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18 January 2001 The Bulldogs today shored up their halfback ranks following the retirement of Ricky Stuart by signing former South Sydney player Darrell "Tricky" Trindall to a one year deal. Coach Steve Folkes has been trying to rid his side of its "predictable" tag, and the signing of the mercurial Trindall will give the club's backline an attacking edge it has lacked in recent seasons. http://www.sportcentral.com.au/sport/owa/news_util.run_html?p_html_file=SPORGL_view&p_param_n ames=c_p_id&p_param_values=2548 SMH http://au.sports.yahoo.com/sports/20010118/aapleague/979795566-3490668591.html SMH http://www.2ue.com.au/news/index.cfm?group=News&name=Sport&title=Sporting%20News&s_type= aap&article_id=13237 SMH Darrell Trindall's legal advisors say that there is still time for St Helens to come to a settlement with the player and avoid their court appointment in March. Trindall is suing Saints for over £100,000 at Liverpool High Court following their decision to sack him on medical grounds after just two appearances last season. His solicitor, Richard Cramer, plansd to wheel on some high profile witnesses in his support, rumoured to include former coaches Alan Jones and Phil Gould - and possibly the then Saints coach, Ellery Hanley. http://www.rugbee.com/saints16101.htm SMH Former St Helens halfback Darrell "Tricky" Trindall looks to have got his career back on track, after signing for the Bulldogs as a replacement for retiring test star Ricky Stuart. The former South Sydney star endured a frustrating year on the sidelines in 2000, when his move to Saints turned sour after a shoulder injury restricted his Knowsley Road career to just two appearances. He has since taken legal action against the club, with the case scheduled to go before the Liverpool High Court in March. http://www.playtheball.com/nrlnew/news/news.asp?newsid=2438 SMH 17 January 2001 Strike threat on eve of crisis talks Rugby league players threatened strike action last night, before today's crisis meeting with the code's administration over a pay-TV deal and the running sore of players disadvantaged by the Auckland Warriors' bankruptcy. Rugby League Players Association president Tony Butterfield has accused the National Rugby League of reneging on an agreement to contribute to a fund for players facing significant financial hardship. http://www.leaguehq.com.au/league/worldcup/2001/01/17/leaguewc1.html SMH Raiders & Rabbitohs merger rumours Rumours circulating around the rugby league world suggest that Canberra will merge with South Sydney in time for the 2001 season. The rumours floated around the internet a few weeks ago but were given new life yesterday when The Canberra Times reported the possibility of a joint venture. The newspaper though has attempted to squash the rumour more than advance on it, reporting that Raiders chief excutive Kevin Neil believes the rumour is not worth the e-mail space it was written on, and is amused by the constant speculation about his club's apparent financial strife. The Rabbitohs, who have appealed the federal court's decision to dismiss their claim for re-instatement to the NRL, are yet to comment on the rumours. The possible merger would feature the obligation of Souths dropping "Sydney" from their name and simply becoming the "Souths Rabbitohs". Whilst I would admit the idea is way 'out there', it does all fit into piece. News Limited have invested a lot into the Raiders over the past few years, something which has produced very little on the field. A merger with Souths could be exactly what Canberra need to re-vitalise the club and seriously threaten the NRL premiership. http://www.gf001a0002.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/main/news.html#southscanberra SMH JUST WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE TRYING TO KID The NRL has shown Itself to be a shamefully insincere organisation obsessed with Its own marketing image rather than the traditions of rugby league and the wishes of the game's supporters. Paul Kent's story in Saturday's Daily Telegraph revealed the true nature of David Moffett and his merry marketing men. "We're taking the game back to the fans!" trumpeted NRL marketing manager Mark Wallace. "We want to make them feel part of their team." Oh yeah? Well the NRL didn't have any such sensitivity when 80,000 rugby league supporters marched through the streets of Sydney In one of the biggest peacetime protest marches the country has seen. http://southsydney.homestead.com/news170101.html SMH 16 January 2001 Auckland players in cash crisis despite Warriors deal. The New Zealand Rugby League has sold a 15 per cent shareholding in the Warriors - but players are still waiting to learn whether they will receive any money from contracts with the former Auckland club. More than three months after the Warriors folded and were reformed with new owners and management, one player is said to be on the verge of bankruptcy while others are struggling financially. http://www.leaguehq.com.au/league/worldcup/2001/01/16/leaguewc1.html SMH The Latest By George is Out Now http://www.souths.com.au/ SMH The Canberra Raiders are set to merge with rugby league outcasts South Sydney next season and will travel to games on flying pigs. At least that's one of the options being considered as part of a muted amalgamation which has created plenty of interest on various Internet chat sites over the past week. In fact the likelihood of a Rabbitohs-Raiders super club is not very likely at all. Canberra chief executive Kevin Neil was quick to assure fans yesterday that half the Raiders games would not be played at Redfern next season. http://www.rleague.com/news.php#jan16rumours SMH 15 January 2001 Piggins: no more Charity GEORGE Piggins declared yesterday there was no chance of the Souths-St George Charity Shield clash being staged again. Even if the Rabbitohs got a team together, or were re-admitted to this year's competition, Piggins said there was no way the club would be playing the Dragons. "The Dragons ... they sold us out," Piggins said. "They gave a sworn affidavit in court saying we would be detrimental to the game if we got back in the comp. http://southsydney.homestead.com/news150101.html SMH 7. Darrell TRINDALL Yet to be signed (for Canterbury) but the inside information suggests that Darrell will put pen to paper pending he continues to train hard and has reasonable trial match form. His enthusiasm and hard work during the off-season along with pre-season training has endeared him to both the coaching staff and management alike. A must at No. 7 if Canterbury want to succeed. Corey Hughes to be the understudy, and to only start if absolutely required. Craig Polla-Mounter has only been considered for the hooking position. http://www.rleague.com/news.php#jan15jim SMH 14 January 2001 Merging on the Ridiculous http://southsydney2.homestead.com/files/SH140101.jpg http://southsydney2.homestead.com/files/SH140101.pdf SMH SMH Back to the Fans CONFIDENTIAL market research has forced the NRL back to its fans. The NRL will launch a back-to-basics strategy next week to make them a greater part of the game. Market research has revealed supporters feel only a passing connection with the game's administration but continue to feel strongly about their clubs. The NRL, rather than be concerned, is keen to capitalise on it and has prompted clubs into picking up the baton. It means out goes the pop video images of the likes of Tom Jones and his flash-and-dash ad of last year, which received only lukewarm response. In comes the bubbly smile of two-year-old Tigers fan Alexandra Field. http://southsydney.homestead.com/news140101.html SMH 9 January 2001 But the growing list of imports has led to concerns that the richer clubs are becoming too powerful on the field, and that young British talent is being stifled. The contract system means an immediate reduction of overseas players is impractical, but there could be a phasing out. Currently each club is allowed five foreigners on their books, that could be reduced to four next, three the next and so on, until there is only one at each club. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport/hi/english/rugby_league/newsid_1107000/1107040.stm St George greats from the past 20 years will be coming out again to play in the Legends of League Oztag Tournament to be held on Saturday February 3 at Redfern Oval. Robert Stone and Graeme Wynn are just two of the names confirmed and they will help to evoke memories of St Georges famous last premiership in 1979. There are also a host of stars from the 90's who provided us with so many magic memories. The team will be led by Mark Coyne who is without a doubt one of the Greatest St George players to ever play the game. His pride in the Red Vee was undoubted by any of us who had the pleasure to watch him play. http://dragons.rleague.com/news.php?#jan9legends 7 January 2001 Souths game for a challenge JPEG PDF 6 January 2001 The telecom with big dreams, backers that don't come any bigger, and big-time talkers for founders is losing fans in the market. Ian Verrender investigates. For the past few weeks in his high-security lair at Woodwark Bay in far north Queensland, Jodee Rich has cut himself adrift from the outside world. http://www.smh.com.au/news/0101/06/business/business1.html News Corp is shutting down its online division and eliminating more than 200 jobs in an effort to conserve cash. The company said it would transfer the production of three major Web sites back to the networks they are associated with - Fox Broadcasting, Fox Sports Television and Fox News Channel. http://www.smh.com.au/news/0101/06/business/business12.html 3 January 2001 All of us Souths supporters have now experienced our first season without our team in the competition and it's been a bloody bitter pill to swallow. Instead of becoming excited about the Rabbitohs on field efforts, we've had to channel all our nervous energies and efforts into just maintaining an off-field presence. And now we're looking at a second season barred from the competition we helped create 93 years ago. http://www.souths.com.au/ Legends of League Game - Saturday February 3 Redfern Oval http://www.souths.com.au/ 1 January 2001 Off the field, dear-departed Souths continued to haunt the NRL. The game cannot truly prosper until it reconciles its past and its future. http://www.smh.com.au/news/0101/01/sport/sport1.html |