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RLCM NEWS Tell the rugby league world your news, click here and submit Your News to appear in the RLCM Latest News. The headline will be sent worldwide to over 25,000 RLCM Newsletter internet subscribers.
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Great Britain Lions coach should be made in Britain
By Dave Craven
Iestyn Harris has urged the Rugby Football League to go British when looking for their new international boss.
He has also bemoaned the drain of coaching talent that has drifted to rugby union.
The hunt is on for the new Great Britain chief after the RFL opted against renewing Brian Noble's contract last month.
They have decided to make the position full time but, with former Bulls chief Noble firmly rooted at Wigan until 2008, he was unavailable to continue his three-year reign.
Australian Shaun McRae is emerging as the obvious replacement, with the former St Helens and Hull boss currently out of a job after resigning his football director role at South Sydney just days before the RFL announcement.
However, Bulls stand-off Harris - who played 15 Tests before announcing his Lions retirement last summer - believes the job should be handed to a Brit.
"I'd like to think that it should be a British coach who takes over Great Britain," said Harris.
"National pride is the main reason for that but if that person is not available you need to look at overseas. That would be the second choice.
"Whether that comes in the shape of Shaun McRae, so be it, but I'd like to think we could still get a British one, although to be completely truthful all the best coaches are now in club rugby.
"Unless one of them decides to pack that in and take up the international side, then realistically it is going to be a foreigner."
Warrington Wolves boss Paul Cullen has been touted as a potential successor to Noble, having led England to Federation Shield success last autumn, while Salford's Karl Harrison - Cullen's predecessor as England boss - has also been mentioned.
Others include Huddersfield's Jon Sharp, who was Noble's assistant with GB, Bulls' own Steve McNamara and even Wakefield's John Kear, another former England chief.
Cullen gets Harris' nod and he explained: "Paul Cullen has got good credentials. He's done reasonably well with his club as head coach for the last three or four years and has a good understanding of the system of British rugby.
"This could possibly be his next step up but I'm sure he's got big aspirations with the squad he's got at Warrington at the moment and it could be difficult to tempt him away.
"Steve McNamara is really new to the head coach role here at Bradford, so he's probably not ready yet, and otherwise I can't see many more."
Harris admits that is because so many young coaches - many players who he once played against or with - are now uprooting for union where they are being welcomed with open arms.
He said: "It's so disappointing. We've had so many great players in the game that have gone on to coach in rugby union. It's tough to take. We don't get the influx the other way and it's just disheartening to see it happen like this.
"And there has been a lot - Sean Edwards (Wasps), Denis Betts (Gloucester), Alan Tait (Scotland), Mike Ford. Look at what Mike Ford has done. He's now the backs and defence coach for England. He started coaching with Oldham, taking them to an NFP Grand Final, and the next thing he was working with Ireland and the Lions.
"It's so disappointing that a bloke like that isn't still involved in our game. Clive Griffiths is another."
However, Harris has praised the RFL for their decision to appoint a full-time Britain boss.
"I think it is right that they are heading down that route. It is a full-time position, especially with the length of the touring now being done at the end of year.
"Bearing in mind there's a mid-season game and training sessions now programmed in, it's an important role - but it also needs to be an independent role."
Noble was attacked by some for allegedly showing favouritism to players from Bradford when he was in dual charge at Odsal and the international set-up - and likewise when he moved to Wigan.
Harris argues: "It gives people the chance to have a snipe at the decisions he made as coach.
"If he decides to pick A, B and C from his own club, it always gives people the opportunity to argue that that has influenced his decision.
"The only way to avoid it is for the coach to cut all ties from any club and that means going full time with GB or pick someone who hasn't got any influence in Super League."
With regards Britain's future after the abject failure in the Tri-Nations Series for a second year running, Harris said: "It was always going to be a tough tour with a depleted squad and things that happened off the field made it increasingly difficult.
"But they had a great win against Australia and I reckoned we could kick on from that. We didn't and I'm sure everyone thought we could have done better. That always seems to be the case though."
But he believes the RFL are heading in the right direction to stop the rot.
"It's fantastic that they've allowed a week's gap between Super League rounds to have an international fixture this year," he said.
"In the past, any match has always been squeezed in to the middle of a week but the bosses are now saying We're thinking about this first'."
Bradford.co.uk
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Morley: My best is yet to come
By Ian Laybourn
Warrington new boy Adrian Morley believes his best years are ahead of him.
The former Leeds forward is back in England after six successful seasons with Sydney Roosters in the gruelling National Rugby League, where he carved out a reputation as one of the game's leading forwards.
And he is looking forward to relaunching his career with ambitious Warrington.
Morley recovered from routine wrist surgery to play a key role in Great Britain's Tri-Nations campaign and says he is fit and raring to go in engage Super League XII.
"My body is holding up well,"he says. "In the last couple of years I've not had any injuries at all. I'm still only 29 and hopefully my best years are in front of me.
"When you get older you're quicker between the ears. I believe the next two years will be my best two years.
"I've signed for three years plus an option for a fourth and there is no reason why I can't finish this contract and go and play some more. I feel as though I can give Warrington four good years."
Morley, who is due to become a father for the first time in mid-February, is also confident of being able to shed the bad-boy image which followed him 12,000 miles to the second leg of his colourful career.
He finished his stint in the NRL with a seven-match ban - his 11th suspension - but says he intends to stay clear of trouble, despite likely provocation, while insisting he will not change his full-on style of play.
"I'll just play my normal game,"he says. "Warrington have signed me for the player I am so I'm not going to change.
"I'm looking forward to everything. "I believe the club is going places. They have a lot of ambition and I want to be part of it. They proved it when they signed Paul Johnson and Vinnie Anderson."
Liverpool Echo
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Weekly schools' rugby league competition begins in London
Last week saw the start of the first ever structured weekly schools' rugby league competition in London. Eight schools will battle it out to win the South West London Schools' League.
The schools participating are from the London Boroughs of Richmond, Hounslow and Kingston with Tomlinscote School from Woking also involved.
Harlequins' Development Officer, Dan Steel, is excited about the development. "It is a big step forward for Rugby League in this area of London. The schools are actively organising the fixtures themselves, which allows us to just help when needed."
The increase in Rugby League being played is already having an impact on the standard of the game across all age groups, and with the growing schools' interest, this looks likely to continue.
Ian Baxter, Director of Marketing at WorkPlace Systems, goes on to say, "It's nice to know that we have helped to get more children active in the community and are developing the game of Rugby League in the South.'
'QuinsRL's community team is making phenomenal progress in delivering the WorkPlace Systems Secondary Link and Primary Link programmes. The number of children and young people that have been involved during the first year is extremely encouraging.'
The schools will be divided into two pools, with Richmond and Hounslow in the first, and Kingston and Surrey in the other. The winners and the runners up will then play each other to decide who will be crowned champions.
The fixtures, involving children in combined years 7 and 8, will be run weekly. The participating schools have been the ones most involved in the HRL work place systems, Secondary Link Programme.
The schools involved are: Whitton School and Sports College, Christ's School, Holyfield School, Southborough School, Richard Challenor School, Feltham Community College, Longford School and Tomlinscote School. HarlequinsRL
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St George Illawarra coach Nathan Brown spreads league gospel
By Josh Massoud
Long before he was hounded for autographs yesterday, St George Illawarra coach Nathan Brown did his time as a signature hunter.
It was a three-hour stint outside a footy ground near his home town of Maclean, on the north coast, waiting for his hero to emerge.
The player was Kurt Sorensen, a Kiwi forward who forged an unfashionable reputation at Cronulla and Easts in the early '80s.
"The Roosters came up for a coaching clinic, but I was always a big Cronulla fan as a kid," Brown recalled.
"Kurt Sorensen had changed from the Sharks to the Roosters, so I made Mum sit in the car until nine o'clock at night to get his autograph."
Two decades later, the task of meeting rugby league stars in the country has eased.
Armed with personal experience of the dedication required to follow the game in remote areas, household names such as Brown will head bush next week for the NRL's annual Community Carnival.
Now in its fifth year, the 2007 carnival will be the most expansive ever conducted.
Covering 34,000km and 60 towns between Auckland and Perth, the missionary tour has players and coaches from all 16 clubs - as well as eight referees - spreading league's gospel throughout Australasia.
Helping to launch the tour at the SCG yesterday, Brown got a taste of what he can expect when his Dragons travel to the Whitsunday coast next Wednesday.
"I've been waiting to meet you all my life," Jake McFadyen, one of a group of Armidale kids who attended the launch, told him.
The feeling appears to be mutual. Brown revealed 28 Dragons vied for the six available spots.
"There's only 16 head coaches in Australia and I'm one of the lucky people to have a job," he said. "The least we can do is go away and promote the game for three days."
Although he grew up in Liverpool, South Sydney coach Jason Taylor said nurturing support in the bush was paramount.
And that's why he has no misgivings over breaking the likes of Dean Widders and John Sutton from pre-season training.
"It worries me when I hear numbers in junior ranks are dropping," Taylor said. "There's a lot to do in getting the team prepared but when this stuff comes along I always find time for it because I know how important it is.
"This is more important than having some of these guys at training for a few extra days and we've got to do it."
A recognised champion of bush footy, Widders will be hoping to heal a worrying rift between indigenous players and the CRL when he heads back to his home town of Armidale.
"Everyone has to come together and make sure rugby league still exists in these communities that are dying to play the game," Widders said.
"If they don't have rugby league, they've got nothing." Daily Telegraph
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Project seeks RL memories
Rugby league fans, former players, coaches and officials are wanted for a project which will celebrate the sport's heritage.
The University of Huddersfield is funding the oral history project, 'Up and Under' with an £85,000 grant.
The project is the brainchild of lecturers Stephen Kelly, who is also a leading football writer and historian, and Dr Peter Davies, the man behind the successful Calderdale and Kirklees Cricket Heritage Project.
Rob Light, a sport history PhD student and project manager, said: "Our aim is to record the reminiscences of those who have been, and remain, part of the rugby league community in West Yorkshire.
"This will not only enable their experiences to be preserved for posterity, but will also make them available to anyone with an interest in the social and cultural history of rugby league.
"To begin with, we would like to hear from anyone who has memories of rugby league during and before the 1940s, from its grass roots level to the professional game."
If you would like to be involved, contact Rob Light on 01484 473032 or email: r.f.light@...
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Halton Stadium's East Stand to be home for new heritage centre
By Steve Kelly
A rugby league centre dedicated to Halton's rich past has been given the go-ahead.
The Rugby League Heritage Centre will be built at Halton Stadium after organisers Widnes Rugby League Heritage Group were awarded a £43,200 Lottery grant.
Vikings director Peter Knowles said: "This is a fantastic achievement for a group of dedicated supporters who have spent many months putting this project together.
"Widnes and Runcorn have a rich history in rugby league since the inception of the game and the Vikings are pleased to support the activities of the heritage group."
The centre, which is planned for the East Stand concourse and could open by the start of the new league season in April, will transport visitors into a world of memories by delving into the history of Widnes RLFC and Runcorn RLFC. The borough's amateur clubs will also be included.
A wall will be dedicated to fans' memories and stories, while space is also planned for visiting support to celebrate their club's history.
For more information contact the heritage group on 0151 510 2986 or visit wrlheritagegroup.co.uk
Cheshire Today
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Titans make first move for Lote
By Dan Koch and Brent Read
Gold Coast will make its first play to lure Lote Tuqiri back to the 13-man codetoday, with the star winger's manager Les Ross flying into Queensland to meet Titans chief executive Michael Searle.
Tuqiri, 27, has flagged his interest in returning to rugby league following this year's World Cup in France and is on record saying he would like to move back to Queensland to allow his 18-month-old son to be closer to his extended family.
His history with Wayne Bennett and the Broncos means Brisbane will always be an option for the Fiji-born flyer, although managing director Bruno Cullen conceded the club would struggle to compete financially with other potential bidders.
Searle was equally adamant Tuqiri would need to take a sizeable pay cut from the reported $800,000-a-year offer tabled by the Australian Rugby Union, but said the loss of wingers Steve Turner and Brian Carney had freed up what will be much-needed funds if the deal is to go beyond tomorrow's preliminary discussions.
"We have some capacity within our salary cap," Searle said.
"It's not a huge capacity, but we do have some room to move."
Searle said the club would use tomorrow's meeting to gauge the sincerity of Tuqiri's interest in a possible move to the Gold Coast, where he would line up alongside good friend and fellow dual international, Mat Rogers.
"We just want to see exactly where he's at and see just how interested he is in coming back to rugby league," Searle said.
"Lote has said it isn't just about the money for him, but we need to find out what his expectations are."
It looms as a hectic day for Searle, who also plans to finalise the release of Turner after a specialist in Melbourne cleared youngster Smith Samau of a serious shoulder injury.
The Titans will open contract negotiations with Samau, 20, and Daniel Isaac, 19, who were offered by the Storm in exchange for Turner, who will be formally released once the young duo has signed on with the Gold Coast. The Australian
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Anthony Minichiello named in a preliminary NSW squad
Sydney Roosters fullback Anthony Minichiello, named in a preliminary NSW squad yesterday, will make his return from a serious back injury in the club's opening trial against Wests Tigers in three weeks.
Minichiello hasn't played since having a millimetre shaved from his spine in May last year, the injury costing him his NSW and Australian jerseys.
He resumed full training this week and is itching to kick-start his stalled career.
Despite not having laced a boot in seven months, Blues selectors showed how highly they regard Minichiello by including him in a 26-man squad for the upcoming State of Origin series.
The squad, which will take part in an overnight camp in Sydney's eastern suburbs this weekend, includes six players who are yet to make their Origin debuts, St George Illawarra back rower Ben Creagh, Melbourne forward Ryan Hoffman, Bulldogs utility Reni Maitua, Manly halfback Matt Orford, Roosters prop Anthony Tupou and Dragons utility Dean Young.
All bar Young, Orford and Hoffman have played Test football.
The most notable omission was Cronulla captain Brett Kimmorley.
"It's always nice to be named in those things," Minichiello said. "It's going to be pretty exciting getting back in camp and seeing the boys."
A former winner of the Golden Boot - awarded yearly to the world's best player - Minichiello has made eight appearances for NSW.
In his absence, Wests Tigers captain Brett Hodgson filled in last year.
Minichiello, however, only has to regain something close to his best form to win an Origin recall.
The first step in that process will take place on February 17 when the Roosters meet the Tigers in a pre-season game at Aussie Stadium.
"I think we're all going to have a game," Minichiello said.
"We have a new coach, new patterns and new players. I'm excited to be playing with the new guys and can't wait to get back on the field." The Australian
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Cronulla and AFL club Carlton will train together
Cronulla and AFL club Carlton will train together when the Sharks head to Cooma for the NRL's annual community carnival, from February 7-9.
The NRL yesterday unveiled its plans for the annual venture, in which representatives of the 16 clubs visit country centres. This year the pre-season pilgrimage will also take in Adelaide and Perth.
The Australian
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Storm-Titans row over Turner 'ending'
The long-running Steve Turner dispute between Melbourne and Gold Coast has almost come to a close after promising fullback Smith Samau was cleared of a serious shoulder injury.
Samau, 20, was one of two Storm players offered to the Titans as part of a compensation package in exchange for the release of Turner from his three-year agreement with the NRL newcomers.
But Samau suffered a recurrence of a left shoulder injury during a wrestling drill just days before agreeing to transfer to the Titans.
"He doesn't need any reconstructive surgery which is great," Gold Coast chief executive Michael Searle said after receiving the interim report from Melbourne shoulder specialist Dr Greg Hoy.
"The surgeon is more than happy with the shoulder and that give us the confidence to move forward and negotiate a deal with the two players (Samau and 19-year-old Daniel Isaac).
"Provided we can come to terms with the players, we'll grant a release to Steve Turner upon those players signing contracts with us."
That scenario would free up Turner to play against the Titans in what looms as an intriguing trial in Coffs Harbour on February 17.
Searle said Samau's injury was a minor shoulder dislocation but the fullback was still in full training with the Storm and required only "a little bit of rehab".
"It appears the club doctor will give him a clean bill of health based on the surgeon's advice," Searle added.
"He's the best shoulder surgeon in the country so we can't do better than that."
Having been burned by Turner in August last year when he re-signed with the Storm despite agreeing to play for Gold Coast in 2007, the Titans are taking no chances this time.
They are refusing to release the 22-year-old winger until Samau and Isaac have signed contracts with the club.
The Titans and Storm have been embroiled in a bitter battle over Turner's services for the past five months. Yahoo Sport
All-clear given to Titans new recruits
By Luke Turgeon
Titans new recruits Smith Samau and Daniel Isaac could start training on the Gold Coast as early as Monday after the last major hurdle in the Steve Turner saga was cleared yesterday.
Gold Coast managing director Michael Searle said renowned Melbourne surgeon Dr Greg Hoy had given Samau the green light on his injured shoulder, meaning the trade deal for the two youngsters in exchange for renegade winger Turner would proceed.
"He has come back with the all-clear and there is no need for reconstructive surgery," said Searle. "From our point of view now we will negotiate a contract with Smith Samau.
"Contract negotiations are always tricky things, especially mid-year transfers, but in saying that hopefully we can resolve it within the next 24 hours and have them here on Monday."
The Titans brokered a deal to trade Queensland-born Storm players Samau and Isaac for Turner after the 22-year-old winger decided not to honour his original contract with the Coast and made it clear he wanted to remain in Melbourne.
But the trade deal almost fell through after it was revealed Samau suffered a recurrence of a left-shoulder injury during a wrestling drill at Storm training two weeks ago. A condition of the trade was for two healthy players.
"Smith Samau has been training with the full-time squad in Melbourne throughout this and his manager has expressed he is still keen to come here," said Searle.
"This (contract negotiations) is the final hurdle, so if we get through this we can all get on with our lives and move forward.
"It has been frustrating for all involved. It doesn't matter if you are a fan, whether you are one of the players of the club or the coach. It has affected everyone greatly. But it is almost finalised and we can get on with playing football."
Searle said 20-year-old Samau, who has played one NRL game with the Storm, was almost certain to play first grade for the Titans this season following the retirement of Great Britain international Brian Carney. Nineteen-year-old Isaac was more of a future first- grade prospect.
"Smith is going to solve a problem for us in the outside backs and gives us depth at fullback," said Searle. "He has a good frame, is good on his feet and has blinding speed. He is going to provide that extra bit of spark.
"Not that we need a lot of spark out wide at the moment because we are pretty sharp anyway, but you can never have enough.
"It was probably only the pretty powerful run Melbourne had to the finals last year that kept him out of their squad.
"Isaac is more of an investment in the future for us. He is very keen so we are excited about that."
Searle said he was proud of the way his club stood its ground throughout the at-times messy Turner trade drama.
Turner first agreed to a verbal contract with the Titans before going back on his word and re-signing with the Melbourne Storm.
"This fight wasn't about Steve Turner," said Searle. "He is a very good footballer, but you would expect this over an Andrew Johns, not a Steve Turner.
"It was the principle of the matter. The thing for Steve now is he is more notorious for things off the field than he is for his success on it.
"That's going to be a real challenge for him this year. Now he has such a high profile it will be interesting to see if he can maintain the expectations of people." Gold Coast Bulletin
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New Sponsor For Challenge Cup
The Rugby Football League have announced a record six-year sponsorship deal for the prestigious Challenge Cup with Leeds Metropolitan University.
The competition will be known as the Carnegie Challenge Cup and culminate in the final at Wembley on August 25.
Leeds Metropolitan University have taken over from Powergen, whose four-year sponsorship came to an end last year, and are thought to be putting between £6 million and £10 million into the game up to 2012.
The length of the deal is a record for rugby league's high-profile knock-out competition.
As part of the new partnership with the university, the RFL's panel of full-time referees will be based at Carnegie and it is expected that Great Britain will make use of its facilities.
"The partnership is both ground-breaking and unique in sport," said RFL executive chairman Richard Lewis.
"The RFL believes it is highly appropriate as there is a great deal of synergy between our organisational values and the values of the sport of rugby league."
The university already sponsor the Carnegie World Club Challenge and have close links with Leeds Rhinos and the Headingley Carnegie Stadium.
The sponsorship deal was concluded in time for the first-round draw involving amateur teams, in which Leeds Metropolitan University, the student champions, were handed a tough away tie against Wigan St Patricks.
All three service teams, the Army, Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy, received home ties while Thornhill Trojans, who played Super League club Catalans Dragons in the fourth round last season, were drawn at home to South London Storm.
The semi-professional clubs from the National League enter the competition at the third-round stage, with Super League outfits joining a round later.
First round draw:
Rochdale Mayfield v Millom
Saddleworth v Halton Simms Cross
Thornhill v South London
Stanningley v Leigh East
Eccles and Salford v Blackbrook
Royal Navy v Waterhead
Siddal v York Acorn
Bradford Dudley Hill v Brighouse
Army v Leigh Miners
Eastmoor v Shaw Cross
East Leeds v Warrington Wizards
Wath Brow v Oulton
Seaton v Queens
Heworth v Hull Isberg
Drighlington v Askam
Skirlaugh v Milford
Hull Dockers v Thatto Heath
Dewsbury Celtic v Ovenden
Crosfields v West Bowling
Egremont v Oldham St Annes
Normanton v Fife Lions
Wigan St Patricks v Leeds Metropolitan University
Ince Rose Bridge v Widnes St Maries
Hull Victoria v Castleford Lock Lane
RAF v East Hull
Bramley v Wigan St Judes
West Hull v Castleford Panthers
Ties to be played on February 3-4. BARLA
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Monday night rugby league is a winner
By Karl deKroo
Brisbane Broncos skipper Darren Lockyer says Monday night football has the potential to supersede the traditional Friday night timeslot as the code's showcase match.
Pointing to the example of the hugely popular Monday night football in the American NFL, Lockyer predicted NRL fans, particularly television viewers, would flock to the concept.
"The challenge initially will be to get crowds to the games on Monday night," Lockyer said yesterday.
"Being the start of the working week it will probably take people a little while to get used to it.
"But it is huge in the US and I think the NRL has already shown its hand in that it plans to put some high-quality matches on Mondays.
"I think it will be a great success.
"It's an exciting innovation and I know the players are looking forward to it."
Monday night football forms a key component in the NRL's radical new scheduling structure this season, which will also see two games played on Friday nights. Three matches will be played on Saturday nights.
The remaining two matches will be contested on Sunday afternoons.
The Roosters and South Sydney will contest the first Monday night game on March 19. All Monday night matches will be broadcast live on Fox Sports.
Lockyer dismissed any concerns over player welfare, with the NRL to ensure no teams scheduled on a Monday night will be asked to front up on the following Friday.
"It might have been a bit of an ask if you had to back up on Friday, but I think the shorter turnarounds are something players have become more accustomed to anyway," Lockyer said.
"We've seen with Origin that players can back up after a few days, so I think it will work well."
Lockyer was in Sydney yesterday to help film a television commercial for the major backer of Monday night football, Bundaberg Rum.
Manly recruit Jamie Lyon and Parramatta star Nathan Hindmarsh will also feature in the advertisements alongside Bundy R Bear. Courier Mail
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Dean Bell to leave Wigan Warriors
Wigan legend Dean Bell is to end his association with the Warriors after 15 years, the club announced on yesterday.
Bell, who was one of the club's captains during their golden era of the late 1980s and early 1990s before becoming the club's youth development rugby executive seven years ago, revealed he and his family are considering moving back to New Zealand.
He said: "I have spent 15 years at Wigan and it has been a fantastic period in my life. I spent eight years at the club as a player and the past seven years as rugby executive responsible for the youth development of the club.
"My time as a player was something special and I will treasure those memories forever.
"Fifteen years at one club is a long time and both me and my family are considering the next stage of our lives.
"We may well consider a move back to New Zealand if the opportunity arises but whatever we do Wigan will always be in our hearts. When I first signed in 1986 seems a long time ago but I would not have swapped it for anything. The fans have always been fantastic and I will never forget them or anyone at the club."
Warriors chairman Maurice Lindsay hailed Bell's "honesty and integrity".
"Dean has been one of the most important signings the club has ever made.
"He was our captain in the halcyon days and his influence has carried on after his retirement through our junior development scheme where he is so admired by the young players and their families.
"Dean is famous for his honesty and integrity which makes him so trusted by the Wigan community. As our captain he provided strength of character which saw us through many tough games and there were many times during our recent difficulties when I wished that we'd had someone like Dean Bell to get us through.
"Now that his career with us is coming to an end I would like to thank him on behalf of everyone in Wigan for his tremendous contribution. If he does return to New Zealand we wish him and his family well and our loss will be the Kiwis' gain." Sporting Life
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POSITIONS VACANT
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Berala Bears RLFC
Berala Bears, 2006 Club Champions in Canterbury-Bankstown competition, invites all players from Under 6's to Open age to try out for team squads selection for the 2007 season.
Sign-On/Information days are at Guilfoyle Park, Regents Park on Sundays 4th and 11th February 2007 from 10am - 2 pm both days.
This offer is also extended to people wishing to become coaches, trainers, strappers, First Aid Officers and Ground VP's.
All training will be provided free of charge to the right people that want to be part of Junior League and particularly the very well established and successful Berala Bears Club.
More details can be obtained from Bill on 0420 795 390 or Bob on 0418 767 506
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Gunnedah RLFC
Gunnedah RLFC is looking to strengthen our position in the NSWCRL Group 4 competition. We are on the look out for players, particularly mobile front rowers.
Gunnedah have been through a lean patch over the past few years, last winning the first grade premiership in 1998.
However prospects for 2007 are looking promising with a number of quality juniors coming into the senior ranks after winning the Under 18 competition for the past two seasons.
We have a number of experienced quality players in the club and a few we have picked up from out of town but lack a bit of depth in the engine room.
Gunnedah is located in North West NSW with a population of approx. 9000 and is experiencing a growth spurt at present.
There are a number of coal mines in operation and more opening up providing employment opportunities.
There has also been major commercial growth and a proposed ethanal plant construction which will provide more opportunities for employment.
The building industry is hotting up with over 1000 residential blocks currently being developed or in the final planning stages.
Gunnedah RLFC is friendly family club receiving great community support and great sponsorship from the Club House Hotel.
Whilst just missing the semi final's in recent years the players have enjoyed themselves and are mainly all expected to play again this season.
If you are interested in joining the Gunnedah Bulldogs for the 2007 football season then contact the Club Secretary Kevin Sheridan on 0267 402140 BH 0267 422365 AH or kpsherro@...
We will do our best to find employment, accommodation and an enjoyable and hopefully successful season. [150107]
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An Approach to Skills Development - Performing to the best of your ability
Written by Ray Unsworth
Director of Coach Education - The Rugby Football League
Great performances don't just happen. Indeed performance in any sport at the highest level is the result of paying attention to three specific areas:
The extent to which your athletes are physically prepared
Their psychological readiness to compete
The level of skill that your players or team are capable of performing at.
So therefore, performance, or should I say great performance, is:
Skill Level + Physical Preparation + Psychological Readiness
Having said that, the importance of each of these factors will and indeed does differ depending on which sport you are taking part in.
For instance, let's look at a marathon runner.
They most certainly would have worked physically developing aerobic capacity and high levels of muscular endurance. It's also a fair bet that to run for 26 miles on your own and experience the pain barriers and thresholds that they probably go through requires our marathon runner to be mentally tough.
However, I don't see any skill in running marathons unless having the ability to run efficiently for long periods of time is a skill.
So two out of three and you could be the best marathon runner the world has ever seen.
There are also some wonderful darts players out there, but realistically I can't see them turning up at the gym or running round the streets. But the other two factors are a must.
They must be mentally prepared, able to relax at the 'oche' and shut out all the noise and distractions. And skills wise, dart throwing is a precise sport requiring hours and hours of developing hand/eye co-ordination and perfecting the ability to repeatedly hit the target.
Again, two out of three and we've got a champion.
The above is not so in our sport. At the top level, all aspects must be developed. You can't play this game devoid of muscle, particularly beyond your formative years.
The adult game is about confrontation so you must be mentally prepared and to consistently compete at the highest level be skilful also.
That's what we, as coaches, particularly when working with the young, should be concentrating our efforts on.
A further examination would reveal that within the professional game, certainly at the full time clubs, everyone is intent on producing the same athlete.
The players in Super League are all fast, all strong, all mobile, all agile and all hostile. In other words the athletes are almost the same.
So therefore:
When all things are equal, skill becomes KING. It would be helpful to forget such words as talent, ability or technique for now. How many times have you heard it?
"That kid's got some talent. He's got bags of ability, and technically he's sound."
Well, they are just labels - labels that relate to or describe proficiency in sport. And whilst on the subject of skill, it's not a gift from God nor do you inherit skills, you acquire them.
To be continued
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