Buzz Rothfield’s weekend highs, lows: Panthers’ hypocritical whinge, Luke Keary injury blow
The new Sydney Football Stadium will be off limits to the NRL in July and August next year while Nick Kyrgios will speak to high-school students - it’s all in SAINT, SINNER, SHOOSH.
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Phil ‘Buzz’ Rothfield reveals his weekend highlights and lowlights in sport’s best gossip column, What’s the Buzz.
HIGHLIGHTS
Footy back on Fox League, encouraging signs for the Canberra Raiders, Cowboys and Warriors, the excitement around Manly’s $1000-a-week winger Ray Vaega and excellent refereeing from Kasey Badger and Belinda Sharpe at Leichhardt.
LOWLIGHT
Panthers boss Brian Fletcher whingeing about losing rookie talent to NRL rivals. This is the club that withdrew their elite junior teams from the Andrew Johns, Laurie Daley and Tarsha Gale cups last year and also slashed funding to their junior league. No wonder youngsters want to look for opportunities elsewhere.
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LOWLIGHT II
The Wests Tigers. Hardly a promising start to Tim Sheens’ comeback.
SHOOSH
The women’s soccer World Cup is a massive event in Australia next year but a pain in the backside for the rugby league schedule. It means the new Sydney Football Stadium at Accor Stadium at Olympic Park will be off limits to the Roosters, Bulldogs and Rabbitohs for six weeks in July and August.
SPOTTED
Talk about going from one tough gig to another … former NRL integrity unit boss Nick Weeks is now working as an in-house lawyer for the embattled Crown Casino.
SPOTTED
Tennis star Nick Kyrgios speaking to high-school students at Waverley College last week on the pressures of professional sport and mental health.
SPOTTED
When was the last time the entire Great Southern Stand was closed to the public at the MCG for a cricket international? Such was the lack of interest for the Australia v Sri Lanka T20 on Friday night.
JOHNS v JOHNS
We have received this next message from Matty Johns: “Buzz can u put this into your Monday Buzz. I’d like to retract my statement regarding Andrew becoming a head coach. It was the first nice thing I’ve said about him in over a decade and he rubbishes me for it.
“On second thoughts Andrew should not become a head coach, he’s lazy, ungrateful, lacks tolerance and in my opinion dyes his hair.”
MAL STEPS ASIDE
League immortal Mal Meninga has stood down from the Fox League commentary team this year to spend more time with his young family on weekends. Plus it’s such a busy year with his Titans commitments and also planning for the World Cup in October.
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Catch you every Monday morning at 7.05am on the Big Sports Breakfast on Sky Sports Radio with Laurie Daley, Michael Clarke and Gerard Middleton to discuss all the major topics from the trials.
MANU SET FOR POSITIONAL SWITCH
Joey Manu is in the frame to start the season at five-eighth for the Sydney Roosters with Luke Keary in doubt to face Newcastle next month due to a foot stress fracture.
Coach Trent Robinson told Fox League Keary, who missed the bulk of last season after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury before having a bone spur removed from his ankle in October, was back training but couldn’t be locked in as a definite starter against the Knights at the SCG on March 12.
“He isn’t big but he moves sharply so that turned into a bit of a stress fracture,” Robinson said.
“I’m not going to say he’s going to be there (round one) but he will be close.”
Robinson will roll out most of his big guns in next Friday night’s trial against Wests Tigers in Gosford but James Tedesco won’t play and will watch from the sideline with Keary.
Superstar fullback Tedesco had stem cell surgery on his knee in the off-season but is expected to be right to face Newcastle.
Meanwhile former schoolboy rugby Union prodigy Ronald Volkman’s performance in last Friday night’s trial against Canberra showed he isn’t far away from getting a call up for the Chooks.
The goal kicking five-eighth had an outstanding trial and drew high praise from a couple of good judges in Fox League’s Braith Anasta and Benji Marshall post-match.
CASHED-UP SILVERTAILS
It wasn’t that long ago Manly Leagues Club was almost broke. The NRL team would not have survived without the Penn family ownership and cash injection.
Now there has been a massive turnaround. Manly Leagues club has not only announced a tidy million-dollar profit but they have also purchased Dee Why Bowling Club.
This is an incredible story considering the effects of Covid on the club and pub industry.
The Penn family remains fully committed and has no plans to sell but having the Leagues Club making a profit again ensures the future of the club is rock solid whatever happens.
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