What’s the Buzz: Saint, sinner, shoosh — the latest sports gossip

THIS week’s sinners are free-to-air TV executives and you won’t believe where referees boss Tony Archer was spotted the night Sia Soliola knocked out Billy Slater.

THIS week’s sinners are free-to-air TV executives and you won’t believe where referees boss Tony Archer was spotted the night Sia Soliola knocked out Billy Slater.

SAINT

THIS is the last edition of this newspaper for our sports editor Chris Hopper. “Chopper” is one of the most professional and dedicated journalists I have had the pleasure to work alongside in 40 years. And a great fella, too. Thanks for everything, mate.

WHAT’S THE BUZZ: SBW could make NRL return

SINNER

Which genius decided to put Canterbury on prime-time free-to-air television for seven of the last eight rounds of the NRL? They are the worst attacking side in the competition and are damaging the NRL brand.

Bulldogs players look dejected after an Eels try.

SPOTTED

IT didn’t take long for our new independent commissioners to enjoy some free hospitality. Commission chairman John Grant and his wife, Helen, played host to Peter Beattie and Megan Davis in the Roosters suite for the game against the Cowboys last weekend. It was probably a good thing Nick Politis wasn’t there. Being Queenslanders, the cash-strapped NRL paid for their flights and accommodation, too.

SPOTTED II

We can reveal NRL refs boss Tony Archer was actually inside the bunker on the night Canberra Raiders player Sia Soliola knocked Billy Slater unconscious two week ago — but did nothing about it. He had three minutes to tell the video official it was a send-off offence but did nothing about it. Later he issued a press release to admit they had stuffed up.

NRL Referees boss Tony Archer.

SPOTTED III

FORMER Panthers stars Royce Simmons, Darryl Brohman, John Farragher and Brad Waugh enjoying a chat about the old days at a Penrith restaurant last week.

SPOTTED IV

LONG queues of excited Eels fans buying blue and gold jerseys as finals fever builds in Sydney’s west.

SPOTTED V

ONE of the game’s true gentlemen, Roosters utility Mitch Aubusson, is celebrating the arrival of his first child. Mitch’s wife, Laura, gave birth to beautiful little Daisy Meg on Monday.

SHOOSH

WHICH stunning and popular Hockeyroo from our women’s team has fallen in love with a television journalist?

SHOOSH II

WHICH out-of-his-depth PR man at an NRL club keeps threatening to ban journalists and major websites from covering the footy team he is employed to promote?

SHOOSH III

THE Kiwis are under increasing pressure to backflip on the World Cup bans of Jesse Bromwich and Kevin Proctor for cocaine use, because of fears New Zealand will be tournament easybeats in their absence. They have already been fined and suspended by their clubs and surrendered leadership roles. Stripping Bromwich of the Kiwi captaincy would be considered sufficient punishment.

The Kiwis are under pressure to let Jesse Bromwich and Kevin Proctor play in the Rugby League World Cup.

BIRD HASN’T FLOWN

JACK Bird’s agent, David Riolo, insists the Sharks’ grand final-winning centre is still heading to the Broncos next year.

We have heard otherwise and it’s a story we’ll be monitoring closely over the next few weeks. The Sharks can’t make Bird an offer to stay because it would be enticing a player to break a contract.

If, however, he can convince the Broncos he wants to stay closer to his family, it might change things. The Sharks could then allow James Maloney to accept a big-money offer to go elsewhere.

PURPLE FOR PANCREATIC CANCER

HOW wonderful to see an under-13s junior rugby league team, De La Salle, wearing purple socks to raise money and awareness for pancreatic cancer research. More than 3000 Australians will be diagnosed with the disease this year. Survival rates are a mere 7 per cent over the past five years. The campaign is being driven by local official Megan Barnes, who lost her dad to the cancer.

De La Salle wearing purple socks to raise money and awareness for pancreatic cancer research.

GREAT SCOTT ON THE RECORD

WE reported last week how Dubbo CYMS star Alex Bonham scored a remarkable 64 points in their 104-6 win over Wellington, with eight tries and 16 goals. We thought it was a record. Not so. Scott Robinson, the Newcastle Knights’ Harold Matthews coach, once tallied 76 points.

He scored 11 tries and kicked 16 goals for the Gloucester Magpies against Foggs United in Group 3 footy back in 2000. And he was playing hooker! Gloucester won 122-10.

“They actually led 10-nil,” Robinson recalled, “then they just fell apart.”

Robinson later had a crack in the NRL with the Cronulla Sharks.

IT’S VIP VAKA

WHAT a lovely end to a tough week for league’s gentle giant from Canterbury juniors. Vaka is the Samoan eight-year-old who was filmed on social media scoring a try against much smaller opponents.

The Bulldogs invited him to Thursday night’s game against Parramatta where he met all the stars, including five-eighth Josh Reynolds.

Josh Reynolds with under 8's Canterbury junior, Vaka.

WOMEN BREATHE NEW LIFE

APOLOGIES for continuing to rave about the all-female League Life show on Fox Sports but it is doing great things for rugby league.

Yvonne Sampson, Lara Pitt, Hannah Hollis and Jess Yates are getting strong numbers every week.

Although overall TV match-day ratings are down, the NRL is attracting more female viewers this year with an average audience of 82,000 women for live coverage.

That’s up almost 5 per cent on last year. In total, women make up 35 per cent of the league audience on Fox Sports and it’s growing all the time.

FEELING NEEDY

It’s hard to believe the premiership’s most exciting footy team still doesn’t have a sponsor. The Parramatta Eels are still paying for last year’s salary cap scandal by not having a company on the front of their jersey. Surely that will change in the next few weeks in the run home to the finals.

Originally published as What’s the Buzz: Saint, sinner, shoosh — the latest sports gossip