I was initially impressed with McFadden. He was honest and forthright and seemed the right fit for a club in trouble.
Now he's deflecting attention from his team's performances by talking about other issues.
It's natural to blame the previous coach or chief executive but now is not the right time.
I really hope McFadden has got it because the players all talk about how impressive he is.
He's clearly under pressure and I don't feel he's handling that particularly well. His management skills need to come to the fore to ensure the Warriors finish the season strongly rather than limp to the end.
I had to shake my head with news the Anzac test was going to be scrapped in favour of standalone State of Origin games.
It just proves a domestic game — the NRL — and broadcasters are ruling what is supposed to be the highest form of the game and they are clearly dictating to the Australian Rugby League what should happen.
It means rich men control everything, as happens in the rest of life. Money, sadly, equals power.
The timing is interesting. For years, Australia dominated the annual fixture but soon after the Kiwis win one — their third win over the Kangaroos in a row — a decision is made for it to disappear.
For them to say international games will be protected with a window at the end of the season is disingenuous because international league is already played at the end of the year.
The announcement was also embarrassing for the NZRL.
Yes, certain rules needed to be followed to inform shareholders but surely the NZRL deserved a courtesy call to let them know this decision had been made. I have been critical of the NZRL in the past but I felt for them on this one.
Last week, I talked about the ridiculousness of the new shoulder charge rule — they should either ban it or not but not rely on interpretations — and my fears have already been confirmed.
Willy Mason was handed a ridiculous penalty for hitting his opponent with a pillow and Ben Matulino was banned for three weeks for a fair hit. Sigh.
