Presented by Palmerbet In this episode of the Fergo and The Freak NRL podcast The Glorious League Freak lokks at the gross attacks by Channel 9 media on the way the Redcliffe Dolphins are building their NRL squad as they prepare for their entry into the competitioin. Shock horror, its Karen Gould! Then he talks…
In this episode the terrible twosome talk about Luke Brooks rumours and how he isn’t going anywhere. They discuss France taking on England in a test match for the ages (Not really), there’s a lot of discussion about Super League, French Rugby League, and then aiming of the what ever they want to call themselves…
The draw for the 2021 Rugby League World Cup wasn’t without its complications. Having been originally scheduled for November 27, 2019, a postponement meant that the groups were finally confirmed at Buckingham Palace on January 16. A decision by the organisers to place one Pacific-based side in each section also led to a complicated afternoon…
You have to hand it to the Rugby League International Federation, they can come up with some nutty ideas that seemingly have no connection to what we see on the field. Take the newly released “Rugby League World Ranking” which have been put out this evening. New Zealand has moved past Australia into top spot…
The Australian Kangaroos will play England in a three match series in 2020. Marketed as The Ashes, it will be the first time the two nations will have faced off in a three test series since 2003, albeit that was between Australia and Great Britain. The first match will be played at University of Bolton…
In this episode we go ballistic on the ARL Commission and the double standards it is showing with regards to Mark Coyne and his troubles in Singapore, we take aim at England as they decide Blake Austin is a Pom after a few months of good form, we look at the potential Gold Coast Titans…
Melbourne Storm’s domination continued at the start of 2018, with Craig Bellamy’s side breezing their way to the World Club Challenge title and sweeping Leeds Rhinos aside in mid-February. The Rhinos hadn’t had the same success as Melbourne during the 2017 campaign, but still managed to come good at just the right time to defeat…
Without a doubt, Australia are the strongest rugby league nation in the world. The National Rugby League (NRL) is a class above England’s Super League – although the British sides are catching up. The influx of Australians now plying their trade in Super League has helped to develop the game over in England and Wayne…
A sea of England’s finest players have made the move to Australia in recent years, with the likes of Sam Burgess and his brothers excelling in the NRL along with others including Gareth Widdop, James Graham and Elliot Whitehead – to name a few. Whilst there are numerous traditions of the English game – particularly…
Australia have dominated world rugby league throughout the professional era, from the World Club Challenges, through to the international stage, where they have won three of the last four World Cups since 1995. The 15th Rugby League World Cup is just around the corner, with Australia set to host the event alongside New Zealand and…
The World Club series was played over the weekend and both Super League clubs beat their NRL counterparts pretty easily. As always, and no matter what the result is, the analysis of the series and of the Australian game has been hyperbolic, ridiculous and ill informed, especially on behalf of the English media. Would you…
Did anyone really enjoy the 2016 Rugby League Four Nations competition? We had Australia playing just one really good half of football in the entire tournament, New Zealand not turning up at all, England being England, all round terrible while pretending they are still highly relevant to the international game, and a fake Scottish team…
South Sydney Rabbitohs forward Sam Burgess has been named the captain of the English Rugby League team heading into the 2016 Rugby League Four Nations. Burgess appointment is sure to raise a few eyebrows in England, after all he still is associated with a failed English Rugby Union World Cup run where is was made…
News this week that Wayne Bennett was contemplating an offer to coach the England Rugby League team came as a bit of a surprise to most. The RFL has long held an outdated view that England should be coached by someone who was based in the UK, something that has had a devastating effect on…
Sam Burgess has officially made the decision to leave Rugby Union and return to the South Sydney Rabbitohs. Many will suggest that Burgess’ stint in Rugby Union was a failure. Considering how much money he made in his short stint there, and the fact he walked into the English Rugby Union test team, I find…
Having suffered a heartbreaking defeat at the semi-final stages of last year’s World Cup, there are signs of hope for the England rugby league boys as they prepare for a huge challenge in the Four Nations. The Return of International Rugby League International rugby league received a shot in the arm last Autumn when the…
As the 2014 Rugby League Four Nations edges closer, excitement has been rapidly building following the squad announcements of all four teams. This year’s tournament – involving Australia, New Zealand, England and Samoa – will be the fourth time the event has been held, and thrilling conclusions to the Super League and NRL seasons has…
With news breaking that superstar five-eighth Johnathan Thurston has withdrawn from the upcoming Four Nations Tournament, the door was well and truly thrown open for the New Zealanders and English in terms of possibly winning the tourney. With Thurston joining the likes of Matt Scott, Paul Gallen, Billy Slater, James Tamou, Nate Myles, Brett and…
So the World Club Challenge has now been expanded and the World Club Series will become the latest cash grab by clubs on both sides of the world. Great, looks like League Freak needs to make another bloody banner for his site! The NRL Grand Finalists will join a third team and play one off…
As the NRL salary cap rises and more Super League clubs go bust, we are going to see more English players heading down under to play in the worlds best competition. In January I listed the to ten English players in Rugby League. A lot has changed since then. After all, you’re only as good…
Sam Tomkins joined the New Zealand Warriors this season after they paid a big transfer fee for the young Englishmen some in England claimed to be one of the very best players in the world. I reviewed Tomkins form earlier in the season and now that we are at the halfway point of the season…
The RFL have announced a 34 man England training squad that will meet on the 15th of June in preperation for the 2014 Four Nations to be held in Australia and New Zealand in October and November. The 34 man squad is: Daryl Clark, Craig Huby, Michael Shenton, Elliott Whitehead, Leroy Cudjoe, Brett Ferres, Joe…
In my entire lifetime I have only ever seen the Australian Rugby League team played really poorly once. In the 2005 Tri Nations final Australia were terrible against New Zealand. They lost the game 24-0 and in that they lost their first series of any kind since 1978. In every other game and series I…
Money is the reason that State Of Origin eligibility rules were slowly undermined by both states since the inception of the State Of Origin concept in the early 1980’s. people can talk about passion until they are Blue or Maroon in the face. The fact is that from day one coaches and officials looked at…
He was the young English bloke living is the shadow of Rugby League giants down in Melbourne. Now that Gareth Widdop has a team of his own to run at the St George/Illawarra Dragons, he is showing he might very well be a giant of the game himself. Widdop’s form has been sensational for the…
South Sydney Rabbitohs owner Russell Crowe has opened up about the departure of forward Sam Burgess to Rugby Union, claiming that Burgess would have stayed in Rugby League had he been able to play for New South Wales in the State Of Origin series. That is all well and good, but Sam Burgess isn’t from…
When you think of Rugby League 9’s, you need to think not just of the elite players in the game, but of the players at every level of the sport who are just looking for an opportunity to shine. A Rugby League 9’s circuit would tap into the huge player base that Rugby League has…
It has been a very tough time for English Rugby League in recent years. With clubs struggling to survive and question marks around the long term future of the game in England, supporters over there have been worn down over time. One bright spot has been the performance of a number of English players at…
English Rugby League fans rejoice, for as Steve McNamara goes, so to do your hopes and dreams! McNamara spoke to News Limited about his move to the NRL Champion Sydney Roosters as an assistant coach, saying his move to Australia is a good thing for the English game. McNamara’s highest honour as a coach is…
From South Africa to Wembley Stadium, England’s 2013 Rugby League World Cup buildup and results were interesting to say the least. The Rugby Football League invested a lot of time, money and effort to make sure that England got the best preparation for the 2013 World Cup. No team that has come before had a…
