It would be predictable and simple for this column to label Sonny Bill Williams "this year's Sam Burgess" and have a crude chop back at the rugby league haters blaming his treiziste background for him being the first All Black sent off in a Test for 50 years. Stuff.co.nz columnist Mark Reason's surname opens up a world of opportunities for snideness after he wrote: "It was the tackle of a man who still hasn't got the violent stupidity of rugby league out of his system." But SBW's shoulder charge WAS bad, for most of his career in rugby league he WAS lauded for doing this sort of thing (OK, not targeting the head of a held player) and, despite the banning of such tackles in league now, I am not completely convinced he would have been sent off for that one if he did it in the NRL at the weekend. He'd probably have just been placed on report, which is wrong. So, all in all, the haters have a point...

Would last fan in Sydney at Origin time turn out the lights...

The idea of club football deserting Sydney during Origin time and taking the entire NRL on the road gathered momentum with the sold-out 20,060 crowd at Central Coast Stadium for Sydney Roosters-Cronulla. Oh how we guffawed when the NRL announced measures a couple of weeks ago to fight scalpers – when have you seen a scalper bother with a regular season match attended by a sea of invisible people? But chances are a tout could have made a tidy sum in Gosford. "During Origin … in Sydney we talk about a bit of flatness during that period with players being in and out," said Tricolours coach Trent Robinson. "But it's good that people appreciate, whether it's coming up here or Adelaide last week … it's a real positive for our game and you can see there's a hunger, even during Origin, [from] those crowds that don't see footy every second week." Why not just put the NRL "On The Road" at this time of year and then return to a hungry Harbour City for the run home for the finals?

Frizell has until next Sunday, says Sterling