Phil ‘Buzz’ Rothfield’s highlights and lowlights: Referee overlooked for Round 12 after howler

Referee overlooked for round 12 following major blunder in the Warriors-Dolphins clash, Dally M Moment of the Year winner, Shark Park scoreboard failure - it’s all in Buzz’s highlights and lowlights.

Phil ‘Buzz’ Rothfield reveals his highlights and lowlights from the week in sport, revealing an NRL referee has been overlooked for round 12 after a major blunder in the Warriors-Dolphins clash.

HIGHLIGHT

The winner of the Peter Frilingos Dally M Moment of the Year can already be announced … the magnificent Mark Nawaqanitawase try for the Roosters against the Bulldogs. Surely we will not witness a more spectacular act of skill on a rugby league field in 2025.

LOWLIGHT

The Waratahs have bombed out of the Super Rugby for another year and the question needs to be asked … how on earth did they – and Rugby Australia - allow Nawaqanitawase to switch codes to join the Roosters. This guy is a better player than Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii.

LOWLIGHT II

Shark Park is in such poor shape that the scoreboard clock wasn’t even working on Saturday night. There is nothing worse than being at the footy and not knowing how long there is to go. No wonder the NRL wants to abandon old suburban grounds for finals football.

Suburban rugby league grounds are not up to NRL standard. Picture: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

COMEBACK COACH

Mal Meninga wants to take Roosters assistant coach Justin Holbrook to Perth if he gets the gig with the Bears in 2027. The plan would be for Meninga to do the job for the first couple of years before handing over to Holbrook – the same as Wayne Bennett did at the Dolphins with Kristian Woolf. Meninga and Holbrook worked together at the Gold Coast Titans. In fact Big Mal was so dirty when the Titans sacked Holbrook that he quit himself from his advisory role.

Justin Holbrook talks with Mal Meninga during Kangaroos camp. Picture: Chris Hyde/Getty Images

SPOTTED

It’s not often you get NRL and AFL clubs working together like the Brisbane Broncos and the Brisbane Lions did last week for a great cause. The two clubs combined for a major fundraising initiative – a lunch at The Star casino for the Small Steps 4 Hannah charity which funds and raises awareness and education around domestic violence. The captains, coaches and CEOs of both clubs were there with hundreds of guests for the lunch.

SPOTTED

New Perth Bears CEO Anthony De Ceglie at North Sydney Oval yesterday to watch the NSW Cup game against St George Illawarra.

SHOOSH

Referee Peter Gough will be getting a ‘holiday’ next week – and rightly so. He had an absolute shocker in the Dolphins v Warriors game at Suncorp Stadium, including missing the most blatant knock-on you will ever see.

RTS knock on.

SHOOSH

So much for the fears three years ago that the arrival of the Dolphins in the NRL would eat into the Broncos market in Brisbane. Despite missing the finals last year, the Broncos had a record turnover of $83 million. That’s more than double the earnings of some of their rivals. Imagine how much they’ll make if they can break a 19-year drought and win a premiership again.

360 VIEW

Catch you tonight on NRL 360 at 6.30pm with Braith Anasta, Gorden Tallis and Brent Read to discuss the Origin teams and all the major issues from the weekend round. Special guests are Kevvie Walters and Greg Alexander to chat about the coaching roles in Origin footy.