Bai clarifies son’s story

PAPUA New Guinea and Melbourne Storm legend Marcus Bai says his eldest son, Aston Bai, has not signed with National Rugby League (NRL) club Gold Coast Titans.
The 1999 premiership winner told The National on Tuesday that he was upset with recent reports — on social and mainstream media — of his son joining the Titans’ development programme.
“My son, Aston, has no deal with the Titans,” Marcus said of the 17-year-old Year 12 Marymount College student.
“Aston is not under the Titans’ development programme that was false news to everyone.
“I’m disappointed with the speculations that has been going around, but this is the world we live in.
“It’s not good for him with regards to his school and the outside news surrounding him.
“But my wife and I are managing him to ignore it and concentrate on his school because this is his last year.
“He has been great with it all, his mother and I are glad he’s moved on.”
The reports broke out after young Bai led his college team to victory in the Year 11/12 grand final of the Titans Cup last month.
Despite the reports, Bai said he still wanted his son to play in the NRL.
“Look, I’m an ex-NRL player here and as a father, you’ll be hoping that one day one of your sons do make it, or, if I have a daughter, I hope she does play the game I love.
“It would be nice.”
Aston was only three years old when his dad called time on a 10-year professional rugby league career which boasted 144 Storm games and 70 tries over six seasons with Melbourne.
Former Kumul Marcus said he wasn’t sure if his children would draw inspiration from him as they only knew about his rugby league career when they grew older.
“I don’t know because they never watched me play,” he said.
“As they grew older, they started to ask why strangers in shops or wherever kept shaking my hands and talk about rugby league.
“I told them that it was because I used to play NRL.”