Articles posted on LeagueFreak.com that are written by guest writers.
The first game of the 2013 Origin Series is almost upon us. Betting agencies have the odds at an almost 50/50 split and the experts are just as equally divided in trying to pick a winner. Queensland are trying to win an unprecedented 8th straight Origin series whilst NSW are trying to regain that winning…
It is that time of year again. The time where every Rugby League fan declares themselves blue or maroon(apparently pronounced maroan… don’t get me started…) The time of year where friends turn to bitter enemies. Where you are suddenly the biggest fan of players you would normally detest simply because of the colour jersey they…
As much as I hate to say it and as much as I love them, I think it’s the best option for the North Queensland Cowboy to release Dallas Johnson, Matthew Bowen & Glenn Hall at seasons end. It’s no secret we have an ageing roster, the old legs in the squad is partly the…
I am a NSW Blues fan in the State of Origin. Correction, I am a frustrated NSW Blues fan in the State of Origin. You see, as we haven’t won a series since 2005, my frustrations have slowly but surely built to the surface. What was once a babbling underground brook is now a raging…
“I’m not defending what he said, but…” JUST STOP TALKING, ALL OF YOU. So the AFL’s Indigenous Round has been a dismal failure. It’s timed to coincide with Reconciliation Week, to honour the contribution of Aboriginal players to AFL. Make no mistake, Aussie Rules is their game. We all know what happened, let’s get to…
With reports circulating that English prop Gareth Hock is about to pull out of his deal with the Parramatta Eels, two questions come to mind: 1) Why do players sign for clubs before they are genuinely committed? 2) What’s the point of signing a contract if you can just back out of it later? Earlier…
When outgoing Chief Executive Officer Todd Greenberg announced he was leaving his post as Top Dog at the Canterbury Bulldogs to join David Smith’s senior executive team at NRL Head Office, members, fans and the NRL community all wondered who could possibly replace him. Greenberg joined the club in 2008 at a time when the…
Last night League Freak suggested taking an entire round of games to New Zealand, an idea taken from the Super League Magic Weekend. A very good idea indeed to create extra interest across the Tasman. After Sunday’s game in Mudgee I’d suggest taking an entire round of games to the bush so to speak. By…
Today the Wests Tigers faithful are rejoicing in the fact that their team has finally located a pulse. It may be waterlogged, but it’s beating. The process wasn’t pretty, but last night at Leichhardt Oval they eventually emerged from the mud wrestle on top of the Cowboys in a sodden contest that involved some fortuitous…
I’ve thought about writing this Saturday Night but it was not until now that I decided to go ahead due to the sensitive nature of the topic. Last weekend the NRL put on its Women In League round. Teams wore pink, charities were given much needed publicity and thousands upon thousands of dollars were raised…
Another day another sportsman being investigated for comments made on Twitter. A day after the Ben Te’o alleged assault case surfaced young cricket Chris Lynn is in hot water for tweeting about the woman at the centre of the allegations. This just a day after David Warner was fined for his comments made on twitter…
The New South Wales State of Origin side is set to be named on Sunday night and it seems everybody is talking about who should be selected. Some players are automatic selections (i.e. Gallen, Jennings) whilst other spots are extremely up for grabs (i.e. five-eighth, bench). In something that is sure to spark much feedback…
Eric Grothe Junior burst onto the scene as a young, strong winger for the Parramatta Eels. Sharing the name of his famous dad Grothe has been in the spotlight since an early age and having played Origin for NSW 3 times and representing his nation it’s fair to say Eric has embraced it. Since retiring…
Last night’s game between Manly and Melbourne reignited the debate on whether or not golden point is a good idea. Twitter lit up with arguments saying it’s the most exciting way to decide a winner whilst others were saying it’s nothing but the penalty shoot-out of rugby league. Personally I would much rather it be…
Even during the exciting Green Machine days I never thought I’d say I really feel for the Raiders and their fans. No this doesn’t have anything to do with their defeat at the hands of the Sharks on the weekend but has everything to do with the man who led the Sharks to victory, Todd…
Wowsers. What a collector’s item of sparkling goal kicking from Luke Walsh last night! The Penrith halfback’s spotless 11 from 11 was a magnificent showcase of accuracy from sideline to sideline, not to mention a perfect accompaniment to the razzle dazzle being served up by the Panthers on the CUA turf against a porous Warriors…
Dear Panthers Fans, In my season preview I without hesitation (ok a little hesitation) predicted that the Penrith Panthers would run away with the Wooden Spoon in 2013. A few weeks later in my thoughts on the wooden spoon I again said the Panthers would finish last due to the lack of a genuine game…
In an exclusive, League Freak has obtained a copy of an email that proves the decision by Matt Cecchin to send-off Jared Waerea-Hargreaves against Manly on Monday night may have been the pre-conceived actions of a raving madman that were inspired by a directive from above. The email, sent on Sunday from senior official Shayne…
It’s fair to say that the Penrith Panthers have been extremely busy in the player market so far in 2013. They have publicly chased Australian 5/8 Thurston as well NSW 5/8 Todd Carney and although they came up short in both efforts, media reports indicate they came within a whisker of securing each. After a less than…
The crowd of 7, 803 at Centrebet Stadium to see the home side Penrith take on the World Champion Melbourne Storm capped off a poor weekend of crowd attendance for the NRL. This week saw figures of: 12, 117 at The Titans vs. Dragons game 10, 453 in Canberra to see the Raiders belt Newcastle…
Rugby League’s worst kept secret is now out, Josh Dugan is officially a Dragon. My first reaction was ‘geese the Dragons are desperate’ but on second thought I realised it was only a few short weeks ago someone asked me if I’d take Dugan at the Sharks and I said I would consider it. The…
South Sydney coach Michael Maguire has come out and stated that he believes Greg Inglis has been targeted by defenses To this I say “Ah Duh!!!” Manly’s Richard Fa’aoso is serving an 8 week ban for 2 separate spear tackles on the South Sydney ace but this is not the first time this season Inglis has…
Yesterday (7th May) Blake Ferguson signed a 2 yr contract extension with the Canberra Raiders after a cracking game against the Storm. News reports have referred to the centre as a “reformed bad boy” amongst other things. He’s even being spoken of as a potential State Of Origin centre. First of all unless Josh Morris,…
Over the last 7 years since NSW has won an Origin series the question has arisen countless times through media outlets and social networking sites weather State Of Origin is still relevant to the game of Rugby League. The simple answer is Yes it is the more difficult answer is how do New South Wales come up…
In the interests of perpetuating the stereotype of rugby league’s fickle water cooler, where memories are short, determinations are rash and a week is a long time, I’m going on the record today by saying the Bulldogs are back, baby! For those reasonable and sensible who don’t exaggerate whilst canvassing over a plastic cup, this…
For those who haven’t read Rugby League Week’s Players Poll, I definitely recommend doing so as it was not only a good read but always starts discussion re the best players, best referee etc. The poll took a softer stance this season dropping the Biggest Grub/Sook award as well as the Most Overrated, and focused…
First I think it is fair that I let everyone know once again that I am a Sharks fan and that should be taken into account when reading the following. Yesterday young 2nd rower Wade Graham was the first player to be interviewed by ASADA officials in Sydney’s RBA offices in relation to the Sharks…
The competition between MMA/UFC and boxing has been a talking point among many over the last few years. Boxing may be the oldest form of combat known to man. Its existence dates back to ancient civilisations before the birth of Christ. Boxing was definitely most popular from the 50s through to the 90s when we…
Before I get into the specifics I must admit that I am a huge fan of Sam Tomkins and would welcome him into the Cronulla backline today, tomorrow or yesterday. He is a world class talent and I hope to see him in the NRL next season to test his skills against the world’s best…
After broadcasting 45 grueling years of steamy side-glances from bush league thespians, Channel Nine has made a major alteration to sick day protocol by cancelling the daily screening of worshiped soap Days of our Lives. Unconfirmed reports from nameless sources say that CEO David Gyngell had grown tired of the program’s suffering standards, so he decided to allow his…