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 – Anzac Day: From Reservoir to the ‘G’, to the eye of the Storm

April 29, 2010 by 2 Comments

The national anthem brings the dawn service at the Reservoir cenotaph to a close and a greying man wrapped in black and white trumpets, Carna Pies! Some giggle into their winter coats while a few women puff on heartstarters.  Children hang from parents’ arms.  A craggy digger approaches another standing at the rear of the [Read more]

Almanac Rugby League – Real Storm surprise is that people are surprised

April 29, 2010 by 18 Comments

It has been a most tumultuous week in Australian sport. Well, in Australian professional sport. You have to be specific because I reckon professional sport and normal, everyday, garden-variety sport are actually quite different. One is about commerce, the other is about the game. The tumult comes from the exposure of the flagrant salary cap [Read more]

Almanac Rugby League – Storm fans need another Lazarus moment

April 28, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Rugby league isn’t my game of choice. In fact, I can honestly say I’ve never been to one solitary game in any of my 33 years. My first real sense of association with it was at an unlikely event on a glorious spring day in 1999. North Melbourne had won the flag the day before, [Read more]

Almanac Rugby League – Question: The Storm over The Storm

April 24, 2010 by 15 Comments

What does the Almanac community think of the Melbourne Storm drama? Just deserts or overly harsh? Is this the end of NRL in Melbourne? If so, do we care? Are there any AFL implications? Fire away folks. Almanac Admin

Almanac Rugby League – Why should the salary cap strangle homegrown stars?

April 24, 2010 by 3 Comments

Melbourne Storm’s hanging has concentrated my mind. Try this proposal on for size: To preserve a competitive AFL, drafted players should be subject to their club’s salary cap for their first three seasons, as should established players acquired from other AFL clubs. To preserve club loyalties, I don’t see why clubs should be restricted from [Read more]