Monday Buzz: Highlights, lowlights talking points for a bumper weekend of sporting action
THE proof is in the pudding — four of the five teams embroiled in coaching dramas are watching their season vanish before their eyes writes PHIL ROTHFIELD.
Opinion
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THE biggest NRL flops over the weekend were clubs with coaching dramas.
The Manly Sea Eagles were absolutely woeful against the Gold Coast Titans after a week of speculation about Trent Barrett’s future.
Penrith got rolled by the Knights two weeks after sacking Anthony Griffin.
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The Wests Tigers’ finals campaign petered out after suggestions Ivan Cleary wanted out.
The South Sydney Rabbitohs were ordinary after all the rumours that Anthony Seibold was off to the Brisbane.
Only Wayne Bennett’s Broncos handled the madness of the coaching merry-go-round.
Surely this is a message for all clubs in the NRL. All the doubt and uncertainty has a negative effect on the playing group.
Look at the Panthers since Gus Gould sacked Griffin. The luckiest win of the year over the struggling Titans in golden point and then a terrible loss to the Knights.
There is no question they were playing better football while Griffin was in charge.
***
Clubs that fail to send their boss to the regular CEO meetings organised by the NRL are set to be locked out of discussions.
Last week Manly CEO Lyall Gorman missed the meeting while he dealt with the chaos over the coaching future of Trent Barrett on the northern peninsula.
Gorman sent another club official along in a move which clearly didn’t please NRL boss Todd Greenberg.
Greenberg suggested that future meetings should be restricted to CEOs — and if the CEO can’t make it then nobody from the club should attend.
The meeting agreed to the move which brings it into line with coaches meetings.
Greenberg imposed the same rule last year after coaches started sending their assistants along.
There has been a marked increase in head coaches attending the meetings ever since.
HIGHLIGHT I
Winx and her breathtaking 27th straight win at Royal Randwick. If racing had immortals like rugby league, she’d be first chosen.
HIGHLIGHT II
Your columnist has seen nothing more skilful on a rugby league field this season than Clint Gutherson’s spectacular regather and touchdown against Melbourne Storm on Friday night. Unbelievable skill, even allowing for the dodgy call from the bunker to award the four-pointer.
LOWLIGHT
Will Chambers and his disgraceful tackle on Parramatta Eels superstar Jarryd Hayne. The NRL is a tough enough body-contact sport without dangerous plays that can break a player’s neck. He was lucky to get only three weeks from the match-review committee.
LOWLIGHT II
Manly. Brookvale Oval. Another shocking crowd. A pathetic second-half capitulation. Management silence on Trent Barrett’s future.
PLENTY IN RESERVE
Bulldogs forward Rhyse Martin ran onto ANZ Stadium in reserve grade yesterday against North Sydney then ran off straight after the kick-off. It qualifies him for the finals.
SPOTTED
Sharks fans Paul Bolton, Gaz Brown and Tom Kaye wearing JT’s head gear to honour the champion halfback in his last Sydney appearance on Saturday night.
SPOTTED II
Sydney’s gale-force winds pushed the goalposts over five minutes before full-time in the Joeys v Riverview seconds game on Saturday afternoon at Lane Cove. Luckily no-one got hurt.
360 VIEW
Catch you Monday night on NRL 360 on Fox Sports with Ben Ikin and Paul Kent to discuss the game’s biggest issues just two weeks from the finals.
Special guest in the studio is St George-Illawarra Dragons coach Paul McGregor.
Originally published as Monday Buzz: Highlights, lowlights talking points for a bumper weekend of sporting action
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