Anderson under fire as Simpkins hands in notice

Daniel Lane NRL referees' boss Daniel Anderson faces a crisis in the ranks after long-serving video ref Paul Simpkins tendered his immediate resignation after what appears to have been a bungled pay cut.

Wrigley: drugs doomsday draft not the answer to ASADA dragnet

Daniel Lane South Sydney assistant coach Kurt Wrigley, one of the players drafted into the Adelaide Rams to shore up the rebel Super League competition in 1997, believes a similar system will not work this year...

Jack draws on rich history

Daniel Lane Big Jack Buchanan turned 21 on Wednesday but he expects his coming of age as a Wests Tigers prop to occur at 3pm on Sunday when he locks horns with the St George Illawarra pack at the SCG.

Moa, Mortimer find a happy place at Roosters

Daniel Lane SYDNEY Roosters prop Sam Moa and utility Daniel Mortimer credited a dose of old-fashioned faith for allowing them to return from the brink and make their marks in a star-studded team.

League

Cagey Hasler confident Dogs will easily look after No.1

Daniel Lane Tony Williams was certain to provide Canterbury's pack with an X-factor for their opening match against North Queensland.

Rugby League

NRL 2013: the main men

Daniel Lane and Michael Chammas With the season kicking off on Thursday, we look at each team's key player.

Dominant Inglis warns best is yet to come

Daniel Lane Souths star Greg Inglis was only joking when he said what he liked most about playing fullback was "bossing people around", but the 110kg colossus certainly dictated terms to the Sydney Roosters...

Match-fixing revelation shows it's not just a scourge of past

Daniel Lane ''Even though we are the administrators of the past, the problems of today are exactly the same … '' - John Quayle

League

Older Hopoate still a willing Eels recruit despite younger brother's sacking

Daniel Lane The manager of Parramatta recruit William Hopoate said the decision by the Eels hierarchy to tear up the star player's younger brother Jamil's contract for a disciplinary breach would have no impact...

Younger Hopoate's axing won't affect Will's deal

Daniel Lane THE manager of Parramatta recruit William Hopoate said the Eels' decision to tear up the contract of the star player's younger brother, Jamil, for a disciplinary breach would have no impact on...

Genial giant emerges from Yasawa lagoon

Daniel Lane MAKE no mistake about this: weighing in at 117 kilos and standing 190.5 centimetres, Taqele Naiyaravaro is the next big thing of the NRL - in sheer size and bulk, at the very least.

Myles away from his patchy past

Daniel Lane A REJUVENATED Nate Myles said his Kangaroos jumper, and other season highlights, proved he needed a change of scenery after his stint at Sydney Roosters ended disastrously last year.

Mandatory sentencing best way to prevent dirty acts, says Tamou

Daniel Lane NORTH QUEENSLAND prop James Tamou believes the ARL Commission should introduce mandatory sentences for grub acts, such as biting and eye-gouging an opponent, to scare players out of daring to even...

League

Tyson backs biter Graham

Daniel Lane DISGRACED Canterbury prop James Graham, who was suspended for 12 weeks after being found guilty of biting Billy Slater's ear in the NRL grand final, has an unlikely heavyweight supporter: Mike Tyson.

Peachey backs new Blues coach to give indigenous talent a fair go

Daniel Lane Former Cronulla and South Sydney fullback David Peachey said he hoped Laurie Daley's appointment as coach of the NSW State of Origin team would open the door for more indigenous players to wear the...

Slater still No.1, say legends

Daniel Lane It was an innocuous question posed by a young girl at the grand final breakfast, but Melbourne fullback Billy Slater's reaction to being asked whether he or Bulldogs boom boy Ben Barba would score...

Kiwi or Kangaroo? Kasiano keeps everyone guessing

Neil Reid, Daniel Lane SAM KASIANO has fended off fresh requests to commit to the Kiwis or Kangaroos before the grand final.

Dogs keen to extend Graham deal

Daniel Lane CANTERBURY chief executive Todd Greenberg plans to extend English enforcer James Graham's contract even though he still has two years left on a lucrative deal valued at $425,000 a season.

Storm's unheralded hardman shines among stars

Daniel Lane EVERY snowflake plays its part in the destructive avalanche, every raindrop adds to the terrible flood and today footslogger Jaiman Lowe has his role in the super-slick, Melbourne Storm side.