Monday Buzz: The highlights, lowlights and talking points from Round 6 of the NRL

SHARKS coach Shane Flanagan close to blooding his son and which NRL star was demoted for breaking the game’s illicit drugs policy — Phil Rothfield has the highlights and lowlights from the weekend of sport.

The Sharks Kyle Flanagan during warm up for his game against the Panthers at Pepper Stadium. Picture: Gregg Porteous

PHIL Rothfield runs his eye over the highlights, lowlights and talking points of another bumper weekend of rugby league action.

HIGHLIGHT

Winx. Royal Randwick. Saturday, April 14. 25 consecutive wins, a goosebump moment in sport. Like being there for Steve Waugh’s century on the last ball at the SCG, John Aloisi’s penalty against Uruguay in 2005 or Cathy Freeman’s Olympic 400m gold-medal run in Sydney.

Hugh Bowman on Winx wins the Queen Elizabeth Stakes.

HIGHLIGHT II

Kurt Fearnley’s magnificent victory yesterday in the Commonwealth Games marathon. He’s our Winx on wheels and the most inspirational athlete in this country.

LOWLIGHT

The Cowboys. It’s almost impossible to believe this side with so much talent, and which many of us tipped to win the premiership, could be playing so poorly. They would be flat out beating Parramatta.

SHOOSH

Which former NRL superstar was spotted walking into his local police station with his lawyer. He was there to help out a family member who was being questioned over a drugs matter.

SHOOSH II

Which NRL star has been playing reserve grade recently because he recorded a strike under the game’s illicit drugs policy.

Chris O'Keefe and Yvonne Sampson.

SPOTTED

Channel 9 political reporter Chris O’Keefe watching Winx from the Directors Lounge at Randwick while his poor fiancee Yvonne Sampson was in the Fox Sports studios working all afternoon.

SPOTTED II

The 88-year-old Ken Arthurson having his Sunday morning coffee at Main Beach on the Gold Coast and detouring to the local convenience store to buy his Sunday Telegraph.

MORE EELS MISERY

The Eels are not only struggling in the NRL. Despite having a massive junior league nursery, their SG Ball side has failed to make the semis in the junior reps, which is almost unheard of.

SHARK IN THINK TANK

Catch you on Monday night on NRL 360 with Ben Ikin and Paul Kent
to discuss the big issues from round six. Cronulla coach Shane Flanagan will be in the studio to discuss the Sharks’ issues.

BUNNIES’ MR NICE GUY

On Saturday afternoon your columnist was at Randwick to watch Winx in the Racing
NSW Directors suite alongside politicians, business leaders,
media executives and racing administrators. It’s a powerful room.

Damien Cook in action for the Rabbitohs.

Then you see a familiar face. Immaculately dressed. An absolute gentleman. This is South Sydney hooker Damien Cook. This guy is as impressive off the field as he is on it.

He’s studying at university. He’s confident and articulate. He’s a really decent young fella.

We publish so much on bad boys Matt Lodge, Todd Carney and Jack Wighton and their off-field rubbish. And then you meet Cook.

What a wonderful advertisement for the NRL.

TIME FOR FLANAGAN’S SON TO RISE

COACH Shane Flanagan must be close to picking his son Kyle in the Sharks team to play the Panthers on Sunday in a must-win game.

On Saturday, Flanagan played halfback in the Newtown Jets side that flogged the Newcastle Knights 58-4 in Cessnock. He scored a try and kicked seven goals with his father watching from the sideline.

Kyle Flanagan is edging closer to an NRL debut. Picture: Gregg Porteous

The 19-year-old is destined for a career in first grade. It’s just a matter of when.

The Sharks combination of Chad Townsend and Trent Hodkinson is not working. Whether the coach is prepared to risk a teenage playmaker against the Panthers without experienced forwards Paul Gallen, Andrew Fifita and Luke Lewis remains to be seen. It’s a big ask without protection up front and go-forward in the middle.

Flanagan is more likely to take the safer option of moving Matt Moylan to five-eighth, where he trained all off-­season outside of Townsend. Trouble is, he’s playing poorly.

The competition is only six weeks old but the Sharks are starting to get desperate for two competition points.

If not this week, we’re likely to see Kyle Flanagan in the not-too-distant future.

KUDOS FOR TRUE LOYALTY

DISCLAIMER. Your columnist is on the payroll at Fox Sports and has worked with and against head of television Steve Crawley for 40 years.

This item is about Crawley’s leadership and incredible loyalty. Exiled Australian skipper Steve Smith lost sponsorship deals with the Commonwealth Bank and Weet-Bix over the ball-tampering scandal.

Steve Smith spotted in New York in the aftermath of ball tampering scandal. Credit: WP Media

Fox Sports stood firm and Crawley will use him next summer on magazine shows or in the commentary box. This is not a one-off.

When Brett Finch was going through a difficult time and lost gigs at Channel 9 and 2GB, Crawley gave him a job at Fox Sports. One last chance.

Same with Steve “Blocker” Roach. He was punted by Nine and 2GB but found a home at Fox. Again, one last chance. Both have since excelled in their roles.

Originally published as Monday Buzz: The highlights, lowlights and talking points from Round 6 of the NRL