#dkm #dommykateart #paulmonarophysio

This Penrith side would have beaten Queensland. You cannot imagine the hunger in a team that has been the best in the competition for two seasons, has fallen short once, and been made to take the long road the second time. A team with all the talent, hardness, and desire to be called the best in the toughest contest in the realm of contact sports. The Panthers just about swept the pools in the Dally M’s. And almost half the team were Origin players. They have the competition'

Many scripts, including this one, have been rewritten in the lead-up to next week’s Grand Final. The dream storyline that had the two master coaches presiding over the week is shelved. Now it is the story of the beloved grand old wizard against Ivan the terrible. Not too many saw this coming. And who would have expected Penrith-Storm to be the close game, and Souths-Manly to be the blowout? The Sage, that’s who. Peter Sterling picked it last week. The NRL will be loving this

For a westie who grew up following the Dragons, this finals weekend is completely arse-about. (Sorry. Not my favourite expression, but I couldn’t find a better one). I mean, how would Roy Masters go about motivating these troops? Maybe with a reference to two different types of cladding? Most people know the story. When the legendary Masters was coaching Western Suburbs against Manly, he once referred to the clash as the “fibro’s versus the silver tails”. It was a sledge to f

It will be the same Rugby League conversation right up the east coast this week. What appeared to be a two- or three-way battle seems to have come back to a no-contest. If the premiership was a race at the Corso, Tommy Trbojevic, or anyone else for that matter, would struggle to win with a ten-metre start. You don’t have to understand the game, only tempo, to observe how superior the Storm are in the way they play. Virtually every aspect of Melbourne’s approach is faster and

Sudden-death football has a way of creating edge-of-your-seat contests. In an absorbing match that should have been put to bed early, this one went down to the wire. There was drama from the start. After the kick-off from Clint Gutherson almost sailed into the Rockhampton suburbs, the Eels were immediately on the backfoot. The Knights, with their "worst attack in the competition", easily scored off the ensuing set. Lucky Gutho has the James Maloney approach to errors. You tre

Every now and then, a decision is made that strikes you as being so momentously bad, it leaves you outraged. Like, for example, allowing a new coal mine - any new coal mine, but in particular, one to be built in the catchment of the Great Barrier Reef. Or, like the coalition governments stubbornly embarrassing inaction on climate change. Outrageous decisions that make you think now is the time to stand up and speak out. And now is one of those times. So, what is it with the D

Take what excels, is decent, respectable, and typical of the true essence of Rugby League. Then double it. For fifteen years we’ve been privileged to follow the parallel careers of Brett and Josh Morris. Now that Josh has announced he will follow brother Brett into retirement, it is timely to look back over the careers of two of the real nice guys of sport. It is hard to write a story about one without the other. They set out to forge their own paths on the field, but the gen

When you follow a team, your sporting highs and lows ride on their success. But despite this, what really captivates and entertains you are the players. No matter which team they play for, the best players are the reason we watch the game. There are not many true Rugby League fans who will turn away when Latrell Mitchell runs onto a football field. This player entertains with the skills of a halfback and the strength of a front-rower. He dominates a game like Wally Lewis. He