What’s the Buzz: Eels fans still believe, Foran fighting back and Dessie gets board’s backing

PARRAMATTA Eels fans still believe, Kieran Foran fighting back and Dessie gets Dogs board’s backing. It’s all in your Sunday dose of WHAT’S THE BUZZ.

SAINT

YOU’VE got to love the passion and pride of Eels fans. Despite losing 12 points, Parra have firmed from $101 to $41 on the TAB to win the comp thanks to the crazy blue and gold army of supporters who still believe they can win the title.

SINNER

JUST as the GWS Giants emerge as a genuine premiership threat, narrow-minded Melbourne types like Eddie McGuire want to stop them from recruiting players in the thriving Riverina area. We can’t wait for the day GWS play the Swans in an AFL grand final at the MCG.

WHAT’S THE BUZZ: Country rugby league dying a slow death

Some in Victoria appear to be threatened by the Swans and Giants.

SPOTTED

CRONULLA Sharks coach Shane Flanagan fishing in Forster with his family on a rare weekend away from the pressure of NRL football.

SHOOSH

WHICH NRL star was asked to leave a popular Sydney night spot last weekend? The player from a Sydney-based team was removed from the premises after an eftpos machine was damaged.

SHOOSH II

WHICH TV commentator and former rugby league superstar was photographed in Brisbane recently in an absolutely blithering state. We have seen the picture and it is sad more than shameful. That’s why we are not publishing it.

SHOOSH III

Which player agent who lost his accreditation in the Melbourne Storm salary cap scandal is again being investigated over his murky relationship with a Parramatta Eels executive.

SHOOSH IV

WHICH bottom-four NRL club has a suspected thief in their ranks. A witch-hunt is underway after a player had his wallet stolen from the dressing room last week.

A young Ray makes his debut as a commentator.

Is it Ray Burgundy or Ron Hadley?

RAY COULD CALL TIME

AFTER 30 years at the helm of the 2GB Continuous Call team, veteran broadcaster Ray Hadley is seriously considering his future.

“I can’t do this forever,” Hadley said. “I was only thinking this week on the 12th anniversary of the passing of my great old mate Peter Frilingos … maybe it’s time to slow down on weekends.

“It’s probably time for a generational change and young blokes at the station deserve the chance to take charge.”

Hadley, 61, has taken two of the last three Saturday shifts off and passed the baton to the very talented Mark Levy to host the show. He says a decision to quit would allow him to fully concentrate on his Monday to Friday morning show.

“My full-time job these days is my morning show and it’s a very demanding program that takes up most of my time,” he said. “You can’t work six and seven days a week forever.

“The executive chairman of Macquarie Media, Russell Tate, is the boss but also someone who gives good advice as does Singo and any decision I take will be done with input from both of them.

“I’m contracted until 2020 and am looking forward to working with Russell to see what 2017 holds.”

Perhaps FFA CEO David Gallop was at the Optus offices to complain about his EPL package.

GALLOPING OPTUS

A-LEAGUE boss David Gallop has been spotted in the foyer of Optus headquarters in North Ryde.

We can only presume he was there to talk local TV rights, which expire at the end of next season. Optus stunned their rivals by purchasing the rights to the English Premier League late last year for $50 million over three seasons. They are now struggling to get their money back on subscriptions.

Owning an A-League and EPL package could make subscriptions more attractive.

FATHER’S LEARNING CURVE

TODD Greenberg may have been embroiled in the biggest drama of his short time as NRL boss on Tuesday but one family member didn’t give him a second thought.

While Greenberg was delivering the bad news about salary cap breaches to Eels directors and players, his son Cooper was sitting for his driving test.

When he returned from an impressive media conference, Greenberg took just one of many calls to his private mobile phone. “Hi Dad, it’s Cooper … I passed!”

Brett Kimmorley is passing on his experience to the next generation of league and union players.

RAH-RAH KIMMORLEY

WHAT was former Kangaroos and Origin half-back Brett Kimmorley recently doing at a NSW Waratahs Super Rugby training session? It turns out Noddy was picking up tips and checking out drills for the playmaker academy he recently established for our next generation of league and union halves.

Kimmorley already has Barker College rugby union players on his books. His courses are designed for 13-year-olds to under-20s level. His website is playmakersacademy.com.au.

FORAN FIGHTBACK

KIERAN Foran is maintaining his fitness while undergoing treatment in a Brisbane rehabilitation clinic. A trainer from local club Wynnum Manly has been helping out with regular sessions.

Apart from immediate family, the trainer has been the only visitor.

The Eels have no idea when the champion five-eighth will be ready to play again. There was talk he could rush back for Friday night’s game against the Rabbitohs but his specialists have ruled it out and say it’s far too early.

Canterbury look to have locked in coach Des Hasler.

DES-EPTION A DOG ACT

The ill-informed reporting and commentary on Des Hasler’s future at Belmore this past week has been disgraceful. These are the facts. The club has offered the two-time premiership-winning coach a two-year contract extension until 2019. The Bulldogs board met on Friday and unanimously supported him.

GWS NO JERSEY GIANTS

GWS are still struggling to make an impression in Sydney’s west despite emerging as AFL contenders. Peter Wynn says sales of AFL jerseys in his Church Street store are doing well — but are mostly for the Swans. “It’s probably about 70-30 in the Swans’ favour,” Wynn said. “That’s not to say it won’t change if GWS keep winning.”

BRYCE STRUNG OUT

Former Wests Tigers and Cronulla forward Bryce Gibbs is still playing footy for Wests Illawarra on the South Coast. His season was going well until pulling a hamstring last weekend, an unusual injury for a prop without a lot of pace.

Roger Millward intercepts a pass from Arthur Beetson in the 1970 Test at the SCG.

R.I.P. DODGER

As a youngster my favourite rugby league player was a Pom. Great Britain five-eighth Roger Millward had a stint with the Sharks in 1976. Sadly, he died last week after a long battle with cancer. Millward was 68. He was in the same league as Wally Lewis and Brett Kenny as a No.6.

PEATS A PRICEY PATSY

There’s a whisper Parramatta hooker Nathan Peats is the player under most scrutiny as the Eels look to get back under the salary cap. Peats is on big money, more than $500,000 a season. Isaac De Gois is a much cheaper option at $150,000 a year and plays equally as well.

MORE BLOCKER ON BOX

There is every chance we’ll see more of Steve “Blocker’’ Roach on Fox Sports. He’s impressed the network staff with his upbeat commentary. There’s talk he might become part of the game-day coverage.

GENTLEMAN OF THE PRESS

THERE is incredible rivalry and often unnecessary conflict among rival sports journalists. Thankfully there are still some absolute gentlemen on the beat including six-decade veteran Max Presnell, the legendary turf writer who works at Fairfax.

Two weeks ago Max walked into the press room at Randwick and presented a beautiful antique Tag Heuer stopwatch from his trackwork days to my Telegraph colleague Nic Ashman, who regularly clocks horses at racing HQ. A lovely gesture.