News that the Wakefield Wildcats need £500,000 by the end of January to ensure the survival of the club was confronting, and yet not a shock to Rugby League community. Over the last few years we have seen clubs at every level of the game in such financial peril that many have not survived. Where…
I remember talking to a former Super League club coach a number of years ago and he said to me that during the off season, you’d be amazing at home much weight some players can pack on. In fact, even during the course of a couple of weeks on the sidelines through injury, a player…
There is a lot of talk right now that the Rugby Football League are looking to establish an All Star Game between the English test team and a selection of players from Super League clubs. It would be very easy to suggest that the RFL have looked at the All Star Game in Australia held…
So what is a Rugby League World Cup supposed to be about? It’s an interesting question and one that could have a thousands different answers. For me a Rugby League World Cup has always been about the countries I don’t normally get to see. In fact, in any international competitions we have in our game,…
So what is a Rugby League World Cup supposed to be about? It’s an interesting question and one that could have a thousands different answers. For me a Rugby League World Cup has always been about the countries I don’t normally get to see. In fact, in any international competitions we have in our game,…
I am a big supporter of the salary cap because quite simply, when the salary cap is working, every supporter can go into any given season knowing their team could be winning the Grand Final in 8 months time. The salary cap has two basic functions in Rugby League. The first function is to limit…
So in the recent 2013 Rugby League World Cup launch, in Salford, the qualification process was announced and it had the two or three people that turned up to the launch scratching their heads. There is one spot in the World Cup open to what they are calling an “Atlantic Qualifier”. In real terms, this…
Ben Giles is an English Rugby League journo who writes for Code 13 Rugby League. Now, I’ve got no truck with Ben, however, he has written about how Code 13 went about doing their nominations for the “Golden Boot” awards, and I can’t let it slide, I have to say something. For years, even before the Andrew…
I’ve written many times before about the shambles that is the Newcastle Knights, club whom it seems only exists for the enjoyment of the playing roster. We’ve seen in the past player revolts because certain players have not been retained. Its amazing to think that only a few years ago the playing roster went berserk…
So now we have the list of players who got “Golden Boot” awards. I had made my predictions on who would win these awards a few days ago and while I was a little way off, I was also not too far off on the complete and utter stupidity of the names that eventually got listed! Now…
Its 3am and I’ve just watch the announcement that Russia will host the 2018 World Cup and Qatar will host the 2022 World Cup. I thought the Russian bid looked great, the best of the 2018 bunch. Qatar, a country of just over 1 million people….well, I have said for months, if they really want…
The draw for the 2013 Rugby League World Cup was announced with little warning at an event held in Salford over night. It was announced that 14 teams will take part in the next World Cup, which will be held in Great Britain, and the format for the group stages would be completely overhauled. I…
Something has been nagging away at me for a few weeks now, and I haven’t been able to make sense of it at all. Now, I think it has all come together. While still in Brisbane for the Four Nations Final, I kept being asked by people about the rumour that Australia was looking to…
The draw for the 2013 Rugby League World Cup was announced with little warning at an event held in Salford over night. Click Here To View The Draw For The 2013 Rugby League World Cup It was announced that 14 teams will take part in the next World Cup, which will be held in Great…
Of all the people I talk to about Rugby League through my web site, forums, Twitter and just general people I know and meet, not a single one of them views the RL Worlds Golden Boot award as anything other than a joke and a complete farce. From the mythical list of “International Journalists”, none…
They are the only awards that really matter. They don’t conform to a points system. They don’t just focus on one part of the season. The King Of Rugby League kick in from the very first trail game of the season and judging ends only after the last major game has been played. Players and…
So Australia lost the Four Nations Final, and it is the third loss in a major final in the last five years, all of them at the hands of New Zealand and two of those losses on home soil. You can’t ignore those facts. They fly in the face of what we have all grown…
I’ve always said that coaching is an art, not a science. You either have it in you, or you don’t. Its hard to know the personality traits that come together in a person that makes them a good coach. I think to a certain extent, you need someone that enjoys helping others develop as a…
New Zealand are the best Rugby League nation in the world, having proven it once again by beating Australia, on home soil, in a big final. While Australia now has to face up to why it has been beaten by New Zealand, its fair to say that on any given day, there is very little…
Just when you think the international season is crap, along comes an incredible Four Nations Final and it leaves you wanting more! I’ve been lucky enough to attend three of the best Rugby League test matches of the modern era. The 2006 Tri Nations Final that Australia won in extra time, the 2008 World Cup…
The 2010 Rugby League Four Nations has been disappointing. The quality of football has been dreadful and when only two of the four teams have ANY chance of winning the tournament, you have to think of other ways to grab the public’s attention. People want to see a decent contest, you can’t sell people rubbish…
Australia has beaten New Zealand 34-20 in front of 44,432 in Auckland. I have to say, it was great to finally see a Four Nations game of some quality. Both teams looked sharp, with the Kangaroo’s obviously looking the better of the two, however this game was a real contest for the full 80 minutes…
This is what it all comes down to… The Melbourne Storm, who still have Greg Inglis under contract, are happy to release him from his contract to play for another NRL club because it will help them with their salary cap issues. The thing is, they want him to pay a legal bill the club…
Its official, Joel Monaghan has apologized for the picture taken of him performing a sex act with a dog. He will be sacked by the Canberra Raiders some time over the next few days. There isn’t really much more that can be said about this whole thing. I mean, obviously pissed or not, Joel Monaghan…
You know when you wake up the morning after a big night? You lie in bed as long as you can, you finally drag yourself to the toilet and take a wicked piss, and then you spend the next 24 hours trying to feel like your not dying? I reckon its about 3 hours into…
I try to fight the good fight. If I see something I think is wrong with this game of Rugby League, I’ll call it out. I’ll write all about what is wrong, I’ll write about how I would do things differently, and I hope by the time you have read through an article, you come…
Australia has looked very unconvincing despite an easy win over an England side that is just totally out of their depth, winning by a scoreline of 34-14. The refereeing and touch judging was terrible in this match, but for all the whinging you’re likely to hear, it didn’t effect the result. Australia looked very impressive…
Laughter is under rated. I like to laugh, and for that reason, I like watching England play Rugby League because England make me laugh. Just look at poor old Sam Tomkins who this week said it was a myth that the NRL was a better competition than Super League. Forget the basic case you could…
Wales have beaten France to claim the European Cup and claim a place in next years Four Nations tournament. Some people have been hailing this as a great thing for the game. Its not. The Welsh side is made up mostly of players born and raised in England. With little to no recognition from the…
Australia has kicked off their Four Nations campaign with a 42-0 win over Papua New Guinea on a pretty average Sydney afternoon. Just 11,308 people turned up for the game and to be honest, I can’t blame fans for not going out to the game. With it being live on TV in Sydney, and a…