Zachary Gates
Zachary Gates focuses on the selection puzzles, tactical headaches and long-running storylines that sit behind the rugby league headlines. He works on the sports desk at Nine, covering rugby league with a particular emphasis on the National Rugby League and State of Origin, and writes news, analysis and features that explain what squad and strategy decisions mean for teams and supporters.
Rugby league and State of Origin selection puzzles
Gates spends much of his time on the moving parts of elite rugby league squads, especially around State of Origin. In coverage such as his piece on the “curly personnel questions” facing New South Wales and Queensland, he breaks down selection scenarios by position group, weighing form, fitness and combinations rather than just listing likely teams.
He often frames stories around key questions a coach must answer – who covers an injured star, whether to stick with an out-of-form incumbent, or how to balance youth and experience – and then works through the options in plain language.
That approach distinguishes his State of Origin reporting as more than roster news.
Gates links selection debates to on-field style, explaining how a particular half pairing might change a team’s kicking game, or how different forward rotations affect the ruck speed. He makes heavy use of recent performances and specific match moments to ground these arguments, so each selection story doubles as a quick refresher on how players and teams have been travelling.
For communications around Origin, his work reads as a running audit of where the two states stand, rather than a one-off team announcement.
Tracking injuries, suspensions and season-long arcs
Another consistent thread in Gates’ coverage is the way he follows injuries, judiciary decisions and form slumps across a season.
When a key player is hurt or suspended, he moves quickly from the raw news to the practical consequences: what it does to a club’s spine, how it reshapes the bench, or whether it opens a door for a rising squad member. His pieces routinely map the flow-on effects for both club and representative football, tying a mid-season setback to possible State of Origin or finals implications.
Gates is also drawn to long-running arcs around coaches and star players.
He revisits themes like pressure on coaching staff, redemption runs from previously maligned players, and the cumulative impact of off-field drama on a club’s campaign. Rather than treat each development as a standalone story, he places it in a broader narrative he has been building over weeks or months.
This gives his rugby league file a serial quality: someone following his byline can track how a contract stand-off, a selection snub and a late-season surge fit into the same career storyline.
Explainers and opinion-tinged analysis in a fan-facing tone
Although he works within a news operation, Gates’ writing blends reporting with light, clearly signposted analysis. His pieces often start from a hard news development – a squad naming, an injury, a judiciary verdict – and then move quickly into explanatory mode, spelling out the options on the table and the arguments for and against each.
He does not write as a pure columnist, but he is comfortable making calls about which combinations look strongest or which decision shapes as a risk, and he backs those calls with form lines and quotes from coaches, players and expert commentators.
Stylistically, his tone is conversational and direct. He writes in short sections built around discrete questions or themes, which makes it easy for casual readers to scan for the part that interests them most. He favours concrete football language over abstract talk about “culture” or “systems”, and he uses specific match examples – a defensive lapse, a clutch try, a poor fifth-tackle option – to illustrate broader points about a player’s suitability for a role.
The result is coverage that feels aimed squarely at engaged fans who want to understand the “why” behind selection and tactical decisions.
Beyond league: broader sports coverage when needed
While rugby league is his core brief, Gates also contributes to the wider sports file at Nine when major events or storylines demand extra hands. In those pieces he carries over the same habits he shows in league: starting from clear, timely news angles and then unpacking the implications for teams, athletes and competitions. Whether the subject is a tournament campaign, a dramatic finish or a high-profile disciplinary issue, he continues to prioritise straightforward explanations over colour or commentary for its own sake.
Across his work, what marks Gates out is the way he treats each development as part of a bigger competitive and selection picture.
He is less interested in isolated controversy than in how decisions, injuries and form shifts change the shape of a season or a series. For anyone needing to understand how a rugby league story will be interpreted through the lens of squad balance and tactical consequence, his byline offers a consistent, analytical viewpoint.
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