The Sunday morning breakfast ritual is about to get significantly less indigestion-inducing for NRL executives.
Phil ‘Buzz’ Rothfield, the man who turned the Sunday back page into a weekly referendum on the state of rugby league, is hanging up his notepad.
The veteran sports journalist has announced his retirement from News Corp Australia to draw the curtain on a staggering 50-year career.
From cadet to the great Aussie pest
Rothfield began his media journey in 1976 as a cadet. To frame the timeline, he started filing copy when the Eastern Suburbs Roosters held the premiership shield. Long before the Cronulla Sharks had even cleared a shelf in the trophy cabinet.
It’s fitting that his moniker ‘Buzz’ reportedly stems from a vintage Mortein advertisement featuring a fly that just would not go away. Throughout his career, Rothfield embodied that persistence.
He transformed from a beat reporter into the self-styled Sports Editor-at-Large. While he covered the Sydney 2000 Olympics, Super Bowls and FIFA World Cups, he always returned to the soap opera of the NRL.
He knew exactly where the drama lived because he often helped script it.
Phil’s What’s the Buzz column was an institution
A career built on friction
You do not survive half a century in the shark tank of Sydney media without biting back. Rothfield collected enemies with the same enthusiasm he collected scoops.
His long-running What’s the Buzz column became an institution where he birthed rumours and put coaches on notice.
In his farewell announcement, Rothfield addressed the toll of the role with characteristic candour.
“Half a century covering rugby league, and the madness that comes with it, is long enough for anyone,” he said.
“It has been an absolute privilege, but after 50 years of working weekends, it’s time to enjoy life without the stress and responsibility that comes with the job.”
Stepping away from the madness
His career was not without turbulence. From on-air clashes with Phil Gould on NRL 360 to high-profile suspensions involving Eddie Hayson, Rothfield understood that friction creates heat, and heat sells subscriptions. Yet, the 50-year shift has finally tipped the scales.
“I’ve had a ball. It’s the greatest job in the world,” Rothfield reflected, adding that he looks forward to “just being a fan for the first time in my adult life.”
The industry may find it hard to picture him sitting quietly in the stands at Shark Park without reaching for his phone to blast a referee or critique a substitution.
Buzz Rothfield on NRL 360
The legacy of a newsbreaker
The Daily Telegraph editor Ben English paid a glowing tribute to the veteran scribe, describing him as a mentor who led generations of reporters by example.
“Phil Rothfield has always been one of the greats- in journalism, in rugby league and as an eternally larger-than-life presence in The Daily Telegraph’s office,” English said.
“Our newsroom will be much the poorer for the retirement of Buzz.”
As Buzz heads off to a life free of deadlines, the rugby league world loses its most provocative agitator.
The game will certainly be quieter without him, though many coaches will likely sleep a little sounder on Saturday nights.