Channel 9 CEO and Sydney Roosters supporter David Gyngell has told the Sydney Daily Telegraph that it is imperative that the NRL retains Sonny Bill Williams in the face of the AFL’s move Buddy Franklin to Sydney to play with AFL team the Sydney Swans. Gyngell mentioned the boost to crowds and television ratings that…
This season has seen some very strange decisions when it comes to handing out man of the match awards. I see a lot of people on Twitter who bet on man of the match awards blowing up over players that have dominated the game being overlooked for others who are bigger names. It happens all…
I am sick to death of hearing people within Rugby League saying what a great player and person Sonny Bill Williams is. I am sick of hearing them talk about the way he has boosted the crowds at Sydney Roosters games, how he has helped the club sell more season tickets and merchandise. I’m sick…
Universal condemnation. That was the response to news that Ricky Stuart has decided to walk out on the Parramatta Eels to take up a lucrative 3 year deal with the Canberra Raiders. Having sold Eels fans a long term vision for the club, having coached them through one of the worse seasons any club has…
26 weeks have passed and the competition has been halved. For the next month we will be entertained by the best 8 teams in the competition, all vying for the Provan-Summons trophy. So, what might be in store for the most competitive competition in the world? On Friday we see the Rabbitohs take on the…
Wigan Rugby league fullback Sam Tomkins has revealed that he would like to switch codes and play Rugby Union in time to play in the 2015 Rugby Union World Cup. Tomkins told TheTelegraph.co.uk that it would be “amazing” to play in the 2015 Rugby Union World Cup and that he wants to be a part…
Sydney Morning Herald writer Adrian Proszenko is reporting that the Salford Reds have made a huge offer for Sonny Bill Williams. The deal is said to be worth over $1 million per season, a figure that would simply be unworkable under the current Super League salary cap. While it seems extremely far fetched, I think…
The New Zealand Herald is reporting that the NZRU has tabled a three year offer to Sonny Bill Williams and that they are quietly confident of securing his services for the 2014 season. The NZ Herald states that Williams has privately told those close to him that he is leaning towards a move away from…
National Rugby League players want to have their cake and eat it too. Play well and you get a big, long term contract. You get financial security and the backing of a Rugby League club that spends it own money marketing you and raising your profile. If you feel like moving though, fuck em! Ditch…
It is going to be very difficult for Sonny Bill Williams to avoid being suspend for a high shot on Willie Mason that occurred in the Roosters 28-12 win over the Newcastle Knights. The shot he put on Mason was high and hard. It was enough to stun Mason and it was put on report…
You’ve got to wonder about Rugby League administrators sometimes…. Rugby League International Federation secretary Andrew Hill has suggest that in an effort to provide the best World Cup possible, the RLIF would be willing to allow the likes of Sonny Bill Williams and Benji Marshall to play in the World Cup even if that meant…
The idea of each club being able to sign one player outside of the salary cap sounds like a great idea. Anything to keep the best players in the world sounds fantastic. I’m the first to say that the NRL needs to do something to make sure our elite players remain in Rugby League….but the…
This is something we need to sit down and discuss now. With Ben Barba looking to leave the Bulldogs and head back to Queensland, we have now got to a point where a number of key players the club has invested time and money into have somehow found ways to leave the club. Sonny Bill…
A lot has been made in the media of Israel Folau playing Union, Sonny Bill possibly going back and Benji Marshall having a whinge etc but also finding a way to keep and attract best and brightest stars to the Greatest Game of All. Now most people suggest raising the cap or as Andrew Johns…
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…
The Sydney Roosters have re-signed Sonny Bill Williams through to the end of the 2014 season according to the Daily Telegraph. Williams made a smooth return to the game and has managed to avoid the injury problems that have plagued his career in the past. Over the last few weeks in particular Williams has looked…
There are no excuses any more… With the NRL raking in around $300 million per season, and putting $40 million in the bank for future projects every year, there are no excuses for Rugby League to lose a single player to any other sporting code. Likewise, there is no reason why the NRL should have…
In my living memory as an NRL fan there’s never been a year where the game hasn’t been brought into controversy because of appalling behavior by one (usually more than one) of its players. James Tamou, George Burgess and Blake Ferguson have all found themselves in trouble with the law in a short space of…
Normally the Bulldogs hosting the Roosters would be a big game. Especially when you consider where both teams are on the competition ladder and that Sonny Bill Williams was making his return after walking out on the Bulldogs all those years ago. Instead, the Friday night clash between these two clubs felt like an afterthought….
We’re now only a few hours away from the Bulldogs vs. Roosters game which will kick off round 15 of the Telstra Premiership. The Roosters have been flying high all season and after a slow start the Dogs have won 7 of their last 8 games. As well as being Friday Night footy and a…
Well before Sonny Bill Williams signed with the Sydney Roosters the word was that he would not be playing the Canterbury Bulldogs at home as he didn’t want to give them an opportunity to get a big crowd to the match and basically put money in the clubs coffers. When he played against the Bulldogs…
Australia beat New Zealand 32-12 in the ANZAC Test Match in Canberra on Friday night. After the match the reaction from fans and the media was interesting. They talked about how strong the Kangaroo’s are and how easily they will win the World Cup at the end of the season. Me….I’m not so sure about…
Before I get into the specifics I must admit that I am a huge fan of Sam Tomkins and would welcome him into the Cronulla backline today, tomorrow or yesterday. He is a world class talent and I hope to see him in the NRL next season to test his skills against the world’s best…
Roosters fans get upset when you say there isn’t many of them. Looking past the trumped up crowd figures or the fact that the club only survives because a handful of rich old men like having a play thing to occupy their time on the weekends now that playing Golf is out of the question,…
In 2008 Sonny Bill Williams walked out on the Canterbury Bulldogs in the middle of the night. He left the club at the worst possible time and he did it without a second thought. He took the most cowardly way out any sportsman could possibly take, and he has zero remorse ever since. In 2013…
Well the first game of the season is now in the books and I think there were a few things we got out of the Rabbitohs 28-10 win over the Roosters. While you tend to find that early season games can be a bit messy, this one wasn’t too bad. I have the South Sydney…
Do you remember the first time you heard what had happened? It was a fantastic story. The type of story I’m sure you didn’t believe until you watched the news that night. The Canterbury Bulldogs poster boy and one of the biggest named in the NRL had got on a plane and left for France,…
At his press conference on Tuesday, Sonny Bill Williams made an unusual break with the pre-fight pugilist’s charter by making the rare admission that he is worried. Thanks to this badly timed confession, I now too am brickin’ it. It appears that both of us neglected to search deeper than the first two links presented…
Tickets have now gone on sale to the general public for the 2013 Test match between Australia and New Zealand to be held on April 19th at Canberra Stadium. This match will be important to both teams as it is really their last good hit out before the 2013 World Cup kicks off at the end of…
Rugby League simply does not play star players what they are worth to the game. With the NRL’s salary cap used to keep costs down, keep clubs financially viable and give us a competition that is as even as any competition in world sport, it is difficult to find way in this system to reward…