Mike Wood Journalist Profile

Articles

WATCH: Lewis Dodd's emotional speech as 'dream come true' detailed ahead of NRL debut

1 week ago | loverugbyleague.com | Ben Olawumi |Mike Wood

Former St Helens ace Lewis Dodd has delivered a powerfully emotive speech to his South Sydney Rabbitohs team-mates ahead of his NRL debut this weekend. Dodd – who came through the youth ranks at St Helens to make 88 senior appearances between 2020 and 2024 – made the move Down Under and joined the Bunnies ahead of 2025, signing a three-year deal. But he has had to bide his time in waiting for his official first-grade bow and has been plying his trade in the New South Wales Cup.
Penrith Panthers stars named

1 week ago | loverugbyleague.com | Mike Wood |Aaron Bower

You’d think picking a team from the best Australian players in an Ashes year would be relatively straightforward. Mal Meninga, over 20 years with the Kangaroos and before that Queensland, has proven himself a pick-and-stick guy. It should be a lot harder to get into his team than out of it. This year, however, might be different. Penrith have provided the bulk of the talent for a long time, but they’re cellar dwellers at the moment. Does that make their players bad now?
How to watch NRL, Challenge Cup, Leigh Leopards..

3 weeks ago | loverugbyleague.com | Aaron Bower |Mike Wood

It’s another big weekend of rugby league on both sides of the world – with the NRL and the Challenge Cup taking the focus. And fortunately, there is plenty of action live on TV, with a variety of ways to watch. This weekend, there’s 11 offerings for you on a number of platforms – including Super League+ exclusively showing one of the four Challenge Cup quarter-finals.
Penrith Panthers, Brisbane Broncos stars named

3 weeks ago | loverugbyleague.com | Mike Wood |Aaron Bower

What’s better than a good redemption story? About six of them, because that’s what we had this week with comebacks from injury, suspension, dejection and rejection aplenty. This weekend was played out among sheets of Sydney rain, so perspiration often topped inspiration, but rugby league is like that at times. As ever, we’re garlanding, hat-tipping and giving flowers left, right and centre to the best of the NRL this weekend. Here’s your Love Rugby League team of the week.
NRL Round 4 Predictions including Penrith Panthers, Wests Tigers wins..

4 weeks ago | loverugbyleague.com | Mike Wood |Aaron Bower

A month into the NRL and we’re already in rugby league bizarro world. Penrith are losing. The Tigers are winning. Daly Cherry-Evans is leaving Manly. What’s next? An Ashes series? A Ryan Papenhuyzen injury cloud? All bets are off. It’s all very weird and wonderful, and that’s before a ball has been kicked. Here’s what to look out for in the NRL. Souths v PenrithThursday night is perplexing: Souths have 2-1 record to the Panthers’ 1-2, but you’d be hard pressed to say they’re in better shape.
the two tactics which explain why 2025 is underwhelming

1 month ago | loverugbyleague.com | Mike Wood |Aaron Bower

Sometimes, the scientific method is the best way. Without going back too much into high school biology experiments, the idea is simple. You look at something using previous examples, form a hypothesis on what might happen, examine the evidence as it grows, then analyse it to, hopefully, come up with an explanation. Hypothetico-deductive modelling mightn’t be the sexiest way of looking at rugby league, but it’s proven a decent way of looking at the 2025 NRL season so far.
NRL clubs 'set to circle' Catalans Dragons star for 2026 move

1 month ago | loverugbyleague.com | Aaron Bower |Mike Wood

Catalans Dragons powerhouse Tevita Pangai Jr could be back on the radar of NRL clubs just a handful of games into his Super League career. That’s the view of Australia’s Fox Sports, who have offered a rave review of the prop’s performances in the early part of 2025 – spearheaded by his try against Castleford Tigers last Saturday. Pangai Jr scored an impressive solo try in that win in West Yorkshire, and it has been picked up Down Under.
If England want to beat Australia, more must join Morgan Knowles in NRL

1 month ago | loverugbyleague.com | Mike Wood |Aaron Bower

The transfer of Morgan Knowles to the Dolphins in 2026, confirmed by both clubs last week, could be something of an inflection point for the England rugby league team. It’s possible that, when they line up against the Kangaroos for the first Ashes Test at Wembley in November, they might have more players with NRL contracts than without.
Sydney Roosters awful, stunning Manly Sea Eagles..

1 month ago | loverugbyleague.com | Mike Wood |Aaron Bower

The NRL returned to Australia after the Vegas vacation, and, like so many before them crashing down from Sin City, it was with a bad headache. Though the enthusiasm of Round 1 was undimmable, this was not a classic to kick off the year. All the teams you’d expect to win won, and by a fair few points as well. The two games that were close were only so because both teams were rubbish.
Wests Tigers, Brisbane Broncos, Dolphins and more

1 month ago | loverugbyleague.com | Mike Wood |Aaron Bower

Here’s the thing about the NRL: for all the salary cap equalisation measures, it’s actually a very uneven competition. Mostly, the same teams win it and the same teams finish towards the top. Equally, the same teams generally finish towards the bottom. The second thing about the NRL is that, despite what Peter V’landys might imply, it remains a rugby league competition, not the only one, not even close to it.