Des Hasler and Peter Peters are the closest of mates - but that hasn't stopped them having some almighty barnies over the past 30 years.
Zorba tells it as he sees it and Des has never backed away from a stoush and that has led to some frosty exchanges and no contact until the inevitable kiss and make up.
The two do not see eye to eye over the selection of centre Morgan Harper, who was turned into roadkill by Cronulla centre Siosifa Talakai in the Sharks' 34-22 win last Thursday. Harper was eventually hooked at half-time and replaced by rookie Tolutau Koula, but the damage was done, the Sea Eagles going to the sheds 32-0 down.
"Fans are screaming about the selection of Morgan Harper. That was one of his (Hasler's) biggest selection blunders ever and it cost his side big time," Zorba told radio's Big Sports Breakfast Weekend. "I don't know what Des was thinking - it was a giant mistake."
In Hasler's defence, he felt dragging Harper out of the game earlier may have damaged the young bloke psychologically.
Zorba responded: "I love Dessie and we're good mates but I don't buy that. You've got the rest of the side to think about. He made a mistake and he should have owned up to it. You've got to pick your side on form, not on playing favourites."
Koula's impressive second half form when given an opportunity has left Hasler with no choice but to choose him ahead of Harper.
WILLING THEM TO SUCCEED
William Hanks has a wonderful response when people ask if he has a disability.
"I don't consider myself as having a disability. I'm on the autism spectrum but I just see the world a bit differently to other people," he explained.
Hanks is keen to break down the stigma attached to autism and other disabilities and is doing his bit through cricket via the Northern Beaches Disability Program, set up by Manly first grade batsman Ben Bryant and overseen by Cricket NSW. It is targeted at players in the 5-12 age bracket but also caters for those wanting to coach or volunteer.
ALSO READ: Want more news from the northern beaches?
William has thrown his energy into coaching, believing that's where his strength lies. "I wanted to coach to learn new skills and gain new experiences. I enjoyed the program and learned a lot about coaching children with disabilities or special needs," he said. "What made this experience better, was that I could relate to the kids."
He tells the story of working with a young female player, Ruby, who is non-verbal. "It meant I could talk to her but she couldn't talk to me. It wasn't an issue. I could tell she was having a good time by how happy she was," William said. "Another kid, Oscar, couldn't stand without his walker but he couldn't use it when bowling so just knelt on the ground and bowled non-stop for an hour. Sport for kids should be about having fun and just because you have a disability doesn't mean that you can't play cricket."
Bravo to all involved.
HELP IS ON ITS WAY
Mark DeBrincat was devouring a recent edition of Northern Beaches Review over his morning coffee when he came across Inside Back's piece on a call out for help from the Pacific Island rugby community.
As you may recall, Alison Donnan, a northern beaches-based physio who has close ties with the PIs, was after mowers to help rugby clubs in Tonga's outer islands repair and maintain fields hit by January's devastating tsunami.
DeBrincat, who is master in charge of rugby at Cranbrook school, was immediately on the phone to offer support. "I was reading about it and saw the number and gave Alison a call to see where we as a school might be able to help out," he said. "It's a great cause and one we are keen to get involved with. We're talking to Alison on what that help might look like, but we might be able to buy them a couple of ride-on mowers for example and help with some rugby gear."
- Tips? adamlucius17@gmail.com
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content:
- Bookmark www.northernbeachesreview.com.au
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Facebook
- Follow us on Twitter
- Follow us on Instagram