Seven days in rugby league: Some kind of magic

"You don't get old in between fights, you get old in between rounds ... I felt that today," Gal concedes.

Try being the football writer and jumping in the rugby league ring for three weeks.

Rugby league royalty were among the who's who of Australian sport and showbiz to pay tribute at a memorial service for Jack Newton. Jack had three passions - family, junior golf and the Knights.

Forget the string of politicians and wannabe Knights No.1 ticket-holders, Jack Newton was true blue - and red.

Jacks's story is well known. Forever a larrikin, he often joked about being a one-eyed Knights supporters and had a glass eye with the Knights logo on it as proof. True story.

Andrew Johns: Why Munster is a walking advertisement for clean living screams the headline.

In his weekly newspaper column the Eighth Immortal talks up Herman Munster and his date with Pennies million-dollar man Nathan Cleary.

"He looks fit. He looks clear. He looks creative. Maybe there's something in this clean-living stuff," the Eighth Immortal says of Munster.

Is this the same bloke who famously teared down King Street on a skateboard with his shirt off, swigging from a can of Tooheys after the '97 grand final win. His second home was the Zoo - not Taronga but the Burwood Inn in Merewether.

Adam O'Brien gets into the spirit of magic round. When Leo Thompson drops the ball over the tryline against the Dogs, the Knights coach does a disappearing act and walks out of the box. I can only imagine what Trent Barrett is thinking.

Next, the Silvertails try to conjure up some black magic with an AC/DC-inspired strip. Horrible.

There is only one magician at Suncorp Stadium and that is the little bloke wearing the Broncs No.7 jumper. Alf, sorry Reyno, weaves more magic in 90 seconds than all of game one. He begins by kicking to the corner for Greg Inglis - well it looks like him - to fly high and score. The trick shots keep coming as he chips and chases for a try. Deadset, what were Souths thinking!

A picture emerges on social media of the Broncs celebration with Reynolds and Alan Langer enjoying a beer together with the tag: "Just one of Brisbane's greatest ever halfbacks ...and some guy called Alf."

Munster contemplates a night on the tiles after the Pennies leave the Storm punch drunk in a 32-6 pantsing. The Gold Coast Chargers sneak home over the Dragons on the back of a little bloke named Campbell. Is it Retro round?

The Bunnies survive against the Once Were Warriors, but most of the talk is about the brouhaha in the stands the night before. Former Cane Toad Owen Cunningham is in the middle of it. Cunningham is watching his former club Manly get lapped by the Broncs when his son is king hit. The former back-rower also gets sent flying WWE style.

"There were about eight of them ... it was a f***ing disgrace," Cunnigham fumes.

Can only imagine what Caxton Street was like.

Sticky Stuart recalls veteran hooker and serial pest Simon Woolford. What. It's his son, Zac. Play-on.

Young "Germ" shows all the cunning of his old man and sends Josh Papalii through the front door to open a 10-0 lead for the Faiders. He then gives the Sharkies a gobful. Chip off the old block.

Is it a bird or is it a plane? No it is Suaalii. The Chooks wonder boy leaps Slipperies winger Hayze Perham in a single bound to pluck a kick out of the air and score.

In the end it's enough for Teddy to mark his 100th game with a win. If only he stayed at the Tigers. He would have a hill named after him. The Chooks' triumph gives my youngster, Mullet Boy, bragging rights over his older brother and Slipperies tragic BM (Bare Minimum).

"A week is a long week in rugby league," I offer.

It's another disappointing night for the Tigers.

Forget magic, Cows winger Murray Taulagi produces a miracle and hooks a pass from row 20 into the bread basket of Drinkwater to score. You know the story from there.

In a rare win for the Tigers, Jackson Hastings gets some grub ejected after bad-mouthing his family. Queenslanders. Fair dinkum.

Tributes flow for Andrew Symonds. Roy changed the way cricket was played. He used to spend the off-season training with the Broncs and produced one of the great shoulder charges on a streaker at the Gabba in 2008. Ronny Gibbs would have been proud.

Under-siege Doggies boss Trent Barrett appears set for the cold shoulder when summoned to the Belmore Boardroom. We know how this ends.

The Knights launch a raid on the Chooks premiership winning NRLW side. That's one for the books.

Yasmin Meakes, Hannah Southwell, Somine Karpani, Olivia Higgins are headed back to the castle.

Now if they could just get Teddy, Luke Keary, Victor Radley and Joe Manu.

BM announces that he has put his name down for the under-13 school rugby league team to play a gala day. Given he struggles to tackle a salad, I ask what position he intends to play. Centre he declares before adding what would you know about defence, you played rugby union. Fair point.