Roy Masters
Roy Masters is a Rugby League Columnist for The Sydney Morning Herald
League
Team spirit: how Blues can reach Origin nirvana
Roy Masters When NSW coach Laurie Daley finalises his team after this weekend's NRL round, he will try and include as many fit players from the Blues 2012 Origin squad.
Roy Masters
Short-term goals win out for Bellamy, Storm
Roy Masters Craig Bellamy has opted for immediate short-term team success in Melbourne over guaranteed long-term personal security and stability with St George Illawarra.
Roy Masters
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.
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.
Time to blow whistle on refs rotating jobs
Roy Masters The best result of the semi-finals starting on Friday night is that the number of referees will halve and then halve again the following weekend.
Maroons are masters of subterfuge and dirty deeds come Origin time
Roy Masters NEVER trust a Queenslander at Origin time, even the ballboys.
Chin up, Blues, you've got these guys covered
Roy Masters The Blues camp was incensed by a remark from Maroons forward Sam Thaiday when asked what was Queensland's biggest danger in the lead-up to Origin I.
Fullbacks on the rise in the modern-day pecking order
Roy Masters Magpies greats, such as Noel Kelly and Tom Raudonikis, will gather at the SCG today for the foundation club's annual reunion, before shuffling across to Allianz Stadium on arthritic knees to watch...
It's tough to wrestle with stats: NRL's top teams have balance just right
Roy Masters Super coach Wayne Bennett is in unfamiliar territory with the Knights, the legendary premiership winner having one of his worst starts to a season in his 26 years in the top grade.
Roy Masters
The best Origin players are not always superstars
Roy Masters NSW coach Ricky Stuart has a ''blueprint'' for success, a master plan to reverse six years of State of Origin domination by Queensland. It defines the qualities he seeks in an Origin player.
Quite a blue: battle of the breweries brought to a head as Origin adverts become a XXXX-nightmare
Roy Masters AUSTRALIA'S two biggest breweries have resolved their dispute over Cameron Smith, skipper of the XXXX-sponsored Queensland team, being used in advertisements to promote the sale of VB, the sponsor of...
Dark forces at work if Blues can break the spell
Roy Masters You need a witch's cauldron and a clove of garlic to understand state of origin.
Hayne looms as magic potion in NSW's witching hours of power
Roy Masters You need a witch's cauldron and a clove of garlic to understand State of Origin, particularly games played in Melbourne.
