Episodes
Professor Megan Davis joins the pod to discuss the deep and fascinating connection between First Nations and Rugby League, why the Uluru Statement From the Heart matters and how Rugby League helps to bind our society.
Plus, Megan gives us a glimpse into how things roll at the Australian Rugby League Commission.
Published 11/16/21
Toulouse Olympique are officially a Super League club.
And we have two guests to help us reflect on this sweet sounding sentence.
Toulouse Olympique CEO Cédric Garcia joins us to chat about how it all unfolded, as well as the road ahead for the club.
And the doyen of French Rugby League history and author of The Forbidden Game, Mike Rylance, helps us put this achievement into historical context.
Published 10/14/21
Author Lech Blaine joins the pod to chat about his Quarterly Essay 'Top Blokes - The Larrikin Myth, Class and Power', which surveys the changing nature of the Australian larrikin and how Rugby League is bearing witness.
Published 09/26/21
The Magpie Wing is a wonderful new coming of age novel with Rugby League in its veins.
Author Max Easton joins the pod to chat about the threads that connect south-west and inner western Sydney, the quandary that is the Wests Tigers, and a man called Tommy.
Published 08/30/21
In a game of fighters, Steve Mascord has always been a Rugby League lover. But what happens when that love runs a little cold?
What do we love when we love Rugby League and what's really happening when it's all getting a little rocky?
Steve joins the pod to candidly reflect on his revolving relationship with the game.
Published 08/17/21
Gavin Willacy's past 10 months has mirrored somewhat the state of International Rugby League - an ongoing battle with COVID-19, and a hopeful look ahead towards the Rugby League World Cup on the horizon.
The 'No Helmets Required' author joins the pod to share his experience with Long COVID and sticks around to chat about his thoughts on RLWC2021 - will it go ahead, and if so, what are the fixtures he is especially looking forward to.
PLUS, we discuss the state of Rugby League in London.
Published 07/17/21
Rugby League analyst Jason Oliver joins the pod to go deep on the NRL's on-field traits and trends, including - you guessed it - the Six Again rule.
How much of a difference is it making? What are the good teams doing to take advantage? And has it made the NRL more or less attractive?
PLUS we discuss the role of the modern fullback and chat about the two Rugby League topics that get Jason's blood pumping more than any other - the Warriors and Shaun Johnson.
Published 07/13/21
Geoffrey Moorhouse's AT THE GEORGE And Other Essays on Rugby League is widely considered to be one of the best Rugby League books of all time.
Rugby League author, publisher and connoisseur of the Rugby League written word, Phil Caplan joins us to reflect on why At The George is still so highly regarded, what lessons it can still teach us and what it says about the game in both hemispheres.
A deep and wide-ranging chat that looks at At The George's legacy and also inevitably hits on...
Published 06/04/21
We're especially lucky to be joined by Donald McRae to chat about his magnificent recent article on the beautiful Rob and Lindsey Burrow.
Published 05/17/21
Ross Peltier has had a busy week. Just days after contesting his first election, Ross laced up his boots for his post-Covid return to Rugby League for Doncaster RLFC.
Ross also kindly found the time to join the pod to chat politics, Rugby League and his unfinished business playing for his beloved Jamaica Reggae Warriors.
Published 05/10/21
So which football code is Australia's most popular - and why isn't it Rugby League??
'Code Wars - The Battle for Fans, Dollars and Survival' is a fascinating examination of Australia's four-football-code landscape, and into the psyche of the nation.
Author of 'Code Wars', Dr Hunter Fujak joins the pod to talk us through the past, present and potential future of Australia's unique football code marketplace, and Rugby League's place within it.
(And for fans of British Rugby League - we also...
Published 04/06/21
The incomparable Ian Roberts joins the pod for a wide-ranging and candid chat about his life in Rugby League and beyond.
Published 03/30/21
Mary Konstantopoulos is The Lady Who (among other things) Leagues, and joins the pod to chat about the lie of the land for women in Rugby League in 2021. How did we get here? What can we do better in the future? And what has Mary's path taught her about the world in which we live? The state of the game for women in Australia is on the agenda. And there's no better time to talk about it.
Published 03/16/21
You are invited on a (virtual) road trip around the grounds and towns of the French Elite One. Yes, it high time we focused on this storied Rugby League institution, so grab a seat as we cruise through the towns, cities and villages of the Elite One with our esteemed French Rugby League guides:
Mike Rylance as our driving companion
Pierre Carcau on life outside the heartlands
Rodolphe Pires on his home town of Albi
Laurent Garnier on playing and coaching in the Elite One
Steve Brady on...
Published 02/20/21
Dr Heidi Norman joins the pod to give us a bit of a history lesson and help us better understand the societal factors behind some of the big milestones in Aboriginal Rugby League in NSW.
Published 02/17/21
The Guardian's Jonathan Liew joins the pod from London to help us traverse the UK sporting landscape to try find Rugby League's place in it.
Published 02/03/21
Once Were Lions is a fascinating behind-the-scenes documentary about the 2019 Great Britain Rugby League Lions tour of the Pacific. The film's Director, Tom Magnus joins the pod to give us a glimpse into how it all unfolded.
Published 11/25/20
Toronto Wolfpack Chairman and CEO Bob Hunter joins the pod to reflect on his time on the frontline of Rugby League's northern frontier. Growth, promotion, COVID, expulsion - Bob gives an honest account of where it went wrong and what could have been.
Published 11/11/20
Journalist Mike Meehall Wood joins the pod to lay out the case for Private Equity to take International Rugby League to the next level, and to discuss the pros, cons, possibilities and barriers. Plus, how might a private equity investment work for the Super League?
Published 11/08/20
Toulouse Olympique coach Sylvain Houles joins the pod to reflect on his life in French Rugby League - rising through the ranks, cracking Super League, representing the French national team and leaping into coaching. PLUS Sylvain shares his best French XIII from his lifetime.
Published 09/09/20
Rugby League is turning 125! So what can the last 125 years of Rugby League tell us about what we could expect in the next 125 years? Professor Tony Collins joins the pod to help us take on the impossible task of wondering aloud on what may (or may not) happen way down the track. That's right, it's an episode of pure (but hopefully informed) speculation!
Tony's new book, Rugby League: A People's History is out through Scratching Shed Publishing
Published 08/21/20
Lech Blaine joins the pod to chat about his latest The Monthly essay, The Art of Class War, which tackles Rugby League's relationship with class in Australia, as well as the rise of Rugby League as a prized voting-bloc and what that means for the code's future.
Published 08/16/20
Romeo Monteith joins the pod to give us a glimpse into the Jamaican Rugby League experience. From early days learning the game off VHS, to State of Origin Jamaica-style, Romeo steps us through the long winding road that ultimately led to glorious Rugby League World Cup qualification. Plus, Romeo explains how the Reggae Warriors will be preparing for their debut World Cup appearance in the midst of COVID-related uncertainty.
Published 07/31/20
The Wolfpack are down, but are they out? Canadian broadcaster and reporter Bryan Thiel gives us the view from downtown Toronto. How did it come to this? Can something be salvaged from the 2020 ruins? Plus Bryan gives us a glimpse into the Lamport experience, the challenges of winning over UK fans, and how Wolfpack fans have taken to Rugby League in Toronto.
Published 07/25/20
Richmond Rose, Kiwi Fern and NZ Warrior, Georgia Hale is our very special guest to chat all things Kiwi Ferns; from debuting as a 19 year-old, to the 2019 World Cup Nines triumph and the challenge of wresting the 13s mantle from the Jillaroos. Georgia also gives us a glimpse into what it's like being named Young New Zealander of the Year and the amazing community work that led to her award.
Published 07/12/20