http://www.ebroadcast.com.au/eblah/ http://www.eblah.com en http://www.ebroadcast.com.au/eblah/m-1276760329/ http://www.ebroadcast.com.au/eblah/m-1276760329/#num1
Maroons massacre makes it five straight - but this time it's personal
Wayne Smith From: The Australian June 17, 2010 12:00AM  
RUGBY league's race row isn't going away any time soon, but for 80 minutes in Brisbane last night it was overshadowed by more explosive colour problems, the ones the Blues were having with the Maroons.

They had massive problems containing them, for starters, with Queensland captain Darren Lockyer celebrating what may have been his final State of Origin match at Suncorp Stadium by steering his side to a crushing 34-6 win to sew up an unprecedented fifth straight series victory.

A record-shattering winning margin had been in the offing until the second-last minute when Blues prop Brett White ambled over for a curiously soft try.

The ugliest preamble ever to an Origin match, courtesy of disgraced NSW assistant coach Andrew Johns's allegedly racist putdown of indigenous and Islander players in the Queensland side gave way to some of the ugliest brawls but prettiest football in the 30-year history of Origin.

After a week of pent-up racial tension, an explosion was inevitable and just as inevitably it was the "brother" Johns so colourfully had belittled who lit the fuse when Inglis scorched the Blues defence to score in the third minute.

AFL-bound Israel Folau, of Tongan descent, notched a second just 10 minutes later.

Barely 26 minutes into the contest, the match erupted after Blues forwards Luke O'Donnell and Nathan Hindmarsh drove Queensland winger Darius Boyd head-first into the Lang Park turf.

Within seconds, 26 warriors were trading all kinds of blows.

There was no extinguishing these fires. They flared again and again, with the normally placid Inglis never far from the fracas.

For long segments of the match, the rugby league was almost incidental. It had a Shakespearean feel to it. No, not Othello, but Henry V as Queensland's band of brothers swept to a fifth successive Origin series victory.

http://www.theaustralian.com.a.....frg7mf-1225880649995

Maroons magic but Mal left fuming

Steve Ricketts From: The Courier-Mail June 17, 2010 12:19AM 95 comments
Maroons forward Dave Taylor and Blues rival Luke O'Donnell square up in State of Origin II at Suncorp Stadium. Picture: Darren England Source: The Courier-Mail

FURIOUS Queensland coach Mal Meninga said NSW forward Luke O'Donnell should have been sent off and called for disciplinary action to be taken against him and teammate Paul Gallen.

Meninga said the two were guilty of planned cheap shots in the Maroons' 34-6 thrashing of the Blues at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium on Wednesday night.

Meninga was proud of his men for the way they resisted the temptation to throw the rule book out the window and seek revenge as they wrapped up an unprecedented fifth series win in a row.

Queensland centre Greg Inglis told teammates three minutes before kick-off he was ready for a big game and that was what they wanted to hear, with Inglis setting the stage with a try in the third minute.

The giant Melbourne Storm star was fuming after hearing that NSW assistant coach Andrew Johns had aimed a racial slur at him last week and he took out his frustrations on the Blues and rival centre Beau Scott in particular.

"I want the League to take action on this," Meninga said of the unsavoury incidents which marred the game.

"The Gallen shot on Nate Myles was ordinary and then you have O'Donnell with a spear tackle followed by a headbutt (on Dave Taylor).

"To me that is a send-off offence but we had some of those tough calls all night and I'm just so proud of my guys that they kept their focus and kept on playing rugby league."

Want more State of Origin coverage? Get your Courier-Mail print edition
Asked if he had expected the Blues to employ those tactics, Meninga said: "Yes. Most definitely. We knew they were desperate and they had to do something."

Queensland halfback Johnathan Thurston said things did not look good for his Cowboys teammate O'Donnell, but Maroons hooker Cameron Smith did not think O'Donnell should have been sent off, with the forward copping a grade two dangerous throw charge. That could bring a four-match suspension, given his record.

But Smith criticised referees Tony Archer and Shayne Hayne for not taking decisive action over the spear tackle on Dragons winger Darius Boyd.

"It is a physical game Origin. Highly intense," Smith said.

Click here for thousands of State of Origin memories
"I was waiting for a penalty to come from that tackle and it didn't happen and I'm thinking that's why the fight started, because the officials didn't blow a penalty straight away.

"So I was a bit confused. But those sort of blues happen in Origin and I think all of the players were happy to get on with the game."

O'Donnell and Gallen look set to front a ARL judiciary panel today and Thurston is pessimistic about O'Donnell's chances of being available for Saturday's match against Smith's club Melbourne Storm.

http://www.couriermail.com.au/.....frepbx-1225880657875

I can't find the photo of Alfie Langer that was on the news.com.au site with a frothing can of beer in his hand and reacting exuberantly and not a good look.   no wonder it has disappeared. ]]> Thu, 17 Jun 2010 17:38:49 SuziH http://www.ebroadcast.com.au/eblah/m-1276477685/ http://www.ebroadcast.com.au/eblah/m-1276477685/#num1 Andrew Johns not welcome back to NSW State of Origin camp

Andrew Webster in Brisbane From: The Daily Telegraph June 14, 2010 12:00AM

Rugby League - NSW Blues State of Origin .Andrew Johns press conference at Salt Resort , Kingscliff .Pic;Gregg Porteous Picture: Gregg Porteous Source: The Daily Telegraph

THE Blues last night slammed the door on Andrew Johns returning to their camp for the rest of this year's Origin series.

While Timana Tahu will be welcomed back with open arms,Johns will receive no such lifeline, NSWRL boss Geoff Carr told The Daily Telegraph.

"My personal view is that it would not be appropriate for Joey to return to the side for the remainder of this series - he shouldn't be involved," Carr said. "Whether he has a future with the team beyond that, I don't know."

As the fallout from the Johns' racism scandal continued yesterday, Blues coach Craig Bellamy admitted the shock departures of Tahu and Johns had "affected" the camp but had also galvanised it in the build-up to game two against Queensland at Suncorp Stadium on Wednesday night.

"It is a massive issue - we're not trying to say that it's not," Bellamy said. "But I must say, to the credit of the players, we've had two training sessions since this has happened, and they've been tremendous. You wouldn't have noticed there was a bit of a crisis going on in our camp. I'm not going to say it's not affecting anyone, because it has affected the team.

"But we've got to try and minimise that."

Johns was forced to quit his assistant coaching role on Saturday night after it emerged he had described Queensland centre Greg Inglis as a "black c. . t." during a team meeting - something that prompted Tahu to walk out on the camp on Friday night.

NSWRL chief executive Carr last night said the Eels superstar would be welcomed back to the fold for game three at ANZ Stadium on July 7 if his form warranted it - a sentiment backed-up by Blues coach Bellamy.

"As for Timana, I cannot see why this episode should affect his selection for game three," Carr said. "If his form warrants it, then he should be considered."

http://www.dailytelegraph.com......frexnr-1225879193319   for more

I find the use of the 'C' word disgusting under any circumstances.  ]]> Mon, 14 Jun 2010 11:08:05 SuziH http://www.ebroadcast.com.au/eblah/m-1272078475/ http://www.ebroadcast.com.au/eblah/m-1272078475/#num1 Will this scandal be the end for the club?  Do you think the NRL acted fairly?  Have the players been treated badly?  Who will/should pay for the dishonesty?  Should there be a police investigation?

NRL seize damning Storm documents
By Michael Vincent and staff
Updated April 24, 2010 12:36:00

Owners of the Melbourne Storm have confirmed new documents have been handed over to investigators which show the NRL club guaranteed third-party payments to three of its players.

There are three letters detailing payments for three players. Two of those three letters were signed by the players and their agents; all three were signed by former Storm chief executive Brian Waldron.

The letters detail payments from third parties for the players, which the club would guarantee. That is entirely in breach of the NRL's salary cap rules.

News Limited spokesman Greg Baxter says the letters were handed over by the former acting chief executive Matt Hanson and have now been passed on to the NRL's salary cap auditor Ian Schubert.

The documents were being kept at the home of Hanson who it is believed to have received them from Waldron, who in turn had kept them at his home rather than the office.

It is unclear if more documents are still being held by current or former club officials.

Mr Baxter says the documents not only fill in the picture of payments in the 2008/2009 season, but are the first evidence of payments planned for this year.

It is not clear how much money the documents guaranteed the players, but it is understood they help account for the projected salary cap breach of $700,000 for this year.

The Storm has been fined $1.6 million, stripped of its two premierships from 2007 and 2009 and effectively disqualified from this year's competition for salary cap breaches of $1.7 million over five years.

News Limited confirmed that the Victorian Fraud Squad has had preliminary discussions with its forensic investigators, Deloitte.

Already a list is being drawn up of officials, but also the players' agents who were party to the deals.

In the case of the latest documents, all three players are represented by different agents.

News Limited says they do not yet have a satisfactory explanation as to what the agents knew and when.

He also says they will also not name the three players because it is entirely unfair at this stage, but all will be interviewed by investigators.

The people providing the money were not named, other than to be called a third-party sponsor.

News Limited says the letters are worded in such a way that the players would not have known what they were signing was in breach of the salary cap.

It says one of the letters explicitly cites the salary cap in its conditions and that the letters also detail payments for hundreds of thousands of dollars.

It is not clear whether the players and their agents knew what they were signing would not be registered with the NRL.

First posted April 24, 2010 09:24:00

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/04/24/2881868.htm

]]> Sat, 24 Apr 2010 13:07:55 Paula http://www.ebroadcast.com.au/eblah/m-1246321299/ http://www.ebroadcast.com.au/eblah/m-1246321299/#num1 It would be great if we could have a Queensland caller instead of Ray Warren and Peter Sterling (he was born in Queensland? who are so very biased in their calling of the matches.  I know Phil Gould is a supporter of NSW but he always manages to give credit where credit is due.  Please don't go back to coaching as we need more people like you to give unbiased reporting of the matches and players.  Keep up the good work. [color=green][/color]]]> Tue, 30 Jun 2009 10:21:39 Glory http://www.ebroadcast.com.au/eblah/m-1242396027/ http://www.ebroadcast.com.au/eblah/m-1242396027/#num1
news article added by Paula

Dogs denied by video ref in Dragons thriller
Posted 2 hours 45 minutes ago
Updated 2 hours 31 minutes ago

St George Illawarra escaped with a tense 20-18 win over old foes the Bulldogs after a controversial end to their Heritage Round blockbuster at Kogarah Oval on Friday night.

Bottles rained upon Kogarah Oval after video referee Steven Clark robbed the Bulldogs of what seemed a legitimate match-winning try.

Bulldogs centre Jamal Idris looked like he had stolen two points for the ladder leaders when he touched down with just 33 seconds on the clock only for Clark to deny the four-pointer.

An innocuous obstruction play in the lead up was the sticking point, with Greg Eastwood ruled to have blocked Jamie Soward for making a play on full-back Luke Patten.

It sparked a furious response from the Bulldogs section of the sell-out crowd and brought an end to what had been a dramatic comeback from the visitors with Idris having scored nine minutes from time to close the gap to just two points.

The match had looked over when Justin Poore brushed past a poor Michael Ennis tackle on a stunning 25 metre run to the line with 13 minutes remaining, Soward's conversion giving the home side a handy 20-12 buffer.

The Bulldogs had been lucky to be down just 14-6 after an opening 40 minutes in which the home side dominated possession and field position.

The margin could have been bigger when Darius Boyd put Matt Cooper into the clear six minutes after the restart, Cooper somehow ignoring an unmarked Soward in support to butcher a certain try.

Bulldogs playmaker Brett Kimmorley was sinbinned as a result of holding onto Cooper too long after the try saver, but the play again changed the momentum with Idris unluckily dropping the ball over the tryline following a powerful run.

It hardly mattered as Ben Hannant crashed over a few minutes later to close the gap to just two before Poore put his stamp on the match.

The Dragons had started the better as Michael Weyman went over with a short-range barge to make it 6-0 after 20 minutes.

A Soward penalty extended their advantage but it was not until Ben Hornby found a galloping Ben Creagh - who almost ran all the way to Wollongong before touching down just inside the dead ball line - that the lead was indicative of the flow of the game.

The last five minutes of the half proved costly with the Bulldogs enjoying six of the last seven sets before Kimmorley dummied past Mickey Paea on his way to the line to make it amore respectable eight-point deficit at the break.

Dragons: 20 (M Weyman, B Creagh, J Poore tries; J Soward 3 conversions; penalty)

Bulldogs: 18 (B Kimmorley, B Hannant, J Idris tries; H El Masri 3 conversions)

- ABC/AAP

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/05/15/2572274.htm]]> Sat, 16 May 2009 00:00:27 zafeinix http://www.ebroadcast.com.au/eblah/m-1210668675/ http://www.ebroadcast.com.au/eblah/m-1210668675/#num1
May 21, 2008 at ANZ Stadium

New South Wales

Fullback - Brett Stewart      
Wing - Jarryd Hayne      
Centre - Matt Cooper      
Centre - Mark Gasnier      
Wing - Anthony Quinn      
Five-Eighth - Greg Bird      
Halfback - Peter Wallace      
Prop - Brett White      
Hooker - Danny Buderus (c)      
Prop - Ben Cross      
Second Row - Ryan Hoffman      
Second Row - Willie Mason      
Lock - Paul Gallen      
Interchange - Anthony Laffranchi      
Interchange - Anthony Tupou      
Interchange - Craig Fitzgibbon      
Interchange - Ben Hornby      

Coach - Craig Bellamy

Queensland

Fullback - Billy Slater      
Wing - Brent Tate      
Centre - Greg Inglis      
Centre - Justin Hodges      
Wing - Israel Folau      
Five-Eighth - Karmichael Hunt      
Halfback - Johnathan Thurston      
Prop - Carl Webb      
Hooker - Cameron Smith (c)      
Prop - Petero Civoniceva      
Second Row - Michael Crocker      
Second Row - Sam Thaiday      
Lock - Dallas Johnson      
Interchange - PJ Marsh      
Interchange - Ben Hannant      
Interchange - Nate Myles      
Interchange - Jacob Lillyman      

Coach - Mal Meninga]]> Tue, 13 May 2008 18:51:15 shawty http://www.ebroadcast.com.au/eblah/m-1205675406/ http://www.ebroadcast.com.au/eblah/m-1205675406/#num1   Hows your team doing?  

Tigers 24 v Dragons 16       
Broncos 48 v Panthers 12      
Sea Eagles 10 v Sharks 16      
Knights 30 v Raiders 14      
Eels 28 v Bulldogs 20      
Titans 36 v Cowboys 18      
Rabbitohs 20 v Roosters 34      

Coming League Fixtures
Monday, March 17

Storm vs Warriors      Telstra Dome      7:00 pm

Go the Warriors tomorrow night  ]]> Mon, 17 Mar 2008 00:50:06 122 http://www.ebroadcast.com.au/eblah/m-1187252844/ http://www.ebroadcast.com.au/eblah/m-1187252844/#num1
Gee, is'nt the Storm copping the blame from other NRL teams about using the grapple tackle. Storm coach, Craig Bellamy is saying "hey, stop your mumbling !!"

Myself, the whole NRL teams need to stop blaming each other and ban the grapple altogether. Say if a player does it, suspend him for a reasonable amount of time !!  ]]> Thu, 16 Aug 2007 18:27:24 babes_mate http://www.ebroadcast.com.au/eblah/m-1172313489/ http://www.ebroadcast.com.au/eblah/m-1172313489/#num1
Damn shame about the Broncos in England.  Clark should have done something about that tackle on Sammy, it was dangerous and it knocked the steam out of him which changed the dynamics of the game.  But still, the horsies should have been strong enough to overcome this incident.]]> Sat, 24 Feb 2007 21:38:09 tramp http://www.ebroadcast.com.au/eblah/m-1169482819/ http://www.ebroadcast.com.au/eblah/m-1169482819/#num1 Tue, 23 Jan 2007 03:20:19 Yan