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Joined August 2011
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Ben Pobjie is a writer and comedian whose promising rugby career was tragically cut short the day he stopped playing rugby and had a pizza instead. The most he has ever cried was the day Balmain lost the 1989 grand final. Today he enjoys the frolics of Wallabies, Swans, baggy greens, and Storm.
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Cricket is an amazing game. After one Test it seemed certain that these Ashes would be the Summer of Steve. With just a few hours of the second Test remaining, Jofra Archer was set to be anointed 2019’s Supreme Being.
You know, I’ve seen New Zealanders do some underhanded things in my time, from hands in the ruck to tricking Greg Chappell into ordering an underarm. But I never thought the deviousness of that nation would ever sink to such depths as it did on the weekend just past.
I will be the first to admit, I do not possess the same level of rugby league knowledge as Ricky Stuart.
How many passes does a rugby league halfback throw in their career? Thousands. Long ones and short ones, quick bullets and looping floaters, cut-outs to wide runners and pop-ups to charging forwards. Passing is a halfback’s trade.
Remember last week when I wrote about how great it was that New South Wales was panicking?
I was devastated when Cooper Cronk announced he was leaving Melbourne.
As his one-time Storm teammate Greg Inglis ends his career in a shower of tributes, Israel Folau seems to be ending his in a shower of a much more prosaic substance. And it’s a shame. A damn shame.
Sport isn’t about feelings or impressions; it’s about cold hard facts.
I’m not sure I’ve ever seen anything in cricket more unlikely than Australia coming back from 2-0 down in the ODI series in India to win 3-2.
A wildcard weekend in the NRL, enabling the ninth and tenth-placed teams to contest the finals? What a great idea!
I learnt a lot from Nick Riewoldt’s bold statements about drugs this week.
After a bracing summer holiday, multiple medallist Roy ‘Crackling’ Pork and six-time journeyman Wayne ‘Spanks’ Spankle are back at the bar to say what’s what.
Bright spark Roy ‘Crackling’ Pork and sharp unit Wayne ‘Spanks’ Spankle sit down at the bar to chew on some solutions.
Mercurial speedster Roy ‘Crackling’ Pork and renowned workhorse Wayne ‘Spanks’ Spankle break it down and spit it out for you.
Elite performer Roy ‘Crackling’ Pork and honest man Wayne ‘Spanks’ Spankle sit down and sort it all out.
Elite sporting raconteur Roy ‘Crackling’ Pork and quicksilver playmaker Wayne ‘Spanks’ Spankle chew the fat and spit it right out.
I think Cleary was very good, Cook was fine although vastly outshone by Grant, Walker went missing and the whole forward pack was a huge letdown. But if Tedesco stays on the field I still think NSW wins. His injury turned the game on its head – the effect hugely magnified by NSW carrying four forwards on the bench, which I think is always a bad move.
Six talking points from State of Origin Game 3
1999 it must’ve been: NSW won 3-0 in 2000.
Six talking points from State of Origin Game 3
Reckon you’ve given Allan five times as many points as he earned
State of Origin 3 player ratings: Queensland Maroons
If Cordner is the GOAT, the club ain’t that strong in that position.
The Sydney Roosters' greatest NRL team
That’s how good a judge Duncan was – he knew that Dave Brown would end up proving himself.
The Sydney Roosters' greatest NRL team
I’d take Beetson over JWH every day of the week. I’d take Beetson over almost any other prop who ever took the field.
The Sydney Roosters' greatest NRL team
I reckon weight gaps would close if you placed players in the same eras. Full-time professionals who spend days in the gym get to bulk up a lot more.
The Sydney Roosters' greatest NRL team
Dan Frawley for Tupou. Viv Thicknesse for Hastings. Ray Stehr for Morley (can’t believe Morley was even considered). Bunny Reilly for Cordner.
The Sydney Roosters' greatest NRL team
Oh come now, I bet you’ve read two or three bigger loads in your time.
For the love of God, stop letting the Wallabies play us like this
I think you mean they were slow out of the blocks in 2020, as you’d already covered their 2019 clash?
Missing from the Richmond dynasty? A legitimate rival
You’ll get over the grand final one day.
Time to update the NRL rule book to reflect the actual rules
Penrith isn’t far from Parramatta though, and if the Riverside Theatre isn’t enough of a draw for these guys…
The Panthers' greatest issue? Um, Penrith
I always loathe the “what else was he to do” style of commentary. The fact is, if there is no way a player can prevent a try without breaking the rules, what he is *supposed* to do is let the try be scored. That’s the whole point of, you know, “rules”. Might as well see a player throw a pass ten metres forward to get a try and ask, “well what else was he supposed to do, there were defenders in the way!”
"I'm always honest", says Phil Gould who reckons his NRL grand final call wasn't biased
You’re right. It’s entirely legal to tackl feet-first and kick the ball out of the hands of a player in the process of scoring a try. The bunker just made up a fictional rule in order to benefit the Storm. Good article.
The penalty try was wrong. Change my mind
It’s not so much that Gould wants his team to win, as that he deludes himself into thinking they ARE winning, when they’re not.
Also, “witty”. Heh, good one.
The problem with 'bias': Why this Queenslander backs Phil Gould
Greg Alexander, to his enormous credit, a while back decided he would not call Panthers games.
"I'm always honest", says Phil Gould who reckons his NRL grand final call wasn't biased
They were more in touch with their feelings. They came out of the game more well-adjusted.
"I'm always honest", says Phil Gould who reckons his NRL grand final call wasn't biased
I think you’ve underrated Hughes a little. Thought he was fantastic.
NRL grand final player ratings: Melbourne Storm
Nobody ever claimed he wasn’t honest. I’m sure he genuinely believes the complete bollocks he talks
"I'm always honest", says Phil Gould who reckons his NRL grand final call wasn't biased
If Ablett Senior was playing in the 09 finals series, he really was freakish.
Five talking points from the 2020 AFL grand final
Yes, high tackles and forward passes were ignored all night, and to be honest are ignored pretty much every week.
Four talking points from the NRL grand final
“in fact it was like they used the score line as a buffer to not to have to face Penrith arsenal more than neccessary knowing how tough and uncompromising a team Penrith were”
Anyone got an English translation of this?
Four talking points from the NRL grand final
I thought Yeo was great *considering* he was out of position and lacking in a centre’s speed. But he was good “for a lock playing centre”. And Gutho was good too. A genuine backline replacement would still have been preferable. Even so, losing Tedesco will always be a huge blow no matter who replaces him. Just bad luck and you can have contingencies but you can’t eliminate luck from your game plan.
Six talking points from State of Origin Game 3