James Hooper is an Australian rugby league journalist for News Corp Australia. He regularly appears as a panelist on NRL 360 and blogs regularly on rugby league.
In 2018 Hooper was charged by police with destroying and damaging property. [1]
In 2022 Hooper was involved in an altercation on air with Triple M broadcaster Anthony Maroon which resulted in Maroon walking out. There were accusations Maroon was bullied by Hooper and co presenters Gorden Tallis and Paul Kent. [2] [3] Kent wrote an article criticising the "social justice hypocrites backing Anthony Maroon", adding “The pile-on for Hooper, both in social and mainstream media, is ten-fold to what Maroon copped yet none of these mental health warriors have considered that, instead taking comfort in being part of the righteous majority." [4]
Hooper is often satirised in the newspaper Betoota Advocate . [5] [6] One article claims "Even the players struggle to remember his name, unless they have been directly targeted in his tabloid rugby league blogging... This lack of recognition in the game comes as a body blow to Hooper, as he works tirelessly to become the new Buzz Rothfield." [7]
The Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Eastern Suburbs and parts of inner Sydney including the CBD. The club competes in the National Rugby League (NRL) competition. The Roosters have won fifteen New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL) and National Rugby League titles, and several other competitions. First founded as the Eastern Suburbs District Rugby League Football Club (ESDRLFC), it is the only club to have played in every season at the elite level, and since the 1970s has often been dubbed the glamour club of the league. The Sydney Roosters have won 15 premierships, equal to the record of the St George Dragons. Only the South Sydney Rabbitohs have won more premierships. The club holds the record for having won more matches than any other in the league, the most minor premierships and the most World Club Challenge trophies. The Sydney Roosters are one of only two clubs to finish runners-up in their inaugural season. Currently coached by Trent Robinson and captained by James Tedesco, the Roosters play home games at the Sydney Football Stadium.
Wayne James Bennett, also known by the nickname "Benny", is an Australian professional rugby league football coach and former player. He is currently the head coach of the Dolphins in the National Rugby League (NRL), and has previously coached the South Sydney Rabbitohs, the Brisbane Broncos, the Newcastle Knights, the St George Illawarra Dragons, the Canberra Raiders, the Queensland Maroons State of Origin team, the NRL All Stars and the Australian Kangaroos national team as well as the England and Great Britain national teams.
Mark Bradley Geyer is an Australian radio host and former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000. An Australian international and New South Wales State of Origin representative second-rower, he is a rugby league media identity. Geyer's club career was played primarily with Penrith, with whom he won a premiership in 1991, as well as the Balmain Tigers and the Western Reds. He is the brother of fellow former professional rugby league footballer Matt Geyer and the father of current Penrith Panthers player Mavrik Geyer.
William Slater is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s. Slater is the current coach of the Queensland Maroons, whom he coached to victories in the 2022 and 2023 State of Origin series.
Braith Anastasakis, better known as Braith Anasta, is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played as a five-eighth and lock in the 2000s and 2010s. An Australian and Greek international, Anasta played in the NRL for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, with whom he won the 2004 NRL Premiership, the Sydney Roosters and the Wests Tigers. He also represented New South Wales in the State of Origin series. He is the current host of NRL 360 on Fox Sports Australia.
Gregory Paul Inglis, also known by the nickname of "G.I.", is a retired Indigenous Australian professional rugby league footballer, who regularly played as a centre, fullback, five-eighth and wing.
Johnathan Dean Thurston is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the National Rugby League (NRL). Thurston was an Australian international, Queensland State of Origin and Indigenous All Stars representative, playing at halfback or five-eighth, and was a noted goal-kicker. Thurston has been an assistant coach of the Queensland rugby league team since 2021.
Terry Hill was an Australian professional rugby league footballer who played as a centre in the 1990s and 2000s. He played in the NRL for the South Sydney Rabbitohs, Eastern Suburbs, Western Suburbs Magpies, Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles and the Wests Tigers as well as representative football for New South Wales and Australia. He was also well known for his promotional television work with Lowes Menswear.
Cooper Patrick Cronk is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s. An Australian international and Queensland State of Origin representative halfback, he played most of his club career for the Melbourne Storm, though finished his career with the Sydney Roosters, both in the National Rugby League (NRL).
Benjamin Hunt is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who captains and plays as a halfback for the St. George Illawarra Dragons in the National Rugby League (NRL) and hooker for Australia at international level.
David Smith was the chief executive of the Australian Rugby League Commission which manages the National Rugby League (NRL). He previously worked in the banking sector in the United Kingdom and Australia.
NRL 360 is an Australian nightly NRL talk show that deals with the issues in the NRL. It began airing on Fox Sports on 6 March 2013.
Anthony Milford is an Australian Samoan international rugby league footballer who plays as a five-eighth and halfback for the Dolphins in the National Rugby League (NRL).
Paul Vaughan is a professional rugby league footballer who plays as prop for the Warrington Wolves in the Betfred Super League. He has played for both Italy and Australia at international level.
Luke Keary is a professional rugby league footballer who plays as a five-eighth or halfback for the Sydney Roosters in the National Rugby League (NRL) and Australia and Ireland at international level.
Dylan Napa is a Cook Islands international rugby league footballer who plays as a prop for the Sydney Roosters. Napa has previously played for the Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs and had a previous stint with the Sydney Roosters in the National Rugby League (NRL), where he won the 2018 NRL Premiership. He also played for the Catalans Dragons in the Super League. Through ancestry, he made three appearances for the Cook Islands in 2013. He has also played at representative level for the Prime Minister's XIII and for Queensland in the State of Origin series.
Paul Kent is a former Australian journalist and former rugby league footballer.
The 2015 St. George Illawarra Dragons season is the 17th in the joint venture club's history. Coached by Paul McGregor, and captained by Ben Creagh, they compete in the NRL's 2015 Telstra Premiership season.
Joseph-Aukuso Sua'ali'i, also known as Anavaotaua Iosefa Aukuso Suaali’i, is a Samoa international rugby league footballer who plays as a winger or centre for the Sydney Roosters in the National Rugby League.
Benjamin McIntosh "Dobbo" Dobbin is an Australian radio presenter, sports journalist and rugby league commentator.