Search results

Played 63 games in 2022 and 2023 seasons, had the most run metres in the ESL in 2023 and was picked in the Super League Team of the Year. He was also a major factor in the team's surprise win in the Challenge Cup final. He broke a bone in his foot earlier this year but is back now and it's not...

I'm willing to excuse this. Last week his coach told him to have a real crack and Brandon just misinterpreted the message.

I worked at News Limited when I first came out of University in the late 80's and Buzz was at the Daily Telegraph and was considered a joke by most of the other League writers. He has come a long way since, now he is considered a joke by the entire League community.

Does anyone else get the feeling that Kenny Niko is a Dogs' supporter? Sure, he had the very unimpressive record of 0-3 going into the bout but he seemed like he was releasing some pent-up frustration in that 70 seconds.

Best game I've seen him play and deserved that try.

I haven't seen the replay at this stage and that always reveals a few things that you miss at the game (and keeps you a lot drier) but we needed to get points in the first 20 minutes because Cleary played perfect wet weather football in the second 20 minutes which didn't give us any more...

It was also because the two best teams in 2005 (Parramatta and St. George) did what they did best in the 2000's, crumbled under pressure. Unfortunately, the likes of Penrith, Melbourne and the Roosters are not likely to be so accommodating this year. Brisbane is probably the only top tier team...

We've played a ton of games in the past few years where we played ugly and lost by plenty. It's been a very long time since we played ugly and managed to win and that can only be a good thing. It has also been a long time since I've been to the footy with a car full of fans rather than...

He's actually a Victorian. Just when you think the bunker decisions can't possibly get worse, Chris Butler awards that try. When the guy scoring the try is the most surprised person on the ground, there is a significant problem. I hope the injury to Paps isn't a bad one, if ever a guy...

I don't think the Tigers will be easybeats today and I expect a tough game. After four straight losses, they'll be desperate to avoid a fifth and it shapes up as a mini grand final for them as they will be closer to the bottom of the ladder than the top eight if they lose again. I'm not...

I just watched one of my dogs defecate in the yard. It was more entertaining than this game although it didn't stink as bad. This the worst Penrith has played since 2019.

Ok, this may be the biggest sign of all... I didn't want to get everybody too excited but it's proven too difficult to contain. In 2004, Sweden won the Men's World Curling Championships and Canada won the Women's title. In 2024, Sweden won the Men's World Curling Championships and Canada won...

In 2004, the South Sydney coach (Paul Langmack) was given the sack mid-season. Just saying...

It apears the Rabbits are on the verge of announcing his signing.

According to the nuffies at Foxsports, one of the Ryan Suttons at the club will be back in round 12. The other one is out for the season. I'm hoping it's the good one that comes back early.

I remember staying to the very bitter end of last year's game and never feeling so low in all my time as a supporter and while yesterday's game won't extinguish that memory, it was great to be sitting (and standing and jumping) in the crowd yesterday with a whiff of optimism that I haven't...

This is a very mindless act... I believe vapes cost a lot of money and they would cause minimal harm.

That was his seventh team in the past eight years and he didn't play at all in 2020. Pretty soon he'll be known as Nu Club.

Garry Carden, he was a long term trainer and conditioner with the Dogs.

I left the game last night with a bad taste in my mouth and my grandson heard me swear for the first time. It was pretty difficult to stay composed after such a promising start but maybe there is a positive to come out of it. If we had won comprehensively, we may have gone into next week with...

Which one of the Reads has given you the inside scoop on this story?

Below is my response from the last time you sprouted this misinformation. The facts remain the same whether you choose to ignore them or not. Actually, what Luai and his manager confirmed in the press conference was the exact opposite of what you have stated. When asked when he advised others...

3. King - he seemed to be in everything when he was on the field. 2. Curran - we always lift when he comes on, it's not a coincidence. I love the way the crowd gets raucous when he runs on. 1. Preston - ran hard, tackled hard and there's one part of his game that I wish his team mates paid...

Is there an echo in here?

Good to see the team get the win, the ground was electric and I think the players would have taken a lot out of the win, keeping the Titans scoreless and the crowd reaction. I was very impressed with Crichton's leadership, he was very vocal throughout and it was clear he was making an impact...

He's had 22 years of doing it so you'd think that should be the case. Mind you, he hasn't won one since his very first year as a coach and he did have a few things in his favour that year.

Hard to give 3-2-1 when players are on for varying times but I thought our best three were Curran, King and Preston. While he had less minutes than the others, I thought Curran was best on ground when he was on the field. I think he needs to be in the 13 guernsey in round one if we are looking...

Crichton's appointment may be a hint that Mahoney's playing minutes will reduce in 2024. I don't think Mahoney was terrible as captain last year but I do think he overplayed his hand quite often and, when his form dipped in the second half of the year, this was further exacerbated by this...

Hynes ruled out of the game with a quadriceps injury.

That's right. Even if he has missed some big names, he has made it known that he is active on the market and prepared to spend big. You would think that sooner or later, he'll land someone. He also has half his squad with contracts ending this year. I would expect he has them all notice and...

Actually, what Luai and his manager confirmed in the press conference was the exact opposite of what you have stated. When asked when he advised others of his decision, his response was, 'Properly? Everyone is finding out today. No one knew.' When asked directly about calling Ciraldo to let...

Api Koroisau poked fun at his new club and he was appointed captain soon after and Ben Hunt requested a release during the season from his club and his new coach confirmed he would remain as captain. So, two NRL Premiership winning coaches are able to move on and still comprehend that players...

The Dolphins do have a bye that week but I don't think Bennett will be loaning him to the Titans.

May will be there as soon as April comes to an end. I guarantee it.

Great call out, even despite the margin in the Grand Final, there's a huge sense of pride about the efforts of the team in 1998. A very modest bunch if you look at the names in the line-up but they turned up week after after against much more fancied opponents. Getting into the big game after...

Being at the SCG to witness The Entertainers win in 1980 was one of my all time favourite childhood memories. As that was the first premiership in a long time and we'd lost the year before, it made it super special but every Grand Final win since has been a great memory. On the other hand, the...

Why don't you get your inside source to find out and then we'll know that the opposite will be true. And then, you can still claim he was right.

You tried at least.

Spot on, there's really no need to change it. So, if a player touches the ball (from either side) before it reaches the ten metres, is that still a penalty? Why make simple things complicated?

That second half against the Broncos in the preliminary final still haunts me. I remember tasting vomit in my mouth when Berrigan scored his length of the field try (with Hodges doing the early work) straight after half-time as the defence was shambolic. Matt Utai's attempted cover tackle on...

He was a spectator at a number of our games over the past two years as well.

We were his third club in three years but your version of events isn't exactly right. Firstly, he was with the Roosters for nine years so they weren't quick to move him on by any stretch. After the 2019 Grand Final, Robinson praised Touma for his contribution to the premiership win (the third...

The information can be found on the website Rugby League Project. However the numbers shown here for Kurt Mann and Connor Tracey don't add up correctly.

It might be time to look at a few left-field options. Tom Amone has just had a huge season in the Super League and made their Dream Team for the year as one of the props. He was the top metre maker in the whole competition and he was one of Leigh's main players in winning the Challenge Cup final...

I remember being at the Grand Final breakfast in 1995 when no-one was picking us to win. They asked Terry Lamb for his prediction and he said 'we'll win by 13'. The Manly players looked on very bemused, three days later they were even more bewildered. When they failed to score after Baa's...

I have no qualms with any of that. And, you can forget the statistic regarding the Penrith results but you can't ignore that he is a significantly better player than he was in 2021.

The last time Crichton played fullback in the NRL was in 2021 when he played a grand total of six games of which Penrith won five. To write him off as a fullback on the basis of these games when his improvement as a player since has been exponential, is very premature.

He does but he came out in October and said he would scrap it as he wanted to be a long term Tiger (and future captain). I think he'd make a big difference for years to come at our club because just like Haas and AFB, he has great mobility for such a big man, but it appears he isn't going anywhere.

I think Ricky would be more likely to approach the Storm than comes to us. He has a very strong friendship with Bellamy and you'd think they could work together to find a satisfactory outcome for both clubs even if it were a loan deal similar to the Harry Grant - Wests deal a couple of years...

Interestingly, Flanagan is quoted as saying this about Jack Welsby; Considering we didn't play England in the World Cup, that's an enormous performance on his behalf.

I read it over and over and it still doesn't get any more sensible. Let go of Blore because you need to strengthen the outside back situation and then you let go of the kid that was your best outside back and will only be 22 next year. I have a feeling Blore will crush it at the Storm and the...

To be fair, the actual story goes... Luai on - Panthers are trailing 12-8. Luai off - the Broncos extend their lead to 24-8 before the Panthers come back to win as Cleary puts on a masterclass and the Broncos fail to ice the game.

And Dunn... and also Lee and Nissen but they were originally Panthers.

I think this is a real motivating factor for Luai. $6m for 5 years is big money for any player to knock back. Whilst the Tigers have been very poor in recent years, they have a very strong forward pack. I think Utoikamanu has amazing agility for such a big man and that he'll develop into one of...

As much as I would love this to be true. I have a feeling this is as close as we'll get.

Everybody, please refrain from debating who should be fullback because we have a weak pack. Please refrain from poking fun at other club's signings because our recuitment has been poor. Please ignore the fact this a forum for ideas and discussion about the club you support. From now on all...

The NRL website has Preston as below.

While I agree the TE rate is not the be all and end all of what makes a strong defender, your example is incorrect. Okunbor's TE rate is nowhere near the highest in the club or the NRL. The highest in the club are guys like Preston and King who are at 95- 96% and I think most people would...

No hate being thrown around here but the truth is that we don't know what the centre pairing is at the moment so it's a long way from fact. The most likely scenario is that we'll have a centre combination that doesn't even reach Cleary's salary alone but there's no point for conjecture, let's...

Had a picture of Sean O'Loughlin on his wall and never heard of St. Helens? And, he knows about Wigan's eight titles in a row (I assume this is referring to the seven titles in a row in the 80's and 90's) where he wasn't born yet but not the four titles in a row by St. Helens recently when...

Considering most props play between 40-50 minutes, I think a best prop rotation would be a more appropriate topic. Taking 2023 form into account, Parramatta look very high to me.

Scissors, paper, rock.

He is a good footballer and you have the added bonus of creating a path to a couple of very impressive team mates like Welsby and Dodd but he has just completed his most ineffectual year in the Super League. Average run metres per game were just over 70 metres and he had two offloads in the...

Not at all. However, it would be an even sorrier state if we can't recognise what is obviously light hearted banter for what it is.

Congrats, Aussies! Travis Head just became only the fourth man in history to win man of the match awards in both the semi-final and the final at the same Men's Cricket World Cup. Tonight he joined Mohinder Amarnath (1983), Aravinda de Silva (1996) and the great man himself, Shane Warne (1999).

In 2003, Australia beat India in the Men's Cricket World Cup final...

I hear the audio for the programme is top class though.

If there's one thing that The Kennel needed, it was another RFM thread.

Interestingly, the least successful coaches in the past 50 years are the ones that coached a team to only one grand final win before moving onto another club. In fact, only two coaches have managed to do this in the past 50 years and on both occasions, they coached the Bulldogs to their first...

I hope they bat first. It should be fun watching them try to score 500.

I would suggest both players have the talent to be the best in a couple of positions at the club, that's not the the sole determining factor in what position they will be picked. There's a fair case to say that Tommy Turbo would be the best centre at Manly considering his State of Origin...

Haha, well that works. Straight to the top. No, the Vegas trip is the week before. Well, they'll be third at least.

Sorry, I may have made that far too complicated. The Tigers will be ninth unless there is a draw which will springboard them above the teams that had the draw. The eight winners will have a positive points for and against so the Tigers will be below them all with a 0 for and against from the bye.

Unless there's a draw, that would make them ninth on for and against. :laughing:

I think it will be another tough year. Hope springs eternal but, similar to this year, I get the feeling I'll be going to quite a few games in the second half of the year with just my grandson as he doesn't get a choice (and has a unique scoring system that always sees us winning).

Not dissimilar to Maxi's great innings was one amazing effort from Bevan when he scored185 not out for the rest of the World XI against Asia XI. Scored off 132 balls against a bowling attack featuring Wasim, Vaas, Razzaq, Murali and Kumble. Second highest score was Mark Waugh's 28. Huge...

Only if he has an umbrella. I wouldn't want him to get wet. Mind you, I don't hope and pray he take the reins either.

The largest victory in international one day history is 317 runs when India beat Sri Lanka earlier this year...

I think the Tongans would be better served with Koula at fullback.

I didn't mean for us but for other teams looking for a very good young centre. I'm surprised clubs like Parramatta or even the Storm haven't asked the question. We need to spend some money on a sombrero.

I know what you meant but your statement is widely inaccurate.

I think Billy Smith is too good a player not to be in first grade.

The largest Pacific island in the world? I think you need to go back to your sources.

I hope he does well wherever he chooses to go. A very good footballer with a ton of determination and a great attitude.

People are entitled to their own opinions so you have every right to express yours. However, your version of events is very inaccurate. El Masri didn't earn his position back in first grade due to his goal kicking. He was dropped by Steve Folkes in 1998 and went back to reserve grade and scored...

What is even more prominent is your constant need for attention.

Lewis Dodd, the St.Helens half signed up with the NRL agents, SFX Sports, earlier in the year and he wouldn't do that unless he wanted to make the move. He is contracted until the end of 2024 but English players have been granted early releases for their opportunities in the NRL before. Not...

Smithies has served a lot of suspensions in his Super League career which would be a bit of a red flag. He has been pinged for headbutting, crusher, high and hip drop tackles. Considering our success with ill-disciplined forwards in recent times, he'd be a risk. It will be interesting to see...

Yes, they have. They lost the 1995 final to South Africa when they were unbackable favourites and the late, great Jonah Lomu was unstoppable. This was after most of the squad suffered food poisoning a couple of days before the final leading to a lot of suspicion... mostly from the New...

No, there have been a couple - Craig Bellamy, Graham Murray and Phil Gould all coached without representing as players.

The Southern Hemisphere has never had less than two teams competing in the World Cup semi-finals but there is a fair chance here. Hopefully, they can keep the tradition going...

It gets worse… he started at Newcastle and then signed for Canberra before Brisbane, Penrith and us.

The conspiracy plot thickens... in 2003, the Brisbane Lions played Collingwood in the AFL grand final... let's not worry about the result though because that kind of ruins the narrative.

Haha, let’s build on this. In 2003, the Panther’s coach also had his son in the team…

I think he had a strong year which improved as the season progressed and I like players improving when the team's trajectory was on the decline. I don't think you lose from keeping players like that especially as he wouldn't be on big coin.

To be fair, the score was only 12-8 when he left the field and he was playing with a shoulder injury that would have kept others out of the game. And, he had a lot of poor performing friends in the State of Origin. I know he doesn't seem to be a likeable character but the kid can play...

if this kid can get a bit of luck with injuries, I think he could become one of the best forwards in the game.

So, you look forward to laughing at people when your team loses by 30 points and that has nothing to do with proving your point? And, you want people to be realistic when you can't be honest with yourself. So, signing up players who come from that environment isn't an improvement? I agree with...

I doubt your words because of what you've posted recently ... after all, you did state that you hope that St. George beats us by 30 next year to prove your point about Flanagan. Whichever way you spin it, you may have been one of the most optimistic in the past but now you're full of negativity...

No one said anything about him turning it around but he definitely made a difference. I strongly doubt you're last sentence from what I have seen but let's see how that plays out. I'm sure we're both looking forward to better times.