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 [Read more]
Almanac Rugby League – Just like the old days
August 28, 2011 by 3 Comments
It’s a wet, miserable day in south-east Queensland even though the temperature is that of a good spring day south of the Murray. I’ve slept poorly, up at 4.45am to pick up the paper from the driveway so it doesn’t get soggy. I can’t get back to sleep, so by 5.22 I’m in the lounge [Read more]
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 [Read more]
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 [Read more]
Almanac Rugby League – The Challenge Cup: a game I cannot see
August 27, 2011 by 3 Comments
The Challenge Cup 2011 (the game I cannot see) This Saturday the Challenge Cup will be played at Wembley Stadium London. The Challenge Cup is a competition based on soccer’s FA Cup, a knockout competition culminating in the last two teams playing the Final at London’s famous Wembely Stadium. Each year 90,000 fans make their [Read more]
Almanac Rugby League – We all have beginnings
August 25, 2011 by 6 Comments
A rugby league version of The Footy Almanac? “About bloody time” is all I can say – for a couple of reasons. Firstly, the literature of rugby league is modest, to say the least – a reality and a paucity that needs addressing; secondly, “the greatest game of all” deserves that its story be told, [Read more]
Almanac Rugby League – Sloppy Knights give Broncos an easy Monday night
August 25, 2011 by 2 Comments
When I hear the words Brisbane and rugby league together my mind first turns to the great BRL competition of the 1970s. That was another time. A decade later, many Queenslanders fell instantly in love with the Brisbane Broncos, marketed brilliantly as an incarnation of all things Queensland. But many didn’t. The dissenters could see [Read more]
Almanac Rugby League – An afternoon of hope
August 23, 2011 by 3 Comments
This assignment started out full of hope – what better thing to do than write about a Canterbury victory over Manly, especially at Brookvale. Being almost out of finals contention five weeks ago, the Bulldogs had won three of the last four matches and were back in with a chance of finals glory. To add [Read more]
Almanac Rugby League – Seeing Cleary
August 23, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Rugby league in Penrith faces its share of battles, that’s no secret. But on a Saturday night at Centrebet Stadium, it certainly feels like rugby league heartland. I’m visiting my mate Steve, who lives in the mountains and has the severe misfortune of being born a staunch Parramatta fan. He usually holds a torch for [Read more]
Almanac Rugby League – Dragons go close
August 23, 2011 by 1 Comment
I don’t miss too many Dragons games. Whether live or on TV or even on the radio I’ll make a serious effort to catch the game each week. I’ve even been known to submit to that unique form of pain – watching a match you’ve recorded earlier that evening even though you already know your [Read more]
Almanac Rugby League – The worst game ever played
August 22, 2011 by Leave a Comment
I sit in front of my computer embarrassed to be writing my first review for the Almanac on possibly the worst game of the year. 14th versus 16th on the NRL ladder does not necessarily make this a bad game, and you would think that both proud clubs would be trying desperately to avoid the [Read more]
Almanac Rugby League – The Cronulla Curse
August 22, 2011 by Leave a Comment
If there was ever a moment that typified life as a Cronulla supporter, one only had to look at the Sydney Football Stadium last Saturday night in the Sharks’ seemingly meaningless Round 24 encounter with the Headless Chooks. After playing some of their better football in recent weeks, the Sharks had managed to open up [Read more]
Almanac Rugby League – Monday’s closing in
August 22, 2011 by 3 Comments
When you have put The Bear to sleep (no longer able to play) there is nothing better than combining all the Fs at the footy. Family, friends, food, fruit from the vine(s) and fun. No matter where you are when this is locked in place, the footy looks after itself. In today’s match-up, it is [Read more]
Almanac Rugby League – A sad way to go: Gold Coast v Canberra
August 22, 2011 by Leave a Comment
I thought about taking the train from Bris Vegas to Skilled Stadium at Robina on the Gold Coast with my 12 year old daughter. It would be Alan Tongue’s last game in Queensland and it would nice to say goodbye. Tongue has been our mutual hero for different reasons. I like how he plays every [Read more]
Almanac Rugby League – Loving The Locals: Wests Tigers v Parramatta Eels
August 22, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Loving the Locals Leichhardt life is a peach. “Why?” I hear you ask To say that my wife, Ronnie, is a very committed Tigers would be akin to saying that Pope Benedict XVI is a very committed Roman Catholic. For mine though, where else is it possible to wed a café culture to the rough [Read more]
Almanac Rugby League – The Form Slump
August 22, 2011 by 3 Comments
The once-mighty (often mighty, actually, when you consider the 11 premierships in a row) Dragons are in a slump. The reigning premiers played the very sharp Melbourne Storm outfit on Friday night, in far-off Melbourne town. The slump is about to get deeper. Those close to me would argue that of all the [Read more]
Almanac Rugby League – NRL R24, 2011: Glory, glory to South Sydney
August 20, 2011 by 1 Comment
We’re heading west on Parramatta Road. Every other car has a white rabbit sticker on its back window. After looking like dead men walking just a month ago, Souths have won three in a row and are suddenly in with a show of making the semis. If they win tonight, that is. Boxhead and I [Read more]
Almanac Rugby League – NRL R24, 2011: Celebrating Billy
August 20, 2011 by 2 Comments
I first visited Melbourne in 2000, a lads trip from Canberra in a busted-up Camry that lost both reverse and fifth gear mid-trek as Rohan, Bommy, The Judge and I all took our turns holding the bastard in fifth as we chugged down the Hume. It was the first time I had met Parko. We [Read more]
Almanac Rugby League – Fire Up
August 18, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Fans who enjoy Rugby League can consider this the end of the rainbow because they have just found their pot of gold Stephen Ferris and I (Brett Oaten) host a rugby league “show” every Friday morning on FBI 94.5 in Sydney and have done so for many years. Our standards are so low that not [Read more]
Almanac Rugby League – Rugby League comes to The Footy Almanac
August 18, 2011 by 5 Comments
Growing up as a young Canterbury diehard in Orange, when all you would get were two games a week on television and your main contact with the Big League came through Rugby League Week and The Daily Telegraph, the highlight of every Christmas was David Middleton’s Rugby League yearbook. The book was a goldmine for [Read more]
Recent Comments