What’s the Buzz: Saint, Sinner, Shoosh
WHAT’S THE BUZZ: Phil Rothfield has praise for Ricky Stuart, but is less than impressed with two Australian Test players.
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THERE is praise for Ricky Stuart, but the opposite for two Australian Test cricketers, while there’s still no movement on the new NRL CEO front.
SAINT
IF Ricky Stuart achieves nothing else in life, he can look back at the opening last week of his state-of-the-art autism respite facility with incredible pride.
Ricky Stuart House was built in Canberra courtesy of tireless dedication to his foundation and fundraising.
SINNER
THE behaviour of Josh Hazlewood and Steve Smith in the second Test in Christchurch.
SHOOSH
WHICH highly-regarded horse racing administrator is about to become the boss of an NRL club. This guy is a tremendous operator who will do great things in rugby league with his business expertise and skills.
What’s the Buzz 1: Mad Dog revealed as Knights saviour
What’s the Buzz 2: Manly refuse to back down over Hoppa
MOVING AT A SNAIL’S PACE
WE spoke to independent commission boss John Grant again about the delay in naming a new CEO to replace Dave Smith. He said it was still at least three weeks away. Seriously, if there was a race between a snail and the commission, the snail would start $1.08.
SLEEPY HEAD
THE independent commission met NRL club bosses on Thursday to unveil the annual report and financial result for 2015. An hour into the meeting, about 10am, it was noticed commissioner Ian Elliott hadn’t turned up. All of a sudden he rocked up and told the gathering: “Sorry, I slept in.” Elliott lives in the eastern suburbs, just a few kilometres from the NRL.
SHOOSH
WHAT’S the go when the chair of an NRL club doesn’t even know who State of Origin coach Laurie Daley is, or, for that matter, premiership-winning coach Paul Green. How do we know? Because I saw — and heard — this person approach both men at the NRL season launch to ask who they were and what they did. Daley’s new nickname in footy circles is “Neville”.
A PIGEON PAIR
IN his first week as Channel 9’s new director of sport, Tom Malone flew to Melbourne to introduce himself to legendary cricket commentator Bill Lawry. The pair enjoyed a cup of tea and an inspection of Bill’s flock of pigeons.
TAYLOR’S PLAN B
JASON Taylor has got a fallback plan if he gets punted at the Wests Tigers. Taylor has another job to go to — he coaches his son’s team in the Willoughby Roos under-7s on Saturday mornings.
SPOTTED
SONNY Bill Williams’ agent Khoder Nasser working on his tan on Cronulla Beach on Wednesday.
SPOTTED II
RIVAL coaches Trent Robinson and Michael Maguire chatting at the NRL season launch on the edge of Sydney Harbour on Thursday. They will meet again today week in the round-one blockbuster at Allianz Stadium.
What’s the Buzz: Fowler dethrones Cleary as most marketable Aussie athlete
Even before details of Sam Kerr’s drunken night was revealed this week, Matildas teammate Mary Fowler had already become the face of Australian football and our most marketable sporting star.
The South Sydney contract call that infuriated Matt Lodge
Matt Lodge was confident that he was headed to South Sydney for a Wayne Bennett reunion, but one brief call blew up that plan and forced the NRL enforcer to make a surprising career pivot.