Club loyalties will be temporarily shelved as a record-equalling eight players from one rugby league club prepare to meet in the deciderWhen Australia and Samoa walk onto the Old Trafford pitch this weekend with both the Paul Barrière Trophy and rugby league greatness on the line, there is unlikely to be a prouder cadre than the Penrith Panthers front office. After claiming back-to-back NRL premierships and sending a record 19 players to the World Cup, a magnificent year for the Panthers will be capped when eight of their players likely square off in the decider. Among those eight will be a remarkable five members of the Penrith backline that defeated Parramatta in the NRL grand final – not inclusive of...
The growth and expansion of the NRLW and an enviable depth of talent has put a target on the Jillaroos’ backs but other nations have made advances too“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail,” Benjamin Franklin once said. The sentiment may be squarely in the minds of the Jillaroos when they take to the field at York Community Stadium on Wednesday (Thursday morning AEDT) to kick off their Women’s Rugby League World Cup campaign.Australia go into this tournament somewhat surprisingly with no warm-up games under their belt, and without having played a Test match in three years because of Covid-19. This is a green and gold squad full of inexperience, with 12 debutants and just five players remaining...
Without minnows’ exposure to elite sides like Australia a more level global playing field will never be achievedEveryone loves seeing a bully put on their backside. Crowds adore the mouse that roars or a minnow that swallows a whale. International sport is built on such David v Goliath dramas. It’s the victory of heart over head, the triumph of the fight in the dog, not the dog in the fight – a reminder that the favourite is a misnomer and it’s the dark horse we’re often drawn to.Hence why the handful of upsets in the 2021 Rugby League World Cup so far have been more satisfying than the shellackings and spiflications that are usually the norm at this event. It’s...
In a bubble away from contract negotiations and negative media, culture is blending this team of stars into a star teamImages of Tagaloa, the giant Samoan creation God show him balancing on two islands and beaming with a smile. The islands were stepping stones for his Polynesian people that have always been on the move.He would be proud of this Samoan rugby league team who are looking to make history and write the final chapter of the Pacific Revolution by becoming the first Pacific nation to make a Rugby League World Cup final. Continue reading...
IMG’s proposals are an admission the sport’s biggest clubs are too fragile and insecure to be left to winds of sporting chanceThe hooter sounds and Blake Ferguson sinks to his knees and in that moment everything seems to dissolve a little. The exhausted Leigh Centurions players collapse into each other’s arms; fans cling to each other in the stands; the shy and retiring Leigh owner, Derek Beaumont, reluctantly steps on to the pitch, looking genuinely dismayed that the television cameras seem to be homing in on his leopard-print shirt and extravagant dance moves.Still, everyone can be excused a little exuberance. For once more Leigh are back in Super League. Continue reading...