By Adam Pengilly Lote Tuqiri scores one of the three tries which followed his contentious selection for State of Origin II in 2002.Credit:Getty Twenty years ago, in the boardroom of Brisbane’s famous XXXX brewery, rugby league’s most famous teetotaller had the Queensland Rugby League unveil plans for the biggest ruse in State of Origin history, when three little letters became […]

People are jumping up and down about the changes NSW coach Brad Fittler has made to his side for Origin II. To me, it shows strength. Freddy is a strong believer in himself and his team. Nothing’s changed. He also knows he’s been in this situation before and dug himself out of it. In 2019, he made mass changes after […]

Cameron Munster says NSW will be wasting their time if they think they can get under his skin in Perth as the Maroons prepare to head west to try to wrap up the State of Origin series on Sunday. The Melbourne maestro was a wonder for Queensland in game one in Sydney, making the difference in a tight contest as […]

Jordan De Goey.Credit:Getty Images St Kilda coach Brett Ratten has revealed that his club is considering Jordan De Goey as a trade target at season’s end, as the controversial Collingwood star’s future at Collingwood hangs in the balance. De Goey recently came under fire after footage documenting the 26-year-old partying at a Bali nightclub were posted online. They appeared to […]

West Coast defender Jeremy McGovern is no certainty to play again this year following his painful rib injury, but ruckman Nic Naitanui could return as early as this week. McGovern spent three nights in hospital before being released on Tuesday after breaking his ribs in Saturday’s 18-point loss to Geelong. West Coast ruckman Nic Naitanui could be back playing as […]

AFL footy club bosses say families are being put off going to Friday night games because of the late start times, as dwindling crowd numbers threaten club revenue and the atmosphere at the ground. Friday night football should kick off earlier than 7.50pm, according to club bosses searching for ways to return crowds to pre-COVID levels. Crowds have been lower […]

Richmond v Carlton, MCG Carlton’s backline injury crisis has deepened after mid-season recruit Sam Durdin became the latest casualty.Durdin, playing his first game for the Blues in Thursday night’s loss to Richmond at the MCG, has strained a medial ligament, with the club on Friday confirming he will miss four weeks.“He underwent scans on Friday morning which confirmed the injury, […]

In today’s AFL briefing, your daily wrap of footy news: The Western Bulldogs are attempting to help Bailey Smith restructure his life, according to coach Luke Beveridge. The AFL considers introducing the last-touch rule amid general player support. Check back in for updates through the day Smith seeking balance, says Beveridge Malcolm Conn The Western Bulldogs are attempting to help […]

Immediately after the Western Bulldogs’ loss to Geelong in round 12, it was apparent to their coach Luke Beveridge that the face of the team’s forward line had to change in the back half of the year. The Cats had focused on stopping Aaron Naughton in the air and restricted him to just one goal as the Bulldogs won the […]

Wayne Bennett has given his blessing for teenage sensation Isaiya Katoa to make a potential Test debut – before he’s even played against open-age players this year – as the Dolphins’ future halfback prepares to join Tonga’s squad. Katoa, who was poached by the NRL’s newest franchise for their inaugural season, is poised to replace Kotoni Staggs in Tonga’s halves […]