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TODAYS NEWS UPDATE 17/04/03
Click below for the latest news
http://www.rlcm.com.au/dailynews.htm


NRL Club News from SMH

By Steve Mascord

SYDNEY ROOSTERS

Having signed a new contract with the Roosters, goal-kicking second-
rower Craig Fitzgibbon has set his sights on becoming the highest-
scoring forward in premiership history. Fitzgibbon broke the 600-
point barrier on Saturday night against North Queensland with his
five goals, which took him to 606. "In the long-term, I'd like to
take David Furner's points-scoring record for a forward," Fitzgibbon
said. "But that's a good couple of years away. It's a long-term goal
for me, I hope." Furner scored 1218 points.

WARRIORS

The stand-off between the Auckland Regional Council and the NRL has
ended, with Ericsson Stadium to get a $NZ23 million ($20.9m)
facelift. The ARC had insisted the Warriors be given a 10-year NRL
licence in order for the council to fund a new grandstand, including
a gym, offices and a leagues club, on the eastern side of the ground.
The league refused - but it was announced yesterday that the
refurbishment would go ahead anyway.

BRISBANE

Broncos coach Wayne Bennett is confident that five-eighth Ben Ikin
will be fit to make his return from a shoulder injury tomorrow night.
Reserve back Scott Prince, meanwhile, has been doing extra work on
his defence with assistant coach Glenn Lazarus in preparation for his
comeback from a knee problem.

BULLDOGS

Lock Travis Norton passed a fitness test on his injured knee
yesterday but five-eighth Braith Anasta (sternum) is unlikely to play
against St George Illawarra on Saturday night.

CRONULLA

The Sharks did the "Easter thing" yesterday, splitting into two
groups for hospital visits. Half the senior squad went to Westmead
Children's Hospital, the other half to Sutherland Hospital, to
distribute Easter eggs.

MANLY

Sea Eagles chief executive Ian Thompson has moved to take the heat
out of the dispute between the club and former forward Mal Kaufusi,
who has signed with the Sydney Roosters. "I told Mal's manager today
that I totally understood the reasons behind his decision," said
Thompson. "Mal is a personal friend of mine and will continue to be."
Kaufusi has been asked to pay Manly an undisclosed settlement in
order for him to turn out for the Roosters' premier league side.

MELBOURNE

Nineteen-year-old Junior Kangaroos second-rower Ryan Hoffman is
likely to become the Storm's fourth first-grade debutant in five
games this weekend. The son of former Canberra hooker Jay Hoffman, he
has been bracketed on the bench with Glen Turner. Hoffman was signed
from Western Suburbs late last year and was expected to spend this
season with the Storm's feeder club, Brisbane Norths.

NEWCASTLE

Scans have shown no breaks in lock Ben Kennedy's sterno-clavicular
joint - but he's still in doubt for Sunday's Toyota Park game against
Cronulla. Coach Michael Hagan is likely to add a player to his squad
today.

NORTH QUEENSLAND

Cowboy Matt Sing plays his 200th first-grade game when he lines up
against the Warriors on Monday.

ST GEORGE ILLAWARRA

So that's where the David Peachey-to-Dragons rumour came from. St
George Illawarra have signed former Penrith winger or centre Darren
Peachey for the rest of the season. Second-rower Robbie Simpson,
meanwhile, has been suspended for five weeks on a grade-three
striking charge arising from a premier league game.

PARRAMATTA

The Eels are mourning the passing of Parramatta original Wally
Woodward, the halfback in the club's first premiership game back in
1947. He played 18 first-grade games for the blue-and-golds.

PENRITH

Chief executive Shane Richardson says he's excited about the
impending return of Martin Lang, Ben Reynolds and Shane Elford from
injury over the next three weeks. "It's been a tough start to the
season but there's plenty to look forward to," he said.

SOUTH SYDNEY

Rabbitohs prop Paul Stringer, who strained a buttock muscle last
weekend, will have a fitness test tomorrow, while skipper Bryan
Fletcher (back) has already been cleared. South Sydney will give away
1000 Easter eggs to children at Aussie Stadium ahead of Saturday
night's Penrith game.

WESTS TIGERS

Coach Tim Sheens will today check the fitness of halfback Lincoln
Withers for Saturday's Parramatta encounter after he was a late
withdrawal in round five because of a hip problem.

SMH

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Warriors deal means death knell to Carlaw Park


The Warriors doing a deal with the Auckland Regional Council and
staying at Ericsson Stadium has finally meant the death knell to
Carlaw Park, and I can't help but feel sorry for Auckland Rugby
League.

They have had the rough end of the pineapple, and it started when the
New Zealand Rugby League arranged the deal for Cullen Investments to
take over the Warriors.

This happened because the then owners, Tainui, had their assets taken
over by the Bank of New Zealand, who appointed receivers to handle
the tribe's financial worries.

The original owners of the Warriors, the ARL, were at that stage
still owed about $2 million of the original purchase price of the
club.

The NZRL, who were handed the negotiations for the sale of the club
by the receivers, then had to make the decision on whom to sell it
to.

One of the bidders at the time offered not only to buy the club but
also take over debts, which included the $2 million balance of the
original purchase price.

In smart negotiations, Cullen clinched the deal and took over only
the assets, which left the ARL about $2 million down the tube.

I personally found it hard to fathom that ARL was in fact shafted by
the NZRL, and call it my suspicious nature but I smelled a rat.

To follow that blow up with a good right hook, ARL have again copped
the pineapple treatment by the Warriors deal with the ARC.

Now the current owners, Cullen Investments, have done a tremendous
job, but that does not hide the fact that Auckland Rugby League,
flagship of the domestic game in New Zealand, has been hung out to
dry.

One can only hope it doesn't get blown away.

The NZRL, who are partners in the Warriors, will I'm sure have a few
tough questions to answer from their counterparts on the Auckland
board.

NZ Herald

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NZ Talent pool envy of Australia


Graeme Lowe: I will go so far as to say the majority of other NRL
clubs, at this stage, pose no threat whatsoever to the Warriors while
they are in their current form.

The way the Broncos were flogged last Sunday has sent out a chilling
note to all other teams. And it was, most importantly, no fluke.

They did it with ease.

The terrific form of the Warriors has reinforced a belief many rugby
league people in this country - and for that matter Australia - have
held for years.

New Zealand has arguably the biggest talent pool of young players in
the world, particularly when a coach like Daniel Anderson is around
to develop it.

All Australian clubs will be green with envy at the rugby league
production line of talented players that Anderson is able to call on.

There have been a few over the years who have stated that both the
Kiwis and the Warriors have fielded too many Polynesians, and it is
great to see that theory is being shot down in flames.

Sure, those of Pacific Island descent are prone to throw the
odd 'hail Mary' pass and play off the cuff footy, but no one can deny
they take to the fast explosive game of rugby league like ducks to
water.

The size, speed and natural skill of Polynesian players is a huge
advantage to the Warriors, and it is not uncommon for some NRL clubs
to be beaten before the game starts because of the reputation
surrounding the Auckland-based club.

NZ Herald


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NRL Weekend Betting


Click here Sportstab for the weekend NRL betting prices.

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Suncorp Stadium tickets on sale through Ticketek next Wednesday


Tickets for public seating at Suncorp Stadium will go on sale through
Ticketek and its agencies next Wednesday with Livermore confident the
53,000-seat venue will be ready in time for the Broncos-Newcastle
match on June 1.

"The Broncos match and the Origin clashes will be great occasions,"
he said. "We are going to restrict each purchaser to a maximum of 10
tickets and prices will range from $78 a ticket to $21.90, which
includes public transport."

The Broncos have away matches against the Sydney Roosters (tomorrow);
Parramatta (April 25); Wests Tigers (May 4) before home matches
against North Queensland (May 11) and Melbourne (May 18) at ANZ
Stadium and then another away game against the Bulldogs (weekend of
May 23-25) before they play at Suncorp.

Courier Mail

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Brent Sherwin ready to walk


BULLDOGS halfback Brent Sherwin is poised to become the first high-
profile player to walk out on the club after contract negotiations
broke down yesterday.

Less than a week after being named in the 30-man NSW State of Origin
squad, Sherwin indicated last night he may have no other option than
to leave the Bulldogs after rejecting a new offer from the club.

"I'm going to wait until June 30 now and see what is out there," a
disappointed Sherwin said.

"I don't want to say much more than that."

Asked would it affect his form with the club, the Bulldogs halfback
replied: "Hopefully not. I'll try not to think about it too much. We
have the Dragons this week and that's what I want to concentrate on."

Earlier this week, Sherwin hinted that all was not well between
himself and the club when he claimed the Bulldogs were taking his
signature for granted because he is a local junior who has been at
the Bulldogs for nine seasons.

"They are not treating me well and I'm not happy with what's going
on," he said at the time.

"They keep playing me along and not coming up with an offer."

That offer finally came yesterday but, according to Sherwin's manager
Mark Rowan, it wasn't anywhere near the halfback's asking price.

Read more Daily Telegraph

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Gus stays true blue and wants more time


By Steve Mascord: NSW coach Phil Gould yesterday decided to stay on -
and immediately weighed into a fierce debate with Queensland's Wayne
Bennett over extra-time in this year's State of Origin series.

NSWRL chairman Colin Love announced yesterday afternoon that Gould
would not be stepping down after threatening to quit over a dispute
with News Limited.

The former premiership coach said his meeting with News Limited
executives on Tuesday had been "fruitful and probably long overdue".
He would deal with all media outlets during the series.

He then answered suggestions from Bennett that the introduction of
unlimited overtime in this year's interstate games would "discredit"
the sport, claiming the Queensland coach's own players disagreed with
him on the issue.

"Origin is a big enough spectacle and an important enough event to
deserve a winner," Gould said. "There were Queensland players who
said to me out on the field at the end of the third game [of the
drawn series] last year, 'We should still be playing'.

"Having said that, I understand that Queensland would want to hold
onto something that might be in their best interests."

Bennett told the Herald yesterday that it was unfair on players to
expect them to play on indefinitely in an mid-week Origin game and
then back up in club football the following weekend.

But Gould countered: "These players don't train to play 80 minutes.
There are interchanges and if it goes past 80, you are allowed more
interchanges.

Read more SMH

____________________________________________


Ericsson Stadium to get $23 million upgrade


Written by: Ian Stewart: The Auckland Regional Council have all but
agreed to a $23 million upgrade of Ericsson Stadium, the home of the
Warriors.

Included in the upgrade will be a new Eastern stand, gym and office
facilities. The Warriors currently lease office space just across the
road from Ericsson. The Warriors are expected to confirm Ericsson as
a 15 year base in the very near future.

This is fantastic news for the Warriors and Rugby League in New
Zealand. The game has been screaming out for a new up to date
sporting complex for some time. The Warriors certainly deserve a
state of the art stadium to go along with their status as one of New
Zealand's premier sporting teams.

Plans to re-develop the grand old lady of Rugby League, Carlaw Park,
were finally put to bed after the Warriors made it clear that
Ericsson was their preferred home.

Not erveryone is happy with the decision though. Auckland Mayor, John
Banks believed it was disappointing that the ARC had decided to
develop a "white elephant" rather than league's "spiritual home".
Auckland Rugby league Chairman, Cameron McGregor had similar
feelings. He was far from happy with the ARC who he stated wouldn't
even discuss the Calaw Park option.

All going well, the project should be completed in readiness for the
start of the 2004 NRL season.

rleague.com


____________________________________________

Gould will stay as Origin coach


Phil Gould is to stay on as coach of the NSW State of Origin rugby
league team after deciding not to quit.

Gould's decision was revealed after a meeting with NSW Rugby League
chairman Colin Love.

He had previously suggested he would probably give up the job because
he refused to deal with some News Limited reporters and felt the
Origin coach should be available to all media.

Love welcomed Gould's decision to stay on.

"Phil is passionate about the State of Origin series and it would
have been a shame for him not to be involved" said Love.
Love said the NSWRL board believed Gould would refrain from shunning
News Limited during the Origin series which kicks off in Brisbane on
June 11.

In a response to a question from a News Limited journalist asking
whether Gould would speak to the organisation only under duress, Love
said: "You know the way that Phil conducted himself during the course
of the series last year.

"No one had any criticisms about that. In fact we received some
plaudits about the way it was handled in an even-handed manner.

"It's the view of the NSWRL and the board that all sections of the
media be dealt with in an even-handed manner and that will happen
again."

Gould did not attend the press conference at NSWRL headquarters in
central Sydney because of his commitments with Channel 9.

SMH

____________________________________________


Manly apologises to Kaufusi


Manly chief executive Ian Thomson apologised to Mal Kaufusi's manager
following claims from a club official the Tongan forward had shown
gross disloyalty in signing a deal with NRL rival Sydney Roosters.

Player agent Sam Ayoub brokered the two-year contract with the
defending premiers, despite the Sea Eagles spending a considerable
amount of time and money - believed to be just under $10,000 - to get
Kaufusi an Australian working visa after he was deported last year.


It's understood Thomson apologised to Ayoub over comments made by
Manly media manager Peter Peters, who said: "He (Kaufusi) should look
up loyalty in the Macquarie Dictionary".

Thomson gave his blessing to Kaufusi's decision, saying he could not
blame the man known as "Special K" for accepting more money than the
small incentive-based contract Manly could offer.

"I class Mal Kaufusi as a personal friend of mine. If I was in his
position and someone came along and offered me more money, I'd make
the same decision," said Thomson.

"The bloke has a wife and a young daughter. The Roosters offered him
what I understand to be significantly more money so quite honestly I
can understand his decision."

The Roosters will pay Kaufusi's outstanding debt to Manly as part of
his new deal with the Bondi Junction-based club.

Thomson rejected a reported claim that the Sea Eagles would refuse a
clearance for Kaufusi to play for the Roosters until he repaid them
the money.

"It's an indisputably fact that Mal owes us money. He's well aware of
that and I've spoken to his wife this morning about it.

"They'll pay that and Mal will go with our blessing. He made a
commercial decision and who could blame him?"

Peters however again expressed his anger at Kaufusi's actions, saying
he'd still be stuck in Tonga if it wasn't for the Sea Eagles.

"We had one sponsor, Sam Rahme, we spent his own money to fly to Fiji
and help accelerate the process of obtaining a work visa for him to
come back to Australia," said Peters.

Kaufusi received offers from four NRL clubs, with Manly at the bottom
of the list in monetary terms.

"He rejected the Manly offer because it was incentive-based and it
wasn't enough to allow him the opportunity to repay the debt he owed
the club, let alone provide expenses and feed his wife and family,"
Ayoub said.

The manager added the Roosters deal enabled Kaufusi to become a full-
time footballer and there was the bonus of linking with his cousin,
20-year-old front-rower Anthony Tupou.

Yahoo Sports

____________________________________________


Hodges looks to rectify Origin sins


Not even the harshest critic could fail to admire the way young
Sydney Roosters centre Justin Hodges has rebounded from his
embarrassing State of Origin debut.

On Friday night at Aussie Stadium Hodges hopes to turn in an effort
against Brisbane -- the club which dumped him from first grade --
that will make it impossible for Queensland selectors to ignore his
bid for a chance to atone.

And, in all likelihood, his on-field rival will be former teammate
Brent Tate, the Queensland Origin and Test centre who benefitted most
from his defection to the Roosters last year.

"Mate, I'm super keen for another crack at Origin," Hodges said today.

"The last time I had that opportunity I sorta lost it.

"My goal this year is to get back in that side, stay there and make
up for what I did last year."

Hodges, whose attacking skills have him leading the NRL in line-
breaks and second in off-loads, said he'd dealt with his nightmare
debut in Origin II last year when his two monumental passing errors
gifted NSW two tries and saw him dumped for the decider.

"I've tried to put it behind me," Hodges said.

"I can't change what happened last year but I can change things this
year."

Queensland selection chairman Gene Miles is among those who has noted
how well the 20-year-old has handled himself since that painful night
at ANZ Stadium.

Hodges' Origin blunders would have destroyed the confidence of most
young players but confidence is not something he lacks.

Instead of letting it eat away at him, he used it positively,
finishing the 2002 season with a premiership and taking his strong
form into 2003.

"I'm pretty happy with the way things have worked out," said Hodges,
already being chased by clubs despite having another year to run on
his three-year deal with the Roosters.

"My first year down here I won a comp and I played Origin...that's
not bad."

Hodges' attitude had turned around now that he's adjusted to living
in Sydney.

"I'm starting to like Sydney now, my home life is good and I've got
myself a lot fitter this year than I was last year."

Hodges says Brisbane will be fired up coming off a loss to the
Warriors and having two players suspended.

"Playing against Benny (Wayne Bennett) and the boys makes me want to
lift and our whole team lift because they're such a great side.

"It doesn't matter if they've got injuries or guys sitting out, if
you're not on your game they are going to beat you."

Yahoo Sports

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