In this episode we look at the extraordinary 1909 season which proved to be a pivotal season for Australian Rugby League. From a failed Kangaroo Tour to the famous forfeited NSWRL Final between Balmain and South Sydney, so much happened in 1909 and this is the story of that season! Episode Links: Details Of The…
Rugby League began its second year of existence having survived a busy and financially demanding opening season, culminating in a marathon pioneering Kangaroo tour to Great Britain. With the tour still ongoing at the start of 1909, reports trickling in from England were stating that the Kangaroo’s had run at a considerable financial loss. Several…
Dally Messenger Born: Herbert Henry Messenger on 12/4/1883 at Balmain, New South Wales Died: 24/11/1959 at Gunnedah, New South Wales It was just 20 hours before the first game of professional Rugby was to be played in Australia that Herbert Henry “Dally” Messenger agreed to join, making him the face of what would become Rugby…
Very few people know of the second president of the NSWRL. Largely due to the fact he served for less than a month, however Ernest Clement Vernon Broughton was the very definition of a career politician who very much worked himself into the ground. He was born in Kangaroo Point, Queensland on January 29, 1865….
Edward Rennix Larkin was a man who is most remembered and revered for his leadership qualities in everything he involved himself. He was a constable in the police force, a journalist, a sergeant in the army, a captain of his Rugby Union club Endeavour, a parliamentarian and the first fulltime secretary of the NSWRL. Born…
While the legacy of the great Dally “The Master” Messenger has endured the tests of time, and rightfully so, there was another great pioneering centre who many argue was as good as Dally. Jim Devereux. James Devereux was born in 1887 in the St.Leonard’s. He had 7 siblings – brothers Timothy and Michael and sisters…
Born in Cooks Hill on May 3, 1879, Patrick Bernard Walsh attended Newcastle Superior Public School where he received medals for running and in 1895 he received a medal for the best cricket all-rounder. The following year he left school aged 17, to work as a railway porter. He joined the Norwoods Rugby Union club…
Henry Clement Hoyle’s entire life read as the perfect plan for a man to become a senior member of the Australian Labor Party and as the first presidents of the game for the working class man, Rugby League. He was born on November 20, 1852 in Millers Point and attended a convent in Balmain before…
In this episode the boys give a full review of the 2019 Rugby League World 9’s. They give their thoughts on the tournament and how it can be improved for the future. If you enjoy our podcast make sure you go to your podcasting app and give us a five star rating. Also, give us…
In this episode we are joined by Professor Tony Collins, a Rugby League and Rugby Union historian about the birth of the game of Rugby, Rugby Leagues split from Rugby Union, as well as the birth of Rugby League in England, Wales, New Zealand, Australia and France. This was a fantastic discussion and we are…
I this episode Andrew and Freak take the NRL State Of The Game survey for 2019. They go through and answer all of the question, the highlight being how they would add exciting, unpredictability to NRL games. The boys also reveal the winners of the RLPA Awards that were held tonight, then have a quick…
In this episode we talk to Dr Alan Pearce who is a Neurophysiologists and Associate Professor at La Trobe University in Melbourne. Alan is the Research Manager at the Australian Sports Brain Bank Victoria. In this episode we talk to Alan about his appearance on the SBS Insight program about concussion in sport. We go in depth…
In this episode we take a look at the 2019 Rugby League World 9’s to be held at Bankwest Stadium on the 18th and 19th of October. We look through all three groups, talk about all the teams participating, look at a few teams we wish were added, and then we rank the teams involved….
Here are the player ratings for the 2019 NRL Grand Final between the Canberra Raiders and the Sydney Roosters. The Roosters secured back-to-back titles with a 14-8 victory over the Raiders, becoming the first back-to-back champions in the NRL competition since the Brisbane Broncos achieved the feat in 1992 and 1993. The ratings for these…
In this episode we talk about possible retirement plans for Craig Bellamy and Cameron Smith, Phil Rothfield gives us some of the worst damn stories to chat about in 2019, we go through the restyle of the official Fergo and The Freak fan poll for 2019, we take a look at the 2019 NRL Grand…
In this episode we look back on a short lived competition called the Endeavour Cup. While it wasn’t around for very long, it had an immediate impact on the game across the world and gave us a number of rules we now take for granted in the game. Thats right ladies and gentleman, its another…
In this episode we discuss the possible return of Israel Folau to Rugby League via the Tongan test side and the possible moves by the RLIF to block him. We then talk about Sam Burgess’ apology and the reason why a five minute sin bin would be a terrible idea. To take the OFFICIAL Fergo…
In this episode we review the Storms big win over the Parramatta Eels, we talk about whinging old idiots that hate life, and by extension Rugby League, Paul McGregor getting one last shot to redeem his ailing coaching career after the previous six last shot, Benji Marshall goes around for one more season, a lil…
In this episode we take a look at the South Sydney Rabbitohs victory over the Manly Sea Eagles. There will be a lot said in the media about this contest, but we cut through all the rubbish and give our opinion on what was a great contest that was decided by teams playing their guts…
In this episode we do a preview of both finals games for week two! We talk about the ridiculous overturning of Shane Flanagans suspension and how that doesn’t line up with other players who have been banned, we throw in a little Wests Tigers talk and look at the Brisbane Broncos clear out! To take…
In this episode we discuss Sam Burgess’ comments about the match review committee and the NRL judiciary. We talk about the ramifications of his comments, we look at his record over the 2019 NRL season, we talk about the systems in place, and why the current system is by far and away the best one…
In todays episode we talk about the Brisbane Broncos being out the night before their record breaking loss, Darius Boyd being attacked in the media for earning money the Broncos owe to him, Elliott Whiteheads bloody gash and what we would do with $150 million. To take the OFFICIAL Fergo and The Freak 2019 NRL…
In this episode we discuss the apology by Shane Flanagan to the NRL and the ARL Commission as he tried to get his ban overturned. We look at the terrible circumstances regarding the Swinton Lions abandoning moved to change their name to the Manchester Lions. We then go through the results of the 2019 Sydney…
I this fresh episode of Fergo and The Freak we review all four NRL Finals matches, from the Eels recording setting win over the Broncos, to the Bunnies inept performance against the Roosters. To take the OFFICIAL Fergo and The Freak 2019 NRL Fan Poll CLICK HERE If you enjoy our podcast make sure you…
In this episode we look at the first four games of the 2019 NRL Finals series. We look at some of the ins and outs, we tell you whop we expect to win, and we have a quick look at who might be playing who next week! To take the OFFICIAL Fergo and The Freak…
In this episode we talk about Hudson Young and his guilty verdict at the judiciary for eye gouging, we then talk about Jared Waerea-Hargreaves and his not guilty verdict for contact with a players head and we talk about Sam Burgess suspension for hair pulling. We then make our very first correction about an error we…
On this Mad Monday edition of Fergo and The Freak we talk about Phil Goulds review of the St George/Illawarra Dragons, agreeing with Phil Rothfield, the Wests Tigers securing that all important 9th place on the ladder, Tongan Rugby League in CRISIS, who is worse than Matthew Elliott at coaching, and Brookvale Oval…..THE GROUND IS…
In this episode the boys look at Souths impressive, brutal win over the Roosters, they look at possible players movements involving Issac Luke, Semi Radradra and Valentine Holmes. We then talk about the supposed architect of expansion clubs in John Ribot, discuss Phil Gould suggestion to trial 12 players per side, and then…we have something…
In this episode we fire up about Golden Point in NRL matches, Graham Annesley constantly needing to justify his job publicly, we go through all the stupid suggestions for how Golden Point should be changed, and we talk about being sick and tired of the NFL being used as some great example to everything Rugby…
In this episode we talk about Paul McGregor and his time being up at the Dragons and talk that Shane Flanagan might have his life ban over-turned after less than a year. We then talk about Paul Kent arguing with himself, Phil Gould attacking the NRL over comments made by the head of Channel 9…