It was always going to be hard to take over a St George/Illawarra Dragons team on a downturn after Wayne Bennett left. When Steve Price was appointed the Dragons coach in 2012 many felt that he was already a dead man walking. When Wayne Bennett left he left behind a team that needed a complete…
This weekend we saw half a round, played out between half sides, in front of half a crowd, so why shouldn’t games played during Origin be worth half the competition points? Of course this is something that will never happen however if you want a snapshot of just how mixed up Origin affected NRL games…
The Wests Tigers have given fullback James Tedesco a Monday deadline to re-sign with the club according to the Sydney Morning Herald. The Wests Tigers have offered Tedesco a four year deal but the Canberra Raiders look like favourites to snare his signature with a much bigger offer. Tedesco knows better than most players that…
Wally Lewis has launched an extraordinary attack on Paul Gallen and New South Wales, claiming Gallen should be embarrassed for losing 8 straight series and that New South Wales will never “get” State Of Origin football. Gallen, who is hated in Queensland, made a joke last week about the two headed supporters of Queensland. That…
News Limited is reporting that Michael Ennis will accept an invitation to check out the Canberra Raiders this week as he look for a new club in 2015. Ennis is off contract at the end of this season and it is pretty clear the Canterbury Bulldogs are looking to move in a different direction for…
Andrew Webster of the Sydney Morning Herald has an interesting followup to a story he wrote earlier this week. There is some good news to come out of it too! Ray Hadley has for the first time publicly stated that he does not want to take over from Ray Warren when Rabs finally hangs up…
First Utility Round 13 saw the Magic Weekend take place at an unbelievable venue in the Manchester City’s Etihad stadium, with a great crowd, great games and an unforgettable weekend. London Broncos vs Catalans Dragons Day 1 saw two teams who had to travel the longest to reach their destination, but I’m sure they would…
Now that Nathan Tinkler has given up control of the Newcastle Knights Wayne Bennett is effectively allowed to leave the club under the terms of the contract he signed. When Bennett joined the Knights, his contract was with Hunter Sports Group, not the Newcastle Knights themselves. The deal stated that if Tinkler left as owner…
News Limited is reporting that a phone owned by Newcastle Knights owner Nathan Tinkler was used to send abusive text messages to players, many of whom were not being paid by the club. Tinkler, who will not be owner of the Newcastle Knights for much longer, is fast becoming one of the most hated people…
Forget passion, talent wins State Of Origin games. While some selections are already leaking out for NSW I’m going to ignore them and post the team I would select. A few players are injured and some are suspended. That means that no NSW team anyone selects is going to be ideal. That being said, Â this…
Picture this… The broadcasting rights for the “Super Rugby” competition are currently being negotiated. The money generated by broadcasters for this competition in South Africa, Australia and New Zealand are pooled and shared between the three national bodies that control Rugby Union in those nations. Right now there is an issue in that Rugby Union…
Ah Women In League Round. The chance to put on a few free lunches, make a few token gestures, and hope that it is enough to distract the wider community in regards to the terrible attitudes some within the sport have towards women. After all, what better way to sooth the concerns of women than…
The Sydney Morning Herald is reporting that the Parramatta Eels are once again looking to sign Israel Folau, and that there is a slight possibility that Folau may switch back to Rugby League before the 2015 Rugby Union World Cup. The Eels had Folau wrapped up early last year but the NRL dragged its heels…
Coach Wayne Bennett and fullback Darius Boyd are among those at the Newcastle Knights who have not been paid thanks to Nathan Tinkler and his Hunter Sports Group. A lot of people have been critical of Boyd’s form this season, but if he isn’t being paid, I can completely understand why he would have better…
Cast your mind back to the early days of Nathan Tinkler’s interest in the Newcastle Knights. You couldn’t go a couple of days without some former Newcastle Knights player saying what an amazing opportunity it was for the club to sell the farm to Tinkler and his Hunter Sports Group. Tinkler played his purchase of…
This weekend see’s the return of the Magic weekend in Manchester, where a full round of fixtures will be place in the same stadium over 2 days. There are some appetising fixtures to look forward to and the RFL have reported impressive ticket sales with just a few days to go. Basement club London Broncos…
News Limited is reporting that the Gold Coast Titans are ready to make an official offer to former NRL player turned AFL star Karmichael Hunt. I’ve always felt as though the Titans were favorites to snare Hunt’s signature if he returns to the NRL. The Titans could slot him straight in at fullback if he…
The following is an official statement from the National Rugby League: The NRL said it would take whatever action is necessary to protect the players and staff of the Newcastle Knights whose wages had not been paid today. The NRL learned today that Newcastle Knights, controlled by Nathan Tinkler’s business group, had failed to pay…
His club form hasn’t been great, his form at State Of Origin level over the course of his career has not been great, and now Mitchell Pearce is dealing with an off field issue. There is a lot of speculation that Mitchell Pearce will not be selected in game one of the 2014 State Of…
The National Rugby League has cleared NRL Head Of Football Todd Greenberg of any wrong doing in the Ryan Tandy betting case. There has been allegations that Greenberg has been made aware that Tandy was betting on football games when Greenberg was the CEO of the Canterbury Bulldogs. The NRL investigated these claims and found…
State of Origin footy is almost upon us once again, accompanied by the speculation, or lack thereof, in regards to who will be picked. With the squad selections being announced next week, I’ve decided to take this opportunity to put my twenty cents in. The Maroons’ dominance has stretched to eight straight years and, as…
Mixed reactions have greeted reports that incumbent NSW halfback Mitchell Pearce will not be picked for game one of this year’s series. Some say that Pearce’s likely overlooking for the series opener is the final nail in the blues origin coffin, whilst some are saying it is a blessing in disguise. No one has born…
This is a really strange one… The Sydney Daily Telegraph is reporting that Laurie Daley has accused Ray Hadley of trying to get NSW assistant coach Matt Parish sacked because Parish is having a relationship with Ray Hadleys estranged wife. Ray Hadley has denied he tried to pressure NSWRL types to sack Parish but it…
For the first time in recent memory, a Suncorp Stadium hosted State of Origin game has not sold out within mere hours of tickets going on sale. As of 8:00 pm on Wednesday night, 9,000 seats remained unsold for Game One of the Origin series, with the majority of fans agreeing that tickets are just…
Israel Folau has urged the Queensland Reds Rugby Union team to chase former Rugby League player Karmichael Hunt. Hunt is off contract with the AFL at the end of the year and most expect him to end up back in the National Rugby League. The Brisbane Broncos, Gold Coast Titans and Melbourne Storm have all…
The Sydney Morning Herald is reporting that Tim Sheens will go ahead with his legal action against the Wests Tigers in an effort to receive the full amount of money he believes the club owes him after they sacked him at the end of the 2012 season. The payout Sheens is after is reported to…
Round 12 saw a last-minute victory for the Wakefield Wildcats, 50 points put up against the Braford Bulls and yet another win for the Rhinos. Castleford Tigers vs Leeds Rhinos The Thursday night game was arguably the best of the round. Castleford, who were 3rd place in the table at the time, against 1st place…
The Australian Socceroos 2014 World Cup squad has been named with 30 players in the preliminary squad that will then be trimmed to the final 23 man squad that will take part in the World Cup in Brazil. The squad represents a bit of a changing of the guard for Australian soccer with the average…
When the New Zealand Warriors lost Ivan Cleary to the Penrith Panthers because they didn’t want to commit to him long term it was a terrible mistake. As a replacement the Warriors signed Brian McClennan who didn’t even see out his first season at the club before being replaced by interim coach Tony Iro. The…
You’ve got to hand it to Marwan Koukash, he is a very fast learner! Having bought pretty much a logo and team colours when he purchased the Salford Reds Marwan Koukash took a few weeks to look over the clubs before he made some major changes. He go rid of the coach and brought in…