As the excitement builds to another big season of rugby league, it may well be time to calm down, take a deep breath and fall in love with Phil Rothfield.
It would be wrong to call the chief rugby league writer from the Daily Telegraph a polarising figure, for that would suggest that he is well liked by at least some people.
His is among the loudest and most opinionated voices in the game, with a constant presence through his tweeting, blogging and articles, especially his weekly What’s the Buzz Sunday column.
For many younger (and older!) fans he is a figure of derision, living in the past, using a sound meter to compare other codes, cheerleading for the Western Sydney Wanderers, obsessed with his man crush Paul Gallen and sulking ever since David Smith started screening his calls.
So as the season begins, there are many fans quietly dreading another year of his harebrained opinions and schemes being forefront in the league media yet again.
However, before you sigh and start your angry tweeting there is actually a lot to like about Phil Rothfield. It is worth considering these factors before commencing the gnashing of teeth.
For starters:
5. He is a staunch supporter of his team
No matter your opinion of a person or a club, the act of faithful support through years both thin and very thin is one to be admired.
Make no mistake, every figure in the league media has a favourite team, it is just that some of them hide it.
Phil has proudly supported the Cronulla Sharks for as long as I can remember.
Not just support mind you, he is your classic die-hard fan, buying a membership, attending home games in the pouring rain on bitter winter nights, cheering irrationally and being senselessly optimistic about the club’s future.
At the very least, he shows the sort of devotion to a tribe that demands respect. But what of his bitter whining about everything else wrong with the game.
4. The man loves rugby league
There are lot of writers in the media who complain long and hard about rugby league and criticise it. Be it Rebecca Wilson, Rothfield, or Peter FitzSimons, the Greatest Game has plenty of knockers.
However, where Phil differs from the others harbingers of doom is that he genuinely believes rugby league is awesome.
The way to tell this is to watch the reactions of the loudmouths next time that something goes right for rugby league, as opposed to something going very wrong.
When something goes wrong, there is little difference in the derision and sarcasm that comes from Wilson and FitzSimons to that coming from Rothfield.
But when something goes right, NSW finally wins Origin or the Bunnies break their drought, Rebecca Wilson will use the next three weeks to write about how well AFL is doing on the North Shore and Peter Fitzsimons will belittle any accomplishment by pretending to not understand what it was and point out rugby is more international.
It is only Buzz that goes head over the heels with giddy excitement.
If rugby league was to go down the gurgler and die as a sport in Australia, it would not affect Wilson or Fitzsimons in the slightest, indeed their lives may actually improve.
Phil Rothfield on the other hand would be alongside us all howling at the moon at the unfairness of it all.
He may be a grumpy old curmudgeon, but he genuinely believes league to be the greatest game of all and sometimes, it is only by listening to your harshest critic that you can improve.
Which is fine until he complains loud and hard about something and then turns out to have been completely wrong in the first place.
Well, unlike a lot of powerful figures…
3. He changes his mind when he is wrong
For years league fans complained bitterly about the scheduling of games being done little over a month in advance. It made it very difficult to plan your attendance and support throughout the season and seemed a complete capitulation to Channel Nine.
No one complained more about this than Phil Rothfield and when the NRL started scheduling the bulk of the season in advance it would be very stubborn to deny that he had not played a big part in bringing this change on.
Which made it galling when less the a season later he was criticising the decision since it lead to some very dud Friday night games while the big clashes were being hidden away on Saturday afternoons and Monday Nights.
When he was confronted with this contradiction he simply stated that he had been a fan in setting the schedule in advance but now realised that it wasn’t such a good decision since it gave us some unexciting TV clashes.
This attitude is remarkable. Many powerful figures consider it an act of strength to stick to their decisions no matter how foul they turn out to be.
But Phil is confident enough in himself to admit he was wrong and change his mind.
This also means that if you don’t like one of his opinions, you can change it.
It may be hard, and it may not work, but he has shown that if you present him with a clear and uncluttered reason why his opinions are wrong, he will change.
2. He is from the independent press
Pause now to spit your coffee across your screen. Independent press! He writes for News! He is Murdoch’s little puppy!
It may be 20 years since Super League but Rupert Murdoch and News Limited are still despised figures in the game.
I’ve heard all the arguments about how News has damaged the game and how Murdoch should get out of league. They don’t need to be rehashed since a lot of them are fair.
I will instead invite you to imagine the NRL without the independent press. An alternate reality where the only source of news about the NRL is the NRL itself.
A great quote about news is that “journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed; everything else is public relations.”
In the last few years there have been stories broken by News and other press bodies which have brought shame to the NRL.
The handling of Ben Barba by Todd Greenberg, the assault charges and conviction of Kirisome Auva’a to name just two.
These were cases where the NRL official news channels would never have raised the scrutiny that the independent press did. Which makes sense since it is ludicrous to think any sporting code would.
Without an independent press reporting on the game, situations such as these would simply not be scrutinised and no progress would be made.
Having powerful figures with loud voices like Rothfield ensures that the code will always be publicly accountable for its actions, which is something we are entitled to as fans that love the sport and demand quality governance from the NRL.
But still after all that, you still hate him and are busting to get down to the comments and tear me a new earhole.
That is fair enough and chimes into the final reason why you should love Buzz because…
1. You control him and his destiny.
Phil Rothfield is the chief rugby league writer in the Telegraph for two reasons. Firstly, he has close contacts in the game who leak him exclusives, and secondly, he is incredibly popular.
While you wipe the coffee off the screen for the second time, it is worth reflecting on the panic Phil must have felt when David Smith stopped answering his texts and calls.
For years, Phil had contacts high up in the NRL right up to former CEO David Gallop. He would be able to call them and text them, get little leaks and half answers which he could then write about as big exclusives.
It may not sound like much, but if the news is set to break on Sunday afternoon and Phil has the story on Sunday morning, people are going to buy his newspaper.
It has been clear for some time that David Smith and John Grant have not been as accommodating and this threatens the first pillar of Phil’s control, the exclusives.
Hence his desperately angry and incredibly bitter campaign against the pair of them which has been going on for nearly two years.
As a side note, this week an experienced league hand Shane Richardson rolled into a new job at headquarters and a few days later, ‘What’s the Buzz’ features an exclusive about the future of expansion.
What odds on less NRL criticism coming from Phil this season!
But popular? No! You only go onto his blogs to tell him how stupid he is. You only tweet about him to make jokes about him. And you only read ‘What’s the Buzz’ so you can make fun about him with your father in law.
Well done, you have made him the most popular writer in rugby league. All of these interactions you have are only scored in one way. Hits.
His articles and blogs are among the most read on the Telegraph website. This means that his employer can charge a much higher premium to advertise next to his stories.
Rupert Murdoch may or may not be a supervillan, but he is undoubtedly the most successful newspaperman in the world. He wants people to read his papers and watch his shows.
He doesn’t care if you agree with them or not, if you are reading and watching them that is good enough for him.
So let us recall the words of wisdom from the advertising guru in The Simpsons, if you want the giant advertising monsters terrorising Springfield to stop, just ignore them, and they will eventually go away.
You really don’t like Phil Rothfield, stop reading about him. Stop tweeting about him. Stop paying attention to him and suddenly, there will be a new chief league writer to complain about. But after researching and writing this article, I give you warning, this may not be a good thing, because the grumpy Sharks fan with the bright red face is not too bad.
Paul
Guest
The clown is incredibly biased. He went quiet for the 5 minutes his beloved club was exposed as drug cheats. He went even quieter when his clubs players were given 3 week sentences for drug offences that other professional athletes cop years for. At best he re-directs attention away from his own beloved clubs inadequencies and attacks everyone else. He is putting people off League with his childish rants.
Ryanno
Guest
Nerval, Are you annoyed that a rugby man is writing about a league incident? The way I read it is that Fitz is going into bat for the players safety and would like to see the players better looked after. It's not a sledge on the qaulity of the game of league V rugby. I don't recall what happened with George but did manage to find the article I think you are refering to http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/damage-is-done-nrl-response-to-sam-burgess-injuries-too-little-too-late-20141009-113i97.html The evidence with Sam was clear and the man himself was quoted by 2KY. I don't think you call it nonsense. ADRIAN PROSZENKO wrote a story for SMH with the following: The rugby-bound forward was not taken from the field for concussion tests, but later admitted to radio 2KY "I don't remember too much of it" in a pointer towards a possible concussive symptom. You say it's nonsense what Sam has said but it's seems fairly clear from that evidence that not only required 4 plates in his face but he also claims to not remember much from the game. I'm no doctor and neither are you but it sure sounds like concussion symptoms but we'll never know as he was not taken from the field to be medically assessed. Even if he was medically assessed there are still no guranatees the medicos wouldn't have returned him to the field like they did with North on the weekend and Smith during the Lions tour. I think both codes need tighter controls and harsher penalties if they put the game ahead of player safety. Fully agree with you that the George North incident is terrible but I am not sure why you are outraged re. North but not Burgess. I don't see the difference and it's hardly a reason to have a code argument. BTW you can read about the North investigation here in todays SMH. It's not as widely reported in Oz or NZ where I am as Souths players being arrested in Arizona but it's making news and there will be repercussions for Welsh RU. http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-union/wales-rugby/george-north-should-not-have-stayed-on-the-pitch-world-rugby-20150210-13b85o.html
nerval
Guest
That's an even more odd interpretation, The Barry. I didn't say anything like that the "only" reason I read Fitzsimons is so I can say how much I dislike reading his articles. I read the SMH daily (online). I read Fitzsimons as one of that paper's more high-profile writers. I've written my thoughts about his columns after first reading them. Would you prefer I write down my thoughts without first having read a single word? Now that really would be odd "logic" - not to mention utterly pointless. Incidentally, I'm not "angry" but keen to point out what might be termed his hypocrisy re league vis-a-vis union. Life's too short for lots of things, The Barry. It's worth finding that out earlier than later. As for Sam Burgess, he said all kinds of things after the Grand Final - only some of which appears wilfully to have been misinterpreted.
Slartibartfast
Guest
Unfortunately, The end result of Phil Rothfields / NewsLtd,s style of journalism is that he is going to destroy the game he pretends to love. All the negative attacks on players behaviour, The attacks on the administration, The concussion and shoulder charges, the health and safety, the concussion rules, increasing number of injuries to knees and ankles. it's only going to take a death or another broken neck and the subsequent manipulation of the general public through bias opinionated reporting will only turn off parents from letting them play the game, Doctors, lawyers and others are all hovering like vultures. Logically the end result will be some kind of touch football game where only small fast players can play because a 75 kilo player being tackled by a 120 kilo giant results in a dangerous / deadly accident. Of course some of the things I mentioned are newsworthy but turning every minor incident into a news mountain is pointless. Really, does it do anyone any good to make a player doing a piss in a car park or a player swearing or a administrator does not immediately let Phil Rothfield know something as some kind of conspiracy serve the best interests of the game. I think it is just as important not to know everything about everyone in the game. Something's are best left unsaid for the best interest of the game the players and the clubs. Of course serious incidents need to be exposed. The games administration needs to take a much harder line when dealing with the media. Where the line is drawn is up to the administrators but do we really need to know if a player takes a piss in a carpark. However Phil Rothfield and News Ltd need to sell papers so as far as they are concerned it's let's turn minor incidents into major ones using creative writing and opinions so we make more money. Increase News Ltd readership sell more advertising. A lot of what I have said is difficult to resolve because the game needs money and the media provide a lot of that money through broadcasting deals. So they the media / broadcasters think they have a right to manipulate the game to suit themselves so they can maximise their profits. The media are such parasites. Before the season has even started its off to a unfair start as not all clubs play each other over a given season and some clubs play more Friday night games then others so as to maximise add revenue for the broadcaster. Etc. This alone brings the game into disrepute because it is simply unfair to some clubs. So we already have an unfair /manipulated competition. As we all know the only fair way is all clubs play each other home and away or play each other once at neutral venue. Drawn from a hat. The administrators of this game we love is that they need to take a very hard line when dealing with the media and public in general. The rules governing such things need to comprehensive and not just about revenue but to protect the integrity of the game. Whoever leaks stories to the media need to be put on notice. When things need to be released to the media then hold a press conference and release to everyone at the same time not just to New Ltd for some kickback. This business of exclusive stories seems to stink of some kind of leaking of information in return for what? I also think clubs and the administrators should keep minor incidents in house and let clubs deal with it internally. Yes we all have our subjective opinions and biases but we the public/ fans are allowed to have that. The media have a responsibility not just to its advertisers and shareholders but also to the game and the readers and non readers alike. I don't know what the AFL and union are like but rugby league seems to be sinking under a media frenzy with an emphasis on negative reporting with the view to sell papers/ advertising by increasing readers by manipulating the news. I would not trust a journalist to tell me the truth about anything. It used to be that way but not anymore. Like anything power and money corrupts most people. Enough rambling on for now.
The Barry
Roar Guru
That's odd logic...you only read fitzy so you can write about how much you dislike reading his articles. I would of thought that was utterly useless. Life's too short buddy to sit around reading things for no other reason than to make yourself angry. You do realise that you're part of the problem why fitzy has a voice. You keep buying the paper and reading the articles. Sam Burgess definitely said that he couldn't remember most of the game.
scott
Guest
The old saying refers to hard truths, Bondy, and it's a good one. I know a few times in my life where a mate telling me what I needed to hear and not just what I wanted to hear would have saved me a lot of grief. The problem is Buzz isn't that type of guy. He's the type who'll get tanked up and tell everyone your missus is going behind your back with the postman. Not because it's true, but because for the next minute all attention will be on Buzz.
nerval
Guest
Yes, The Barry, I only comment on things I know about - if I were to comment on "Fitzy" without reading a single word he writes, it would be utterly useless. Wouldn't it?
nerval
Guest
It was both Sam and George. For my views on "Fitzy's" words on the former - which changed considerably from his initial SMH match colour piece - you'll have to look back through the Roar. Incidentally, your claim that Sam could hardly remember the match after the game is nonsense. His after match speech was coherent and lucid as were his after-match interviews... For George, what the man says makes no sense - unless, of course, he is accusing the Rabbitohs' medical staff of lying, in which case he should spell it out and take them to court. And "Fitzy" should call for the removal of every single union player who suffers any kind of head knock in every single game - there were plenty of those aside from the shocking George North incident which have not garnered so much as a pipsqueak from anyone in the union community.
Ryanno
Guest
Was it Sam or George that he commented on re. concussion in the GF? I thought it was Sam and I have to say I totally agree with him even though it was exceptionally brave for Sam to keep playing. As Fitz has said that players need to be saved from themselves at times and not taken advantage of. How can you pass a concussion test and/or any other medical assessment when you have a fractured check bone and after the game could hardly remember the match. He needed surgery after the game to have 4 plates put in his face. If he had of taken another hit he could have had a serious problem well beyond just getting the plates. Fitz was far from the only journo to condemn the incident but he has been the leading voice in Australian media re. concussion and I respect his stance. The George North incident from the weekend was very ordinary and I see that World Rugby has already issued Wales with a please explain. I will be very surprised if Fitz doesn't get stuck into the Welsh Rugby Union in his column this weekend
The Barry
Roar Guru
You make some interesting points. Overall the nature of print journalism is changing (or has changed). Not that long ago newspapers were the only source people had to get news. It's not that long ago that they had morning and afternoon editions. Since we've seen the invention of radio, television and the internet which are all much more immediate sources of information. People know the story and know the facts long before a journo investigates, files a story, it gets edited, printed and delivered to a newsagent. By the time newspapers are reporting the news it's no longer the news. It's the olds. So, they can continue with just straight 'news' reporting and call themselves 'oldspapers' and go out of business or they can move to another way of delivering news peppered with opinion to make it more entertaining / controversial / infuriating / whatever. I'd also say that with the internet and the ability to interact with the source of the information and that everyman can provide an immediate opinion that there's more of an apetite for opinion than just straight news reporting. The problem as mentioned above (by JH maybe?) is that you have to wade through the opinion to find the facts. That doesn't mean that the Telegraph have got it right by a long shot but the paper isn't the place to go if you want straight news reporting. To be honest I'm not sure where is - everyone has their own filters, bias and interests.
The Barry
Roar Guru
I think you're taking FitzSimons too seriously. I don't think he takes himself that seriously. I've always had the impression that his 'attacks' on league and soccer are with tongue planted firmly in cheek to try and fire people up. I never knew people actually fell for it. You certainly have an in depth knowledge of the column for someone that hates it??
Pot Stirrer
Guest
Sports journalists are the equivilant to Used car salesmen in the buisness world who unfortunatley through social media and the connection to the Murdoch press and fox tv have a platform for thier agendas and pump up thier egos as celebreties.
Pot Stirrer
Guest
Disagree guys, the source goes to the credibility and they are not beyond making stories up. Its what Tabloids do.
peeeko
Roar Guru
I see newspapers and FTA tv very similarly these days Both have suffered immensely by new technology offering alternatives eg the roar. these days to keep an audience they appeal to the LCD with nothing but endless mindless reality TV built on the same formula as well as journos like Buzz and rebecca wilson who sensationalize and agenda drive every thing. there is very little for the thinking person in the forms of media these days
Ryan O'Connell
Expert
Well said Sheek. Great advice.
nerval
Guest
He told them to watch out! Rugby union was back, baby, and capable of eating rugby league alive. Or words to that effect. Of course, Andrew, like millions of other journalists, might say that the headline with "Mungos" in the title, had nothing at all to do with him...
Mark Young
Roar Guru
Treat every article you read on its merits. Try not to see who the author is. Form your opinion on the strength of article, not the identity of the writer. That is an excellent point. Too many insulate themselves from criticism by just savaging the source, not dealing with the content. Thanks Sheek! Glad you enjoyed it! I am currently musing over your Test and ODI best XIs....
nerval
Guest
He told his devoted readers how George Burgess should not have come back even after undergoing - and passing - a concussion test in the NRL Grand Final. (He then came on and scored a thunderous try with what, to many of us, was a man of the match performance). George North was knocked out cold before even hitting the turf on the second occasion and was not even looked at! There are many Super Rugby players, other than Beale, who have behaved like "gooses" - and worse too. And what about that high percentage of young South African schoolboy union players who were found to have been using performance enhancing drugs - they'll grow up to play Fitzy's beloved Australians, won't they? Certainly worth talking about, one might have thought... And the man does quote the English press when it flatters his beloved game but studiously ignores those same papers that reveal things about union he might not want his readers to know - things to do with the dangers of playing the game, the prevalence of drugs and so on. As for Ferguson's upbringing, by all accounts it was horrific, and not the kind to do anything other than damage any human being not blessed with the wealth and privilege of the Fitzsimons family. The man has unashamedly boasted on twitter about how much he earns, for goodness sake! Maybe his parents were remiss in not telling him how vulgar that all seems?
Ryanno
Guest
What did he warn the "Mungos" about?
Jackson Henry
Roar Guru
Yeah. Makes for strange bedfellows doesn't it...