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Joined January 2015
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A Queenslander that bleeds maroon, gold and red... and a little bit of teal. Was at Lang Park for the can throwing, the Gabba for Fatty's catch, and on the couch for everything I can get away with...
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Brad Fittler is on his last legs as NSW coach. Or so we’re led to believe. If the Blues do the unthinkable and win…
In early January, I wrote about my thoughts that Wayne Bennett's refusal to recruit a specialist halfback had essentially consigned Brisbane's 2018 season to…
These are not easy days to be a Queensland Reds fan. Sitting through the debacle that was the humbling 63-28 demolition at the hands…
In part 2 of my interview with Lucas Browne, hear the Australian heavyweight's memories of the fateful trip to Chechnya, his plans for the…
Australian heavyweight Lucas Browne is on a redemption mission, heading back into the ring two years after he was crowned, momentarily, this country's first…
The greatest redemption story in Australian sport is perhaps about to be written. It's certainly the best story of 2018. It involves climbing a…
This year's NRL premiership is likely to come down to two men, who will both be wearing the number 7 jersey, and looking to…
Wayne Bennett's refusal to admit that he has bungled the Broncos' recruitment efforts over the summer has effectively written off the powerhouse club's 2018…
New Queensland Reds head coach Brad Thorn would've bristled with barely contained rage when he heard the news that Karmichael Hunt had again found…
Take yourself back to this time two years ago, with the Cowboys to face the Broncos in the NRL grand final. The talk at…
As a fanatical Wallabies and Reds supporter, it has been a delightful relief to watch the British and Irish Lions' tour of New Zealand…
The recent to and fro between Dragons coach Paul McGregor and Recruitment Director Ian Millward regarding the future of Josh Dugan has been interesting…
A little over a year ago, after another insipid Reds loss to the Waratahs, I banged out an open letter to the Queensland Rugby…
While State of Origin morning is no time for interstate niceties, and in the shadow of some fantastic cross-border baiting from Paul Gallen yesterday,…
Reports that Quade Cooper has taken a significant step towards signing with a French club at the end of this season should send shivers…
North of the Tweed, it's never too early to start thinking about State of Origin, particularly when the three Queensland clubs have had a,…
My name is Cameron, and I have a problem. I am addicted to fantasy sports. I don't care what it is... rugby league, rugby…
The success of several cross-code superstars has proven that the borders that used to divide our sports are no longer watertight. Moves between the…
So Eugenie Bouchard was asked by Channel Seven interviewer Ian Cohen to “give us a twirl”. My first reaction was mild horror that a…
For some time now I have become increasingly concerned at what I consider to be the new scourge of rugby league. Almost every time…
I don’t feel like my foot is in my mouth. He did well yesterday. Good work. None of his detractors have questioned his ability to score runs in Australia. Certainly I haven’t. Is his demeanour how I want my Aust cricket side to act? Nope. So he just reinforced my view, and from what I can tell, the view of many others. But good on him, he played well yesterday
COMMENT: David Warner defied his critics - but he didn't prove them wrong
I’m a Warner detractor, so I’ll put that rider out there first… I know it’s not in his nature, but I actually would have respected him slightly more if he went with a more muted, humble celebration of the ton. The shush is exactly why he rubs me the wrong way. As I said, i know that’s not his personality so it was never going to happen, but between his celebration and Candice doing the same on social media, I’m just over both of them. A tip of the hat and a lift of the bat, and I think we all would have sympathised with him a bit more. Show some restraint, some humility, some acknowledgement that this ton doesnt erase the failures overseas… Maybe I’m just getting too old….
COMMENT: David Warner defied his critics - but he didn't prove them wrong
I can only speak for myself, but I just find him completely unlikeable. That’s fine, I don’t have to like him, and he couldn’t care less about that, and I’m sure it’s not a factor for some fans (including Vaughan). But for me, the Australian Test team is more than just a cricket team, it’s our national sport, it’s my childhood, it’s the people I idolised as a kid, and my favourite players were always the ones I could identify with or look up to. I loved Tubby’s stoicism, Tugger’s belligerence, even Warney, for all his faults, was someone I wanted to have a beer with. I couldn’t stand the thought of having to spend a second in the company of Warner. So his numbers don’t actually matter that much to me (I actually prefer a boring opener who can be relied on to take the shine off the new ball 9 times out of 10, but maybe that says more about me than him). It’s his style, or perhaps his lack of style, that means he’ll never be one of my favourites.
'I don't understand': England great stumped by Warner 'friction', Lyon's huge 'top two all-time openers' call
Why? I get that it might be the preferred option, but why MUST they be Australian? I don’t particularly want to sacrifice quality for some kind of misplaced parochialism…
RA must not fixate on an Aussie coach - why Ronan O'Gara is best choice to lead Wallabies after the Eddie calamity
This argument falls over when you consider all of the other obligations the NRL has as a business and employer… the players’ choice doesn’t only affect themselves, there would be many wide ranging implications for the game if we were to leave this up to players to manage…
What happened to the NRL's sin bin, HIAs, mandatory stand-downs and independent doctors?
*don’t get your hopes up, don’t get your hopes up, don’t get your hopes up*… Let’s be honest, the list of experienced, qualified international coaches available to us isn’t particularly long or inspiring… I would not be disappointed at all with Schmidt taking us through the next cycle. Apart from his obvious credentials, seems like the right personality fit for the times as well…
How McLennan departure could help Wallabies land ex-Ireland, All Blacks coach as Eddie's replacement
Can’t argue that that’s a factor 👍
Luai can lift Tigers out of doldrums but mega offer continues vicious cycle of overpaying for recruits
I just can’t fathom that Luai could be worth more than 850k, that seems extraordinarily fair from the Panthers… I know he’s worth whatever another club is willing to pay him, but is an extra bit of cash worth the pain that will come with a move to Leichhardt? Maybe he wants to challenge himself, prove to everyone he’s a playmaker in his own right, but banking 850k in a team that wins seems more appealing to me than 1.1 at the Tigers…
Luai can lift Tigers out of doldrums but mega offer continues vicious cycle of overpaying for recruits
I guess we’ve seen all the childish, arrogant, egocentric behaviour we’re gonna see for a little while then…
Hamish: Hold my beer…
'Shame on the plodders': Hamish blasts RA 'boneheads' as Harvey Norman deal ends - but founder denies link to axing
A real opportunity for a forward thinking company to jump on board to support what we hope is the rejuvenation of the game in this country… first real test for our new CEO I guess…
'Shame on the plodders': Hamish blasts RA 'boneheads' as Harvey Norman deal ends - but founder denies link to axing
Thanks for the article, it’s great to read something about trying to improve SR as opposed to just dumping it.
I am completely onboard with the idea of 2 new NZ teams, but I think Aust needs to consolidate our current footprint for a while before we look to expand too quickly. Spreading the NZ talent a little thinner has the potential to tighten the comp up a little bit, which would be great, but I really want Aust to focus on pathways into the current SR sides and developing tribalism with those sides before we reach out much further. Great thinking though.
The need to make Super Rugby stronger and viable in the long term means it is time to expand back to 14 teams
I didn’t understand the narrative around whether Herbert would be able to continue the negotiations Hamish had started with sponsors, broadcasters etc… surely all of this falls to the CEO, not the Chair of the Board? Feels like half the battle here is convincing people what the Chair’s role actually is…
'Thank f--k': Why RA's new chairman has brought 'hope at last' - and won't be scared of tough calls
I get the theory, I really do, I just think that that approach is short term thinking at a time when we need long term thinking. No more sugar fixes. Fix this thing for the long haul. Reducing teams doesn’t fix the things that need fixing. It doesn’t provide the structure, the pathway, the opportunities that the game needs to truly flourish. Maybe some people think it can never truly flourish again, but I believe if we create a system that lets it be all it can be, we will grow into that. And I think that’s more important than a couple of extra wins in SR next year.
COMMENT: 'Best interests of the game'? Hamish's dummy spit proves RA was right to cut him loose
Please can we stop entertaining the idea of cutting SR teams. It can’t be the answer, and the constant speculation only serves to destabilise and reinforce to the community that we don’t know where we’re going. Having 3 teams in the 90s was not the reason we were successful, and reducing teams won’t take us back to those post-amateur glory days. We need professional positions for players to move through the pathways towards, and reducing those opportunities will only make it harder for rugby to compete with the 17 NRL teams for young players. The junior talent is there, we just need the structures that get them engaged in the franchises early, and show them where they can be if they stick with the game… and a SRAU comp at the back end of the year, minus 35-40 Wallabies, to get the next gen some valuable game time wouldn’t hurt either…
COMMENT: 'Best interests of the game'? Hamish's dummy spit proves RA was right to cut him loose
Really big opportunity for Blyth to stand up as the leader of the tight 5 this year, got some good mongrel, and mostly keeps it under control, would love just that extra bit of physicality to his game, and of course consistency, a big focus for most of the Reds this year!!
Comeback kids: 10 players who can explode back into the Wallabies reckoning in 2024
Yeah I don’t mind that idea either… 👍
Comeback kids: 10 players who can explode back into the Wallabies reckoning in 2024
I’d love to see Liam Wright really push for that Wallaby 6 jumper… I know there’s always been the knock on his physicality with and without the ball, but I love his leadership, his tenacity, his skill over the ball and in the lineout, the willingness to do the unnoticeable… he’s a real glue for the Reds, particularly in defence, and if you’re getting your physicality elsewhere, then I think he could really do a job for the Wallabies, he seems for mine to be exactly the type of grafter we need to add a bit of starch and steel to the defence. Hope he has a huge one for the Reds.
Comeback kids: 10 players who can explode back into the Wallabies reckoning in 2024
I think the most galling part of this interview is the admission that the Wallabies haven’t really focussed on the breakdown the last few years… excuse me?? I mean I think we all felt like this must have been the case, given out shortcomings at the breakdown and how frustrated we all were at our inability to maintain possession, but to hear it said out loud is flabergasting… how did we ever expect to win anything if we ignored one of the absolute fundamentals of the game?? Extraordinary admission…
'We're going to shock a lot of teams': Young gun bullish ahead of Wallabies' final pre-RWC Test against France
With 40 odd players unavailable across the 5 teams, meaning a lot of different players taking part and not just the same teams playing again, I think it is a BETTER idea than Randwick playing Norths, a proposal from Waugh that leaves HALF our SR contracted players without ANY extra games…. how does that do ANYTHING of value??
RA's target of a third tier in 2024 raises a whole heap of questions in desperate need of answers
Why would using established SR clubs attract less people than suburban club teams?? GPS vs Bond?? You think you’ll be part of a big crowd loving that?!
RA's target of a third tier in 2024 raises a whole heap of questions in desperate need of answers
More than Syd Uni playing Sunnybank, yes I do. And in the second half of the year, the teams will look very different, with youngsters and the best club players getting a shot. I’d love it.
RA's target of a third tier in 2024 raises a whole heap of questions in desperate need of answers
It seems so obvious doesn’t it…?
RA's target of a third tier in 2024 raises a whole heap of questions in desperate need of answers
I hope you’re correct, Brett, in terms of Waugh’s true openness to something other than an elevated club comp. I was one of the many you refer to who viewed his response with scepticism. In my view the negatives of the club comp FAR outweigh the positives, in fact I’m not sure it actually achieves anything significant in terms of the broader development of the entire rugby system, which needs to be the aim of whatever we create. SRAU, without Wallabies players, does all we need with a minimum of fuss, I’m just shocked it isn’t the first answer everyone jumps to. Hoping Waugh keeps getting pushed on what this fabled “connection” means to anyone outside of the leafy suburbs of 2 cities….
RA's target of a third tier in 2024 raises a whole heap of questions in desperate need of answers
Honestly, this just infuriates me… I am a rusted on rugby supporter, a die hard Reds and Wallabies fan, but I have no connection to any Brisbane or Sydney club team. I dont think I’m alone in that position. The connection Waugh speaks of only covers a tiny proportion of rugby fans, and leaves the rest of us with nothing. It shows no actual understanding of rugby fans outside his beloved childhood memories.
For gods sake, just play SRAU without the Wallabies players for another couple months while the Tests are happening. It doesn’t feel that difficult.
Why RA CEO is leaning into 'beating heart' of club rugby in third tier plan as crunch talks loom
I’ve been quite restrained. I think you can see that from the tone of my comments. Nothing outrageous or attacking there. Quite muted to be honest….
COMMENT: David Warner defied his critics - but he didn't prove them wrong