The Federazione Italiana Rugby Football League (FIRFL) have reached days of fire as the Coppa Italia came to a climax with the Triangular Finals played on Saturday and the Azzurri will soon depart for Kenya. Last Saturday, the first trophy of the 2014 season was awarded to USAG Lazio at stadio Avezzano with the capital…
Wayne Bennett gave a really good interview to News Limited overnight in which he covered a few topics, including the concussion debate. Bennett’s feelings were that, like with most issues in the game, there is a certain level of out of control hysteria surrounding the concussion debate. Much of this hysteria is fueled by the…
The Penrith Panthers played well in their narrow 18-17 loss to the Melbourne Storm on Saturday night. They did better than even the most die hard Panthers supporter could have hoped for. They showed signs that their defense is up there with some of the better teams in the competition and overall there were a…
English forward James Graham has signed a contract extension with the Canterbury Bulldogs worth $2.8 million over four years. Graham is a key signing for the Bulldogs who earlier this week signed Cronulla Sharks test star Andrew Fifita on a rich deal worth $3.4 million over four years. There has been a lot of speculation…
The Wests Tigers have issued a strongly worded statement refuting claims overnight that the club may be relocated due to financial issues facing the Balmaim Tigers side of the join venture. The statement reads: Following an article today’s Daily Telegraph, Wests Tigers CEO Grant Mayer would like to refute the anonymous spokesman’s claim that the…
Peter Badel of the Courier Mail in Brisbane has told Triple M radio this afternoon that Manly Sea Eagles halfback Daly Cherry-Evans will commit his future to the club in a deal that will see him earn about $1 million per season. The deal would be put in place to hold off interest from the…
The Daily Telegraph is reporting that the Balmain Tigers need to raise $4 million within 2 years or risk folding, putting their joint venture with Western Suburbs at risk. The $4 million the Balmain Tigers need to come up with is from a loan the NRL gave the Wests Tigers joint venture. This loan came…
The spotlight is on… Classy Cas’: Castleford Tigers sit joint top of Super League after four straight victories has given Daryl Powell’s men the perfect start to the new season. Powell took over from Ian Millward in May last year and brought some much needed stability to the club with a return of 11 points…
The Manly Sea Eagles have beaten the South Sydney Rabbitohs 14-12 in a scrappy game played in Gosford. Manly, who were plying without Brett and Glenn Stewart, didn’t play all that will in this match. Penalties and dropped ball plagued their 80 minutes with only a few big plays late in the game giving the…
The Penrith Panthers have reportedly released fullback James Roberts from his contract. Roberts is currently sidelines with a broken ankle and was thought to be in line to play first grade for Penrith this season. There is no word on why he has been released however you would guess with that talent he has shown…
When I mentioned in my last article on the site that Braith Anasta was my ‘dud of the week’ it got me thinking, it really did. It got me thinking that Braith Anasta has probably been the most overrated player in the game for a very long time. I have seen worse players than Anasta…
Money. Everything I will be writing about in this article comes back to money. Just remember that. This week we have seen various journalists and media types attacking the National Rugby League over what they believe to be a lack of access to players, coaches and officials. Their argument is that journalists should get more…
I’m sitting in my kitchen eating my breakfast which due to lent is far less yummy than normal. Today alone I have read several articles belly aching over clubs keeping their talent out of the media and how it’s the fans right to hear from their idols. (Please cough loudly in a sarcastic tone) What…
By all accounts, Andrew Fifita struggled with his decision to leave the Cronulla Sharks and take up a rich four year deal with the Canterbury Bulldogs. There are reports that he broke down what he told his Cronulla Sharks team mates of his decision. As a club the Sharks have been through so much together…
The NRL is back for another season and opening round was a real cracker, apart from the Sharks vs Titans game on Monday which was well and truly a shocker of a game. Here is my team of the round. (I am not a stats guy, its all about the eye test) Fullback: Greg Inglis…
As we found over the weekend, confirmed today, Andrew Fifita has agreed to big money deal rumoured to be around $850,000, at the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs. This is absolutely fantastic news for Mr Fifita and family. But is it great news for the doggies? On the surface it seems like a questionable acquisition. Canterbury are already…
The Daily Telegraph is reporting that ASADA has focused it’s investigation into the use of performance enhancing substances on four Cronulla Sharks players from the 2011 team, and that those four players will be issued with show cause notices by the end of the month. This is a significant escalation in the ASADA investigation. Any…
Sam Tomkins dominated the rugby league headlines last year. The Wigan man had made it clear that he wanted to experience the NRL, but speculation was rife to where he would end up. Despite a last minute pitch from one Russell Crowe, Tomkins opted for the New Zealand Warriors, in what was a world record…
In the last 48 hours I have seen two different photos of two different players having a quiet beer at a pub. They were not doing anything wrong. They were not causing any trouble. They were just two people having a quiet drink. These players were, without their knowledge, photographed during what I would consider…
I’ve tried to reserve my judgement about Matt Elliott. I’ve tried to give him the benefit of the doubt. He certainly talks a good game, and he says the right things, so I thought there was a chance that his poor record is due to a statistical anomaly, rather than him being a poor coach….
Andrew Fifita will become one of the highest paid Rugby League players in the world when he joins the Canterbury Bulldogs in 2015. The deal, which New Limited is reporting to be worth $850,000 per season over four years, will see him join the Bullodogs, shunning offers from the Cronulla Sharks, South Sydney Rabbitohs and…
Australian test captain Cameron Smith has signed a 4 year contract extension with the Melbourne Storm, ensuring he remains a one club player. The deal which is set to be one of the richest in the games history will be the final one of Smiths playing career. Smith had been at the center of a…
It is not very often you hear Peter Sterling give his opinion on anything that happens at the Parramatta Eels. There is a good reason for that. Peter Sterling knows that his opinions hold so much weight with the Eels supporter base that he can make or break the club based on a few simple…
One of the more exciting things to watch during the 2014 NRL season is how Sam Tomkins plays in his first season in the NRL. While his performances at the Auckland 9’s were mixed, we now have a full game played in anger on which we can review Tomkins play. So, how did Sam Tomkins…
With the 2014 season about to begin the supporters of 16 National Rugby League clubs have hearts filled with hope and minds filled with dreams. Right now, anyone can win the Grand Final. Basically, everyone is too bloody happy for my liking! I could have written a normal season preview but there are only about…
LeagueFreak.com guest writer Daniel Nichols has posted an interview with South Sydney, North Sydney and South Queensland’s former captain Mario Fenech. Although Fenech is best known to younger viewers for his time at the footy show, his tough and aggressive play earned him Origin jersies and with a bit of luck he would have toured…
How It Will Finish 1. Roosters 2. Bulldogs 3. Bunnies 4. Storm 5. Sea Eagles 6. Warriors 7. Sharks 8. Panthers 9. Knights 10. Cowboys 11. Titans 12. Broncos 13. Tigers 14. Dragons 15. Eels 16. Raiders Roosters: Did a magnificent job in keeping their premiership winning side together. Luke O’Donnell is the only player…
The Spotlight is on… Bradford: this week the RFL hit Bradford Bulls with a 6-point deduction that leaves them 4 points adrift of London at the bottom of the Super League table. With the threat of relegation at the end of the season, this is absolutely disasterous for Francis Cummins and his squad. A dark…
If you are a rugby league fan in the UK who only follows Super League and not the NRL you must have had the time of your life on Saturday morning. Not because Wigan put in a respectable performance, though they did, and not because the shoulder charge seemed to reappear for a game (hallelujah!!)….
Be careful what you wish for, you might just get it! For years Rugby League was handcuffed by poor administration. The feeling was that the game needed to move away from an administration run by former footballers. The game needed to be turned into a business, run by business types, and when that happened Rugby…