What’s the Buzz: For every Todd Carney there are some wonderful young men in rugby league
AFTER tumbling into a deep crisis, a truly inspirational Cronulla fan has given Sharks players a timely and much needed dose of reality, writes Phil Rothfield.
Opinion
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FOR every Todd Carney there are some wonderful young men in rugby league.
On Monday the Cronulla Sharks were in as deep a crisis as you can get.
Todd Carney sacked, Peter Sharp gone. Front and back page news, all negative. You could forgive the players for not being in the mood to train.
Then John Morris, Eric Grothe jnr and Chris Heighington hear about a guy who is doing it much tougher than they are.
Jamie Manning was involved in a near fatal car accident three months ago which left him in a coma for seven weeks with horrific burns, a partial leg amputation, the loss of a hand and other severe injuries.
He is now in a specialist rehab unit in Ryde after 10 painful weeks in Royal North Shore hospital.
Jamie, 39, has a wonderful wife Karen and three beautiful children. They keep him fighting.
Morris heard of his plight and that he was a fanatical Sharks supporter.
So on Tuesday morning the three players went for a visit.
“It made us stop and think about all the crap that’s been going on and put things into perspective,” Grothe said.
“This guy’s attitude was so inspirational. I thought he’d be really depressed about what’s happened to him but he was upbeat and determined to make the most of what he’s got with a lovely young family.
“It’s a lesson to us all.”
This story did not come via the Cronulla Sharks PR department. I received an email from Joye Nelson, Jamie’s aunty, after the hospital visit.
“I thought it was important that people out there realise that there are some great rugby league players out there,” Joye said.
“These players went out of their way on a day of turmoil at their club to come and lift the spirits of one of their fans. Jamie and his family very much appreciated it.
“Perhaps your column can find a place for this message of appreciation and to let people know there are some very fine young men out there who are doing rugby league proud.”
MAROONS MAKE A WALLY OF THEMSELVES
TALK about being presumptuous.
This is how the arrogant Queenslanders travel to and from training … on a bus that has the years listed for all their eight-in-a-row State of Origin series victories over NSW.
Someone decided to add 2014 before the start of this year’s series.
Can’t wait for them to send in the spray painter to get rid of it.
LEAGUE NEEDS A BOOF TO BOOST ITS FORTUNES
MAYBE it’s time to put Aussie cricket coach Darren Lehmann in charge of one of our NRL teams.
We hear that Boof was in the dressing rooms after the second State of Origin game and after the Wallabies’ recent 6-0 win over France.
Both times he was overheard blowing up about the lack of creative attack and couldn’t believe how boring the games were.
Lehmann is really into glamorous attacking cricket, as shown by Australia’s recent performances. If only some of the stereotype NRL coaches had the same attitude.
KYRGIOS’S COUP UPSETS BOOKIES
THE bookies normally cheer and get the lot on the rare occasions that $1.05 favourites get rolled. Not so at Wimbledon when world number one Rafael Nadal lost to our very own Nick Kyrgios in a stunning upset. It was a disaster for the TAB and sports bookies in this country because our patriotic punters unloaded on the boy from Canberra at $9 on hope rather than form. Kyrgios, who opened Wimbledon at $500, is now a $51 chance to win the US Open.
AGENT’S ANTICS DEFY ANY LOGIC
Todd Carney’s agent David Riolo suggested a $200,000 fine and suspension for the remainder of the season would be an appropriate punishment for his disgusting behaviour. Yeah, right.
That way he gets $450,000 to sit on his backside for the rest of the year.
You’d nearly have every player in the comp doing the “bubbler” to get the same kind of deal.
THE GALLOPING FLYER
WE’RE thinking Australian Football Federation boss David Gallop will be suffering from jet lag next week.
He flies to Brazil on Friday for the World Cup final, arrives Saturday, watches the game Sunday, then flies home Monday. That’s 60 hours in transit in four days.
The frequent-flyer points should make it easier to cope with.
BLUES GO BACK TO THEIR ROOTS
LAURIE Daley is really into his Blues players honouring their grassroots.
Every player had to bring a jersey from their original junior club team into camp at Coffs Harbour.
They wore the jumpers to dinner on Thursday night and had to speak for 60 seconds about their first footy experiences.
ALEX MCKINNON APPEAL STIRS AFL
THE Alex McKinnon appeal and his brave fight to walk again has stirred the hearts of rival sports officials.
So much so that even the AFL is planning to make a substantial donation to the #RiseForAlex benefit round.
The fact he was hurt in Melbourne captured the thoughts of all Victorians, not just rugby league fans.
FOR those who managed to stay awake, Nick Kyrgios gave us our biggest sporting thrill of the year at Wimbledon by knocking off the great Rafael Nadal to revive memories of our golden days at the home of tennis.
SINNER
TODD Greenberg’s star continues to fall at NRL headquarters. The fact it took so long for the football department to release a simple draw for the final six rounds was an embarrassment to the code. And to have the Tigers and Sea Eagles playing twice in four days was a bad joke.
FROM THE HORSE’S MOUTH
THE best omen tip of the week was a horse called Carney which won at Pinjarra on Thursday at a juicy $5.70. An old Oatley pub desperate even sent me a picture of his winning TAB ticket.
SHOOSH
WHICH Sydney-based NRL club is about to tap three first grade players on the shoulder and inform them their services are not required for next season. All three are under contract for at least another 12 months.
SHOOSH II
THE Brisbane Broncos salary cap investigation is becoming more complicated and intriguing every day. Despite a month-long inquiry, the NRL integrity unit is still weeks away from handing down a verdict.
MAGIC DRAGON’S DAD
ONE cherished member of Reg Gasnier’s family missed Puff the Magic Dragon’s farewell tribute at Kogarah. Reg’s dad Bill died a week ago after a wonderful innings. He was 99.
BITTER CUP
WHY the fuss about Shane Flanagan attending a Holden Cup game two weeks ago? He has been a regular at Holden Cup games all season with full permission granted by the NRL months ago.
TAKE A BOW, PETER
OFFICE staff at Cricket Australia all wore bow ties to work on Thursday in a farewell tribute to retiring media and communications director Peter Young.
PJY was renowned for his cool head and sense of humour in many a crisis, from Monkeygate to the sacking of Steve Waugh as Australian skipper. His bow ties will be sadly missed.
Originally published as What’s the Buzz: For every Todd Carney there are some wonderful young men in rugby league
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