In this section of the web site you will find articles contributed by guest writers.
With the 2 best sides in the competition ready to do battle for the NRL Premiership on Sunday evening, looking at both sides, 2 things stand out; the quality of each side’s halves and their outside backs. I’d go so far as to say the two sides possess the best outside backs in the entire…
With the Dally M awards set to take place tomorrow, it’s time to take a look at the players I believe make up the team of the year this season. Officially there’s only one player award per position, and for the record the player listed first is the person I believe will win the positional…
With the Manly Sea Eagles beating the Bunnies earlier tonight (or yesterday depending on when this hits the website) it came to my attention that South Sydney fans cannot sell their overpriced, unwanted Grand Final tickets due to the NRL’s RIDICULOUS buyback policy. For those who haven’t heard, the “buy back” policy is for those…
26 weeks have passed and the competition has been halved. For the next month we will be entertained by the best 8 teams in the competition, all vying for the Provan-Summons trophy. So, what might be in store for the most competitive competition in the world? On Friday we see the Rabbitohs take on the…
Whilst many people would disagree with me I am of the firm opinion that the Under 20′s or the National Youth Competition/Holden Cup has not done the job it was intended for. The major idea of this competition was to have an elite avenue for young rugby league players to progress into the NRL by…
You simply could not have scripted it any better, 2 fierce rivals battling it out in front of a massive crowd for the minor premiership. That is exactly the scene this past Friday night as a crowd of 59,708 witnessed the South Sydney Rabbitohs take on the Sydney Roosters. The pre match build up was…
Finally league fans can focus on the best and forget the rest. All year league analysts have said only the top 4 can win it but this is the NRL not the AFL. Criticism of Ray Warren & Phil Gould has been rampant so I am going to try and do their job for them….
With the unprecedented success of Sydney teams, 4 finals will be played in the city over next weekend. Due to the fact the AFL have booked ANZ Stadium for the Saturday Night for the Swans home final, the NRL have been ‘forced’ to allocate 2 games to Allianz Stadium on Saturday Night – a finals…
The Denver Broncos swept aside the pain of last year’s playoff defeat against the Baltimore Ravens with a crushing 49-27 victory against the defending Superbowl champions in the NFL season opener. Ravens quarterback and reigning Superbowl MVP Joe Flacco came into the game without his top two receivers from last year as Anquan Bolden (traded…
With the ridiculous St Kilda dwarf stunt dominating sports reports and jokes going round on how the NRL can top the stunt, no doubt talk will soon turn to why we should ban Mad Monday. I’m not going to get into that argument as personally I believe Mad Monday is here to stay, but I…
Another NRL season rolls by and once again we have some pretty ordinary crowd figures some weekends. Suffice to say some of the worst crowds have been by low performing teams or played in atrocious weather conditions which to a degree is understandable, but another major pattern is the distance that prohibits interstate fans from…
The absurdity of the second tier salary cap has reared its head quite emphatically in the past week due to the circumstances that have prevented talented Penrith rookie Fullback Matt Moylan not being allowed to play because his match payments would exceed the club’s second tier salary cap and thus, put the Panthers over the…
Growing up watching footy with my dad and brothers, one fixture each week stood out, the long lost Saturday afternoon game. I remember sitting watching the old non flat screen television (yes they once existed) in the back room watching Channel 2 as the Wests Magpies took on the Illawarra Steelers. Good times. I am…
In an exclusive, League Freak’s news department can reveal that the Rugby League Players Association has identified contractual agreements between clubs and their players as the biggest threat to footballer’s rights in the modern era. Whilst acknowledging that player burnout, pharmacological experimentation and wet balls are all definitely on the association’s radar as pertinent issues,…
As a life-long die-hard Bulldogs member and fan, it pains me to be sitting here writing this letter. Ben Barba, the Canterbury superstar that the club raised and nurtured from a very young age when no other club wanted a bar of him, has asked for a release to return to Queensland. From a selfish…
In less than 12 months Mick Potter has faced more hurdles than Tim Sheens did in 10 years. Firstly let’s compare Tim Sheens’ first year with Mick Potter’s. When Tim Sheens took over from Terry Lamb the club had just finished 13th in a 15 team competition. Sheens was forced to blood eleven, yes eleven…
Martial arts films have been a part of Eastern culture for a long time. Many begun as low budget, B grade movies but the within the last 5 decades they have progressed over to the West and we have seen them on the big budget Hollywood sets and the popularity rise has been enormous. I…
Rumours are getting stronger that the Tigers are about to tap Mick Potter on the shoulder, telling him his services are no longer required. The Tigers have had a horrid year, and their roster at the beginning of the season would have many believing they would be challenging for the 8, not looking to avoid…
Two months @LadiesWhoLeague was born. Our contributors, especially @mary__kaye, had been encouraged to start blogging and she decided that it was time to start. Here at @LadiesWhoLeague we are passionate about Rugby League. While we first and foremost love our respective teams, we also identify as NRL appreciators. There is no sport we feel more…
Here’s part one of our NRL SuperCoach wrap up for round 20! We’ll look at SuperCoach performances from Cowboys vs Broncos, Bulldogs vs Eels, Dragons vs Raiders, and Titans vs Rabbitohs. Head on over to www.nrlsupercoachjunkies.com for more! Or find us on twitter @NRLSCJunkies North Queensland Cowboys Big SuperCoach news from the Cowboys in round…
Why Expand? Expansion gives the NRL an opportunity to create a truly National Competition to expand into new markets and compete for the hearts, minds and dollars of AFL, Union and Soccer fans and future players. Allowing the entry of another 2 NRL teams will allow the NRL and Clubs to gain more revenue from…
A week has passed since another heartbreaking origin series defeat. The dust has settled, and everyone has come to grip with the embarrassing reality that Queensland have stretched their streak to 8. In the emotional heat immediately succeeding game 3, many were quick to blame NSW no. 7 Mitchell Pearce for the 12-10 defeat. At…
Rugby League is more than just a game. You’ve heard that one before, right? But it is. For every story you read about some footy player doing something regrettable on a roof or in a bathroom mirror, there are so many more stories of another player shining light into someone’s life. Putting smiles on the…
What I am about to say is obvious: The top 4 teams are by far and away in the best position to win the title this season, in fact they are the ONLY teams that are able to win the title this season. It’s hardly an Earth shattering prediction but the winner of the 2013…
The autopsies have wrapped up. Wally Lewis has induced some sedatives. We’ve allowed enough time for a Mal Meninga piece about rodents and grime. That means the emotional dust has officially settled on State of Origin 2013 and it’s time for the sensible wash-up from the straight-thinking public. Canvassing y’all intelligent realists, I’m hearing the…
Here’s our NRL SuperCoach wrap up for round 18! We’ll look at SuperCoach performances from Broncos vs Sharks, Eels vs Panthers, Bulldogs vs Storm, and Cowboys vs Sea Eagles. Head on over to www.nrlsupercoachjunkies.com for more NRL SuperCoach articles! Brisbane Broncos In a Herculean effort for the Broncos in round 18 prop Josh McGuire scored…
LeagueFreak.com guest writer Sam McCulloch lists then things he believes would help Super League prosper once more. 1. Start Playing Double Headers Double Headers is something both NRL and Super League need to look at not just as a revenue exercise but as away of attracting more fans through better fan experience and value. Take…
A big crowd in Perth to see the Bunnies and the Warriors has relit the calls for the NRL to expand with a return to the west the main topic of discussion. Earlier Brad Fittler suggested that the Melbourne Storm be relocated to Perth, regarding that I’m not sure what his thinking was as the…
At present a lot has been said about Origin ruining Club Football weekends as we have only 4 lacklustre games played per Origin weekend and only to keep broadcasters happy though most of these games are shells of themselves. For example Roosters vs. Bulldogs was Sonny Bill’s return to the Kennel at ANZ Stadium the…
I’ve had some questions bubbling away inside me for some time now, and nobody seems to answer me, and this morning, for no particular reason I can think of, they seem to have begun to boil over. I just want to sit down and watch TV with a cup of tea, but my head is…