CrushersForever

When they were doing the "What You Get Is What You See" promotion for the Winfield Cup in 1989, Tina Turner was only available to film briefly in England. Hence 2 players in England at the time, Cliff Lyons and Gavin Miller, being the faces of Rugby League's new sexy image.

A recent book by Patrick Skene, "The Big O: The Life and Times of Olsen Filipaina", gives a fascinating insight into Pacific Islander culture and migration from the Pacific Islands to New Zealand. This interview with the author is also well worth a listen:

Great win for Ireland tonight.

You have to imagine it has something to do with the modern emphasis on completing sets and playing mistake-free.

Hippie!

For history of the game, Tony Collins' "Rugby Reloaded" is fantastic. And many of the episodes are short as well.

The Dublin Blues gear for sale has started with a couple of retro shirts... one good and one not so good... https://www.xilesport.com/collections/dublin-blues

He'd want to get up to speed with the latest innovations in doping.

Only one or two more coats of varnish and it'll be finished.

The five-eight is the player between the halfback and the centre three-quarters.

While the name "Dublin Blues" has been used a few times, I don't think this Euro XIIIs side has anything to do with the original Dublin Blues that was founded in 1989 (and that Brian Carney started with). That Dublin Blues folded, I believe, in the early 2000s. A fellow by the name of Kieron Brown was talked about in 2018 as being behind an application for a Dublin team (that he called "Dublin Blues") joining League 1: https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/7166223/dublin-blues-eye-rugby-league-league-one-place-in-ireland/amp/ The Euro XIIIs outfit might have something to do with the League 1 bid crowd from 2018.

Gold Coast. Until Brisbane gets a second team, and then I'll jump on board with whoever they might be.

Schoey: I’m not convinced anything is as good as it was in my day

https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/hollywood-rugby-league-mystery-solved-why-john-cusack-was-wearing-kangaroos-jersey-in-1985-film/news-story/e8dbcbf82cbe1f1bcd6fb98ca3861e93

https://www.allaboutnrl.com/2020/02/07/kevin-locke-signs-with-lower-grade-club/amp/ Sadly, his marriage seems to have ended in 2018: https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/jan/14/chelsea-pitman-australia-netball-england-kevin-locke