The Newcastle Knights are the envy of other New South Wales based clubs today after the NSW Government announced a major upgrade to Energy Australia Stadium. After drawing 20,000+ on a regular basis to a grass hill for years, Newcastle can look forward to having an all seater stadium in 2011 with a capacity of…
Luke Lewis has really screwed over the South Sydney Rabbitohs by backing out of a handshake deal to play for the club from next season, deciding to re-sign with the Penrith Panthers instead. Lewis had agreed to join the Rabbitoh’s but had not signed on the dotted line yet. Obviously with the Bunnies poor start…
The mail was spot on and Graham Murray has stepped down as the coach of the North Queensland Cowboys. You knew Murray was gone when there was a betting plunge this week on hyim being the first coach to go. This isn’t new territory for Murray. He has a history of coming into a club,…
Well its just a matter of going from one farce to another when it comes to English Rugby League. This week came news that Hull FC had fielded an ineligible player in their last two Challenge Cup Ties. Forward Jamie Thackery signed with Hull FC, from Leeds on March the 27th, two weeks after the…
Yeah I know, RLFans broke down for a few days and it wiped out my web site as well. I have nothing to do with that side of things, I employ people to manage that. They have all been fired. Now….on to some of the actual Rugby League news….
Australia has beaten New Zealand 28-12 at the Sydney Cricket Ground in a good, entertaining match. Australia looked like they were going to run away with the game after scoring 22 points in the first 22 minutes, but a turn of possession saw the scoring halted as the Kiwi’s floated in and out of the…
Leading into this Fridays on of Test between Australia and New Zealand, we have once again been told by anyone wearing a small, flightless bird on their t-shirt that they ar proud to play for New Zealand and to be a Kiwi’s Test player. Pull the other one! For well over 10 years now the…
Darren Lockyer is one of the greatest players of all time, there is no doubt about that. He could retire today and he would have achieved more in his career than any current Rugby League player. Right now though, his knee is giving him a lot of problems. You find that most great players come…
This week has seen a tug of war between the NZRL and Super League clubs over the availability of two players for the upcoming Test match in Australia next week. Leeds fullback Brent Webb and Wigan halfback Thomas Leuluai were both selected by the NZRL. They were the only two Super League based players selected…
Billy Slaters amazing form has been rewarded despite a major push by some media types for Manly Fullback Brett Stewart to retain his place as the Australian fullback. Slater joins back rower Paul Gallen and prop Carl Webb who are also making their debut in a great looking Australian lineup that is probably a bit…
He is the captain of the England Rugby League team and yet he talks like a 10 year old high on red cordial…..with a speech impediment. Thats what made Jamie Peacocks rallying call to English Rugby League so funny. Peacock told The Sun “Sometimes in this country we are too quick to put ourselves down,…
When the sole purpose of a club seems to be to draw attention to itself by being a circus act or a punch line in a joke, then you know it doesn’t belong in Super League. Sure, I’ve been critical of clubs in the UK before for being complete and utter shit, but with Castleford,…
The St George/Illawarra Tampons have been beyond pathetic so far this season. Even the boost that Wayne Bennett would be coaching them next season has not been enough to make them lift their game at all. Of course, Benny doesn’t need to worry about that, he doesn’t arrive at the Dragins until the season is…
The rumblings started late last year but now its been all but confirmed that Trent Barrett wants to end his stint in Super League and head back home to the NRL for what is being called one last season. Why anyone would want to sign Barrett for just one year is beyond me, but there…
St Helens have “captured” the signature of Penriths Tony Puletua in what is a huge relief for Penrith. Penrith has been looking to offload Puletua for about a year now because of his poor, inconsistant form and his big contract. Puletua is contracted with Penrith until the end of 2009 and while no other NRL…
The Sharks surprised everyone by swooping for Anthony Tupou’s signature earlier this week but now the talk is the Sharks have a few more moves up their sleave. There have been suggestions in the media that the Sharks will make a move to sign St George/Illawarra’s Jason Ryles, and may even be willing to swap…
Few teams in the National Rugby League actually have the ability to make me laugh through an entire game because they are so bad. South Sydney have done it in the past, the Panthers obviously are near the top of the list, but bar non the St George/Illawarra Tampons are the funniest side to watch…
Well the mid season Test Match is coming up and there is a lot of talk about who should, and shouldn’t make the side. Australia has so many form players to choose from with only prop being a bit of a problem because of injuries to Luke Bailey and Brett White being suspended. The Kiwi’s…
Few things piss me off more than talking about loyalty in Rugby League. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not one of these idiots that talks about “the good old days” when players apparently didn’t switch clubs. I get pissed off because people talk about loyalty and for the most part, they are all a bunch…
It was the Grand Final rematch and you got the feeling the Melbourne Storm came out to make a statement in beating the Manly Sea Eagles 26-4. In truth, the scoreline flattered Manly who were well beaten right across the park. Billy Slater easily won his much hyped match up with Brett Stewart. Anyone thats…
Well a number of teams wanted him but it seems Wayne Bennett had his sights set on coaching the Dragons. Bennett will take over from Nathan Brown at the end of the season as Brown becomes yet another lame duck coach who is forced to see out his time at the club knowing he has…
Rugby League has a history of clubs messing about with some cheap and tacky stunts, but at the end of the day the vast majority are harmless, quickly forgotten and in some rare cases, even fondly remembered for their “out there” ideas. In signing former sprinter and convicted drug cheat Dwayne Chambers, the Castleford Tigers…
Question: You’re the CEO of an NRL club and your brother is the coach. You’ve had a terrible season, the clubs going in the wrong direction and you need a change. How do you sack your own brother? Thats the question that could face Canberra Raiders CEO Don Furner in the future after he named…
With Neil Henry set to sign with North Queensland, and Wayne Bennett meeting the Dragons, a lot of positions are starting to be filled very quickly when it comes to the head coaching positions available in the NRL. So it comes as a bit of a surprise that reports of Daniel Anderson has been house…
Well the decision has been made, Israel Folau will join the Brisbane Broncos next year on a four year deal said to be worth around $500,000 a year. Not bad cash for an 18 years old! Folau, who grew up in Queensland, was obviously looking to head back home and its a real shame he…
Penrith have won their first game of the season despite giving up 16 points in the second half, downing the winless South Sydney Rabbitohs 24-20. If you haven’t been keeping up with the goings on at the worst club in the NRL, the players got Petero Civoniceva to confront coach Matthew Elliott about his game…
It was about this time last year that the whinging started as Brian Smith used the mandate given to him by the Knights board to end years of terrible football and put a broom through the entire club. He started telling poor, underperforming players that they didn’t have a god given right to play for…
He is Brisbanes chief playmaker, cool under pressure, he just knows whats needed and he gets the job done. And I’m not talking about Darren Lockyer! The form of Peter Wallace so far this season has been stunning. Following on from last year where he basically showed he is already a top class halfback, Wallace…
Melbourne look good again this year and they just had an ominous air about them in their 32-18 win over the New Zealand Warriors infront of 20,084 in Melbourne. This was a really tough, physical match and both sides will be very sore today after that one. Melbourne looked pretty good although not at their…
It seems really weird to be talking about 2009, however Brett Kimmorley will be lining up with the Doggies next season. Kimmorley has been ok so far this season, about the best you can say is that he has got the job done. Whether he is still value for money or not, I’m not to…