Today
Bears and De Ceglie look for mining friends in NRL push
New Perth Bears boss Anthony De Ceglie reckons he will find some corporate support from WA’s mining sector.
This Month
V’landys backs Tabcorp’s Gil McLachlan in pub wagering stand-off
The wagering giant plan to scrap commissions for pubs and clubs has irked the powerful hotels’ lobby. The racing industry sees things differently.
Mal Meninga named inaugural coach of the Perth Bears
The rugby league great will leave his role as head coach of the Kangaroos to lead the new West Australian club in the 2027 season
May
Turf club turns down $5b for Rosehill, scuttling 25,000 new homes plan
NSW Premier Chris Minns said he was disappointed by the result but vowed to double down and take more risks to find sites for urban in-fill in Sydney.
Bears fans back NRL club’s move to Perth – mostly
The North Sydney Bears will become the Perth Bears and ascend to the NRL from 2027 under a long-awaited deal. Die-hard fans say it’s better than nothing.
Deal done: Bears heading west as NRL’s newest club
WA Premier Roger Cook has confirmed a Perth NRL team will enter the competition as early as 2027.
Inside the battle for control of racing and rugby league
This week on The Fin podcast, Mark Di Stefano on the rise of Peter V’landys, one of Australian sport’s most powerful administrators, and the campaign to bring him down.
April
Dutton’s EV backflip purely about ideology
Readers’ letters on the opposition leader’s electric vehicle stance, political advertising, teal priorities, lack of Coalition policies, housing affordability, and the sale of Rosehill Racecourse.
Inside the plot to ‘get rid’ of Peter V’landys
In his climb to the top of racing and rugby league, Peter V’landys has broken the rules and challenged the system. But now some in the system are fighting back.
Racing royalty launch broadside against V’landys leadership
Champion trainers Gai Waterhouse and Chris Waller are among the authors of a scathing letter about racing governance.
February
Cook’s message for V’landys: WA doesn’t need the NRL
WA premier says NRL brass must understand rugby league is a relative minnow west of the Nullarbor, and his government won’t bend over backwards to secure a team.
January
Rebekah Giles adds to her bulging workload
The lawyer has shown up on an arcane racing body created to negotiate revenue from Tabcorp.
December 2024
Rear Window’s year in review: scoops, scandals, and power plays
This week on The Fin podcast, Rear Window editor Myriam Robin on the megalomaniac trying to solve Australia’s housing crisis, the column’s scoop of the year and the Clubland rebellion.
NRL team confirmed for PNG in $600m deal that comes with a catch
The deal, bankrolled by taxpayers, will collapse if the Pacific country signs a security agreement with China. Anthony Albanese argues it’s an investment in Australia’s security.
Peter V’landys bogged down in a multibillion-dollar property play
The influential CEO of Racing NSW is staring down allegations aired confidentially by purported whistleblowers to a parliamentary inquiry.
November 2024
V’landys slams gambling probe, claims NRL betting is least damaging
Peter V’landys doubled down on past claims racing and sports betting are less harmful than lotteries and slammed all 31 recommendations of the parliamentary inquiry.
October 2024
The Everest is becoming a Victorian’s nightmare
Rival horse races meant high-powered executives had to choose: Sydney or Melbourne. The King didn’t make it, but many others voted with their feet to Randwick.
From dead quiet to $100m economic boost: How Everest is changing racing
It was a move to get the media’s attention and take on the Victorian racing elite. But Australia’s richest horse race has achieved far more.
The media storm behind the NRL’s next billion-dollar play
Peter V’landys and his chief executive Andrew Abdo want a mammoth broadcast deal to shore up the code’s future. Will they bring an NFL-style model to Australia?
Who’s up and down in this year’s Power List – and who wanted to get out
This week on The Fin podcast, political editor Phillip Coorey and AFR Magazine editor Matthew Drummond take us behind the scenes of the 2024 Power Issue.