sport

Where once elite athletes were encouraged to show no chinks in their armour, today’s sporting heroes are keen to share their vulnerabilities in the hope of reducing the stigma surrounding mental health challenges.

For many Indigenous rugby league players, the experience of representing their culture in the All Stars team fosters better knowledge and appreciation of their heritage and reinforces the NRL’s position as Australia’s first majority non-white sport.

In 1988, a brash new club turned rugby league on its head and went on to become a dominant force in the NRL. But this year the Brisbane Broncos parted with the coach, left fans dispirited and finished bottom of the ladder. Where did the club lose its way?

Faced with the uncertainty of Covid-19, pace bowler turned rugby league champion Courtney Hill and her English wife, cricket international Lauren Winfield, remain committed to being the best athletes they can be.

He was a small man with a huge heart and left an indelible mark on the games of rugby league and rugby union. Arthur Summons was also one half of the famous “Gladiators” image. “I didn’t really do anything to make it happen. Just tripped over in the mud, had a photo taken and became famous.”

The demise of the chief executives of Rugby Australia and the NRL came in quick succession on the back of the Covid-19 catastrophe. But the pandemic may have just given the sports’ governing bodies the excuse they were looking for.

From humble beginnings in 1971, rugby league’s Koori Knockout has become a key event on the Australian sporting calendar. But the ad hoc running of the tournament has led to urgent calls for professional governance.

St George Illawarra’s Talesha Quinn on why she loves the physicality of rugby league and the importance of being a good role model for younger sportswomen.

Melbourne Storm’s director of performance Lachlan Penfold on preparing the best team possible, his time in the NBA and the athletes he admires most.