Monday Buzz: Weekend highlights, lowlights
MONDAY Buzz: Eels forward Tepai Moeroa should have been a sin bin minum while the NRL’s refeeing department is the biggest blight on the game — check out the big talking points.
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CHECK out the highlights, lowlights and talking points from another memorable weekend in sport.
HIGHLIGHT
A wonderful Roosters v Wests Tigers contest. In a game that had everything, the desperate last-minute defence of Daniel Tupou and Blake Ferguson was simply magnificent rugby league.
HIGHLIGHT II
Teenage South Sydney winger Campbell Graham’s magnificent try against Cronulla. So spectacular it would make the final of the AFL’s mark-of-the-year contest. Unbelievable skill.
LOWLIGHT
The disgraceful shoulder charge by Eels forward Tepai Moeroa on Chris Heighington on Saturday night. A minimum sin-bin offence, possibly a send-off. This incident is further proof the NRL football department needs a bomb put under it.
LOWLIGHT II
Another terrible performance from the Parramatta Eels to go down 30-4 to a Knights team that was flogged when conceding 48 points the previous week. Pressure continues to build on coach Brad Arthur, although he has enough runs on the board for next year.
MORE MONDAY BUZZ: Dear Todd, don’t blow State of Origin opener
$15M ORIGIN PUNT
Wednesday night’s State of Origin game is expected to be the biggest-betting rugby league event in history. The TAB and corporate bookmakers will hold more than $15 million on the game.
CAM CALLING SHOTS
In a coup for Channel 9’s State of Origin coverage, former Kangaroos and Maroons skipper Cameron Smith will join its commentary team.
NEEDING KICKSTART
Manly’s kicking game against the Cowboys at Brookvale was woeful. Meanwhile, Trent Barrett continues to snub the best general-play kicker in the club, Jackson Hastings. Sea Eagles fans deserve better.
BLUE BUNNIES
Some interesting trivia from a reader and keen Souths fan, Peter Lee. James Roberts will become the fourth player from the Rabbitohs’ 2010 under-20s team to play Origin. The others are Josh Mansour, Nathan Peats and Adam Reynolds.
360 VIEW
Catch you Monday night on NRL 360 with Ben Ikin and Paul Kent in the countdown to the State of Origin blockbuster. We’ll cross live to both the Blues and Maroons camps for the last word on their preparations.
MADGE MAKES NO MARK ON REFEREES
IT’S disappointing that newly appointed Kiwi coach Michael Maguire has had little or no impact in his role as an adviser to the NRL refereeing department.
Maguire’s involvement in the sacking of Origin referee Matt Cecchin is unclear, although he was on the panel that inexplicably relegated him to an assistant role for the Rabbitohs v Sharks game under Henry Perenara.
The refereeing department has become the biggest blight on the game. So bad, the independent commission needs to step in and fix it.
Immortal Bob Fulton had a similar consultant role as Maguire two years ago. He walked out after a couple of months because he was banging his head against a brick wall.
STORM BREWS FOR SMITH AND SLATER
MELBOURNE are predictably denying there has been a fallout between their long-time champions Cameron Smith and Billy Slater. Still, this is an interesting story.
When Smith was suspended for a wishbone tackle recently and Slater replaced him as skipper, Manly flogged them 24-4 and everyone spoke about how much they missed Smith’s captaincy. Slater could have taken it personally.
There was also the recent revelation that coach Craig Bellamy consulted only Smith — and not Slater — about his offer from Brisbane before it became public. Maybe Slater felt left out.
We do know Smith also fell out with Cooper Cronk when he left for the Roosters and didn’t even attend his wedding. It all makes for some interesting times in the southern capital.
EMPTY SEATS A BAD LOOK FOR NRL
STATE of Origin is always the most difficult time for NRL club games. Without 34 of the best players in the game, the standard of footy and crowds drop off.
So who would be stupid enough to schedule two games at ANZ Stadium and one at Allianz? The TV backdrop for three of the four games was empty blue seats.
The four games over the weekend attracted just 35,483 fans at an average of just 8871. That’s the lowest in more than 10 years. Next year take the games to the bush or suburban grounds. Sunday’s Roosters-Tigers game was a screamer. Imagine the atmosphere at Leichhardt Oval. Keep ANZ and Allianz for the big games.
Originally published as Monday Buzz: Weekend highlights, lowlights
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