The knives are out south of the border for Blues coach Graham Murray.
I’m just waiting for the New South Wales board to say that Muzza has its full support which, in most codes, usually means he is gone.

Tim Sheens has been bandied about as his replacement, as well as Craig Belllamy, but both of them should be very cautious about stepping into the NSW job.

For a start, they will need a magic wand to change the attitude of some of the Blues players. But, even scarier than that, is what happens to their club side.

Take Murray’s Cowboys. Last year they went from 2005 grand finalists to ninth on the ladder with the only difference being Muzza taking over from Ricky Stuart as Origin coach.

Then there was Stuart. At the end of 2004, the Roosters had been in the grand final three years in a row.

In 2005, when he coached the Blues to an Origin series win, the Roosters came ninth. The last, and maybe the only, Queenslander to coach both the Origin side and win the grand final was Wayne Bennett in 1998.

The QRL’s media man, Robert Rachow, can remember Ted Glossop winning the premiership in NSWRL premiership in 1980 with the Bulldogs, but losing the Origin, while Tim Sheens lost both the grand final and Origin series in 1991.

Origin and club coaching just do not seem to go together and that is probably why Mal Meninga is going so well.

Next Friday night, some old league players are battling out in the ring at the Brisbane Convention Centre to raise money for the Mardi Jackson Foundation.

There are some great grudge matches with Trevor Gillmeister against Garry Jack, Peter Ryan against Chris Johns and a number of other old grudges plus two pro fights.

The NRL Snipe tells me there a few old hookers are a bit dirty that Benny Elias isn’t on the card as Steve and Kerrod Walters and Greg Conescu are queuing up to get at him.

But seriously, it is great cause. For tickets, ring Ticketek 132 849.

The past couple of weeks I have had an ongoing battle with Caloundra Sharks stalwart Brett Clarke.

For the record, he sent me an e-mail about an upcoming game of gridiron that also had a bit of a shot at my column.

So, because the power of the pen was on my side, I retaliated by publishing his event and had a shot at Brett about his spelling.

At the time I was happy with my work, thinking that would be the end of it.

But, alas, last Saturday night I received a text message from old mate that managed to dent my confidence.

The mind games continued into the next day when I was riding my bike and saw Brett on the side of the road.

We engaged in a little banter as I rode around him and I then decided to get off the bike but forgot about my new pedals.

Still locked in, I fell at the big fella’s feet, taking a chunk of skin off my recently healed elbow from a previous fall. Brett 2 – Ashley 1. I give up.
The infamous, injury-prone Callan “Chalky” Sipthorp is up to his old tricks.

Currently living in England, due to work commitments, Chalky has indefinitely retired from soccer and league, two sports he was pretty handy at.

Just to keep fit, he has been playing touch. That was until he broke his finger a few weeks ago.

It has been suggested he take up something safer like croquet, but his mates were unsure about whether he could lift the mallet.

The recently departed Rooster, Chris Flannery, will be able to renew acquaintances with Chalky when he moves to England this week.

He will be able to keep an eye on his mate, too, because Sipthorp is in Chris’s October wedding party. Hopefully he won’t trip down the aisle.

The Sunshine Coast Water Polo Academy has had a bit of a coup recently with six under-14 boys making the state side. What a great effort.

TJ Phillips, Matt McGregor, Hunter Spice, Ryan Schoenberger, Peter Lynch and Mathew Hannan all train at Quad Park and made the side.

To add to that, Hannan has done well as he has represented Queensland in athletics and touch football as well, which is impressive. The fact his father played polo for NSW and is an ardent Blues supporter makes it even better.

Go, you Queenslanders!