Rugby league is one of the most watched sports in Australia it draws big crowds to every game. It has grown over the years into a fantastic game, Rugby league is

a great game for all people big or small so lets kick off tonight's game and get into some more info.

Rugby league began in 1895, as the ‘Northern Union’, when clubs in the North of England broke away from the RFU(Rugby Football Union) The clubs wanted to compensate their working-class players for time absent from work for rugby tours and injuries, Teams were reduced from 15 to 13 players because two forwards were eliminated from the team.

2009 2010 2011 20120

10,00020,00030,00040,00050,00060,00070,00080,00090,000

Series 1Series 2Series 3

This is how many people watched the grand final from 2009 to 2012 as you can see there's not to different but as you can probably see 2012 had the most people it had 82,976 people.

How Many People Watch the Grand Finals?

PositionsThe positions in league are not that hard if you get to know them. There is the Fullback, Wings and centres, Five Eight, half back,Second Row forwards and there’s the front rows and hookers. They all have a very important part to play in the team whether it be defending or attacking you stay in the position you are told.

Wings and Centres

Five Eight

Halfback

Second row Forwards

Front Row/ Hookers

Since 1980 NSW(New South Wales) and QLD(Queensland) have been at war with competing for the ultimate prize in rugby league, the State of Origin shield and bragging rights for the next year. So far NSW has managed to win 40 matches and 12 series while Queensland leads with 43 match wins and 13 series wins.

The Queensland league team have represented the Australian state of QLD in rugby league football since the sport's beginnings there in 1908. The Queensland side have won 7 years in a row against NSW and this year it’s about to be 8, or will it be NSW’s turn probably not.

The Roosters have been around since 1908, they have progressed of the years into a great team. The team has been through its up and downs but doesn't every team. The new edition to the roosters this year and as a fan I love it we have Sonny Bill Williams a great football player.

Sydney Roosters

Anthony Minichiello is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the Roosters of the NRL. He was born on May 24, 1980 in Italy his brother Mark plays league as well for the Gold Coast Titans. This year Anthony got the job as the roosters captain which is a huge deal, he is a good role model for young rugby league players because if you watch NRL he is a good sports.

The rules are pretty simple the objective in rugby league is to score more points through tries, goals (also known as conversions) and field goals (also known as drop goals) than the opposition within the 80 minutes of play. If there's a draw there will be golden point witch is the first team to try wins.

2012 premiership winners Melbourne storm won against the Bulldogs to a 14 4 win. It was held at ANZ stadium, Sydney it was an amazing game but their had to be a winner, the try scores for storm were Ryan Hoffman, Billy Slater, Justin O’Neill. The game ended and bulldogs had to face that they'd lost. This year the premiership is going to the roosters.

He’s back and pumped up ready for this years games it's Sonny Bill Williams. Sonny has been playing rugby union for the last 5 years the reason he has been in the news a lot is because he started off playing Rugby League for the bulldogs but one night he left like a thief In the night to France to play union.

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When they rang him up he said he is quitting league to play union, that's what all the controversy is about. Now that he is back he has said in an interview that “I was young and stupid back then and I regret what I did and its not going to be like that this time round”.

To were a jersey means you’re a part of a team who cares if you don’t like it when you put that jersey on as my coach says you listen to him and play as a team. It not only

means you have respect for your club if you were it but it means your special because you belong to a team.

The ANZ Stadium (also known as Stadium Australia, formerly known as Telstra Stadium) is a multi-purpose stadium located in the Sydney Olympic Park precinct of Homebush Bay, it has a capacity of 83,500 chairs that means a lot of league fans. ANZ stadium is home team to the Eels, NSW, Wallabies, Bulldogs and Rabbits.

Weeks of speculation about the Australian Crime Commission's report into peptide doping was yesterday replaced with panic as it emerged Australian Sports Anti-Doping Agency officials were circling Cronulla. Of the six NRL clubs named in the report all of the fingers have been pointed at the Sharks, what do you think?

Junior Rugby league is a for 6 to 18 year olds and is a great game. I have been playing rugby league for 6 years and It has been the most fun I’ve ever had, so get your son involved in JRL it will be the greatest time of there lives.

In rugby league the penalties are taken seriously more then any other sport. Some penalties are for tackle above the neck, tackling a man in the air and many more. Lately penalties have been given away to easily . Like this video I will show you it was the game between the bulldogs and storm the penalty should have gone to the storm because of tackling in the air but it went to bulldogs for billy slater accidently kicking old mate in the face.

Its just the start of the footy season and there has been 6 40/20’s made its ridicules but they are good for the team who kicks it because the team who gets a 40/20 gets to move up to the 40/20 metre mark and they get the feed of the scrum.

.Sonny Bill Williams/Roosters .Billy Slater/Storm

. Anthony Minichiello/Roosters .Cooper Cronk/Storm

.Benji Marshell/Tigers . Darren Lockyer/Retied

.Jarred Hayne/Eels .Robbie Farah/Tigers .Paul Gallen/Sharks . Jamie Soward/Dragons

.Jonathan Thurston/Cowboys .Ben Barba/Bulldogs

Cameron Smith/Storm . Bret Stewart/Eagles

.Greg Inglis/Rabbits .Greg Bird/Titians

.Michael Ennis/Bulldogs .Matt Cooper/Dragons

.James Tamo/Cowboys .Scott Prince/Titians

Sponsors for rugby league are important because it gets more money for the sponsor and for the NRL. Here are some: Holden, Bigpond, Telstra, Destination NSW, Harvey Norman, VB, Coca-Cola, AAMI , Home Timber and Hardware , Hankook Tyres, Coles, GIO, nib, Powerade, Mother Energy Drinks , The Sydney Olympic Park and Steeden.

Darren Lockyer is one of the most greatest rugby league players around. He first started off playing for the broncos in 1995 and he struck everyone with his amazement, then in 1998 he got chosen to play for the mighty Queensland and did till 2011. Darren played as five-eight and fullback, in 2004 Darren Lockyer thought it was going to be a normal game but it ended up the opposite he got a blow to the neck which split a bone in his throat. Darren retired in 2011 but when he retired he took something with him his great sportsmanship that’s why any young league player should look up to Darren Lockyer.

The flick pass is the original pass that Benji Marshall came up with he used it when ever needed. Junior players often try one here or there but can never get it even I’ve tried it end I got to run 3 footy fields. It seems the only one who can manage to get it is Benji Marshall other players even try it but do not succeed so my teaching to you future rugby league players don’t try it.

I am called the ‘Plane’When I play rugby league I play with pure sportsmanship but this one game last year it was my first Saturday game and I got tackled around the legs and it wasn’t held so I got up and ran nearly the whole length of the field and scored. I was so proud I did what Jarred Hayne does the plane and ever since that day I have been doing it, my coach says when I play before a game ‘lets hope the plane is clear for take off’ and I love when he says that.

Bibliography http://www.nrl.com/ http://www.centenaryofrugbyleague.com.au/site/about/history.aspxhttp://www.zerotackle.com/nrl/rugby-league/player-movements/http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/sonny-bill-williams-clocks-on-with-sydney-roosters-luke-odonnell-not-yet-clear-to-join/story-e6frexnr-1226575240057http://www.arldshop.com.au/http://www.roosters.com.au/http://www.nrl.com/RepGames/StateofOrigin2012/tabid/11131/Default.aspxhttp://www.zerotackle.com/nrl/rugby-league/players/anthony-minichiello/http://www.nrl.com/commission-rules-on-on-field-issues/tabid/10874/newsid/70537/default.aspxhttp://wwos.ninemsn.com.au/nrl/footyshow/