The Complete Guide

Big League, the official magazine of the NRL, is on sale every Thursday at newsagents, and at all Telstra Premiership games, for just $4.95.

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In this week's issue: Big League Round 26

Punishing, tireless defence and a passion for involvement make workaholic Titans hooker Nathan Friend the can’t-do-without cog in the Titans’ machine. While he may not possess the flashiness of some of his team-mates, as Big League found out this week, they don’t underestimate how integral he is to the functioning of the Titans. 

There is no sugar-coating the Storm’s year from hell, but as the players prepare for their final game of the year, it’s not all doom and gloom for the Melbourne side. With their roster all but sorted for 2011, Billy Slater tells Big League that the Storm intends to exit their miserable 2010 with a game for the fans to remember.

The Dragons’ 2010 premiership hopes nosedived when hooker Nathan Fien broke his leg in Round 1. But dedicated rehabilitation has seen Fien resume his crucial role. After hopefully closing out the regular season with a win over the Rabbitohs this week, Fien tells Big League he feels like he’s winning the mental battle that comes with a return from a major injury. 

Also in this week’s issue we speak to South Sydney’s Sam Burgess, injured Sea Eagle David Williams and rookie Bronco Matt Gillett.

Plus, we reveal who has been crowned the 2010 Big League Cheergirl of the Year.

There’s also Little League, the 16 page insert full of interviews, puzzles and prizes, just for kids.

Big League is your official guide to all Rugby League action, with exclusive team lists for the NRL, Toyota Cup, NSW Cup and QLD Cup competitions.

Big League, the official magazine of the NRL, is on sale this Thursday at newsagents, Woolworths supermarkets and Big W stores, for just $4.95.

It’s the complete guide to the game you love.

Don’t miss it.

Editorial Round 26

AFTER 25 roller-coaster weeks, the 2010 premiership dreams of a bunch of teams comes down to one last 80-minute effort.
The immediate fate of three teams – the Broncos, Rabbitohs and Raiders – hangs in the balance this weekend as they battle for the crucial, vacant eighth position.
The equation seems simple enough (stay with me now...): Should the Raiders beat the Broncos, they would qualify for the finals, most likely in eighth position. For the Broncos to figure in a 19th straight finals series they first need to crush the Green Machine by 15 points, then hope the minor premier Dragons defeat the Rabbitohs on Monday night.
BUT... a Rabbitohs win and Raiders loss would elevate the red and green to eighth place and spell the end to the Raiders’ and Broncos’ seasons.
FURTHER... should the Raiders win, and the Rabbitohs win by six points, and the Sea Eagles lose to the Bulldogs by five points – amazingly that would bring down the curtain on the maroon and whites’ year!
A Raiders win, Rabbitohs loss and Sea Eagles loss would see Canberra finish seventh, and Manly finish eighth.
The Dragons are the only side guaranteed a second bite at the premiership apple should they fall in Week One of the finals. If the Wests Tigers beat the Titans they’ll earn the other valuable “get out of jail free” card. But if they lose, a win by the Panthers over the Sharks, by any margin, would guarantee the men in black would live to fight another day – whereupon if they lost in Week One they would regain the services of their suspended inspirational prop Petero Civoniceva (pictured).

Two sides really caught my eye last week.
The hold-firm by the Dragons, who shook off a massive momentum shift when the Knights piled on 18 points in a few minutes, was impressive. And the Roosters showed remarkable resilience to rally from 14 points down against a quality opposition in the Sea Eagles. Controversial try or not, the Chooks showed they have the stuffing that premierships are made of.
While the Wests Tigers were dazzling in over-running the Storm, it remains to be seen how the key injury to Chris Lawrence, and other niggles, will affect their campaign.
My jury is out on the Titans, while the Warriors need to win me over with a caning of a top-four side away from home. That is, after all, what they’ll need to do a couple of times to earn the premiership rings.

And Another Thing… This week we look at the Toyota Cup Team of the Year (page 41). The competition continues to grow as a key component in the game’s development strategy. But forget negative talk it has replaced reserve grade as the exclusive feeder comp for the NRL, or that players who do not make the NRL out of Toyota Cup are lost to the game. The fact is less than three per cent of players who compete in the Toyota Cup do not play rugby league the following season. The others either remain in Toyota Cup or graduate to NSW and Qld Cup, further strengthening those leagues.

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