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8 May 2001 South Sydney's appeal for reinstatement back into the NRL competition began earlier today with Rabbitohs boss George Piggins hinting that if Souths lose the case he'll setup his own competition. The Rabbitohs were controversially cut from the NRL competition at the end of the 1999 season after it was ranked 15th on the NRL's dodgy criteria. Souths took the NRL to court last year but were defeated when Justice Paul Finn found there was no law to back Souths claims against the NRL, News Limited and ARL. Souths are appealing that its exclusion from the premier Rugby League competition did not breach the Trade Practices Act. The appeal process will go for three days but the decision isn't expected for several months. Piggins today outside the courtroom said that if Souths were to lose the case that starting his own competition wouldn't be out of the question. The proud Souths President said, "I just think that if we're keen enough we'll find some way to play football on a regular basis ... whether it's trying to form our own competition in a different format or something like that. http://www.rleague.com/newsarticle.php?articleID=1681 SYDNEY, May 7 (Reuters) - South Sydney will find a way to continue playing even if their appeal to the Federal Court to end their exclusion from the Australian National Rugby League (NRL) fails, club president George Piggins said on Monday. The NRL excluded South Sydney from their competition when they reduced the league from 16 to 14 clubs at end of the 1999 season. "I just think that if we're keen enough we'll find some way to play football on a regular basis," Piggins said outside the court on Monday. "Whether it's trying to form our own competition in a different format or something like that. We're not going to go away. "We've been a football club for nearly a hundred years and we intend to stay a football club and we intend to try and make sure that the South Sydney jumper runs around in some form." South Sydney's fight has attracted widespread support from the Sydney public, who have contributed millions of dollars for the cause through raffles and street collections. http://au.sports.yahoo.com/sports/20010507/reutersleague/989218500-3826008108.html 7 May 2001 The South Sydney Rugby Leagues club returns to the Federal Court in Sydney today, appealing against a court decision last year in favour of its axing from the National Rugby League. Three judges will hear the appeal, which is expected to run for three days. http://www.abc.net.au/news/sport/rugbyleague/2001/05/item20010507112737_1.htm http://www.excite.com.au/news/story/abc/20010507/12/sports/abc-7may2001-29.inp?r=/news/more_news/sport s 7 May 2001 The South Sydney Rugby League Club would find a way to play even if it lost an appeal to return to the national competition, club president George Piggins said. The club has begun an appeal to the full bench of the Federal Court in Sydney against a judge's ruling last year that its exclusion from the competition did not breach the Trade Practices Act. Justice Paul Finn found there was very little in the law to back Souths' claims against the National Rugby League (NRL), News Limited and the Australian Rugby League. South Sydney was axed from the NRL on October 15, 1999 when it was rated 15th under the NRL's controversial ranking criteria for the streamlined 14-team competition. http://au.sports.yahoo.com/sports/20010507/aapleague/989212168-1208614964.html 6 May 2001 South Sydney marches on and into the Federal Court on Monday for one last shot at reinstatement in the National Rugby League. The Rabbitohs' lawyers will spend the next three days presenting legal argument to the Federal Court as they appeal Justice Paul Finn's ruling that the NRL broke no laws in axing Souths from the competition in 1999. Souths chairman George Piggins admitted the odds were against his beloved Rabbitohs given the past two court rulings supported the NRL's decision to expel them from its 14-team competition. But he promised Australia's first and most successful rugby league club would not give up its fight regardless of the outcome of the appeal. http://au.sports.yahoo.com/sports/20010507/aapleague/989185172-2617770047.html http://www.excite.com.au/sport/nrl/news/story/aap/20010506/18/sports/league-souths-rugby_league.inp 6 May 2001 The Wests Tigers could be playing at Concord Oval as early as next season. The Western Suburbs side of the joint venture is in turmoil, with Wests Ashfield wishing to end affiliations with Wests Campbelltown. If Wests Ashfield have their way, the club would be unlikely to play out of Campbelltown Stadium at any time in the future. The Campbelltown region is important to rugby league and the absence of the Wests Tigers would surely see rugby league die in that area. Whilst nothing has been confirmed about a possible move to Concord, it's strongly rumoured that a move is definitely on the cards. It's believed that the plan would be to split home games between Leichhardt Oval and Concord Oval with both grounds hosting six matches. Wests Ashefield has a significant role with the club financially, supplying in 75% of Wests share of the money. http://www4.tpgi.com.au/users/sdodds/news.html#wests 3 May 2001 South Sydney's last chance to be re-instated into the National Rugby League competition begins in the federal court on Monday when the Rabbitohs try to over-turn a decision made last year in which they failed in a bid to play in the world's premier rugby league competition. The appeal hearing is likely to last for three days with a decision to be handed down later this year. If the Rabbitohs were to win their appeal, it would mean a 15 team competition in 2002. There's support from inside the NRL to have the Rabbitohs back in the competition, even though they won't publically say anything. But a court of law doesn't relate around what people want and most in the legal world seem to think that the Rabbitohs have little chance of victory. http://www4.tpgi.com.au/users/sdodds/news.html#rabbitohs |
