What’s the Buzz: Phil Rothfield’s Saint, Sinner and Shoosh

The Bulldogs are set to make a call on a Josh Addo-Carr backline switch - a move that could have dire consequences for one teammate. PLUS Buzz’s Saint and Sinner.

Former New South Wales Blues' captain Steve Mortimer accompanies his daughter Erin Mortimer before she sung the national anthem. Picture: AAP/Paul Miller

Phil Rothfield reveals his Saint, Sinner, Shoosh in sport’s best gossip column, What’s the Buzz.

SAINT

Storm stars Harry Grant, Tyran Wishart and Chris Lewis ride their bikes to and from AAMI Park for training and on game days. Last Saturday night they were riding home after the Sharks game when an elderly lady with a walking aid fell over in front of them outside the ground. They helped her up and rang her a cab to get her home. Nice work fellas.

SINNER

Everyone in rugby league knows Dean “Bulldog” Ritchie, who has been covering the game for nearly 35 years in print, radio and television. Everyone, that is, except Kalyn Ponga’s father, Andre, who showed his complete ignorance by referring to the great man as “Dennis Bullfrog Ritchie” at the Knights presser on Wednesday.

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Kalyn Ponga (L) with his father Andre. Picture: Peter Lorimer/Getty

SHOOSH

Chris Sutton was once the NRL’s refereeing golden boy while his brother Bernard was running the show. These days Chris is flat out getting a game. Ben Cummins is out this weekend with Covid. Liam Kennedy was chosen to make his NRL debut as the replacement. He too got Covid. Finally Sutton gets his whistle back as his replacement.

SHOOSH

Nine continues to struggle at picking the best games for their time slots. Fox Sports again had the match of the round exclusively between the Storm and Sharks last week. It was the third-highest rating game for the timeslot in the last five years. Roosters v Panthers in Round 11 was another Saturday night blockbuster exclusively on Fox Sports. Cleary v Keary, JWH v Fisher-Harris, Radley v Yeo, Crichton v Manu. No wonder free-to-air TV ratings are well down on last year.

SHOOSH

The Bulldogs desperately want to get more quality football to superstar winger Josh Addo-Carr. This is why there is mail the coaching staff will consider switching him to fullback, a position the Blues Origin flyer has always been keen to have a crack at. It would be bad news for Matt Dufty who is trying to earn a contract extension.

SPOTTED

Wests Tigers GM and four-time premiership-winning coach Tim Sheens missed the club’s magnificent Easter Monday victory over Parramatta. He was at home, struck down by Covid. Sheens is a fit and healthy 71-year-old but it has knocked him about.

SPOTTED

Ex-Netball NSW CEO Tain Drinkwater in her new job at NRL HQ as executive general manager of performance and pathways — an area of the game commission chairman Peter V’landys is passionate about.

SPOTTED

The NFL wants a bigger footprint in Australia and has appointed Charlotte Offord, a marketing executive from the 2012 London Olympics, as NFL Australia general manager. There are 121 gridiron teams and 3175 registered players in Australia.

Turvey’s proud dad moment

Canterbury Bulldogs legend Steve Mortimer has bounced out of a hospital bed for an occasion as important as any of his grand finals, Tests or Origin games — walking his daughter down the aisle.

Erin Mortimer married her long-time partner in an emotional Easter weekend ceremony.

Her dad, Turvey, and his recent battle with dementia have been well documented.

Prior to the wedding, the 65-year-old Bulldogs icon was in Bankstown hospital for a week with an unrelated illness. He was discharged on the day of the wedding.

“It was a wonderful day and dad did a great job,” Erin said. “We were so incredibly proud, given the circumstances of dad’s health struggles in recent months. It was such an honour for me and my partner.”

Steve Mortimer walks his daughter Erin down the aisle.

The look of love and pride on Turvey’s face says it all in the most beautiful photo.

Erin Mortimer has had a successful career in singing and songwriting.

Past players from Mortimer’s era have been rallying around the former superstar halfback in recent months, since details of his health issues became public knowledge.

His brother Peter recently spoke of the support from old opponents.

“Once the heat of battle is over, there’s nothing but respect among the players,” he said, “That’s the great thing about rugby league, the mateship once you walk off the field.

“Turvey is admired and respected across the game.”

Green snubs Super League

Former Cowboys premiership-winning coach Paul Green has knocked back an offer to coach Leeds in the UK Super League.

It is significant in that pressure is building on coach Trent Barrett at the Bulldogs, who remain last on the ladder despite significant off-season signings.

Especially as Phil Gould described their second half capitulation to the Broncos as “unacceptable”.

The one win was against the Cowboys, who were denied a last-minute try, in round one.

Green makes no secret of his desire to coach NRL again, having narrowly missed out on the Broncos job two years ago to Kevin Walters.

Former Maroons coach Paul Green. Picture: NRL Images

He says of the Leeds offer: “It wasn’t the right time with my family. My kids are settled in their schools. If the opportunity comes up again in five or six years’ time, I’d be keen to look at it.”

Green is regularly mentioned alongside Shane Flanagan and Cameron Ciraldo among the next options for struggling clubs like the Bulldogs, Wests Tigers and the Broncos.

Leeds have instead appointed Rohan Smith, the son of former NRL coach Brian Smith, as their new head coach. Smith coached the Norths Devils to win the QLD Cup last year.

Eels need Fergo

Parramatta still has money left in its salary cap.

The Eels are desperately short for wingers with Sean Russell, Maika Sivo, Haze Dunster and Waqa Blake all sidelined with injuries. Surely general manager of footy Mark ‘Buckets’ O’Neill still has Blake Ferguson’s phone number.

Ferguson is playing bush footy to keep himself in shape and wouldn’t cost a fortune.

He could still potentially be one of the best wingers in the NRL.

The Eels can squeeze Blake Ferguson into their cap. Picture: Matt Roberts/Getty

Holiday madness

Why the big fuss about footy executives being on holiday at this time of the year?

Everyone knows they are busiest during the off-season with sponsorship, corporates, merchandise, memberships, contracts, conferences and planning for the next season.

We concede it was a bit odd that Newcastle Knights boss Phil Gardner took off for Hawaii at the height of negotiations with superstar fullback Kalyn Ponga.

However, the Wests Tigers’ Justin Pascoe was entitled to a break in Alice Springs with his family. So, too, Sydney Roosters CEO Joe Kelly, who was in Hawaii with his wife and children for Easter.

NRL star’s daughter could be Olympian

The 12-year-old daughter of former Cronulla Sharks star Luke Covell is tipped to become one of Australia’s youngest Olympians in Paris in 2024.

Chloe Covell is a skateboarder who is at the X Games in Tokyo for the Anzac weekend, where she has made Sunday’s final in the open division against much older opponents.

Chloe was given her first skatey at six years of age and has loved it ever since.

“She became very competitive and loves the competition side of it,” Luke said from Tokyo.

“It went from having a little cruise to something more serious. We are all very proud of her.”

She will be 14 years and five months by the Paris Olympics in July 2024.

These days, Luke runs a plumbing business and has his family based in Tweed Heads, on the far north coast.

Australia’s youngest Olympian was a coxswain, Ian Johnston, at 13 at Rome in 1960.

Chloe Covell could become one of Australia’s youngest Olympians.

‘New Sonny’s’ in demand

The player dubbed ‘the next Sonny Bill Williams’ is a young Englishman who now has five NRL clubs chasing his signature and has linked up with veteran agent Sam Ayoub.

Kai Pearce-Paul is a 21-year-old centre or edge forward at Wigan in the UK Super League who will play for England at the World Cup in October.

He has the height of a basketballer at 196cm — or six feet five inches in the old scale.

Pearce-Paul’s manager — the ex-dual-code international Iestyn Harris — has formed an alliance with Sam Ayoub and his son Liam to handle negotiations with NRL clubs.

The fact he isn’t available until 2024 hasn’t stopped NRL coaches and recruitment bosses from making offers for the youngster, whose value will increase once he is seen at the World Cup.

Kai Pearce-Paul is in the sights of several NRL clubs.

Special K moving to Sydney

Tennis superstar Nick Kyrgios is moving to Sydney and is on the lookout for a home in the eastern suburbs. He was spotted grabbing a coffee The Pool cafe at Maroubra Beach on Thursday.

This is a big move for a guy who has lived in Canberra for most of his life. The 26-year-old wants to be in Sydney with his partner Costeen Hatzi as his base while not travelling overseas on the tennis circuit. He has fallen in love with the lifestyle in the Harbour City.

He loves his basketball too and will feature in a charity game at the Sydney Kings for the Starlight Foundation alongside Premier Dom Perrottet, Anthony Mundine, Ben Fordham and Home and Away star Dan Ewing on Sunday.

An unhappy goodbye

The Knights are not happy with Mitch Barnett, who has been released to join the Warriors next year.

Quotes from Barnett in a Warriors press release last week could be interpreted as having a crack at the Knights coaching staff.

“The Warriors presented me with an opportunity to further my game,” he said. “The Warriors impressed me on and off the field which made my decision easier.”

These comments come after Newcastle went out of its way to support Barnett when recently banned for six weeks for striking Penrith’s Chris Smith in a shocking off-the-ball incident.

Not all about Munny for Cam

Cameron Munster is not yet ready to extend his contract at Melbourne, even if the club increases its original offer.

The champion five-eighth won’t sign until he knows what master coach Craig Bellamy is doing.

“He loves playing for Bellyache and it’s a really important part of his decision,” said Munster’s agent Braith Anasta. “It’s not all about money.”

Bellamy is expected to make a call on his future by the end of the month. Those closest to the 62-year-old coach are confident he will extend his deal.

Bellamy could not be happier at the way Munster has turned his life around.

“The best thing that has ever happened to him was last year (white powder video),” Bellamy said. “He did what he did (rehab) to help himself be better and it has worked a treat. He is still the larrikin. We all love that about him, but now there just seems to be a little bit more control around his life in footy and his life in general ... that’s a great thing. His consistency this year has been at a real high level. I think he will just get better and better.”

Originally published as What’s the Buzz: Phil Rothfield’s Saint, Sinner and Shoosh