News that covers Rugby League in Australia.
It is official, Jarryd Hayne is now a Gold Coast Titan after signing a very lucrative multi-year deal to play with the club, shunning the Parramatta Eeels, and returning to the game he knows and loves. I am really excited to see Hayne sign with the Titans. It is a massive boost for the club,…
The Cronulla Sharks had their winning streak snapped on Monday Night by the Gold Coast Titans in a game that ended in an 18-all draw after Golden Point extra time. The game will be remembered for a number of controversial incidents including players allegedly lying down to draw penalties, allegations Wade Graham lied at the…
In 1913 French mathematician and politician Émile Borel’s wrote an article titled “Mécanique Statistique et Irréversibilité”. The article was notable because of imagery Borel invoked in the reader that has a basis in mathematical theory that infinite monkeys on infinite typewriters given an infinite amount of time you eventually write all of the books in…
Put yourself in Jason Taylor’s shoes for a moment. Taylor took over a coaching role at the Wests Tigers that was not all that great on paper. He took over an aging side that wasn’t very well put together and one that wasn’t having any success at all. He was going to be working with…
Everybody has been on about why the Newcastle Knights were so bad in the past 12 months. But, the reasons couldn’t be clearer and the Knights need to rebuild their team if they plan to be challengers. We would rather claim a bonus at Casino.com, than bet on the Newcastle Knights anytime soon to make…
NSW State of Origin captain Paul Gallen received criticism from Phil Gould and everything would be great if the criticism hasn’t been on a personal level says Cronulla coach Shane Flanagan. Microgaming Tribune reported this first where Cronulla was reported to believe that Paul Gallen, the Blues skipper, deserves a game three farewell. This criticism…
Who is in charge of Rugby League? Who runs the sport? Whose job is it to stand up and protect the integrity of the game? It doesn’t take much to change things in Rugby League. All you need to do is whinge louder than everyone else. Rugby League was once known as a sport that…
It is time for Robbie Farah to leave the Wests Tigers. The club needs to move on from him and the drama that seems to surround him. They have a young side that is in a completely different phase to the one Farah finds himself in towards the end of his career. Farah’s presence is…
The Newcastle Knights just suffered a 62-0 defeat to the Cronulla Sharks at home in Newcastle. In their last four games, the Knights total for and against record stands at 10 points for, and 179 against. So why are the Newcastle Knights so bad? Vote in the poll and lets see what LeagueFreak.com readers think:
The NRL has made the following press release regarding the Parramatta Eels: The NRL said on Thursday that, based on information currently available, the Parramatta Eels are now salary cap compliant for the remainder of the 2016 season. The club may now submit, as part of its response to the Breach Notice, that it should…
The Gold Coast Titans have released the following statement: Parramatta hooker Nathan Peats has tonight agreed to terms to play for the Aquis Gold Coast Titans for the remainder of 2016 and the 2017 seasons. The 25-year-old, who has played 89 NRL games for Parramatta and South Sydney and has also played back row, will…
There has been a lot of talk over the last few days about Women’s Rugby League and the possibility of a semi-professional competition being created that would run alongside the NRL that would give elite female athletes the opportunity to pursue a career in the sport that they love. I really enjoy watching women play…
What is the first thing you do when you have been caught systematically cheating? Launch legal action to protect your job of course! Supporters of the game have ZERO sympathy for administrators who take it upon themselves to risk any success their clubs has by cheating the salary cap. Lets not forget, the only reason…
Fox Sports journalist James Hooper is reporting that the Parramatta Eels could offload winger Semi Radradra in an effort to get themselves back under the 2016 salary cap. The Eels will not play for any competition points until they can prove they are under this years cap. It would be a shock if the Eels…
Now that we know the Parramatta Eels salary cap penalty, I want to know what you think of it. Did the NRL come down too hard on the club, was the penalty about right, or was it too lenient? Click on the following poll and cast your vote:
News Limited is reporting that the Parramatta Eels will be fined $1 million, lose 12 competition points, will be forced to move players on to other clubs before they are eligible to earn any more competition points, and that front office staff will have to leave the club. This is a huge blow to the…
When Kieran Foran was granted leave by the Parramatta Eels a request was made that the media respect his privacy: The Parramatta Eels have granted Kieran Foran an indefinite leave of absence to seek the best possible medical treatment regarding a personal matter. The club will be making no further comment and request that the…
Rugby League players made up nearly half of the positive drug tests in Australian sport in 2014 according to the World Anti-Doping Authority. Rugby League players made up 20 of the 49 positive tests in Australia in 2014, making Australia the 7th worst offending country behind Russia (148), Italy (123), India (96), Belgium (91), France…
It came as a shock last night when the Parramatta Eels released the following statement: The Parramatta Eels have granted Kieran Foran an indefinite leave of absence to seek the best possible medical treatment regarding a personal matter. The club will be making no further comment and request that the media respect Kieran’s privacy at…
Mitchell Pearce has been through a lot over the last few months. During his suspension for acting like a tool on Australia Day Pearce has watched his Sydney Roosters go from one disastrous loss to another, culminating in his coach Trent Robinson receiving a fine for attacking the integrity of a referee and decisions made…
Jamie Lyon has accomplished a hell of a lot during his NRL career. He even spent time overseas playing in England absolutely killing it for St Helens. The thing is, when ever I talk to people about Jamie Lyon one subject always gets brought up. The way he left the Parramatta Eels. A lot has…
It is the old misdirection play. The team loses a game and the coach starts to spray the referees in the post match press conference to take pressure off himself, and his team. It is a move that is very old and very effective. Hell, even when you know what is going on you end…
As I watched the Canberra Raiders absolutely thrash Wests Tigers on Saturday I started to things about the clubs recent history and how that would effect the decisions made about the future direction of the club. Having won just 2 of their 8 games so far this season, the Tigers at times have shown glimpses…
During last nights match between the Brisbane Broncos and South Sydney Rabbitohs, Sam Burgess ran at the line, turned his back, passed the ball, and got absolutely smashed. There was nothing wrong with the hit. It was a great hit. If you run at the line and turn your back on 13 humans looking to…
I love Golden Point. Not just The Golden Point Podcast, I also love seeing NRL games decided by a moment of brilliance by one side or the other. One of the reasons I love Rugby League is its unforgiving, uncompromising nature. There are no excuses to be made, you win or lose, and the final…
When it comes to playing the Grand Final in Sydney one thing always gets overlooked. Players want the Grand Final played in Sydney. To them, going to Sydney to play in the Grand Final is part of what makes the biggest day of the year so special. So lets not pretend that we need to…
Rugby League is a sport that is fairly unique in the sense that the games tactics can change organically over time without the need for rule changes or artificial pressures forcing the game in one direction or the other. Rugby League has a set of rules that allows for a variety of attacking and defensive…
Todd Greenberg has been formally announced as the NRL’s new CEO today in probably the least surprising Rugby League news we will see this side of NSW selecting Mitchell Pearce at halfback. It is funny that the NRL’s “world wide” search for a new CEO, that saw them spend a lot of money to find…
After having domestic violence charges against him dropped, and providing recorded evidence to police that proved he was innocent, Hazem El Masri has been reinstated as a Canterbury Bulldogs club ambassador once again. After going through a year in which he was dropped by every organisation he worked for an an ambassador based on unsubstantiated…
Fairfax media is reporting that the NSW Government has sought assurances that two thirds of Sydney based NRL games will be played at Sydney’s three major stadiums before it will make any firm commitment to refurbish, or upgrade any of the major venues used by the National Rugby League. Current plans will see Parramatta Stadium…