Jul 27

After running into each other outside the unit where they both live, they continued their conversation in a poorly lit stairwell where she claims the incident took place. This was just after the Manly club’s season launch party, which was undeniably rowdy. Even though he was supposedly very intoxicated, Stewart denies all allegations but has since been formally charged with one count of sexual assault. Although unfortunate, this is headline news and may be actually prove useful for those of you who are interested in Rugby league memorabilia.

There have already been some major consequences regarding these allegations. The NRL has temporarily stopped the airing of an advertising campaign featuring Stewart. NRL chief David Gallop commented that he was disappointed with the situation, and that pulling the campaign was necessary due to pending charges. There have been other cases where players were allowed to participate in subsequent games in similar events. The Gold Coast Titans forward Anthony Laffranchi and Warriors winger Michael Crockett both were allowed to play – both were later cleared of all charges. Just like these former cases, rugby league memorabilia of Stewart will be available to to fans shortly, I’m sure.

Stewart was supposed to be the face of the NRL this season. The 24-year-old Sea Eagles fullback was scheduled to give the Bulldogs a run for their money at the match this Saturday at ANZ Stadium, but now we cannot be sure of his playing status. There is so much pressure coming from the NRL and media that his position on the team is teetering on edge. Also, the NRL is planning to impose a large fine to the club for being negligent and not protecting the community. The seriousness of the charges, and the high status of Stewart is sure to bring a huge market for rugby league memorabilia and a high selling price for Stewart’s autograph.

Stewart is probably the most marketable player in the league, bein

g a poster boy for the sport. Grab your rugby league memorabilia while the getting is good. Even though he must now work tirelessly to try and save his reputation if he is to continue getting endorsements. If he goes to jail, who knows how his career will pan out. Will Stewart put his best game forward if he is allowed to play? With him, the Sea Eagles will most likely be a shoe-in to win. Without him, the outcome of the season is decidedly not so clear.

Toby Jensen from http://rugbyleaguememorabilia.net is a specialist in acquiring and selling hand signed Rugby league memorabilia. Please visit the website for your favourite NRL teams, State of Origin and International.

 


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Jul 24

VODAFONE WARRIORS v ST GEORGE ILLAWARRA DRAGONS

Mount Smart Stadium, Auckland
4.00pm, Sunday, July 26

WARRIORS: Wade McKinnon, Kevin Locke, Jerome Ropati, Joel Moon, Manu Vatuvei, Isaac John, Stacey Jones, Sam Rapira, Ian Henderson, Steve Price (c), Simon Mannering, Ben Matulino, Micheal Luck. Interchange: Patrick Ah Van, Lewis Brown, Lance Hohaia, Jacob Lillyman, Russell Packer, Jesse Royal (two to be omitted.)

DRAGONS: Darius Boyd, Brett Morris, Beau Scott, Matt Cooper, Wendell Sailor, Jamie Soward, Ben Hornby (c), Justin Poore, Nathan Fien, Michael Weyman, Dean Young, Ben Creagh, Neville Costigan. Interchange: Dan Hunt, Matt Prior, Luke Priddis, Jarrod Saffy, Jeremy Smith, Chase Stanley, Jon Green (three to be omitted)

Referees: Gavin Badger, Ashley Klein

 

Warriors NRL squad has been strengthened for round 20 of the NRL against league leaders St George Illawarra with the return of Captain Steve Price and Kevin Locke.

After being knocked out in Queensland’s State of Origin loss Price returns for this weekend’s clash at the Mount Smart Stadium on Sunday. With Price’s 90th cap for Warriors, Russel Packer and Patrick Ah Van are both moved to the bench.

Other changes include back rower Ben Matulino making the starting line-up in place of Jacob Lillyman who also rides the bench.

Last week’s win against the Roosters as well as their greater than usual points total will have the Warriors NRL spirits high. However the dragons are a hefty challenge and the Warriors will need to be at their best for a shot at winning against the league leaders.

Ian Henderson is another man reaching a milestone making this Sunday his 50th game in the NRL and 42nd for the Vodafone Warriors. His first 8 games in the NRL were against last weekend’s opposition, the Roosters.

The last Dragons and Warriors NRL meeting meeting lead to an very tight 12-11 score with the Dragons just snatching the win.


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Jul 21

NRL games coverage was recently thrown into doubt in the UK. Setanta sports went into administration the night before the 3rd leg of State of Origin 2009. This left a lot of fans anxious as to whether they would be able to watch on of the most exciting competitions in Rugby League.

Luckily Big Pond, the Australian media company, came to UK fans’ rescue by streaming the game live on their website for free however the quality and atmosphere wasn’t the same as watching on a big screen down the pub or in your living room with your mates.

Setanta is said to have started out of a pub when they bid for the rights of one premier league game. Things grew a long way from there however with 1.3 million subscribers they were 600,000 short of the number analysts estimated they would need to break even. With such massive losses due to the substantial costs they were paying for sports rights, it was only a matter of time before their collapse.

When Setanta first won the rights to show NRL games in the UK a lot of fans were upset at having to pay an extra £15 per month for the privilege. In the past sky were showing the games as part of their already expensive sports package. Paying more money on top of this was not something fans looked forward to however it had to be done if they wanted their NRL games.

Many subscribers would only watch Setanta for their Australian Rugby League coverage and the people at Setanta realised this bringing The Footy Show and State of Origin along for the ride.

Today with Setanta UK going bust (their Ireland channels are still in operation) it’s unclear the future of NRL games coverage in the UK. ESPN have bought Setanta UK but it’s unclear what their plans are at this stage. If they merge the coverage with their network then NRL fans could see games return to channels that fall under their sky sports package.

So in the long run perhaps this turn of events is good for UK fans who want to see NRL games as cheaply as possible.