Roar Guru
Joined February 2016
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Resident 'English rugby league correspondent'. Also write for LastWordOnSports and FortyTwenty magazine. For enquires, contact me at samdrew97@outlook.com. For irrelevant tweets, follow @sceptical_bunny
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And so, top-flight domestic rugby league has come to an end, on both continents. After a tumultuous, Covid-hit campaign, the season was seen off…
So, how was your Grand Final? If only that Facebook outage came a day earlier, us South fans could have been saved the ignominy…
As Melbourne capitulated and South Sydney marched on, there are also preliminary finals on the other side of the world this week. There’s the…
In a week of tantalising semi-finals, basement dwellers Wests Tigers have somehow conspired to break into the news cycle. What’s more, they’ve done so…
This weekend’s round of Super League sees the competition take to Newcastle’s St James’ Park for its annual Magic Weekend. There are expected to…
Last week saw Super League’s 'Rivals Round', a half-arsed marketing gimmick designed to feign interest in lieu of genuine commercial strategy. Nonetheless, it threw…
Referee bashing is as old as sport itself. This week saw a fightback of sorts from the NRL’s head of football, Graham Annesley. He…
As the end of the regular season approaches the talk naturally gravitates toward the finals. This year, however, the discourse moves beyond possible on-field…
What an eventful week in the sub-topical world of COVID rugby league. There were NRL fixture postponements, negotiations with the Queensland government and the…
Australia and New Zealand's players, you may be aware of the actions by the ARLC and NZRL in pulling out of the World Cup,…
With the lifting of legal COVID restrictions in England this week, the Rugby League World Cup confirmed that the tournament would be proceeding this…
There was a sense of inevitability about the relocation of 12 NRL clubs to Queensland. Were it not for the precarious nature of the…
In amongst all the news about the ramifications of the New South Wales lockdown, the eligibility fiasco surrounding Ronaldo Mulitalo and Queensland’s general march…
I hold my hands up and admit it: I was wrong. I’ve had to say it quite a bit recently, particularly in light of…
The relocation of Origin I to Townsville, and the surrounding excitement, has served to once more demonstrate the emotional power that the series has.…
Another week, another loss and more off-field drama. The natural ebb and flow of sports teams mean that good times tend to be followed…
In the upcoming weeks, NRL players will receive a questionnaire asking their views on competing in the World Cup later this year. Understandably, there…
The new interpretation of NRL rules surrounding head contact has not been universally popular. There’s been consternation from players, fans, coaches and pundits suggesting…
They say you can have too much of a good thing – a moniker seemingly encapsulated by the non-stop debate around Sydney’s NRL clubs…
I’m sorry, I really am. I wanted to do a puff piece this week about which NRL side a newcomer should support, and I…
Can rustle up a bit of cash, but more importantly, I do make a brilliant roast dinner.
As for male or female, some things are better left for the honeymoon! 😂
Let the anthem play, let the players protest
Definitely with you on that last point. That Yankee over-the-top hoo-ha is certainly a turn-off.
There’s a distinction between patriotism and nationalism: where one denotes love for homeland, the other signals hatred of others, and I feel that some of the anthem debate and criticism of dissenting players definitely leans towards the latter
Let the anthem play, let the players protest
Did either Oz or the Argies reach the World Cup Final? Like England? 😁
(Not really into Union, just a joke to try and lighten these comments from the inevitable cesspit they’ve become)
Let the anthem play, let the players protest
OK, it’s fair to say the comments have got a bit ‘lively’. Let’s all take a deep breath, and clear a few things up:
– What happened in the past is undoubtedly horrible. The fact that it is not the *absolute* worst thing to happen in history, nor the fact that other European powers would have done the same or worse, is not a mitigating factor.
– First Peoples Australians remain one of the most disadvantaged groups in the country. This is largely a result of the historical legacies and problems that continue to this day, and they go above and beyond the standard issues related to typical migratory “ethnic minorities”
– No one should feel individual guilt for atrocities their forefathers committed. ‘White guilt’ or bearing the sins of your family or country on an *individual* level is a non-starter. On a personal note, my mum’s ancestors weren’t involved in Australian nationhood because they got away with their crimes (sorry, couldn’t resist), whilst family on my dad’s side were in Malaya making money
– Change needs to happen. It needn’t be radical, or revolutionary, or some wild left-wing conspiracy, but the First Peoples and Indigenous populations need to have a voice in affecting change to their lives, rather than the all too familiar pattern of having policy inflicted upon them.
– Rugby league cannot solve all this overnight, but can at least set an example and start a conversation. The fact that V’landys was willing to bin the anthem out of cultural insensitivity, however misplaced, speaks volumes to the NRL’s commitment. If that can be channelled productively, with Indigenous voices informing decisions, then and only then can the game can be an example the rest of the country
OK, good. I’m all for reasoned debate, but let’s not have people accuse others of racism, lefty anarcho-communism or socio-political slurs. If something’s that bad, the monitors will censor it. Spirited chat, not vitriol.
Let the anthem play, let the players protest
That’s a good point, but I would like to add a few issues:
– National anthem should not just be played for national sides: it’s played before Grand Finals, and whilst no one wants an Americanisation that it becomes played before every game, it is important to acknowledge significant national moments (we play God Save the Queen before the Challenge Cup Final between club sides, in spite of the fact that she hasn’t been there in my lifetime)
– Even if it were played before internationals, the fundamental problem still remains. Concerns about lyrics and societal problems remain, whether or not players put on Blue, Maroon or that weird Kangaroo-Greenish colour
Let the anthem play, let the players protest
I agree with that, and I’m more than happy to criticise our governing body for not doing so. An annual test against France is a minimum.
2020 is a lost year, in so many ways. But 2021 may possibly be much better for you guys – it certainly won’t be for us. There’s the possibility of international games if trans-Tasman bubbles are opened
Rugby league internationalists need to accept that Origin is the best
Sorry, I generally meant the history of NSW VS QLD. When ‘State of Origin’ started in the ’80s, it was huge. But before that, the interstate series was losing interest. That was when it was what competition you played in (NSWRL or QRL), not what state you were born in. It took a revamp to really get it going again I think
https://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2010/06/16/2928672.htm
Rugby league internationalists need to accept that Origin is the best
Yeah I’m English, for all my sins. See both Super League and NRL, and there’s absolutely no comparison. The scrum situation is a bit mental: our players aren’t bubbled, so its for ‘Covid-security’. Players also get fined £250 for celebrating together
But the general game is a mess over here. Lockdowns don’t help, but there’s fears of a drastically reduced TV deal next year that would leave us scraping onto professional status. With Toronto kicked out, there’s no long-term vision, just stumbling from one poorly handled crisis to the next.
Rugby league internationalists need to accept that Origin is the best
Definitely wasn’t having a go at the NRL for being inward looking, and definitely glad to see more international players in the team.
I agree that lockdowns et al have made any attempts at growth difficult bordering on impossible, and that the best short-term hope lies in building the game outwards from a strong, consolidated Australian presence. The game in the UK is farcical right now.
The article is just there to remind some that the international game can coexist with Origin. I remember being in Brisbane for the 2017 World Cup Final, talking to diehard Broncos fans who weren’t interested in the competition. In the short-term at least, the best strategy lies in winning over those rugby league fans to the international game (hopefully bolstered by more foreigners in the NRL, looser eligibility rules and more rep windows), rather than moon-shot strategies destined for failure.
Rugby league internationalists need to accept that Origin is the best
If you can swing me an entry visa and a couple of grand for flights and quarantine then I’ll be glad to make the trek
Why are Penrith hosting Souths at the Bunnies' home?
I did apologise in advance in the article for the anglo-centric viewpoint (I meant a UK-specific focus, sorry for any confusion)
The Sam Burgess coverage typifies rugby league's negative media portrayal
Article was edited to avoid offence against the whole Aboriginal saga (when I say edited, I mean whole segments removed), but I what I was trying to say was that in a utopian society that’s what would happen, but I have nothing against them playing at ANZ.
Making rugby league magic (and money) at ANZ Stadium
Sorry if I wasn’t ery clear, it was a sarcastic comment made in jest. And yes, Toronto is a heavily saturated market, but the fact of the matter is rugby league can secure minimum gates of 7,000 fans, regardless of other sporting activity going on in the city.
Rugby League: The mills of Lancashire, mines of Yorkshire, and leafy suburbs of Toronto
I understand the need to celebrate Indigenous culture, but for God sake end this farce. For starters, all this does is cement an image that the ‘British’ Australians and native Australians are of extreme difference, despite them representing the same nation. It simply is the equivalent of having a whites against blacks match. Such racial discrimination should not be stood for (sorry, this is my piece for the Guardian). The point is, if Australian rugby league truly wants to celebrate indigenous culture, take the ‘bold’ step and implement a war dance like the Kiwis did, almost a century ago!
Saving the Indigenous All-Stars
Controversial comment incoming: as a Tottenham fan that’s been to Liverpool away – the Anfield atmosphere is overrated. It’s good, but nothing special in the footballing world. Didn’t even get glassed walking out of the ground
Let the anthem play, let the players protest