Phil Rothfield’s highlights and lowlights: NRL referees’ boss replaced; interested Suaalii onlookers
There has been a major shake up to the NRL’s football department just two weeks out from the round 1 Las Vegas spectacle. Phil ‘Buzz’ Rothfield reveals his highlights and lowlights.
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Phil Rothfield reveals his highlights and lowlights from the week in sport, shining a light on a major shake up in the NRL’s football department, while spotting two interested parties at Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii’s NSW Waratahs debut.
HIGHLIGHT
The annual Indigenous All Stars game is surely here to stay. Saturday night’s game at CommBank Stadium was the most magnificent contest, even without Latrell Mitchell, Cody Walker and Nicho Hynes. This game can’t be scrapped.
LOWLIGHT
The bookmakers who installed the Dolphins as wooden spoon favourites have no idea. Surely the 50-8 victory over the Cowboys on Friday night is proof they will be a genuine force in this year’s competition under Kristian Woolf.
REF SHAKE UP
We told you last year there were big changes planned for the NRL footy department. And here we go … Former Rabbitohs football manager, the highly regarded Brock Schaefer, has been appointed to oversee all referees from pathways to NRL over the top of Jared Maxwell. Maxwell will remain on the coaching staff but will now focus on bunker accuracy and efficiency, developing new talent and coaching. Schaefer will report to Head of Football Graham Annesley.
SPOTTED
Player agent Isaac Moses ditched the NRL trials to watch his $6 million man Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii debut for the Waratahs at Allianz Stadium on Friday night. He sat next to former Rugby Australian chairman Hamish McLennan, the man who wrote the cheque to seal the cross-code switch.
SHOOSH
The biggest threat to the Perth Bears joining the NRL is billionaire Channel 7 boss Kerry Stokes, who carries enormous influence over WA politicians. Stokes also owns the AFL TV rights with Foxtel and is hugely protective of his broadcast interests and the possible threat of the NRL eating into his ratings.
SPOTTED
Off-contract Sharks prop Tom Hazelton on a plane to NZ over the weekend for a meeting with the Warriors.
SPOTTED
Legendary boxing ring announcer Michael Buffer attended his first rugby league game to introduce Wigan and Leigh for the UK Super League kick-off. Sadly he didn’t get to see a try. The game was 0-0 before Leigh got the money with an extra-time field goal.
SPOTTED
Fox Sports stars Yvonne Sampson and Andrew Voss will host one of Cronulla’s most prestigious black-tie events at Shark Park on Tuesday night to honour new Hall of Fame and club Immortal inductees. Tickets are available for fans to attend on the club’s website.
BIG BREKKY
Catch you Monday morning at 7.10am on the Big Sports Breakfast with hosts Laurie Daley and Gerard Middleton to talk all things rugby league.
Originally published as Phil Rothfield’s highlights and lowlights: NRL referees’ boss replaced; interested Suaalii onlookers
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