sidelined

St George Illawarra Dragons v Sydney Roosters, Sunday 5:00pm, ANZ Stadium This, as they say, is it.

Yeah, there is a bit of jealousy watching the finals and not having your team involved. Still, with the footy that had been played it has been an excellent finals series so far. I was asked on Twitter the other day about the final four and my thoughts. My heart leans heaviest towards the Tigers. [...]

Is there something ugly waiting for the NRL after the grand final? Tis just rumours yet but whispers of match fixing are around. I dearly hope that this amounts to nothing. Then again, why should the NRL be immune from the malign influences that surround gambling? It is a sport growing with the time. And [...]

Back in March I made a series of predictions for coming season. Let’s see how I did.

Surely this is the Dragons’s year? It is Saint Benny versus The Choke. But Saint Benny being the wiliest of coaches will have the Dragons prepared as best he can. But don’t look to the Dragons’ first game to tell you much. Of the other contenders only Manly seems a lost cause. Its hopes bereft [...]

Robert Finch is to step down his position as NRL referees coach at the end of the season. A welcome move as Finch has stymied the development of the refs. The only concern is if Harrigan gets the top job. I stand by my contention that on the field, the refs more or less get [...]

You’d have to say the Bulldogs’ accountant would fielding a few offers from other clubs at this stage. Obviously the Doggies are good with numbers with the signing of Pritchard from the Panthers a big surprise. And not just for stealing him away from the mountains but in fitting him under the cap with the [...]

It has finally happened. Bill Harrigan’s ego has finally got the best of him and Robert Finch has done what should have been done years ago, sacked him. In his day, Harrigan was a good ref until the ego overtook him and regarded himself bigger than the rules of the game. And while the refs [...]

At first, it was what manner of strange accounting enabled Inglis to move from News Ltd to News Ltd? But it seems that a significant part of the deal is made up of third party deals. That may not ease concerns about how the Broncos manage their salary cap not how other club CEOs handle [...]

A tale of two media companies. One has focused today’s reporting on news regarding progress in the establishment of an independent commission. The other lead with a picture of Jamal Idris wearing a police hat. A silly photo of a player is much more preferable than reporting on how that organisation will no longer have [...]