League
West needs a cauldron not an echo chamber
Richard Hinds It will not quite be Cathy Freeman's glorious lap or John Aloisi slotting that crucial penalty. But there might be another special moment at ANZ Stadium on Friday night.
LEAGUE
We're not guilty unless you let us off the hook
Richard Hinds So let me try to see my way through the acrid smoke blown by the NRL's gatekeepers and try to get this clear.
League
Doping denialists gang tackle the messenger
Richard Hinds Can we stop blowing smoke? Can we ignore those who make character judgments based on the amiability of lunch companions?
League
Bloody Brookvale battle reveals armour of the Souths is custom-made
Richard Hinds Blame it on an unfortunate addiction to Game of Thrones. Or the lingering image of Russell Crowe slicing and dicing his way through Ancient Rome.
League
Blackest day in Australian sport may have just got blacker
Richard Hinds We have seen the images of the grim-faced politicians and sports officials announcing the Australian Crime Commission investigation into the distribution and use of performance enhancing substances...
League
Rookie coach's true colours shine in red, white and blue
Richard Hinds Thoughtfully and expansively, Trent Robinson has been discussing football, and life, in a way that makes them seem one and the same.
League
Smith sets platform to regain sight of the bigger picture
Richard Hinds The jumping castles that were a bizarre part of chief executive Dave Smith's vision for the NRL had not yet been inflated.
LEAGUE
Good result, but bad habits hurt Rabbitohs
Richard Hinds That a club recognises ''disappointing wins'' often gives an indication of its ambition. The axing of former Souths captain Roy Asotasi after an unsatisfying victory over Cronulla last week provided...
Rugby League
Melbourne kicks into season
Richard Hinds Some make the mistake of claiming that the misleadingly labelled grand final 'replay' presents the opportunity for revenge, when the diminished stakes mean there can be no such satisfaction.
League
Trying times as Storm stump Dogs' late revival
Richard Hinds Some make the mistake of claiming that the misleadingly labelled grand final ''replay'' presents the opportunity for revenge, when the diminished stakes mean there can be no such satisfaction.
Sharks spinning in bloody waters
Richard Hinds Logic and clarity may be drug scandal's biggest victims.
League
Out-of-control club falls further into mire
Richard Hinds As difficult as it is to imagine, there are sporting organisations better prepared to handle the fallout from the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority drugs investigation than the Sharks.
Rugby League
Warm welcome for the new chief, but it's a hot reception for Dragons
Richard Hinds Comfortable win indicates only history seems to be in the way of this raging Storm.
League
Business as usual as Bellamy's boys cruise
Richard Hinds Melbourne underlined their status as NRL reigning premiers with an emphatic 30-10 win over St George Illawarra in their opening round clash at AAMI Park.
League
All is murky as Sharks end up in deep water
Richard Hinds Is this vindication? The shocking revelation that justifies the grandiose announcement of the Australian Crime Commission investigation, and leaves the sceptics with more egg on their faces than...
League
Once again, scandal puts the plus points in the shade
Richard Hinds This time it is Cronulla. So the allusion seems apt. There is one thing more optimistic than leaving the porch light on for Harold Holt.
HINDSIGHT
Launch aside, let's get back to the future
Richard Hinds WHEN Jennifer Lawrence fell down the stairs at the Oscars, you half expected her to flash a pair of Cronulla undies.
Richard Hinds
Heads roll over face value
Richard Hinds Be the face of fast food. Be the face of peptides. Be the face of haemorrhoids. But sack your manager if he even suggests you be the face of the NRL.
Richard Hinds
Dogs deserve a pat for benign intervention
Richard Hinds Be the face of fast food. Be the face of peptides. Be the face of hemorrhoids. But sack your manager if he even suggests you be the face of the NRL.
Richard Hinds
Sobering lessons already for Smith
Richard Hinds Proactive. The new NRL chief executive David Smith used the word so often during his press conference on Tuesday, you started to wonder if it was the name of a new sponsor.
