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: Early season dreams become post-season nightmares

October 6, 2020 by 3 Comments

Matt O’Hanlon and his mates would have been in Sydney last weekend for the NRL Grand Final if 2020 was ‘normal’. Instead, he was left to consider what a disaster of a year it has been for the Brisbane Broncos and the North Queensland Cowboys ahead of a trip ‘out west’ for the long weekend.

Almanac Rugby League – NRL 2020 Finals Week 1 + NRLW Round 1 preview: A great weekend in prospect

October 1, 2020 by 2 Comments

NRL finals time at last! A top flight opener, two elimination finals and the return of the NRLW – what a weekend for fans of ‘the greatest game of all’! Ian Hauser offers his thoughts on all the clashes.

Almanac Rugby League: Redfern All Blacks – keeping the ball in motion

October 1, 2020 by 1 Comment

Patrick Skene provides an in-depth essay on the Redfern All Blacks, the long-established home for Indigenous rugby league footballers in Sydney.

Almanac Rugby League – NRL 2020 Round 20 wrap: Action aplenty as three veterans bow out

September 29, 2020 by Leave a Comment

The final round of the NRL season saw several big scores, a stunning defeat for the Roosters and the last hit-out for three veterans of the competition. Liam Hauser presents his wrap.

Almanac Rugby League: What happened to the Brisbane Broncos in 2020?

September 29, 2020 by 4 Comments

Brisbane Broncos fan and Almanac regular Liam Hauser, a long-time Brisbane Broncos fan, offers his thoughts after his team ‘won’ their first ever wooden spoon.

Almanac Rugby League – NRL 2020 Round 20 preview: Dragons, Dragons, wherefore art thou?

September 24, 2020 by 1 Comment

The final round of the 2020 NRL competition plays out this weekend. Ian Hauser is always on the lookout for a winner as he surveys the games in prospect.

Almanac Rugby League: ‘Rugby league – the greatest game of all’

September 24, 2020 by 5 Comments

Murray Bird may be better known in Almanac circles for his Australian football pedigree but he has long-term roots in rugby league as well. A few years ago, he took in a Queensland Cup match to test out the code’s claim to be ‘the greatest game of all’.

Almanac Rugby League – NRL 2020 Round 19 Wrap: Not a lot to get excited about

September 22, 2020 by 1 Comment

Round 19 of the NRL went pretty much to script but the battle for the wooden spoon took a twist and Benji Marshall continued to impress our correspondent Liam Hauser.

Almanac Rugby League: Farewell Gavin Cooper

September 17, 2020 by Leave a Comment

Gavin Cooper, the resilient North Queensland Cowboys left edge forward, will retire after next week’s final round in the NRL. Ian Hauser pays tribute to the type of player every side would love to have.

Almanac Rugby League – NRL Round 19 Preview: Tidying up loose ends

September 17, 2020 by Leave a Comment

The NRL finalists are decided but a few loose ends need to be tidied up in this weekend’s Round 19. Ian Hauser takes a look at the prospects for each team.