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AJ Mithen is a sportswriter, co-host of the podcast ‘A Sporting Discussion’ and regular guest on radio ABC Central Victoria and RRR FM. He loves to give space to the sporting stories the mainstream forgets - and he’ll never rest until Australian baseball gets the coverage it deserves. He’s always up for a chat on Twitter @AJMithen.
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Round 8’s NRL was a weekend of domination, with an average win margin of 21 points and some teams seeing their finals hopes really…
Round 7 is still early in the season, but a few results happened this week that no doubt demoralised fans of a few clubs.…
It may not have been a hotbed of upsets and drama, but the weekend’s rugby league still gave us plenty to get stuck into.…
A lot going on in NRL round five. Injuries, suspensions, great performances and some, let's say, less than energetic efforts. Let’s have a look…
We’ve reached the end* of round four which as you know, means we’ve seen enough to be able to look at teams and feel…
Three weeks of NRL season 2024 are in the bank and there’s no shortage of stories starting to take shape. Let’s have a look…
We had some fantastic games in round two, with two of the great NRL thefts in Townsville and Melbourne. Let’s dig into your round…
Some teams looked great, others were trash, others enigmatic… Let's take a moment and look back on the NRL’s first completed round for season…
We return! Season 2024 is upon us and not before time. A fantastic start to things over in the US of A and plenty…
Penrith chase some history while Brisbane look to squeeze their way around or through that Panther wall of defence. Who ya got? Here come…
The regular season top four remained the final top four as we head to our 2023 Grand Final qualifiers. The eye test says we…
It’s carnage in the NRL medical rooms as teams look for enough fit players to keep their season alive. Here come your midweek talking…
Finals, baby! Home to the deserved and undeserved alike. Where miracles happen, contenders unleash and pretenders get moved out of the way fast. Here…
We arrive at the final round of the regular season. Some clubs will fight tooth and nail to stay alive, other clubs are mentally…
Into the last fortnight for NRL season 2023. Here come your NRL midweek talking points. CNK needed to be punished, for the good of…
Time is running out for teams with premiership designs to get themselves into the best position for a deep postseason run, but for several…
One month remains in the NRL regular season and it’s shoulder to shoulder for the best placings. Here come your NRL preview talking points.…
Five games to go and plenty to play for up and down the ladder. Who will hang on in round 23? here come your…
Being able to crush a poorer opponent is starting to matter as we approach the business end of the season. Can your team keep…
State of Origin is in the rearview mirror and it’s time to get back to the actual point of an NRL season, making the…
Might have changed in the interim, but last time I looked into it the WA local League scene was markedly bigger than the Victorian one.
Round 24 Preview Talking Points: Does NRL care about WA? no love for O’Brien, whopping bans and Nine's secret Saturdays
exactly. The NRL should have been there the instant the Western Force got canned by Super Rugby for the first time.
Round 24 Preview Talking Points: Does NRL care about WA? no love for O’Brien, whopping bans and Nine's secret Saturdays
That’s right Nick, under the TV deal they show the last five rounds’ worth of Saturday games. Just seems weird to me they accompany that with absolutely zero promotion…
Round 24 Preview Talking Points: Does NRL care about WA? no love for O’Brien, whopping bans and Nine's secret Saturdays
Agree 100%. The St Louis call team embarrassed themselves with that garbage.
Baseball, you can be a cool sport, but sometimes you can be beyond ridiculous
This is really good stuff, Tagger
Banned by the game, shunned by Collingwood but still standing strong: The forgotten story of Ron Todd
suspect there’s many in the same boat Jimmmy.
NRL week 22 preview talking points: Teams need to pile on the points and we salute DCE 300
That’s a reasonable point.
All eyes on the skies as Labuschagne ton, Manchester rain gives Aussies a shot at great escape
I for one and grateful the English decided short rubbish was the plan when it was overcast, dicey and three of the first four wickets taken were edged from a good length
All eyes on the skies as Labuschagne ton, Manchester rain gives Aussies a shot at great escape
They’re not allowed to Duncan- for example the Raiders wanted to call their NRLW team the ‘Valkyries’ but NRL licensing rules mean clubs must run with the existing names.
NRL week 21 preview talking points: Oh boy, here comes some good stuff
This piece is fantastic. Nice one
As she enters her final World Cup, what legacy will Megan Rapinoe ultimately leave?
😂
Maroons player ratings: Bad defensive reads, a stupid penalty, a crop-top jersey all added up to dud night for Queensland
I’m not looking forward to the letter on the Cherry-Evans letterhead which will land in my mailbox, Emcie
Maroons player ratings: Bad defensive reads, a stupid penalty, a crop-top jersey all added up to dud night for Queensland
My bad Emcie – I meant a 5.5 for DCE. Put it down to a fumbled speed proof reading
Maroons player ratings: Bad defensive reads, a stupid penalty, a crop-top jersey all added up to dud night for Queensland
Nailed it Dwayne. Broadcasters who don’t know the rules and/or don’t like a decision, then rip in on the refs are one of the biggest contributions to the game’s problem.
NRL Week 18 preview talking points: Respect the refs or ride the pine
Bless you Andrew for doing this. (Raiders were +63 in 2022 though)
NRL Week 18 preview talking points: Respect the refs or ride the pine
It certainly is ‘quirky’ Arnab, isn’t it. The docklands stadium won’t be configured for rectangular sport either, so it’ll be interesting to see how it comes across on the broadcast and to those in attendance…
NRL Week 18 preview talking points: Respect the refs or ride the pine
It’ll be interesting to see how he shapes a team in 2024 won’t it. These days you Can’t slow play, you can’t be a defensive grinding team… you need plenty of points!
NRL week 16 preview talking points: Do you want good vibes, or do you want to win?
It’s a fair point Tim. I guess I wanted to avoid ‘perennial punching bag’ because I actually think the Tigers are better than their media coverage suggests. 😂
An interesting quirk for this game too- with all the fixturing BS around at the moment, 2023 is the first time in five years the Storm and Tigers will play each other more than once during the regular season…
NRL week 16 preview talking points: Do you want good vibes, or do you want to win?
five try assists, Bernie
NRL week 15 preview talking points: What’s your definition of normal?
What Emcie said. This wasn’t a game of supreme quality compared to usual Origin fare, it was good not great and scores go accordingly. Maybe the theatregoers of Adelaide sitting on their hands for most of the game contributed to that vibe, though…
An unlikely hero, a winger defending like a forward, a prop leaping like a fullback: Maroons player ratings
I won’t lie Jimmmy, those last two plays bumped Munster up by 1.5
An unlikely hero, a winger defending like a forward, a prop leaping like a fullback: Maroons player ratings
Literally every other Australia sporting competition, large and small, has a Perth club and can manage the logistics. Even the Australian Baseball League, whose budget is basically a collection of coloured pegs and playdough, can manage it. So I’m not gonna hear this argument for one of the country’s richest codes.
Round 24 Preview Talking Points: Does NRL care about WA? no love for O’Brien, whopping bans and Nine's secret Saturdays