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About Brad Walter
About Brad Walter
Brad Walter began covering rugby league just weeks before the Super League war errupted on April Fools Day, 1995, and he has been knee deep and head down keeping tabs on every development in the game ever since. Where possible, he takes a positive approach to reporting and is of the view that league provides more good stories than any other round - although not all of them are neccesarily seen as good news. Ultimately, however, it is about what happens on the field and Brad also tries to provide an insight into the personalities of the players and coaches that make the NRL one of the best sporting competitions in the world.
Mason out, O'Meley might not be far behind
SYDNEY ROOSTERS will host Brisbane in next Friday night's opening finals match, but the 10-0 defeat of the Dragons that clinched their top-four berth came at a huge cost, with Willie Mason suffering a season-ending knee injury and Mark O'Meley facing suspension.
Dragons' Dell is Sailor-made for finals
WHEN Wendell Sailor joined St George Illawarra in May after
completing his two-year drugs ban, the former Wallabies star told
coach Nathan Brown he had made the finals in each of his nine
seasons with the Brisbane Broncos and expected to do the same at
the Dragons.
Hilder spat: Quinn wants his day in court
STORM winger Anthony Quinn will decide today whether to fly to Sydney and face Matt Hilder in person as he tells the judiciary how the Knights hooker spat on him during last weekend's match in Newcastle.
Souths end talk of relocation by building own beach
IF THE contentious criteria that was used by the NRL to kick South Sydney out of the premiership in 1999 was applied now, the Rabbitohs believe they would rank as the No.1 club in Sydney - and possibly second overall behind the Broncos.
Bennett and Broncos rely on Dragons to bring it home
If Wayne Bennett is to spend another game in the Suncorp Stadium dressing rooms after Friday's clash with Newcastle, he not only needs to coach the Broncos to victory but must also rely on the team he will lead next year - St George Illawarra - beating Sydney Roosters at the same time.
McKinnon, Hilder face spit charges
Wade McKinnon yesterday became the first player in memory to be charged with spitting at a match official after touch judge Brett Suttor told the NRL's review committee he believed the Warriors fullback had tried to spit on him.
Ryles chokes back the tears as he's bid bon voyage
JASON RYLES has sold his car, his jet-ski and most of his furniture as he prepares to head to France next season, but it wasn't until he saw his mother on a farewell lap of WIN Stadium after yesterday's 34-6 win over the Warriors that the enormity of his move hit home.
Too late for goodbyes, but still time to fix problems
The most disappointing thing about the way Sonny Bill Williams left is that we didn't get a chance to say goodbye.
Knights lose forward strength
Newcastle's bid to secure a finals berth has received a double blow
after NSW Origin forward Steve Simpson and second-row partner Cory
Paterson were ruled out of tonight's match against North
Queensland.
Green machine have inside line in race for fourth spot
VENUE management in Canberra, Wollongong and Brisbane have been told to ensure their stadiums are available for the opening match of the finals on September 12, with the Raiders, Dragons and Broncos still in contention to finish fourth.
Sheens slaps ban on Tigers
IT WAS controversial at the time - and almost 30 years later, the iconic image of Wests players slapping each other's faces is still having the same effect.
Super 14 door open for Sonny
SONNY BILL WILLIAMS could be back in Australia playing rugby union for a Super 14 team by the 2010 season, but the NRL has reserved the right to block him from ever returning to the competition as part of his $750,000 settlement deal with the Bulldogs.
Green is back in vogue
Canberra continued their push for the NRL finals with a 38-18
victory over Newcastle.
Ref cops spray after horror homecoming
AFTER watching his side slip from the top eight following yesterday's defeat to Canberra, Newcastle coach Brian Smith was asked if he could find anything positive out of the match. "It's over," he bluntly replied.
Classy Storm now want trifecta
AFTER grabbing the competition lead and enhancing their for-and-against with last night's emphatic defeat of Sydney Roosters, Melbourne players last night declared their ambition to become the first team in almost 40 years to win three successive minor premierships.
Sea Eagles spread wings to new Queensland Cup nest
MANLY are set to withdraw the club's reserve grade team from the second-tier NSW Cup competition and send players not required for NRL duty to Queensland.
Bulldogs not keen to let Maitua off leash
BULLDOGS international Reni Maitua has been ruled out for the rest of the NRL season and the World Cup after undergoing a shoulder reconstruction but the club is confident he will be back in blue and white next season.
Union push for return of Carney
Dumped Raiders playmaker Todd Carney will have the backing of the Rugby League Players Association if he seeks to play for another NRL club next season.
Mix-up mars Raiders' win
WHEN rookie Canberra halfback Marc Herbert stepped up to take the final conversion attempt on full-time, with teammate Terry Campese needing only one more goal to equal Mal Meninga's club record for the most points in a match, commentators suggested the Raiders' five-eighth must have been injured.
Williams denies being served with court documents
SONNY BILL WILLIAMS insists he hasn't been served with any legal documents relating to the court case against him - but after making a successful rugby union debut in France, he remains defiant about threats to seize his assets or even jail him.
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