Why the Sydney Roosters should be thanking Bryan Fletcher and The Footy Show
'Max is a genuine junior, and that makes me proud. Bondi often gets a bad rap, but people forget what it was like compared to what it is now – a lot of knockabouts have done well.'
Fletcher praised Scots College for nurturing six Roosters players, and said he attended the more modest Christian Brothers Bondi, 'where three blokes rocked up to a recent reunion wearing ankle bracelets'.
McCathie, Billy Smith, who is good friends with McCathie's older brother, Jack, Siua Wong, Angus Crichton, Blake Steep and Hugo Savala all attended Scots.
Hamish revealed McCathie also loved rugby, played with Scots First XV, and was with the First XV Colts at Easts. Hamish spent time as director of rugby at Easts, and also featured in first grade as a fullback.
'I'm a Rooster through and through, grew up in the eastern suburbs, and was coached by Russell Fairfax at Easts – Russell actually dropped me from first grade to second grade,' Hamish said.
Two busloads of friends and family will make the short journey from Easts Rugby Club to Allianz Stadium for McCathie's milestone game. McCathie, the NSW Cup captain – and the club's 2023 Jersey Flegg player of the year – has already requested more than 150 tickets.
The match will double as the 50-year reunion for the 1975 premiership Roosters team.
Roosters utility Connor Watson was glad the Roosters' production line was continuing – McCathie and Rodwell will take the number of NRL debuts to eight at the Bondi Junction club – and said of the pair: 'Max is a lifelong Chooks fans he's a proper diehard – he was in the Tricolours Syndicate [fan club]. For him, this is living out a childhood dream.
'Tommy came to the club this year, and the way he trained in the pre-season, he did such a good job. His back-field carries, he's a bit like Brian [To'o] with the nuggetty, shorter build, but the work he gets through is so impressive.
'Both boys play the game the way we want – they leave everything out there and go after it. I'm excited for them both.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Advertiser
7 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Papenhuyzen scratching adds to Storm's backline issues
Ryan Papenhuyzen will miss Melbourne's clash with North Queensland in the latest blow to the Storm's crisis-hit backline. Papenhuyzen was on Friday night ruled out of the Townsville match with calf tightness, making him the seventh Melbourne back unavailable for the game. His absence means Tyran Wishart will move to fullback, with Jonah Pezet now starting in the halves. The Storm are already without Will Warbrick (concussion), Moses Leo (shoulder), Sua Fa'alogo (hamstring), Jack Howarth (appendicitis), Xavier Coates (Origin) and Dean Ieremia (achilles) in their backline alone. Coach Craig Bellamy said he was not expecting miracles from an understrength side, but luckless Pezet could be forgiven for thinking his NRL comeback is one. Melbourne and North Queensland will be without a combined total of nine State of Origin representatives for Saturday's clash, the most for any game this weekend. The Storm had already been forced to name Joe Chan in the centres for the first time in his NRL career. Elsewhere, Penrith junior Ativalu Lisati has been named for only his third game, while journeyman winger Kane Bradley comes in for his second game of the year. "You don't expect miracles from them," Bellamy said of the reinforcements. "But they've been training with us all year, we haven't got anyone in over the last few weeks. "It (the Origin period) is always tough but it's tough for a lot of teams." But there is a silver lining in the NRL comeback of Pezet, who had been earmarked as Melbourne's next halfback before enduring more than a year of knee injury hell. The playmaker was last seen in the NRL in round three last year, rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament playing reserve grade a month later. Some 336 days on in March, Gosford-born Pezet returned to the field for feeder side North Sydney, only to injure the same knee and book in for more surgery. But Pezet has since made it through two games of NSW Cup and, while he was listed on the bench, will now start on Saturday night. "There's some guys that are going to get a chance tomorrow, a chance to impress and a chance to play a bit of first grade," Bellamy said. "Hopefully they'll grab that with both hands." The Cowboys will need to forge on without Murray Taulagi, who has failed to pull up from a minor knee injury suffered in last week's win over Gold Coast. Braidon Burns will replace Taulagi on the wing but the club expects to have the former Maroons utility back on deck for next week's clash with Canterbury. "We named him this week in the thought he might improve but he tried to get some running done on Thursday and was no good," said North Queensland coach Todd Payten. Ryan Papenhuyzen will miss Melbourne's clash with North Queensland in the latest blow to the Storm's crisis-hit backline. Papenhuyzen was on Friday night ruled out of the Townsville match with calf tightness, making him the seventh Melbourne back unavailable for the game. His absence means Tyran Wishart will move to fullback, with Jonah Pezet now starting in the halves. The Storm are already without Will Warbrick (concussion), Moses Leo (shoulder), Sua Fa'alogo (hamstring), Jack Howarth (appendicitis), Xavier Coates (Origin) and Dean Ieremia (achilles) in their backline alone. Coach Craig Bellamy said he was not expecting miracles from an understrength side, but luckless Pezet could be forgiven for thinking his NRL comeback is one. Melbourne and North Queensland will be without a combined total of nine State of Origin representatives for Saturday's clash, the most for any game this weekend. The Storm had already been forced to name Joe Chan in the centres for the first time in his NRL career. Elsewhere, Penrith junior Ativalu Lisati has been named for only his third game, while journeyman winger Kane Bradley comes in for his second game of the year. "You don't expect miracles from them," Bellamy said of the reinforcements. "But they've been training with us all year, we haven't got anyone in over the last few weeks. "It (the Origin period) is always tough but it's tough for a lot of teams." But there is a silver lining in the NRL comeback of Pezet, who had been earmarked as Melbourne's next halfback before enduring more than a year of knee injury hell. The playmaker was last seen in the NRL in round three last year, rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament playing reserve grade a month later. Some 336 days on in March, Gosford-born Pezet returned to the field for feeder side North Sydney, only to injure the same knee and book in for more surgery. But Pezet has since made it through two games of NSW Cup and, while he was listed on the bench, will now start on Saturday night. "There's some guys that are going to get a chance tomorrow, a chance to impress and a chance to play a bit of first grade," Bellamy said. "Hopefully they'll grab that with both hands." The Cowboys will need to forge on without Murray Taulagi, who has failed to pull up from a minor knee injury suffered in last week's win over Gold Coast. Braidon Burns will replace Taulagi on the wing but the club expects to have the former Maroons utility back on deck for next week's clash with Canterbury. "We named him this week in the thought he might improve but he tried to get some running done on Thursday and was no good," said North Queensland coach Todd Payten. Ryan Papenhuyzen will miss Melbourne's clash with North Queensland in the latest blow to the Storm's crisis-hit backline. Papenhuyzen was on Friday night ruled out of the Townsville match with calf tightness, making him the seventh Melbourne back unavailable for the game. His absence means Tyran Wishart will move to fullback, with Jonah Pezet now starting in the halves. The Storm are already without Will Warbrick (concussion), Moses Leo (shoulder), Sua Fa'alogo (hamstring), Jack Howarth (appendicitis), Xavier Coates (Origin) and Dean Ieremia (achilles) in their backline alone. Coach Craig Bellamy said he was not expecting miracles from an understrength side, but luckless Pezet could be forgiven for thinking his NRL comeback is one. Melbourne and North Queensland will be without a combined total of nine State of Origin representatives for Saturday's clash, the most for any game this weekend. The Storm had already been forced to name Joe Chan in the centres for the first time in his NRL career. Elsewhere, Penrith junior Ativalu Lisati has been named for only his third game, while journeyman winger Kane Bradley comes in for his second game of the year. "You don't expect miracles from them," Bellamy said of the reinforcements. "But they've been training with us all year, we haven't got anyone in over the last few weeks. "It (the Origin period) is always tough but it's tough for a lot of teams." But there is a silver lining in the NRL comeback of Pezet, who had been earmarked as Melbourne's next halfback before enduring more than a year of knee injury hell. The playmaker was last seen in the NRL in round three last year, rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament playing reserve grade a month later. Some 336 days on in March, Gosford-born Pezet returned to the field for feeder side North Sydney, only to injure the same knee and book in for more surgery. But Pezet has since made it through two games of NSW Cup and, while he was listed on the bench, will now start on Saturday night. "There's some guys that are going to get a chance tomorrow, a chance to impress and a chance to play a bit of first grade," Bellamy said. "Hopefully they'll grab that with both hands." The Cowboys will need to forge on without Murray Taulagi, who has failed to pull up from a minor knee injury suffered in last week's win over Gold Coast. Braidon Burns will replace Taulagi on the wing but the club expects to have the former Maroons utility back on deck for next week's clash with Canterbury. "We named him this week in the thought he might improve but he tried to get some running done on Thursday and was no good," said North Queensland coach Todd Payten.
Sydney Morning Herald
9 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Why the Sydney Roosters should be thanking Bryan Fletcher and The Footy Show
'Victor Radley has been the most successful junior probably since I retired, and we haven't had many Colts players. [South Sydney's] Tallis Duncan came down for a couple of years. We had the likes of the legendary Barry 'Bunny' Reilly, and [Newtown Jets great] Frank 'Bumper' Farrell. 'Max is a genuine junior, and that makes me proud. Bondi often gets a bad rap, but people forget what it was like compared to what it is now – a lot of knockabouts have done well.' Fletcher praised Scots College for nurturing six Roosters players, and said he attended the more modest Christian Brothers Bondi, 'where three blokes rocked up to a recent reunion wearing ankle bracelets'. McCathie, Billy Smith, who is good friends with McCathie's older brother, Jack, Siua Wong, Angus Crichton, Blake Steep and Hugo Savala all attended Scots. Hamish revealed McCathie also loved rugby, played with Scots First XV, and was with the First XV Colts at Easts. Hamish spent time as director of rugby at Easts, and also featured in first grade as a fullback. 'I'm a Rooster through and through, grew up in the eastern suburbs, and was coached by Russell Fairfax at Easts – Russell actually dropped me from first grade to second grade,' Hamish said. Two busloads of friends and family will make the short journey from Easts Rugby Club to Allianz Stadium for McCathie's milestone game. McCathie, the NSW Cup captain – and the club's 2023 Jersey Flegg player of the year – has already requested more than 150 tickets. The match will double as the 50-year reunion for the 1975 premiership Roosters team. Roosters utility Connor Watson was glad the Roosters' production line was continuing – McCathie and Rodwell will take the number of NRL debuts to eight at the Bondi Junction club – and said of the pair: 'Max is a lifelong Chooks fans he's a proper diehard – he was in the Tricolours Syndicate [fan club]. For him, this is living out a childhood dream. 'Tommy came to the club this year, and the way he trained in the pre-season, he did such a good job. His back-field carries, he's a bit like Brian [To'o] with the nuggetty, shorter build, but the work he gets through is so impressive. 'Both boys play the game the way we want – they leave everything out there and go after it. I'm excited for them both.'
The Age
9 hours ago
- The Age
Why the Sydney Roosters should be thanking Bryan Fletcher and The Footy Show
'Victor Radley has been the most successful junior probably since I retired, and we haven't had many Colts players. [South Sydney's] Tallis Duncan came down for a couple of years. We had the likes of the legendary Barry 'Bunny' Reilly, and [Newtown Jets great] Frank 'Bumper' Farrell. 'Max is a genuine junior, and that makes me proud. Bondi often gets a bad rap, but people forget what it was like compared to what it is now – a lot of knockabouts have done well.' Fletcher praised Scots College for nurturing six Roosters players, and said he attended the more modest Christian Brothers Bondi, 'where three blokes rocked up to a recent reunion wearing ankle bracelets'. McCathie, Billy Smith, who is good friends with McCathie's older brother, Jack, Siua Wong, Angus Crichton, Blake Steep and Hugo Savala all attended Scots. Hamish revealed McCathie also loved rugby, played with Scots First XV, and was with the First XV Colts at Easts. Hamish spent time as director of rugby at Easts, and also featured in first grade as a fullback. 'I'm a Rooster through and through, grew up in the eastern suburbs, and was coached by Russell Fairfax at Easts – Russell actually dropped me from first grade to second grade,' Hamish said. Two busloads of friends and family will make the short journey from Easts Rugby Club to Allianz Stadium for McCathie's milestone game. McCathie, the NSW Cup captain – and the club's 2023 Jersey Flegg player of the year – has already requested more than 150 tickets. The match will double as the 50-year reunion for the 1975 premiership Roosters team. Roosters utility Connor Watson was glad the Roosters' production line was continuing – McCathie and Rodwell will take the number of NRL debuts to eight at the Bondi Junction club – and said of the pair: 'Max is a lifelong Chooks fans he's a proper diehard – he was in the Tricolours Syndicate [fan club]. For him, this is living out a childhood dream. 'Tommy came to the club this year, and the way he trained in the pre-season, he did such a good job. His back-field carries, he's a bit like Brian [To'o] with the nuggetty, shorter build, but the work he gets through is so impressive. 'Both boys play the game the way we want – they leave everything out there and go after it. I'm excited for them both.'
