Monday Buzz: Phil Rothfield reveals his weekend highlights and lowlights
And the Oscar goes to ... Cronulla was robbed of a try in its heartbreaking loss after the bunker was completely fooled by the Cowboy’s match-winner. Buzz Rothfield’s highlights and lowlights.
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Phil Rothfield reveals his weekend highlights and lowlights in weekly column, Monday Buzz.
HIGHLIGHT
Nathan Cleary. His halfback masterclass for the Panthers on Friday night was close enough to a perfect 10, up there with Johnathan Thurston, Andrew Johns or Cooper Cronk at their best.
LOWLIGHT
The most gut-wrenching feeling walking out of Shark Park on Saturday night after losing to the North Queensland Cowboys in one most gripping finals matches in years. Former Sharks star Val Holmes not only landed the match-winning field goal but produced the dive-of-the-year to fool the bunker into an obstruction call that saw a try taken away from Connor Tracey.
LOWLIGHT II
Referee Ashley Klein lost control of the Rabbitohs v Roosters game. Seven sin-bins, cheap shots galore, chaos from start to finish, too many stoppages.
SHOOSH
Cameron Munster is supposedly the most sought after player in the NRL. Hold the phone. At the beginning of November another handy footballer, the Raiders’ Joe Tapine, can talk to rival clubs. He will be absolutely swamped. “I’ve got more than half-a-dozen clubs expressing interest,” said his manager Jim Banaghan. And what’s he worth? Some are suggesting $1 million a year.
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SHOOSH
Some behind-the-scenes drama at the St George Illawarra Dragons with veteran hooker Andrew McCullough, who turns 33 in January, rejecting a bit of pushing and shoving from within the club to retire. McCullough has been a wonderful competitor in 309 NRL games but now lacks the sharpness required out of dummy-half.
SPOTTED
It appears not all Allianz Stadium members love their rugby league. There were thousands of empty seats for the Chooks v Rabbitohs in the Members area, tickets that could have been sold to the public.
SPOTTED
Manly star Jason Saab turned up at The Star Sydney casino on Friday to sit on a panel for a promotion in the sports bar. Only problem was security wouldn’t let him in to the venue because he didn’t have the necessary ID. It was eventually sorted out after some frantic calls by his manager Mario Tartak.
SPOTTED
Recently departed Newcastle Knights trainer Hayden Knowles back at his old stomping ground at Penrith Stadium on Friday night to watch the Panthers-Eels semi.
SPOTTED
St George Illawarra Dragons star and Dally M favourite Ben Hunt with wife Bridget at Sydney airport on Saturday morning.
360 VIEW
Catch you on NRL 360 at 6.30pm Monday night on Fox League with Braith Anasta, Paul Kent, James Hooper and Cooper Cronk to discuss and dissect a huge weekend of footy finals.
UNSUNG RAIDERS VETERAN
Who is the NRL buy-of-the-year? There have been some rippers: Nicho Hynes, Chad Townsend, Adam Reynolds, Matt Burton and Matt Lodge.
There’s another player to throw into the equation too - Canberra Raiders halfback Jamal Fogarty.
This is the 28-year-old playmaker Gold Coast Titans didn’t want.
Raiders coach Ricky Stuart tells the story how he was having a beer with player agent Chris Orr on the Gold Coast at the Sofitel Hotel where the NRL teams were all based last year.
Stuart was inquiring about getting Dylan Brown, who Orr manages, out of Parramatta.
The conversation turned to Fogarty, who had been told by Titans coach Justin Holbrook that rookie Toby Sexton would be the Titans’ starting halfback in 2022.
Fogarty was so keen to get an opportunity in the national capital that he even offered to personally pay a $100,000 transfer fee to the Titans.
He has been an outstanding pick-up for the Raiders, turning their season around after missing the first dozen games with a knee injury.
Fogarty is never mentioned alongside the likes of Reynolds, Nathan Cleary, Jahrome Hughes, Daly Cherry Evans or any of the great halfbacks.
Stuart doesn’t care.
“I’ll tell you one thing – he mightn’t be on a million dollars – but he’s as consistent as any of them,” Stuart said, “Seriously, he is an outstanding person and a very good football player.”
AGEING DOLPHINS TRIO
Melbourne Storm’s early exit from the finals is bad news for the Redcliffe Dolphins.
For the first time since 2002, Craig Bellamy’s team lost their last three games of the season.
It has shown up their old forward pack – the likes of Jesse Bromwich, 33, his brother Kenny, 30, and Felise Kaufusi, 30 – all of whom are heading to the NRL’s 17th team.
They are still good, strong, and solid players but no longer have the impact they once had.
It’s easy to blame the absence of injured front-rower Christian Welch and superstar fullback Ryan Papenhuyzen for Storm’s failure to make a preliminary final for the first time since 2014.
They also suffered from losing Nicho Hynes and Dale Finucane at the end of last season.
But it has been more about their lack of oomph with an ageing pack in finals football, outside of big Nelson Asofa-Solomona.
Wayne Bennett has signed the three Storm forwards to build a Storm-type culture in Redcliffe.
They will set good standards, no question about that.
Whether they can still match it week in, week out with the younger firebrands in the competition remains to be seen.
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