Phil Rothfield: Score blowouts can’t sour two all-time NRL ratings records

The lopsided scorelines were the talk of rugby league - but there were some good results off the field. BUZZ’S HIGHS, LOWS

The Knights celebrate a try during their thrashing of the Titans. Newcastle have one of the easiest draws in the competition (Photo by Ashley Feder/Getty Images)

Despite a shocking weekend of blowouts, Fox Sports has achieved two all-time NRL ratings records.

The Warriors v Dragons golden point thriller on Friday night was the most-watched 6pm game of all time with an average of 419k viewers.

The Sunday 2pm game between the Broncos and Sharks also saw the highest ever ratings in that timeslot with 386k viewers (up 30 per cent on the 2021 season average).

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The Broncos’ return to form was obviously a key part of it.

Even the Rabbitohs v Tigers match on Sunday attracted a 393k average audience, a 14 per cent increase on the 2021 average for the Sunday 4pm slot.

However Super Saturday figures were not so positive with the combined score line of 148-6.

Despite most of NSW being in lockdown and fans forced to stay at home, Super Saturday recorded 357k viewers across the three games, down five per cent on the Super Saturday average of 377k in 2021.

HIGHLIGHT

Kalyn Ponga’s spectacular return for the Newcastle Knights against the Cowboys. This wonderful player is as valuable to the Knights as Tom Trbojevic is to the Manly Sea Eagles and Nathan Cleary is to the Penrith Panthers.

No wonder the three organisations in Brisbane bidding to become the NRL’s 17th team have all spoken to Ponga’s father Andre in recent months about Kalyn returning to Queensland as the face of a new franchise on money that is previously unheard of in rugby league.

Kalyn Ponga is being offered money ‘unheard of in rugby league’. (Photo by Ashley Feder/Getty Images)

LOWLIGHT I

Super Saturday became Slaughter Saturday in the most lopsided afternoon and evening of NRL football we have ever seen. All games were over by half-time. The defence of Canterbury, the Cowboys and the Raiders was soft and virtually non-existent.

LOWLIGHT II

Such a shame that Nick Kyrgios had to withdraw from Wimbledon. This former brat has become such a loveable rogue and a fantastic character on the international tennis circuit.

LOWLIGHT III

The imbecilic St George-Illawarra footballers who attended a party over the weekend and broke the strict NRL biosecurity rules.

SHOOSH

Which Sydney-based club still hasn’t given up hope of convincing Phil ‘Gus’ Gould to quit the New Zealand Warriors to oversee a much-needed football department shake-up and major overhaul of their roster.

Phil Gould is in hot demand. Picture: 7News

SHOOSH II

Channel 10 remains a huuuge player in negotiations for the next NRL free-to-air television deal when Nine’s contract expires at the end of next season.

DALLY M SLIDE

Jack Wighton looks like and is playing like an unhappy footballer, a Dally M champion who has fallen into a horrible form slump. A powerful running five-eighth, Wighton made 72 tackle busts in 2019 and 56 last year in a shortened season. This year he has made only 21 in 14 games.

360 VIEW

Catch you tonight on NRL 360 on Fox League at 6.30pm with Vonny Sampson, Paul Kent and James Hooper to discuss another huge weekend of rugby league news and big issues.

DRAW BUNGLE EXPOSES ALARMING ISSUES WITH NRL’S INTEGRITY

Newcastle has finally produced form that brings them into contention to plays finals football.

They’ll tell you it’s all about having their spine back — Kalyn Ponga, Mitchell Pearce and Jayden Brailey.

The real reason is that they have the softest draw in the competition alongside the Cowboys.

An analysis of the NRL schedule reveals alarming issues around the integrity of the competition.

The Knights celebrate a try during their thrashing of the Titans. Newcastle have one of the easiest draws in the competition (Photo by Ashley Feder/Getty Images)

Check out the table — the Knights play the top four clubs Storm, Penrith, Parramatta and South Sydney only once. It’s the same for the North Queensland Cowboys.

This is a massive advantage over struggling clubs like the Broncos, Wests Tigers and Bulldogs.

The Broncos have to play every top-four side twice.

It’s almost like the Knights and Cowboys get an eight-point advantage over them on the competition table.

The Bulldogs have to play the Panthers, Eels and Rabbitohs twice. Same with the Wests Tigers.

Obviously there will always be an integrity issue with the premiership draw when there are 16 teams and not everyone plays each other twice.

Even Manly only plays the Storm once and Rabbitohs once. This could help them make the top four.

So what’s the solution? Maybe less teams. Maybe a 14-team comp where everyone plays each other twice. But good luck trying to kick out two clubs.

Originally published as Phil Rothfield: Score blowouts can’t sour two all-time NRL ratings records