News And Features - General News

Items 11 to 20 of 82
Hodges' unhappy homecoming
by Chris Cox
Sunday February 20, 2005

The Brisbane Broncos have started season 2005 in less than impressive fashion, losing 24-10 to a strong Melbournes Storm outfit at Gold Coast Stadium, but it was the utter disaster of Justin Hodges' return to the club that started his career that has fans concerned about their side's prospects for the season.

Hodges, shifted to fullback to allow Karmichael Hunt to fill in at five-eighth, where he is expected to deputise for skipper Darren Lockyer at Origin time, revived memories of the second State of Origin match in 2002 when he fumbled a kick in goal to gift Storm winger Steven Turner with a try in the first half.

Hodges continued to play lethargically at the back and left many of the 16000 fans at the stadium questioning coach Wayne Bennett's wisdom in bringing the Cairns product back into the fold.


Thorn not in side
by Barry Dick
Monday February 7, 2005

DUAL international Brad Thorn has had a major setback in his return to rugby league and will now not be playing in Saturday's trial match in Bundaberg..

The imposing back-rower was desperate to get some football under his belt before the NRL kicks off for the Broncos against the Cowboys on March 13, but will not play a trial game for the club after straining his right hamstring at training last Friday.

Thorn has not played a game of rugby league since the 2000 NRL grand final, and the Broncos were so keen for him to get some game time he had been named in the composite side to play a South Sydney Premier League line-up at Bundaberg Brothers on Saturday night (February 12).


De Vere settle in to Huddersfield
by Sky Sports
Monday January 10, 2005

Huddersfield new boy Michael De Vere is relishing the chance to impress in
Super League X (Ten).

The Australian arrived - with his wife and two young daughters - at his new
home on New Year's Day and, although he will miss that start of the season
through injury, he's raring to go for his new employers.

De Vere is one of a trio of new faces at the Galpharm Stadium, alongside
ex-Canberra hooker Brad Drew and Chris Thorman (back after a season with
Parramatta).

The signings by the Yorkshire club show a clear indication of their intent
to finish in the top six next term after only narrowly missing out on the
play-offs in 2004.

However, the former Brisbane Bronco - who has signed a two-year deal with
the Giants - is not expecting an easy ride in his new surroundings.


Broncos to Trial Two Refs.
Wednesday December 29, 2004

The Broncos will help trial the NRLs innovative 'referee interchange system' in the round five Telstra Cup premiership match against Parramatta at Suncorp Stadium on April 10.

The NRL yesterday announced the matches in which it will conduct the trial of the referee interchange system over the first five weeks of the premiership, with the Broncos-Eels clash the final hit-out for the 2005 experiment. The trial will be monitored and evaluated on a weekly basis before any decision is taken about the longer term future of the concept.

At each of the five matches the referees’ coach on the day will decide when, or even if, the main referee should be given a ‘break’ during the respective matches.


Webcke ruled out of USA clash
by Michael Fedrick
Tuesday November 30, 2004

Shane Webcke will miss the upcoming clash between the USA Tomohawks and Australia after he produced a heroic performance in Sunday's Tri-Nations grand final.

The powerhouse prop's troublesome right knee flared up before the match against the Lions, but he took the field after completing a fitness test just minutes before kick-off.

Team doctors have said Webcke will most likely need a minor operation on his knee upon his return from the tour, and although the injury is routine, he won't be risked for the historic game in Philadelphia.


Brutal Kangaroos claim Tri-Nations supremacy
by Michael Fedrick
Sunday November 28, 2004

Australia have produced a brutal and dynamic display of rugby league to defeat Great Britain 44-4 in front of a sold-out Elland Road Stadium in Leeds this morning.

The Tri-Nations trophy was secured by the visitors after a first-half blitz of six tries put the game beyond doubt and forced the home side to turn the second half into a "seek and salvage" mission.

The 40,000 strong crowd may have built an amazing atmosphere in the early stages of the match, but it's fair to say there weren't nearly as many in the stands after the full-time siren had sounded.

The Kangaroos controlled the first half of the match with superior field position and ball possession, which allowed the halves combination of Darren Lockyer and Brett Kimmorley to wreak havoc for the British defence.


Tate, Kennedy omitted
by Michael Fedrick
Saturday November 27, 2004

Centre Brent Tate and back-rower Ben Kennedy have been omitted from the final line-up for Sunday's Tri-Nations grand final against Great Britain in Leeds.

Both men had been included in an extended 19-man squad named by coach Wayne Bennett earlier this week, but were dropped from the final line-up overnight when the squad was finalised.

Workhorse backrower Craig Fitzgibbon has been dropped to the bench to make way for Bulldogs forward Andrew Ryan, after Fitzgibbon failed to impress in the 24-12 loss to the Lions two weeks ago.

Bennett told AAP that Ryan had earned a starting berth in the final after showing great form on the tour.


Kangaroos still the pick for punters
by Michael Fedrick
Thursday November 25, 2004

The out-of-form Kangaroos are still heavily tipped to win this weekend's Tri-Nations grand final in Leeds despite below-average performances against Great Britain and France in the past two weeks.

The Kangaroos series record of one loss, one draw and two victories was not enough to pip Great Britain of the top position on the Tri-Nations table, but it seems the wider rugby league community still views an Australian victory this weekend as predictable.

Major betting agencies from both Australia and the United Kingdom have the Kangaroos at short odds for an outright win, despite the impressive form shown by the Lions in their wins against Australia and New Zealand respectively.


Lockyer stars in Lucky Escape
by Michael Fedrick
Monday November 22, 2004

The corageous efforts of the French Rugby League team overshadowed Darren Lockyer's successful return from injury this morning as the European underdogs gave the southern heavyweights a big scare ahead of next weekend's Tri-Nations decider.

Lockyer proved to be the difference between the two sides as he eventually guided the Australian's to a 52-30 victory.

Make no mistake, that scoreline flatters the visitors who were kept on the back-foot for the majority of the match at Stade Ernest Wallon.

The French stunned the world champions in the opening stages of the match with three tries to Adel Fellous, Jamal Fakir and Maxime Greseque scoring tries.


Lions primed for Tri-Nations showdown
by Michael Fedrick
Sunday November 21, 2004

The Great Britain Lions put their Tri-Nations credentials on display again this morning with a tough and gritty 26-24 victory over New Zealand at Hull's Kingston Communications Stadium.

The Lions overcame a 12-4 defecit at the half time break to score hour tries in just 17 minutes in the second half, two of which were scored by man-of-the-match Brian Carney.

A near-capacity crowd of 23,377 fans braved the freezing conditions to witness the match, after news earlier this week that all 39,000 tickets for the Tri-Nations final had been sold.

The victory has given Great Britain their third consecutive test victory and landed them on top of the table after six round-robin games in the competition, but they are still unlikely to start as outright favourites for next weekend's decider.


Pages   << 1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   >>
� Copyright 2003. A Creatop Interactive Media and Virtual Leagues Production.
Powered by SmartSite. Hosted by MySmartHost