Tag Archives: Rugby League

Looking back on the NRL season now the dust has settled and Penrith’s glory run has reached dynasty status with a third straight title, we alleged NRL experts like to pore over every last detail with forensic analysis. But that’s not as much fun as summing up each team’s season …

A Set small text size A Set the default text size A Set large text size Nathan Cleary is to miss the upcoming Pacific Championships after suffering a knee injury in the Panthers’ heroic Grand Final comeback on Sunday night. He has an MCL problem, sustained in the Grand Final …

A Set small text size A Set the default text size A Set large text size New Zealand have been forced to turn to Danny Levi and Fa’amanu Brown as hooking options for rugby league’s Pacific Championships. The Kiwis on Wednesday unveiled a 21-man squad for the tournament, with Dylan …

A Set small text size A Set the default text size A Set large text size Jason Demetriou will take on a more hands-on role as South Sydney head coach next year, also heading up the team’s defence after securing a two-year contract extension to the end of the 2026 season. …

A Set small text size A Set the default text size A Set large text size Despite my own NRL team stinking up the joint, I must say the 2023 season was one of the most enjoyable in recent history. Whether it was the feel-good story of the Dolphins early …

The Grand Final’s done and dusted, Penrith have retained the trophy once again, mad Monday dress-up clothes are back in the closets and our focus is now on both the silly season and our team’s prospects, if any, for next year. But before we move on, here’s a quick A …

A Set small text size A Set the default text size A Set large text size Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii has been ruled out of Samoa’s Pacific Championships campaign after the Sydney Roosters made him unavailable for selection due to concussion. New Samoa coach Ben Gardiner named a 21-man squad for the …

It’s hard to pick a Kangaroos team. The well of talent from which Australia can draw is very deep indeed, leading to a situation where every squad they announce is met with a howl about who isn’t in rather than who is. With Mal Meninga seated alongside James Tedesco at …

A Set small text size A Set the default text size A Set large text size The NRLW’s best player, Tamika Upton, will make her Jillaroos debut in the Pacific Championships after a calf injury cruelled her chances of representing Australia at last year’ World Cup. Upton, who won the …

A Set small text size A Set the default text size A Set large text size Mal Meninga has found no room for Dally M Medal winner Kalyn Ponga or Broncos breakout star Reece Walsh in his 21-man Kangaroos squad for the Pacific Championships. Josh Addo-Carr has been picked but …

A Set small text size A Set the default text size A Set large text size Penrith coach Ivan Cleary wants his side to contest the World Club Challenge in 2024 and secure the one piece of silverware that has eluded the Panthers. For all their dominance in the NRL …

Another year in the books, another huge stash of rugby league tea leaves to pore over.  With the 2023 NRL season at a close, what have we learned about the game of rugby league? It’s still a great product, if you excuse the term, and indeed, the fans appear to …

A Set small text size A Set the default text size A Set large text size Stephen Crichton’s impressive Grand Final performance has put him on the verge of a Test debut with Australia, if he opts to switch allegiances from Samoa.  Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga will name a 20-man …

A Set small text size A Set the default text size A Set large text size The well of confidence runs deep at the foot of the mountains, even if it was tested to the limit in Sunday night’s epic Grand Final. Penrith’s shy and retiring five eighth was on …

A Set small text size A Set the default text size A Set large text size There have been some great teams since Parramatta’s golden era of the early 1980s but what this Penrith team has achieved puts them at the top of the list.  To win a premiership is …

A Set small text size A Set the default text size A Set large text size Sometimes in sport, you have to sit back and applaud. Typically it isn’t while you’re also playing at the same time, but for some of the Panthers players, that’s what they felt like doing …