What’s the Buzz: When “Hollywood” grabbed Sterlo, the Tigers’ coaching choice, and Tim Simona gives a little back

WHAT’S THE BUZZ II: When “Hollywood” grabbed Sterlo, the Tigers’ coaching choice, Leilua’s Origin weakness and Tim Simona gives a little back.

THE best sports news and gossip column int he country, Phil Rothfield has the latest on what you need to know in the sporting world.

SAINT

OUTSIDE of football, rugby league clubs do some wonderful community work that often goes unnoticed. Wyong, on the Central Coast, was recently approached by the Melanoma Institute of Australia to assist with the funding of new technology that can identify different types of melanoma without surgery. They needed $60,000 — and Wyong gave them the lot.

SINNER

THE NRL spends millions of dollars on bunker technology yet doesn’t even use all available camera angles for crucial, game-deciding decisions such as the Will Chambers no-try call on Friday night.

SINNER II

THE fact Newcastle still has to pay $15,000 a week (and it’s included in the Knights’ salary cap) to Jarrod Mullen — even though he has tested positive for steroid use — is an absolute farce.

WHAT’S THE BUZZ 1: Hasler and Foran to reunite at Bulldogs

SPOTTED

KANGAROOS and Cronulla Sharks winger Valentine Holmes shopping for furniture with his girlfriend at the Caringbah Super Centre. Holmes recently purchased an apartment in the new complex next to Shark Park.

Sutton and Burgess had a liquid debriefing.

SPOTTED II

SOUTH SYDNEY Rabbitohs skipper Sam Burgess and veteran utility John Sutton at the Maroubra Bay Hotel enjoying a couple of quiet ales after the big win over the Manly Sea Eagles last week.

SHOOSH

WHICH very successful NRL coach is being offered to rival clubs despite having another two years on his contract?

SHOOSH II

WHICH NRL club CEO was recently asked to take a $100,000 pay cut and told to lift his game? No, it’s not Peter Doust.

SHOOSH III

WHICH Manly Sea Eagles player is now nicknamed “The Turnstile” by his own teammates? Not hard to guess who if you’ve been watching their games.

SHOOSH IV

WHICH coach has banned his own CEO from all recruitment meetings because he’s so paranoid about the names of any potential new signings getting out?

SHOOSH V

WHICH NRL club chairman regularly turns over tens of thousands of dollars on the weekend punt? Thankfully, he bets on the horses and not rugby league games.

Greg Hartley and Peter Sterling clash back in 1980.

A GRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE

IMAGINE if this happened in today’s game … a referee grabbing a player by the jersey in such a threatening manner.

This is how controversial old ref Greg Hartleyphysically reprimanded Parramatta halfback Peter Sterling in a 1980 Eels versus Manly game.

It’s one of many brilliant pictures that will be part of the final Rugby League Week publication this week, a commemorative edition featuring memorable photos and some great stories.

Hartley told Rugby League Week after the game the clash with Sterling was caused by his frustration over the scrums.

Powerbrokers at NSWRL headquarters in the old Phillip St building were not impressed.

Hartley was demoted the following weekend to officiate at the worst game of the round, Newtown Jets versus North Sydney Bears at Henson Park.

SIX TEAMS, THREE CODES, ONE MAN

FOX Sports commentator Brenton Speed will create broadcasting ­history next month by calling soccer, AFL and NRL games all on the one weekend.

Speed is covering the Melbourne City v Adelaide United A-League game in Melbourne on Friday April 7 then he’s off to Hobart the next day to call GWS Giants against North Melbourne in the AFL.

And if his voice is still up for it, Speed will be in the broadcast box on the Sunday afternoon to call the Melbourne Storm-Cronulla Sharks grand final rematch at AAMI Park.

Fox Sports head of television Steve Crawley signed Speed to a full-time contract this year because of the incredible versatility of his skills. At the Rio Olympics, he called rowing and the women’s soccer for Channel Seven.

WOMEN RATE BILLY

WE told you recently how Storm superstar Billy Slater was, according to NRL research, the most popular player in the game with women. Well, here’s the proof … the extraordinary television ratings from his comeback game on Thursday night against the Brisbane Broncos.

The combined ratings on Channel Nine and Fox Sports were up 18.4 per cent on the corresponding Thursday night game last year — 1.16 million v 984,000.

SIMONA MAKING AMENDS

DISGRACED footy player Tim Simona has taken his first steps on the long road to redemption.

On Thursday, he hand-delivered a $5000 bank cheque to the offices of Camp Quality in Epping.

It’s the first instalment to the children’s charity in a debt of about $8000 for the sale of signed Wests Tigers jerseys. He wanted no publicity.

However, in light of last Sunday’s shocking confessions, your columnist feels the public is entitled to know he is at least making an effort.

TODD’S TAYLOR MADE

THERE’S a reason why Wests Tigers’ negotiations with off-contract stars Aaron Woods, James Tedesco, Mitchell Moses and Luke Brookshave stalled.

We’re hearing they all want Cowboys assistant coach and former Wests Tigers forwardTodd Paytento take over as coach next year.

It’s not that they are dirty on Jason Taylor. It’s just Payten was at Wests Tigers as an assistant coach when they were coming through. They think they can win a premiership under his coaching.

Joseph Ratuvakacereivalu — a tough one for the commentators.

TONGUE TWISTER

IS this the hardest name to pronounce in rugby league? Imagine poor Rabs or Waz if Roosters Holden Cup front-rower Joseph Ratuvakacereivalumakes it into first grade for a TV game. It’s pronounced Rah-tu-vak-a-ther-i-va-lu. Try saying it. Your columnist can’t. He is a Campbelltown junior with a goal to represent Fiji in a World Cup.

A GREAT SCOTT

SCOTT Fulton is doing a sensational job rebuilding Manly juniors. Last weekend, the Sea Eagles flogged the Penrith Panthers 38-10 in S.G. Ball and 38-6 in Harold Matthews. This is an area where Penrith, with the huge junior league, are usually almost unbeatable. Fulton has a wonderful eye for identifying talent and has hand-picked many of their best kids himself. The club’s Holden Cup team is unbeaten this year, too.

CIVIL WAR: MANLY’S BITTER IMPLOSION

JOEY NOT BOMBPROOF

RAIDERS centre Joey Leiluais arguably the most explosive attacking player in the NRL. Still, it doesn’t mean he’s a good thing to play State of Origin any time soon. Rival coaches, including Kevvie Walters, have worked out he can be a liability in defence on the Raiders’ right side, as was shown when the Sharks aimed much of their attack at him in Canberra last weekend.

Lebanon coach Cleary with Moses, Farah and Mannah Photo: Narelle Spangher

CLEARY, NOTHING DOING HERE

THE alarm bells began ringing when Ivan Cleary was spotted at Canterbury Leagues Club on Tuesday night amid speculation Dessie Hasler would be moving on next year.

It turns out the former Warriors and Panthers coach was there for another reason … in his capacity as coach of Lebanon for the World Cup this year. He was snapped with Tigers five-eighth Mitchell Moses, Souths hooker Robbie Farahand Eels prop Tim Mannah.

Sydney fans will get to see plenty of Lebanon during the World Cup. They play England at Allianz Stadium on November 4 and Australia at the same venue a week later.

TRUE BELIEBERS

SOME of the toughest men in the NRL are actually soft. How else can you explain the appearance of Roosters enforcer Jared Waerea-Hargreaves and Cronulla Sharks warhorse Paul Gallen at the Justin Bieber concert at ANZ Stadium on Wednesday night.

Originally published as What’s the Buzz: When “Hollywood” grabbed Sterlo, the Tigers’ coaching choice, and Tim Simona gives a little back