News that covers Rugby League in Australia.
The front office is a war zone, players are looking to leave the club, injuries have not been kind, and yet here we are heading looking towards the finals and the Manly Sea Eagles sit atop of the NRL ladder. By all rights the Sea Eagles should be having a terrible season. A club going…
The following is an official press release by the National Rugby League: The NRL and the 16 clubs have unanimously confirmed their commitment to developing a new player insurance scheme which will significantly increase payments for career-ending injuries. NRL players will be eligible for payouts of up to $1 million if they suffer career-ending injuries…
Both Faifax and News Limited are carrying interesting stories regarding the NRL’s insurance plan for players who suffer catastrophic, career ending injuries. Brad Walter of the Sydney Morning Herald writes that the RLPA is considering signing off on coverage that would cost the game $1 million per year but that would not cover players whose…
The Manly Sea Eagles have made an official press release via the clubs web site in an effort to smother news that a number of players want an early release from their contracts. The official press release reads: The Manly Warringah Sea Eagles board has thrown its support behind the Head Coach and the Club’s…
Seven News is reporting that Canterbury Bulldogs coach Des Hasler has no interest in signing Manly Sea Eagles fullback Brett Stewart. Stewart is one of a number of Manly players who have asked for an early release from their contract due to unrest at the club. The Bulldogs have been looking for a top class…
The Tigers and Dolphins fronted up at Langlands Park yesterday with two very different agendas; for the Tigers it was about reaffirming their pedigree as a top two side, while for the Dolphins, it was about keeping their season alive. Eighty minutes and 68 points later, the Tigers sit secure in second spot on the…
The Cronulla Sharks have announced they they will not be looking to bring in a new coach for the rest of 2014 season. That means that James Shepherd will continue his role as the Sharks interim coach until the return of Shane Flanagan once his ban from the game is over. The Sharks tried to…
State Of Origin football is heading back to the MCG in 2015 for the first time in 18 years. The State Of Origin series in now the biggest annual sporting event in Australia and you have a chance to cheer on your favourite state in what is sure to be one of the biggest crowds…
Less than 48 hours after Wayne Bennett announced he was returning to the Broncos from 2015 onwards, the revitalised Brisbane side have been installed as Premiership favourites next season. Bennett, who will be joined by new recruits Anthony Milford, Mitch Garbutt and probably Darius Boyd, has given punters the ultimate confidence that he can return…
The Newcastle Knights have released the following statement on the clubs official web site: Newcastle Knights fullback Darius Boyd has been admitted to a mental health clinic in order to seek treatment for depression. “We are ensuring Darius gets the best possible care and treatment at this time,” CEO Matt Gidley said on Wednesday. “Depression…
Not a great couple of weeks for Darius Boyd… News Limited is reporting that Darius Boyd and his wife allegedly caused $1,500 worth of damage to a luxury hotel room at a resort in the Hunter Valley. Now I know what you’re thinking…here comes League Freak ready to smash Darius Boyd for this outrageous behaviour…
News Limited is reporting that some bookmakers have installed the Brisbane Broncos as the favourites to win the 2015 premiership. Keeping in mind that it is good marketing for a bookmaker to toss something up like this and have it reported by the press, but it does make me wonder how people think the Broncos…
So the Raiders finally have a confirmed, no going back, lock-him-in-Eddie signing. But it’s not exactly a game changer. This season the Raiders (allegedly) almost signed James Mansour and Kevin Proctor, and actually did sign James Tedesco only for him to change his mind. The club has also been linked to could-be-anything youngsters like Tautau…
Despite saying previously that he did not want to be a full time head coach, Paul McGregor has expressed his desire to stay on as the coach of the St George/Illawarra Dragons. McGregor made his feelings known after the Dragons 21-12 loss to the Manly Sea Eagles on Monday night. McGregor took over the Dragons…
Channel 9 Rugby League reporter Danny Weidler is reporting that Brett Stewart, Anthony Watmough and Steve Matai have all asked for a release from their contracts with the Manly Sea Eagles. There are so many rumours surrounding the Manly Sea Eagles right now and despite their good form off the field, every man and his…
The Canterbury Bulldogs have confirmed that Tim Browne suffered a depressed skull fracture in the clubs loss to the Wests Tigers on the weekend. Browne was seen pulling out of a tackle and grabbing at his forehead during the match with word trickling out after the match of the suspected fracture. Browne is likely to…
It’s not what you know, it’s who you know… Roy Masters of the Sydney Morning Herald is reporting that a phone call from Wayne Bennett to News Corporation boss Lachlan Murdoch has paved the way for Bennett to return as the Brisbane Broncos coach in 2015. Master writes that current Broncos coach Anthony Griffin was…
As the NRL salary cap rises and more Super League clubs go bust, we are going to see more English players heading down under to play in the worlds best competition. In January I listed the to ten English players in Rugby League. A lot has changed since then. After all, you’re only as good…
The Wests Tigers have beaten the Canterbury Bulldogs 46-18 in a sensational game of Sunday afternoon football. This was a really good game of footy with a lot of attacking football being played. There are probably two reasons why people will remember this game for a long time though… Firstly, this game saw a number…
The 2014-2015 NBA season will see a few changes to the way jerseys are used to represent clubs and the league itself. One of the changes that I think the NRL should adopt is one that will see each team that has won an NBA title getting a gold bar on the back of the…
Confusion well and truly reigned today across social media after two seemingly identical 40/20 kicks were treated completely differently. Early in the first half of the Roosters win over the Panthers, Jake Friend landed a beautiful 40/20 kick. His team took the quick tap that is now allowed this season, in a play that resulted…
News Limited is reporting that the Parramatta Eels are set to offer Daly Cherry-Evans a 4 year $4 million deal. The deal would make Cherry-Evans one of the highest paid players in the NRL. I’ve always felt that the Brisbane Broncos were going to offer Cherry-Evans more money than he could possibly refuse. That still…
There is only one moment in which Rugby League supporters across Australia can come together as one and get behind a single team. No, I’m not talking about the team that is playing against the Sydney Roosters on any given weekend…I’m not talking about the NRL at all. I’m talking about the Australian Kangaroos, our…
The Brisbane Broncos have dropped Jack Reed, Daniel Vidot and Corey Oats after all three players broke team rules stating they were not allowed to go out during the week of a game. All three players will play in the Queensland Cup this week. While it’s not great that players have broken team rules, it…
Canberra Raiders forward Josh Papalii has been caught up in a road rage incident in which he threw a 1 litre bottle of moisturiser at another car. Papalii cut another driver off and then got angry when they started to take pictures of his car. He then grabbed a 1 litre bottle of moisturiser and…
Tapout Energy Stadium, Coorparoo Sunday 20th, kick off 2pm After nearly a month on the road the Easts Tigers finally return home to Tapout Energy Stadium on Sunday, however this will be no easy homecoming as they face a battered and bruised Redcliffe Dolphins side. For the last two months the Sunshine Coast Falcons have…
News Limited is reporting that the Cronulla Sharks have made informal enquiries about signing North Queensland Cowboys halfback Robert Lui. Informal enquiries is a funny term. I like to think it’s like a formal enquiry but will a lower standard of dress code. My guess is that the Cronulla Sharks want to sign Lui, but…
The following is an official media release on behalf of Mr Petero Civoniceva and Mr Greg Browne for the official launch of the Fiji NSWRL Bid. Petero Civoniceva & Greg Browne are proud to announce that they have secured the rights for a franchise rugby league team to play out of Fiji in the New…
When it comes to handing out doping bans in sport you basically have to strike while the iron is hot. If you wait too long, if you take too many years to get around to banning someone, it loses all of it’s effectiveness. The ASADA investigation into the use of illegal substances by a couple…
As we close in on the NRL final series, everyone is starting to lay down their predictions for the top eight. For mine, the current table makes it a copy and paste job. Sea Eagles, Panthers, Bulldogs, Souths, Roosters, Warriors, Broncos, Storm … There is your top eight. Although I expect the positioning of those…