What’s the Buzz: Felise Kaufusi’s shocking record of knockout blows a cause for concern
Melbourne enforcer Felise Kaufusi is fast gaining an unwanted reputation for his stray forearms, which are leaving a trail of controversy in their wake.
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MELBOURNE Storm edge forward Felise Kaufusi is fast gaining a reputation as one of the NRL’s dirtiest players.
Three times within 12 months he has knocked out big-name opponents with the stray use of his forearm.
Finally the NRL match review committee caught up with the Melbourne enforcer on Friday by handing down a Grade 2 dangerous contact charge.
He attacked the head of Parramatta Eels forward Ryan Matterson on Thursday night at Bankwest Stadium, knocking him out and forcing him out of the game.
It was Matterson’s second serious concussion in less than 12 months.
The Storm, Kangaroos and Queensland State of Origin forward is facing a two-week ban from the game.
Last year Kaufusi struck Roosters skipper Boyd Cordner twice … in Round 8 at Suncorp and again in the opening State of Origin match at Adelaide Oval.
The Round 8 incident was almost identical to the Matterson hit on Thursday night.
Cordner missed Round 9 last year and will miss he first 12 rounds this year while recovering from the Origin blow.
The game is tough enough already under the new rules without this sort of rubbish.
TOBY SAYS SORRY
Sharks star Toby Rudolf has apologised for his Matty Johns interview last week.
“I play a blue collar, working class game, my joke was probably intended for that type of audience,” he said
“I never intended to offend anyone but I also didn’t think we’d still be talking about it a week later. To anyone who found it to be offensive, I apologise.
“I’m still going to be me, I’m still going to be humorous, the last thing I want to be is the player who just responds by giving ‘full credit to the boys’.”
NEW FATHER FRIEND’S AGONISING CALL
Jake Friend is a new father. It’s why he faces such an agonising decision over his rugby league future at the Sydney Roosters this season.
Friend’s partner, Jenna, gave birth to their first child a fortnight ago — a boy.
It now becomes a decision for a father, rather than just a footballer.
The 31-year-old Roosters warhorse suffered his third concussion in six months in the season-opener against the Manly Sea Eagles last weekend, carted off the SCG in the first half.
We chatted at Roosters headquarters on Friday.
“I want to keep playing,” he said. “But I’ll obviously be guided by the medical experts.”
Like any new father he was over the moon about becoming a dad.
He spoke about it with more pride than winning a grand final or any footy achievement.
You just get the impression being a dad will weigh heavily in his decision whether to continue.
Tests next week with brain specialists will determine his immediate playing hopes. The Roosters will not be taking the slightest risk.
Friend has already set himself and his family up for life after football.
He runs a coffee shop and a plumbing business. The Roosters will want him to stay involved in a mentoring role.
The Roosters are fortunate to have such strong back-up in Sam Verrills and Freddy Lussick.
SAINT
WE’VE still got goosebumps from the Thursday night Eels-Storm blockbuster. There is no sport on this planet that requires the toughness, endurance, courage and skill of an NRL footballer.
SINNER
NRL refereeing inconsistency. In round one, Jesse Ramien was correctly sin-binned for foul play and whacking Matt Dufty in the head. A week later, Storm forward Felise Kaufusi knocks out Ryan Matterson with a blatant forearm to the head yet stays on the field.
SHOOSH I
NO prizes for guessing which NRL coach is struggling to maintain the support of his two highest-paid players — a winger and middle forward.
SHOOSH II
WHICH off-contract $700,000-a-year State of Origin player is being shopped around to rival NRL clubs for half that price — and still attracting little interest?
SHOOSH III
WE’RE hearing a few handy old rugby league five-eighths will be at a farewell press conference for Anthony Mundine on Wednesday at Circular Quay. Laurie Daley, Matty Johns and Freddy Fittler have all been invited. There’s talk Tim Tszyu will also be there to honour the man who put Australian boxing back on the map after many lean years.
SHOOSH IV
DES Hasler and his old mate Peter Peters are still on talking terms and 100 per cent solid, despite Peters being so critical of the team and even predicting it would be a wooden-spoon contender. They cleared the air in a long chat over the phone through the week.
SPOTTED
THE AFL’s general manager of corporate affairs Brian Walsh in a corporate suite at the MCG for the Richmond-Carlton season opener on Thursday night — glued to the TV watching the Eels-Storm NRL thriller.
SPOTTED II
NRL stars Daly Cherry-Evans and Adam Doueihi with retired players Jason Nightingale and Jeremy Latimore in an early morning Save our Sons charity walk in the inner west on Wednesday.
SPOTTED III
RUGBY league Immortal Bob ‘Bozo’ Fulton and his lovely wife Ann enjoying lunch at Catalina in Rose Bay, washing down their barramundi main courses with a bottle of Bollinger champagne.
SPOTTED IV
THE AFL has always been famous for mullets and now the legendary haircut has made it all the way to the top. CEO Gill McLachlan had his luscious locks flowing way down past his collar at the AFL season launch last week. Move over, Warwick Capper.
BROWNED OFF
APPARENTLY we upset presenter-journo Katie Brown last week with our item on the terrible ratings at SEN radio. This was certainly not aimed at arguably the hardest-working woman in the game. Katie works at SEN, plays footy with the South Sydney Rabbitohs, spruiks TV odds for a corporate bookie and has picked up a new gig as MC for Parramatta Eels games at Bankwest Stadium.
GUS, BRANDY ON LEAVE
TWO TV networks will be missing star commentators over the Anzac weekend.
Fox Sports’ Greg Alexander and Channel 9’s Gus Gould have been granted leave passes to attend the luxury Hayman Island wedding of former Panthers star and construction tycoon Lou Zivanovic to his long-time partner Olivia.
Dean “Bulldog” Ritchie will also be absent from his Weekend Big Sports Breakfast co-hosting duties to attend the wedding.
ROOSTER BAGS AN EAGLE
THE break from footy has done wonders for Victory Radley’s golf game.
The star Rooster eagled the 280m, par-four 18th hole at the Coast last week with a booming drive onto the green and a long distance putt.
But he’s still desperate to get back to footy.
GUHA TOP OF ORDER
FOX Sports star Isa Guha has been named the world’s No. 1 female cricket commentator.
Britain’s Last Word On Sports website wrote that Isa was “quite possibly the best of all-time”.
Fox Sports will do a tribute to Guha in coming weeks.
Channel 7’s Lisa Sthalekar came in at No. 2, ahead of Ebony Rainford-Brent, Mel Jones and Anjum Chopra.
MARCELLIN OLD BOYS ALL CLASS
MARCELLIN College at Randwick is celebrating a rare sporting accomplishment with many ex-students playing in the NRL, AFL and Super Rugby this weekend.
NRL stars Campbell Graham, Lachlan Lam, Nat Butcher, Cameron Murray (who was at the school until Year 9) and Iosia Soliola, are all proud old boys.
Will Harrison is also playing fly-half for the NSW Waratahs, who took on the Melbourne Rebels in the Super Rugby on Friday.
And in the AFL, 18-year-old Errol Gulden (left) will debut for Sydney against the Lions this weekend.
All, except for Soliola, were local kids who started at the school in Year 7.
This is an unbelievable achievement for a non-specific sports high school.
Originally published as What’s the Buzz: Felise Kaufusi’s shocking record of knockout blows a cause for concern
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