Rugby League
The Storm Are Finally Mortal. Bellamy Isn’t Finished Yet.
After fifteen consecutive finals campaigns, Melbourne Storm have finally looked human. Craig Bellamy, however, is not ready to leave.
Sport
Sixteen years of sportswriting, mostly rugby league and AFL.
50 essays
Rugby League
Rugby League
Brisbane Have Proven They Are The Real Deal But Have They Already Played Their Grand Final?
Before last Sunday’s Brisbane-Penrith preliminary final had begun, the realistic season-long hopes of Canberra, Canterbury and Cronulla fans had already been expunged.…
Rugby League
Melbourne and Penrith: Who is the greatest?
In the absorbing Stan documentary “Revealed – Craig Bellamy: Inside the Storm” we see the legendary coach seated delivering his final speech…
Rugby League
The 1999 NRL Grand Final. Mundine Blows It. Storm Begin Their Dynasty.
The great grand finals are those that cause the greatest joy and therefore the greatest pain. The 1999 grand final, the second…
Rugby League
The 2023 NRL Grand Final. The Iceman vs The Dancer.
Published on The Roar https://www.theroar.com.au/2025/06/07/when-it-really-matters-how-the-iceman-went-toe-to-toe-blow-for-blow-with-the-dancer-in-2023-nrl-decider/ On his Bye Round podcast former St Helen’s and Canterbury prop Englishman James Graham asked Kevvie Walters…
Rugby League
When It Counts. The 2015 NRL Grand Final.
This is the opening salvo in a series on three NRL grand finals that were decided at the death – from sheer…
Rugby League
When it Counts 2. The 2016 Grand Final.
In writing this piece I was forced to confront for the first time the 2016 Grand Final between my team Melbourne, and…
Rugby League
WHEN IT COUNTS. A Look at the 2015, 2016 and 2023 NRL Grand Finals.
The brief encounter that can glorify or destroy you. Oh yes, you can say you have been ttt5 me he better team…
Rugby League
Melbourne Storm Revisit Mad Dark Salary Cap Days
It is 13 years (has it really been that long?) since David Gallop’s announcement of Melbourne Storm’s unprecedented eviscerating punishment for salary…
Sport
Great Sport Documentaries Part Three: Thrilla In Manila
In Thrilla In Manila (2008) – a film about the third and last bout between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier in 1975…
Rugby League
The allure of love and home will always haunt Melbourne Storm
Australian writer Robert Dessaix wrote: “Can there be a more important word than ‘home’ to make your own in the English language?…
Rugby League
The Death Of A Grand Final. Melbourne-Penrith: The Grand Final That Should Have Been.
As this season progressed the more certain I became of the outcome: Melbourne and Penrith – the dominant and most exhilarating teams…