Roy Masters
Roy Masters is a Rugby League Columnist for The Sydney Morning Herald
Why not drug test NRL referees?
Roy Masters The NRL has hyped up its anti-doping measures for by players but ignores the men whose judgment calls have potentially the most critical effect on the outcome of games.
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.
Cronulla coach 'knew of doping'
Roy Masters Club directors believe five knew about alleged doping procedures and kept them hidden.
League
Sharks allege cover-up
Roy Masters The Cronulla Sharks board stood down coach Shane Flanagan and sacked four other key staff members because the directors believe they knew about alleged doping procedures at the club and kept it...
League
Hot topic: should the season kick off at night?
Roy Masters Islands in the oceans may drown and the Antarctic ice shelf melt but climate change takes on an immediate meaning for coaches when it affects the scheduling of games.
Coaches, not subterfuge, are the finals X-factor
Roy Masters 'They obviously want an all-Sydney club grand final,'' one NRL club official texted immediately after the Sea Eagles' controversial victory against the Cowboys a week ago.
Dessie's midnight visit pays dividends
Roy Masters A midnight visit to Belmore exactly a year ago convinced Manly's premiership coach Des Hasler he should switch to the Bulldogs.
Roy Masters
Dramatic licence: whistleblowers in danger of playing to script to ensure theatrical finale
Roy Masters Referees risk becoming choreographers, directing the course of NRL games to produce dramatic results.
Why succeeding often means failure
Roy Masters IT'S preferable to be the coach who follows the coach who follows the legend. Just ask anyone who followed Jack Gibson, particularly after his appointments at Eastern Suburbs (two premierships) and...
Roy Masters
Greek bean counters could learn a thing or two from leaguenomics
Roy Masters The wily Wall Street bankers and inventive Greek politicians who flouted the laws of economics would be confounded by the rugby league price mechanism.
Rugby League
Magical Slater in league of his own
Roy Masters Billy Slater moves up a couple of floors in the department store of rugby league history, past Unforgettables and on to Unsurpassables.
Roy Masters
Gallop and commission at loggerheads over billion-dollar baby
Roy Masters Relations between the new ARL Commission and the administration of chief executive, David Gallop, risk becoming dysfunctional, with some commissioners holding private meetings with stakeholders.
Roy Masters
Expansion connected to new TV rights deal
Roy Masters Strong interest by broadcasters in a second Brisbane team may prompt the ARL Commission to ask TV networks to lodge a separate rights bid for an 18-team competition.
Out of favour, out of friends
Roy Masters God so loved the world, he didn't send a committee. He sent himself.
