The Newcastle Knights were left a player down just before halftime against the New Zealand Warriors in a fresh sign the NRL crackdown is jumping the shark. There were just over six minutes remaining in the first half with the Warriors attacking midfield. A pass from halfback Sean O’Sullivan was fumbled by his halves partner Kodi Nikorima, who had fallen […]

Corey Norman’s first field-goal attempt in the 84th minute sailed to the right. Then Chad Townsend’s attempt barely got off the ground. Ben Hunt’s 87th-minute shot was charged down and then knocked on. But Norman finally held his nerve with two minutes left in golden point extra time to nail a field goal and give St George Illawarra a 19-18 […]

Brad Fittler has turned the blowtorch on Queensland’s teenage whiz kid Reece Walsh before his State of Origin debut, challenging him to abide by his captain Daly Cherry-Evans’ “gentlemen’s agreement” on diving. In the same month where the NRL has grappled with players staying on the ground to milk penalties after a mid-season crackdown on head contact, NSW coach Fittler […]

Teenage sensation Reece Walsh is set for a tough initiation into the State of Origin arena. The 18-year-old will become the youngest Origin player since 1995 when he lines up at fullback for Queensland in Game Two on Sunday night at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane. Stream selected Fox League shows on Kayo Freebies completely free this June including NRL 360, […]

Carlton coach David Teague is convinced he is the right coach for the Blues beyond this season, regardless of how their clash with Adelaide at Marvel Stadium on Sunday plays out. Teague is under pressure as the club continues to review its football department and list strength following another season out of the finals. David Teague says he is the […]

First published in The Age on August 1, 2014 Dockers grab last-gasp victory Fremantle may have dodged a bullet at Patersons Stadium on Thursday night. The Dockers beat an impressive Carlton by five points, keeping them right among the top four sides in the competition, but only after a Lachie Neale goal with less than a minute to go. Chris […]

Ben Trbojevic, the younger brother of superstar fullback Tom, was cruelly denied his first try in the NRL by a “terrible” decision during Manly’s record-breaking victory over the Canterbury Bulldogs on Saturday afternoon. The Sea Eagles were leading 54-0 in the 67th minute when the elder Trbojevic created a line break off the kick-off and Brad Parker sprinted along the […]

Collingwood’s interim coach Robert Harvey wants his players to express themselves in the final eight matches of the season as he strives to help the Magpies find the right balance between defence and attack. Having played a dour style under Nathan Buckley in recent times, Collingwood played a more attacking style late in the match against Fremantle to hit the […]

Collingwood’s wish to gain $15 million in state government funding has created a thorny issue for both the current board and presidential challenger Jeff Browne: the need to have three women on the club board to satisfy a government diversity requirement. The Magpies have secured $15 million from the federal government to fund a health and wellbeing research facility in […]

Melbourne’s 46-0 win over the Roosters could get even sweeter, with coach Craig Bellamy hopeful star fullback Ryan Papenhuyzen will be available for the Round 18 match against the Knights. Papenhuyzen hasn’t played since he was knocked out in a sickening tackle by Tyrell Fuimaono in Magic Round, but he is reportedly feeling a lot better as he closes in […]