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About Andrew Stevenson
About Andrew Stevenson
Andrew Stevenson has been a journalist for more than 20 years. He never played league, never coached it and has written about it for only one year. He reckons ignorance is bliss and helps maintain clear focus. When it comes to rugby league his motto simple: he knows nothing about it except what he likes. And what he likes is to watch the slowest blokes (invariably those with the fastest brains) do the scheming to set the fastest blokes (generally unencumbered by works of Sartre or Faulkner) free to run with the wind in their hair. All that, plus a rib-rattling tackle or two.
Eagles rock
ONE year on - and 26 games of football later - Manly and Melbourne returned to the scene of last year's rugby league decider, with the club from Sydney's northern beaches dramatically reversing the result.
League's leaders dictate a bottom-to-top approach
The first five-year plan was Stalin's. His aim? To drag Russia off
the bottom of the table and shape them into a side to be feared
come September. "Either we do it, or they crush us," Stalin* said
in 1931.
Rematch stats point to Melbourne teaching Manly a history lesson
A GRAND FINAL rematch. Just another game, is it? Just like last year's grand final was just another game? So why, Mr Hasler, haven't you got around to watching the tape of last year's match?
Kite runner: Unsung hero who puts the wind in Manly's sails
Brent Kite has been the driving force behind the Sea Eagles' run to a second successive grand final, writes Andrew Stevenson.
Big occasion also too much for Cronulla
THEY might be called Sharks but Cronulla last night played like rabbits caught in the glare of the lights high above them at the Sydney Football Stadium.
Kick-off the key to Des's world
There are three different wooden doors in Des Hasler's life, although he approaches them all with the same bow-legged shuffle that has carried him through his 47 years. One door leads to the embrace of his closely guarded family, his wife Chris and children Campbell and Matisse, and their beachside home in Collaroy, where Hasler walks the rocks of Long Reef - at one with the magnificence of Sydney's coastal ecology.
The Wolfman's next stand-up role: Brooky and The Beast
What a duel awaits this weekend, following rugby league's week of
grappling with a takeover by wrestlers … The Beast versus The
Wolfman.
'Something is going to snap' - wrestling guru
THE martial arts expert who first taught wrestling techniques to
rugby league players has damned his peers for their approach in
introducing dangerous throws and grapples and warned the NRL to act
immediately because of the high chance of serious injury.
Man of tempered steel
Eight years ago, a big lump of a kid from Newcastle came off the
bench against the Warriors and carved a gaping hole in the New
Zealand side, running 60 metres with a regulation hit-up from a
kick-off.
It's a no-brainer: bingeing on grog aggravates injuries
THE days of the tub of ice packed with beer in the dressing room are long gone. If there's ice, it's plastic-wrapped on to sore shoulders, knees or ankles. There are supplements to drink and hydration levels to reach; ice baths and cold swims at the beach the next day.
Cheers for the Ox and Lyon
Slings and arrows no longer affect resilient Sea Eagles halves
partners Matt Orford and Jamie Lyon.
Arise Glenn, patron saint of journeymen
SOME players arrive in first grade as ready-made stars, full of show and go. And then there's Glenn Hall, who's finally arrived this winter as genuine first-grade force six long years and three club changes since making his debut with the Bulldogs.
Manly quick to praise home-wrecking Dragons
HAPPY to play reverse mind games with pike, Manly were almost ready yesterday to roll over and concede victory to St George Illawarra before the whistle is blown at 8.30pm on Saturday.
Whether green or grizzled, the skippers lap up the pressure
AT YESTERDAY'S NRL captains' call some had been there and done it all, some had been there and done most of it and some had been there so long ago - or have stayed so fleetingly - they barely remember it at all.
The good news: crowds aren't down by too much
LEAGUE's centenary might have been a year to forget for the
foundation clubs - only the Roosters made the play-offs - but the
NRL is claiming record playing numbers, record television figures
and growing membership, with crowds just off last year's.
Mountains of money not enough
PANTHERS is on the move, with big dreams for the future - redeveloping a whole block in downtown Newcastle, surrounding Wallacia Golf Club with residential development, throwing $20 million at a major renovation of the original "world of entertainment" at Penrith.
Menzies and Brookvale on a high as Manly hit top spot
Since his debut at Brookvale 345 games ago, Steve Menzies has never been far from the action. Yet seldom can he have had a quieter night's work than last night, his penultimate game at the ground he has graced for 15 years.
Campese in driver's seat as Green Machine rolls on
THERE are some straightforward ways to achieve rugby league success and most of them revolve around the leadership of talented players, avoiding injuries, a committed coach and a harmonious club, where everyone shares a common vision for the future and sings from the same club song sheet.
Storm clouds still hanging over Manly
FROM a shared view in the penthouse, Manly collapsed to the outhouse yesterday, falling to a Souths side that confirmed their lackadaisical recent form should not have consigned them to the doghouse.
Roosters' no-name metre-eaters put bite on rep stars
IT'S HARD to stand out in a losing side, but it can be tough also to gain respect as a young forward when your pack is loaded with names such as Mason, O'Meley, Tupou, and Myles - not just first-graders but fully established representative players.
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