Who will ever forget this game. Just when some were saying Origin was losing its lustre....this game rolled around. One of the best game you will ever seen, a blood and guts showdown....it had everything. Then....the camera crosses to Michael De Vere. Viewers watch in horror as the NSW Team Doctors, hands trembling, starts pumping stapled into a gash over De Vere's right eye. One, two.....then, the stapler breaks and is hanging off on his eyebrow. There were some complaints, it forced the NRL to move these type of things into the change rooms....but I bloody loved it!

You know, Ryan Girdler had a big decision to make a few years ago. He had a number of big money offer on the table to leave Penrith and at the time, it must have been very tempting. Penrith were terrible. They were going no where and Girdler was one of the very few decent players they had. The Panthers paid him well, and he decided to stay, but as they continued their struggled this great center must have wondered if he made the right decision. Then came 2003. It must have been like a fairy tale for "Girds". He won a team with his mighty Panthers and got a Premiership ring he thoroughly deserved. Girdler retired at the end of 2004, but he will always be remembered as a brilliant player, a top class goal kicker, and a player universally renowned as a fan favorite.

He went from the Dally M Player Of The Year to a player shunned by his coach and considering retirement from the game. Preston decided to give it another shot and come to Penrith to play under a coach that knew what a brilliant football player Campbell was. Campbell made an instant impact at Penrith. His combination with Craig Gower is one of the best in the game. Campbell, Lang and Penrith copped alot of flak from then Sharks coach Chris Anderson who seemed to have an axe to grind. Even up to Grand Final week Anderson kept bagging the club. Seeing Campbell, Lang and the Panthers win the Grand Final was sweet, although, it probably didn't see all that great to a bloke who was one his was out the door at Cronulla!

You see, Adrian is a victim. He is a victim of media hype, of oppositions coaches, of refs, of hysterical fans.....he hasn't got a problem with his tackling style at all!

Ah....those Bulldogs are a weird bunch.

One of my favorite Rugby League pictures. Its from a Panthers fan day at Katoomba in the Blue Mountains just west of Sydney.

I was watching the game between the West Tigers and Melbourne Storm on TV. It was a tiny crowd, a poor game... I saw the hit when it happened. I was straight to my feet yelling "He just king hit him!". Sure enough on the replay.....Danny Willims had hit a Tigers player, walking away , looking away from him and it seemed to be for no reason. Its the most disgusting act I have ever seen on a Rugby League field. Williams copped a large ban and his career in Australia was effectivly ended. Not to long after, the London Broncos come sniffing around and signed up Williams despite the fact he was only able to play half of the 2005 season for them.

Disclaimer: If you can read this  you're to damn close....or not close enough.

Tawera Nikau is a player fondly remembered by
fans as a guy that put in 100% all the time and
never gave up. Thats attitude has seen him
soldier on through some tough times in recent
years, but the one thing about "T" is that he is
always up for a challenge.

After losing his leg in a motorcycle accident he
looked into competeing for New Zeland in the
2004 special Olympics. He also got back into
Rugby League coaching a lower grades side in
New Zealand.

This is the first huge hit Sonny Bill Williams put on a
player in the NRL.

He lined up Joel Clinton and smashed him, but to
Clinton's credit he didn't lose his feet and kept
pushing for extra yards.

Its wasn't an effective tackle, but it was spectacular
and it signaled that this kid called Williams wasn't
afraid to rumble with the big boys.