1909 - Revolt, Coup, Forfeit and a future

Rugby League began its second year of existence having survived a busy and financially demanding opening season, culminating in a marathon pioneering Kangaroo tour to Great Britain.

With the tour still ongoing at the start of 1909, reports trickling in from England were stating that the Kangaroo’s had run at a considerable financial loss. Several star players had signed with English clubs for the end of the 1908-09 season and beyond, which would be a massive loss to the fledgling code in Australia, while others were reportedly being sent home early.

In February, South Sydney player Arthur Conlin penned a public letter to The Sun requesting the League to appoint a full time secretary at their upcoming General meeting, a suggestion which received immediate support from the clubs.

On March 5, the NSWRL Annual Meeting was held where startling observations about the management of the League’s finances had been made. With the secretary and founding father James Giltinan, getting his side ready for the 45^th and last game of their English tour, President Henry Hoyle and treasurer, the legendary Australian Test cricketer, Victor Trumper ran the meeting on their own.

Newcastle was unable to send any delegates, so it was stated at the meeting that Glebe’s Arthur Weymark and Souths Edward Fry had been appointed to act on behalf of the Newcastle club. Their appointment was questioned with Hoyle stating he had a letter from the Newcastle club, however he had forgotten to bring it, but would produce it the following morning. However the following day he was still unable to produce the letter.

The meeting carried on with Hoyle unable to provide a balance sheet while it was also revealed that Trumper and Giltinan had been banking monies for the League into a separate account under Trumper’s name. Trumper stated during and post meeting that the account was a trust fund and designed to hold the rent for the upcoming matches at the Agricultural Showground. A discussion was also had about the appointment of a full time secretary but none was elected.

After the meeting, North Sydney board member Alexander Knox stated that Norths were considering leaving the League if a balance sheet and full time secretary were not appointed while also intimating that Eastern Suburbs, Souths and Western Suburbs may also consider similar action. With the spat between Hoyle and Knox being played out in the media and causing division within the game, another general meeting had to be called to clear the air.

The infamous Newcastle letter about delegates finally arrived several days after the meeting but had not been signed therefore could not be accepted as official. This meant that the first meeting was made null and a new meeting was convened for March 15.

A fiery meeting took place at the rooms of the NSWRL with accusations, allegations and abuse hurled back and forth, particularly between Knox and Hoyle. After much confrontation, Henry Hoyle exclaimed “I have had enough. I mean to retire. Tomorrow I withdraw all my bonds. Now I tender my resignation.”

Upon this, the previous meeting elections were declared void and new elections took place that saw politician Ernest Broughton appointed as president, replacing Hoyle, while Horrie Miller was elected as Trumper’s successor for the Treasurer role. It was also agreed that a fulltime secretary would be appointed with Tom Phelan named in the acting role while Giltinan was en-route and a suitable candidate could be hired.

The balance sheet that was missing in the previous year was finally completed and submitted at the meeting. It was observed that Balmain’s games at Birchgrove Oval had been producing the best gate takings and so in 1909 it was agreed that they would play nearly all of their games at the ground.

Within less than a month, Broughton’s business matters took precedent and subsequently forced him to relinquish his position as President. He was replaced by another politician, Edward O’Sullivan, the games third boss within a month.

The Premiership season began on April 24 with defending premiers South Sydney beating Balmain 4-0 their first of 9 straight wins before a final round 5-0 loss to Newcastle prevented them from finishing the season undefeated. 1908 Runners-up Eastern Suburbs won five of their opening 6 games before losing their last four games while Balmain benefitted from all their home games, winning all of their last 8 games after losing their opening two.

In June 1909 the league appointed Edward Larkin as its first fulltime secretary, bringing an end to the reign of James Giltinan and finally adding some stability to the administration of the game.

Shortly after Larkin’s appointment, an idea by George Ball to have a series of games played between the national sides for both Rugby codes would be a great spectacle, as well as an opportunity to lure the best Rugby Union talent to Rugby League. He approached the Wallabies players but soon learnt that the 500 pounds he was allocated to pay them with, was a paltry amount.

After a meeting with John Quinlan and Larkin, it was decided to approach entrepreneur James Joynton-Smith for a loan. Joynton-Smith agreed and the purchasing of the Wallabies began.

In August, the semi-finals took place with Balmain defeating Easts 15-8 and Souths beating Newcastle 20-0 which saw Balmain and Souths progress to the final.

Upon learning of the secret activity to buy the Wallabies, President O’Sullivan publicly expressed his opposition to what he deemed acts of unprofessional behaviour and resigned. His replacement was none other than James Joynton-Smith who became the NSWRL’s fourth president, all of whom had held the office in 1909.

The competition was placed on hold after the semi’s for the third and fourth games between Australia and the visiting New Zealand Maori side. The first game was won by the visitors 16-14 before Australia squared the ledger in game 2 with a 16-13 victory. The Kangaroos won the third game 23-16.  During the tour, a Mr Robert Jack claimed that he was owed money by the Maori side owed to him for the organisation of their 1908 tour, which the Maori management disputed. Jack issued a court order against star player and Maori team manager Albert Asher who was arrested after the third game against Australia had been played.

When the NSWRL learnt of this development, they immediately settled the debt with Jack and had Asher released by the police so that he had enough time to get to the ground in time for kick-off in the fourth game, which the Kangaroos went on to win 20-13.

The competition was delayed even further when three hastily organised matches between the Kangaroos and the recently purchased Wallabies would take place. The Kangaroos won the opening game 29-26 before the Wallabies won the next two matches 34-21 and 15-6. After these games the League had still yet to raise enough from gate takings to repay Joynton-Smith for the money he outlaid, so a decision was made to play a fourth game on the same day as the Premiership final.

All year Balmain’s games had been played at 3pm, but the league then decided to move the kick-off for the Final to midday as the undercard to a fourth exhibition game between the Kangaroos and Wallabies. Balmain held a meeting before sending a letter to the League stating that their players would not be able to get to the ground in time after work, for a 2pm kick off, let alone a midday start and requested that the game be moved from the Agricultural Showgrounds which South Sydney had used as their home ground, to Wentworth Park, as it was a genuine neutral venue and closer to Balmain which would enable them to field a team. They also stated it was insulting to the competition to have the final deemed as a secondary game to an exhibition match.

The League informed Balmain that the program would not be changed. On the day of the final, Balmain players and officials who could get to the ground, stood outside and staged a protest while the Souths team took the field. At midday, Souths kicked off and scored a try against no-one and the game was declared over. Several days later, the referee for the game declared the game publicly and officially to South Sydney.

The League suspected Balmain would be a no-show, so they organised for a combined team to take on Souths to ensure a double header would still take place. Souths beat a Combined First Grade team 18-10.

The game attracted a paltry crowd of just 4,000 but it was just enough for the League to pay back Joynton-Smith, clear all its debts and finish the year with a very modest profit.

The drama wasn’t over though. A week after the Final, Balmain decided to start a fund raising campaign to launch legal action against the League over its decision to award the title to Souths. Alexander Knox got in Balmain’s corner along with former president Edward O’Sullivan to voice their disapproval at the League and its treatment of Balmain. Despite raising the necessary funds, Balmain eventually opted to abandon all legal proceedings after months of meetings and conversations, publicly and in house.

Arguably the most tumultuous season in the codes history but it was one that ended with huge improvements to playing rosters, finances, administration, security and stability of the game.

Building a system for International Rugby League rankings

It seems every time the International Rugby League releases its updated International Rankings, people are mystified as to how some sides rank higher than others and more importantly, how the whole thing is even calculated.

It made me wonder if there's a mathematical system one could use to try and rank teams, so I decided to have a go at it. I will get this one statement out of the way early though - I don't think this system is good either, but one thing that is certain is that no system using a mathematical formula will work.

That's because there's been very little structure or purpose behind every match. So you will find some Emerging nations are playing nearly as many Senior International Matches as Australia, New Zealand and England. The attempts by the International Rugby League in more recent seasons to have teams playing Internationals that will affect their ranking, and determine their qualification in the upcoming World Cup is a major step in rectifying this matter.

So this bit of work is based on all International matches between two International sides (so games like Australia's PM XIII v the Papua New Guinea PM XIII are not included) and for all results over the last 10 years (2015-2024). Also, the Great Britain results are added to England, while Tonga Invitational and Tonga are combined.

There are three groups.

Group A - 10 teams - These are the 10 sides who have played in all of the last 5 World Cups:
Australia
England
Fiji
France
Ireland
New Zealand
Papua New Guinea
Samoa
Scotland
Tonga 

Group B - 10 teams - These are the next 7 teams who have appeared in the most World Cups since 2008:
Cook Islands
Greece
Italy
Jamaica
Lebanon
USA
Wales

And, the 3 remaining teams in the International Rugby League's top 20 ranked teams not already listed:
Malta
Netherlands
Serbia

Group C - 42 teams - Literally every other nation that has played International Rugby League since 2015:
Albania
Argentina
Belgium
Bosnia & Herzegovina
Brazil
Bulgaria
Burundi
Cameroon
Canada
Chile
Colombia
Czech Republic
Democratic Republic of Congo
Denmark
El Salvador
Germany
Ghana
Hong Kong
Hungary
India
Japan
Kenya
Latvia
Montenegro
Morocco
Nigeria
Niue
North Macedonia
Norway
Peru
Philippines
Poland
Russia
Solomon Islands
South Africa
Spain
Sweden
Thailand
Turkiye
Ukraine
Uruguay
Vanuatu

Group D - 1 team - Estonia - Purely because they still appear on the International Rugby League rankings list despite having not played a game since 2009:
Estonia

POINTS SYSTEM
There's a lot to go through here.

World Cup
The Number of World Cups participated in from (and including) 2000-2024 is multiplied by 2.5
Extra Points are awarded for more recent World Cup appearances
2022 RLWC = 10 Points
2017 RLWC = 7 Points
2013 RLWC = 5 Points
2008 RLWC = 3 Points
2000 RLWC = 1 Point

World Cup Results
Teams will earn points based on their performance in the World Cup after the Group stages

Eliminated in First round of play-offs = 3 Points
Eliminated in Semi Finals (Final 4) = 6 Points
Runners-Up = 12 Points
World Cup Winner = 25 Points

Emerging Nations World Cup

The Number of Emerging Nations World Cups participated in from (and including) 2000-2024 is multiplied by 1.5
Extra Points are awarded for more recent Emerging Nations World Cup appearances.
2018 ENWC = 2 Points
2000 RLWC = 1 Point

Group Bonus
Bonus Points awarded based on the group a team is in:
Group A = 200 Points
Group B = 125 Points
Group C = 50 Points
Group D = 0 Points

Now we get to the tricky stuff.

Graded Performances
Teams earn points for wins, lose points for losses and these points are on a sliding scale depending on the strength of their opponent:

Group A def Group A = 3 Points
Group A def Group B = 1.5 Points
Group A def Group C = 0.5 Points

Group B def Group A = 4 Points
Group B def Group B = 2 Points
Group B def Group C = 1 Point

Group C def Group A = 5 Points
Group C def Group B = 3 Points
Group C def Group C = 1.5 Points

Group A lose to Group A = -3 Points
Group A lose to Group B = -4 Points
Group A lose to Group C = -5 Points

Group B lose to Group A = -1.5 Points
Group B lose to Group B = -2 Points
Group B lose to Group C = -3 Point

Group C lose to Group A = -0.5 Points
Group C lose to Group B = -1 Points
Group C lose to Group C = -1.5 Points

Also, a draw between two teams in the same group = 1 Point
A draw between Team A and Team B or Team B and Team C = Higher ranked side gets 0.5 points, Lower ranked side gets 1.5 points
A draw between Team A and Team C = Team A gets 0.25 points, Team C gets 2 points

Recency Bias
Points are multiplied by a higher amount for more recent seasons, to give a more reflective form rating:

2015 x1
2016 x2
2017 x3
2018 x4
2019 x5
2020 x6
2021 x7
2022 x8
2023 x9
2024 x10

Frequency of playing
Teams that play more games deserve to be rewarded, irrespective of the result, so teams will get 1 point for every match they've played in the last 10 years.

Strength of Opposition
Following on from the previous metric, teams will be awarded points based on the Group that their opponent falls in:
Number of Games v Group A = x4
Number of Games v Group B = x2
Number of Games v Group C = x1

So with all of that explained, here are the International Rugby League Rankings, mathematically speaking, as at the end of the 2024 season:

1. 775.5 - Australia
2. 700.5 - England
3. 496 - New Zealand
4. 347 - Papua New Guinea
5. 303.5 - Fiji
6. 290 - Netherlands
7. 283.5 - Ireland
8. 273 - Lebanon
9. 256 - Tonga
10. 239.5 - France
11. 233 - Samoa
12. 221.5 - Wales
13. 199.5 - Canada
14. 196.5 - Italy
15. 196 - USA
16. 191 - Serbia
17. 157 - Ukraine
18. 143.5 - Malta
19. 119 - Philippines
20. 116 - Cook Islands
21. 115 - Germany
22. 113.5 - Greece
23. 113.5 - Czech Republic
24. 108.5 - South Africa
25. 105.5 - Niue
26. 101 - Chile
27. 100 - Turkiye
28. 97 - Nigeria
29. 85.5 - Scotland
30. 85.5 - Brazil
31. 81 - Hungary
32. 81 - Japan
33. 80.5 - Belgium
34. 78.5 - Poland
35. 76 - Norway
36. 72.5 - Spain
37. 72 - Sweden
38. 70 - Russia
39. 67.5 - Thailand
40. 66.5 - Solomon Islands
41. 62.5 - Jamaica
42. 62 - Argentina
43. 59.5 - Denmark
44. 59.5 - India
45. 58 - Ghana
46. 56 - Burundi
47. 56 - Democratic Republic of Congo
48. 54 - Morocco
49. 52.5 - Peru
50. 51 - El Salvador
51. 50.5 - Latvia
52. 48.5 - Vanuatu
53. 46 - Bosnia & Herzegovina
54. 39.5 - Uruguay
55. 37 - Albania
56. 32 - Kenya
57. 32 - Montenegro
58. 26.5 - Hong Kong
59. 25 - Bulgaria
60. 19 - Cameroon
61. 18.5 - North Macedonia
62. 16.5 - Colombia
63. 0 - Estonia

The end of every year could see a modification to this system, whereby the top 10 ranked sides become Group A for the upcoming year, The next 10 become Group B etc

Have World Cups every 4 years and Emerging Nations World Cups every 4 years, but 2 years after each World Cup.

The top 20 teams in the 2 years before each World Cup will compete for the 12 spots in each World Cup.

Teams ranked 21-40 compete for the 12 spots in each Emerging Nations World Cup which means it is possible for Emerging Nations sides to qualify for the World Cup.

Obviously a hose of other purposeful tournaments could also take place, such as the Pacific Cup (but run with 2 groups and then a final between the top side in each group), a European Cup (same system as the Pacific Cup mentioned above) and possibly even an AAA Cup (America's, Asia and Africa)

If we can have a meaningful calendar where all games mean something and have the potential to make teams climb up the rankings towards a potential World Cup berth, that would make for a much more captivating International Calendar.

Rugby League Podcasts (2020)

 

Never before have fans been able to get their voices heard as much as they do right now and this is largely due to the explosion of podcasts. Fans can now literally speak directly to an entire sports fanbase and share their views, their knowledge and their experiences about the game they love.

As at the end of the 2020 season there were well over 100 active Rugby League podcasts around the World and that number will continue to grow.

Here is a list of all of those podcasts, along with the link to their show and the Twitter account for each show (where possible). If you know of a podcast that isn't on this list, please let me know by leaving a comment at the end of this article.

This list will be updated in time and grouped to make it an even better and more useful list, because there are many different types of podcasts in this list, ranging from Fantasy Sport, Super Coach, History, Opinions, comedy, Interviews, club specific and even country specific. Many of these podcasts also fit into more than one of these categories.

This list also has avoided adding mainstream media podcasts, as they can promote their shows to the entire Rugby League audience very easily and frequently. This list comprises of independent content creators only.

If you love any of these podcasts, please share around links to their shows via social media and get in touch with them on Twitter. The more we share around these podcasts, the more we enhance the voice of the fans over the voice of the media, and that is of great significance.

Thank You and Enjoy!

Podcast name	Twitter Handle	Podcast link
10 In The Bin	@ask10inthebin	https://open.spotify.com/show/4xsndA04hNlrrvUYZ6pfu3
13 Pro Am	@13Pro_Am	https://www.spreaker.com/show/13-pro-am-st-helens-rugby-league
257 Collective	@kalyn_ponga	https://player.whooshkaa.com/shows/257collective
3 Blokes and a Rugby League Podcast	@ThreeBlokesRL	https://open.spotify.com/show/6Pu49GitifRa6UXA5vF2nX?si=zivcY_RDQrS2FG2vAHJIGQ
7 Tackle Set	@7tackleset	https://open.spotify.com/show/2oon3BtNv9DZlGAlyKBb94
Andy Raymond #Unfiltered	@TheAndyRaymond	https://www.andyraymondunfiltered.com.au/
Armchair Champions	@Armchairchampi2	https://armchairchampions.com.au/
Balls Out No Flops	@ballsoutnoflops	https://anchor.fm/ballsoutnoflops
Bats and Balls Podcast	@batsandballspod	https://batsandballspodcast.libsyn.com/
Behind The Athlete	@behind_athlete	https://anchor.fm/behindtheathlete
Behind The Limelight	@nick_rysk	https://player.whooshkaa.com/shows/behind-the-limelight
Bloke In A Bar	@DenanKemp	https://open.spotify.com/show/1GS73KTOx9EN6swLGxNqC2?si=02GbWdLPT8iCPSyTSJMdIg
Bludging On The Blindside	@hg_nelson	https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/roy-and-hg-bludging-on-the-blindside/id1506120132
Broncos Weekly	@broncosweekly	https://play.acast.com/s/broncos-weekly/
Bulldogs Fans Podcast	@NRLBulldogsFans	https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/nrl-bulldogs-fans-podcast/id1473561669
By The Balls	@BytheBalls2	https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/by-the-balls/id1392281329?mt=2
Chasing Kangaroos	@chasingroospod	https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/chasing-kangaroos-an-international-rugby-league-podcast/id144188
Cowboys Chat	@nqchat	https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/cowboys-chat/id1296617178?mt=2
Devil In The Detail	@ditdsrd	https://soundcloud.com/devil-in-the-detail-srd
Fergo and The Freak	@FergoFreakPod	http://www.fergoandthefreak.com/
Fifth And Last Podcast	@fifthnlast	https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/fifth-and-last-nrl-podcast/id603375050
Fins Up	@SharksObsessed	https://anchor.fm/fins-up
Fire Up! (FBI Radio)	@Fireupnrl	https://fbiradio.com/podcast/fire-up/
Fonzie Talks Warriors	@fonzieswarriors	https://www.buzzsprout.com/888331
Forty20 Rugby League Podcast	@Forty20LIVE	https://forty20rl.podbean.com/
Full Credit To The Boys	@fcttb_podcast	https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/full-credit-to-the-boys-podcast/id948010217
Get The Edge	@Haydenknowles	https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/get-the-edge-with-hayden-knowles/id1455980304
Give Us A Spell	@GiveUsASpellPod	https://player.whooshkaa.com/shows/give-us-a-spell
Green Machine Podcast	@GreenMachinePod	https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-green-machine/id1079773478?mt=2
Hello Sport Podcast	@HelloSportPod	https://www.hellosport.com.au/
How Good Is Rugby League	@howgoodisRL	https://open.spotify.com/show/5YAQenQZfuFYcWNC8LoXDN?si=IIRdz-OmTa-N44DsqeYhiA
Howlin' Hour	@howlinhour	https://thehowlinhour.podbean.com/
Hull FC Fanzine	@hullfcfanzine	http://upthecream.co.uk/
Hyper-Thetic-RL Podcast	@HypertheticRL	https://open.spotify.com/show/2pv5LfNwgIvKZtxUAZPuF0
Ladies Who League	@LadiesWhoLeague	https://ladieswho.com.au/podcasts/
League By The Fireplace	@leaguebythefire	http://leaguebythefireplace.com/
Leaguel Counsel	@Leaguel_Counsel	https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/leaguel-counsel-rugby-league/id1206313978
League Legacy		https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/league-legacy/id1526018440
League Outlaws	@LeagueOutlaws	https://www.youtube.com/c/PunkturedMedia
Little Rugby League Podcast	@littleRLpodcast	https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/little-rugby-league/id1518527619
Loiners View	@loinersview	https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/loiners-view/id1510011512
Mac Sports Radio	@mac_sportsradio	http://www.macarthursportsradio.com/
Mike And Savs Show	@mikeandsavsshow	https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/mike-savs-show-nrl-supercoach-podcast/id1450748388
Not The Footy Show	@notthefootyshow	http://notthefootyshow.ashleymorrisonmedia.com/
NRL Boom Rookies	@NRLBoomRookies	https://play.acast.com/s/nrl-boom-rookies
NRL CEO Fantasy Podcast	@Fantasy_NRLCEO	http://www.nrlceo.com/
NRL Super Coach All Stars	@NRL_SC_Allstars	https://soundcloud.com/user-852095563
NRL Supercoach Champions	@NRLSC_Champions	https://linktr.ee/SuperCoachChampions
NRL Supercoach Talk	@NRLSCTalk	https://www.nrlsupercoachtalk.com/
Oh Errol!	@oherrol	https://www.oherrol.com/
On The Ranch	@XRBob	https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/on-the-ranch-nq-cowboys/id1456256251
Outta Their League	@otlfantasyrl	https://outtatheirleague.com.au/
Out of Touch Podcast		https://open.spotify.com/show/7w4TlVz5fEf6RMVvGaOLDb
Outlawed Rugby League Podcast	@OutlawedRLP	https://open.spotify.com/show/2duIe9nz1RU1oYx0JrgjRu
Parra Podcast	@ParraPodcast	https://soundcloud.com/parrapodcast
Rabbitohs Radio	@RabbitohsRadio	https://rabbitohsradio.com.au/listen/
Raiders Review with Blake and The Pork	@blakeandthepork	https://soundcloud.com/blake-budak
Red V Podcast	@RedVPodcast1	https://redvpodcast.podbean.com/
Roosters Radio	@RoostersRadio	https://player.whooshkaa.com/roosters-radio
Rugby League Cemetery	@SchlossysShoe	https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-rugby-league-cemetery/id1507580613
Rugby League Digest	@leaguedigest	https://www.theleaguedigest.com/
Rugby League From The Nosebleeds	@Mr_Adamou	https://linktr.ee/rl.from.the.nosebleeds
Rugby League Guru	@RL_Guru	https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/rugby-league-guru-podcast/id1499255585
Rugby League In America	@PodcastRla	https://soundcloud.com/rugbyleagueinamerica
Rugby League Republic	@rl_republic	http://rlrepublic.com/
Rugby League: That’s The Way It Was	@planetrex01	http://aviewfromthehill.com.au/
Rugby Reloaded	@rugbyreloaded	http://www.rugbyreloaded.com/
Searching For Corey Parker	@SearchingCorey	https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/searching-for-corey-parker-a-supercoach-podcast/id1496338695
Set Restart	@SetRestartRL	https://open.spotify.com/show/3sXugzlijD03RW7aWzvPcA?si=xZ62xmp0SS68g7ATp5D2yw
SharkCast Radio	@sharkcastpod	https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/sharkcast-radio-cronulla-sharks-nrl-podcast/id1038411132
Six Again	@BroncosSixAgain	https://soundcloud.com/user-595221922
Spillas Sport Show		https://spillassportsshow.com.au/
Sports Best Friends	@SportsBFs	https://anchor.fm/sbfs
Super Coach Playbook	@scplaybook1	https://www.scplaybook.com.au/category/podcast/
Super League Pod	@SuperLeaguePod	https://www.spreaker.com/show/super-league-pod
Supercoach 360	@360Supercoach	https://player.whooshkaa.com/supercoach-360
Sweet And Soward	@sweetandsoward	https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/sweet-and-soward/id1495754517
Take The Two	@TheTakeTwoPod33	https://open.spotify.com/show/5TXlOcWzMNGIXBOkiCV3vN
Talking with TK	@tristan_knell	https://www.talkingwithtk.com/
The Advantage Line	@line_advantage	https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/the-advantage-line-tab-podcasts-suHTfgiZpUh/
The Barry Harden-Upman Rugby League Podcast	@TheBHU_NRL	https://thebhurlpodcast.libsyn.com/
The Benchwarmers	@TheBWLive	http://www.thebwlive.com/
The Cumberland Throw	@EelsTCT	https://thecumberlandthrow.com/
The Double Movement	@doublemovement1	https://player.whooshkaa.com/shows/the-double-movement
The Fend	@thefendhj	https://www.buzzsprout.com/1174007
The Final Hooter	@TheFinalHooter	https://open.spotify.com/show/4PkqWBlRDHfg83sH0RBHNq
The Front Office	@ramy_haidar	https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-front-office/id1518751414
The Graveyard Shift	@TheGraveyardSh7	https://soundcloud.com/user-987589763
The Greenhouse Podcast	@TheGHRaiders	http://www.rugbyleaguepodcastingnetwork.com/author/the-green-house/
The Joust	@thejoust1988	https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-joust-nrl-podcast/id1223831347
The Out On Their Feet Fantasy Podcast	@outontheirfeet	https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/out-on-their-feet/id1502402408
The Parra Cave	@ParraCave	https://player.whooshkaa.com/the-parra-cave-podcast
The Pride Of Vermont Podcast	@pride_podcast	https://open.spotify.com/show/4KehxCey69yjk9mmiM3KvI
The Progressive Rugby League Podcast	@ProgRugbyLeague	https://player.whooshkaa.com/shows/the-progressive-rugby-league-podcast
The Rugby League Apologists		https://www.therugbyleagueapologists.com/
The Rugby League Europe Podcast	@TheRLEPodcast	https://open.spotify.com/show/6GNJnnChErLj5B6pGAg70D?si=8XCtkOeLQHqcuZPcjDmMcA
The Screaming Eagles Podcast	@screamingeagle_	https://soundcloud.com/thescreamingeagles
The Starting Bloc	@thestartingbloc	https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/thestartingbloc/id1187511192
The Take	@MasonsTake	https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-take-with-willie-mason/id1499743238
The Voluntary Tackle	@voluntarytackle	http://thevoluntarytackle.podbean.com/
The Waterboys	@TheWaterboysNRL	https://player.whooshkaa.com/shows/the-water-boys-nrl-podcast
This Warriors Life	@thiswarriorslyf	https://thiswarriorslife.com/
This Week In League	@TWiLeague	http://thisweekinleague.com/
Top Of The Props	@woodward_curtis	https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/top-of-the-props/id1503092224
Total Rugby League Podcast	@leagueexpress	https://www.totalrl.com/
Try Time Podcast	@TryTimePodcast	https://player.whooshkaa.com/shows/try-time-podcast
Trypod Betting	@trypod_betting	https://www.trypodbetting.com/podcast/
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Wests Life Podcast	@WestsLifePod	https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/westslife-podcast/id1455927054
Wests Tigers Podcast	@PodcastWests	https://weststigerspodcast.com.au/
What Would Brian Bevan Say?	@WhatBevan	https://audioboom.com/channels/4949591
Whippets & Flat Caps	@whippetsRL	http://whippetsandflatcaps.podbean.com/
White Line Fever	@therealsteavis	https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/white-line-fever/id494213902
Wolfin Around	@wolfinaroundto	https://soundcloud.com/wolfinaround
Woody And Slugs	@woodyandslugs	https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/woody-slugs-do-league/id1420294964

LeagueFreak backs calls for Cowboys and Paul Green to go their separate ways

Rugby League expert and podcaster LeagueFreak has backed Andrew Ferguson’s agreeance with Laurie Daley regarding North Queensland coach Paul Green that suggests that he should leave the club that he won a Premiership with back in 2015.

Andrew Webster suggested recently that Green needs a new challenge and a change would benefit both parties.

“You talk to other coaches around the game and Paul Green to me looks like Michael Maguire did in his last couple of seasons at Souths,” Andrew Webster said on radio recently.

“It just seems like he needs a change.”

Former New South Wales State of Origin coach Laurie Daley agreed wholeheartedly with Webster’s suggestion, stating, “I think you are right it just looks as though something is not right up there at the Cowboys."

"Whether it is the players not getting along with the coach or his ideas have gone a little bit stale and they are just not responding. But they need a sharpen-up somewhere and I don’t know where that is going to come from.”

Rugby League historian Andrew Ferguson backed up his recent tweet about Paul Green, after the coach complained about the officiating in their recent loss to the Wests Tigers in Round 20, which has put their finals hopes in jeopardy.




“Green has got Jason Taumalolo in his side among a number of current and past Origin players and cannot get them up into the top 8. And to make matters worse, he blames his inability to get his side to win on the referee’s.”

Star of the podcast Fergo and The Freak, LeagueFreak joined in the discussion to say “I agree with everything you have to say on this issue Andrew. I think his time is just about done.”

“After such a poor season with so many representative players, the club has to look forward with a different coach.”