With all the excitement about the upcoming NRL Trials and 9s tournament, a huge story seems to have been over looked, the appointment of Tony Archer as the referee’s boss. Ok so it’s not a huge story and most people won’t care beyond knowing who to abuse on social media when their team hard done…
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…
Rugby League coaches never lose games. Ever. There is always something that gets in the way of a Rugby League coaches perfect plan to take down the opposition. Injuries, suspensions, the terrible schedule, the rep season….there is always some reason why a coach didn’t manage to get the win. Of course, the most obvious reason coaches…
An attacking player that is not in possession of the ball is not allowed to obstruct a defender. It is a really, really simple rule that has been over complicated. Do you know who is to blame for that? Coaches. You see for some reason when rules come up for review in Rugby League, we go and…
The Sydney Roosters have announced that they have “parted ways” with Brian Smith today. This doesn’t come as a surprise after the season the Roosters had. I always got the feeling it was going to end this way for Smith. He was brought in to try and fix the club and rid them of a…
St Helens officially sacked Royce Simmons today and have appointed Head of high performance Mike Rush as coach. This is a move that came way too soon and one that smacks of a club that has lost all perspective on its true standing within the game. St Helens is facing the stark reality that has…
Today has been a glorious day in the history of Penrith Rugby League club, for today, we have finally, officially, got rid of Matthew Elliott as coach of the Penrith Panthers. Elliott was told on Tuesday morning that he would not have his contract renewed at the end of the year. Not long after, the…
A football club is a little bit like a sailing ship. The boat itself is the team. The captain of the ship is like the coach. The rudder is like the CEO and the keel, well, that is like the football board. Everything has its own job, and as soon as something fails, the whole…
Like most teams that miss the NRL Finals series, consistency was the Achilles heel of the Parramatta Eels. After making last years Grand Final, the Eels had big hopes in 2010. They had lost a few players in the off season but they felt they had more than squared the ledger with the additions of…
This has been coming for some time. The Daily Telegraph in Sydney is reporting that Jarryd Hayne has his nose out of joint over comments made by his coach Daniel Anderson after the weekends loss to the Brisbane Broncos. What Anderson said was the softest rocket you have ever seen: “I think our fullback is learning. He…
There, I said it! Well we all know Parramatta suck, and have sucked for quite some time. So what is there problem? Well the current situation the club finds itself in wasn’t helped by former coach Michael Hagan. He was a terrible coach, a terrible leader and even now having moved on, he is publicly…
Well, Leeds beat St Helens in the Grand Final and made it back to back titles. I have to confess that I haven’t watched the game yet and to be honest, I don’t think I will be chasing it down. There has been a bit of whinging because St Helens players didn’t wait around after…
He had walked out on, and quit on more club and national sides then I even care to imagine, and all along the way it was self interest and ego that guided his decisions. So it is stunning to read the news that Stacey Jones has AGAIN decided to un-retire and sign a one year…
In his first season with the Newcastle Knights, Michael Hagan won a Premiership. It was a fair achievement and many saw him as the new breed of coach who would go on to take the game to a new level. The problem was that from that point on, Newcastle got worse and worse to the…
With Neil Henry set to sign with North Queensland, and Wayne Bennett meeting the Dragons, a lot of positions are starting to be filled very quickly when it comes to the head coaching positions available in the NRL. So it comes as a bit of a surprise that reports of Daniel Anderson has been house…
Before I start I just want to ask one question. Does Wayne Bennett actually want to coach New Zealand? We all know the complete disaster New Zealand Rugby League went through in 2007. From issues with the running of the game in New Zealand, to the shambolic performance of the Test side, 2007 was a…
In 2007 New Zealand Rugby League was supposed to be celebrating 100 years of international competition. Instead, it has been brought to its knee’s as a century of incompetence hits a new low and the game in New Zealand becomes a shattered shell compared to the long awaited promise of success. With the Bardercard Cup…
Well its that time of the year again when the Poms get together and star showing the world how little they know about Rugby League. After a great season in which he was head and shoulders above his team mates and any other player in the Super League competition, Trent Barrett has NOT won the…
Well Stacey Jones has done it again. Rugby League serial quitter has quit once more. After signing a contract extension for the Catalan Dragons to play on in 2008, Jones has waited until the worst possible time to chance his mind and leave the club up the creek next season by announcing his retirement from…
The second last placed club in Super League, Hull KR have made a decision that shows everything that is wrong with the British game. The club has put in a massive offer for Australian Test player Matt King. The deal is subject to them avoiding relegation this season and just shows the mindset of British clubs…