Monday Buzz: Chicken wings, crusher tackles and the dark side to South Sydney Rabbitohs
MONDAY Buzz: South Sydney should be the pride of the NRL but chicken wings and crusher tackles show the Bunnies aren’t afraid of the dark arts.
Opinion
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THE South Sydney Rabbitohs should be the pride of the NRL.
They have blown away and destroyed the Broncos, Manly and the Knights in their last three outings, averaging almost 40 points a game.
They play a beautiful, adventurous brand of attacking football through the likes of Greg Inglis, Dylan Walker, Alex Johnston, Adam Reynolds, Luke Keary, Sam Burgess and Issac Luke.
Inglis has scored the best two tries I’ve seen all year — the near length of the field job against the Broncos in the first round and the other one last Thursday night.
This is a wonderful rugby league team that deserves premiership favouritism.
However … there is a dark side to this football team that has emerged in recent games. I’m talking chicken wings and crusher tackles.
PREDICTABLE RABBITOHS SPARKLE LIKE DIAMOND
Coach Michael Maguire comes from the old Melbourne Storm system where wrestling ploys were first introduced to rugby league to slow down the play-the-ball.
This year no less than seven Rabbitohs players have been involved in incidents.
Round 6: Adam Reynolds: Unnecessary arm/shoulder pressure (early plea — 0 matches)
Round 19: Lote Tuqiri: Unnecessary head/neck pressure (early plea — 1 match)
Round 22: George Burgess: Unnecessary arm/shoulder pressure (early plea — 2 matches)
Round 22: Isaac Luke: Unnecessary arm/shoulder pressure (early plea — 0 matches)
Round 23: Chris McQueen: Unnecessary head/neck pressure
Round 23: Kirisome Auva’a: Unnecessary head/neck pressure
Round 23: Ben Te’o: Unnecessary arm/shoulder pressure.
It’s obviously become a serious problem in recent weeks.
TE’O COMING TO TERMS WITH FINALS PAIN
Te’o’s chicken wing was disgraceful on Maroon team mate Sam Thaiday, almost ripping his arm out of its socket.
The previous week Burgess and Luke put tough centre Steve Matai out of the game.
The seven “wrestling’ incidents are almost double as many as any other club. Manly and Melbourne are next with four this year.
I sent a text message to Maguire on Sunday seeking an explanation. He did not reply.
The NRL should be asking questions as well. This is a fantastic football side that shouldn’t lower themselves to these grubby tactics.
BALLS-UP EVIDENCE THE NRL HAS LOST THE PLOT
When Dave Smith was appointed NRL chief executive, I argued that a banker with absolutely no rugby league knowledge would be out of his depth.
He tried to do the right thing by hiring the gun club CEO Todd Greenberg to take care of football matters while he concentrated on building a financial future.
Quite obviously it hasn’t worked.
Greenberg is a thoroughly decent man but has been a flop as the code’s Head of Football.
NRL OFFICIAL FACES AXE OVER BLAME GAME
The ball boy incident in the Parramatta Eels — Bulldogs match is the final proof that the NRL has officially lost the plot.
That primary school aged children have been put into such a crucial role to restart play from 40/20 kicks is as ludicrous and outrageous as anything I have encountered over 40 years.
In any major business, the buck stops with the CEO.
I have no doubt Friday night’s incident would not have happened under the watch of previous great leaders like John Quayle, Ken Arthurson and David Gallop.
DON’T LET A BALL BOY DECIDE THE GRAND FINAL
They knew enough about rugby league not to place 12-year-old children in such a pressurised position.
Right now mistakes are being made because there is not enough rugby league expertise at NRL headquarters. Knowledge footy types have been replaced by financial strategists.
They might be good at bumping up State of Origin and grand final ticket prices but it’s a recipe for disaster and more blunders like we saw on Friday night that was serious enough to possibly cost the Parramatta Eels a place in the finals.
JUST ANOTHER DAY AT THE FUNNY FARM
Thirty years ago today, I was sitting in the old press box at Leichhardt Oval covering the Saturday 3pm game. I can remember it as if it was yesterday. August 18, 1984.
We had the usual crew — the late and great Peter Frilingos working for the Daily Mirror, Alan Clarkson from the Herald and Geoff Greenwood from Rugby League Week.
We always had a transistor radio on 2KY to listen to the races while covering the footy.
And then the announcer says: “There’s a delay in correct weight at Eagle Farm.”
About half an hour later the biggest scam in Australian sporting history was revealed — the Fine Cotton ring-in scandal.
The day a horse called Bold Personality was substituted for Fine Cotton in an attempt by a dozen or so crooks to rip $2 million from bookmakers in a nationwide sting.
A lot of money in the days when you could buy a Sydney house for under $100,000 and get drunk on $10.
Some of the major players are still involved in racing these days, even as bookmakers. Robbie Waterhouse and Garry Clarke work in the Sydney betting ring.
The most remarkable part of the story was the involvement of Catholic priest father Edward O’Dwyer, who backed the horse for Waterhouse at Kempsey Dogs.
Although his ban and warning off was eventually lifted, the priest has never been back to the races. I had coffee with Father O’Dwyer in Burwood five years ago.
Now 90, he is living in a nursing home in Toowoomba. I interviewed him there for a 30-year anniversary story but he has since asked for it not to be published.
Father O’Dwyer is not well at the moment and we will respect his wishes.
Originally published as Monday Buzz: Chicken wings, crusher tackles and the dark side to South Sydney Rabbitohs
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