NRL entertainers, bring back post-try celebrations

Bring back the backflip. 

No, not the contract variety, but rather the post-try celebrations made famous by Anthony Mundine and Nathan Blacklock.

Or how about the "telephone" football; lobbing a Steeden grenade; sinking to your knees and bowing to the crowd ... has anyone ever done the chicken dance? I'm getting desperate here but I really miss try celebrations.

With the retirement of Greg Inglis, no-one can really do the goanna unless they are South Sydney players with Indigenous heritage – come on down Cody Walker, Adam Reynolds and John Sutton.

Sutton's effort looked more like an ageing saltwater crocodile trying to get out of a mangrove swamp but he will still go down in folklore.

Ben Barba at the 2013 Indigenous All Stars game in Brisbane scored a hat-trick and did the kangaroo ears celebration – something Latrell Mitchell has now adopted much to the delight of not just Roosters fans but all of us who love the entertainment factor of rugby league.

He did it on Saturday night on his way to three tries and seven goals against the Wests Tigers.

Inglis has only just retired so it seems too premature for someone to adopt the goanna. And should they even try since it is Inglis' signature move?

I'm not asking every try to have a shimmy after it (there were 1331 scored in 2018) – and the NRL is not the NFL.

Who can forget Adam MacDougall using the ball like a mock telephone and throwing it at the head of Knights teammate Cooper Vuna when he scored against South Sydney?

Rabbitohs owner Russell Crowe was charged with assaulting a New York hotel employee with one of the house phones in 2005 because it wouldn't work when he was trying to call his then wife.

But for genius, what about Bryan Fletcher pulling the pin on the ball and letting it explode in the 58-16 Origin thumping at Suncorp Stadium in Origin III 2000?

Fletcher came up with the idea after the Blues team had watched the movie Any Given Sunday starring Al Pacino, which follows the fortunes of an American football team.

NSW Origin coach and Nine commentator Brad Fittler was part of the 2000 celebrations where Blues players collapsed to the ground in the in-goal at the appropriate moment.

"I'm not sure if celebrations were around much at that time but Fletch came up with it," Fittler told Madge on Sunday.

"I honestly don't see it like a piece of Origin folklore. I know Queensland like to make a deal out of it, which is good because you're always trying to find little angles to get one up on opponents.

"But I don't read too much into it."

Fittler, known for his quirky insights while both commentating and coaching, is torn on the idea that more NRL players should show their unhinged, or contemplative sides, and celebrate more often after points.

"If I put my commentator's hat on I really like it; if I put my coach's hat on I don't," Fittler said, "It all depends on which hat I'm wearing at the time.

"There are some really funny blokes in our game. And they are basically hanging around their mates all day in training and stuff, so they are able to come up with interesting and funny things.

Inglis has only just retired so it seems too premature for someone to adopt the goanna

"So when they [celebrations] are 'on' they are indeed a good part of the game."

How good would it have been to see Matt Dufty do something "out there" after his 60-metre weaving run to the line on Anzac Day?

Instead, we got the standard smothering by teammates – hugs, back slaps and hair massaging all round.

Where's the spontaneity gone?

Come on you 480 NRL players! Let it rip with a little reggae, rumble-tumble, or revolving door routines. We're waiting.

The views in this article do not necessarily express the opinions of the NRL, ARLC, NRL clubs or state associations.