Graveyard shift: Kent works at funeral home while waiting for court return

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Fox Sports personality and Daily Telegraph columnist Paul Kent has found a new line of work with a funeral home as News Corp considers whether he will be replaced as a full-time TV host. There is no official word on Kent’s future as he prepares to return to court in December, but Gorden Tallis has filled the void well so far.

Kent was one of the loudest and most divisive media figures in the NRL, but he has been close to invisible since being charged with two domestic violence-related offences in May after a 33-year-old woman alleged she had been choked at a home in the inner west.

Outside the courtroom where he pleaded not guilty to the charges, Kent said it was his turn to be part of the rugby league circus. By anyone’s standards, that was an interesting choice of words.

He is now working in one of the most sensitive jobs at Mannings Funerals in Rozelle. I contacted the funeral home during the week and it confirmed Kent was working as a part-time limousine driver.

Funeral director Michael Manning, from Mannings Funerals, said: “He’s been down a few times to work with us. If he wants a job full-time I’d have no problem with that.

“He said he has an interest in the funeral business and I’d show him the ropes. He told me he wants to write a book about the funeral business and I’d help him out with that for sure. And if he needs more work, I’d help with that, too.”

Paul Kent was charged with two domestic violence-related offences in May.Credit: Kate Geraghty

I tried to contact Kent for comment. I have not had a reply.

The rugby league media and, in particular, News Corp have been heavily criticised by the public for being too lenient in their coverage of Kent with comparisons being made to the reporting on NRL players facing similar charges.

Fox Sports will need to decide on its next step. If Kent is found not guilty, can he still sit on a panel and judge others, as has been his role?

The feeling is that is unlikely. He certainly could talk about football, but would struggle with commentary about behaviour or culture.

Latrell Mitchell with Eddie Farah last season.Credit: Getty

Rabbits on the run

Veteran physio Eddie Farah is the latest established staff member to leave the Rabbitohs during the Jason Demetriou era, taking the total to at least eight. Most notably, on the playing front, they let Adam Reynolds leave on the eve of Demetriou’s stint as head coach.

The departures can be viewed in two ways: the club is backing the coach; or it is an environment some feel they cannot thrive and succeed in. Time will tell which it is.

The exits started with Travis Touma, who joined Souths from the Roosters 12 months earlier, and continued with Farah, who has been at the club for 17 years. The obvious big movers were club legend Sam Burgess – who left the club in a messy split just over two weeks ago – and assistant John Morris, who is off to Wests Tigers.

Other back-room and high-performance staff have left. More could follow.

Burgess and Morris have intimate knowledge of this season’s dramatic slide from competition leaders to missing the top eight, but were not required to be part of the end-of-season review. It is understandable because they had bumpy exits, but it also raises questions about the depth of the season review.

Souths are bracing for an onslaught of coaching speculation with Wayne Bennett and, potentially, Burgess on the coaching market in 12 months. There are already rumours that the board didn’t ratify an extension for Demetriou. This has been denied.

It is still a curious thing that Souths did not put out a media release announcing the retention of their coach. Demetriou initially signed a two-year deal for 2022 and 2023, then a three-year contract extension during the season.

The Burgess return is being pushed already – before he leaves Australia to take up his new job as head coach at Warrington. Incorrect stories said Souths co-owner Russell Crowe and Burgess fell out over Burgess’ recent decision to quit the club.

Sam Burgess and Jason Demetriou.Credit: Getty

It would be stunning if Crowe didn’t privately endorse Burgess as an option as head coach now or after he has got some experience in the UK.

Some at Souths would walk out if Bennett returned.

Going by the book

Speaking of Wayne Bennett, his close relationship with Crowe, Cody Walker and Latrell Mitchell is detailed in the upcoming biography on Bennett, The Wolf You Feed by Andrew Webster. It reveals how enamoured Crowe has been with the seven-time premiership winner, referring to him as “Mr Bennett” and whisking him away for weekends on his farm on the NSW North Coast.

Cody Walker and Wayne Bennett during their time together at the Rabbitohs.Credit: Getty

“I had always held him [Bennett] in high regard,” Crowe says in the book. “My respect for him only increased while he was at Souths. He’s a great operator. The coach of coaches.”

Bennett was influential in luring Mitchell to Redfern, going over the head of then football boss Shane Richardson to secure the deal.

Mitchell met with Bennett at his home and afterwards told manager Matt Rose: “Nobody has ever spoken to me like that before. That’s who I wanted to play for.”

Bennett says his greatest regret in coaching was not joining Souths in 2012.

“If I knew Sam Burgess, like I know him now, you couldn’t have stopped me from going there,” he said. “I love being around Sam Burgess. I could live every day with him because I love the energy that he brings.”

Bennett’s relationship with Walker is just as strong. In his first week at Souths, he told the five-eighth: “You play your best footy when you’re smiling and running the footy, so do that. Don’t worry about the other bullshit that goes on.”

After a shock loss to the Bulldogs on a Friday night, Bennett didn’t talk to his players at all and said he’d see them on Monday. On the Sunday, he phoned Walker, who Bennett knew would be stewing.

“So, how do you think you went?” Bennett asked.

Walker had already reviewed the match and noted all his errors, which he detailed for Bennett.

“I thought you played all right,” the coach said.

“Wayne!” Walker said, “Spray me!”

Walker says: “That happened so many times. He just knows what the team needs at that particular time. He’ll know when to give the boys a rev up, he knows when to change the mood … That’s because he’s been in the game as long as it’s existed!”

‘Superstar human’ Cleary

ARL Commission chairman Peter V’landys has gone out of his way to label Nathan Cleary a “superstar human” after a builder who is working on the league boss’s home highlighted Cleary’s dedication to a young girl fighting cancer.

Nathan Cleary makes a line break in Saturday night’s game against the Warriors.Credit: Getty

Tragically, nine-year-old Nicola Smith lost her battle with brain cancer in recent days, but after learning of her fight, Cleary helped fill some of her final moments with joy. She was in Bear Cottage in Manly and Cleary made a number of trips to see her. It was not a Panthers initiative; it was all Cleary’s doing. He wore a tribute to her on his boots for the game against Manly in round 24.

“A tradesman who is working at my house and is a Parramatta tragic wanted me to know the kindness and thoughtfulness of Nathan Cleary,” V’landys wrote to me.

“This is one of many acts of kindheartedness I hear about Nathan. Not only is he a superstar player but a superstar human being. He may even do the impossible and turn the Parra man to a Panther.”

Peter V’landys was full of praise for Nathan Cleary.Credit: Dean Sewell

I spoke with Cleary during the week about the impact he has on fans.

“That’s the best part about what we do,” he said.

“I know we can make a difference, and it’s nice to bring some joy. I remember what it was like for me as a kid and the impact players had on me.

“I was lucky enough to meet her [Nicola] when she came out to a training session last year. She was a young girl who had been through a tough time — she was so lovely and had a lot of character. I got to meet the family and I stayed in contact with them. I was lucky enough to see her again earlier this year, and at the time she was defying the odds. They thought her time was going to end sooner than it did, but she was a soldier and kept fighting on.

“Midway through this year I went out to visit her and she was in palliative care. I was so fortunate to spend time with her beautiful family. She was a big Panthers fan, so she meant a lot to me.”

Magpie shot down

Lee Hagipantelis has had a slam dunk victory in his battle with former Wests Magpies chairman Shannon Cavanagh, who referred Hagipantelis, a lawyer, to the Law Society of NSW. Among Cavanagh’s complaints was that he was referred to as demented by Wests Tigers chairman Hagipantelis in an interview on SEN radio.

This is what the Law Society concluded: “A preliminary assessment of this complaint has been conducted pursuant to section 276 of the Uniform Law and the Professional Conduct Committee (Committee) closes the complaint pursuant to section 277(1)(h) of the Uniform Law on the basis that the solicitor’s alleged conduct does not amount to either unsatisfactory professional conduct or professional misconduct and therefore requires no further investigation.”

Hagipantelis said: “The complaint was frivolous, vexatious and without merit. It was dismissed without me even being called upon to respond. Engaging the Law Society to deal with disciplinary proceedings prosecuted against the individual by Wests Magpies, not Wests Tigers, was pathetic. The Law Society treated the complainant with the contempt it deserved.”

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