We now have a number. Today the NRL has announced that ASADA wish to interview 31 current NRL players in relation to the use of performance enhancing drugs. The majority of those players having played for the Cronulla Sharks during the well documented time that has seen the club become central to illegal drug use investigations. There…
For those who haven’t yet read Ms. Wilson’s ‘article’ yet, the basic premise was that The Sharks were undeserving of their position in the NRL and should be kicked out or relocated. She sighted the fact the club was in crisis, along with ‘terrible crowd figures’ and a fan base that simply doesn’t care. 17,000…
The start of the NRL season is supposed to be a spectacular detonation of exhilaration and engrossment that results from the combination of various beefs from both on-field and off. With most players clearly on horse drugs, explosive knee-jerk sackings at administration level and indecisive young men everywhere struggling to keep their word on contract…
Josh Dugan has been has been sacked by the Canberra Raiders. The Canberra Raiders held a board meeting today to discuss the future of both Josh Dugan and Blake Ferguson. It has been reported that neither player showed up to defend themselves. After losing to the Penrith Panthers on the weekend it is like these…
It was only a few weeks ago that the sensational news came through that the Canterbury Bulldogs has suspended Ben Barba indefinitely due to undisclosed off field issues. At the time the Bulldogs refused to break and tell the media what was wrong. They were putting Ben Barba’s health first in a courageous move that was applauded by many within the…
Josh Dugan and Blake Ferguson are two very talented footballers. Both are athletic players that add an explosive element to any team they play in. They both bring a real x factor to the game, they can make something out of nothing. Normally these qualities are something all teams would crave. However when it comes…
Damian Irvine has stood down as the chairman of the Cronulla Sharks this morning as the fallout from ASADA’s investigation into alleged performance enhancing drug use continues. Irvine will be replaced by former Sharks winger Glenn Coleman. I wrote yesterday that the Cronulla Sharks Board Has Done The Right Thing. The Sharks have made all…
There are some really cool things about being a grown up. You get to eat what you want, you get to go to bed late, and you don’t have any homework that you need to hand in to avoid getting in trouble. That is, unless you play Cricket for Australia! Now lets look past Australia’s…
It is interesting to see how the tone of the Cronulla Sharks alleged drug scandal turned over the weekend. When the Sharks board chose to sack a number of their football staff and stand down the coach, the decision was received with shock. For the players, the decision was met with anger, and that is understandable. These…
Don’t be boring You could be forgiven for thinking the current Australian cricket team are a touch on the bland side. By a touch on the bland side, I obviously mean the blandest thing since the Poms started making curries. A team consisting of a few stalwarts, a bunch of who-the-fucks, and Michael Clarke. A…
The Penrith Panthers are started their season off with an impressive victory, downing the Canberra Raiders 32-10 at Penrith Football Stadium. The Sunday afternoon heat took its toll in this one, and a glut of possession to the Panthers really kept the Raiders on the back foot all afternoon. The Panthers really had to grind this game…
Johnathan Thurston will see out the remainder of his career at the North Queensland Cowboys after signing a four year contract extension worth around $5 million. The deal makes him the highest paid player in the game and signals a return of huge contracts to Rugby League, something we haven’t seen since The Super League…
Depression – It is a word that has a different meaning to many different people. To those who suffer from it, it is a daily burden and something to manage in order to prevent further health implications. To those who are ignorant of it, it is a disease for the weak minded and those who…
I have held back from commenting on the investigations by the Australian Sports Anti Doping Authority and Australian Crime Commission because up until now, there were not a lot of facts to go on. I simply didn’t want to say anything about the investigation until we knew more about what was going on. Now, I…
Professional Rugby League does not lend itself to building leadership qualities in the modern day player. Think about it… Rugby League is a team sport with a culture of breaking down the individual. If a player stands out in some way, they are very likely to become a target on the field. If you have…
Within a minute after the full time siren sounds on grand final day, NRL clubs turn their attention to membership drives. Memberships are a good source of revenue for clubs and are used to try and get fans closer to their club with members only features, such as invitations to training days and team functions,…
As always in Rugby League, when bad something happens, its a crisis. We might as well stop playing the game all together and spend the rest of our likes throwing our arms in the air… With the Sharks facing some serious, troubling allegations that some are suggesting could see a number of players banned from…
Well the first game of the season is now in the books and I think there were a few things we got out of the Rabbitohs 28-10 win over the Roosters. While you tend to find that early season games can be a bit messy, this one wasn’t too bad. I have the South Sydney…
It took a long time to get there but the NRL has finally worked out a deal with Sky television in New Zealand that will see a wide range of broadcasting shown across New Zealand. The deal between Sky and the NRL will run for five years and will see New Zealand based fans get just about…
After an off season of hard work, 16 teams line up for a 6 month war that will see only one of them crowned as National Rugby League Premiers. This off season has been one of the longest I can remember. With no international series played after the clubs season, we had to wait a…
People have been asking me for months if I will be joining NRL Super Coach and NRL Dream Team. Well just a few days out from season kick off, I’ve finally done it. I know people want to join competitions I set up so I will be posting all the info on this post and…
As we get closer to a federal election we will see the promises flowing thick and fast from both sides as they try to buy votes. One thing I expect we will see come into focus is the way we manage sports stadiums in Sydney and how much money is being spent to keep older…
Do you remember the first time you heard what had happened? It was a fantastic story. The type of story I’m sure you didn’t believe until you watched the news that night. The Canterbury Bulldogs poster boy and one of the biggest named in the NRL had got on a plane and left for France,…
Another round of Super League and another game in which Hull FC look terrible… It is something that Hull FC fans have become used to in recent years. A club that promises so much and yet delivers so little. As a Hull FC supporter myself, I find it soul destroying when I watch Hull FC…
A few years ago I looked at the English Rugby League team and I saw a problem. For all the talk from coaches and administrators that they were looking to build towards the 2013 World Cup, I saw a side that was being selected with no thought of its future make up in mind. In…
Premier Sports has announced that they will carry every single NRL game in a deal that will run for five years. With just one week to go before the NRL season kicks off, this will be great news for Rugby League fans in Great Britain looking to take in coverage of the worlds best club competition. You can check…
A new area in Rugby League comes with a new marketing campaign and today as the National Rugby League launches the 2013 season the new television advert has been presented to the public. In the past I have been critical of the way the NRL has marketed in the game. You normally only got to see NRL…
The City of Sydney. Much like the other filthy and overpopulated municipalities of this earth, it has always had its fair share of the faceless melancholia and alienated futility that any confined human-squash is famous for. However of late, one locale of ye olde convict hub is bluer than it’s ever been, and to pinpoint…
It was only a few months ago that the Salford Reds looked like their days were numbered. With debt of around £600,000 hanging over their heads and a winding up petition issues, the prospect of the Super League season kicking off with just 13 teams seemed like a very real possibility. In stepped Marwan Koukash,…
With the season almost upon us this is a competition you will want to be a part of. Our friends over at Greg And Billy, the number one web site dedicated to Greg Inglis and Billy Slater, are running a competition in which you can win an official World Club Challenge programme signed by Australian…