Hooper in the dog house

The guessing game is over for the 918 DT coaches who have kept the faith with runaway Brisbane recruit Rhan Hooper - Lions coach Leigh Matthews looks certain to keep him sidelined for the rest of the season.

For those who can't recall Hooper (fwd, $158,900), he's the little Lion that went AWOL in the pre-season. Lethal today said: "He's suffering from the fact that he had two months away from preparation. It's probably going to wreck his whole year."

In contrast, Lethal reckons young Irishman Colm Begley is almost certain to regain his place in the Lions team to play Richmond at Telstra Dome on Saturday night after impressing in the reserves.

Merv Gray.