Welcome back, old friend.

The observant amongst you will have noticed that for a blog dedicated to rugby league for the past four seasons, there hasn't really been many posts on that given topic. Or any topic for that matter.

Thankfully that is all about to change.

Due to educational commitments my time over the past year and a half has been going into earning myself a shiny certificate from the worlds worst organised university. Needless to say entering a job market that has been one of the worst for a generation should give me plenty of time to write more about a passion of mine, and maybe even point this blog in the direction of a few potential employers as someone who is about to graduate with a journalism degree.


As part of the re-brand (so to speak) it's about time we caught up with the highlights of the action over the past twelve months.


Wigan dominated the 2010 season pretty much from start to finish. After their defeat at home to Huddersfield (where incidentally I pissed myself half laughing, half cheering when it meant the pies were denied the league leaders shield mathematically for another week) I said they would not go unbeaten for the rest of the season.


I was right in the sense that they went unbeaten for the remainder of the regualr season. However despite the loss of Danny McGuire early in the match, Leeds did the unthinkable and topple the league leaders away from home in the first round of the play offs. The rematch at Headingley two weeks later proved to be a one sided affair but it showed that despite their losses, Wigan are a remarkable side and Michael McGuire has done amazing things in the space of one season at the club. As expected, they went onto win the Grand Final over rivals St Helens.

Warrington shocked the attendants at Wembley by not only defeating Leeds in the Challenge Cup final, but by doing so with ease winning 30-6.


It was certainly a game to forget for those travelling down the M1, with 85,000 eagerly expecting a classic game of rugby league. It didn't come.


Warrington showed why they will be future Super League champions in that one game, ensuring the game was won before half time and the cup defended successfully. 


Many Warrington supporters will say their favourite moment of that match was Chris Hicks' try, as he plucked the ball from out of the air to score in the corner. For me it has to be Lee Briers' 40-20 halfway though the first half. I think even at that point, deep down, the game was won and Leeds didn't look up to the fight.

 Finally the World Club Challenge proved to be a disappointing affair again if you are a British supporter of the game. Or if you just love Wigan. 


After putting Sydney to bed in the 2010 NRL Grand Final, St George Illawarra came over to these shores for what the Aussie fans like to call 'a trial game.' 


In fairness to those convict armchair supporters, they do occasionally get things right. Wigan were outplayed from start to finish at the DW Stadium, despite winning 15-14 at half time. St George always looked the better side as they eventually wound Wigan down and kept restricting their field possession in the St George half of the field. It would have put a smile on Wayne Bennett's face, who had to fly back to Australia early due to a family illness. 


And that's your wrap of the key pieces of silverware that have been won over the past twelve months. I promise I'll update again soon, ta raa!

Copyright: Sky News, http://league.quins.co.uk 

A Tap on the Twenty Awards 2010

Its that time of year ladies and gents, when the professional season is well and truly over and the Golden Boot has been awarded, that A Tap on the Twenty recognises the achievements and gaffs that have kept us entertained throughout the season.

As ever the Player of the Year will be awarded to the player who has been an all round star, performing to the highest standard each week for club, state and even country.

This year the awards and winners are:

The 'Andrew Voss' little bitch' Award: David Gallop
The Injury of the Year: Luke Burgess (broken jaw V Castleford)
Try of the Year: Nathan Fien V Australia
Match of the Year: Australia V New Zealand (Four Nations final)
Special Mention Award: Michael McGuire (Wigan coach)
Team of the Year: New Zealand
Player of the Year: Benji Marshall (West Tigers & New Zealand)

Its State of Origin time!

Its that time of year again!

State of Origin kicks off a week today at ANZ Stadium in Sydney. The Australians are celebrating 30 years of what is the most anticipated three matches of the summer. And with that, the two squads were selected and announced on Monday.

Without further ado, the New South Wales side will be:

1. Kurt Gidley (Newcastle)
2. Brett Morris (St George Illawarra)
3. Matt Cooper (St George Illawarra)
4. Timana Tahu (Parramatta)
5. Jarryd Hayne (Parramatta)
6. Jamie Lyon (Manly)
7. Brett Kimmorley (Bulldogs)
8. Michael Weyman (St George Illawarra)
9. Michael Ennis (Bulldogs)
10. Josh Perry (Manly)
11. Trent Waterhouse (Penrith)
12. Ben Creagh (St George Illawarra)
13. Anthoney Watmough (Manly)

14. Jamal Idris (Bulldogs)
15. Tom Learoyd-Lahrs (Canberra)
16. Luke Lewis (Penrith)
17. Brett White (Melbourne)

I said it last year, and I will say it again this year. New South Wales are missing the quality of half backs that Queensland will have. Its what has cost them the last four series. It was more evident last year than ever when Jamie Soward should have been selected. Terry Campese flopped in game one and they replaced him with Trent Barrett, who past his best before he moved to Wigan and went back to the NRL.All of this was despite Campese had the better game between him and scrum half Peter Wallace. But Wallace gets the second shot in game two and when the series is over by game three they select two players with the combined age of 63 years to run in the halfs and past their best five years ago.

This year they have brought in Jamie Lyon at five eighth. A man who wants to play Origin one minute, then changes his mind the next. Because the selectors for NSW can see that the tried and tested partnership of Darren Lockyer and Jonathan Thurston works for Queensland, they think it will work for them. The only difference is, Lockyer and Thurston have been playing together at representative level for years. They  have played together for Australia since Andrew Johns retired, so have developed a winning partnership that finally clicked many moons ago. The same hasn't developed for NSW because the selectors want immediate success, and after four straight Origin losses who can blame them? But they won't get that series win unless they can gel two players together in the halfs. Then NSW half backs can start to claim that green and gold jersey.

So what of the Queensland team? Here is it:

1. Billy Slater (Melbourne)
2. Darius Boyd (St George Illawarra)
3. Greg Inglis (Melbourne)
4. Willie Tonga (North Queensland)
5. Israel Folau (Brisbane)
6. Darren Lockyer (Brisane)
7. Jonathan Thurston (North Queensland)
8. Matthew Scott (North Queensland)
9. Cameron Smith (Melbourne)
10. Petero Civoniceva (Penrith)
11. Nate Miles (Sydney)
12. Sam Thaiday (Brisbane)
13. Ashley Harrison (Gold Coast)

14. Cooper Cronk (Melbourne)
15. David Shillington (Canberra)
16. Neville Costigan (St George Illawarra)
17. David Taylor (South Sydney)

18. Ben Te'o

For the four Melbourne players, it might be nice to actually play a competitive match for once. Joking aside, that team excels in the half back roles as I mentioned earlier. Other than that, the two teams are very evenly matched. The Queensland backs may have the edge on New South Wales, but I feel the NSW pack is a lot stronger. On paper it might seem very close, but my pre series predictions are an easy pick.

Game one winner: New South Wales. They are on home turf and I think they could be motivated to get that first win on the board early.

Series winner: Queensland. Overall, I can't see anything but a fifth straight series win for the Maroons.

Fax thrown out of the cup.

Halifax have been thrown out of this year's Challenge Cup, after the Yorkshire club were found to have fielded an ineligible player in their fourth round tie with Swinton.

Halifax fielded Michael Ostick, currently on loan from Roachdale, who the prop forward had already played for against Lezignan in round three.

The misconduct was spotted by a Halifax supporter, who revealed the information on a fans forum. It was only after this revelation that the RFL took action, and postponed Halifax's fourth round tie with Batley on Sunday hours before kick off.

Two things strike me as odd in this scenario.

Number one, why did the player not own up before being selected to play against Swinton knowing full well he had already played for Rochdale? Were the coaching staff not aware there was a possibility Ostick played in the third round?

Number two, why did it take a fan of the guilty club to reveal this information on a fans forum before the RFL acted? Did the RFL not know about the breach in competition rules until this point, and if so, why not?

In my opinion there are two incompetent parties here, the RFL and Halifax RLFC.

Halifax should have done their research and background checks before signing the player on loan and fielding him in the cup. Its completely unacceptable that they did this. Matt Calland, if he is being held responsible, has every right to be suspended pending further investigation as to why this happened.

As for the RFL, they shouldn't have to leave it to a supporter in order to find out breaches in the rules. This should have been checked after the fourth round tie, and not hours before the fifth round was about to kick off. Again, this is unacceptable of what is supposed to be a respectable governing body. Thankfully the information came to light just in time, but in my opinion the RFL's blushes haven't been spared. This should have been checked earlier and punishment have been dealt out a lot sooner.

Australia scrape by in appalling conditions.

Australia won the ANZAC Test 12-8 at the opening of AAMI Park, but had the weather conditions been kinder the game could have been a lot more exciting.

The new rectangular purpose built stadium looked great at its opening match, and will suit the Melbourne Storm and future internationals played at the ground. Credit must go to the ground staff, for not only producing a carpet like pitch in the first place, but to be able to maintain the surface in horrible conditions.

In my opinion the weather conditions seemed to have an effect on the match. There were more knock ons and errors than I would have expected to see, but they were from both sides which was testament to New Zealand who underperformed in last season's Four Nations.

But don't let that suggest New Zealand were the better side. It would have been nice to see them win, but their first half attacking play was woeful. They were too flat on Australia's line, and I feel Benji Marshall could have done better to organise his team in such a scenario.

That said, New Zealand had their chances but they didn't have many. For most of the first half Australia seemed to make better use of possession, and under performed in that they should have gone into half time 12 or 18 points ahead. Again, the weather did not suit Australia's style of play. They seemed to think they were the 'Australian Globetrotters' and insisted on offloading the ball in unbelievable situations with a great degree of difficulty. It was justice in a way that they did have the lead at half time, but it should have been more.

But by the end of the game it was only two missed conversions that cost New Zealand the game, with both teams scoring two tries apiece. A credit to the Kiwis, but they must know they have a long way to go before they can match Australia in dryer conditions. They picked up the pace in the final twenty minutes, but playing well for that amount of time is not good enough at international level.

I look forward to the Four Nations, when both teams will undoubtedly be playing in conditions at the height of the southern hemisphere spring when both teams can open the taps a bit more, and play better free flowing rugby league.

Nathan Brown rant is not the first.

Nathan Brown's rant after his side's loss to Wigan on Sunday is not the first time the man has last the plot in front of the media.

In his post-match comments at Edinburgh, the Huddersfield coach said: "The officials can do better and protect the small players. I'll quite clearly instruct my players if the officials are going to allow people to hit our key players late and in the head, you do it back."

For the former St George Illawarra boss, it is not the first time he has instructed his players to take the law into their own hands. In 2008 he was so appalled by the tackling techniques of Melbourne in a game at Olympic Park, that he then instructed his players to respond with violence, and called on every other NRL club to turn their games against Melbourne into a bloodbath because that was the only way to beat them.

To me, and with the historical evidence at hand, this is a case of the toys being thrown out of the pram. Huddersfield played very well on Sunday, and it was only a lapse in concentration for ten minutes that really cost them the game.

Brown's criticism of the match officials could see him fined by the RFL like Justin Morgan was earlier in the year. 

Murrayfield Magic preview.

This weekend will see the fourth Magic Weekend, the second time the event will be hosted in the Scottish capital city of Edinburgh.

Every round 13 Super League game will be played at Murrayfield Stadium. It gives the fans a unique opportunity to watch every single game in the same round of matches in the flesh, but how does this years event wet the appetite compared to previous years in Edinburgh and Cardiff?

When the draw for this year’s Magic Weekend was made during the close season, there were very few games that would catch the imagination of the neutral fans on paper. As the trip to Edinburgh is less than a week away, a quick glance at both the weekend’s fixtures and the current league table shows that the next seven games may not be as predictable as many people suggested at the start of the season.

If certain results go in favour of a particular team, there could be several changes to the league table on bank holiday Monday. Super League may have a new league leader, a new top four and a reshuffle of the eight play off places. It all makes for an exciting weekend of rugby league in Scotland.

There are fans who would have preferred to see the return of the derby matches that proved to be a unique selling point for the original Millennium Magic weekend back in 2007. These fans will no doubt argue there is more at stake than just the two competition points, and that more fans are compelled to travel the greater distance to support their team against a local foe. But close proximity between two clubs geographically does not always provide a classic rugby match. It is often the case when two teams close to each other in the league table provide a much more thrilling contest, and a fantastic advert for the game on both live television and on ‘foreign’ ground away from the M62 corridor.

Every club has something to play for at this stage of the season, and so there is every chance that each game can be a thrilling encounter as we look ahead to this years Magic Weekend.

Bradford Bulls V Crusaders RL – Saturday May 1, 1pm.
After their demolition of Hull KR at home, Bradford go into this game full of confidence against a 11th place Crusaders. The appointment of Steve McNamara as the new England coach obviously blew the wind in the Bradford sails as they were able to score six tries past a tough Hull KR side last weekend. They have no new injury concerns ahead of travelling to Edinburgh which is good news for McNamara’s side, although Nick Scruton is facing charges in front of the RFL’s disciplinary panel for a high tackle in Sunday’s win over Hull KR. They face the Crusaders, who secured their first ever Super League win against the Bulls last season at the Grattan Stadium.

Crusaders will be boosted ahead of this game by the presence of Gareth Thomas for the entire 80 minutes last weekend, as well as the expected debut appearance of Jarrod Summut. But Brian Noble will be expecting his side to begin the game better on Saturday, which would be in stark contrast compared to what they did against Huddersfield at home last weekend. Crusaders also have no more injury worries as they look to avenge their 20-16 loss earlier on in the season against Bradford on Easter Monday.

Hull FC V Harlequins RL – Saturday May 1, 3pm.
Harlequins will be travelling to Edinburgh after competing one of the biggest upsets of the season so far. Despite being down 24-6 at half time away to Wigan, the London-based team went 40 minutes without conceding a try to win the game 38-26. Before the game it was bottom verses top of the league, and Quins were able to win the game proving that there are no guaranteed victories in Super League. This could well be a lesson that Hull FC should learn before taking on the Quins in the second game of the weekend at Murrayfield. However despite the win, Quins are to be without Ben Jones-Bishop for six weeks with a fractured skull.

Hull FC are still missing Sean Long and Craig Fitzgibbon who are just two of their key players out through injury, but Kirk Yeaman is expected to make his return after missing his sides 12-8 victory over Wakefield with a leg injury. Hull are just one point behind Bradford in the league table, and should the Bulls lose against Crusaders Richard Agar’s men will be expected to make the jump from sixth to fifth with the same number of wins as top four side Huddersfield.

Salford City Reds V Warrington Wolves – Saturday May 1, 5pm.
When these two teams met on Good Friday, it was Salford that had all the reason to feel confident at half time despite being behind at the break. And despite the one sided score line of 32-2, the result didn’t reflect the hard work Salford put in to prevent Warrington from scoring more than two tries in the first half. They also kept Wigan to a low score line, only losing 18-4 at home to the current league leaders. Shaun McRae will want his side to repeat three of their last four performances, forgetting what will hopefully be a blip against Castleford last weekend.

Warrington welcomed back Lee Briers to full fitness against Catalan on Sunday, after missing several games through injury since his sides home loss to Wigan in round three. Warrington have met Salford during the Magic Weekend once before in 2007, in which the Wolves thrashed the Reds 50-18 at the Millennium Stadium. Tony Smith does have one injury concern after Ben Harrison was taken off within the first five minutes against Catalan and failed to return. Gareth Carvell is still on the sidelines after picking up an injury two weeks ago against Hull KR.

Leeds Rhinos V Wakefield Trinity Wildcats – Saturday May 1, 7pm.
Leeds are expected to bounce back from their disappointing loss to last years fellow grand finalists on Saturday, which will conclude the first day of this years Magic Weekend. Leeds were heavily defeated against St Helens 41-20 at the GPW Recruitment Stadium. But they will face the tough task of beating Wakefield, who happen to be tucked neatly inside the top eight one point above Leeds who are currently in ninth place. When the two teams last met in round two, it was Wakefield who came away victorious with a 28-18 win at the Hearwell Stadium.

Leeds will want to avenge that loss, and potentially move up two places in the league up to seventh. Wakefield narrowly lost to Hull FC on Friday in a very stop, start game that saw 20 scrums and 20 penalties. Wakefield coach John Kear will want to make sure his side improve on their ball retention, or else he could see his side take a battering against the champions. Leeds are expected to bring back Ali Lauitiiti from injury, subject to the second rower passing a fitness test before the game.

Castleford Tigers V Catalan Dragons – Sunday May 2, 2pm.
Despite winning 30-12 against Salford last weekend, Castleford will be happy to have an extra game away from home, as their form at the Jungle is a dire one. They have only won two of their seven home games this season, including a Challenge Cup loss to Barrow the weekend before last. Things weren’t much better last year, as Terry Matterson’s team only chalked up four home wins during last season’s league campaign. On the other hand Kevin Walters will want an all round improvement as his side were comfortably beaten at the weekend away to Warrington 40-6.

Castleford have no more injury concerns after their win against Salford, although Catalan’s Cyrille Gossard will miss the trip to Edinburgh after sustaining a sprained ankle during the Dragon’s loss at the Halliwell Jones Stadium. The Dragons did receive some good news as Jean Philippe-Baile will not be charged with fighting against Warrington’s Chris Riley by the RFL disciplinary panel, and is free for Sunday’s game.

Huddersfield Giants V Wigan Warriors – Sunday May 2, 4pm.
Huddersfield have been dealt the news that fullback Brett Hodgson will be out for at least a month after picking up a thigh strain. The Giants captain rejected a 12 month contract extension and is rumoured to be signing for Warrington in time for 2011. However, Nathan Brown was given good news as Shaun Lunt will be back a lot sooner than expected. Lunt has an Achilles injury, and should be back on the pitch in two or three weeks. Brad Drew’s return from injury is also imminent, and should give the Giants a boost ahead of their game against third place St Helens who are just above Huddersfield in the league.

In what is arguably the game of the round, Wigan will be looking to put their 38-26 loss at home to Harlequins behind them. Wigan have lost only twice in 2010, and on both occasions they threw away a healthy half time lead. Wigan’s injury concerns are minimal, with Martin Gleeson expected to return after suffering a calf injury in the week leading up to the Quins game. Thomas Leuluai will be out of action for a further two weeks while Harrison Hansen will be out until June at the earliest.

Hull KR V St Helens – Sunday May 2, 6pm.
In the final game of the Magic Weekend both teams go into this game in opposite for to each other, with one team conceding 40 points last weekend, the other scoring over 40. After a disappointing loss to Bradford, Hull KR will be hoping to close the gap between them and the top six, which includes overtaking their city rivals. Justin Morgan will want to see an improved disciplined performance after conceding 14 penalties against Bradford on Sunday.

St Helens will be flying high after a comfortable win over the champions, which included a team of lesser known young players proving that Saints have huge strength in depth. James Foster made his debut for the Saints on the wing, and despite the presence of Kyle Eastmond, was able to convert eight goals from eight attempts. Saints were able to rely on youngsters Andrew Dixon, Gary Wheeler and Matty Ashurst, who stepped up to arguably their biggest challenge in their careers and succeeded proving the production line is still open for business at St Helens.