Monday Buzz: Mates score windfall after Cody Ramsey scores first try
As Dragons fans celebrated the arrival of Cody Ramsey on the weekend, the young gun’s mates were up and about after his debut scored them a windfall that has to be seen to be believed. BUZZ’S WEEKEND HIGHLIGHTS, LOWLIGHTS.
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There have been some great acts of sportsmanship and kindness in the NRL this year.
On Friday night we saw Parramatta second-rower Ryan Matterson go to the aid of opposition player Apisai Koroisau when he was heavily concussed.
Matterson stayed with the Penrith hooker until the medicos got to him.
There was another really touching moment in Wollongong at full-time in the Raiders-Dragons game.
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There is not a better person in the game than Raiders centre Jarrod Croker.
He picked up the football at the end of play, delivered it to the Dragons’ debutant winger Cody Ramsey and said just four words: “Congratulations mate – well played.”
It shows that despite all the hostility, aggression and brutality we see every week in the heat of battle the combatants have enormous respect for each other.
There was another nice touch with Croker in Wollongong.
Before the game when he was practising his goal-kicking, one of his shots went over the fence and hit a six-year-old boy in the face.
He raced over to check and it turned out that it was the son of former Dragons forward Ben Creagh.
After the game Croker made a beeline for the youngster and gave him his headgear.
HIGHLIGHT
You’ve gotta love great comeback stories. Two guys who were down and out last year – the Raiders’ Hudson Young and the Titans’ Ash Taylor – had blinders over the weekend.
LOWLIGHT
The decision by bunker official Jared ‘Horse’ Maxwell to disallow a perfectly legitimate try to Roosters middle forward Lindsay Collins at the SCG on Saturday night, ruling an obstruction. Fortunately the Roosters were well ahead and it had no bearing on the result. If the same thing happens in a tight game during the finals, it could cost a club their season.
GUS’ BUNKER BLOW-UP
What an absurd decision. Absolutely ridiculous. Referees and bunker have absolutely no idea. They create issues that don’t exist. That is disgraceful.
— PhilGould15 (@PhilGould15) September 12, 2020
It was an incorrect call but some of the criticism of the decision was way over the top and out of order. Gus Gould said on Twitter: “What an absurd decision. Absolutely ridiculous. Referees and bunker have absolutely no idea. They create issues that don’t exist. That is disgraceful.” And this is the man Peter V’landys wanted to hire as a highly paid consultant. V’landys hates referee bashing.
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SPONSOR GAFFE
The Canterbury Bulldogs jersey sponsorship with the Laundy Hotel Group is probably the worst in the game. They don’t get anything this year. Not a cent. No money until next year.
SHOOSH
We’re hearing there may be interest at Canterbury for suspended Cronulla Sharks halfback Chad Townsend. Townsend won a premiership in 2016 but hasn’t set the world on fire since.
SPOTTED
St George Illawarra centre Euan Aitken in his car at traffic lights demolishing a McDonald’s quarter-pounder half an hour after full time in Wollongong.
SPOTTED
A horse called Fisticuffs winning impressively at Doomben on Saturday, owned by the great John Singleton and his mate Tommy Raudonkis.
GOOD SHOUT
About 40 mates of St George Illawarra debutant Cody Ramsey cleaned up on first tryscorer bets when the young winger dived over in the fourth minute. They each had $100 on the rookie at $14. It was such an avalanche that his price firmed to $10 by kick-off time.
CLEARY COACH OF THE YEAR
Surely the Dally M coach of the year award is all but decided.
Penrith Panthers coach Ivan Cleary is six lengths ahead of any of his rivals.
This will be a major embarrassment for the club’s former general manager of football Phil Gould.
In 2015 Gus sacked Cleary as head coach.
The position became available again when Gould sacked Anthony Griffin.
Gus didn’t want Cleary back. It was left to chairman Dave O’Neill to do the deal while the general manager was off trying to entice Wayne Bennett to the club.
NRL 360
Catch you Monday night on NRL 360 at 6.30pm on Fox Sports with Ben Ikin, Paul Kent and James Hooper to discuss all the biggest issues from Round 18 of the premiership.