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Featured Experts
ROY MASTERS
Origin animal a rare beast indeed
Saturday, June 27, 2009There is a certain, specific animal called a State of Origin player and Craig Bellamy is struggling to identify him, even questioning whether he, as NSW coach, fully understands the demands of this annual battle of bad blood and brilliant football.
GREG PRICHARD
It's now or never for battling old rivals
Saturday, July 4, 2009You wouldn't bet your life on either side.
Regular Experts
PHIL GOULD
Origin ironmen provide inspiration to both sides
FIRST, I want to talk about the quality and courage of the State of Origin players who backed up from Wednesday night's match to play in this one. They were all superb.
JACQUELIN MAGNAY
NRL probes under-the-table payments to Parramatta players
THE National Rugby League is poised to investigate property deals involving Parramatta Eels players that may have occurred at the club during the time Tony Zappia was football manager.
BRAD WALTER
Commission control picks up poor signals from state bodies
OFFICIALS from the NSW, Queensland and Country Rugby leagues are to meet after the State of Origin series to discuss the direction of the code, with potentially massive implications for plans to hand control to an independent commission.
GLENN JACKSON
Sailor and Bennett at odds over throwing five-eighth into cauldron
PERHAPS unsurprisingly, Wayne Bennett refused to talk him up as an Origin prospect. Perhaps surprisingly, Jamie Soward refused to talk himself up. Over to you Dell.
ANDREW STEVENSON
Sportsmen behaving badly are likely a product of their environment
Footballers getting into trouble may not be entirely to blame, writes Andrew Stevenson.
WILL SWANTON
Hayne does it again, with a double dose of hope for a losing cause
JARRYD HAYNE'S performances in the past two Origin clashes can only be put into proper context by rating him, with all earnestness, as already one of the players of the series. He has been beyond magnificent.
ADRIAN PROSZENKO
Wartime theme inspires Maroons
IN THE trenches. Queensland coach Mal Meninga has credited those three words - and an award created by radio king Alan Jones - as the secret motivation behind his side's historic Origin II win.
DANIEL LANE
Sharks board hopeful says she can fix club's image
Exclusive: Madeline Tynan, who intends to become the first woman president of an NRL club, said the Sharks could win back female fans despite the club's tarnished reputation in the wake of the group-sex revelation and Tony Zappia standing down as chief executive.
PHIL LUTTON
Maroons' blue-collar pack to lead the way
With a backline the rugby league equivalent of a Bart Cummings stable in Spring and a trifecta of Origin crowns in his back pocket, it will be sublime piece of spin if Mal Meninga can even weave the word underdog into a sentence this week.
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