Zero Digital Sports, an Australian independent sports publishers, will launch a new fortnightly NRL program, ‘The Boardroom’, hosted by Ryan Hoffman and Chad Townsend.
Hoffman is a former premiership-winning Melbourne Storm forward and Townsend is the 2016 Cronulla Sharks premiership halfback. The Boardroom will tackle the code’s biggest issues and discuss the current and future shape of the game.
Zero Digital Sports said The Boardroom will not be reactive to weekend results or short-term narratives. Instead, it will offer a considered “state of the game” examination of rugby league and the NRL, from on-field evolution and leadership to administration, culture and the future direction of the sport.
Zero Digital Sport produces the Zero Tackle (NRL) and Zero Hanger (AFL) digital destinations, with a monthly national audience of more than two million sports fans. In 2025, the two mastheads attracted nearly fourteen million users and 104 million page views.
In November, the sports media company hired former Channel Seven chief AFL reporter Mark Stevens as its managing editor to lead editorial strategy, mentor emerging journalists, and help elevate content quality across platforms.
Hoffman brings experience across multiple competitions, having played more than 300 NRL games and won three Grand Finals. His career also included stints with the New Zealand Warriors, where he played alongside Townsend, and Wigan Warriors in England, as well as earning representative honours for New South Wales and Australia.
Townsend, a Shire local, was the halfback in Cronulla’s historic 2016 premiership triumph and later played for the New Zealand Warriors and captained the North Queensland Cowboys before retiring after a final stint with the Sydney Roosters. Townsend brings a football mind and strong perspective on modern player dynamics.
Together, Hoffman and Townsend offer the insight of two senior, retired leaders of the game, providing informed perspectives on the current state of the NRL and its future.
“The launch of The Boardroom further strengthens Zero Tackle’s growing audio and video content offering and reflects the brand’s continued evolution toward premium, insight-driven rugby league coverage,” said Zero Digital Sports’ managing director James Spinks.
“There is a tremendous appetite from sports fans for in-depth rugby league analysis delivered by former players and we are aiming to tap into that demand.”
The Boardroom will be released fortnightly across Zero Tackle platforms. The first show will air on Wednesday, 4 March.
