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.

 

2026 NRL – The Prospector’s Pickaxe: ‘Let’s move on’, Wayne, ‘The Wok’ and ‘The Old Fox’

March 19, 2026 by 3 Comments

Today The Prospector reflects on the styles and idiosyncrasies of several coaches and commentators from various eras.

2026 NRL – Prop by the Sea: You gotta love footy!

March 19, 2026 by 16 Comments

Prop by the Sea is not being in the least petty when he chooses his musical support this week. And, thankfully, he will not be backing down on his new quest.

2026 NRL – Round 3: Premierships may not be won in March but…

March 18, 2026 by 2 Comments

It might only be March and two rounds into the season but the signs are already ominous for several clubs, both for good and not so good. Ian Hauser makes an early season assessment of the results thus far.

2026 NRL – Rabbit in the Vineyard: Defence is the key

March 12, 2026 by 2 Comments

RITV was happy with South Sydney’s win in Round 1 but worries that leaking 30 points is not the way forward, especially against the Chooks this week.

2026 NRL – The Prospector’s Pickaxe: Expansion

March 12, 2026 by 8 Comments

The Prospector mines the ‘expansion’ question this week to see if he can find enough top level talent to make the next two NRL teams both viable and competitive. Plus, there’s a trivia question.

2026 NRL – Prop by the Sea: You gotta love footy! Round 2

March 12, 2026 by 7 Comments

Prop is all about The King this week as he reviews Round 1B and gives us his thoughts on Round 2.

2026 NRL – The hits and misses of Round 1 and a preview of Round 2

March 11, 2026 by 3 Comments

Who flashed, who flopped and what can we make of Round 1? Round 2 looks just as tricky to tip.

2026 NRL – Prop by the Sea: An apology to Gary Larson for omitting him from my ‘Blondie First 13’

March 5, 2026 by 2 Comments

Prop by the Sea is in apologetic mode after it was pointed out to him that he had not included the legendary Gary Larson in the ‘Blondie First 13’. Here’s his apology. (The look on Prop’s face in the article’s photo says it all! – Ed.)

NRL 2026 – Rabbit in the Vineyard: A concise preview of South Sydney’s 2026 NRL season

March 5, 2026 by 3 Comments

Every side has its ‘burning issues’ ahead of a new season. RITV takes a blunt look at the five major questions he poses about South Sydney ahead of the 2026 NRL season.

NRL 2026 – The Prospector’s Pickaxe: 1976 to 2026 – ‘it’s a long way to the top’.

March 5, 2026 by 3 Comments

The Prospector digs into the past to revisit the state of the code in both Queensland and NSW in 1976. Let’s just say that the game today would have been unimaginable to the folk of those days!