Penrith chief executive Brian Fletcher’s suggestion Brisbane should not be allowed to host Saturday’s preliminary final has been shot down as “outragerous” amid the backdrop of the AFL’s concerted push into the city. Fletcher caused a stir on the weekend by calling for the NRL to shift all preliminary finals to a neutral venue, suggesting…
Ashley Klein has been called “a protected species” despite NRL officials preparing to axe the veteran referee from grand final duties. Klein has refereed 23 finals matches, 14 State of Origins and was in charge of last year’s decider but has come under fire for two bad mistakes last weekend. The whistleblower first missed a…
Blog with James Hooper from 1.30pm. We had a good laugh at Panthers boss Brian Fletcher telling the NRL the Brisbane Broncos can’t play a preliminary final at Suncorp Stadium. Why not? They finished second throughout the regular season and have earned the right to host it given they beat Melbourne in week one of…
The Roosters were one of the favourites to take out the title at the start of the 2023 season. After a nightmare 2022 campaign filled with injuries, Trent Robinson’s side were optimistic and were boosted by the arrival of marquee hooker Brandon Smith. His recruitment was viewed as the final piece of the puzzle to…