Strangely a game with no sense of ‘The Grudge’. This on the most hate-fuelled, bloodthirsty, full-mooned weekends in recent memory, some say in a decade, strangely with this match post ‘Battle of Brookie’ the only game without a ‘Let’s get it on’. As usual, New Zealand were referred to as the ‘Dark Horse’ of the […]
Almanac Rugby League – Bumper Farrell and a deep Dragons dislike
August 30, 2011 by Leave a Comment
On a day better suited to surfing than Rugby League, St George Illawarra faced the foreign invasion from New Zealand, in a Warriors side keen to improve their chances of hosting a home semi-final. The Dragons had a mission of their own: to snap a five game losing streak which had seen them fall from […]
Almanac Rugby League – A day of answers
August 30, 2011 by 1 Comment
Travelling to Suncorp Stadium to the watch the Broncos and Rabbitohs on Sunday, I am blissfully content to be taking in what promises to be an entertaining fixture. I am in one of those truly liberated states where I actually have an open mind about the result and am just looking forward to the […]
Almanac Rugby League – A sad farewell for a unique champion
August 30, 2011 by Leave a Comment
At the risk of plagiarism, I have to confess that this week’s game between the Panthers and the Raiders was one of the worst games I’ve ever seen. Chris Parkinson seems to have had a similar viewing experience for the Raiders game last week. Despite the scrappiness of the game, however, and the tangible frustration […]
Almanac Rugby League – Monday night is punt night
August 30, 2011 by Leave a Comment
The Wests Tigers entered this match on the back of a 6-0 winning streak and only a mentally-ill pundit would have tipped anything but a Tigers victory. I would have thrown “Titans diehard” in the above category but I think there are about as many of them as there are genuine Gold Coast Suns and […]
Almanac Rugby League – An ugly win is still a win
August 29, 2011 by 1 Comment
It was a balmy night, with the threat of light rain. Nevertheless no rain eventuated. Johnathan Thurston and Gavin Cooper were sick leading up to the game. Both had a stomach virus. Ashton Simms was ruled out with niggling knee problems. Cronulla were fortunate to have exciting playmaker Albert Kelly back in the fold after […]
Almanac Rugby League – A Knight to forget
August 29, 2011 by Leave a Comment
The Knights somehow lost to the Bulldogs after leading 22-6 at halftime and Ben Barba put his hand up for try of the year honours. Since getting a clip over the ear for using the term ‘mongrel’ too much at my first Knights home game in ’88, I have been a Newcastle diehard. I’ve got […]
Almanac Rugby League – Spooky stuff at the Royal in Tumut
August 29, 2011 by 1 Comment
Liam Hauser Canberra versus Penrith rugby league clashes always bring back a distinct memory for me, even though I am a Queenslander and support the Brisbane Broncos. The first Grand Final I ever saw was in 1991 when Penrith downed Canberra 19-12 as Royce Simmons had a fairytale finish to his career. As an […]
Almanac Rugby League – Dragons find some fire at last
August 29, 2011 by Leave a Comment
I’m sure there are worse way to start a footy game. But after seeing the first few seconds of the Dragons clash against the Warriors at WIN Stadium, I’m hard pressed to come up with any. Dragons captain Ben Hornby placed the ball on the kicking tee to start the game, walked back, ran up […]
Almanac Rugby League – A costly call
August 29, 2011 by Leave a Comment
I write this feeling like a bitter and twisted man. Hopefully by the end I have come round. The Warriors have had their season ripped apart by the most abhorrent refereeing decision of the year. Sorry if that sounds a bit over emotive but that’s what it feels like for a Warriors fan that will […]
Almanac Rugby League – A Manly boy in the City of Churches
August 29, 2011 by 2 Comments
Residing in a ‘non-league’ state means you have to go the extra mile to get your fix of the Greatest Game of All. It’s not in the papers, it’s not on the news and it’s certainly not talked about in the pub or around the watercooler on a Monday morning. Living in Adelaide for the […]
Almanac Rugby league – A long way from home
August 29, 2011 by 1 Comment
The finals are just two weeks away. Brookie Oval is packed out for a Friday night cracker, first versus second on the ladder, one team undefeated after 12 games, the other undefeated at home for the season. The teams with the best for-and-against in the comp, sharing a rivalry built up over recent seasons (one […]
Almanac Rugby League – The Roosters and the golden point goose
August 27, 2011 by Leave a Comment
As the clock ticked towards half-time and the scoreboard showed nothing but two big donuts I thought to myself: “Thank god I didn’t sit up and watch this last night.” Given regular Friday Night Football scheduling in the southern states sees matches telecast between the hours of midnight Friday and 4am Saturday morning, I’d taken […]
Almanac Rugby League – Fish and chips and Friday footy
August 27, 2011 by 2 Comments
Don’t you all miss the days of Friday night Fish and Chips wrapped in old newspaper? Now it is all foam containers that lack anything of mental substance. If they were wrapped in old newspaper, I would be reading a sports section that told of the woes of two seasons. Parramatta and Eastern Suburbs. The […]
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