In 1997 Rugby League in Australia had been split in two. Years of turmoil within the game had seen Rugby League team itself apart. While all of this was going on, something special was brewing. For a number of years the Newcastle Knights and Manly Sea Eagles had developed a rivalry we rarely see in…
If you are a rugby league fan in the UK who only follows Super League and not the NRL you must have had the time of your life on Saturday morning. Not because Wigan put in a respectable performance, though they did, and not because the shoulder charge seemed to reappear for a game (hallelujah!!)….
And so we meet again… If you think the 2013 Rugby League World Cup final is just another game, you are very much mistaken. This game is carrying a legacy for many of the greatest players in a generation. This game will dictate whether or not history will look back on certain players and judge…
This season has seen some very strange decisions when it comes to handing out man of the match awards. I see a lot of people on Twitter who bet on man of the match awards blowing up over players that have dominated the game being overlooked for others who are bigger names. It happens all…
With the Newcastle Knights facing off against the Brisbane Broncos tonight, it is time to settle one argument once and for all. Who was the better halfback, Andrew Johns or Allan Langer? Both were premiership winners at their respective clubs. Both were dominant at State Of Origin level. Both represented their country. One is a…
As the New South Wales Blues line up against Queensland, looking to break their seven year stranglehold on the State Of Origin series, one player has more on the line than anyone else. After getting chance after chance to prove himself at State Of Origin level, this is Mitchell Pearce’s last chance to become “That…
A lot has been made in the media of Israel Folau playing Union, Sonny Bill possibly going back and Benji Marshall having a whinge etc but also finding a way to keep and attract best and brightest stars to the Greatest Game of All. Now most people suggest raising the cap or as Andrew Johns…
Before he had even played first grade football, Mitchell Pearce was being anointed as the next great halfback in Rugby League. The son of former Balmain legend Wayne Pearce, he has the bloodlines of a legend. His size and ability to defend saw people compare him to Andrew Johns. This was timely as Johns career…
Confirmed By St Helens: Walsh To Become A Saint It is a move that has been doing the rounds of the rumour mill for a few week now. Luke Walsh may be contracted to the Penrith Panthers, but it is all but a done deal that he will be released from his contract and will…
Benji Marshall is at an interesting point in his career. Marshall is one of the greatest players of his era, and yet over the last few season he has found himself playing in a poor side, getting poor results, and it has without question had an effect on his form. Now comes word that Marshall…
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…
On Thursday the 27th of September the 8th Australian Rugby League Immortal will be announced in Sydney. The current list of immortals and the year in which they were given the honour by Rugby League Week magazine are: Clive Churchill – 1981 Bob Fulton – 1981 Reg Gasnier – 1981 Johnny Raper – 1981 Graeme…
In Newcastle, its not about what you know, its about who you know. The Newcastle Knights have been run for a very long time on the basis of just keeping everyone happy. Forget professionalism, forget winning, forget accountability….none of that matters. Just as long as everyone iust having a good time and they can all…
I’ve written many times before about the shambles that is the Newcastle Knights, club whom it seems only exists for the enjoyment of the playing roster. We’ve seen in the past player revolts because certain players have not been retained. Its amazing to think that only a few years ago the playing roster went berserk…
Of all the people I talk to about Rugby League through my web site, forums, Twitter and just general people I know and meet, not a single one of them views the RL Worlds Golden Boot award as anything other than a joke and a complete farce. From the mythical list of “International Journalists”, none…
Talk is that the crowd for State Of Origin number 3 in Sydney on Wednesday night will struggle to get a big crowd. Ticket sales have supposedly been slow, people are selling tickets on EBay for cheap, and while they are talking about a crowd of 50-60,000, I’m tipping more along the likes of 40,000….
The Queensland Rugby League team has completely dominated New South Wales in game two of the State Of Origin series, running away with a 34-6 victory. The win gives Queensland a record five series wins in a row, and makes Mal Meninga the most successful coach in State Of Origin history. To say this was…
When I first heard that Timana Tahu had left the NSW cap for personal reasons, I was a bit confused. When I heard he had left after being upset at something Andrew Johns had said, I thought it was a piss weak move. It them came out that Andrew Johns had made a racist remark…
Brett Kimmorley has had a fantastic career. A Premiership winner, a State Of Origin veteran, a Test player, there are very few things Kimmorley has not won over the course of his amazing career. There is one thing though that I’m sure he would change if he got the chance. Newcastle Knights, Hunter Mariners, Melbourne…
Billy Slater has jumped on the bandwagon and signed a contract extension with the Melbourne Storm. He will play with the club until at least the end of the 2012 season. You don’t need me to tell you how good Slater played last year and how he is probably a top 5 player in the…
I know, I know…..I apologize! We all know it should be me, but because far to busy and important to take up the role, I thought I should force my opinions onto the like of you, ya know, kind of like what I’ve been doing for the last 11 years. I’ve said for a long…
Michael Hagan jumped before he was pushed today, calling a surprise press conference to announce he had quit as Parramatta Eels coach due to family reasons. Hagan narrowly avoided the sack this year after a disasterous season coaching the Eels, and heading into 2009 the Parramatta board had already given him a deadline to avoid…
In his first season with the Newcastle Knights, Michael Hagan won a Premiership. It was a fair achievement and many saw him as the new breed of coach who would go on to take the game to a new level. The problem was that from that point on, Newcastle got worse and worse to the…
It was about this time last year that the whinging started as Brian Smith used the mandate given to him by the Knights board to end years of terrible football and put a broom through the entire club. He started telling poor, underperforming players that they didn’t have a god given right to play for…
On the back of their own non performances and in danger of picking up the clubs second wooden spoon in the last 3 years, Knights Players seem to think THEY are not the problem! With all the talk about their unique club culture, their mateship and trying to force managment into signing a player who…
After a dominant display for Queensland in the first State Of Origin, and an even more dominant display in the Cowboys win against the Bulldogs just two days later, Jonathan Thurston is in the form of his career. On a night when channel 9 commentator Ray Warren was comparing Cowboys fullback Matthew Bowen to the…
While I may be on the other side of the planet at the moment, I could see Andrew Johns getting charge for dissent weeks ago. Surely Johns must have know he was treading a fine like a few weeks ago when everyone was getting on his case for the way he was talking to match…
Suggestions that the move by Johns to be “excused” from playing the opening Tri Series match will just degrade the Australian test jersey are laughable. Let me get this straight. So in 1995 the ARL decides it wont select players that have signed up to the new Super League competition. It goes on to not…
It was a stunning move that no one expected, but Andrew Johns stint with Warrington for a maximum of six games was enough to get fans on both sides of the world talking. In my opinion, Andrew Johns move to Warrington at the very least makes then the second best side in SL. In a…
A lot of debate this week has centered on wether Andrew Johns should be included as an Immortal while he is still playing the game. Many good judges say that Johns is the best player they have seen and most accept that he is the best halfback of all time. However, the step up from…