David Smith has resigned from his position as NRL CEO after three years. An official announcement will be made later on today. The loss of Smith from the NRL’s administration is a blow to the game. Smith joined the NRL three years ago and before he had even officially started the job he was dealing…
You hear it all the time. Rugby League players are just greedy. They just want to get as much money as possible and don’t care about the consequences of their actions. Let me tell you right now, players have NOTHING on Rugby League clubs who have proven they will happily watch the game being torn…
NRL CEO David Smith has made some interesting statements in the aftermath of news that Jarryd Hayne would be leaving the NRL to pursue his dream to play in the NRL. Smith has explained that he was in contact with Hayne’s management as late as last night and was willing to do what ever it…
For well over a decade the National Rugby League ran on a strict budget. It was a competition that was under funded due to a terrible broadcasting deal that was put together while the game was negotiating from a position of weakness. In 2014 things are very different. The National Rugby League is a competition…
The following is an official press release by the National Rugby League: The NRL and the 16 clubs have unanimously confirmed their commitment to developing a new player insurance scheme which will significantly increase payments for career-ending injuries. NRL players will be eligible for payouts of up to $1 million if they suffer career-ending injuries…
Each and every week until the finals I will present the totally unofficial LeagueFreak.com power rankings. Just a quick explanation, these are not based on who the better team is, or who would win if they played each other etc, it’s more a who would be happier with where they are, form, judgement type of…
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…
NRL Ceo David Smith has been in the job for almost a year now and reports during the week announced that the NRL’s bank balance has never looked better. It has been a very difficult year for everyone involved with the competition with the whole ASADA saga, as well as the usual (and unusual) off…
The following is a press release put out by the National Rugby League: The National Rugby League (NRL) has completed its review of governance issues at the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Football Club (the Club) in 2010 and 2011 and the preliminary findings have identified serious failures on the part of the Club and certain individuals who…
First of all how good is the 2013 Rugby League World Cup? Brilliant crowds, Brilliant Coverage, Stronger competitions, Career Finales, Unearthed Superstars and most important re-igniting the passion of the fans for International Football even the unfeeling machine that runs this website has asked Dave Smith for more internationals. The Rugby League World Cup despite…
NRL Chief Executive Dave Smith will address British Members of Parliament at a meeting of the UK’s Parliamentary Rugby League Group, just days before the RLWC2013 final. Smith’s visit is the second successive meeting of the Group to have an international focus and take place during the World Cup; on October 29 Scott Carter, Rugby…
North Queensland Cowboys halfback Johnathan Thurston has accused the National Rugby League of widespread collusion in an effort to have an all-Sydney Grand Final. Thurstons claims came after the Cowboys had their season finish on the back of a disgraceful refereeing mistake that saw the Cronulla Sharks score a try on the 7th tackle in…
It wouldn’t take much for the situation at the Cronulla Sharks to go south very quickly. If the Sharks have to deal with players being suspended, a fine, and the aftermath of what would be a very difficult period for the club, the Sharks would need financial support from the NRL to survive. Many within…
Canberra Raiders winger Sandor Earl has been issued with a breach notice and provisionally suspended by the NRL with regards to the ASADA investigation. NRL CEO David Smith has said there has been an admission of “The use and trafficking of peptides”. Earl now has now will have the ability to review the charges against…
In 1999 Rugby League in Australia wasn’t in a very good position. It was still recovering from the Super League War, it was cutting back on spending, it was looking to kick teams out of the competition…basically it was in damage control. At the same time Rugby Union in Australia was starting to come to…
For well over a decade now there has been talk of an exhibition match between the Australian Kangaroos Rugby League team and the Australian Rugby Unions Mustard Disgrace. The money is supposedly being put up by ANZ Stadium and a mystery broadcaster. The money on offer is supposedly huge. It is something that is brought…
Nothing says Grand Final day like a washed up Latino pop singer… You know when people talk about a line being crossed? Well, the National Rugby League just crossed that fucking line… The benefit of the doubt is gone. After banning the shoulder charge, generally going out of their way to complete the pussification of…
When Paul Gallen put a combination on Nate Myles chin in State Of Origin one, it was a major talking point in the game. It didn’t matter what else happened in the contest, the way Gallen went after Myles was a moment every single person that watched the game wanted to talk about. The reaction…
He is one of the most marketable players in the game. When he is in form, there is no doubt Benji Marshall is also one of the best Rugby League players in the world. With the Wests Tigers ridiculously questioning whether they should upgrade the contract of the best player in their lineup, the NRL…
It feels like a long time ago that New South Wales won game one of the 2013 State Of Origin series in Sydney. Unfortunately it didn’t take too long for the Blues to go from being on a high from winning the opening game to having to deal with one crisis after another. With Jarryd Hayne’s…
South Sydney forward George Burgess has been charged with two counts of willful damage to property after allegedly smashing a car window in Cairns in the early hours of Monday morning. Burgess has been stood down by the Rabbitohs and the NRL Integrity Unit will be handed all of the details of the incident ahead…
This day had been coming for a long time… For what ever reason, Rugby League loves to forgive its own when they make a mistake. Some would suggest that is a strength of the game, that Rugby League always looks after its own. There comes a point though when the game need to choose between…
New South Wales will be without James Tamou for State Of Origin Two after the forward was suspended for two games after being charged with drink driving and driving without a licence according to the Sydney Morning Herald. The suspension is a step in the right direction for the NRL and shows that high standards…
The South Sydney Rabbitohs only informed the NRL of assault allegations leveled against Ben Te’o last night, despite having said they knew about the allegations five weeks ago. This news comes as the NRL looks to establish an independent investigation into these allegations via the NRL’s own Integrity Unit. NRL CEO David Smith played a straight bat to reporters…
Canterbury Bulldogs CEO Todd Greenberg will leave his post at the Belmore based club today and take up a with role the NRL which is being described as Deputy Chief Executive of the NRL. Greenberg is expected to work under NRL CEO David Smith and will probably become the public face of the game. NRL CEO David…
The Western Sydney Wanderers have had an incredible first season in the A League. A dream season! This time last year the thought of the Western Sydney Wanderers didn’t even exist! Now they sit at the top of the A League ladder, they have built a solid supporter base and on Saturday night they sold…
The 2013 NRL season is going to be an interesting one to watch simply for the fact that the game finally has enough money to do things it hasn’t been able to do in well over a decade. How this changes the way the games administrators make decisions is anyone guess right now. Will we…
You don’t know him, I don’t know him, but Dave Smith just stepped into the highest profile sports administration job in Australia. Having watched the press conference announcing David Smith as the new NRL CEO a few things came out of it for me. Firstly, Smith, a Welshman based in Sydney in his role in…