Articles posted on LeagueFreak.com that are written by guest writers.
Two battle-dusty sheriffs stand at opposite ends of the ANZ corral in the Wild West, wearily upright among piles of the steaming fallen as the only remaining gunslingers from a drawn-out bloody battle carried out over 1 score and 6 rounds. And a couple of finals. Both wear an engulfing tattoo of strain on their…
Rugby League applies a weakening choke-hold to news outlets on grand final week as it provides only a solitary game’s worth of inspiration to the poor souls empowered to lay literary bricks in column space. It is no more apparent in 2012’s decider with lonesome crickets chirping in the judiciary room at NRL base camp…
Okay, so the title of the article is done, time for polite to fuck off! Background: I’ve been a Balmain fan since 1988 and a Wests Tigers supporter since their inception. I say fan for Balmain because I loved that club. I say supporter for the latter, because as much as I want to tell…
For as long as I can remember, I have always had a great fondness and been captivated by martial arts, especially when displayed on the big screen. I know some people think these guys are just actors but I think just about all that will feature in my list are real life martial artists, this…
He had a brain for rugby league, creative, speedy, successful and spent most of his life with a bullet in his chest. He was Duncan Thompson. Thompson was born in Warwick, Queensland on March 14, 1895. He joined the Australian Bank of Commerce in 1911. While at Ipswich he represented Combined Country in 1913 and…
In 1908, Rugby League in Australia and New Zealand was officially born. So too, unfortunately, was the first reported attempt to fix a game. Northerners though were always keen for a punt, however one punter attempted to go one step further to get a win. Wigan were the competition heavyweights for season 1908-09, and rightfully…
Comparisons between players of the past with those currently playing the game have been an oft discussed topic. But ultimately it is near impossible to know certifiably just how good players would have performed under the current rules, against different opposition and the tactics of the modern game. Player weight variances would be of the…
There are a number of pertinent issues in Rugby League in Australia today that are the result of over a decade of self-interest by the NRL. A lot of these can be quickly and easily rectified through the implementation of a smarter draw. What the NRL needs to do is look back at what the…
G’day from Scotland! Whilst it is summer here, I’ve seen the four seasons over the past hour, and have just had my fix of Australian news, especially all things RL. And what a massive couple of days it has been! When it rains, it pours. When ol’ Huey decides to dump it on theARLC/NRL, grab…
Hi again. After a bit of positive feedback on the first article, I’m here again to rant. This week we have the so-called ‘Captain’s Challenge’. Whilst I understand that most players/coaches/fans have not been happy with the standard of refereeing this year (or for a number of years it should be said), this initiative will…
Let me start off by saying I love rugby league. Love it so much that it leaves me wanting to tear out another handful of hair or kick the nearest small child sometimes. This week, it’s the judiciary that needs our help. Like many things these days, the NRL judiciary system has become over-complicated to…
As a lifelong female fan and supporter of Rugby League, I am appalled by today’s decision regarding Robert Lui. I am fortunate to have a local JRL club run by a strong woman, and the Under 9 team my son plays in has a fantastic female player. The piss weak one year ban is a…
One of the main talking points for the first month or so of the 2012 NRL Off Season has been off the field and it’s a big issue – the next TV Rights Deal and indeed who they will go to. Now for those who don’t know (which I doubt will be many of you)…
Last Friday, the 2nd of March, a significant event in the history of the New Zealand Warriors occurred with expatriate New Zealand businessman Owen Glenn purchasing a 50% shareholding in the club. Glenn and current owner Eric Watson finalised and signed of the deal with NRL CEO David Gallop in Auckland on Thursday evening, the…
Gary Hetherington is a complete moron. There, I said it. And this quote from him is why. “The increase in the NRL’s salary cap, the current exchange rate and various changes made by the government are going to make it very, very difficult to attract top-quality, international standard overseas players,” Hetherington said. The Yorkshire Post…
Now I must admit that I like the Super League playoff process… well, most of it. Remove that God-awful ‘club call pick a team to play even though we all know they’re gunna choose the lowest-ranked side’ rubbish and I think you’ve got a brilliant formula. And we’ve seen pieces of magic that remind you…
I started reading League Freak a couple of years ago and the main thing that attracted me to the site was the laconic and straight-to-the-point attitude of the author, which is evident when he covers the issues that affect rugby league. People within the game can so often be found on the fence but some,…
Forget the Rabbitohs versus the Roosters, forget NSW vs QLD and certainly forget Australia vs New Zealand, no, the biggest rvalry in Australian sport at the present time isn’t even between two sporting teams its between two sports with one using more spin than the Mike Gatting ball and the other getting smashed pillar to…
Rugby League began at Brunel in November 2007, when a few freshers who felt disenfranchised by the rugby union set-up at university thought about approaching the university about creating a separate rugby union side where they would feel comfortable. Before approaching the university with the idea however, they were convinced to instead set up a…
This weekend sees the return of Broncos dangerous centre Justin Hodges after his 6 week suspension for a dangerous throw on Eels hooker Mark Riddell. It is on the issue of these lengthy suspensions that I take issue. The matter has been brought to my attention in particular by the recent long suspensions dished out…
The Rhinos edged out the Storm in terrible weather conditions to give themselves the right to be called world champions. Whether you agree they are truly the best team in the world is up to you. We can’t say for certain because the game isn’t played on a level playing field. Leeds were already 4 games into…
To state the obvious, 2007 has not been the greatest year in the history of New Zealand Rugby League. But tonight, December 1, the brighter side of the NZ game was acknowledged and celebrated with the annual awards function held at the Telstra Pacific Events Centre, Manukau, Auckland. Winners from the night were: Lion Foundation…
This week NZRL chairmen Andrew Chalmers has launched another scathing attack on the British judicial system. What’s he whinging about? I mean, it’s not like this is anything new. Any Super league fan that has followed the game more than 5 minutes will tell you our judicial system is an inconsistent farce and appears to…
In 2008, the NRL is launching a new programme to encourage players to become referees when they retire. The programme, dubbed the Cadet Programme, will be overseen by former NRL whistle-blower Steve Clark. It will consist of a three-year programme whereby the cadets (former players) will train with the current first grade refs, do school…
Not a chance. As the WCC matchup between sentellins and the Broncos draws ever closer there seems to be a consensus that this is the real deal. The match has been re-arranged to suit the Broncos, they have more prep time than previous NRL sides as do the saints and we have people predicting a…
By now I’m guessing you’re all pretty sick and tired of the gazzillions of repetitive predictions threads we’ve had over the off season on RLFans. ”I predict sintellins will finish top and hull will finish second” yadda yadda ad infinitum. The ‘wigan points deduction’ for a magical salary cap breach that hasn’t yet been confirmed…
The RFL today released news that it will be appointing a full time coach for the Great Britain team after announcing they will not be renewing Nobles contract. Shamefully Nobles greatest achievement with the GB team was getting one of the most comprehensive systematic thrashings ever seen on home soil by the aussies in the…
St Helens… aka Liverpool to some silly silly people! But its not… St Helens is a medium sized town.. i guess, outside of Liverpool!!!!!! Its probably most famous for St Helens RLFC and The Glass Industry… but the glass industry inst as big now here as it formally was… so Saints are what we are…
I’ve been supporting the Wolves now since the middle of Super League VII in 2002. I got into it through a work mate of mine, who asked me to tag along to a game. It was versus St Helens. Me being a newbie didn’t know the rivalry we had with the Scousers. We lost…..but on…