The NRL has a strange relationship with its referees. Everyone loves chatting about officiating, of course, but that’s all sports everywhere. In the grand scheme of things, having a small panel that basically everyone knows and nobody thinks are corrupt puts the NRL well ahead of other codes. It’s worth contemplating at a time in […]
We have such a strong club rugby culture in Australia, that you can attend any club rugby game on the weekend, and you’ll witness young and old individuals being vocal, indulgent and creating an environment. That I actually prefer over the sanitised Super Rugby product, especially games involving the Australian teams at home. More Rugby […]
New Zealand took 28 years to win a Test match, finally triumphing in 1956. There were plenty of skilled individuals before that but not a complete team. They recently reached their zenith, becoming the inaugural World Test Champions in 2021, but looking back is an interesting exercise in seeing the many all rounders New Zealand […]
As well as the action from Magic Round, there has been a lot of talk recently about expansion, such as where the NRL establishes the new teams and what is the strategy. There are two options in my opinion for NRL expansion. The competition either goes with a more conservative approach, building and strengthening existing […]
A few weeks ago, I dubbed Carlton and Geelong as the premiership frontrunners – at a time when they sat, respectively, fourth and first on the ladder. Nestled in between was Sydney, in second spot with a 5-1 record and the AFL’s second-best percentage, who nevertheless, after a shock loss to Richmond and a relatively […]
