NRL grand final: Phil Rothfield and Robert Craddock debate the big issues leading up to decider
Phil ‘Buzz’ Rothfield and Robert ‘Crash’ Craddock go head-to-head to debate the Broncos versus the Panthers, with a side of Justin Bieber versus Phil Collins.
NRL
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Crash: Buzz, Mal Meninga hinted to you he was going to pick James Tedesco ahead of Reece Walsh as Australian fullback in the end-of-season Tests. Teddy’s been wonderful over the years but in a series that will need every fan it can get, Mal’s got the chance to pick Justin Bieber and he’s sticking with Phil Collins. Your thoughts?
Buzz: Ha ha, Phil Collins is my vintage Crash. I love him. But you’ve got the Genesis of a good point there. You know what, they’ll pick Teddy, but in my opinion there are three better fullbacks on form. Your man Reece Walsh, Kalyn Ponga and Dylan Edwards. Edwards won the Clive Churchill Medal last year but couldn’t make the World Cup squad. Walsh and Ponga have been out of this world in the last couple of months.
Teddy had a poor Origin series by his standards, but played reasonably well for the Chooks at the back end. I guess he’s the Australian captain and we can’t be too critical of Mal’s loyalty.
Crash: Talking of Walsh, I haven’t seen a Broncos player capture such wide-ranging interest from fans since Allan Langer arrived in the late 1980s. Girls, boys, men and women loved him in different ways. Who was the biggest league rock star you have seen?
Buzz: My man ET (Andrew Ettingshausen) was an absolute heart-throb. Huge signing in the Super League war for the rebel league because he had so many female admirers. Beautiful to watch on a football field and had Hollywood looks. Who else? My mate at NRL360, Braith Anasta, is a good sort. Ryan Girdler and Matt Cooper were super stylish, too.
Crash: Buzz I have just finished reading Brave Hearts, the book Kevin Walters wrote after his first wife, Kym, died. There’s a lovely photo of a young Billy Walters poking his tongue at Gorden Tallis. They are close. It’s why Gordy shed tears on Fox when Billy got his first-grade debut, and the one certainty is Gordy will shed many more if Kev and Billy get photographed with the cup. I love seeing hard men cry. League can be quite a beautiful game …
Buzz: I’ve had the pleasure of working alongside Gordy every Monday night this year. As you know, you get to learn real personalities in the green room. He’s not a soft person but there’s a part of him that is so caring and so kind. The Walters relationship is so special.
Crash: Last week Penrith were furious at Brisbane getting a home-ground advantage for the preliminary final. Haven’t heard much from them this week about the grand final being held just up the road from them? Just expanding on Penrith’s thinking about neutral grounds, is it time to take the decider to Adelaide (laughs)?
Buzz: Stop it, Crash. The game belongs in Sydney. It’s been in this great town since 1908, bar the Covid year. Do you move the Cox Plate from Moonee Valley or the US Masters from Augusta?
Crash: It’s funny how to win a title, little things need to fall into place. I recently watched CCTV video of Kotoni Staggs at the Albion Park trots when a bar-room brawl happened just two metres from him. In other years he might have joined the stink but Jake Turpin’s mum put her arm around him and he just stood and watched. It was admirable restraint. Five seconds of madness could have ruined his season.
Buzz: Kotoni would be paying $1.08 to get involved a few years back. It’s been terrific watching these Broncos grow into decent men. Look at Reece Walsh. Payne Haas. Same with Penrith. Nathan Cleary and the Covid TikTok video. Jarome Luai has behaved like a goose in the past. They all eventually grow up.
Crash: Buzz, what does Kevin Walters’ success tell you about coaching?
Buzz: Great question. At the beginning of the year I had Kevvie alongside Justin Holbrook, Anthony Griffin and Adam O’Brien as coaches under most pressure after the Broncos’ capitulation at the back end of last season and the stories of player unrest. Tactically, Kevvie is never going to be a Warren Ryan or Phil Gould, but my goodness he’s got some impressive attributes. He’s a great delegator. He’s learnt from Bellamy and Bennett. He’s a terrific person, almost a knockabout. This team obviously wants to play for him.
Crash: Buzz, did you know the Broncos will have a secret weapon on the field on Sunday and he’s 57 years old?
Buzz: Adam Reynolds? Ha ha. I’m not all that sweet with Reyno these days. I was at Magic Round last year and wrote how he spent all night at the casino then turned up for breakfast with his old Souths teammates about 8am before going home. He wasn’t happy. I spoke about Kevvie being a good delegator … well he’s given Reyno the keys to the side. He’s an on-field general and assistant coach.
Crash: Actually the 57-year-old I’m talking about is Allan Langer. The most underrated stat of the entire competition this year is Brisbane won 10 of 11 games on the road, and one of the key ingredients was the players love going away with Alfie because he makes it fun and is lightening the mood all the time. The more serious the occasion, the lighter he is. It sounds so simple but there’s a touch of genius about it.
Buzz: You reckon? What was Alfie doing when they won the wooden spoon a couple of years ago?
Crash: It’s hard to be Billy Connolly when you are getting pumped 42-6 but I get you. All right, Buzz, finish this sentence. If the Broncos beat Penrith on Sunday, the single-biggest reason will be …
Buzz: Three names – Payne Haas, Patrick Carrigan and Tom Flegler. They are such a brutal combination in the middle of the park. So tough, so athletic and so mobile. Haas gets most of the write-ups but it’s the ruthless combination.
Crash: Finally, who are you tipping Buzz?
Buzz: Mate, I’ve been covering grand finals since the ’78 Sharks v Manly replay at the SCG. This one will be up there with the best of them. Could even go into extra time. Forced to have a tip, I’ll say Penrith because their defence has been so outstanding all year. What do you reckon, mate?
Crash: I think the Broncos can get there, but my worry is they will snatch at it and over-try as you tend to do against a defence which is basically a glorified bank vault. Random tip. As Penrith swarm Walsh in the 79th minute, Herbie Farnworth will dummy and score the matchwinner in the final play of his Broncos career.
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