News that covers Rugby League in Australia.
The Australian is reporting that NRL clubs are digging their heels in over a fight for increased funding from the NRL. Clubs want the NRL and ARL Board to boost their funding with money that would be drawn from the games “Future Fund”, and it is expected to end in a showdown between the clubs…
The Burgess brothers will become the first four brothers to line up in the same first grade side for 103 years! Luke, Sam, George and Thomas will run out for the South Sydney Rabbitohs against the Wests Tigers on Friday night in what is a pretty remarkable achievement for the Burgess family. The Sydney Morning…
A war of words between Paul Gallen, Brian Smith, Rugby League supporters and Paul Gallens Dad has punctuated the aftermath of the Cronulla Sharks 32-22 win over the Sydney Roosters on Monday night. Top players in Rugby League are always going to face criticism on social media but it is rare that players have to…
The Sydney Daily Telegraph is reporting that Blake Ferguson caused a few issues at a taxi rank after a night out on the town two in Sydney on Saturday night. Ferguson, who says he has given up the drink, was seen at a pub with Sharks players on the same night the Canberra Raiders were…
It was rotten to see Ray Thompson holding his broken jaw together as he left the field on Saturday night. While the North Queensland Cowboys beat the Newcastle Knights 26-6, all thoughts were with Thompson after suffering the shocking injury that will most likely see him miss the rest of the season. Newcastle Knights forward…
As we head towards the NRL finals series the top teams in the completion will start to weight up the risks versus the rewards of playing their key players in the remaining games of the regular season. With just about every team in the competition one or two key injuries away from being no hope…
Interim Parramatta chief executive Matt Phelan is adamant that Ricky Stuart is committed to the Eels despite the recent speculation linking him with a move to Canberra. The Raiders are currently looking for a new boss following the dismissal of David Furner on Tuesday, with Andrew Dunemann set to take charge of the final three…
Deflecting responsibility is the new favourite past time in Rugby League. Whether it is a player wanting more money than the are on now, a playing group getting rid of a coach, a player with an off field issue or a player with an on field issues….it’s always someone else fault. The thing hat pisses…
News that the Penrith Panthers tried to buy the Western Sydney Wanderers came as a shock to me. I am in the unique position of being a supporter of both the Penrith Panthers and the Western Sydney Wanderers. I’ve lived in Western Sydney all of my life and grew up playing both sports. I would…
The Sydney Daily Telegraph is reporting that the Penrith Panthers made an expression of interest to a company charged with finding a buying for A League club the Western Sydney Wanderers, only for the FFA to step in and deny the the move. The move is a curious one when you consider the amount of…
The Daily Telegraph is reporting that the Brisbane Broncos negotiations with the Canterbury Bulldogs for the release of fullback Ben Barba is likely to cost the Queensland based club around $300,000. On top of that the Broncos will look to double Barba’s current salary when he joins the club, meaning that Barba’s move north for…
I’ve never really rated David Furner as a coach. I think when you look at the Canberra Raiders talent and depth as well as their erratic performances…something wasn’t working. Having said that, the Raiders find themselves in the finals race. In a few weeks time they could be challenging for the NRL title. I’ve written…
Andrew Webster of the Sydney Morning Herald is reporting that the Wests Tigers need a $1 million cash injection to survive. The good news is that the Western Suburbs side of the joint venture is ready to step in and provide the funding, but only in exchange for the controlling votes on the Wests Tigers…
Benji Marshall is one of my favourite Rugby League players. I’m not a Wests Tigers fan but over the years I have watched nearly every game Marshall has played. His combination of incredible footwork and skill is something you rarely see from a playmaker. Marshall has been the best player on the field in so…
The Canberra Raiders are investigating reports that Blake Ferguson was out drinking while injured according to the Sydney Morning Herald. The Raiders, like most team, have rules against players drinking while they are out injured. While Ferguson has admitted being at a pub, but denied drinking while there, you just have to wonder at what…
The Newcastle Knights have been caught red handed wetting the ball before kicking off in an effort to make it more slippery for the reviving team to catch. It is a low, cynical move, and one that isn’t even all that original. This is something that started off in Super League not that long ago…
For well over a decade now there has been talk of an exhibition match between the Australian Kangaroos Rugby League team and the Australian Rugby Unions Mustard Disgrace. The money is supposedly being put up by ANZ Stadium and a mystery broadcaster. The money on offer is supposedly huge. It is something that is brought…
Ben Barba’s move back to Queensland for family reasons is set to be a very lucrative one… The Brisbane Sunday Mail is reporting that the Brisbane Broncos are ready to table a four year deal Ben Barba that will also see the club pay compensation to the Canterbury Bulldogs for the right have the 2012…
You won’t believe this, but after watching his Manly Sea Eagles get beaten by the South Sydney Rabbitohs 22-10 in Gosford on Friday night, Geoff Toovey blew up about the referee’s! “We need to have an investigation into this!” Toovey whinged to gathered journalists who were gleefully waiting to poke the angry bear with a…
The Daily Telegraph is reporting that State Of Origin representative Blake Ferguson will ask the Canberra Raiders for a release from the remaining two years of his contract on compassionate grounds. It is believed Ferguson wants to return to Sydney so that he can be closer to his uncle, Anthony Mundine. The Raiders will no…
I’m not entirely sure what makes a grown man decide he wants to grab another man by the ball sack. I wasn’t a good enough footy player to be able to make a tackle AND have the time to reach for tackle. Even if I had been, its just not something I would personally do….
The New Zealand Herald is reporting that the NZRU has tabled a three year offer to Sonny Bill Williams and that they are quietly confident of securing his services for the 2014 season. The NZ Herald states that Williams has privately told those close to him that he is leaning towards a move away from…
Benji Marshall is one of the highest paid players in the National Rugby League. Even without the upgrade to his contract that he wanted, Marshall gets paid more to play for, and represent the Tigers, than 99% of players that play in the NRL. A component of his contract with not only the Wests Tigers,…
The Melbourne Storm have beaten the South Sydney Rabbitohs 26-8 in a game that showed the Rabbitohs have a a way to go if they really want to mix it with the contenders come finals time. While the Rabbitohs were missing John Sutton and Greg Inglis, two of their better players, there were signs throughout…
Rugby League Weeks The Mole is reporting that the St George/Illawarra Dragons are chasing the services of Huddersfield Giants forward Eorl Crabtree. Crabtree is a giant front rower who stands at 6 ft 6 in. He has played his entire career with the Huddersfield Giants where he has earned 13 test caps for England. I’m…
Cronulla Sharks fans need to prepare themselves for the worst case scenario. Right now we are seeing the ASADA investigation into the alleged use of performance enhancing drugs among NRL players gain traction. When you stand back and look at the big picture it is clear that the end game is almost here. The club…
The Sydney Daily Telegraph is reporting that customs officials seized the phones of Cronulla Sharks captain Paul Gallen and Manly Sea Eagles forward Anthony Watmough in separate incidents in relation to the either the ASADA or ACC investigations into alleged performance enhancing drug use in sport. Officials are alleged to have downloaded information off both…
National Rugby League players want to have their cake and eat it too. Play well and you get a big, long term contract. You get financial security and the backing of a Rugby League club that spends it own money marketing you and raising your profile. If you feel like moving though, fuck em! Ditch…
Next years NRL All Star Game could be scrapped with concerns over player burnout and a crowded fixture list worrying clubs according to the Daily Telegraph. A final decision will be made at a meeting of NRL CEO’s this week with the proposed Rugby League 9’s competition in Auckland expected to take priority over the…
Paul Gallen has broken ranks and gained his own legal representation according to the Daily Telegraph. There is talk that Gallen believes he will be a major target of the ASADA investigators if only for the fact that he would be the biggest scalp for them to claim. I said from day one that players…