TO: NZRL Staff, Districts and Affiliates and Board

FROM: Cushla Dawson

DATE: 06 April 2009

RE: Media Summary Tuesday 31 March to Monday 06 April 2009

Player exodus no barrier to top contest: Canterbury insiders are expecting another high-calibre premiership competition despite the annual off-shore exodus. The standard of club football rose exponentially last year - the only happy by product of the scrapping of the season-long national league. The Canterbury Bulls returned to their clubs and brought with them a higher commitment to fitness and professionalism.

League revived after four years off the field: Rugby League is back in full swing in Timaru after a four-year absence from the field. The Timaru Warriors Rugby League Club has been able to take part this season, thanks to an increase in players. Coach Kevin McErlain, who is filling in until the club is able to find a permanent coach, said 19 players turned up to the club's training on Thursday night, which was a great result for rugby league in Timaru.

Tears and spears every year: call for two tribes to go to war again: TEARY Titan told his team of brothers that it was the highlight of his career - that it beat a Dally M award, his premiership ring and all those great football things. ' Daine Laurie claimed local kids followed him around the streets of Yamba, asking him to scrawl his signature on their arms, for almost a week after the Dreamtime rugby league game last October.

Rugby League International Federation official World Rankings: The Rugby League International Federation today released the game’s official World Rankings following a highly successful 2008 . The rankings are based on a two year cycle of results and take into consideration a number of factors including regular competition within international tournaments. maintains its top spot courtesy of having defeated recently-crowned World Champions New Zealand three times in their past four encounters.

League players to be taxed out of Britain: THE annual exodus of stars to the English could be over following a crackdown by Britain's Inland Revenue on tax-free loopholes. The news has Australian club bosses and managers warning players deals in England could be in danger of losing their tax-free lump sums if Super League clubs are slugged with massive bills.

League World Cup in Stratford: STRATFORD Primary School students were given a real treat on Tuesday, March 24, when the Rugby League World Cup made its way into their classrooms. With the cup safely in the hands of the Team - the Kiwis - officials of New Zealand Rugby League decided to take the actual cup on tour, so that New Zealands supporters could get up close and personal with the valuable trophy. Under the watchful gaze of an official, the cup was shown to a number of classes at Stratford Primary as part of a weeklong, Kids 2 Kiwis campaign tour run by New Zealand Rugby League. Source: Stratford Press, 02 April 2009

Rugby league touchdown in US highly unlikely: IN 2004, the Wayne Bennett-coached Kangaroos were almost on the receiving end of one of the greatest upsets in rugby league history. At halftime in a match at Philadelphia's Franklin Field, the United States Tomahawks, made up almost entirely of amateur players, led Australia 24-6.

Cash haemorrhaging every time Kiwis play: Rugby league is wary of staging home test matches for their world cup-winning Kiwis because internationals in this country lose money, the NZRL's annual report admits. Dismal reading, the report bluntly concedes the sport has only just dodged bankruptcy, the NZRL having extended their bank overdraft from $300,000 to $500,000 as cashflow dried up.

Storm sale hits Mexican stand-off: A CARTEL of wealthy Melbourne businessmen, keen to buy the Storm, could accelerate the move towards an independent commission ruling rugby league, together with expansion of the code into New Zealand. The businessmen, already committed to the game through financial and emotional investments, have placed two conditions on the purchase of the Storm, who are owned by News Ltd, which is also half owner of the NRL.

Player exodus no barrier to top contest insiders are expecting another high-calibre premiership competition despite the annual off-shore exodus.

The standard of club football rose exponentially last year - the only happy by product of the scrapping of the season-long Bartercard Cup national league.

The Canterbury Bulls returned to their clubs and brought with them a higher commitment to fitness and professionalism.

A bevy of Bulls are now plying their trade in Australia. But the outbound traffic has been offset in part by the return of former Bulls backrower Corey Lawrie from two professional seasons with the Warriors and English club Doncaster.

Lawrie will captain the Hornby Panthers where he will be joined by his brother, Jeremy, after his one-season stint with the Halswell Hornets.

Some clubs have been hard hit by defections. Kaiapoi Bulldogs coach Stu Mee said he had lost 14 of the 17 players he led to the 2007 premiership title.

Brent Stuart, the Canterbury Bulls coach who turned the Papanui Tigers from wooden spooners to grand finalists, has "only four or five" players from his 2008 team in today's starting lineup against Celebration.

The Linwood Keas, the reigning premiers, have lost Bulls stars Johnny Aranga and Chris Bamford to Cup clubs.

Emslie has switched Bulls stand-off half Andrew Auimatagi to the second row in a pack which still boasts Bulls Kane Ferris and Nathan Sherlock and seasoned prop Teni Tuli.

Papanui has lost the three Hurrell brothers to Australia, Bulls utility Mikaere October and prop Olly Needham have taken jobs out of town, veteran Kreskin David has retired and playmaker Duane Wineti will also be missing. Keegan Taie, Andre October and Geoff Ingi are left to provide experience.

Scott Nixon has switched from scrum-half to coach at Hornby, which will be led by Corey Lawrie and Bulls captain Jonny Limmer. Sam Wallace and Leo To'omalatai provide some starch in the pack with Craig Smith still a force in the centres.

Celebration has also scored some coaching expertise in ex-Warrior Shane Endacott, who will work with Dean Te Hae. The pair have already won the pre-season knockout competition and have bolstered their backline with centre Richard Hanson (from Hornby) and goalkicking half Simon Mounga (Riccarton).

The Riccarton Knights have been boosted by the return of former Bulls prop Vince Whare and scrum-half Hamish Barclay. Long-serving coach Brent Ringdahl lost one Mounga brother (Simon) to the Lions but still has the other (Tonga) at centre.

The Halswell Hornets' biggest capture is former Bulls coach and Kiwis assistant Phil Prescott. He has signed halfback Izic Placid from Papanui to help guide a young backline and will rely heavily on the experience of Bulls stalwarts Shane Beyers, Ross Martin and Joe Pombo.

Kaiapoi will sorely miss their three best forwards, long-time captain Kyle Reuben and former Bulls Ross Turi and Blake Milner. They will rely on former Bulls half Josh Reuben and Rainer McKenzie to guide the side in a rebuilding season.

Mark Sumner replaces long-serving Aranui Eagles John Rangihuna, who has moved to Australia. But with powerful pair Peter Asi and Alex Timo still in the pack, the Eagles cannot be taken lightly.

(Source: Tony Smith, The Press, 04 April 2009)

League revived after four years off the field Rugby League is back in full swing in Timaru after a four-year absence from the field.

The Timaru Warriors Rugby League Club has been able to take part this season, thanks to an increase in players.

Coach Kevin McErlain, who is filling in until the club is able to find a permanent coach, said 19 players turned up to the club's training on Thursday night, which was a great result for rugby league in Timaru.

The first game of the season will be played against Riccarton in at Crosbie Park today, starting at 2.45pm.

McErlain said he had an inexperienced team but the players were keen and looking forward to their first game. He said it would be the first taste of rugby league for most of the players.

"Judging by their pre-season form, they are one of the best teams we have had in a while," he said.

The team trains at Ashbury Park in Timaru on Tuesday and Thursday, starting at 6pm.

The club is still looking for new players and a permanent coach. Contact club president James Blissett on 027683119.

(Source: The Timaru Herald, 04 April 2009)

Tears and spears every year: call for two tribes to go to war again TEARY Titan Preston Campbell told his team of brothers that it was the highlight of his career - that it beat a Dally M award, his premiership ring and all those great football things.

Wests Tigers' Daine Laurie claimed local kids followed him around the streets of Yamba, asking him to scrawl his signature on their arms, for almost a week after the Dreamtime rugby league game last October.

It was an event indigenous footballers old and young, never expected. Playing in a team of footballers of Aboriginal descent against a New Zealand Maori team had been unimaginable for Campbell and Laurie before last year.

"No way, no way. I never thought it would happen," Laurie said. "[Aboriginal] knock-out, that's as far enough as I'd go with the group back up home. But nothing big.

"Playing in the NRL, that's all right - playing for your own people and with your people, I felt relief. It's pretty good."

When Laurie and his teammates' dreams came true, every emotional moment was captured by a fly-on-the-wall documentary crew - and the program, When Two Tribes Go To War, will screen this Sunday at 7.30pm on NITV and Foxtel. It also features Carl Webb, and Dean Widders.

The match was so successful, there have been calls for it to be held annually. But Dreamtime team manager Sol Bellear said that while there was huge support for an annual event, there were also some obstacles.

"I'm pushing as hard as hell for it," Bellear said. "At the moment, we are sort of up against it. The NRL clubs have got to release their players [but] because of insurance, because of the money they invest in the players and all that, it's a difficult for them to do that. But, hopefully, I'm aware the are trying to get an annual thing together they want to host. A letter has gone out to all the CEOs of the [NRL] clubs to have an Aboriginal side on the 25th of January each year.

"The Titans want to host it. It's something that may eventuate."

The game was played as a curtain-raiser to the World Cup last year and produced one of the most stirring scenes ever witnessed on a rugby league field.

When the Kiwi haka was screamed at the Australian players, it resulted in spears being stuck into the ground at the toes of the Maori players. "I thought I'd smack one of them," Laurie said "They tried to get real close. They tried to scare us. But that ain't going to work with us. No way in the world. They'd have to try a bit better than that." Laurie said the match left an indelible impression on him and his people. "I was over the moon playing in that team," he said. "Every single person was asking for a spare guernsey. They haven't even asked me for a Tigers guernsey yet. I lost my auntie back up there in Yamba on Friday. I went home for the funeral and everyone is still asking for the guernsey for the Dreamtime side."

Bellear said the week was highly emotional and highlighted the importance of community spirit. "The emotion, it even continues on to today. People pull you aside and still talk to you about that game. Preston Campbell, he is one that hides his emotions but amongst all the brothers, he really let it slip."

(Source: Sydney Morning Herald, 03 April 2009)

Rugby League International Federation official World Rankings The Rugby League International Federation today released the game’s official World Rankings following a highly successful 2008 Rugby League World Cup.

The rankings are based on a two year cycle of results and take into consideration a number of factors including regular competition within international tournaments.

Australia maintains its top spot courtesy of having defeated recently-crowned World Champions New Zealand three times in their past four encounters.

The RLWC 08 winners are in second spot with England at third despite their poor showing in the tournament, after whitewashing the Kiwis in the 2007 Gillette Test Series.

Fiji has edged out France and Papua New Guinea to take fourth spot on the strength of reaching the semi final of the World Cup while Ireland and Scotland have both secured a top ten spot.

Rugby League International Federation Chairman Colin Love AM said the rankings would add further spice to this year’s Four Nations between Australia, New Zealand, England and France, which is set for the Northern Hemisphere this autumn.

“There are going to be some terrific match-ups in the Four Nations and the battle for the world’s number one ranking is sure to be a highlight,” Love said today.

“There’s no doubt that New Zealand will want to secure the top world ranking to go along with their deserved status of 2008 World Cup Champions.

“The Kangaroos meanwhile would still be hurting from their World Cup final loss and will be hoping to reassert their dominance under new coach .

“It all points towards an exciting time ahead for international Rugby League.”

Wales go into this autumn's Rugby League European Cup in twelfth position, one place behind Lebanon which will also be involved in that tournament.

Rugby League European Federation Chairman and International Federation Deputy Chairman Richard Lewis said: “Last year’s World Cup was a huge success for the growth of international Rugby League and it is fantastic to see such a diverse number of nations now making up the rankings.

“Great progress is being made at all levels internationally and that good work is set to continue in 2009 with a number of exciting international tournaments planned.”

RLIF Official World Rankings:

2008 WORLD CUP TEAMS: 1. Australia 2. New Zealand 3. England 4. Fiji 5. France 6. PNG 7. Ireland 8. Tonga 9. Scotland 10. Samoa

PARTICIPATION IN 2008 WORLD CUP QUALIFICATION: 11. Lebanon 12. Wales 13. Russia 14. Cook Islands 15. USA 16. Serbia 17. Japan

ALL TEAMS IN REGULAR INTERNATIONAL COMPETITIONS: 18. Italy 19. Germany 20. Czech Republic 21. Latvia 22. Estonia

BASED ON RESULTS AGAINST FRIENDLY REPRESENTATIVE TEAMS 23. South Africa 24. Jamaica 25. Morocco 26. Greece 27. Malta 28. Ukraine 29. Niue 30. Tokelau

UNRANKED WITH ‘OFFICIAL OBSERVER STATUS’ The following countries are unranked but recognised with ‘official observer status’ due to the presence of development personnel establishing the roots of the game within their borders:

Catalonia Norway Sweden Portugal United Arab Emirates Solomon Is. Panama Cuba Hawaii Hungary Belgium Saudi Arabia Pakistan Denmark

(Source: www.sport-unleashed.blogspot.com 03 April 2009)

League players to be taxed out of Britain THE annual exodus of stars to the English Super League could be over following a crackdown by Britain's Inland Revenue on tax-free loopholes.

The news has Australian club bosses and managers warning players deals in England could be in danger of losing their tax-free lump sums if Super League clubs are slugged with massive bills. England's League has been asked to begin talks with the tax authorities on behalf of its clubs, but has denied speculation any have been slapped with six-figure fines.

"There's no way Castleford, and Wakefield and Hull KR and these clubs are going to pay the taxation department the money and then not take it off the players," an NRL club chief said.

"I can assure you of that."

If that is the case, then that could have serious ramifications for some former NRL players plying their trade for the aforementioned clubs.

Brent Sherwin, Dean Widders and Sione Faumuina are at Castleford, Brad Drew at Wakefield, and Clint Newton and Michael Vella at Hull KR.

It has been reported in The Guardian newspaper 10 of the 14 English Super League clubs could be targeted by Inland Revenue.

A leading player manager foreshadowed a fight if a Super League club attempted to short-change a player to recoup its losses.

"I think some clubs will do that but contractually that won't bond," the manager said.

"They're all going to try it but ultimately they've got to fulfil their obligations."

The problems stem from image rights agreements, which have seen some Super League clubs pay anywhere up to 40 per cent of a player's deal into an offshore account.

As well as coming under scrutiny from Inland Revenue for this practice, there are also moves to reduce the image rights figure to only 10 per cent.

A player lured to England on a pound stg. 100,000 ($207,000) a season deal would receive a pound stg. 60,000 salary while pound stg. 40,000 would be deposited into an offshore account.

If the changes go ahead, pound stg. 90,000 a season would be the player's salary with only pound stg. 10,000 being put aside for the end of his stint.

NRL chief executive David Gallop said the mooted tax changes, coupled with a reduction in the import quota and recent crackdown on visa restrictions, should help halt the overseas player drain.

"It's further evidence that playing in the UK is not the easy option it once was and it seems likely we'll see less players taking up a contract there," Gallop said.

The changes could have ramifications for Manly captain , who is off contract at season's end and the subject of interest from England.

Orford will need to take a pay cut to remain at the Sea Eagles, but that could be a realistic option if Super League clubs are restricted from paying tax-free sums into off-shore accounts.

Manly's talks with Orford have been hindered by the board-room brawl which has affected the club's start to the year.

However, with peace restored at ownership level, a decision on Orford's future is likely to be fast-tracked.

Orford will be critical if the club is to recover from its poor start to defend its title. Manly co-owner Max Delmege, who made peace with fellow owner Scott Penn at a board meeting on Wednesday night, believes another title is within Manly's grasp.

"We'll win it," Delmege said. "We'll go back-to-back."

(Source: Stuart Honeysett and Brent Read, The Australian, 03 April 2009)

Rugby league touchdown in US highly unlikely IN 2004, the Wayne Bennett-coached Kangaroos were almost on the receiving end of one of the greatest upsets in rugby league history. At halftime in a match at Philadelphia's Franklin Field, the United States Tomahawks, made up almost entirely of amateur players, led Australia 24-6.

The fact the Kangaroos were still hung over after celebrating their Tri-Nations final win over Britain in Leeds three days earlier had a lot to do with it and when they got serious in the second half they piled on 30 unanswered points.

But it still looked encouraging for rugby league in the US.

Since then there have been annual exhibition matches in the US, usually featuring English clubs, although South Sydney ventured to Jacksonville last year to play Leeds, and with plenty of promotion from part-owner , drew 12,000 appreciative fans.

Last week The Courier-Mail revealed former St George player David Nui was in the process of setting up a national league in the US with franchises to be announced in Philadelphia, New York, Los Angeles, Denver and a few other places still standing after America's financial meltdown.

I would love to see the competition succeed but we have been down this path many times and if anything comes of it I'll volunteer to cover an AFL game on the Gold Coast.

In 1953, the spiral-passing American All Stars toured Australia at the invitation of the ARL, largely in response to a successful ground-breaking tour by Fiji's side the previous year. At first the All Stars, made up of former gridiron players and top athletes, drew crowds up to 70,000, but later to make ends meet they were selling souvenirs outside grounds as far afield as Gundagai and Longreach.

In the 1960s, American entrepreneur Mike Mayer was enthralled by league when he saw the award-winning movie, This Sporting Life, set at Wakefield in England's north. Mayer chased the dream of an American league for many years and attended RL International Board meetings without getting the financial backing he craved. I still have a letter from Mayer saying "thanks but no thanks" after I offered my services as a player to his planned league in 1976.

Queensland and NSW played a State of Origin match at Long Beach, California in 1987 but once again there was no follow-up by league authorities.

When Super League held an international board meeting in Townsville to coincide with the World Nines in 1997, it was announced "self-funding" competitions would kick off in Japan and the US.

While a rival paper led the back page with the yarn, I gave it one sentence, highlighting instead the fact SL had introduced an admirable rule change preventing defenders from taking out a rival in mid-air when he was attempting to catch the football.

There was no substance to the Japan and US story, just as there is no substance to this latest American folly.

There is plenty of substance to the St George Illawarra team that Bennett will bring to for tomorrow night's showdown with the Broncos - now there's a good name for an American franchise.

Defence is the keynote for the Dragons as they reinvent themselves under Bennett. But attack will come, particularly as Bennett concentrates on the basics.

Bennett is not a believer in the spiral pass at all costs and he is sure to finetune that area of the Dragons game. A long, spiral pass from Dean Young to drifted forward - although I still think it was a tough call from the touch judge - last Sunday against Cronulla.

All Young needed to do was "pop" the ball to a close runner but he wasted valuable time winding up for the spiral. Keep it simple fellas.

(Source: Steve Ricketts, Courier Mail, 01 April 2009)

Cash haemorrhaging every time Kiwis play Rugby league is wary of staging home test matches for their world cup-winning Kiwis because internationals in this country lose money, the NZRL's annual report admits.

Dismal reading, the report bluntly concedes the sport has only just dodged bankruptcy, the NZRL having extended their bank overdraft from $300,000 to $500,000 as cashflow dried up.

While a league press release last week claimed their loss for 2008 was just $12,000, a more detailed study of the accounts shows they actually lost $200,000 when everything, including write-offs from other years, is considered.

Among their woes this year was securing just $93,000 in poker machine grants: a 94% drop from their 2007 figure of $1.157 million.

Other blows included:

* Writing off a total of $200,000 in loans to their district leagues, admitting most could never repay them.

* Slashing $100,000 off the value of their last remaining pub asset, Eddy's Bar in Wellington, which still remains on the market.

* Writing off a never-explained $50,000 loan to a North Shore publican, Allen Vaughan.

* The accounts appear to make no provision for the still-to-be- settled legal action by former NZRL director of rugby, Graham Lowe, who is suing for more than $170,000 in a breach of contract case.

In a candid financial commentary, the league's accountant, Alex Hayton, and audit committee chair, John Bishop, say: "NZRL is only just surviving . . . NZRL is struggling to provide the leadership, resources and support its members are looking for, having cut its operations back to the core.

"NZRL can only just resource itself, and the short term future financial outlook is not bright".

Most disturbingly, the league lost money on the only home internationals it staged - the All Golds v Maori match at New Plymouth and the Kiwis v Tonga in - both of which drew crowds well below predictions.

In their report, senior executives Murray McCaw and Peter Cordtz warn "it will be difficult for us to have the Kiwis playing in front of their home fans unless we can provide an attractive opponent".

"We're not saying there will be no international football played in New Zealand ever again, we're saying we need to find a way to make it work," Cordtz told the Sunday Star- Times yesterday.

The report says the word "survival" would summarise the year and admits there is no prospect of a major cash injection - barring largesse from Sparc - until the Quad Nations series with Australia, England and France, in October.

(Source: Steve Kilgallon, Sunday Star-Times, 29 March 2009)

Storm sale hits Mexican stand-off A CARTEL of wealthy Melbourne businessmen, keen to buy the Storm, could accelerate the move towards an independent commission ruling rugby league, together with expansion of the code into New Zealand.

The businessmen, already committed to the game through financial and emotional investments, have placed two conditions on the purchase of the Storm, who are owned by News Ltd, which is also half owner of the NRL.

The first is an independent commission with a long-term plan for the code's future, and the second is a guaranteed subsidy until the Storm turns to profitability.

The Storm loses $5 million a year, down from $8m two years ago, and its new, rectangular $300m stadium, which is set to open next season, will gradually reduce debt to $2m a year.

However, the businessmen, who are disappointed that NRL executives demonstrated no strategic vision in a recent meeting with the Storm board, argue the code must seize the opportunity of developing talent in New Zealand, particularly in the . This follows a recent conversation between one of the potential owners and a senior AFL executive, who reportedly said: "Rugby league can have Queensland if you give us New Zealand." It was a reference to AFL's struggle to win over fans in a state with a passion for the 13-a-side code.

A rugby league academy, built in Christchurch, catering for Polynesian players drafted to NRL clubs, is one initiative designed to capitalise on talent and head off Australian rules, which had such a presence in New Zealand before World War I that the Kiwis sent a representative team to a national carnival in Melbourne in 1908.

News Ltd is committed to reducing its ownership of NRL clubs to one, and has made it clear that it is seeking to surrender its half share of the NRL.

Selling the Storm would leave News Ltd with the Broncos, who record the highest turnover of NRL clubs, making $2m a year.

News Ltd sees Melbourne as the NRL's second-richest potential market (after New Zealand), and has insisted a condition of its exit is a guaranteed lifeline of funding to the new owners.

However, News Ltd executives have also made it clear they will refuse to hand the NRL over to its other half owner, the ARL.

ARL chief executive Geoff Carr says no proposal has been put to either himself or chairman, Colin Love, a member of the six-man partnership committee that runs the NRL.

A subcommittee of NRL chief executives, led by Titans' managing director Michael Searle, was formed a year ago to explore the possibility of a peak body, such as an independent commission, overseeing the various RLs - NRL, ARL, NSWRL, QRL, CRL - administering the game.

“It's very hard to comment on issues when no proposal has been forwarded," Carr said.

Searle disputes this, saying: "An independent commission has been widely accepted as the best vehicle to move the game forward by a majority of stakeholders.

"It's 'the deal' that has dragged on - the deal being what the ARL and News need to leave the game."

News Ltd has put its position but the ARL is yet to do so.

Searle said: "The only position submitted will be to the partnership board as a whole. Without both the ARL and News Ltd agreeing to accept the proposal, change can't occur."

One proposal involves the independent commission being called the ARL but stripping the existing body of most of its powers, rendering it a development arm of the code.

A 1998 peace treaty, signed at the end of the expensive Super League war, has News Ltd surrendering its half share of the NRL to the 16 clubs after a 20-year period, or the repayment of its investment, whichever comes first.

The ARL, guaranteed a half share of the NRL in 2018, together with its responsibility for the representative program, including the successful and a potentially lucrative international program, is yet to concede it will walk away.

One fear is that an independent commission, elected by the NRL clubs, could devalue State of Origin football by allowing clubs to withdraw their stars from the three-game series, in the same way the AFL's Origin series died under an independent commission.

While the Storm's potential owners and Searle say no big companies will invest in a code half-owned by one of the richest companies on the planet, some NRL's directors, including Harvey Norman part-owner, Katie Page, argue it would be foolhardy in this troubled economic time to fast-forward News Ltd's exit.

So the code is caught in a stand-off between one owner willing to surrender power in order for the game to grow financially, provided its partner, the traditional proprietor for a hundred years, does likewise.

Meanwhile, in Melbourne, the Storm's new stadium is not expected to be ready until a month into the 2010 season. But the Storm have a good rental deal with the Victorian Government and enjoy the fealty of a senior minister anxious for rugby league to have first use of the arena, ahead of football, union or a concert. The Storm's potential new owners argue this strong support deserves the leadership of an independent commission.

Searle agrees but said the other 15 clubs would not underwrite the Storm's debt past 2013.

(Source: Roy Masters, Sydney Morning Herald, 28 March 2009)