OH my goodness! What a first ‘round’ of footy finals we witnessed last weekend. It simply had everything. Game 1 last Friday saw the Melbourne Storm defeat the Bulldogs but only after they got an almighty scare from Ciraldo’s men. Up 18-14 with 20 minutes to go it looked like the Storm were gone – […]

AS we put 26 rounds of the NRL in our rearview mirror we turn our attention to the last round of the season proper. At this point, anything and everything can happen! The NRL’s dream scenario. There are 3 games this final round that have zero bearing on the semi-finals scramble. Dragons v Penrith, Titans […]

ITS been a relatively quiet year on the coaching merry-go-round front. Every clipboard holder has managed to stay away from the unemployment line at Centrelink. But that’s about to change. With three rounds of footy to go until the semi-finals are upon us, I reckon there’s up to 3, maybe 4 coaches who won’t be […]

THIS is an extremely hard column to write but I’m going to use it as a tribute to one of the best blokes I’ve ever met or known. Early Sunday morning on the 20th of July I woke to a call from my mate Coxy that our best friend, our brother, Toby Hughes had passed […]

AS round 19 looms in the National Rugby League (I know! What? Round 19 already, wow!) I’ve given myself a little assignment. I’ve gone onto NRL.com and clicked on the ladder predictor. I’m keen to see where every team will end up once the season proper ends in round 27. Given that, let’s look at […]

Panthers purring! OK, I know it’s only just after the halfway mark of the season but man, you’ve just gotta tip your cap to the 4-time premiers.  Just when you may have had second thoughts about Penrith’s 2025 season, they go and win a game like they did last weekend, against all the odds, to […]

IN what has seemed like an eon of expectation, the new Perth Bears franchise has finally got their man to lead them into the NRL in 2027. And that man is one of the most decorated men in our game, Mal Meninga! They don’t come more well-known than the former bullocking centre for Canberra, QLD, […]

AT the end of 2006, Penrith Golf Pro Jonathan Green, and his great mate local solicitor Mark Mulock were having a long lunch, when the discussion popped up on exactly what could they do to raise money for local charities that really needed funds.  “I reckon I could run to Katoomba” Greeny stated. “What if […]

IT has been one hell of a week in rugby league land. Besides all the on-field wizardry from teams coming back from insurmountable odds, another comeback for the ages also took place.  The Perth Bears were announced as the 18th team in the NRL! In what has seemed like an age to get this franchise […]

WITH the NRL competition about to enter the 9th round (Magic round) I thought I’d take a look at the season thus far and give my thoughts on some of the pertinent happenings of the 8 rounds already played.  It’s anyone’s comp! After 8 rounds of footy you’ve gotta say that this year has been […]