Your weekly guide to the NRL season, including the entire Final Series, the souvenir Grand Final program and our bumper Season Review. Every week Big League will feature stories on the big names, preview the big games and continue our popular Little League section for the young rugby league fans. With official team-lists, extensive statistics and up-to-date news, Big League provides everything you need to follow the NRL.
It all comes down to this
KICKING OFF
No excuses for depleted Dragons
Officials scrutinised after poor weekend
Sharks stumble despite stars
Harvey Norman TALE OF THE TAPE
Cordner backs picking and sticking
Round 14 ROUND-UP
Team of the Week Rd15
4 the number of tries Suliasi Vunivalu has scored in two games at Wollongong
Thomas Mikaele • WESTS TIGER
Big League Weekly Edition
HOT SHOT
Referee collisions • Getting physical with a referee rarely ends well for the player involved, as these flashpoint incidents demonstrate.
Has the horse bolted at the Broncos?
Penrith in pain • At just 23 years of age, Ben Alexander’s tragic passing shook the game, and the defending premiers, like never before.
BIG LEAGUE Round 16 TOP TIPS
LOCKER ROOM
Harvey Norman TALE OF THE TAPE
Pioneering Blues
The battles of Briton • It’s been a tough journey to rugby league stardom for Briton Nikora, and it might not have happened at all without some parental persuasion.
Leading the way • He may be the man of the moment, but Briton Nikora is just one of many young prospects making their mark on the NRL in 2019.
Best of the rest
Food for thought • The days of takeaway are long gone for Alex Twal,now he’s hungry for success on and off the field.
The political game • Our current PM is a regular at Shark Park, but the relationship between league and Australian politics goes back even further than Lazarus and Meninga.
The new era begins • A club in its infancy, a new joint-venture, a new stadium and a record crowd were just some of the reasons the 1999 Grand Final will go down as one of the most important in history.
If the shoe Fitz • It took prolific back-rower Lachlan Fitzgibbon two years to lay six NRL games, but since then there’s been no slowing his rapid rise in the NRL.
LITTLE LEAGUE
PENRITH PANTHERS
CLUB NEWS
0 FIRST-HALF POINTS IN NSW THIS SEASON • Brisbane trailed the Roosters 22-0 at half-time, were down 24-0 against South Sydney at the break, 26-0 against the Eels and 18-0 down against the Knights last week. In all, they’ve managed just six first-half points away from Brisbane in 2019 – four in Canberra and a penalty goal in Auckland.
Say your good-byes • It’s the final rough patch of the season before Fantasy players begin their run to the finals.
Origin no burden for surging Storm • WIN Stadium Thursday 7.50pm
Comebacks timely for staggering Roosters • Bankwest Stadium Friday 7.55pm
Knights confident despite big losses • McDonald Jones Stadium Saturday 7.35pm
Unconvincing Sharks looking to improve • PointsBet Stadium Sunday 4.05pm
CANTERBURY CUP NSW
Review: Bulldogs go top after Dragons stun Panthers
INTRUST SUPER CUP
Review: Dolphins bring Falcons’ huge streak to a halt
HASTINGS DEERING COLTS
Review: Minor premiership battle heats up
RON MASSEY CUP
Preview: Second-placed Saints aim to stop red-hot Wenty
SCORES
NRL TOUCH PREMIERSHIP
STAT ATTACK
Harvey Norman TALE OF THE TAPE
NRL DRAW