Thurston's laughing at scandal-free Townsville
Phil Lutton It's only round two. Already, teams are falling apart. Cronulla have a win but the "tick, tick, tick" is deafening. The Raiders have sacked Josh Dugan.
Rugby league
Treatment not fit for a Prince
Phil Lutton The Gold Coast Titans shouldn't be so hasty to enter post-Prince era, writes Phil Lutton.
Rugby league
Officiating is a touchie subject for Thurston
Steve Mascord, Phil Lutton KANGAROOS five-eighth Johnathan Thurston has labelled touch judges glorified fans, resulting in an invitation to referees headquarters so their roles can be explained.
History won't repeat against bigmouthed Manly: Thurston
Phil Lutton Johnathan Thurston has crowned Manly as the game's best verbal provocateurs and expects a torrent of chatter when the Cowboys head to Sydney for their sudden-death final on Friday night.
Blues send Queensland home beaten, bruised and bloody
Phil Lutton Beaten and beaten up, Queensland are retreating to Suncorp Stadium for an Origin decider nursing a squad sent through the gauntlet by a brutal Blues outfit convinced the sun has set on an...
GI admits ‘pure luck’ as Maroons ride good grace to victory
Phil Lutton If Queensland fans are looking for a staunch defence of the referees' decision to award Greg Inglis that controversial try last night, Inglis himself is about the last guy to ask.
A thirst to listen in, but Thurston prefers sound of silence
Beth Newman, Phil Lutton CANDID audio of player interactions with referees has given league fans unprecedented access to the playing field.
If it ain't broke: Maroons squad unchanged
Phil Lutton New South Wales may think it's broken after going close in game one but Queensland selectors have seen nothing that requires fixing, unveiling the same 17-man squad for the second Origin in Sydney on...
League
Relentless Maroons give NSW another dose of blues
Phil Lutton The try that sealed it might have been ridiculous, but so too is Queensland's remarkable ability to claw out a State of Origin win.
Meninga will wait for Slater but has options at No.1
Phil Lutton QUEENSLAND are destined to roll the dice on injured fullback Billy Slater, and surround him with an extended supporting cast, as they try to unearth the combinations to win next week's Origin decider...
Injured Slater named in Origin decider squad
Phil Lutton Injured star Bill Slater has been named in the starting side for Queensland as Mal Meninga gives his champion fullback a last-ditch chance to prove his fitness for the Origin decider.
Rugby League
Dash of Bowen magic tames wasteful Broncos
Phil Lutton As far as presents go, vast expanses of defenderless real estate and an open try line in the 79th minute of a game on the edge isn’t too shoddy. Happy birthday, Matt Bowen.
Petero still has an Origin role
Phil Lutton Queensland Origin selectors have a handful of key decisions to make for their game one squad but dropping Petero Civoniceva isn't one of them, writes Phil Lutton.
'Two up for GI' pushes odds in Maroons' favour one more time
Phil Lutton AS FAR as plans of attack go, it's neither cunning nor clandestine nor particularly complicated. It does have a name, though, says Johnathan Thurston: ''Two up for GI.''
Maroons hopefuls in white-hot form
Phil Lutton New South Wales will be confronted with a Maroons side stacked with in-form stars and a colossal bench when Mal Meninga unveils his squad tonight for the Origin opener.
On-song Locky is sweet music to Maroons selectors
Phil Lutton For the men tasked with meeting on Monday afternoon to select Queensland’s State of Origin squad, the result of the Brisbane-Gold Coast derby mattered less than the quality of its contents.
