News that covers Rugby League in Australia.
It is with a very heavy heart that I write that Reg Gasnier has passed away. Words can’t explain what an amazing player Gasnier was. That his impact on the game spans generations, and yet he retired at the age of 28, shows how brightly his star shone on the game of Rugby League and…
News Limited journalist James Hooper is reporting that the New Zealand Warriors have made a massive offer to Manly Sea Eagles centre Steve Matai. He is reporting that the deal is worth $2.5 million over 4 years. The Warriors have been splashing the cash recently, their huge deal to get Sam Tomkins from Wigan was…
It is pretty clear that Karmichael Hunt is looking to return to the NRL in 2015 and right now it looks like the Gold Coast Titans are favoured to sign him just ahead of the Brisbane Broncos. Hunt’s manager took less than 48 hours to toss his clients name up in the media after the…
I would stop writing about this sort of thing if Mal Meninga would just chill out, look how many series he has won as the Queensland Maroons coach, and started enjoying life a little rather than being so angry about things. In the latest round of “Things Mal Said” Mal Meninga has claimed that New…
The National Rugby League has released details about the long overdue salary cap overhaul that will bring the salary cap rules up to speed with the current pressures that clubs and players all face today. A lot of the changes that are being made are really just to clear up some grey areas of the…
Benji Marshall’s future remains up in the air after Canberra Raiders became the latest team to insist they were not about to sign the 29-year-old former Wests Tigers star. Marshall is looking for a new NRL team after enduring an ill-fated stint in rugby union, featuring in only six matches for Auckland Blues before deciding…
Imagine the headlines… New South Wales selects Sonny Bill Williams in game one of the 2014 State Of Origin series. I think the entire country would go into a meltdown. International eligibility rules state that after a World Cup, the most important international tournament we have, every single player is allowed to switch nations. I…
Since making his first grade debut in 2008 with the Canterbury Bulldogs Jamal Idris has been haunted by one word. Potential. Idris has played for three different clubs over the course of his career and showed huge potential at all of them. This potential saw Idris play representative football in his first season, a trend…
Passion is a powerful emotion, but it does not give you the right to slander a mans reputation. Earlier this week Paul Kent made some comments that I didn’t agree with at all. I’m going to post exactly what he said so there can be no confusion. “I tell you, the NRL needs to go…
There a great article posted on the Fox Sports web site that show a total of 48 players have either been suspended or injured coming out of the last round of NRL games. Its a great read and really shows that players and clubs have completely brushed this representative round of football in a dramatic…
It takes a big person to admit they got something wrong, and finally, after a number of years, Brian Waldron has apologized for the long term, systematic abuse of the NRL salary cap that led to the Melbourne Storm being stripped of two NRL titles. Geez, thanks Brian. You’re a real sport! It is interesting…
You know the funny part about the City vs Country contest? You can be from Newcastle, Canberra or Wollongong, and with a straight face talk about how proud you are to be a country boy. City vs Country is the most irrelevant contest in Rugby League. It is a game that no longer holds any…
Numerous news sources are reporting that former NRL player Ryan Tandy has died of an apparent drug overdose. Police have already stated the his death is not being classed as suspicious. This is very sad news. Ryan Tandy obviously had issues he was dealing with over the last few years. My thoughts are with his…
News Limited is reporting that Sydney Roosters back rower Sonny Bill Williams has got married. The headline claims Williams was married in a secret wedding to his “Muslim beauty” which to me seems like a weird way to put it if you ask me. What does her religion need to be slashed across the headlines?…
News Limited journalist David Riccio has just tweeted that Andrew Fifita has signed a four year contract extension with the Cronulla Sharks. While no contract figure is mentioned you can be sure it is not anywhere near what he would have earned at the Bulldogs. This ends a ridiculous saga that saw Fifita sign a…
Canberra Raiders coach Ricky Stuart will front a reality TV series that will see 15 young players vying for their chance at the big time. Called “The Coach”, it will air during the upcoming off season. This serious could be really interesting. Watching a show that is all about someone proving they belong in the…
Money is the reason that State Of Origin eligibility rules were slowly undermined by both states since the inception of the State Of Origin concept in the early 1980’s. people can talk about passion until they are Blue or Maroon in the face. The fact is that from day one coaches and officials looked at…
Luke Keary has had his appeal against his State Of Origin eligibility denied by the National Rugby League. Keary qualified for New South Wales under the current rules but decided he wanted to play for Queensland. He was the first big test of the current rules and it’s seems the NRL was not willing to…
Click baiting…its something even the big media companies love doing! There is a classic example of it today in an article by News Limited today titled The truth about sport’s ultimate mercenary Sonny Bill Williams: nobody cares what you do, Sonny. The basic premise is that Sonny Bill Williams is allegedly going to boycott the…
News Limited is reporting that the Cronulla Sharks are favourites to snare the signatures of Benji Marshall and current Canterbury Bulldogs hooker Michael Ennis. News that the Sharks are willing to offer Marshall a three year deal is a bit of a shock. Marshall’s form towards the end of last year was terrible and there…
Manly Sea Eagles back rower Glenn Stewart will leave the club at the end of the season and join up with the South Sydney Rabbitohs in 2015 on a two year deal. Stewart was not even offered a contract by the Sea Eagles and that is something that has angered some within the club. I…
The Brisbane Broncos have re-signed a couple of their veteran players, handing Corey Parker and Justin Hodges two year contract extensions. Parker’s re-signing is a no brainer but I have to say I’m a little surprised that Hodges was re-signed. Over the last few years Hodges has battled a number of injury problems that have…
It only took a few months of Rugby Union for Benji Marshall to decide to return to Rugby League. Marshall was signed on a fairly decent contract to sign with the Auckland Blues, so to walk out on that deal says a lot about how miserable he has been in Rugby Union. While many will…
Greg Bird could find himself in hot water after being accused of grabbing Penrith Panthers forward Sika Manu by the testicles in the second half of the Panthers 14-12 victory over the Titans on Monday Night. The incident, which occurred late in the second half, saw Manu lash out at Bird and subsequently draw a…
The Sydney Morning Herald is reporting that Benji Marshall and the Auckland Blues will agree to part ways and that Marshall has instructed his manager to find him an NRL team to play for as early as this season. Marshall has had an unhappy time since switching to Rugby Union this year and its pretty…
It has been yet another mixed week for the Canberra Raiders, who after their disappointing 26-12 loss to the Knights, have been buoyed by the good news of the re-signing of Joel Edwards. This comes less than a week after the good news that big man Dane Tilse had re-signed to play for the club…
As a Penrith Panthers fan I have mixed emotions around the announcement that Tim Grant has requested and been granted a release to play for the South Sydney Rabbitohs from 2015 onwards. Grant has been an outstanding clubman, a local junior, a fan favourite and a decent bloke. My understanding from various people within the…
Over the last few weeks video referee’s have been under intense scrutiny for some of the unbelievably bad decisions they have made. This has led to calls from some people to have all decisions made at NRL headquarters by a centralized video referee that would hand down decisions during games. In some ways it sounds…
News Limited journalist Josh Massoud is reporting on Twitter that Manly Sea Eagles fullback Brett Stewart has been arrested after failing a RBT test. If this is true it is the last thing the Stewart brothers need. With Glen Stewart on his way out at the club and Brett rumoured to be following his brother,…
You have to feel sorry for the North Queensland Cowboys. Their 26-21 loss to the Manly Sea Eagles in Gosford last night should not have occurred. I have defended on field officials and I still stand by that. They have a tough job to do and are asked to make decisions instantly. Sometimes they will…