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

Parramatta’s attacking woes are not the result of a late-season slump. The problem has been there all year. They are as good as any team making yardage out of their end of the field. But they seem to hit an invisible barrier inside the opposition red zone. The attack fizzles out. Players either attack one-out or throw passes that often find a teammate who is standing still. Chief playmaker, Mitchell Moses, occasionally looks threatening when he runs the ball. But his passing

A few brief observations on the two main contenders leading into round 6… The Roosters juggernaut rolls on, and over the top of hapless opponents. This team has won two premierships in a row, supplied numerous players to representative teams, played in two World Club Challenges, and seen the retirement of a halfback who was arguably the smartest player in the competition. For most such teams, even ones this good, it would not be surprising to see them come back into the seaso

The new six again rule has been genius. It is rewarding the attacking team, and leading to open fast play and more tries. However it’s early days, and coaches may yet develop game plans that spoil the party. The Roosters seem to have already come up with their own plan. They were content to give away penalties by rushing off their try line. The penalty rather than a fast re-start allowed them to dictate terms defensively. Regardless, most games on the weekend, including the R