Roy Masters

Tried and proven tactics put a strangle hold on the chain-passing revolution

Roy Masters GIVEN the time-honoured tendency for NRL teams to follow the tactical lead of the premiers, a Canterbury victory in last Sunday's grand final could have led to a sea change in the way the game is...

A bittersweet victory for the players' coach

Roy Masters Twice in the jubilant Storm dressing room, the coach Craig Bellamy confessed to a strange emptiness.

Dessie's midnight visit pays dividends

Roy Masters A midnight visit to Belmore exactly a year ago convinced Manly's premiership coach Des Hasler he should switch to the Bulldogs.

Canterbury's crafty defence has opposition seeing double

Roy Masters THE Bulldogs have one of the best defensive records in the NRL, preventing the opposition scoring tries from within 20 metres of their own line.

Not one or two? Your chances are limited

Roy Masters Finishing first or second on the premiership ladder is a colossal advantage under the new finals system.

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Roy Masters

Queenslanders will rebel if Johns becomes Immortal

Roy Masters The rumblings from the Deep North began early in the week when some of Queensland's Former Origin Greats (FOGs) became convinced former NSW halfback Andrew "Joey" Johns was to become rugby league's...

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Roy Masters

Conspiracy theorists still looking for strings

Roy Masters Despite a new commission running the game, conspiracy theories about Sydney's rule of the game persist, particularly outside the New South Wales capital.

Coaches, not subterfuge, are the finals X-factor

Roy Masters 'They obviously want an all-Sydney club grand final,'' one NRL club official texted immediately after the Sea Eagles' controversial victory against the Cowboys a week ago.

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Storm must pick big pack to counter Manly brawn

Roy Masters Two months ago, none of the other semi-final-bound teams wanted to meet the Bulldogs in the grand final.

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Roy Masters

Whistle-shy referees could affect finals results

Roy Masters It's a truth acknowledged by most rugby league fans that referees keep the whistle in their pockets at semi-final time.

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In McClements, commission sets its sights on another Big Mac

Roy Masters The sports executive charged with securing Origin matches for Melbourne may become the ARL Commission's new chief.

Politicians insult rugby league by treating it as AFL's poor cousin

Roy Masters Both the Raiders and the Sharks need to win today's elimination final at Canberra Stadium to shore up future support from contrasting stakeholders. Each club has what the other wants.

Getting a tough break in age-old code debate

Roy Masters 'I THINK we've got the crowd,'' former federal treasurer Peter Costello said before the annual AFL finals debate yesterday morning at the MCG.

Grant defends crackdown on shoulder charge on finals eve

Roy Masters ARL Commission chairman John Grant has defended the decision to take tougher action on the eve of the finals against tacklers whose shoulder makes contact with the head of an opponent as Cronulla's...