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.

 

NRL Round 26 – RITV: Athletics leads the way

September 4, 2025 by 2 Comments

South Sydney had a bye last weekend so RITV turns his attention to his other sporting passion, athletics. And what a good story it is!

Almanac Rugby League – The 26th Annual Tom Brock Lecture: Stories of PNG Rugby League

September 4, 2025 by 1 Comment

Patrick Skene had his first rugby league story published on The Footy Almanac in 2014. This week he presented the 26th Annual Tom Brock Lecture in Sydney, speaking about the history of rugby league in Papua New Guinea and their entry into the NRL in 2028.

NRL Round 27 – Prop’s proxy, The Prospector: You gotta love footy!

September 4, 2025 by 8 Comments

The Prospector offers his thoughts on the last round of the NRL while Prop by the Sea ventures to the Emerald Isle via the Persian Gulf.

NRL Round 27 – Permutations and Combinations (aka Snakes and Ladders)

September 4, 2025 by Leave a Comment

Ian Hauser revisits a childhood favourite, Snakes and Ladders, as he sorts out what might happen in the NRL’s Round 27.

NRL Round 25 – RITV: 40-0! So much more relaxing.

August 28, 2025 by 2 Comments

For the first time in quite a while, RITV sat back and relaxed as he watched his beloved Bunnies run riot over the St George-Illawarra Dragons.

NRL Round 26 – Prop and his proxy, The Prospector: You gotta love footy!

August 28, 2025 by Leave a Comment

Prop by the Sea offers his review of the NRL’s Round 25 before ‘doing a Penrith’ and taking a rest for a few weeks leading up to the climax of the season. And so today we introduce Prop’s proxy, The Prospector, who will come on as a replacement during September. (Welcome, Prospector, we look forward to you sifting through the lode to find the gems – Eds.)

NRL Round 26 and NRLW Round 9: Is resting players before finals ethical?

August 28, 2025 by Leave a Comment

Is it ethical to rest players leading into the finals? Penrith has taken it to the extreme in this weekend’s NRL Round 26.

NRL Round 24 – RITV: South Sydney score back-to-back wins!

August 21, 2025 by 2 Comments

RITV is all in for Jye Gray, the fill-in fullback who, surely, must win the Rabbitohs’ Best and Fairest this year! Move over Latrell, he’s got your number!

NRL Round 25 – Prop by the Sea: You gotta love footy!

August 21, 2025 by 1 Comment

Prop by the Sea gives his take on key clashes in NRL Round 25, salutes two inductees into the 350-game club, and spars his with old mate The Crabman.

NRL Round 25 and NRLW Round 8 – Obstructions and audacity

August 21, 2025 by 1 Comment

Ian Hauser is ‘just wild about Harry’ after the Melbourne captain’s stunning try to post a win over the Panthers. Meanwhile, the obstruction rule continues to cause confusion – and a bit of hypocrisy!