Dave Taylor joined the Queensland State Of Origin squad yesterday and walked into a barrage of criticism…from his own coach! Mal Meninga has said that Dave Taylor has not done the job for Queensland in the past and that he expects more out of the 130 kilogram giant. It is kind of a strange way…
Benji Marshall has given Tim Sheens his backing to take over the coaching role at the St George/Illawarra Dragons. Marshall played the majority of his career under Sheens at the Wests Tigers where the pair won a Premiership together in 2005. A number of names have already been tossed up for the Dragons coaching job….
Yesterday it was confirmed that Will Hopoate and Josh Dugan will replace the injured Morris brothers in the squad for the second State of Origin squad, with Dugan set to take up the centre position. Josh Dugan has always lifted in the Origin arena, and was amongst the state’s best in last years series, however…
Brent Tate has spoken about the affects on his family that the backlash from his comments made after State Of Origin one caused, while also stating that none of it fazed him. The article, which you can tell is from the Courier Mail because of the way it is written to make all of New…
Clint Newton has attacked NSW coach Laurie Daley and QLD coach Mal Meninga for not releasing players to attend a meeting been the Rugby League Players Association and the NRL. The strange thing about Newtons comments is that the RLPA is supposed to represent all players, they don’t have to be in the room to…
Catalans Dragons have boosted their half-back options with the signing of Sam Williams from NRL’s St George Illawarra Dragons on in a deal until the end of the current Super League season. With Scott Dureau still yet to return from the bicep injury he sustained in February, Williams will add some much-needed options to the…
The lull in the competition, due to players being out, meant last Saturday Night I turned on 7mate to watch Essendon vs Richmond. Although AFL is about a million light-years behind the NRL in terms of the game, the quality of the television presentation was far superior. Not only was the game broadcast LIVE, but…
Imagine having to make a million dollar decision about your entire career at the age of 21. For some people that decision would be difficult at the best of times. For others it would feel almost overwhelming. Over the last few seasons we have seen a number of younger players in the game make big…
After missing out signing Josh Mansour, Kevin Proctor and having James Tedesco backflip on his decision to join the club, Canberra Raiders coach Ricky Stuart written a press release. The statement which was released via the clubs official web site reads: Ricky Stuart Statement The Canberra Raiders’ recent disappointing recruitment results will not alter or…
Fijian born and raised winger Semi Radradra has expressed his desire to represent New South Wales and Australia. This despite the fact that he has only been in Australia a few years and even under the new State Of Origin eligibility rules he does not qualify to play for New South Wales. The worst part…
News Limited is reporting that Ben Te’o will switch codes at the end of the 2014 NRL season and play Rugby Union, possibly in an effort to turn out for England at the next Rugby Union World Cup. This move has been quietly on the card for a while and even as late as yesterday…
Beau Ryan has announced his immediate retirement from Rugby League due to a neck injury. Ryan has been trying to play through the injury for a long while now but this season in particular it has become clear that any time he received contact in a tackle the injury was troubling him. Ryan had a…
Zak Hardaker has finally owned up to a homophobic slur he made during last weekends games against the Warrington Wolves, a slur that was clearly heard by viewers of the game. The statement which was released on the Leeds Rhinos official web site reads: “Because of the RFL’s investigation, this is the first opportunity I…
Ben Te’o made his thoughts about Danny Weidler very well known in a press conference yesterday. Ben Te’o has every right to refuse to talk to certain journalists. I am one of the few people that support Darius Boyd when he refuses to talk to anyone at all. We live in a free country, and…
Ben Te’o has let Danny Weidler know in no uncertain terms what he thinks of him at a South Sydney Rabbitohs press conference. Te’o refused to answer any of the questions Channel 9 journalist Danny Weidler put to him, or any questions Weidler asked other journalists to ask Te’o. “Nah, no questions from you” Te’o…
The RFL have announced a 34 man England training squad that will meet on the 15th of June in preperation for the 2014 Four Nations to be held in Australia and New Zealand in October and November. The 34 man squad is: Daryl Clark, Craig Huby, Michael Shenton, Elliott Whitehead, Leroy Cudjoe, Brett Ferres, Joe…
News Limited journalist Dean Richie is reporting that James Tedesco has backed out of his deal to join the Canberra Raiders and is looking to remain with the Wests Tigers. This is a stunning backflip and a devastating blow for the Raiders. What prompted the backflip is anyone’s guess, but the Raiders form in recent…
When Australia mounted its first real bid to host the Soccer World Cup there was an air of quiet confidence among those in the bid team. There were two tournaments on offer, the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. Looking at the competing nations, looking at which tournaments they would be going after, Australia felt as…
The Parramatta Eels re-signing of Semi Radradra is great news, not only for the club, but for the game in general. For Radradra to go from an unknown player just a couple of years ago to one that will earn over $1 million during the term of his four year contract is amazing. It is…
Good luck trying to fight a case that has not given you a chance to front any hearing, and for which the charges continue to be changed. Sandor Earl has had new trafficking charges laid against him by ASADA and the NRL. This mess of a case will probably further change by the time Earl…
Round 15 saw a derby win for Bradford, St Helens moved to the top of the table and Leeds saw their 3rd defeat of the season. Huddersfield Giants vs Wigan Warriors Thursday night saw the inconsistent Giants face a still-injury hit Wigan side, but with O’Loughlin returning from injury, they would have had some confidence….
Josh Mansour is off contract at the end of the season and right now it looks as though he is weighing up a deal to head to the Canberra Raiders, or stick with the Penrith Panthers for what is likely to be less money. Now, I’m a Penrith Panthers survivor (That’s no typo!), but I…
Well, that escalated quickly! The New Zealand Warriors have announced that current CEO Wayne Scurrah will leave the club in November. That role will then be filled by current NRL COO Jim Doyle who will stand down from his current role at the end of the year. Doyle, who used to be the head of…
This is very clearly an unpopular opinion that I am about to put forward, but I love the idea of having a State of Origin game in Melbourne every three years. I am originally from New South Wales, but have grown up in AFL-mad Melbourne. I will not deny that above all else, Melburnians love…
ASADA has dropped the trafficking charges it had laid against Sandor Earl, paving the way for Earl to return to Rugby League. While other charges are still in place, the trafficking charge, which was a little sketchy in my opinion, was the big charge that carries a ban of between 4 years to life. Because…
All men are created equal. Its a nice line, but its a lie. All men are not created equal. Every single one of us are different. We are unique. What drives us, what we value, what we believe in, it differs from person to person. One thing we do all share is a strong survival…
While the Daily Telegraph is reporting that Jamal Idris had been stood down for an alcohol related incident, the Penrith Panthers are adamant that Idris has been stood down so he can deal with undisclosed personal issues. Who ever you believe, the fact is that Jamal Idris will not be playing football in the near…
The salary cap investigation involving the Brisbane Broncos has extended to the Broncos Leagues club. The licensed club, for which Andrew Gee was a director until he resigned from his post there recently, will be looked over as part of a forensic investigation into the salary cap irregularities the Broncos Football club recently alerted the…
After last night’s man of the match award the question has come up, is Jarryd Hayne the most important player in league? Not necessarily the best, or most consistent, but on his game, there are very, VERY, few better. Hayne had an off season last year and the Eels finished with the wooden spoon. This…
Game one of the 2014 State Of origin series was a classic contest. Now it is time to rate each players performance. Be warned, I rate players harshly no matter which side they play for. I rate all players on a scale of 1-10 and I’m not afraid to use the entire scare to show…