Asotasi on mission to succeed after shaking off injuries

Glenn Jackson IN THE rugby league hardness stakes, Roy Asotasi won't be beaten by many; he's a combination of granite and gangsta rap lyrics.

Rugby league

Hurt shocker: coaches want refs to stop for injuries

Brad Walter and Glenn Jackson WAYNE BENNETT and Tim Sheens, the two most experienced and successful coaches in the NRL, are angered over the failure of on-field officials to stop play for seriously injured players in weekend...

League

Moylan 'filthy' after salary limit leaves him unable to bite Tigers

Glenn Jackson Penrith fullback Matt Moylan was ''pretty filthy and disappointed'' to be denied the opportunity to play in the NRL this week due to salary cap restrictions he said he could not understand.

Newcastle pact sets twitchy Sharks on road to success

Glenn Jackson Cronulla coach Shane Flanagan says the Sharks feel normal again. And what is normal for the Sharks, at least given the quality of the roster, is for them to be winning football games.

League

Jennings leaves Cleary little to crow about after rout

Glenn Jackson First, Sonny Bill Williams scored two tries against the Bulldogs; on Sunday, Michael Jennings decided to get in on the act, frustrating his former supporters by showing Penrith what they were missing...

League

Hayne gets nod from Daley for Blues No.1

Glenn Jackson The NSW fullback position, vacated by Manly's Brett Stewart, is now Jarryd Hayne's to lose.

League

Tigers tail off as club hits rock bottom for first time

Glenn Jackson When is last also first? When it is Wests Tigers, who sit on the bottom of the NRL premiership ladder for the first time in the club's history.

It's round nine and we're doing fine: Manly tracking nicely, says Toovey

Glenn Jackson With matches approaching against two fellow top-four teams, and without one of their best players, Manly would be entitled to look at the next seven days as make or break.

Legends rave as low-budget Panthers down NRL's elite

Glenn Jackson It was the upset of the season and, according to some, Penrith's best win in a decade. And it was all done with a squad worth less than half this year's salary cap.

Marshall set to be rushed back for Tigers clash with Dogs

Michael Chammas and Glenn Jackson Wests Tigers five-eighth Benji Marshall is expected to be rushed into the side for Friday night's clash with the Bulldogs after recovering from turf toe.

Gidley giddy after getting call up for Kangaroos

Glenn Jackson The Australian rugby league team is staying in the casino complex in Canberra, yet the squad had witnessed a gamble well before they walked through the front doors.

Sheens will quiz whistle blowers on rule changes

Glenn Jackson Australian coach Tim Sheens will seek clarification from referees boss Daniel Anderson - and perhaps even referee Ashley Klein - over key changes to rules and interpretations for Friday night's Test...

League

Bennett stands up for fixture, despite spate of withdrawals

Adrian Proszenko, Glenn Jackson Wayne Bennett has defended the players against suggestions they don't take the City-Country fixture seriously, claiming the spate of withdrawals is due to the rigours of an increasingly onerous NRL...

League

Machine-like Manly taste blood as Knights self-destruct

Glenn Jackson Back where they belong, at Brookvale Oval and under siege, Manly are back where they will believe they belong; near the top of the table as one of the premiership pacesetters.

League

Hayne concedes Eels can't match most rivals for talent

Glenn Jackson The first step when you hit rock bottom is generally considered to be an admission. So, on cue only days out from Parramatta's season-opener against the Warriors, fullback Jarryd Hayne has conceded...

Another surgery setback for Tuqiri

Glenn Jackson LOTE TUQIRI'S desire to finish his career on his terms has been hit by a fresh setback, after the Wests Tigers winger was forced to undergo a second round of surgery on an arm injury, sidelining him...

Rugby league

Christmas comes early as agreement nears on CBA

Glenn Jackson JUST before 7pm on Thursday, four NRL players stepped out of the headquarters of the NRL to state that they believed they had a deal. A salary cap of about $5.

Prop's injury brings a tear to the eye of Sattler

Glenn Jackson SO now we know what makes one of rugby league's toughest men queasy.

With Bellamy out, Elliott links with Warriors

Glenn Jackson FROM very early on, following the departure of Brian McClennan, the Warriors made Craig Bellamy their target.