NRL grand final: Phil Rothfield and Robert Craddock on Brisbane therapy sessions and agreeing with Jarome Luai

Phil Rothfield and Robert Craddock debate an NRL grand final which sent ‘Crash’ to therapy and left ‘Buzz’ agreeing with Panthers star Jarome Luai.

Jarome Luai. Picture: Jenny Evans/Getty

Phil Rothfield and Robert Craddock go head-to-head after the NRL grand final sent ‘Crash’ to therapy and left ‘Buzz’ agreeing with Panthers star Jarome Luai for the first time.

Buzz: After those agonising losses by the Brisbane Lions and Broncos, RUOK Crash?

Crash: Yes, but can’t talk for long today, Phil. I’m still with my therapist who is trying to tell me it’s OK to come out from under my desk after writing about those two close finishes. Talk about mind-numbing tension. I just hope you are looking after Pete Badel in Sydney.

Buzz: Poor old Bomber, but what a colossal game, Crash.

Crash: Sunday night I basically had my story done with 25 minutes to go ... Kev Walters was getting a statue, a new Broncos dynasty had started. And then along came Nathan Cleary. What was happening with you?

Buzz: Mate, I was preparing a column on Ezra Mam. Had half of it done. How he’d ripped the best defence in the comp to shreds with three tries in 10 minutes. He was paying $1.04 to win the Clive Churchill Medal while Cleary blew out to $51.

Crash: Jarome Luai reckons this is the greatest team ever. Is he right?

Buzz: I don’t agree with a lot of Jarome’s comments. But you know what, I’ll back him on this one. Let’s start off with the Parramatta Eels, the last three peat premiership side (81-83). They had Ray Price, Peter Sterling, Mick Cronin, Brett Kenny, Steve Ella and Eric Grothe. Phenomenal footballers. You’ve got to remember though that back in those days it was a Sydney competition. A lot of the great Queenslanders and Kiwis weren’t playing for the Sydney clubs. Also, Crash, there was no salary cap to even up the competition back then.

Is Jarome Luai right in saying Penrith is the greatest rugby league team in history? Picture: Jenny Evans/Getty

Crash: What about the St George teams who won 11 in a row?

Buzz: I’d say the same about the great Saints side with all the immortals – Johnny Raper, Reg Gasnier, Norm Provan and Changa Langlands. Plus Billy Smith, Ian Walsh etc, etc. Not enough room here to name all their champions. Again no salary cap. A lot of the sides they beat over those 11 years weren’t worth half of what the Dragons were.

For this reason, I say what Penrith has achieved is greater than any other club.

Crash: Adam Reynolds was privately telling people even before his first match at the Broncos that Ezra Mam was a freak. Your thoughts? What’s he worth on the open market?

Buzz: He comes onto the open market in November. He’s on less than $300,000 now. From what I saw on Sunday night, he’s a $900,000 player. Seriously, three tries in a grand final against the best defensive side we’ve seen for years. That grand final performance reminded me of Laurie Daley, Kenny and Cliffy Lyons. I’m not saying he’s in their league at this early stage of his career but that individual brilliance in the grand final reminded me of them.

Crash: I heard you went home and watched the game on replay. Did anything stand out you missed the first time around?

Buzz: I tell you what stood out Crash, Nathan Cleary looked even better the second time around. As you know, at the back end of games we’ve got our heads looking down into a keyboard to file on full-time. I have never seen a halfback do what he did in those last 17 minutes. Absolutely never. You also notice for a second time the magnificent contributions from Steven Crichton and big Moses Leota. Cleary couldn’t have engineered that victory without those two.

Nathan Cleary finally stood up in a big game. Picture: Jenny Evans/Getty

Crash: Brisbane are back as a powerhouse but they do lose Flegler and Farnworth to the Dolphins and Reynolds is near the end. When Reynolds leaves it all starts again for them, doesn’t it?

Buzz: Very interesting question, especially on Reynolds. There’s talk he wants to go around again and get a contract extension for 2025. I’m not so sure about that. I’d like to see him retire on top at the end of next year. He’ll miss out on another $800,000 in 2025 but I’m sure the Broncos will package up a long-term deal for him to be on Kevvie’s staff for at least five years.

Flegler and Farnworth are wonderful signings for the Dolphins. It will weaken the Broncos but they still have enough talent. Penrith lose good players every year.

Crash: What about the television ratings Phil? A win for the AFL and afternoon grand finals by about 605,000 viewers.

Buzz: Well rugby league – and the two teams - could not have put on a better show. The AFL was a terrific contest as well. I prefer afternoon footy but gee it was stinking at Sydney Olympic Park at 3pm on Sunday, mate. What do you think the NRL should do?

Crash: I don’t love night grand finals. You seem to wait around forever. Twilight or afternoon is better. There’s even something nice about talking after the game throughout the night when it finishes at say 6pm. Rugby league could not put on a better show than Sunday night yet still it was well beaten.

Buzz: It’s a debate that will never go away, old mate.

Crash: I loved the way the referee sat back and let the teams exhaust each other. Your thoughts?

Buzz: Adam Gee was fantastic. He ignored the little incidents that nit-picking refs have pulled up all year. Every referee at every level of rugby league should be shown a video of Gee’s game. He was a huge contributor to a sensational game of football.

Crash: Sorry Buzz, gotta go. My therapist wants to take me fishing.