Articles posted on LeagueFreak.com that are written by guest writers.
In my last article I included Daly Cherry-Evans in my 1-13 of most overrated players in the NRL. A lot of people are not too happy with this, so I’d like to make my point a little bit clearer. First of all, I’m a fan like all the people who will be reading this…
The spotlight is on… Classy Cas’: Castleford Tigers sit joint top of Super League after four straight victories has given Daryl Powell’s men the perfect start to the new season. Powell took over from Ian Millward in May last year and brought some much needed stability to the club with a return of 11 points…
When I mentioned in my last article on the site that Braith Anasta was my ‘dud of the week’ it got me thinking, it really did. It got me thinking that Braith Anasta has probably been the most overrated player in the game for a very long time. I have seen worse players than Anasta…
I’m sitting in my kitchen eating my breakfast which due to lent is far less yummy than normal. Today alone I have read several articles belly aching over clubs keeping their talent out of the media and how it’s the fans right to hear from their idols. (Please cough loudly in a sarcastic tone) What…
The NRL is back for another season and opening round was a real cracker, apart from the Sharks vs Titans game on Monday which was well and truly a shocker of a game. Here is my team of the round. (I am not a stats guy, its all about the eye test) Fullback: Greg Inglis…
As we found over the weekend, confirmed today, Andrew Fifita has agreed to big money deal rumoured to be around $850,000, at the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs. This is absolutely fantastic news for Mr Fifita and family. But is it great news for the doggies? On the surface it seems like a questionable acquisition. Canterbury are already…
The long anticipated round one fixtures have come and gone. We saw some great footy, especially at Brookvale Oval when the Storm beat the Eagles in a golden point thriller, while the Dragons and Eels ran up big scores no one expected to see. The Sharks are in crisis, Newcastle have lost their best attacking…
I’ve tried to reserve my judgement about Matt Elliott. I’ve tried to give him the benefit of the doubt. He certainly talks a good game, and he says the right things, so I thought there was a chance that his poor record is due to a statistical anomaly, rather than him being a poor coach….
LeagueFreak.com guest writer Daniel Nichols has posted an interview with South Sydney, North Sydney and South Queensland’s former captain Mario Fenech. Although Fenech is best known to younger viewers for his time at the footy show, his tough and aggressive play earned him Origin jersies and with a bit of luck he would have toured…
How It Will Finish 1. Roosters 2. Bulldogs 3. Bunnies 4. Storm 5. Sea Eagles 6. Warriors 7. Sharks 8. Panthers 9. Knights 10. Cowboys 11. Titans 12. Broncos 13. Tigers 14. Dragons 15. Eels 16. Raiders Roosters: Did a magnificent job in keeping their premiership winning side together. Luke O’Donnell is the only player…
The Spotlight is on… Bradford: this week the RFL hit Bradford Bulls with a 6-point deduction that leaves them 4 points adrift of London at the bottom of the Super League table. With the threat of relegation at the end of the season, this is absolutely disasterous for Francis Cummins and his squad. A dark…
If you are a rugby league fan in the UK who only follows Super League and not the NRL you must have had the time of your life on Saturday morning. Not because Wigan put in a respectable performance, though they did, and not because the shoulder charge seemed to reappear for a game (hallelujah!!)….
The Spotlight is on… progress and improvements: Rugby League is to undergo some fundamental changes in 2015 after the RFL announced that Super League members were ‘virtually unanimous’ in voting for a 12-team competition with meaningful movement between Super League and the Championship. The Championship will also revert to 12 teams and in the latter…
Heading in to every season there are many intriguing story lines and talking points. This season is no different. Although we sometimes concentrate on what is happening off the field, we should remember that it’s is what the players are doing on the field that matters most. Here are my top ten most intriguing players…
For those who hadn’t heard, Cronulla Sharks and NSW captain Paul Gallen made a successful debut into the world of professional boxing last night. His second round TKO win over the young and powerful over Herman Purcell mean he now has a professional victory to go with his 2 charity victories inside the squared circle….
Our campaign scaled the new heights of reaching the home of the European Super League this week when we delivered our 12,000+ signature petition to Red Hall in Leeds. We felt the time was right and no further signatures would make that much difference to our campaign to rename the ‘Man of Steel’ award after…
The reason you’re sitting there reading this article is because you didn’t make it as a professional sportsman. The reason I’m sitting here writing this article is because I too could never make it as a sportsman. Not that my Dad had high hopes for me as a youngster after he saw my raw motor…
So we have just had a weekend of rugby league. I’m not sure about all of you but I have been hanging out for some footy for many weeks (or months…) The NRL decided in its infinite wisdom to have a pre-season competition to whet the appetites of fans counting down to round one of…
Daniel Nichols takes a look at the first day of the 2014 Auckland 9’s. Team Of The Day: New Zealand Warriors The pre tournament favourites more than lived up to the hype in their two performances today. They carved up the hapless Raiders in the first game and were much better than the 25-14 score…
Daniel Pettigrew previews the 2014 Auckland 9’s. He looks at the draw each team faces, some of the key players and generally talks about what we might see this weekend. Check it out:
We’re almost there. The First Utility Super League is almost upon us, with the 2013 Grand-Final winners taking on the 2013 League Leaders in the first game of the Super League 2014. It could be one of the best games of the year, even though it’s only round 1, with Huddersfield Giants who will want…
Rumors abound that Sam Burgess is seeking a release from his South Sydney Rabbitohs contract to return to the UK to play Rugby Union. As a result he has been mercilessly attacked by the Rugby League community for being a ‘dog’ and ‘stabbing Souths in the back’. Essentially the (source-less) reports without quote or fact…
The Fullback position is a very important position in the modern Rugby League game, creating tries, stopping them and creating something out of nothing is just a few of the important things they have to deal with in every game. Many people argue that the Fullback position is the toughest and most important position on…
I want to start this article by giving some background on myself. I will do this so people cannot respond saying that I am one-eyed or biased or don’t know what I am talking about. I am from Wales, a Union country, and grew up playing Rugby Union. I played the game to a reasonably…
The news that Sam Burgess has told Rabbitohs management that he will be heading to England to play Rugby Union next season has taken off across all the media websites and social media. The general feeling amongst Souths fans is that he has stabbed the club in the back, and our very own League Freak…
As much as we may choose not to believe it as fans, often the fate of our clubs can boil down to the fortunes of just one man. These people can be superstars or workhorses, forwards or backs – but their fate is linked inextricably to that of their club. So with the 2014 season…
South Sydney. No two words in Rugby League history have ever garnered such pride and passion and equal part disappointment and ridicule. Throughout formative years of Australian Rugby League the Rabbitohs were truly the pride of the league. Their 20 premiership wins far eclipsing all other comers. So impressive is that haul that after 43…
Somebody once said that it doesn’t matter who coaches the Wallabies because they’re never going to be better than the All Blacks. It’s true, of course. And the same thing can be said about the Kiwis league team. The fact that they are sounding out interest for a new head coach continues to go under…
The NRL has a lot of talented wingers. Each winger has their own unique finishing and lots of them are exciting to watch. Some argue wing is one of the hardest positions, having to be one of the fastest, fittest and always have to be switched on as you never know when you will be…
News doing the rounds early this morning was that adult dating site (more specifically a website that encourages married people to have affairs) has offered the Cronulla Sharks a massive 10 year sponsorship package that will go a long way to turning the club’s finances around. The offer includes the complete payment of the 1…