Kent on Saturday - NRL owes Toovey

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GEOFF Toovey should invoice the NRL, with interest.

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What's the bank interest on $10,000 these days, anyway?

Does it cover the cost of a phone call from NRL headquarters? Toovey's post-match press conference that cost him the fine is something the NRL has been crying out for, and instead of encouraging him they stomped on him.

Yet Channel 9 recognised the appeal of Toovey's candidness enough to make it part of their finals promotions package. Fox Sports also recognised it, and at Thursday's grand final lunch it got a run again.

The night before, Toovey and Roosters coach Trent Robinson came on NRL360 where it got a run again, backed up by support from these quarters that Toovey should never have been fined.

The need for honesty and transparency such as Toovey displayed — which didn't cross the line as the NRL claims — has never been more apparent than this week.

Toovey is as relaxed as any coach ever seen in his first grand final. He sat in the green room before Wednesday's appearance on NRL360, chatting with Robinson as if there wasn't a worry to consider.

His cool demeanour is reflected in the Sea Eagles who, after a dark period where the club was at war with the NRL and the media, has shifted significantly since he took over last year.

There is a sunlight in the Sea Eagles' camp that wasn't there before.

But the fine seemed to be in the back of his mind as the questions came at him in his last public press conference on Thursday. Why wouldn't it be, when honesty is discouraged?

The impact of Toovey's fine was seen elsewhere in grand final week, in the manner of a death by 1000 cuts. The Roosters have refused to allow Sonny Bill Williams to be interviewed at any point this week. One of the biggest name in Sunday's game, his voice silent.

How many pages of newsprint a Williams interview would have generated is something we can only guess at now, but it was an opportunity to sell the game that the NRL missed.

The Roosters open media day on Tuesday provided just a few players, far from the entire squad, far from the biggest names, and again, when the NRL should have been out selling its biggest moment, the opportunity was let slip.

By comparison, Manly made everybody available.

The NRL can thank Toovey for that. He doesn't carry a grudge, as they might believe.

Outside the official press conference at Thursday's grand final lunch no Roosters players were allowed to be interviewed.

It is traditionally the last time the media interviews players before leaving them alone to prepare for Sunday's decider.

By contrast, the Sea Eagles, led by Toovey, had them all available. As you can see, the most talked about fine of the season is also the greatest injustice. As they walked off set of NRL360 Toovey held out his hand.

"Thanks Trent," he said.

"See you, mate. See you tomorrow," Robinson said. "We've got the lunch."

"That's right," Toovey said, following Robinson out.

It reminded me of Sam the Sheepdog and Ralph the Coyote from those old Looney Tunes cartoons — just moments before the work whistle goes off.

*****

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SONNY Bill Williams has brought a new cool to the Roosters. One area where Mitch Pearce let himself down in previous years was his off-field behaviour, which failed to match the professionalism of his football.

His life was out of sync. Young and in demand, Pearce burned the candles at both ends, and often burned himself in the process, as he lived the party boy lifestyle that seemed to tick all the requirements of eastern suburbs cool.

Dates with Playboy models and Pussycat Dolls, that sort of thing. Then along came Williams, who showed there was another way and you didn't have to be a social outcast to follow it. Pearce quickly followed the lead, and with his life in balance is becoming the footballer many believed he would be.

*****

ANYONE wanting to know what a changed man Anthony Watmough is need only look at his performance at the Brad Fittler Awards.

Watmough turned up with wife Elle and made sure he introduced himself to past greats.

Then, as the clock ticked 9pm, Watmough told organisers their babysitter had school the next morning and he had to be home by 10pm.

Given the limited time he had to be there, plenty would have brushed the awards, yet Watmough made the effort.

There was a time when you couldn't get him to go home.

*****

UNOFFICIAL highlight of the Dally Ms, and there is always one, was Johnny Raper's solo dance during Timomatic's performance.

Raper didn't need a stage like Timomatic, which is a good thing as it was the only thing stopping him from stealing the show.

Moments earlier Raper was working the room, as only he can, when the bright lights hit and the music amped up and, as the act came on stage, he looked around a little confused before taking a seat at table No.1, occupied by Arthur Summons and Norm Provan.

"Look at Chook, he's lost," said Raper's wife Carol.

I offered to go fetch, then caught Raper's eye, and so he gave his apologies to Provan and Summons and got up for the short walk back to our table when the music overtook him.

There wasn't a table around left watching the stage as Raper started busting a move.

Lincoln Lewis and his brother Mitch, there at table No.12 to represent their father Wally, who would have been the third Immortal at the table, reeled back in shock.

Lincoln started a hand clap and Raper, as no man ever did better, responded.

The other Immortal at table 12 was Graeme Langlands, who gave what we believe was a smile at Chook's performance.

The Immortal most missed from the night was Reg Gasnier. Earlier in the week his son Peter called to say Gasnier wasn't doing well, and was recently moved into high care. He suffered a stroke some years back.

Raper and Langlands both lowered their heads when they heard. Carol said they visited him a fortnight ago and he was unable to talk.

"He's not doing well," Peter said. And high care costs a bomb.

The irony is that Gasnier has donated most of his memorabilia to charities such as Men of League, for which he naturally got nothing, and so little is left for the family to auction off to help cover the family's rising medical costs.

In lieu of that Peter has come up with the idea of a signed split jersey, St George and Western Suburbs, with Arthur Summons' signature on the other side to raise money for his dad's care.

That's one way to help him, and here's the other.

Gasnier is one of the original Immortals. The NRL should come to the party.

*****

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A GOOD WEEK FOR

BUDDY Franklin's decision to take the Swans' nine-year $10 million offer over the Giants was absolutely the perfect decision for him and the AFL ... although they would never admit it. Franklin will be a much bigger star in a winning team than the new franchise, no matter how much spit and polish the AFL applies to the underperforming Giants.

A ROUGH WEEK FOR

JAMES O'Connor returns to the Western Force with "Brand O'Connor" in somewhat worse shape than when he left. But his admission that his career is "at a crossroads" is the first positive sign of a true awareness of his situation. That's always the first step to coming back.

DON'T MISS

GET ready for the Anthony Mundine onslaught to begin next week. Opponent Shane Mosley has already hit town, promising to revise the "Man Down" posters. Expect Mundine to be far more respectful selling this fight than he has in the past.

HERE'S HOPING

THE Wobblies take on Argentina tomorrow morning needing to win to avoid the embarrassment of finishing last in a tournament that includes the Pumas. Seriously.

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