News that covers Rugby League in Australia.
In the lead-up to the Wests Tigers match at Campbelltown all the signs were looking good. The Tigers were in form and making a lot of noise, having beaten some of the better teams in the competition very convincingly. Marketing for the game was very good, and while I didn’t follow their postcode challenge because…
With Robbie Farah set to miss at least State Of Origin one with an arm injury, attention had turned to the players who might replace him at hooker for the Blues. Michael Ennis’ name has been put forward, although I tend to think he is not the player he once was. Nathan Peats has been…
The Sydney Morning Herald is reporting that a $500 million development at Penrith could see the Panthers playing out of a 35,000 seat indoor stadium. The proposal apparently hinges on the the proposed Badgerys Creek Airport. There is still some sections of the community in western Sydney that are opposed to the airport. No doubt…
The New Zealand Warriors have announced that they have re-signed club captain Simon Mannering for four more years. This is likely to be the last big contract of Mannering’s career as he will be 32 by the time it has concluded. There had been speculation that Mannering had a number of offers from Super League…
Brad Walter of the Sydney Morning Herald is reporting that Andrew Fifita is set to re-sign with the Cronulla Sharks next week, and that Fifita’s lawyers have issued the Canterbury Bulldogs with legal documents in a move that is likely to see him sue the club. It will be very interesting to see what happens…
It isn’t news at all, but I simply had to post this one because quite honestly this is the best non story I have ever read. Gold Coast Titans winger Kalifa Faifai Loa has filled out an application to apply for the Big Brother TV show in 2014. That it! That’s the whole story really!…
There are reports today that Sam Burgess was hit in the face with a flag by a female Penrith Panther supporter after South Sydney’s gutsy 18-2 win at Penrith Football Stadium. After playing very well in a tough, rain soaked game Burgess was hit when leaving the field. The NRL will reportedly investigate the incident….
Owning a football club is a very fine balance between stepping back and allowing everyone to do their job, and stepping in to make the big decisions when they need to be made. When Eric Watson took over the New Zealand Warriors he bought a mess of a club. You think you’re a big fan?…
Do you know how many times New South Wales have changed their halves combination since Queensland started their record breaking run in the State Of Origin series? Yeah…I don’t care either! I am sick to death of hearing people say that the reason New South Wales loses State Of Origin series comes down to the…
Channel 9 has just reported that Andrew Fifita could re-sign with the Cronulla Sharks as soon as this week. Fifita famously signed a record breaking deal with the Canterbury Bulldogs only to have the deal cancelled just days later. Re-signing Fifita would be a huge boost for the Sharks who have been going through a…
Lets not fall for the dressing up of this situation, Matthew Elliott was fired. He didn’t resign… As the winless Cronulla Sharks thrashed the New Zealand Warriors 37-6 on the weekend, you could tell that Matthew Elliott’s short time at the club was over. There is a look that teams get when they have given…
After sacking Matthew Elliott last night the New Zealand Warriors have named his assistant, Andrew McFadden, as the clubs first grade coach for the remainder of the season. McFadden has been one of Matthew Elliott’s guys for a very long time so I can’t see too much changing in terms of how the team plays….
You can’t fart in Rugby League right now without someone suggesting we change the rules of the game. The latest person to toss up a rule change is Matthew Johns who claims that the NRL should scrap the current interchange system, have more players on the bench, and once you’ve been replaced you can not…
Courier Mail journalist Chris Garry has tweeted that the New Zealand Warriors have sacked coach Matthew Elliott. This doesn’t come as much of a surprise as his record at the Warriors has lined up with his losing records in the past with the Canberra Raiders and the Penrith Panthers. The Warriors were terrible in their…
News that Benji Marshall isn’t happy with his playing time in Rugby Union got me thinking. Could Benji Marshall be a good buy for certain NRL clubs if they could get him for the right price? If Marshall was return to the NRL he may need to get the blessing of the Wests Tigers after…
The NRL and ASADA have spent a lot of time and money investigation what went on at the Cronulla Sharks in 2012. One of the very first conclusions that the NRL came to during the investigation was that Sharks coach Shane Flanagan needed to pay a penalty for his actions. The league handed Flanagan a…
Earlier this afternoon the Newcastle Knights posted a statement in response to the seven week suspension handed out to Melbourne youngster Jordan McLean last night. For those who haven’t read it yet: “The Newcastle Knights is frustrated with the inconsistencies in relation to the NRL Judiciary following Jordan McLean’s seven-week suspension. Firstly, the Club takes…
Yes, this is still dragging on… After being told numerous times that Luke Keary qualifies for New South Wales and not for Queensland under the new State Of Origin rules, the Queensland Rugby League have decided to take a new approach. They want the rules to be broken so they can have Luke Keary anyway….
The NRL Judiciary has found Jordan McLean guilty of a dangerous tackle on Newcastle Knights forward Alex McKinnon. McLean has been suspended for 7 weeks. The judiciary panel was told not to consider the resulting injury from the tackle when deciding whether McLean was guilty or not guilty. Once they had returned a guilty verdict…
The following is an officia statement by the Newcastle Knights and Alex McKinnon’s family: There were no new developments on Monday in regards to Alex McKinnon’s condition. The Club has continued to provide factual updates in consultation with Alex’s family at this delicate time. Alex was brought out of an induced coma following his initial…
The Canterbury Bulldogs have wasted no time in using the free’d up salary cap space that Andrew Fifita has left them with. It is expected that they will announce that they have signed English test captain and Leeds Rhino legend Kevin Sinfield on a two year deal. Sinfield has informed the Rhinos of his intention…
Channel 9 news has just reported that Alex McKinnon and his family have been informed that he will be quadriplegic following his spinal injury. This is very sad news for Alex, his family and friends. I have no doubt that the game will get right behind Alex and that no expense will be spared to…
In a stunning turn of events, the Canterbury Bulldogs have announced that the deal to sign Andrew Fifita is now off. So, who pulled the pin? You don’t announce that you have signed a player to the richest deal for any front row forward in the games history unless you have dotted all the I’s…
The following is an official press release by the Canterbury Bulldogs The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs have today advised Andrew Fifita’s management that he will not be playing for the Club given the final terms of the NRL Playing Contract could not be agreed. Bulldogs Chief Executive Raelene Castle has offered the following comment: “After signing a…
Former Penrith Panthers back James Roberts will sign with the Gold Coast Titans today according to the Rugby League Week Mole. Roberts was released by the Penrith Panthers for disciplinary reasons a few weeks ago and I thought the Canterbury Bulldogs might have been interested in signing him. As it turns out, the Titans have…
Alex McKinnon is out of an induced coma and breathing without a ventilator. He is now able to communicate with his family and there is hope that he will soon be able to be transferred to a hospital in Sydney. This is all very good news but it is still very early days. There is…
I find it very strange that when I sit down to watch my Penrith Panthers play these days, most of the time they are wearing a bright pink jersey. Its hard enough being a Penrith Panthers supporter at the best of times. There have really only been a few times in the clubs entire history…
I always find it funny when I see people whinging about the referee’s. Referees are always out to get their team. They always have to overcome the “pricks in pink”. The only thing standing between their team and premiership success are the blokes with the whistles. I have a really simple view of refereeing decisions…
Andrew Fifita has revealed that he wishes he had chosen to go and play Rugby Union rather than sign a gigantic deal to play Rugby League with the Canterbury Bulldogs. After all, who needs to sign with an organisation that actually makes money when you could have taken far less to play for the ARU,…
Another day, another Queensland whinge! This time its Wally Lewis having a cry over the State Of Origin eligibility rules that use many different factors to determine that Luke Keary should play for New South Wales and not Queensland. Lewis told New Limited that the NRL’s ruling, based on what Luke Keary has told them…
