There is something very odd going on out Parramatta way. To those of us with a primary school understanding of mathematics, the numbers don’t seem to add up, neither on or off the field, writes Nick Tedeschi.
NRL
NRL: Round 4 predictions
Crikey Sports’ NRL blogger Ant Halstead predicts this weekend’s winners and losers, and asks: would they be any different if clubs spent less money on creative accountants and lawyers, and more on the development of the game itself?
Try as they might, no News Ltd means no Melbourne Storm
Despite Melbourne Storm’s onfield success, it’s haemorrhaging money and they are kept alive by the largesse of News Limited. The Storm should be closed down, writes Malcolm Knox.
How to rort the NRL salary cap
Phil Rothfield decided to come up with 16 hypothetical ways every NRL club could cheat the salary cap that even the tax department would struggle to nail them on it.
A challenger emerges for make-or-break sports rights
Upstart television business Fetch TV has emerged as an over-the-top bidder for the TV rights to the AFL from 2012. Malaysian billionaire T. Ananda Krishnan could shake up the local television landscape.
The Jock Wrap: Barry, Bumnuts and how about those Bulldogs?
First Dog on the Moon and Leigh Josey get together to amusingly discuss this week in sport. They fawn over Barry Hall, explain the delightful game of Bumnuts and pity the Bingle.
NRL tipping: don’t be afraid for an upset
Ant “Choc” Halstead, the newest member to the Crikey Sports stable, previews the week’s NRL matches to help out all the rugby league tipsters. Who are you putting your bets on?
Crikey‘s Next Top NRL Blogger
The 2010 NRL season is about to kick off, and Crikey needs someone to lay the boot in. Have you got what it takes (an internet connection and too much time on your hands, for a start) to be our guy or gal on the ground?
What would real community concern mean for a pokie club?
Over recent years, the AFL has wholeheartedly embraced gambling as a revenue stream, mindful perhaps of the massive funds generated by the NRL club-based gambling empires, writes Charles Livingstone.
Football codes bury hatchet to defend alcohol sponsorship
Football codes are uniting against a Health Task Force recommendation that would see advertising during live sport broadcasts phased out during high adolescent/child viewing times and the end of alcohol sponsorship of sport, writes Simon Chapman.
Reading between the lines on the NRL-Howard coverage
Once again, Piers Akerman has written a story about a News Ltd investment without once mentioning that his employer has a deep involvement in the issue.
Your Say: Daily Mail readers' feedback: Dangerous ideas
Crikey readers weigh in on Guy Rundle’s Festival of Really Dangerous Ideas, the Indian students report and the possibility of John Howard heading up the NRL commission.
John Howard transforming NRL: there goes the black fan base
Rugby league has been a dying game for many, many years — is John Howard really the man to revamp it? It makes even less sense when you consider a large percentage of the hard-core league fan-base is black.
Can John Howard save the NRL?
The Tele, owned by News Ltd who also co-own the NRL, is reporting that former PM John Howard is a likely contender to head up a new independent NRL commission.
Crikey Says: Why no one watches free-to-air TV anymore
Commercial networks can afford to treat viewers how they like when it comes to sport, because they are protected from competition by the anti-siphoning scheme. No amount of angry fan outrage will see any change.
NRL: A perfect Storm
The Melbourne Storm grand final win “has insinuated a once-scorned code into the consciousness, indeed affection” of their AFL crazy homeland, writes Greg Baum.
Why the Parramatta Eels need to win
A victory for the Parramatta Eels over Melbourne Storm this Sunday would be a victory for the rugby league heartland and tribalism over the corporate dollar, writes Chris Seage.
Hot Form Charts: The NRL Grand Final edition
It’s a grand final that, not too long ago, would have been about as likely as Darrel Summer’s triumphant return to television. Here is how the Hot Form Chart sees the last game of the season panning.
Can Eels weather the Storm?: NRL Grand Final preview
Seven months, 26 rounds of Rugby League, and come Sunday evening it all comes down to to eighty minutes of football in front of a sold out ANZ Stadium crowd.
NRL’s naked truths laid bare by female journos
What’s it like being a female journalist in a sport dominated by sex scandal headlines and mistreatment of women? Rugby League journo Jacquelin Magnay tells how to play the game.
Hot Form Charts: Pies will force Saints to focus
It’s finals time for the AFL. Who will win? We’re here to help.
Hot Form Charts: Damp sheets, penetration and nether regions
No need to rub your eyes, the Form Chart is not on the blink, writes Crikey’s resident footy nerd.
The pain of sports journalists: footy clichés or one word answers
It’s being described as ‘footy’s worst interview ever’: NRL Dragons player Darius Boyd speaks just 28 words in response to eight questions. Naomi Toy imagines Boyd’s future footy cliché filled answers.
