Issues
League
Drink beer, eat steak: science may have changed but the punchline stays the same
Roy Masters The prospect of fisticuffs in the second State of Origin match has prompted research on the era when boxers, rather than footballers, went into training camps.
Raiders remain focused, with faith in Ferguson
Chris Wilson Raiders centre Jarrod Croker said suspended teammate Blake Ferguson had the support of the squad and his Origin dumping would not be a distraction ahead of Saturday’s NRL match against the Wests...
NRL match fixing case thrown out
Stephanie Gardiner The case against three men accused of being key players in an NRL betting scandal has been thrown out, with a magistrate finding there is not enough evidence to prove allegations they acted...
Parramatta Eels v South Sydney Rabbitohs
ANZ Stadium, Sydney Olympic Park, Sunday 3pm (AEST)
Gold Coast Titans v Melbourne Storm
Skilled Park, Monday 7pm (AEST)
Sacked players should be deregistered: Gould
Glenn Jackson Panthers boss and league pundit Phil Gould believes NRL stars should face immediate deregistration when they are sacked for bad behaviour by their clubs in the future.
Discord
The Choice: behave yourself or live with regret
Steve Mascord Last week Discord was rightly criticised for posting yet another column on the Origin I biff, a couple of readers pointing out that they'd already read much more than enough on the subject.
PREVIEWS
Canterbury Bulldogs v Sydney Roosters
ANZ Stadium, Sydney Olympic Park, Friday 7.35pm (AEST)
Marshall's future with Tigers under fresh doubt
Glenn Jackson Benji Marshall's future at Wests Tigers is likely to come to a head imminently following talks between the club and the player's management on Thursday.
SIN BIN
Merritt call-up spurs Ferguson's resolve
Brad Walter Blake Ferguson has vowed to fight his way back into the NSW team and wants to play alongside Nathan Merritt.
Boyd not fighting off-field issues, says Bennett
Brett Keeble KNIGHTS coach Wayne Bennett said Darius Boyd had done nothing wrong on the night South Sydney forward Ben Te'o allegedly punched a 22-year-old Brisbane woman in the face.
Mixed-faction Sharks board likely as eligibility issues continue
Adrian Proszenko, Daniel Lane Glenn Coleman will remain Cronulla chairman unopposed at the upcoming board election, although Sydney Kings star Damian Keogh still has a chance of joining him as a director.
NRL star suspended to face his 'issues'
Glenn Jackson THE curse of the face of the NRL continues. But Ben Barba's sudden spiral from the player anointed to launch the new season on Wednesday night to being suspended indefinitely by the Bulldogs, due to...
League
What now for Folau? The big issues ...
Brad Walter We take a look at some of the potential issues facing Israel Folau after his move back to the NRL.
Richard Hinds
It's League TV – tackling today's big issues
Richard Hinds FOX Sports will launch this week a 24-hour channel devoted exclusively to AFL. Which begs an obvious question: why not a channel for those NRL fans who are so socially inept that they, too, would...
Bellamy issues Storm with a warning to halt rampaging Burgess
Melissa Woods WHILE the spotlight has been on former Melbourne players lining up against their old team, the Storm see Souths powerhouse Sam Burgess as the man to stop.
League
Ferguson's booze program lifeline
Chris Wilson, Peter Jean Disgraced Origin star Blake Ferguson has been given another lifeline by the Canberra Raiders and NRL.
League
Touched Woods savours full fitness after career was in doubt
Michael Carayannis Aaron Woods just wanted to play football again. Anywhere, any time, with the bright lights of State of Origin the furthest thing from his mind.
Ferguson's lifeline from NRL
Chris Wilson Canberra's Blake Ferguson has been given a lifeline by the NRL, but will be suspended for a minimum four weeks as he undertakes an alcohol management program.
