Monday Buzz: Phil Rothfield reveals his weekend highlights and lowlights
The blowout score lines have a huge effect on rugby league TV ratings, with both NRL preliminary finals heavily out-pointed by the two AFL fixtures. Buzz’s weekend highlights and lowlights.
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Phil Rothfield reveals his weekend highlights and lowlights from the preliminary finals, while making the case Penrith is the best side of the last 40 years.
HIGHLIGHT
The breathtaking attacking football of the Panthers and the Broncos over the weekend. Their matches might have been blowouts but the football skills were so beautiful to watch.
LOWLIGHT
Any suggestion that pub tycoons, the Laundy family, might have any influence whatsoever in the appointment of the NSW Blues State of Origin coaching staff. It is laughable.
TV TUMBLE
The blowout score lines have a huge effect on rugby league TV ratings. The lopsided Panthers v Storm on Friday night was up against the Collingwood v GWS Giants one-point cliffhanger. The AFL had an audience of 1.02 million on Channel 7 compared to just 492,000 for the NRL grand final qualifier on Channel 9. The league numbers were particularly poor in Melbourne, considering Storm was playing. Only 33,000 watched from the southern capital. The AFL also won on Saturday – 1.04 million on Channel 7 to 747,000 on Nine.
KING MAKER
Trent Robinson insists his assistant coach at the Roosters, Matt King, will do a great job on Brad Fittler’s NSW State of Origin side. “I’ve never known a more passionate Blues man,” Robinson said. “He loves them.” King played nine Origin matches for NSW between 2005-07.
SPOTTED
New St George Illawarra coach Shane Flanagan shopping at the Tempe Ikea store.
SPOTTED
Surfing champ Mick Fanning in the Penrith Panthers dressing sheds to celebrate his team’s victory over Storm at Accor Stadium on Friday night.
Mick Fanning went surfing ðŸ„ðŸ½â€â™‚ï¸ #pantherpride 🾠#huntinghistorypic.twitter.com/p6dmDV0S29
— Penrith Panthers ðŸ†ðŸ† (@PenrithPanthers) September 23, 2023
SHOOSH
There is a shocking feud happening in Australian boxing where two fighters almost came to blows next to the carpark at Wanda Beach last week.
SHOOSH
Friday night’s loss to Penrith showed exactly why Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy desperately tried to sign big Tino Fa’asuamaleaui from the Titans two months ago. The Storm don’t have the middle-field oomph to win a title with their current forward pack.
COP THAT
The NSW police rugby league team has completed a successful tour of Europe. Under coach Craig Sheridon they beat French police 56-nil, UK police 44-4 and a London representative team 32-4.
360 VIEW
Catch you on NRL 360 at 6.30pm on Fox League with Braith Anasta, Gorden Tallis and Brent Read to begin the countdown to Sunday’s grand final.
2023 PANTHERS V 1983 EELS
The Penrith Panthers are a better side than the 1983 Parramatta Eels – the last team to do a premiership three-peat 40 years ago.
It could be considered a big statement considering the Parramatta Eels backline under super coach Jack Gibson included the likes of Peter Sterling, Brett Kenny, Mick Cronin, Steve Ella and Eric Grothe.
Mind you the Panthers have got almost as much backline talent in Nathan Cleary, Jarome Luai, Stephen Crichton, Brian To’o and last year’s Clive Churchill medallist Dylan Edwards.
It’s in the forwards where the Panthers have a definite advantage.
The Eels had the great Ray Price and a pack of incredibly hard workers.
Yet there was no-one as dynamic or powerful as James Fisher-Harris, Moses Leota or Spencer Leniu and the fear factor they turn up with every weekend.
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No-one as strong on the edge as Liam Martin, the best second-rower in the NRL.
Your columnist covered all of Parramatta’s four titles in the 80s.
For all their attacking strike power, their three wins in three years over Newtown 20-11 and Manly (twice) 21-8 and 18-6 were built around discipline and defence as much as attack.
They conceded just 25 points in three grand finals.
This current Penrith team is built similarly around defence. They hit hard and often.
Their line speed is out of this world.
“It’s actually the best I’ve seen,” says Kangaroos legend Max Krilich who played against the great Eels sides, “You will not beat them through the middle, even the Broncos.”
In the premiership rounds Penrith have conceded just 312 points this year (average 13) compared to the Broncos 425 (average 17.7).
“They are so well coached,” Krilich said, “When I watch them, I always look for any possible weaknesses in defence but you can’t find any.
“They are as good a football team as you will ever see.”
You line the players up one-on-one from both sides.
Peter Sterling and Nathan Cleary cancel themselves out.
The same with Stephen Crichton and Steve Ella.
Dylan Edwards covers off Paul Taylor.
Brett Kenny and Mick Cronin were better than the Penrith boys playing their same numbers.
But you come back to the forwards.
I’ve given Ray Price a 9 against Isaah Yeo 8.5 at lock forward.
The rest of the Panthers forwards are better or equal to the Parramatta forwards from that era.
Not that it means they can storm the Broncos down the middle on Sunday.
It will be their toughest test in three years against Payne Haas, Pat Carrigan and Tom Flegler.
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