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26 January 2003 SOUTH Sydney speedsters Chris Walker and Joven Clarke have ruled out a match-race to determine the fastest player in rugby league. "I don't really know what it would prove," said the quietly spoken Clarke, regarded as the game's fastest player. "We were supposed to have one before Christmas but I had a bit of a knee injury." Walker, Souths' star backline recruit, chimed in with: "I chickened out. Joven and I haven't sat down and really talked about it. "There was a chance earlier we might have had a race but it didn't eventuate. I don't think there's any real need to be having a race. "I'd say the only time I'll be running with Joven is if he makes a break and I've got to try to catch him to back up. "I've never had to chase a bloke who can fly like him and I don't think there's anybody in the competition who could catch him." Walker and Clarke are two reasons the Rabbitohs should not be taken lightly in next weekend's World Sevens at Aussie Stadium. Souths will be fielding one of the fastest teams in the tournament and must have a huge chance to win. Rabbitohs coaching co-ordinator Phil Blake, a former champion Sevens player, said he had never seen anyone as explosive as Walker off the mark. "Over five or 10 metres, he is probably the quickest I have seen," Blake said. http://www.dailytelegraph.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,5890471%255E2771,00.html 22 January 2003 SOUTH Sydney yesterday announced a multi-million-dollar major sponsorship deal with national lighting company Allight. The deal will deliver the Rabbitohs more than $2 million over the next two seasons. South Sydney chief executive David Tapp said the agreement ranked as one of the richest sponsorship deals in the NRL. "We're delighted because it is the final piece in the jigsaw puzzle for us over the next couple of years," Tapp said. http://www.dailytelegraph.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,5871900%255E23214,00.html 21 January 2003 The South Sydney Rabbitohs have announced a new major sponsor for the 2003 season. Allight, a mobile lighting specialist, will be the Rabbitohs number one sponsor and the company will brand both the NRL team and the New South Wales Premier League team (formerly First Division). "The South Sydney Rabbitohs are arguably the most recognisable brand in Australian sport," said South Sydney CEO David Tapp, "and to link with a company that has a heavy focus on national expansion is a great coup for our organisation. "It is tremendous to see yet another major Australian company becoming involved in the game of rugby league and of course our club is indebted to Mr Kerry Stokes who has made this sponsorship possible. " Businessman Stokes is the boss of Pacific Publications who until recently owned the magazine title, TV Week, last year's major sponsor of Souths. But when the magazine title was sold the Rabbitohs were forced to look for another sponsor and Stokes was instrumental in the signing of Allight. http://www.ozleague.com/news_article.asp?id=46145 Abductor takes Peters out of Souths Sevens South Sydney's new recruit Willie Peters has been forced to withdraw from the World Sevens tournament due to a muscle strain. The former St George Illawarra halfback has injured the abductor muscle in his left leg and rather than risk doing further damage Souths' coach Craig Coleman has elected to rest him from the seven-a-side competition. The abductor muscle is on the inside of the leg and affects the outward spreading movement of the leg. Peters was to have captained Souths' sevens side and a new captain is yet to be appointed. Coleman is not expected to add any players to the already-named squad as he had named an extended party. According to the South Sydney website, Owen Craigie will not be released to play with NASCA sevens side. http://www.ozleague.com/news_article.asp?id=46144 16 January 2003 South Sydney have named a 21-man squad for the Star City Charity Shield to be played against St George Illawarra on February 15. South Sydney coach Craig Colemen, has named a fierce line-up headed by new recruits Byran Fletcher, Chris Walker, Justin Smith and Ahsley Harrison. In contrast with last seasons squad there remains only 8 survivors for the South Sydney team. These players include Wade McKinnon, Owen Craigie, Shane Rigon, Andrew Hart, Paul Stringer, Jason Death, Frank Puletua and Luke Stuart. The South Sydney side will also field plenty of former Dragons players. Smith, Hart, Lee Hookey, Luke Branighan and Willie Peters have all played for the Dragons in recent years. 21-man Squad Bryan Fletcher (c), Wade McKinnon, Nathan Merritt, Lee Hookey, Chris Walker, Russell Richardson, Ahmad Bajouri, Luke Branighan, Owen Craigie, Willie Peters, Luke Roberts, Paul Stringer, Noah Sete, Andrew Hart, Frank Puletua, Justin Smith, Luke Stuart, Shane Rigon, Ashley Harrison, Shane Walker, Jason Death. http://nrl.rleague.com/news/index.php?id=10063 14 January 2003 Former St George Dragons' prop Craig Young and former South Sydney prop Peter Tunks gave some special insight into the way rugby league was back in the 70s and 80s at the launch of the 2003 Charity Shield. Tunks and Young both played in the first Charity Shield game back in 1982 and there was no holding back from the very first scrum. "Pre-season games often didn’t have much in them," said Tunks. "But then they came up with the Charity Shield idea." "The Charity went to the hospitals along with three or four St George players." http://www.ozleague.com/news_article.asp?id=46129 Dragons captain Trent Barrett promises next month's 20th anniversary Star City Charity Shield clash with the South Sydney Rabbitohs will be played with just as much pride and intensity as the inaugural 1982 encounter. Barrett said today at a media conference to launch the Charity Shield that the players take the match very seriously and "we really want to win it" at Aussie Stadium on February 15 (7.30pm kick-off). Last year's 20-all draw in front of a crowd of over 36,000 meant the Shield stayed with Souths because they had won the last game in 1999 (16-14), before its two-year absence during the Rabbitohs' exile from the NRL. While the World Sevens will be played on February 1-2, the Charity Shield will be the first full match for both sides since the 2002 season ended in September. "You're not going to get the perfect game of footy, but we take it seriously," Barrett said. "You like to win everything you go in and this is no exception, even though it is a trial. It may not have the biff that was in the early games, but it will still be played with intensity. http://www.nrl.com.au/s2002/news/static/article_5001.asp 14 January 2003 Teenager gets Tugga's nod for World Sevens South Sydney coach Craig Coleman has named Central Coast 19 year-old Brett Kearney in the Rabbitohs' squad for the World Sevens tournament. Kearney is seen as a backup halfback to Willie Peters for the coming NRL season but he will play hooker in the sevens competition. "He has done everything asked of him in training," said Coleman. "He’s young, enthusiastic and will go all day." Coleman has put the emphasis on speed in naming his squad with likes of new recruit Chris Walker, Joven Clarke and Wade McKinnon all included. 'We’ve chosen our fastest players – guys that like to play an entertaining style of football," said Coleman. Souths' 2003 captain Bryan Fletcher is sitting out the World Sevens and so Peters will lead the side in his absence. South Sydney's World Sevens squad: Chris Walker, Joven Clarke, Lee Hookey, Nathan Merritt, Brett Kearney, Wade McKinnon, Willie Peters (c), Justin Smith, Frank Puletua, Luke Stuart, Owen Craigie. http://www.ozleague.com/news_article.asp?id=46126 9 January 2003 South Sydney has moved quickly to lock up emerging front rower Scott Geddes, signing the 22-year-old until the end of 2005. Geddes was one of the few bright lights in an ordinary return season for the Rabbitohs, emerging from obscurity to play 22 NRL games. His potential caught the eye of NSW coach Phil Gould and the Rabbitohs responded by extending his contract for a further two years. "The feeling here at Souths is fantastic and we have some really good players," Geddes said. "I love the club and I'm confident well be extremely competitive and make our fans proud of us." Gould indicated earlier this month that Geddes was under consideration for a preliminary NSW squad of 30 players likely to be named later this month. Souths coach Craig Coleman today said he was delighted to have Geddes under lock and key for three more seasons. "Scott is a player with enormous potential and I feel confident he is a representative player of the future," Coleman said. http://onesport.nzoom.com/sport_detail/0,1278,160524-2-19,00.html |
