Monday Buzz: Highlights and lowlights and all the talking points from rep round

PHIL “Buzz” Rothfield is home from the World Cup to catch an amazing weekend of rugby league and why now is the perfect time to seriously consider returning to one referee.

Talesha Quinn and Kezzie Apps celebrate winning the women's State of Origin at North Sydney Oval. Pics Adam Head

It’s nice to return home from Russia and straight into some NRL positivity.

No refereeing outrage, no timekeeping blunders and no player misbehaviour.

The weekend representative round has been a knockout success from Campbelltown to Denver.

I caught a replay of the women’s State of Origin. What a fantastic exhibition of rugby league.

On the same weekend we revealed soccer’s plans to bid for the WWC in 2023, the women’s rugby league chimed in to show the incredible skill of females in all the footy codes.

MATCH REPORT: Freddie’s young bloods clinch Origin for Blues

MONDAY BUNKER: Watch our Origin special from 12.30pm Monday

WOMEN’S ORIGIN: Kiss seals historic moment for historic Origin

Talesha Quinn and Kezzie Apps celebrate winning the women's State of Origin at North Sydney Oval. Pics Adam Head

The rugby league women’s game lacks depth in elite numbers but there is a huge growth opportunity over the next few years to build on the upcoming four-team competition.

The skill level on Friday night was amazing. The power and the hits were just incredible.

Plus the crowd, the atmosphere and the great TV ratings. It was a huge positive for rugby league.

CASE FOR ONE REFEREE RAMPS UP

IN October last year, the NRL’s head of football Brian Canavan said that he would use the World Cup as a one-referee experiment for the premiership.

For reasons that remain unexplained, Canavan’s “experiment” was aborted long before the finals of the tournament via an announcement that the two-referee system would remain.

This is despite the fact we ­witnessed the most exhilarating international rugby league for years.

One referee was a big success in the international in Denver between New Zealand and England. Russell Lansford/Getty Images/AFP

We are raising this now because having the one ref at the England-New Zealand Test match in Denver on Sunday allowed for an open, fast and free-flowing game.

There was no nitpicking and no second referee trying to justify his existence by blowing penalties.

I hope the NRL can do a more thorough and in-depth analysis at the end of the season and seriously consider going back to one referee in 2019.

HIGHLIGHT

The most stirring pre-game face-off as the Tongans and Samoans produced their war cries in the centre of Campbelltown Stadium on Saturday night. Magnificent sporting theatre and emotion.

LOWLIGHT

How can they start World Cup soccer games, the Melbourne Cup, AFL grand finals and all major sporting events on time yet the NRL can’t? The advertised kick-off time at ANZ was 7.40pm. It started 12 minutes late.

RUGBY RECORD

The rah rahs broke the all-time attendance record at Allianz Stadium on Saturday night when 44,085 fans jammed into the Moore Park ‘death trap’ to watch the Wallabies go down narrowly to the Irish. And, miraculously, all survived unscathed.

Jared Maxwell had a shcoker in the video referees box in Denver. Pic Mark Evans

MAXED OUT

Lucky it had no bearing on the result but Ryan Hall’s first try for England in Denver was awarded by video referee Jared Maxwell despite the winger clearly losing the football. And this guy is allegedly the No.1 man in the NRL bunker. It’s scary.

CAP CLEAN-UP

We’re hearing the Canterbury Bulldogs are about to hire former long-time player Mark Hughes as head of recruitment to rebuild their roster from the salary cap mess.

State of Origin is a big hit with the Aussie fans in Russia (AAP Image/Dean Lewins) NO ARCHIVING

DA FOR ORIGIN

Never have the State of Origin ratings been so strong in Russia. Every Australian I spoke to was making plans to watch the game on cable TV or the internet. And there are 7000 of them following the Socceroos around the country.

360 VIEW

Catch you tonight on NRL 360 on Fox Sports with Ben Ikin and Paul Kent for the full review and analysis from the Origin game and later on Controversy Corner where the boys will discuss the biggest issues in the NRL.

LIVE stream every game of every round of the 2018 NRL Telstra Premiership on FOX SPORTS. Get your free two-week Foxtel Now trial and start watching in minutes. SIGN UP NOW >

Originally published as Monday Buzz: Highlights and lowlights and all the talking points from rep round