With inspirational captain Danny Buderus leaving the Newcastle Knights at the end of season 2008, the days when Buderus and Andrew Johns would lead the Knights to victory are now over. A team effort from 2009 onwards is now required to steer Newcastle back to its glory days when it won two premierships inside five NRL seasons in 1997 and 2001.
Newcastle put their off-field dramas behind them to hold-off Canterbury 20-16 in a major NRL upset at ANZ Stadium, but they were lucky Bulldogs goal-kicking great Hazem El Masri retired last year.
Trailing 16-0 at halftime, Canterbury scored four second half tries, two each to Josh Morris and Steve Turner, to get back into the contest, [...] Read article
The Newcastle Knights 20-16 win over premiership fancies the Bulldogs will rank as one of the club’s greatest victories, given the tumultuous off season Rick Stone’s men had to endure in the lead up to season 2010.
With key players Danny Wicks and Chris Housten exiting the club in humiliating fashion, the Knights also faced the [...] Read article
Newcastle have the chance to answer one of the NRL’s burning questions when they take on Canterbury on Saturday – just how will they react to a horror off-season.
Down two forwards with Danny Wicks and Chris Houston terminating their own contracts after being charged with drug offences, the Knights’ premiership stocks have plunged before a [...] Read article
Newcastle’s major sponsorship deals with NIB and McDonalds are hanging in the balance after the NRL club’s chief executive Steve Burraston met with both on Monday.
Burraston met with the Knights’ backers to discuss the off-field dramas which have engulfed the club following the charging of a second player, Chris Houston, with drug dealing last week.
Houston [...] Read article
NRL crisis club Newcastle will need to content themselves with an “above average tradesman” to replace departed Chris Houston and Danny Wicks, with the salary cap preventing them from chasing the game’s superstars.
The Knights have been linked to big names Sonny Bill Williams and club legend Danny Buderus after losing forwards Houston and Wicks, who [...] Read article
Newcastle second-rower Chris Houston is set to quit the beleaguered NRL club this week after being charged with three counts of supplying ecstasy and one count of supplying cocaine.
The Knights have refused to confirm that the 25-year-old will walk away from the club, but the Ten Network has reported a letter from the chief executive [...] Read article
With another NRL player charged overnight with drug dealing, it’s clear that the lessons of 2009 have yet to be learned. How much responsibility should the code’s CEO David Gallop take and what would you do if you were in his shoes to clean up the game?
Newcastle’s NRL season is in tatters before a ball has been kicked after Chris Houston became the second player from the club to be charged during the off-season with alleged drug dealing.
The Knights’ worst fears were realised on Monday following reports in December that more players at the club could be involved in an alleged [...] Read article
St George Illawarra firmed as NRL premiership favourites after a Brett Morris hat-trick propelled the red and whites to a 26-6 win over Canterbury at WIN Stadium on Friday night.
The Dragons proved last week’s win over Parramatta was no fluke as they produced another flawless display to record their first win over Canterbury in Wollongong, [...]
South Sydney’s miserable start to the NRL season has continued with a heart-breaking golden point extra time 19-18 defeat at the hands of Gold Coast at ANZ Stadium.
Titans captain Scott Prince calmly slotted an 80th minute penalty goal to level the scores at 18-18 before landing the winning field goal in the second minute of [...]
Another Dragons game on the box, so another date with my nemesis. If rugby league is all about rivalries, well, as they say, “it doesn’t get any bigger.”
I’ll cut to chase. What is the story with the Saints fan who holds up the “GST, Great St George Team” sign?
Fair dinkum, it is driving me [...]
Melbourne Victory have turned to Melbourne Storm’s NRL premiership skipper Cameron Smith for advice ahead of Saturday night’s A-League grand final against Sydney FC at Etihad Stadium.
Smith, who has captained the Storm to two NRL titles, including last season’s win over Parramatta, spoke ahead of Thursday’s training session.
“It was fantastic, he’s a well respected guy, [...]
League legend Brad Fittler has bobbed up as an interested spectator at St George Illawarra training.
The former Test star and Sydney Roosters coach sat through the NRL club’s session on Thursday before chewing the fat with coach Wayne Bennett, assistant Adrian Lam and Dragons players.
“It was good to have him down here,” Lam told AAP.
“I [...]
Sydney Roosters coach Brian Smith has moved to hose down talk young guns Todd Carney and Mitchell Pearce could be the solution to NSW’s State of Origin woes, calling on selectors to give them another year to prove themselves.
The Blues are looking down the barrel of an unprecedented fifth-straight Origin series loss this year as [...]
NRL preview panel for this weekend’s round-two matches (all times AEDT).
FRIDAY
ST GEORGE ILLAWARRA v CANTERBURY at WIN Stadium, 7.35pm.
Head to head: Bulldogs 12, Dragons 6
Last clash: Dragons 20 bt Bulldogs 18 at WIN Jubilee Oval (Rd 10, 2009)
TAB SportsBet: Dragons $1.50, Bulldogs $2.50
FootyTab: Bulldogs +5.5.
The Dragons followed coach Wayne Bennett’s game plan to the letter [...]
Bulldogs prop Ben Hannant has approached the club and requested an early release from his contract on the grounds that he is homesick and wants to return to QLD.
Club CEO, Todd Greenberg has had discussions with the Brisbane Broncos but has stated that he will only release Hannant if he receives the equivalent playing [...]
Well there has been plenty of debate over what chance a World Cup bid has if the NRL and AFL will be left out of pocket. Is this the case though?
An ideal situation for the rugby league and AFL during a World Cup would be as follows.
Host 4 NRL rounds over 5 or 6 weeks [...]
Brisbane’s first-up win over the Cowboys last weekend obviously failed to impress one big better who on Wednesday tossed $100,000 on the Broncos to miss the top eight.
Brisbane have made the finals for the past 18 seasons straight but the NSW punter claimed TAB Sportsbet for $100,000 to $80,000 (odds of $1.80) about Ivan Henjak’s [...]
