There is nothing better than turning up to an NRL game only to find yourself being preached at because you are in the middle of another theme round. Theme rounds are a pain and rarely have anything to do with Rugby League itself. So why doesn’t the NRL have theme rounds that actually celebrate parts…
This week on League By The Fireplace the boys make some bold predictions heading into the 2016 NRL season with the use of a time machine and what ever substance you can get rehab from in Thailand. To listen to the podcast simply CLICK HERE I’ll be featuring League By The Fireplace’s podcasts on the…
Wouldn’t it be fantastic if once in a while you could turn up to a game of Rugby League and the major focus of the event you have turned up to was Rugby League? I don’t know about you but I am sick to death with every single round of the Rugby League season needing…
The Sydney Morning Herald today has revealed that the NRL spent $101,095,000 on marketing in 2015. This is obviously a massive blowout and it has seen the NRL start to move people on from its front offices because you simply can not justify spending that much on marketing. That got me thinking, what could the…
When you’ve spent ten years talking about your desire to bring NRL football back to North Sydney and the Central Coast, it becomes a bit awkward when you then decide that you want to control an NRL club on the Gold Coast. That is the scenario in play today as the North Sydney Bears, or…
Fijian born Parramatta Eels winger Semi Radradra has made it know that he would like to represent Australia after becoming an Australian citizen. That is great news. Australia is a really good Rugby League nation to play for. It pays its test players more money than any other test playing nation and tends to win…
It is official: Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Sam Burgess will take to the field on Saturday after being named as part of the South Sydney Rabbitohs second row for their game against the Gold Coast Titans. Much has been made of the return of Sam Burgess from England where he spent a year playing rugby…
In 2015, the NRL was graced with an all-Queensland final that pitted the Brisbane Broncos against the North Queensland Cowboys. The Cowboys had fought intense battles throughout the season with their star player Johnathan Thurston leading the team to NRL glory. While there is no clear-cut favourite, the NRL betting odds should favour these top…
With the NRL All Star game coming up there is a lot of talk that the NRL may be looking to cut the event to help ease the workload on players. The NRL All Star Game is very important for the Indigenous All Star, that is something that can not be overlooked at all. It…
I really enjoy watching the Auckland Nines every year. I think it is a perfect way to get the Rugby League season as a whole under way, and it is a great promotional tool for the game in New Zealand which I believe doesn’t get enough help from the NRL to grow. I would personally…
Super League returns tonight with what we expect to be a cracking opening game. In its 21st season, the teams will be playing once again for that elusive Grand Final trophy but can Leeds be stopped? Here we preview the opening round fixtures: Leeds vs Warrington (Thursday 4th February, 8pm, Sky Sports 2) The champions…
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…
Should Mitchell Pearce be sacked by the Sydney Roosters and deregistered by the National Rugby League? I tend to think a fine and suspension is enough in this case with a warning that one more incident will be the end of his NRL career, but a lot of people feel that is not enough. So…
Sydney Roosters halfback Mitchell Pearce is in a lot of trouble right now after video emerged of him highly intoxicated at a private party. During the video Pearce admits to pissing on the couch of the person that owns the home, before briefly simulating a sex act with her Poodle (Ironically a little bit of…
Last season saw Leeds Rhinos enjoy tremendous success in the world of rugby league, claiming a highly impressive treble – the League Winner’s Shield, the Challenge Cup and the Grand Final Trophy. They are fully expected to be right in the hunt for honours again this year, but there are challengers determined that they won’t…
Warrington Wolves are one of the most prestigious rugby league sides in the United Kingdom and Tony Smith’s men will be quietly confident of success in 2016. After a disappointing 2015 campaign, many have questioned Warrington’s decision to allow the likes of Joel Monaghan, Richie Myler and Chris Bridge to leave club in the offseason…
Anthony Mundine has told The Locker Room Podcast that he believes he was a very similar player to Johnathan Thurston, but more explosive. Mundine said “Thurston was very similar to me but way slower”. He went on to add “I think I had twin turbos. If he had twin turbos he’d be very similar to…
As the National Rugby League continues to negotiate its next broadcasting agreement news has emerged that Fox Sports wants to shake up the current broadcasting schedule by adding an early Friday Night match at 6pm AEST and buying Channel 9’s Saturday Night Game, giving Fox Sports its “Super Saturday” back while moving Channel 9’s match…
Are you a Rugby League fan, or are you just a fan of your club? Do you want to see the best talent in the world on show every weekend in the NRL, or do you only care that your team wins and very little else matters to you? Personally, I’m a Rugby League fan…
Winning a major sporting tournament gives any country’s national pride a shot of adrenalin, but it can also be a significant boost for its economy. Countries winning the football World Cup can expect to their stock index to outperform global indices by as much as 3.5 per cent in the following month, according to Goldman…
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…
Pay Television provider Optus today announced that it had secured the exclusive rights to broadcast English PremierLeague soccer matches today in a deal said to be worth over $50 million. This deal in itself isn’t massive news in Australia as due to the kickoff times of most EPL games the television ratings for them in…
Before the excuses starts let me just say that I’m not a big fan of excuses. Excuses are for people that have failed and that want to come up with some sort of fantasy scenario where they didn’t fail and they were actually successful. When you start making excuses in Rugby League, you basically are…
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…
Veteran sports journalist Mike Gibson has passed away at the age of 75. Gibson, a very well respected journalist, was known for heading up Channel 9’s Wide World of Sport, and later, The Back Page. He was known for giving reasoned, straight forward opinions and having the ability to look past PR spin and rubbish…
The NSWRL held its awards night last night that is basically the NSWRL’s version of the Dally M Awards. Various awards for NSWRL ran competitions were handed out, and among these awards were those given to New South Wales State Of Origin players for their outstanding performances during the 2015 State Of Origin series. Those…
England host New Zealand in a test series at seasons end in what will be a bit of an afterthought for Rugby League as it struggles with the demands of club football and the need to have a relevant international scene. New Zealand will no doubt send over a bits and pieces team to take…
Jarryd Hayne is doing very well in his new life as an NFL player. Hayne is now officially part of the San Francisco 49’ers 53 man squad and looks like he will play a role with the club this season as a special teams player and backup running back. Here are the highlights from Jarryd…
Fairfax Media is reporting that Nathan Brown will be the next coach of the Newcastle Knights. I’m not sure how I feel about this appointment. While there is a lack of top class coaching talent out there Brown seems to have been one who had a couple of chances to show he could be a…
More than ever before Rugby League finds itself in a battle for peoples time and entertainment dollar. Some people tend to get drawn into the old idea that Rugby League is in competition with other sports for your attention. This simply overlooks the fact that we are all people that are easily distracted by other…
