Herbie Farnworth’s Bronco chapter is officially closed – and nothing says “it’s over” quite like getting booted from the team group chat
“They have kicked me out,” Herbie laughed to Code Sports
but I guess all those years of being a Bronco means nothing now.”
The Dolphin’s illusive centre has gone from Red Hill regular to Redcliffe wonder after switching from the Broncos to their hometown rival club in 2024
The Englishman clocked 79 games in Brisbane colours since his debut in 2019
but despite now flying high with the Phins
he has managed to keep a toe in Bronco waters – or at least
their WhatsApp group – for more than a year since his local deflection
“It’s a standard process when you leave clubs
I just don’t get any scoops in the group anymore.”
It’s digital exile for the English international
But while Herbie’s been dropped from the group chat
The Dolphins headlined the Friday blockbuster against the Sydney Roosters to open up Magic Round – with the prime-time timeslot usually reserved for the Broncos
The Dolphins never really threatened the Roosters in their 36-26 defeat at Suncorp Stadium
with the ‘Hammer’ (Hamiso Tabiai-Fidow) scoring a marvellous double to savour the score line for the home team
it was James Tedesco’s magic that inspired the Tricolours win after losing their second-string playmaker early
Roosters half Sandon Smith was taken off the field with a concussion in the opening minutes of the game
who was out to back-up the game of his career following ANZAC round last week
meaning the Roosters had to quickly find a plan B
The young playmaker has stepped in this season to cover marquee halfback singing and English-born Sam Walker
who is recovering from a long-term ACL knee injury
Tedesco wasted no time in leading the charge and took away the player of the match medal in helping secure the Chooks first back-to-back wins of the season
Victor Radley also had a stellar performance for the eastern suburbs scoring a double and inspiring around the middle
The Broncos have been bumped to Sunday afternoon against the Panthers
was all too happy to poke fun at the situation
“The Broncos have been shafted,” he joked to Code Sports
“Herbie couldn’t wait for his big chance on TV.”
“I played a lot of Friday night games as a Bronco
it’s my favourite timeslot,” Farnworth said
“There’s always a big crowd at Suncorp on Friday nights and a big TV audience so it’s great to have that slot for Magic Round.”
With 180,000 fans expected across the three-day footy festival and every ticket sold out
Herbie’s not going to miss the group chat too much
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Farnworth is a large town in the borough of Bolton in Greater Manchester
The town is close to the M61 motorway and the busy A666 runs through the area
Farnworth has two rail stations - Farnworth and Moses Gate - which is served by Northern on the Manchester to Preston line
The Royal Bolton Hospital is situated in the area
Farnworth has a number of parks including Farnworth Park
Bradford Street Recreation Ground and Doe Hey Playing Fields
Farnworth: It's pretty cool for the fans to see all the teams
Robinson: We think we can keep getting better
Ryles: we've got some really good work done this week
NRL superstar Herbie Farnworth could become just the sixth English player in history to win the prestigious Golden Boot award after making the shortlist
The award, which recognises the standout performers in international rugby league every year, will be announced in early December: and will be decided by some of the game’s great players who have reached 50 international caps including England icon James Graham
Australia legend Darren Lockyer and Petero Civoniceva
who represented both Australia and Fiji on the international scene
Dolphins centre Farnworth, who hails from the small village of Blacko in Lancashire, has been named on the six-player shortlist for the 2024 Golden Boot award after his standout performances in England’s 2-0 Test series win over Samoa on home soil this autumn
Farnworth faces strong competition for the award – with Australia trio Harry Grant
Tom Trbojevic and Isaah Yeo being nominated after the Kangaroos’ Pacific Cup win as well as Tonga captain Addin Fonua-Blake and New Zealand speedster Keano Kini
But if Farnworth was to win this year’s award – with the winner being announced in early December – he will become just the sixth English player in history to win the gong
Kevin Sinfield and Tommy Makinson are enjoying each other’s company in an exclusive club of English players to be named Golden Boot winners
QUIZ: Can you name every winner of the men’s Golden Boot award since 2000?
The Golden Boot award was founded in 1985 by the British magazine Open Rugby and it was first awarded to Australian icon Wally Lewis for his performances throughout 1984 – with Garry Jack (1985)
Mal Meninga (1989) and Schofield (1990) also recipients of being crowned rugby league’s best player for those specific calendar years
No award was made between 1990 and 1998 at the time due to organisational difficulties – with League Publications Ltd buying the rights to the award in 1999 and began awarding the Golden Boot from that year on
The International Rugby League purchased the rights to the award in 2017 and introduced a women’s category in 2018 – with the wheelchair category coming a year later
Whilst the Golden Boot was previously awarded to rugby league’s player for their performances throughout the calendar year for club and country
the award was changed under the IRL’s guise to displays solely on the international stage during said calendar year
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The first non-footballing event at Everton Stadium - the ABK Beer Rugby League Ashes Second Test - will be played in front a full house
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