Almanac Rugby League

The Almanac Rugby League Crew

If you’d like to publish a rugby league story on The Footy Almanac website, please contact Ian Hauser.

 

If you’d like to join the Footy Almanac’s rugby league email list to receive our regular
Thursday updates during the season and occasional updates in the off-season, contact John Harms in the first instance.

 

The Footy Almanac’s coverage of rugby league features a team of four regular columnists:

Ian Hauser provides a round by round preview/review and comments on specific players/incidents.
Matt O’Hanlon (Prop by the Sea) offers a quirky take of the week’s happenings on and off the field.
Mark Shannon (The Prospector) comments on various issues in the code, both historical and current.
Russel Hansen (Rabbit in the Vineyard) gives a specific take on South Sydney’s progress.

as well as numerous other occasional contributors.

Our collection of articles appears below. The first article was published in 2010.

 

Almanac Rugby League – The cursed existence of a Roosters supporter

June 26, 2012 by 1 Comment

All supporters do it tough at times. Its part of the attraction, addiction even, of passionately supporting a sporting team.  In a cruel sort of way, we need to experience the dark, heavy feeling of despair that lingers for days after a loss to also truly appreciate that overwhelming, sun-is-shining, birds-are-singing, life-is-good elation that takes hold after a win. But [Read more]

Almanac Rugby League – A progressive side of rugby league?

June 26, 2012 by 7 Comments

Can’t say I am an expert on rugby league, but I do know it had some good early links with the progressive side of politics. Have read a little bit, and spoken to friends who have an understanding of the game, which has made me intrigued in finding out more. Correct me if I’m wrong [Read more]

Almanac Rugby League – On how to improve the greatest game of all

June 11, 2012 by 3 Comments

When you’ve done life’s hard yards and made it into the grumpy years, you understand with cold and dispiriting certainty that there is no turning back the clock. But that doesn’t mean that in the face of crass, intolerable change – or ‘progress’ as the suits would wish to sell it – you should give [Read more]

Almanac Rugby League – From the Lang Park terrace: State of Origin 1985

May 30, 2012 by 1 Comment

I have strong memories of a State Of Origin at Lang Park in 1985. JP Strano rang me that morning and suggested we go. In those days, you could stroll at lunchtime to the ticket sellers in the City and procure tickets at an affordable price. As Jack and I walked out onto the street, it began to [Read more]

Almanac Rugby League – Redemption Rugby League

May 28, 2012 by 2 Comments

The last time Penrith played Manly they lost 30-0 and I wrote what may have been the shortest match report in Footy Almanac history. Fast forward a few weeks and things aren’t looking much better for the Panthers. Only the eels are keeping them out of the wooden spoon position and it seems as if [Read more]

Almanac Rugby League – The Fine Line

May 27, 2012 by 2 Comments

    Two years ago, Liam Hauser’s history of Origin matches carried the subtitle The fine line between winning and losing.(State of Origin: 30 years, Rockpool Publishing, 2010) He demonstrated that rarely has there been any deviation from this observation of the ebb and flow of matches throughout the history of the concept. I think [Read more]

Almanac Rugby League – A forward explains rugby league

May 20, 2012 by 4 Comments

It is largely unknown to players and followers of the modern game that rugby league started off purely as a contest between opposition forwards, loosely divided between running into each other and taking no prisoners in set scrums. This pitted six men of statuesque physique, supreme fitness and superior intelligence in packs against one another. [Read more]

Almanac Rugby League – It’s all there in black and white

May 5, 2012 by 1 Comment

Footy tragics, by definition, are sentimentalists. Why else would we put ourselves through the agonies of hope and anxiety, triumph and disaster? Our obsession manifests itself in many ways – in my case I collect Big League programs. Of those that are gathering dust in a corner of my study is the one from Round [Read more]

Almanac Rugby League – St George Illawarra Dragons vs Sydney Roosters

May 4, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Not long into our relationship, my girlfriend asked what I would choose if I had to decide between music and sport. Not wanting to even consider a world without either, I had no answer for her at the time. Later however, when in a more contemplative state of mind, I decided that it had to [Read more]

Almanac Rugby League – The Longest Month

May 1, 2012 by Leave a Comment

For Panthers fans everywhere, April has been a long and heartless month. In the leadup to tonight’s match against Newcastle, Penrith are still yet to score a point on the Rugby League field in the month of April. Not a try or goal; not even a solitary field goal to show for their efforts. A [Read more]