What’s the Buzz: Dylan Walker’s beautician visit, Cords gets Origin nod, a sad week for rugby league
WHAT’S THE BUZZ II: Dylan Walker’s beautician visit, Cords gets the Origin nod and a sad week for the rugby league family.
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WHAT’S THE BUZZ II: Dylan Walker’s beautician visit, Cords gets the Origin nod and a sad week for the rugby league family.
SAINT
IT’S with a heavy heart we dedicate this week’s Saint to Sharnie Kimmorley, who passed away after an 18-month battle with brain cancer on Thursday. A loving wife to Brett and a wonderful mum to four beautiful daughters. More reason to support the Beanie for Brain Cancer in round 11 of the NRL in May in memory of a great lady.
MORE WHAT’S THE BUZZ: Rugby lifeline for shamed Simona
SINNER
YOU’d think a CEO hosting the biggest rugby league press conference of the season could find a tie and have a shave. Justin Pascoe’s scruffy look at the announcement of Jason Taylor’s axing says a lot about the Tigers’ management.
SINNER II
SURELY, the pressure’s on Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou, not that soccer writers or commentators in this country would dare question his tactics. Thursday night’s effort against Iraq was pathetic. If it was the NRL, journos would be all over it. Just ask Jason Taylor.
SHOOSH
WHICH senior journalist from the “independent” Fairfax media is in talks with the NRL to head up their digital media news department?
SHOOSH II
WHICH disgraced ex-player agent is working behind the scenes as a boxing promoter? He has a huge event planned for this year.
SHOOSH III
WHICH NRL star gets dressed in a suit and spends one day each week doing work experience at NRL headquarters in all areas of the business?
SHOOSH IV
WHICH former NSW State of Origin player has a cocaine problem and behaves accordingly in public?
SPOTTED
MIKE Whitney in talks with television types about a possible new sport/lifestyle show over coffee at the Tropicana cafe in Coogee.
SPOTTED II
BULLDOGS stars Josh Reynolds and Josh Morris spied deep in Sharks territory at the Woolooware bakery on Friday.
SPOTTED III
A MAGNIFICENT turnout of 3000 mourners at the funeral of Mick Adams, the former Great Britain captain and Canterbury Bulldogs forward, in Tamworth on Tuesday. It was so big they hired the Tamworth Regional Entertainment Centre to accommodate the gathering. He was 65.
NOT SO MANLY SEA EAGLES
What is rugby league coming to. In the old days players would eat T-bone steaks and down a few schooners on the eve of big games.
Not anymore. On Friday afternoon we found Manly Sea Eagles centre Dylan Walker in a beautician at Warringah Mall.
And he was getting his eyebrows done. True story.
Can you imagine Arthur Beetson or Johnny Raper doing it?
Walker’s teammate Jorge Tafua was there too — but only to keep him company.
We approached Walker via Manly Sea Eagles media manager Wayne Cousins to get a response.
Not surprisingly, he chose not to comment.
Maybe this is the reason Walker quit the Rabbitohs to join the silvertails on the northern peninsula. It sure is easier to find a beautician in Manly than in gritty downtown Redfern.
RESPECT FOR A LEGEND
Cronulla Sharks front-row legend Cliff Watson was unable to attend Cronulla’s recent 50-year anniversary dinner where he was chosen as prop in the club’s team of the half century. He phoned a few days before the event to say he was ill. Not a problem. Sharks skipper Paul Gallen went to Watson’s home in the shire last week to present his gold medallion.
NOTHING TO COMPLAIN ABOUT
You can tell a footy club is doing well when not enough members turn up to an AGM. After winning the premiership and making an $850,000 profit, the Cronulla Sharks didn’t have enough members or a quorum at Thursday night’s meeting.
Chairman Damian Keogh had to text message former Rothman Medal winning halfback Barry Russell and two other members to come to the club so the meeting could go ahead. In previous years when things are going bad it’s standing room only.
CHOC CHECK-UP
Anthony Mundine has gone back to London to see the world renowned hip specialist who operated on him last year.
“It’s just my annual check-up,” Mundine told us. This is further confirmation of a looming announcement of a rematch with Danny Green. Expect the fight to take place late this year or in February 2018.
MORE SAD NEWS
It has been a shocking week for rugby league with the death of Sharnie Kimmorley and also the passing of Tommy Raudonikis’ son Simon. Tommy had spent the past few months at Simon’s bedside in a Brisbane hospital as he fought cancer. Our thoughts are with Tommy’s family over their terribly sad loss.
CORDS GETS THE CALL
Roosters forward Boyd Cordner will captain the NSW Blues in this year’s State of Origin.
Laurie Daley is only delaying the announcement in case he gets injured and Aaron Woods would come across as a second-choice captain.
Cordner will get the nod over Woods because he plays 80 minutes. It’s been a huge turnaround for the Roosters’ back-rower who used to share a house and hang around the eastern suburbs with Todd Carney.
TRUE BLUE RUNNER
NSW Blues Origin media manager Tracie Edmondson is as fit as any of the players. Last week Tracie travelled to the US and ran in the New York Marathon. She came home third in her age division.
GRUMPY BEARS
The old North Sydney Bears are running out of patience with the NRL. They’ve upped their bid for the Gold Coast Titans to $10 million but have had no feedback from the NRL. We’re hearing the offer will be withdrawn within a week if there is no communication. Having one potential buyer drop out will make it much harder for the NRL to get the price they want.
GREAT TIMES
It’s a shame NRL referees don’t have the personality of our former whistleblowers. Greg McCallum tells a fun story about the days when he used to ref Steve “Blocker” Roach.
In one particular game between Balmain and Souths at Redfern, Blocker lost his cool in the heat of battle. McCallum said to him: “Steve, don’t cross the line.’’ Blocker replied “what if I stand on the line?” McCallum responded “well you didn’t cross it”. And the two of them then laughed it off.
Sadly today’s referees have the same personality and character of their boss Tony Archer. Boring.
STAINS STILL THERE
The name Stains lives on at the Cronulla Sharks. Dan Stains’ son Jacob now works on the staff of the club’s high-performance guru Andrew Gray doing his training in sports science.
WHO ARE YER?
It’s nice to be so well known in AFL circles. The GWS Giants sent your columnist a cap and free membership to their matches at Spotless Stadium this year … but spelt my name wrong. It’s Rothfield, not Rotherfield.
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