BENJI MARSHALL is never one to say too much about his private life, but it's safe to say things are going very well in his relationship with TV personality Zoe Balbi. They have been looking for a place as their relationship goes to the next level. Zoe let slip that things were advancing in their relationship when she tweeted: ''Please please please let us get this house we want so bad''. My understanding is Balbi quickly removed the tweet. When he was doing his book tour during the week, I asked Marshall about how the relationship was developing and he wasn't keen to divulge. ''You know I don't like talking about that kind of stuff,'' he said. Has he ever lived with a girl before? ''Yeah, with my mum,'' he laughed. The couple have been an item for close to a year and if their full story ever gets told, it would be a target for the women's magazines in New Zealand and Australia. Six-figure sums are already being talked about. Marshall has been trying to chill out, but he made the mistake of holidaying on the Gold Coast during schoolies week. ''I got around in a wig and hat,'' he joked. At least I think he was kidding. Marshall said he was proud of his past season. ''It was probably my most mature year as a player, but I know that I can get better,'' he said. ''The key is to train harder right after I have a break from the game.'' As for his ''feud'' with Robbie Farah … ''We are best of mates and the people who keep bringing it up clearly have no idea. The first thing I did when I landed at home was to ring Robbie to see how his mum was. For people to be making things up about him whilst he has family concerns is pretty low.''MALONEY'S ITCHY FEET
JAMES MALONEY will ask the Warriors for a release for a second time to join the Roosters next year. He has already had one knockback but with a pregnant wife, he wants to get home sooner rather than later. And the Roosters have room in their salary cap - around $300,000 up the sleeve for next year. They cleared out the likes of Todd Carney, Nate Myles and Jason Ryles to create the room.BUNNIES BRUSH FINCH
SOUTHS have dismissed any interest in signing Brett Finch for 2013. He isn't the style of halfback they want. They are hoping Adam Reynolds comes good - but they are on record as saying they want Cooper Cronk and they'll also look at Daly Cherry-Evans and Peter Wallace.BEALE RUNNING HOT
KURTLEY BEALE'S appearance at a shoe promotion during the week would not raise an eyebrow normally - but the ARU should be asking questions. Beale ran at the event - this is a bloke who is suffering from a hamstring injury which ruled him out of the Wallabies' end-of-year tour. "It's coming along really well," he said. There is no question the Wallabies would have loved to have him on tour.CUP BLAMED FOR DEBT
THE ARU is confident its debts for the 2011 season won't reach $11 million, despite rumours suggesting that will be the figure. The final financials will be announced at the AGM in April - ARU powerbrokers say it will not reach double digits in the millions. The reason for the massive debt is the World Cup and associated reduction in domestic inventory which has cost the ARU $16m in net revenue this year. And that is revenue alone. On the expenditure side - extra costs associated with assembling the World Cup squad, having the players in camp and match payments were big. It appears answers lie in rescheduling the tournament - pushing it back a few weeks to allow The Rugby Championship (replacement for Tri Nations) to be played in full and not be truncated.PASCOE SLAMS MITCH
LEN PASCOE has ripped into injured Australian quick Mitchell Johnson, saying he is guilty of going missing during matches. "Mitchell has always been a controversial character and there is no doubt that he has enormous talent, but there are times that he just goes walkabout and he does not focus and he falls apart. He tends to take wickets at the expense of other bowlers. He bowls with a scrambled seam and he tends to bowl round-armed. Mickey Arthur needs to get on top of that. Eventually I think Mitchell Starc will take over as our opening bowler on a long-term basis and he will open with Patrick Cummins." Pascoe has admired Cummins for some time. "John Dyson spotted him some time ago. We were watching him bowl. I said there and then I think he was the fastest bowler in the country. But I've got a little bit of a warning to him - that deck he was on in South Africa … he won't get many that helpful again and he will be tested well and truly. Michael Clarke needs to take real good care of him and not over bowl him."LOSS SHATTERS MATES
THURSDAY was one of those days it's hard to be a sports journalist - breaking the news of Arthur Beetson's death to some of his closest mates was no fun. "F--- no, that can't be right," was the reaction from Ray Price and typical of many. "It's funny, you know - you want me to pay tribute to him, but Arthur was never into that kind of thing. He never liked the spotlight, but the world and the game of rugby league is in a worse way because of the passing of Arthur." Wendell Sailor learnt of the news on Twitter and rang to check if it was true. "Mate, I'm shattered, we were very close," he said. "When I was a 16-year-old he tried to sign me at Cronulla and I was keen to go and join him. For some reason there was no money and the deal did not happen, but we always talked about it whenever we caught up. Arthur was a really strong support to me when I was outed from the game. He stuck out a hand of support and I will always remember that. He tried to get me re-involved with the game and I'm grateful for what he did." One typical Beetson story was when he led a football tour group around Europe. There was a card table on board the bus and Beetson apparently did not see a single famous sight.FROM BERNIE, WITH LOVE
NOTHING has been said by Harry Kewell or Bernie Mandic since they split after a 15-year association. I did receive a left-field email from Mandic accompanied by photos of a cloud-covered Eiffel Tower. ''The wonder of disappearing in to the misty plume of Parisian clouds … And no, I am not being suicidal - just sittin' back, smokin' me ciiigars and playing photographer with my iphone from time to time. A lot of nonsense being said about where I am, what I'm doing and how I'm feeling. Now you know. As Doris so well sang, Que Sera Sera …''TINKLER IN FINE FORM
DARREN LOCKYER kept it quiet, but he caught up with Knights owner Nathan Tinkler when he was in Newcastle for the Kangaroos' October Test against New Zealand. But there is no chance of him following his mentor Wayne Bennett to the Knights. When he was in the office with Tinkler, Lockyer saw what he thought was a form guide. He asked Tinkler which horses he owned on the lengthy list. "All of them," he replied.IN THE HUNT
KARMICHAEL HUNT has achieved plenty in his sporting career. Now he has kicked a goal off the field. He has become engaged to his girlfriend Emma Harding. And former Broncos teammate Sam Thaiday got married yesterday to Rachel Evans.GOOD NEWS FOR GLENN
WORD from the family is Glenn Stewart's fiancee, Joanne Long, is making good progress in her battle with illness. And the plan is for the couple to get married next month. It's great news after everything the Stewart family has been through.PETERS FIRES UP
THE fireworks at Manly are far from over with some big developments set to take place in the boardroom. Former media manager Peter Peters is getting even angrier at those who forced him out, saying it was time for Manly to be represented by people elected by the members, not appointed by a chosen few.UNDERARM TACTICS
GREG CHAPPELL is always a relevant figure when we are playing the Kiwis - and the underarm ball always gets a mention. "There is not a day that goes by in my life where it is not brought up by someone in the public or the media. It was a culmination of a whole lot of events that were happening around cricket at that stage. It was a different world after World Series Cricket and there were systems and conditions that needed improving. It was almost a protest at the lack of support that we were getting from administrators and others at the time. It was a pretty dramatic way to make it but it got the message across.''Immortal Artie always be a big hit
ARTHUR BEETSON'S stoush with NSW opponent and Parramatta teammate Mick Cronin is always credited with igniting State of Origin - but Wally Lewis said there was another hit from the late, great Immortal which sparked the Queenslanders. "When he cleaned up Graeme Wynn, that really got us going. He played like a man possessed that night. I'll never forget the way he came around and talked to me and said 'I don't know much about you, but you are in this side so you must be a good player'. His aura before the game and then what he did on the field that night set the standard in Origin forever."