subsequent omission from the Cronulla Sharks line-up had been hampered by swelling to his right knee.

BLUES TURN TO HOPOATE, DUGAN AND BIRD

Luke Lewis during game 1 of the 2014 Origin series. Source: News Corp Australia

Named on Tuesday on the NSW interchange bench, Lewis is a crucial cog in coach Laurie Daley's side with the 30-year-old not only a capable utility for all positions, but also Lewis is the only current Blue to have tasted a series win in 2004.

Lewis explained that it was during a routine wrestling drill prior to his comeback match from shoulder surgery in round nine against Parramatta, that he landed on a rock on one of the training grounds adjacent to Shark Park which led him to having his knee drained for the first time in his 14-year career.

DRAMATIC QUEENSLAND POUR ON THEATRICS

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"I came back for the Parramatta game and did a bit of wrestling and I landed on a little rock and my knee just got a bit sore,'' Lewis said.

"I went into that game and it was a bit sore and then afterwards, it just blew up.

"We got the swelling back down. But then after playing in the Tigers (round 10) game, it blew up again when I came into camp with the Blues the following Tuesday.

"I got through the week at training and the Doc (NSW team doctor Nathan Gibbs) looked at it and he decided to drain it on the Sunday afternoon.''

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While experiencing minor discomfort and a small amount of private pain, Lewis said he knew he was no risk once the excess fluid had been taken from the knee.

"After he drained it, I was sweet,'' Lewis said.

"I could walk on it easily, I could bend my leg again, which because of the fluid I just couldn't do.

"Come Monday it felt really good and then Tuesday it felt a million bucks and then I felt really good Wednesday night for the game.""

However, Lewis said the issue flared up again in the days following one of the most physical and brutal Origins in history.

He had every intention of featuring in the Sharks injury-riddled line-up against St George Illawarra, but after a few days of cardio and weights, the fluid returned.

Luke Lewis and Robbie Farah of the Blues celebrate victory. Source: Getty Images

"I played in Origin and as the week went on, it got puffier and so I went and had it drained and had a cortisone injection last Thursday before the Dragons game,'' Lewis said.

"Because of the cortisone you have to rest it for seven days and try not and do anything active on it and that's where I'm at today.

"Today (Tuesday) is day five, but I'll be right to run tomorrow (Wednesday).

"You're supposed to run on day seven but I'll be right to run tomorrow.

"At the moment I feel great. I'm feeling confident in it and when it comes game night I'll be right.''

The Blues have their first training session at 11am on Wednesday after arriving in Coffs Harbour on Tuesday night.

Has Laurie Daley selected the right team to break Queensland's eight-year dominance?

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Kent: Origin a war of attrition

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WE were talking about Greg Inglis. Or it might have been Daly Cherry-Evans, or Billy Slater.

Or it could have been Brent Tate, the list is seemingly endless in Queensland camp right now.

Footballers look at things differently than the rest of us and as we were talking injuries and the ability to come back from them, and play with them, Gorden Tallis put it in a way not often heard before.

"Every time we get injured we lose a little body armour," he said.

Brett Morris injures his shoulder while scoring his try during game one of the 2014 Origin series. Source: News Corp Australia

There is no better way to describe the mentality of ­Origin than that.

Armour.

The evidence is before us now, in the names of the players selected for NSW and Queensland.

Brett and Josh Morris are still recovering from the injury they suffered in Origin three weeks ago. Anthony Watmough will play Game II minus the bicep he took into Game I.

Queensland coach Mal Meninga named a 22-man squad that was reduced to 21 within the hour when Josh Papalii limped of GIO Stadium in Canberra.

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Cooper Cronk was already gone with a broken arm.

Cameron Smith is battling a shoulder injury, Cherry-Evans has an unstable knee, Slater's shoulder is also busted, Inglis has an ankle injury that could see him out for anywhere from two to eight weeks depending on whom you talk to, although most expect him to be okay once the life support machine is removed.

Niggly injuries affect just about everyone else.

Origin is no longer a game.

It is a miniseries on attrition. The ability to rise one more time has always been its great quality, but never more so now.

Has Laurie Daley selected the right team to break Queensland's eight-year dominance?

That's why there should be no surprise about the team Laurie Daley picked yesterday. The overriding criteria for selection was toughness.

Been there, done that, got the bruises to prove it.

Josh Dugan was picked for the same reason he should not have been picked. He can't be controlled. Dugan has the potential to bring the serenity of camp into ruin yet it's that very same quality on the field that makes Dugan the ideal pick to replace Josh Morris. He is not a safe option, he is a win-the-game option. Daley has made no secret he intends to wrap the game up in Sydney to send it back to Brisbane as a dead-rubber. If Dugan can be controlled in camp then he has the ability to decimate Queensland once he hits the field.

Josh Dugan during State of Origin 2 during the 2013 series. Source: News Limited

His greatest drawcard for NSW is: Queensland don't want to play against him. He honestly believes he belongs in the Origin arena, and so rises to the level required.

Will Hopoate is more a risk given he is just 12 games back into his NRL career after a two-year Mormon mission. The physical change in Hopoate in just that short time is the greatest indication he is ready. Hopoate nearly played himself out of the Origin side when Tyrone Peachey got around him several times for Penrith against Parramatta, two days after Origin, when Hopoate returned after filling the role as the Blues' 18th man.

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His defensive reads forced Daley to sit down with heavy chest pains. Yet those close to Hopoate blame his unusually quiet game on the same emotional hangover many of those that played suffered post-Origin.

It shows he is an emotional player, and in the right environment will find what is necessary to do the job. He was back again last week. Some might be surprised by Aaron Woods' inclusion ahead of James Tamou up front, with one of them having to go back to the bench so the pack could accommodate Greg Bird.

Origin is a game of momentum, the trick being to score points when the momentum is with you and to hold and withstand when it's not, waiting until it swings around once more. Tamou will come on for the second wave, his job to lift the tempo once more.

Josh Dugan and Will Hopoate will line-up for the Blues in Origin II. Source: News Corp Australia

Only once in the history of Origin have the same 17 players played all three games to claim the series. That was NSW in 1996. A centre in that team was Daley, now the coach, who after Game I last month had his own slant on this NSW performance.

He spoke of the injuries, and of the commitment which got the Blues home, battling through damaged armour, because it was necessary.

"And I hope everyone talks about that tomorrow because I know in the past," he paused, "it's always been the opposition who is spoken about.

"But our boys tonight ... wow."

BLOG WITH KENT FROM 1PM TODAY

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Right brothers: Dugan, Hoppa on the job

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NEW Blues centre Josh Dugan walked into camp on Tuesday and declared he wanted the toughest job in Origin — he wants to take-on Queensland superstar Greg Inglis head-on.

Dugan, the former rugby league bad boy, was on Tuesday named right centre for NSW and is poised for a high-powered, high-collision showdown with Inglis in State of Origin II at ANZ Stadium next Wednesday night.

Inglis has been hampered by an ankle injury but Queensland insists he will play.

NSW NAME THEIR SIDE: DUGAN, HOPOATE AND BIRD

Josh Dugan and Will Hopoate at ANZ Stadium. Source: News Corp Australia

And Dugan's challenge will be more monstrous given he will play at centre, not his customary fullback position.

Parramatta's Will Hopoate was named NSW right winger in place of injured Brett Morris.

"I am willing to put my body on the line and get in front and do whatever it takes to get the win," Dugan said.

"I have confidence in my ability. I have played a bit of centre in the juniors but it will only get better as I keep playing there."

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Asked did he want Inglis to play, Dugan said: "Yeah, as a player you always want to beat the best Queensland so there are no excuses.

"Everyone is expecting him to play and they are a great side.

"It will be (my greatest challenge). I am always up for a challenge.

"I say that when I'm playing fullback. I love playing Billy Slater and Jarryd Hayne and now I get the chance to play with 'Haynesy'."

Dugan appears to have turned around his confused life since Canberra sacked him Canberra last year.

"I guess I have to live with it," Dugan said of being tagged a bad boy. "I have had a few stuff-ups, there's no denying that.

"But I haven't had any bad headlines for a while. I pride myself on that now. I try and stay away from the situations that are going to get me in trouble.

"I was young (at Canberra) and still learning about myself — I wasn't in the right space at that time. I paid the price for it but have been given a second chance and will definitely grab it with both hands."

GI AND SLATER DECLARE THEMSELVES FIT

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Hopoate's return to the Origin arena is a polar opposite to Dugan. He made his NSW debut in 2011 while at Manly before embarking on a two-year Mormon mission.

"My goal at the beginning of this year was to be selected in the 17 for Parramatta," Hopoate said.

"To wear a sky blue jersey, it's a dream come true. I am very humbled, excited and anxious. There were a few emotions there.

"My heart is filled with gratitude toward Laurie (Daley, NSW coach) for showing belief in me and selecting me in his side.

"To be around the high-profile players will definitely help me out."

QUEENSLAND POUR ON THE THEATRICS

Josh Dugan at the NSW State of Origin team announcement. Source: News Corp Australia

Daley revealed why he opted for a Dugan-Hopoate combination.

"Josh is a footballer and a guy who was close to our best player last year in the series, albeit it in a different position," Daley said.

"We are confident that he can handle it.

"Will has been out of the game for the past two years but the games he played this season he hasn't looked out of place.

"He played well in the City-Country game. The more you give him, the more he wants. He will be part of this team for many years to come."

Has Laurie Daley selected the right team to break Queensland's eight-year dominance?

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Whinger barbs upset family: Tate

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BRENT Tate has revealed how outrageous insults from Blues players and staff upset his family, but is adamant the mouths they came out of mean they are irrelevant.

Tate, one of rugby league's great servants, had a not so subtle dig at the Blues' whingeing after he become the unlikely centre of a State of Origin furore.

Tate has been made a villain in Sydney simply for speaking honestly about being the victim of a dangerous throw.

Brent Tate is picked up in the tackle by Josh Reynolds and Beau Scott. Source: Getty Images

NSW coaching assistant Steve Roach told Tate to "harden up" after the veteran with a history of neck injuries admitted to being frightened when Josh Reynolds and Beau Scott cartwheeled him in Origin I.

While Reynolds' father said Tate's comments were a "disgrace" and every Blues player believes Tate crossed the line by speaking to the media about the tackle.

Blues prop Aaron Woods even promised revenge on Tate for what he believes was a deliberate attempt to influence the judiciary.

Reynolds' charge was actually downgraded by the judiciary, freeing him to play against Queensland in their must-win Origin II clash next Wednesday.

It is understood Woods's comments have particularly angered the Queensland camp.

Aaron Woods labelled Brent Tate "a sook" and the Queensland team isn't happy about it. Source: Getty Images

"Mate, the people who are saying it ... how can I put this? Their opinions don't faze me," Tate told The Courier-Mail.

"As long as the people who are around me and close to me know who I am, that's all I care about."

Tate however admitted the outrage over his comments, in which he said he didn't want to be in an "Alex McKinnon situation" have been tough for his family to digest.

"I'm not going to lie to you, it has been (tough)," Tate said.

"If they want to write that and say that then ... well, it is out my control.

Josh Reynolds is put on report for his tackle Brent Tate during game one. Source: News Corp Australia

"They have taken it totally out of context.

"I put it to bed pretty early. It is not something I am thinking about anymore."

The Blues' whingeing about Reynolds has only been topped by their whingeing about referee Shayne Hayne.

Blues coach Laurie Daley has campaigned in the media and to NRL officials to have Hayne dumped from Origin II following his Game One performance.

North Queensland Cowboys arrive back at Townsville airport after losing to the Eels in Sydney. Source: News Corp Australia

The Game Two officials will be announced today with Queensland management adamant Hayne and Ben Cummins should control all three Origin clashes.

"I actually went to the referees after Game One and congratulated them on their performance," QRL chairman Peter Betros said.

"As an old referee I know that game would have been tough to officiate but Shayne Hayne and Ben Cummins are the best referees in the game.

"They should control all three so there is consistency and players can get used to the way they referee."

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Thomas takes four in four balls

Perth's Alfonso Thomas celebrates the wicket of Melbourne's Daniel Harris at the WACA. Source: News Limited

SOUTH Africa's Alfonso Thomas has become the first bowler in over a decade to take four wickets with four consecutive deliveries in a first-class match.

Sussex were 33 without loss on the third day of four in a First Division County Championship match against Somerset when the 37-year-old Thomas sparked a collapse that cost the visitors five wickets in 10 balls without adding a single run.

Cape Town-born Thomas, whose sole international appearance came in a Twenty20 match for South Africa in 2007, began his brilliant burst by bowling James Anyon for 18 and next ball had Rory Hamilton-Brown lbw before former England batsman Ed Joyce was caught behind to complete the hat-trick at the end of the 17th over of the innings.

But if Sussex thought they were about to get some respite, they were mistaken as, four balls into the next over, Peter Trego dismissed Chris Nash with the help of a catch by James Hildreth.

Right-arm seamer Thomas returned and with the first ball of the subsequent over he bowled Matt Machan for a duck.

Somerset, who led Sussex by 75 runs on first innings, were left looking at completing a remarkable victory.

Surrey's Gary Butcher was the last player to take four wickets in four balls in a first-class match when he performed the feat against Derbyshire at The Oval in 2000.

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Not now dear, the World Cup’s on

Croatia's football team is a bigger turn on than nation's wives, according to local media. Picture: Darko Bandic Source: Darko Bandic / AP

NINE out of 10 married Croats would rather watch World Cup football on television than have sex with their wives and many would go celibate if that was the price to watch the finals, according to local media.

Quoting a poll carried out by the Ipsos Puls agency, the Zagreb daily 24Sata reported that 40 per cent of the 200 men aged between 30 and 50 who took part in the survey were ready to give sex up for a month if that was the price to pay to watch the World Cup.

Half of those polled said the best way to watch World Cup football was at home with friends visiting and one third said that they own two television sets to avoid marital arguments over screen time.

Croatia is in a frenzy ahead of their team's World Cup opener against Brazil on June 12.

By far the strongest of all former Yugoslav republics, the country has qualified for five out of five world championships since gaining independence in 1991.

It's best result was in the first outing: third in France 1998.

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Griffin dumps Hannant for Cowboys

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BEN Hannant's future at the Broncos is untenable after Brisbane coach Anthony Griffin last night dumped the former Test and Origin prop for Friday night's derby against North Queensland.

In a selection shock, Griffin wielded the axe with Hannant _ just 11 days after the prop amassed 159 metres and 34 tackles in 47 minutes in a tireless display against Souths.

In the same game, underfire prop Martin Kennedy _ a Griffin off-season purchase _ made 50 metres from six runs, but was retained in the starting side for the Queensland blockbuster.

Ben Hannant's relationship with Broncos coach Anthony Griffin is at breaking point. Source: News Limited

As revealed by The Courier-Mail, Hannant has fallen out of favour at Red Hill. And the latest ruction has pushed Hannant's relationship with Griffin to breaking point in a move that ostensibly sounds the death-knell for the prop's career at the Broncos.

Griffin did not return calls on Tuesday night. But it can be revealed Hannant was summoned to a meeting before training on Tuesday, where Griffin advised the prop he would be dropped for form reasons.

Hannant, off-contract at season's end, was said to be gutted. Brisbane's No. 1 bookend just a year ago, he will face the ignominy of playing for Ipswich against Central Capras in the Intrust Super Cup this Saturday night.

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Griffin's decision is even more perplexing considering the Broncos will face the Cowboys' representative pack without Origin back-rower Sam Thaiday, who is battling a calf injury.

The omission of Hannant and Thaiday leaves Brisbane with an inexperienced bench comprising David Hala, Jarrod Wallace, Jake Granville, Corey Oates and Todd Lowrie.

Broncos front-row great Greg Dowling said the axing of Hannant suggested there is bad blood between the prop and Griffin.

The absence of Sam Thaiday leaves the Broncos with an inexperienced bench. Source: News Corp Australia

"I read there was talk of a falling out and clearly there is something more to this," he said.

"The coach will live or die by his decisions but this is a strange one, I don't think he's been going bad at all.

"Ben Hannant didn't deserve to be dropped.

"I guess only Anthony Griffin knows the real reason. But with Sam Thaiday out, Ben's experience would have been invaluable."

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Well-placed sources say Hannant is resigned to being pushed out of Red Hill. It could happen before June 30, with Hannant's manager George Mimis currently in talks with an NRL rival.

Statistics suggest Hannant is by no means out of form. In the past three games, he has made 351 metres, 39 hit-ups and 93 tackles off the bench.

HANNAT ON THE OUTER AT BRISBANE

Over the same period, Kennedy has made 228 metres, 24 hit-ups and 71 tackles _ making him Brisbane's least productive prop.

Hannant's front-row cohort Josh McGuire said Brisbane's pack faced a daunting task in Townsville.

"They have the Australian front-rowers (Matt Scott and James Tamou)," he said.

"We have a tough job for sure, but our forward pack is excited about the challenge on Friday night."

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Capybara spotted on golf course

No gopher ... This capybara has been spotted on an Essex golf course a number of times after escaping from an exotic animals farm. Picture: North Weald Golf Club. Source: Supplied

IT'S like a scene out of Caddyshack — but with an exotic South American rodent instead of a pesky gopher proving difficult to capture on the golf course.

A group of golfers were shocked to see an exotic capybara wandering around on the green at North Weald Golf Club in Essex, The Telegraph UK reports.

The capybara, which is the world's largest rodent and is closely related to the gineau pig, is usually found in the grasslands of South America. It can grow to be up to 1.2 metres long.

The group of golfers who spotted it on March 16 at thought first though the usual critter it was a wild boar. They described it as looking "like a cross between a beaver and a bear".

The capybara has been spotted wandering the golf course a number of times since — but no one has been able to catch it.

The large rodent escaped from local exotic farm Ashlyn's Farm Shop, which is also home to buffalo, emus and wallabies.

Catch me if you can ... The capybara has managed to escape every time officials try to capture it. Picture: North Weald Golf Club Source: Supplied

Ashlyn's Farm Shop manager Rob Dixon confirmed they are missing a male capybara, but say they have not had much luck recapturing the runaway.

"We keep on trying to catch it, but as soon as we try and catch it, it's moved on or it jumps in the river and shoots off," he told The Telegraph.

"Next time we've got to get a vet out and try and tranquillise it."

"They run away from humans, they're quite shy," he said. "They're not like a rat, they're almost like a big hamster."

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Tallis: Maroons big men to fight it out

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IT is time for Queensland's forwards to stand up and show who really wants to play Origin this year.

I expect Mal Meninga will show a lot of faith with the team that delivered an eighth straight series win last year, but there are some positions that are safer than others.

Mal doesn't mince his words.

When I asked him on Triple M if the battle between Greg Inglis and Billy Slater was a great headache to have he replied: "What headache? 'GI' will be centre, Billy will be fullback, Cooper (Cronk) will be halfback and (Daly) Cherry-Evans will be 14."

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Mal knows who he wants and how he uses them is all that is to be decided.

The same applies to his forward pack, although I think there is a genuine battle going on for selection.

Cameron Smith, Matt Scott, Nate Myles, Sam Thaiday and Corey Parker are certain starters.

They will take five of the six positions in the forward pack and have done the job for Queensland many times before.

Greg Inglis and Billy Slater's Maroons positions are certain. Source: News Limited

The real battle is for the last spot in the starting back row and on the bench.

The way I see it, Matt Gillett, Ben Te'o, Chris McQueen, Josh Papalii and Dave Taylor are the ones fighting it out for those positions.

It's a pretty exciting time for Queensland when we have those quality players battling for a starting spot and bench spots and there is a chance that one or two of them could be missing out.

CHOPPY SAYS DRESS TAYLOR IN MAROON

We are probably one great front rower short too. There might still be a chance for someone like Ben Hannant or Dave Shillington to force their way back into the team this series.

Queensland is lacking a genuine big front rower who is playing quality minutes at the moment.

Dave Shillington has work to do to warrant a Maroons recall. Source: News Limited

Shillington and Martin Kennedy are probably the two biggest front rowers we've got, but neither of them has stood up this year.

I'm impressed by Kennedy's size, but at the moment he hasn't played like he is big. Everybody talks about how big and strong he is. At the Broncos they're super impressed by what an athlete he is, well it's not about what sort of athlete you are at training — it's about what you do on the football field.

Of Queensland's genuine big men, only Brenton Lawrence at Manly and Dylan Napa at the Roosters have put their hand up.

Josh McGuire is having a dig at the Broncos and while I would still like to see another front rower in the team, I don't think Mal will change the formula which worked well last year.

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Which means it's a battle between Gillett, Te'o, McQueen, Papalii and Taylor.

We have five guys with two weeks to show Mal how much they want to play for Queensland.

I think Gillett, Te'o and McQueen are slightly ahead — they might have their shorts and socks on but I don't think they have a mortgage on any jersey yet.

Taylor is the one with the best opportunity in the next two weeks.

Will Josh Papalii get another shot at Origin football? Source: News Limited

The Titans play South Sydney and then the Broncos.

He can show what he's got against the guys he is battling with for selection.

If he puts in 80 quality minutes in both games over the next two weeks, he will probably earn himself a spot on the Queensland bench.

I know people say players lift and form doesn't always matter, but the series is so tight now that you have to be going in playing good football.

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I want to see hard players over the next two weeks. No nonsense. Just tough and gritty performances from everyone.

It's not about what you're doing in the 60th minute. I'm watching right at the beginning. I want to see your intensity from the start and then I want to see those same efforts all the way through.

When it comes to Origin football, your intensity cannot drop for a second.

That is what you need to be showing us right now in the NRL.

Show Mal and show Queensland just how much you want that starting spot for Origin.

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Parra at war as tycoon blasts Eels

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PARRAMATTA'S civil war was likened to a contrived boxing bout on Tuesday, with former Macquarie Bank executive Bill Moss doubting the club's capacity to attract corporate support and win another premiership after Monday night's calamitous AGM.

A motion to appoint Moss as independent director was one of several defeated proposals from chairman Steve Sharp, who also endured the humiliation of being dealt a "no confidence" barb from former Eels CEO and political ally Denis Fitzgerald.

Sharp had earlier been verbally abused by ex-teammate and premiership prop Terry Leabeater, who was ejected prior to the meeting. As he left the room in company of two security guards, Leabeater berated Sharp and threw a voting paddle in his direction.

Former Eel Terry Leabeater's relationship with the club has deteriorated. Source: News Limited

Leabater later told The Daily Telegraph he'd mailed his 1986 grand final jersey back to the club in disgust, and claimed he was asked to leave for emailing Sharp a strongly worded message months ago.

On a night that raised the farcical bar for the strife-riddled institution, Sharp also failed in his bid to receive a $60,000 annual stipend and have sitting terms extended from two to three years.

But the biggest talking point was the failure of his motion to appoint Moss, recognised as one of Australia's most successful corporate bankers.

Moss last night told The Daily Telegraph: "It was a bit like going to a World Championship boxing match and getting beaten-up before you got there."

Bill Moss has admitted the situation at Parramatta is toxic. Source: News Limited

Although thankful for the support from Eels fans, Moss was taken aback by the number of "uneducated" comments from the floor. He also revealed that Leabeater had advised him to withdraw his nomination in the lead-up to the meeting, warning of a "s--- fight" at the AGM.

"It struck me as a set-up from day one," he said.

"There were people getting up and twisting the facts, talking rubbish. There were a lot of uneducated comments, a lot of emotive comments.

"Steve Sharp walked into an ambush and I felt sorry for him."

Eels CEO Scott Seward faces a tough task to promote a unified front for the club. Source: Supplied

Moss also expressed sympathy for CEO Scott Seward, who answers to a political maelstrom in the boardroom above.

"The losers (on Monday night) were the fans and the team," Moss wrote.

"Coming from a corporate background, when you look at sponsoring a team, you first look at their board and whether it ticks all the boxes. Companies need to have confidence in the board.

"Any potential sponsors sitting there (on Monday night) would not have been happy with what they saw.

"Having less sponsorship makes it harder to attract good players, which makes it harder to win premierships."

The Eels have a board meeting scheduled for later this month and directors could move to challenge Sharp's position after Monday night's drama.

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