In this section of the web site you will find articles contributed by guest writers.
For all the good in Rugby League, the big hits, the length of the field tries, the emotion, one aspect of the game that needs urgent attention is the rule that says players signed before round 10 can simply change their mind at any time. When a player ‘signs’ with another club prior to the…
With news breaking that superstar five-eighth Johnathan Thurston has withdrawn from the upcoming Four Nations Tournament, the door was well and truly thrown open for the New Zealanders and English in terms of possibly winning the tourney.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…
With news coming out of yet another unfortunately disruption of Kurtley Beale’s promising but troubled career, reports now indicate that Kurtley Beale may be headed to Rugby League in 2015. It looks as though it may be the best move for both the ARU and Kurtley himself as despite his obvious talents and ability, Beale…
Although the Manly/Dogs, Sharks/Dragons, Broncos/Titans rivalries, and there are plenty of others, have plenty of history and venom behind them, make absolutely no mistake about it, league’s biggest rivalry is between the Rabbitohs and the Roosters. This Friday night the latest chapter in this heated rivalry will be written as two of the NRL’s foundation…
News recently broke that Cowboys enforced Tariq Sims has been slapped with a five week ban following his shoulder charge, off the ball, on Broncos star Justin Hodges from Saturday Night. Although there have been some calls from the far North that the ban was far too harsh, I for one am glad the NRL…
With reports surfacing that both the NRL and the club itself are set to investigate the goings on during Mad Monday celebrations by the Cronulla Sharks, surely the question has to be asked, “if Mad Monday worth the trouble?” For those who aren’t aware, Mad Monday is the end of year ‘celebrations’ which usually includes…
It’s a big call, but I’m making it now: this year’s NRL decider will be an all Sydney affair. The balance of probabilities are on my side, being that five of the eight teams contesting the finals series are Sydney based, however I simply don’t see either the Broncos or Storm being a factor come…
Last night’s all important clash between heated rivals the Sydney Roosters and the South Sydney Rabbitohs had it all. Brilliant tries, try saving tackles, sin binning, some huge hits … It’s shame that thousands of people missed out on up to the entire first half of football due to horrible organisation and scheduling. Anyone who…
Canberra coach Ricky Stuart has this week warned fans of the club to expect similar results until the club is able to attract Origin quality players to the squad. Isn’t it his job as coach of the side to attract players of said quality? Isn’t it also his job to turn talented youngsters into Origin…
With last night’s one-point win over a very capable and in-form North Queensland side, the Panthers may have finally silenced at least some of their doubters. I wrote earlier in my 50 random NRL thoughts, the first thought in fact, that I still can’t believe fans of other teams have taken to social media to…
Alright, I’ll bite. On Thursday, Daily Telegraph sports editor and NRL provocateur Buzz Rothfield set out his “50 ways to fix the NRL”. As expected they included the usual mix of whinging about refereeing, carping about the costs of attending games and futile plans to retain or lure back star players. However in a piece…
Across multiple press conferences this weekend, coaches of multiple teams took officials to task to continue a worrying trend, that of blaming referees rather than taking responsibility. Let me first say I believe the Storm were very hard done by on Saturday night, particularly with the penalty awarded very late in the game after the…
For those who don’t read Rugby League Week, Jarryd Hayne was voted the best player in the competition by fellow players in the competition. Gaining 30% of the vote, Hayne beat Jonathan Thurston (21%) and Greg Inglis (18%) to the annual award. Given Hayne’s brilliant performances for Parramatta this season, and his unforgettable efforts in…
Over the weekend, much like every weekend, fans of a variety of clubs took to social media to bag the referees, the NRL, television stations and announce that there is a conspiracy against their club. Don’t get me wrong, I am guilty of bagging referees, the NRL and Channel 9 on more than one occasion,…
So I only accurately guessed one result last week which is dismal! Let’s hope this week is better! Wigan vs Salford, Thursday 31st July, 8pm, SKY After last week’s loss against Bradford, surely Shaun Wane won’t let Wigan lose this week or he will literally beat them to a pulp. I assumed he’d fielded a…
Bulldogs and NSW five-eighth Josh Reynolds will return for his NRL side this weekend for the first time in seemingly months, and boy have they missed him? The Dogs, on the back of a two game losing streak, have slipped four points behind competition leaders Manly. Although the results and their current ladder position are…
The current he said, she said drama enveloping the Wests Tigers has provided much fodder for newspapers and sports talk shows as the team’s 2014 season slips away. However there is a different element of the club’s off field performance that should really get attention: the clubs remarkable player retention. First a quick anecdote. When…
Round 22 saw a surprise win for relegated Bradford, a comfortable win for Hull KR and the Leeds Rhinos showed that they’re just not the same without captain Kevin Sinfeild, which is expected I guess. Hull FC vs Castleford Tigers Hull FC went into this game with a big score-line put up against them by…
Unfortunately yesterday’s, and today’s headlines have and will be dominated by the off field problems being experienced by the Wests Tigers. In a result that flew under the radar, the Dragons defeated the struggling Tigers 28-12 to further press the Red V’s finals credentials. I now think it it safe to say that the Dragons…
This is getting off to a great start. 3 out of 7 predictions correct and those were the obvious ones! Hull FC vs Castleford, Thursday 24th, 8pm, SKY It’s really not a good season for us Black and Whites. Thank God Bradford didn’t get their six-points deduction revoked or we could’ve been in serious trouble….
The Tigers and Dolphins fronted up at Langlands Park yesterday with two very different agendas; for the Tigers it was about reaffirming their pedigree as a top two side, while for the Dolphins, it was about keeping their season alive. Eighty minutes and 68 points later, the Tigers sit secure in second spot on the…
Less than 48 hours after Wayne Bennett announced he was returning to the Broncos from 2015 onwards, the revitalised Brisbane side have been installed as Premiership favourites next season. Bennett, who will be joined by new recruits Anthony Milford, Mitch Garbutt and probably Darius Boyd, has given punters the ultimate confidence that he can return…
So the Raiders finally have a confirmed, no going back, lock-him-in-Eddie signing. But it’s not exactly a game changer. This season the Raiders (allegedly) almost signed James Mansour and Kevin Proctor, and actually did sign James Tedesco only for him to change his mind. The club has also been linked to could-be-anything youngsters like Tautau…
Confusion well and truly reigned today across social media after two seemingly identical 40/20 kicks were treated completely differently. Early in the first half of the Roosters win over the Panthers, Jake Friend landed a beautiful 40/20 kick. His team took the quick tap that is now allowed this season, in a play that resulted…
Tapout Energy Stadium, Coorparoo Sunday 20th, kick off 2pm After nearly a month on the road the Easts Tigers finally return home to Tapout Energy Stadium on Sunday, however this will be no easy homecoming as they face a battered and bruised Redcliffe Dolphins side. For the last two months the Sunshine Coast Falcons have…
As we close in on the NRL final series, everyone is starting to lay down their predictions for the top eight. For mine, the current table makes it a copy and paste job. Sea Eagles, Panthers, Bulldogs, Souths, Roosters, Warriors, Broncos, Storm … There is your top eight. Although I expect the positioning of those…
Round 21 already? This season has flown by and it sucks that there’s not many more games left! Last weekend didn’t really bring any shock results so maybe this weekend will. Leeds vs Castleford, Thursday 17th, 8pm, SKY The first game of the weekend I reckon will be a corker. Leeds had a few of…
Norths Devils v Easts Tigers Bishop Park Sunday 13th July, 3pm Gutsy, gutsy, gutsy. That one word sums up the Tigers win over the Devils on Sunday. In an attempt to break a five game losing streak the Norths Devils bought the heavy artillery, in the form of young behemoths Jarrod Wallace and Francis Molo,…
With 18 rounds of the NRL now complete and Origin in the rear view it is now time to buckle in for the run to the NRL finals in September. As usual at this time of year the top and tail of the competition seems relatively settled but it is in the middle third where…
Last night’s game between the Panthers and the Broncos was without a doubt the best Monday Night game of the season. It may even be THE game of the season. The Panthers suffered injuries to in form winger Josh Mansour as well as livewire backrower turn five-eighth Tyrone Peachey yet had just enough in the…