The Sideline Story: Rugby League Podcast

The NSW Blues have pulled off a miracle! Winning the 2026 Origin Decider at Suncorp Stadium! The Sideline Story panel pull their third late-night edition episode for 2026 to give their immediate reactions to this game! —— TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 - Intro  07:29 - SOO Game Three: NSW win the 2026 Series! 48:52 - SOO Game Two: QLD Player Ratings 59:19 - SOO Game Two: NSW Player Ratings 1:19:15 - NRL Round...

The boys analyse the NSW Blues and QLD Maroons Game 3 lineups for the 2026 State of Origin Series and all the changes made from Game 2… Six change for the Blues with Bostock, Best, Critta, Liam Martin, Haumole and Brailey in after Brian To’o was sensationally dropped along with Staggs, Lucas and Api. For the QLD Maroons minimal changes as Pat Carrigan and Jeremiah Nanai return from injury in place...

From 2021 to 2026, we just wanted to say thank you to every supporter of The Sideline Story: Rugby League Podcast for helping us reach Episode 200! Unlike usual proceedings, our 200th will be a celebration where we take a trip down memory lane and look back at the journey to 200 episodes. Not only that, we will also discuss the greatest views of rugby league from the sideline - from the view of fa...

The Queensland Maroons tie the 2026 State of Origin Series 1-all as the NSW Blues capitulate in the second half in front of the highest crowd in Origin history at the MCG… The Sideline Story panel pull their second late-night edition episode for 2026 to give their immediate reactions to this match. —— TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 - Intro  08:28 - SOO Game Two: QLD def. NSW (44-24) 40:52 - SOO Game Two: QLD P...

The boys analyse the NSW Blues and QLD Maroons Game 2 lineups for the 2026 State of Origin Series and all the changes made from the Game 1 lineups… For the NSW Blues: Mitch Moses, Payne Haas, Dylan Lucas, Api Koroisau and Mark Nawaqanitawase enter the fold, with Haumole Olakau’atu, Jacob Saifiti and Matt Burton dropped, and Stephen Crichton and Blayke Brailey injured. For the QLD Maroons: Kulikefu...

The boys make their changes for the NSW Blues and QLD Maroons Game 2 lineups for the 2026 State of Origin Series before a deep-dive into all the player transfers and rumours in the month of May (Andrew Abdo, Kieran Foran, Jurbo, Ivan Cleary, Kevin Walters, Tanah Boyd, Luke Metcalf, Damien Cook, Connor Watson, AJ, Matty Lees, Perth Bears, Tigers re-signings, Gehamat Shibasaki, etc.)… NRL Round 13 i...

The NSW Blues pull off their own Origin miracle, coming from 20-0 down to win Game 1 of the Series 22-20 to record the greatest comeback in State of Origin history… but this victory came with a controversial call in the 57th minute which resulted in a Kalyn Ponga send-off that has split rugby league fans down the middle… The Sideline Story panel pull another late-night edition in 2026 to give thei...

And gaffe of the year goes to Laurie Daley for announcing retired 46-year-old Casey McGuire in the NSW Blues team instead of Casey McLean… But anyway, the panel go into deep analysis of the NSW Blues and QLD Maroons Game 1 lineups for the 2026 State of Origin Series with some very bold moves made by Laurie Daley and Billy Slater for some selections, as well as some notable debuts, absentees and th...

The boys are fed up as the NRL product continues its on-field decline in 2026, with the game’s transformation into all-attack-no-defence proving to be a sore-point for NRL fans everywhere (this leads the boys to protest their NRL coverage this episode into a more condensed format). This episode is largely dedicated however to the upcoming State of Origin Series, with the panel selecting their Game...

The boys analyse the one-third point of the 2026 NRL season and dissect the NRL ladder and each team’s status, but not before discussing comparisons of the 2026 season to that of the 2021 season which was one of the worst on-field products in recent memory. We also have another edition of player transfer news and rumours (PNG Chiefs, Perth Bears, May brothers and Bula commit to Tigers, Josh Schust...

PNG Chiefs shock the rugby league world with the double-signing of Jarome Luai and Alex Johnston; What does this mean for the Wests Tigers?; Another edition of player transfer news and rumours (Xavier Coates, Drinkwater, Ponga, Farnworth, TPJ, and many more). In the NRL the Storm equal their worst losing-streak in their history, an analysis into the slide of the Storm, Adam Doueihi in career-best...

Dragons finally sack Shane Flanagan; Who will takeover as Dragons coach?, plus another HUGE edition of player transfer news and rumours. In the NRL the Eels defeat the Bulldogs without 12 of their Top 30 players available, Storm lose 5-straight, Kieran Foran undefeated since taking over Manly, and Turbo, Haas, Staggs out of State of Origin. —— TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 - Intro 03:00 - Episode Overview 03:...

The boys discuss the disruptor rule farce, Queensland overtake as favourites for NRL’s 20th team, Hull FC big $2mil for Nathan Cleary, 10 players off-contract for Penrith, and the Dragons player-exodus in the midst of Shane Flanagan facing the sack. In the NRL we deep-dive into Canterbury’s major bounce-back after handing Penrith their first loss, Dragons still winless, Cowboys win 4th in a row, R...

The boys discuss the evolution of the ‘six-again’ rule from 2020 to 2026 and its impact in the modern game. In the NRL we deep-dive into the Tigers Easter Monday madness victory over Parramatta, the flipping of the script with Tigers, Knights and Rabbitohs at the top with the Bulldogs, Warriors, Storm and Raiders slipping, the Penrith Panthers a distant first as the most dominant team in the NRL i...

Plenty to discuss in the Bunker Review for the boys this episode: Seibold sacked by Manly, Candidates for the Manly job, Willie Peters appointed PNG Chiefs inaugural coach, Ben Te’o quits Broncos, Rabbitohs return home to Moore Park, RTS signs with Wakefield Trinity - Elijah Taylor implores him to reconsider and exposes Super League, and new club traditions falling flat. In the NRL it is redemptio...

The panel discuss Gorden Tallis’ fallout with the Brisbane Broncos and his on-air argument with reporter Peter Badel, and who the boys think was in the right. Perth Bears sign Mikolaj Oledzki as their 16th player with more signings to be announced soon, as well as some player-transfer news doing the rounds. In the NRL, GIO Stadium proves to be one of the worst in the league, the 6-again rule divid...

Alex Johnston, take a bow; the greatest try-scorer in Australian Rugby League history. The boys discuss this historic feat and dissect the moment as it happened, as well as the aftermath. In the NRL, Parra bounce back after serving back-to-back losses to the reigning premier Broncos, Warriors, Storm and Panthers standing above the rest, Tigers looking the goods in their season debut, Cowboys and M...

Storm and Sharks dish out the 50-point premiership curse to the Eels and Titans respectively, the Premiers get humbled in Brisbane, DCE loses his first game as a Rooster, Sanders stands out in his Raiders debut, and the Rabbitohs are back! Our fan-favourite ‘Bunker Review’ segment discusses Zac Lomax signing with Western Force, Mitch Barnett’s potential move to Brisbane, PNG Chiefs look to Pat Car...

Las Vegas saw Leeds annihilate World Champions Hull KR, the Knights break a 9-game losing streak, and the Bulldogs sneak away with a controversial win in golden point. Our fan-favourite ‘Bunker Review’ segment saw the boys discuss Lomax being banned until 2028, NRL closer to taking over the Super League, Origin at the 2032 Olympics, and Perth Bears signing two more, before previewing the remaining...

The 2026 NRL Season is finally upon us with Las Vegas playing host for the third year in a row for a rugby league triple header featuring the Bulldogs, Dragons, Knights, Cowboys, as well as Super League clubs the Leeds Rhinos and World Champion Hull Kingston Rovers. The boys unpack the LV triple-header as well as a stacked opening segment of our fan-favourite ‘Bunker Review’. —— TIMESTAMPS: 00:00...

Tass, Clarkie and Guildy look into their crystal balls for the 2026 Rugby League season to predict: The NRL Ladder, NRL Premiers, Dally M and Team of the Year, State of Origin, 2026 Rugby League World Cup and Golden Boot, and Super League Premiers! —— TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 - Intro 03:17 - Episode Overview 04:03 - State of Origin Eligibility Updated 14:46 - Super League: Round 1 Review 19:53 - World Cl...

Season 6 of the podcast is ushered in with the annual off-season bunker review, with your returning hosts Tass, Clarkie and Guildy discussing all the hot topics of the 2025/2026 rugby league off-season! —— TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 - Intro 11:38 - Episode Overview 13:01 - Topic 1: Payne Haas shock signing with the Rabbitohs 34:14 - Topic 2: R360 fail and the Zac Lomax fallout 1:00:28 - Topic 3: New on-fie...

In our final episode for 2025, Tass, Clarkie and Guildy discuss their pretty crappy crystal ball predictions they made back in February; Their thoughts on the return of the Ashes and if Kevin Walters or Shaun Wane’s jobs will be safe; The Pacific Championships with the rise of Samoa and the unfortunate mishandling of Eli Katoa’s concussion; Buzz’s 10-point plan to make NRL even greater; Super Leag...

Rugby League is the winner, but in a more accurate way the Brisbane Broncos (and Queensland in general) are the winners!… Reece Walsh will go down as one of the best to ever claim the Clive Churchill Medal in another come-from-behind victory for the Broncos who, lead by future coaching great Michael Maguire, have finally broken their 19-year premiership drought… Broncos also claimed the NRLW and t...

The stage is set… After the Brisbane Broncos ended the Penrith Panthers streak (and arguably their dynasty) in the dying moments of an incredible Preliminary Finals match, as well as seeing the Finalist Specialists in the Melbourne Storm knock-off the Sharks to enter their 11th Grand Final under Craig Bellamy, we are in for an insane NRL Grand Final in 2025!.. The boys cover the prelims as well as...