What’s the Buzz: Saint, Sinner, Shoosh
Big name misses Cameron Smith’s milestone dinner, why Bulldogs boss was in England, punters cash out on Blues — all the latest NRL chatter and more in Australia’s hottest sport gossip column.
All the latest NRL chatter and more in Australia’s hottest sport gossip column.
SAINT
To play one NRL game is a proud achievement. To play 400 is an astonishing milestone. Rugby league fans have always had a love/hate relationship with Cameron Smith but you’ve got to salute his greatness and longevity in the toughest body contact sport on the planet.
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SINNER
The critics of departing soccer boss David Gallop, who was personally responsible for negotiating the $346 million television deal with Fox Sports that saved the A-League from collapsing. Good luck getting that amount of funding next time.
SHOOSH
Talks are under way in Premier Gladys Berejiklian’s office regarding prestigious SCG Trust appointments. Wests Tigers chairman and former premier Barry O’Farrell, former News Corp boss John Hartigan and ex-cricketer Stuart MacGill are up for re-election.
SHOOSH II
There is talk the NRL’s head of football Graham Annesley sent a text message to referees’ boss Bernard Sutton before half-time of the Origin game about the high penalty count that ruined the opening 40 minutes as a spectacle.
SHOOSH III
There was some spin from Channel 9 about the Origin TV ratings. The truth is they were up on last year’s dead rubber but it was the lowest-rating decider since 2005.
SHOOSH IV
The latest round of radio ratings show Terry Kennedy’s Big Sports Breakfast on Sky Sports Radio bombed out again with an audience of just 0.03. Macquarie Sports Radio more than trebled its listeners.
SHOOSH V
Which NRL coach took a surprise holiday last week and left his assistants in charge of training.
SPOTTED
Canterbury boss Andrew Hill at Sydney airport returning from Manchester in England. Hill confirmed he met St Helens front-rower Luke Thompson but denies he was there to sign coach Justin Holbrook to replace Dean Pay.
SPOTTED II
John Singleton sent us this photo of his great mate Tommy Raudonikis, claiming: “The real coach whisperer. With 32 seconds to go … Kev fell for whispering Tom.”
SPOTTED III
Noel “Crusher” Cleal, Scott Fulton and media man Wayne Cousins representing Manly at the funeral of the Singleton house fire victims at St Patrick’s church in Singleton on Friday. The coffin of Blake Atkins, 11, was covered in Manly stickers.
NO COOPER AT CAM’S BIG DO
The NRL hosted a private dinner at a flash restaurant in Fitzroy on Thursday to celebrate Cameron Smith’s 400-game milestone.
There was no sign of Cooper Cronk.
Old teammates Billy Slater and Johnathan Thurston were there. So, too, Craig Bellamy, Frank Ponissi, Todd Greenberg, his wife Lisa, Peter Beattie, John Ribot and Smith’s agent, Isaac Moses.
It was Smith and his wife, Barbara, who did the invite list. Cronk filmed a video tribute to honour Smith’s landmark game but it seems that he didn’t get a start. They have a civil relationship but are obviously not close.
Others at the dinner included Storm owners, bookie Matt Tripp and Jayco caravan king Gerry Ryan. Also, Fox Sports boss Peter Campbell and a Fairfax journalist who is writing Smith’s book.
REVIEW INTO REVIEW
There is talk the NRL will put a bomb under the match review committee at the end of the season.
Former players Michael Buettner, Michael Robertson, Stuart Raper and Michael Hodgson have baffled and bewildered fans and officials with some ridiculously poor decisions.
Twice, they have only fined Queensland and Cowboys forward Josh McGuire for eye-gouging incidents, while George Burgess and Hudson Young got lengthy bans.
The decision not to suspended Sharks rookie Kyle Flanagan for kneeing Matt Lodge in the head was an absolute disgrace.
BARTY A TV WINNER
World No. 1 Ash Barty was a ratings smash hit on Fox Sports before she was bounced out of Wimbledon.
The tournament ratings on the pay-TV network were up by a staggering 147 per cent while Barty was still playing until last weekend. It shows how poorly Channel 7 misread the situation by showing tennis brat Nick Kyrgios in preference to Barty earlier in the tournament.
Barty’s game against Harriet Dart was the highest-rating Wimbledon match ever on subscription television, up 23 per cent on the next best-rating Wimbledon match.
WARNER ROOSTER BOOSTER
Roosters coach Trent Robinson can take much credit for the stunning form of Australia’s opening batsman Dave Warner at the World Cup.
Warner is a Roosters tragic who reached out to Robinson during his 12-month suspension.
They met on several occasions and Robinson offered advice about overcoming sporting obstacles. Your columnist bumped into Warner in Brisbane before the Australian team left for the UK.
“Robbo has been fantastic,” Warner said.
“He’s a great footy coach and a great adviser.
“He’s been extremely helpful and I’m really grateful that he helped me out.”
UNWANTED AND UNLOVED
NRL boss Todd Greenberg refuses to even consider a coaching comeback date for banned Sharks coach Shane Flanagan. Greenberg recently spoke to Flanagan and his adviser, Wayne Beavis, on the telephone about the issue.
They were told not to even bother asking until December, once he has completed 12 months. Even then, Greenberg is unsure about allowing him back. There is a feeling in the game that Flanagan has still not taken ownership of his indiscretions and is still in denial.
ORIGIN TRY TROVE
There was some huge betting action on the State of Origin decider and one TAB punter cheered louder than others when James Tedesco scored the matchwinning try. He had $2000 on the Blues fullback to score the final try at odds of $10 and collected $20,000.
NO APOLOGY A BIG MISS
It’s a shame Sharks young gun Kyle Flanagan has shown little remorse for kneeing Broncos forward Matt Lodge and escaping without a suspension.
We can reveal Flanagan approached Lodge after the game and apologised for his brain explosion.
But the five-eighth has refused to speak publicly and acknowledge his stupidity and poor behaviour. He missed an opportunity to apologise to fans for giving the game another black eye at the height of the concussion debate.
SWEATING ON MALONEY KICK
No one cheered harder for James Maloney’s conversion after the full-time hooter on Origin night than actor Bryan Brown, who was in the NRL suite at ANZ Stadium.
Brown is a fanatical St George Illawarra and Blues fan who has a $100 bet with a mate from Queensland on every Origin game. He gave his mate five points start before the kick-off and needed Maloney’s goal to collect the cash.
A LITTLE WOMBAT AID
The jersey Tom Trbojevic wore when he ran 330m against St George Illawarra in round 14 is being auctioned to help pay the medical bills of Manly club legend Graham “Wombat” Eadie, who recently had heart surgery.
It is a most special jersey because the club’s three champion fullbacks have all signed it — Eadie, Brett Stewart and “Turbo”.
It will be auctioned at a fundraiser on the Gold Coast on Friday, August 23 at the Burleigh Bears rugby league club.
All fans are welcome.
Tickets are available on 07 5617 6444.
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