News that covers Rugby League in Australia.
I love Rugby League because it is an uncompromising collision sport that is difficult to play. It isn’t the sport for everyone. Only a certain type of person wants to play a sport where you receive the ball and have 13 other people looking to drag you to the ground. When you play a collision…
It would be very easy to look at the NRL’s newly announced broadcasting deal with Channel 9 and be blinded by the figures. Channel 9 currently pays $90 million per year to broadcast 3 NRL matches per round, as well as the finals series, and representative fixtures. The newly announced deal that kicks off in…
A bizarre display of gymnastics from New Zealand Warriors’ veteran hooker, Nathan Friend, has captured the imagination of sports fans worldwide. Friend defied his age (34) to pull off an audacious piece of skill during the Warriors’ 28-14 victory over the Melbourne Storm when leaping to claim a Chad Townsend bomb near the defensive line….
It would be very easy to sit back and suggest that what we are seeing happen to the Parramatta Eels right now is the result of terrible management of a club that has been a bit of a basket case for close on 30 years. That would be missing the much bigger picture though. In…
Manly’s Treatment Of Toovey Is A Disgrace The treatment of Geoff Toovey by the Manly Sea Eagles is a disgrace. When you consider the constant infighting at board level Toovey has had to deal with during his time as the Sea Eagles head coach, the injury list he has managed, the loss of talent he…
It is one of the most worn out phrases in the game. You don’t read about the good things that players and club do, you only hear about the bad things. Today is not one of those days. Let me share with you my story and maybe you’ll understand why Canterbury are not only my…
You hear it all the time. Rugby League players are just greedy. They just want to get as much money as possible and don’t care about the consequences of their actions. Let me tell you right now, players have NOTHING on Rugby League clubs who have proven they will happily watch the game being torn…
Like most people, I was pretty disappointed with the crowd the Cronulla Sharks drew at home on the weekend. It was perfect weather for Sunday night football, it was the season kickoff after a few brutal years of off field drama, there were new signings getting their first run for the team, and the Sharks…
Mitchell Moses was very lucky to remain on the field after this high tackle on William Zillman in the Wests Tigers win over the Good Coast Titans on Saturday night. Take a look at the footage and make your own mind up as to whether it was a send off offence or not: Personally I…
It’s official, Daly Cherry-Evans has signed a four year deal to join the Gold Coast Titans from 2016. The deal runs for two years, with an extra two year option in Cherry-Evans favour on the back end of the deal. That is most likely in place with an eye on the new broadcasting deal. Should…
For those who missed it, earlier today the AFL released its 2015 fixture list, announcing the scrapping of Sunday and Monday evening games, and the introduction of more Saturday afternoon football. For years and years, clubs and fans alike, have been calling on the NRL to scrap Monday Night football in favour of a permanent…
Another end-of-season, another round of clubs fines for breaching the salary cap. This time it was Sea Eagles, Knights, Roosters, Tiger and Tigers named as offenders. The breaches date back to the 2013 season, and the Titans aside, seem like minor offenses at worst. For instance the Tigers over spent on their Holden Cup cap,…
I can’t think of too many other sports in the entire world that sees top of the line players depart at the peak of their careers to pursue “dreams” of doing other things. Rugby League should be very proud of the fact that it produces world class athletes that can even consider switching to other…
First of all let me say that it is a very brave decision for a player on well over $1 million a year to walk away from all that money to chase any dream. Jarryd Hayne obviously has a real drive to try his hand at becoming an NFL player and if he feels that…
NRL CEO David Smith has made some interesting statements in the aftermath of news that Jarryd Hayne would be leaving the NRL to pursue his dream to play in the NRL. Smith has explained that he was in contact with Hayne’s management as late as last night and was willing to do what ever it…
Hands up if you thought at the start of 2014 that Blake Austin would be a sought after recruit and that a club’s fans would celebrate upon signing him? Anyone with their hand up needs to be called in for questioning, because you’re telling fibs. Austin began the year not only behind Braith Anasta for…
By now I’m sure you have all heard the massive news this morning that NRL superstar, and current Dally M medalist Jarryd Hayne has announced he is headed to the USA to try his hand in the NFL. Sighting the fact that he felt he had ‘done it all’ in the NRL, one of the…
For all the good in Rugby League, the big hits, the length of the field tries, the emotion, one aspect of the game that needs urgent attention is the rule that says players signed before round 10 can simply change their mind at any time. When a player ‘signs’ with another club prior to the…
When the most successful club in the history of the game adds to their success, the history books all need rewritten. The South Sydney Rabbitohs triumph on Sunday evening was a proud moment for Rugby League. For the vast majority of Australian Rugby League history a club with it’s sights set on winning the title…
When I was in high school I had a friend that supported the South Sydney Rabbitohs. It was something he didn’t mention too much though. This was when George Piggins was running the club and they looked like they did not belong anywhere near the top level of the game. After high school I remember…
Do you remember when the Gold Coast Titans first entered the NRL? They were a new team with a new name, new jerseys, a new stadium, a new centre of excellence…the future looked bright! They gave their new coach a long term deal because he was going to lead this new team of players to…
There is a phenomenon that occurs among sports fans who follow a team for many years, especially a team that struggles to win games for a long time and then turns things around and becomes successful. You see, these people will follow their team through thick and thin. Through the good times and the bad….
Although the Manly/Dogs, Sharks/Dragons, Broncos/Titans rivalries, and there are plenty of others, have plenty of history and venom behind them, make absolutely no mistake about it, league’s biggest rivalry is between the Rabbitohs and the Roosters. This Friday night the latest chapter in this heated rivalry will be written as two of the NRL’s foundation…
It’s true. I was there. I saw it all. Call me a witness. Call me a fly on the wall. Call me maybe. It doesn’t matter because I was there. So we all walked into a large room with a round white table in the middle of it. Around it sat all the bad guys,…
I know it’s been about 20 hours since it last happened in Rugby League but….it’s happening again. THE SKY IS FALLING!!! When the Canterbury Bulldogs kicked the ball through the defensive line and it’s hit the referee it enacted what is possibly my favourite rule in the entire game. When the ball hits the referee…
As a Penrith Panthers supporters it is rare that I get to see my team play I. A semi final at all. When it does happen, my reaction is a little bit strange compared to other people whose football teams make it this far in the season. I don’t get nervous at all. Not one…
News recently broke that Cowboys enforced Tariq Sims has been slapped with a five week ban following his shoulder charge, off the ball, on Broncos star Justin Hodges from Saturday Night. Although there have been some calls from the far North that the ban was far too harsh, I for one am glad the NRL…
The boss of Channel 9 has told the Daily Telegraph that he is open to broadcasting Sunday afternoon football games live on the proviso that it works out in terms of the advertising he can sell during those broadcasts. Channel 9’s delayed coverage is a relic of a bygone era. Supporters of the match have…
The Sydney Morning Herald is reporting that St George/Illawarra Dragons winger Brett Morris has asked the club for a release so that he can join his brother at the Canterbury Bulldogs. Incredibly the Herald suggests that the Dragons told Morris to look around for a new contract at other clubs, feeling that his current contract…
When a referee makes a mistake I expect a good commentary team to discuss the decision. I want them to break down why the decision was wrong, show evidence that it was wrong, and then talk briefly about the possible ramifications that will follow from that wrong decision before going back to calling the football…