SIDELINES: Taylor signs new contract

Released at the end of the season, the home-grown defender is one of a host of players hoping the change will prompt a rethink.

FFA will also pay players outstanding wages and superannuation.

The timing could not have been better for Regan.

Regan and fiancee Jess Phillips tied the knot on Saturday at Stanley Park in Fullerton Cove.

The wedding had already been paid for, but the overdue salaries will come in handy for their honeymoon in Bali.

Current and former teammates Jacob Pepper, Kew Jaliens and Jeremy Brockie were among the guests. And no need to guess the main topic of conversation.

Regan will spend three weeks in Bali. In the meantime he is relying on agent Joel Grennell to find him a home, preferably back at the Jets.

 JOEL and Ryan Griffiths were born and bred in the Shire, but there is no doubt where their hearts lie.

Controversially sacked by the Jets in January, Joel, who is recovering from a torn anterior cruciate ligament, revealed in the Herald on Saturday that he would play ‘‘for free’’ if the club wanted him back.

Not to be outdone, younger brother Ryan, whose wife is from Newcastle, chimed in with a similar proposition.

Now playing in Malaysia, Ryan, in response to Joel’s offer, posted on Twitter: ‘‘@JamesGardiner42 @billygriff29 I don’t think I can play for free but I will pay for basic living expenses! @FFA

JOBE Wheelhouse and Michael Bridges were teammates at the Jets.

Now they are combining to help young strikers find the back of the net with a ‘‘finishing school’’.

Wheelhouse has been operating a coaching business since he parted ways with the Jets two years ago.

He now plays for Lambton Jaffas in the Northern NSW National Premier League and was joined by Bridges this season.

Between them they know a thing or two about scoring goals.

Although a midfielder for most of his 106 A-League games, Wheelhouse was a finalist for the A-League goal of the year in the 2009-10 season with a stunning long-range volley against Gold Coast at Hunter Stadium.

Bridges was a regular on the scoresheet at the height of his career, scoring 16 goals in 79 appearances for Sunderland and 19 in 56 for Leeds United before injury stalled his career.

The clinic is for players aged 11 to 19 and starts in June.

ASIDE from Taylor Regan, former Jets captain Ruben Zadkovich also got hitched on Saturday.

He and fiancee Bianca Foteff were married in Sydney.

Zadkovich now calls Perth home, but there were plenty of Novocastrians present.

Former teammates Jobe Wheelhouse, Nikolai Topor-Stanley, Sam Gallaway and Ben Kantarovski were among the guests.

Bianca is the daughter of Broadmeadow Magic president Steve Foteff.

THE class of people who have left the Jets was on display last week when home-grown products Andrew Hoole and Taylor Regan showed their support for a grieving football family.

Popular Squadron member and South Cardiff fan and player Sam Taylor was found dead at just 23 last Monday at his home.

Friends and family will farewell him on Monday at Lake Macquarie Memorial Park on Cessnock Road at Ryhope from 10am. 

The Taylor family has asked that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Joshua Caruso Foundation at the service. 

The foundation aims to raise money and awareness to combat the heart condition hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. 

Lake Macquarie 13-year-old Joshua Caruso died from the condition in 2013.

In response, Jets player of the year Hoole, who is joining Sydney FC, and discarded members club player of the year Regan gave their 2015 jerseys to the Taylor family.

Both players wrote signed tributes to Sam on their jerseys.

Hoole posted a photo of himself with the jersey on Instagram with the words: ‘‘Very honoured to hand my playing jersey for the 2015 season over to the Taylor family, who lost their son a few days ago. 

‘‘The shirt will be kept with Sam in memory of his passion for football and the Newcastle Jets. Rest in peace, mate.’’

One of Sam’s three brothers, Brody, who plays first grade for Edgeworth, thanked the Jets players and the wider football community for their support.

‘‘It was nice and we certainly appreciated it,’’ Brody said of Hoole and Regan’s tributes.

A STRAY dog provided some comic relief on an otherwise sombre day for the South Cardiff and Edgeworth football clubs on Sunday at Ulinga Oval.

Black armbands were worn and a minute’s applause held before the first-grade match to remember Sam Taylor, whose family had strong connections to both clubs.

The match was played on a slippery surface and neither side produced their best.

But a dog provided some relief late in the first half when he sprinted onto the field and tried to befriend players from both sides.

Play was halted as Edgeworth winger Bren Hammel tried to carry the dog towards the sideline and some help. The dog, however, was not keen to go to the crowded side of the ground, and no one, it seemed, was keen to help.

The dog offered a mix of passive and active resistance before Hammel handed over the dog to the Eagles coaching staff.

NSW Waratahs back-rower Stephen Hoiles has called for video review stoppages in rugby to be limited, describing them as a blight on the game.

Hoiles was frustrated by delays in the Waratahs’ win over the Crusaders in Sydney on Saturday night.

The officials checked on a variety of incidents, including some shoulder-charge tackles.

‘‘I thought the stoppage of the game, I think that’s a blight on the game, to be honest,’’ Hoiles said.

‘‘If you want to be really technical, every cleanout involves a shoulder at some stage.’’

He suggested officials were possibly calling for the stoppages because they were concerned about making mistakes.

Hoiles felt there shouldn’t be stoppages to check for foul play.

He said some things could be reviewed after a match.

‘‘If we’re just continually stopping and going up to the video ref, it’s going to turn into the NFL,’’ Hoiles said. ‘‘League is going down that path now with players not staying down and not letting referees or third umpires make decisions.

‘‘I just find it disappointing. I don’t think it needs to happen and it’s no individual or team’s tactic.

‘‘It’s just probably referees a bit concerned that they are going to make the wrong call. I don’t think it needs to be the stage where a game gets dragged on by 10 minutes to pick up the stoppages.’’