sign in sign up
<<
Home , Bartercard Cup, Ben Cross (rugby league), Brent Stuart, Brian McClennan, Bryson Goodwin, David Kidwell

TO: NZRL Staff, Districts and Affiliates and Board

FROM: Cushla Dawson

DATE: 28 September 2009

RE: Media Summary Tuesday 22 September to Monday 28 September 2009

Auckland, Canterbury in final: Canterbury will host in the national final after both won contrasting semifinals over the weekend. top qualifiers Canterbury pipped 20-17 in Christchurch today after trailing 10-6 at halftime, scoring four tries to three in an even contest.

Bulls scrape through to berth in Final: The Bulls' big boys Jaye Pukepuke and Chris Bamford scored to deliver Canterbury's first representative rugby league home final in 16 years. But as Bulls' coach quipped after the 20-17 win: "I won't need a nail manicure for a while" after yesterday's semifinal at . Stuart watched nervously as the Bulls took 65 minutes to wrest the lead from Wellington and secure a National Provincial Premiership home final against Auckland next Sunday Christchurch's first since Stuart was a frontrower in 's side which routed Auckland in 1993.

Sin-binning proves costly: Wellington league coach Trevor Clark is fuming after a crucial refereeing decision bundled his side out of the national provincial premiership. Canterbury beat Wellington 20-17 in yesterday's semifinal in Christchurch and the sin-binning of fullback Greig Dean was the major talking point. Wellington lost 32-0 to Canterbury during the regular but shot out to a 10-0 first-half lead yesterday as Dean and winger Bureta Faraimo crossed for tries.

Iro’s assistance invaluable: After his success with the Warriors' Under-20s and helping the Kiwis, 's appointment as assistant coach of the first-grade side working alongside was a natural progression. Tony Iro's appointment this week as assistant coach of the Warriors' first-grade side was great news for the club. It's a wonderful promotion for the club's former under-20s coach and it's also a wonderful opportunity for him.

Kidwell to coach Rabbitohs U20s: As drives along one of 's streets, he's pulled over by a policeman for talking on his mobile phone. It's against the law in and Kidwell fears the worst. It's his lucky day and he's let off with a warning. Kidwell has had a good week. A couple of days earlier, he was also named South Sydney's under-20s coach, just weeks after the end of his NRL career.

Another blow for Kiwis: LESS than a month out from their Four Nations opener, the Kiwis have been struck down by yet another injury blow with fiery enforcer Jeremy Smith now expected to be ruled out of the tour. Back- rower Smith has been carrying an ankle injury for most of the season. It forced him out of the May 9 test before he returned for the Dragons in round 22. But this week it's understood he told Kiwis management he would miss the Four Nations campaign, which starts in October, in order to undergo surgery on the ankle.

Underdog status no problem for Waikato rugby league team: The Waikato rugby league team are content to claim underdog status heading into this afternoon's national championship semifinal against Auckland at Mt Smart Stadium. The visitors have their work cut out for them, with defending champions Auckland improving throughout the competition and welcoming back their Fox Memorial players in recent weeks.

Lure of home final adds incentive for Canterbury: Canterbury have an added incentive to beat Wellington in their national league semifinal in Christchurch tomorrow. Victory will give Canterbury the rare experience of playing a final at home. This follows Sky Television's agreement to a Rugby League (NZRL) approach to provide live coverage of the final in Christchurch should Canterbury win.

Goodwin keeping excellence in the family: enjoys reading the papers. The Bulldogs winger with the famous dad has been lapping up the hype and hyperbole surrounding tonight's Battle of Sydney against the Eels. With the sort of season he's been having - 19 tries in 22 games for a Bulldogs side that has gone from wooden spooners to contenders - it's no wonder the 23-year-old enjoys his trips to the newsagent.

Tigers chase shadows: The have been left to play guessing games over the fitness of star St George centre Chase Stanley in tonight's National Youth Cup preliminary final. Dragons under 20 coach Steve Price yesterday ruled Stanley out of the game, citing an ankle problem. The former New Zealand international was not named in the team for the qualifier, but the Mercury understands Stanley may still be a last-minute inclusion.

Blair answered Storm call: GIVEN the way the stars appear to have aligned for over the past fortnight, it is easy to forget the predicament coach Craig Bellamy faced just a month ago. In round 24 the Storm was dismantled in front of its home crowd by premier Manly. It was Melbourne's third loss in four matches and with injury and suspension ravaging his squad, Bellamy warned his men they would be watching the finals from the sidelines for the first time since his arrival in 2003 if no one was prepared to lead the side out of its mire. That it was who answered the call should come as a surprise to no one.

Former Kiwi Stuart Named Head Coach Of Bartercard Premiership Selection: Successful Canterbury coach Brent Stuart was today named head coach of the Bartercard Premiership Selection to face the Samoan Residents at on October 10. Stuart, who played 14 Tests for the Kiwis from 1992-95, earned the appointment after the Canterbury Bulls clinched top ranking for the Bartercard Premiership play-offs starting this weekend.

PI v NZ Residents: An annual New Zealand Residents 13 versus a Pacific Islands team is the newest fixture on the calendar. The first game will be between a Bartercard premiership selection and a Samoan residents team at Mt Smart stadium on October 10.

Home final prospect for Canty Bulls: Christchurch could host its first grand final in 16 years if the Canterbury Bulls beat Wellington in Sunday's semifinal in the city. New Zealand Rugby League competitions commissioner Kevin Bailey said the national body has asked if it would be prepared to screen the October 4 National Provincial Premiership grand final from Christchurch.

Brown added to Kiwis squad: Warriors second rower Lewis Brown has been added to the Kiwis' train-on squad for the Four Nations rugby league tournament. Kiwi coach told TVNZ Brown had been brought in to provide cover for the squad's back row options. "We've lost some of our second row contenders like , and so we've called Lewis in to give us some more depth there," he said.

Cantabs too classy for Waikato league side: A semifinal awaits them, but the Waikato rugby league team will need to lift their game if they are to be genuine title contenders in this season's national championship. In yesterday's final round-robin match against top-placed Canterbury in Huntly, Waikato showed good touches but fell apart defensively to lose 32-4 and confirm a trip to Mt Smart Stadium No2 to take on defending champions Auckland in next Saturday's Bartercard Premiership playoff.

Auckland, Canterbury in final Canterbury will host Auckland in the national rugby league final after both won contrasting semifinals over the weekend.

Bartercard Cup top qualifiers Canterbury pipped Wellington 20-17 in Christchurch today after trailing 10-6 at halftime, scoring four tries to three in an even contest.

Coached by former Kiwis prop Brent Stuart, Canterbury maintained their unbeaten record but will have their hands full against an Auckland side who thumped Waikato 60-4 in Auckland yesterday.

Henry Heta scored three of their 12 tries while doubles went to Cody Walker and James Blackwell.

Canterbury beat Auckland 32-30 in their meeting earlier this season.

(Source: New Zealand Herald, 28 September 2009)

Bulls scrape through to berth in Final The Bulls' big boys Jaye Pukepuke and Chris Bamford scored to deliver Canterbury's first representative rugby league home final in 16 years. But as Bulls' coach Brent Stuart quipped after the 20-17 win: "I won't need a nail manicure for a while" after yesterday's semifinal at Rugby League Park.

Stuart watched nervously as the Bulls took 65 minutes to wrest the lead from Wellington and secure a National Provincial Premiership home final against Auckland next Sunday Christchurch's first since Stuart was a frontrower in Frank Endacott's side which routed Auckland in 1993.

Wellington threw everything they had at the Bulls and Stuart conceded the capital team "probably deserved to win more than we did" over the entire 80 minutes.

"They put more effort in than we did, but one or two of our senior men came through in the end."

The Bulls trailed 10-11 when Wellington skipper Anton Wereta potted a 35m field goal after a Junior Salevao try had tied the score at 10-all. Agaese Fiso adroitly broke some tackles to down just before the interval.

But when cool-headed leadership was needed most desperately, Canterbury captain Jonny Limmer stepped up. The nuggety loose forward made a superb surge upfield to create the momentum for Pukepuke to crash over later and give the Bulls a 14-11 lead.

The brave Bamford, who toiled throughout despite carrying an injury into the game, clinched victory for the Bulls in the 71st minute when he dived on the loose ball after Wellington bungled a bomb.

"Chris really put his body on the line in that second half and that inspired the rest of them to get up and have a go," Stuart said.

Wellington showed their tenacity to the end with replacement forward Matt Time scoring through some tired tackles. But there was only time for Jamal Tamaiva to slot the goal before the fulltime hooter sounded much to the Bulls' relief.

"What a way to celebrate my 100th game," said Bulls prop Vince Whare, who led the team onto the field to mark his milestone.

"After all the work we've put in we would have felt undone if we hadn't topped it off today. A home final is second to none; it shows appreciation for our families and our supporters."

Whare, Pukepuke and young frontrower Alex Todd gave Canterbury go-forward when they needed it most while Limmer and outstanding hooker Nathan Sherlock led the team around the park. Salevao, who had a second try disallowed on a touch judge's ruling, and Jermahl Carroll showed some gas on the wings.

Wellington won most of the individual match-ups with second rowers Stephen Sutorious and Patrick Hunt prominent and hooker Hemi Kemp having a dinkum duel around the ruck with Sherlock.

Wellington coach Trevor Clark said it was "an understatement" to say the turning point was the 51st minute sin- binning of Dean for back-chatting referee Leon Williamson.

"We were told at halftime they wanted a quick play-the-ball," Clark said. "Our player took the ball forward, they lay over the ball, he got up and complained about it to the ref and he got sent to the bin."

He was not happy at the result but was proud of his team after being blanked by the Bulls 32-0 in round-robin play.

SCORERS Canterbury Bulls 20 (Agaese Fiso, Junior Salevao, Jaye Pukepuke, Chris Bamford tries; Simon Mounga 2 goals) Wellington 17 (Greig Dean, Bureta Fairoma, Matt Time tries; Dean, Jamal Tamaiva goals; Anton Wereta field goal). HT: 6-10. Referee: Leon Williamson (Auckland). Yesterday, in Auckland: Auckland 60 (Henry Heta 3, Cody Walker 2, James Blackwell 2, Sione Taka, Guenther Schaumkel, , Sala Fa'alogo, Chris Taumoepeau; William Heta 3 goals, Walker 3 goals) Waikato 4 (Simon Beale try). HT: 26-4.

(Source: Tony Smith, The Press, 28 September 2009)

Sin-binning proves costly Wellington league coach Trevor Clark is fuming after a crucial refereeing decision bundled his side out of the national provincial premiership. Canterbury beat Wellington 20-17 in yesterday's semifinal in Christchurch and the sin-binning of fullback Greig Dean was the major talking point.

Wellington lost 32-0 to Canterbury during the regular season but shot out to a 10-0 first-half lead yesterday as Dean and winger Bureta Faraimo crossed for tries.

But Dean's sin-binning helped Canterbury engineer a second-half turnaround.

Referee Leon Williamson, who controlled two games at last year's World Cup, ruled Dean had lingered too long after completing a tackle.

"The biggest thing that upset me was the sin-binning, I don't know what it was for," Clark said.

"It was a major shift for us because we had to restructure our whole backline. But having said that we had our chances."

Canterbury looked rattled during the first half but steadied by striking just before the halftime whistle.

Substitute Canterbury forward Agaese Fiso romped through some limp defence to reduce the halftime deficit to 10-6 at Rugby League Park.

That swung momentum back the minor premiers' way and after 60 minutes winger Junior Salevao tied the scores at 10-10, pouncing on a loose pass after a strong run by second rower Chris Bamford.

Wellington captain and halfback Anton Wereta surprised Canterbury with a long-range field goal to regain the lead at 11-10 but the red and blacks then sealed the match with two tries.

Big Canterbury prop Jaye Pukepuke crashed over from close range and Bamford was rewarded for an excellent match, dotting down after Wellington failed to defuse a towering bomb.

Patrick Hunt scored a consolation try for Wellington in the last minute but the visitors were left to reflect on what might have been.

"I'm proud of them," Clark said. "No one gave us a chance at all. Our whole forward pack were outstanding, they just put their bodies on the line. Definitely one that got away, definitely."

Clark hoped to return as coach next year as the revamped NZRL considers whether to expand the six-team competition.

Wereta said his side ran out of steam.

"The boys just didn't fire in the second half, it was a mixture, a game of two halves. We were confident but a few penalties here and there cost us."

In Saturday's semifinal, centre Henry Heta scored a hat-trick as defending champions Auckland trounced Waikato 60-4 at Mt Smart Stadium.

Canterbury will host the final against Auckland on Sunday.

"It's about time we had a final down here so we're really looking forward to it," Canterbury captain Johnny Limmer said.

(Source: Sam Worthington, The Dominion Post, 28 September 2009)

Iro’s assistance invaluable After his success with the Warriors' Under-20s and helping the Kiwis, Tony Iro's appointment as assistant coach of the first-grade side working alongside Ivan Cleary was a natural progression.

Tony Iro's appointment this week as assistant coach of the Warriors' first-grade side was great news for the club.

It's a wonderful promotion for the club's former under-20s coach and it's also a wonderful opportunity for him. He's done a great job with the Warriors' under-20s in the past two years and the move up to the first-grade side was something of a natural progression.

The Warriors clearly see great value in what Iro does and that's the primary reason we wanted to get him involved with the Kiwi team as the assistant coach.

He certainly has a great knowledge and ability to read the game and it's a wonderful accolade for him to be given the opportunity to work in a first-grade environment. I'm sure Tony will make a big difference in the position next year.

After Wayne Bennett stepped down from his advisory role with the Kiwis at the end of the World Cup, we looked around for a suitable replacement.

Tony was always the man for the job and he came into the camp as our assistant coach ahead of May's one-off test in .

He slotted into the environment with ease, which was to be expected because he's a real character and gets on with everybody.

I must say, though, that Tony's first experience with the Kiwis in a coaching capacity was a bit of a baptism of fire. Because the Anzac test week is so compressed, all the planning is done before we even get into camp and I guess Tony would have liked to have had more involvement than he did.

His opportunity to make a mark on the Kiwis will come when we go to England next month for the Four Nations.

In this Kiwis environment, it's during the course of a long campaign that you see the true value of guys like Tony.

I'm really looking forward to working with him in the coming weeks.

This week my time, obviously, has been taken up by my duties as assistant coach at the Storm. We played the Broncos last night for a place in the Grand Final.

And given I haven't been around, I've been able to rely on the likes of Tony to ensure our Kiwis preparations are trucking along smoothly.

He, along with Dane Norton and with some assistance from , have been overseeing our New Zealand-based train-on squad during the last couple of weeks.

I talked before about Tony's appointment with the Warriors and how it was a natural progression for a talented league coach to move up from the under-20s and into the first-grade environment. And I guess the great thing is Tony isn't alone in making his mark on the NRL away from the playing field.

At the moment, we've got Quentin Pongia on the coaching staff at the Raiders and just this week David Kidwell was appointed as the Rabbitohs' under-20s coach.

The appointment of Kiwis to key coaching positions at various clubs is a natural progression, given the number of New Zealand and Polynesian players involved in the game these days.

I'm not saying Kiwis should be involved at every club; I know they would be first and foremost appointed on what can offer the club from a sense, but I certainly think some clubs benefit from having blokes on staff who can relate to their young Polynesian talents, in particular.

In terms of the actual Kiwis train-on squad, I'd like to offer my congratulations to young Warrior Lewis Brown who was this week added to it. He's had an outstanding year and thoroughly deserved his call-up. He started off the year as a largely unknown quantity but through hard work he forced his way into the Warriors' first-grade side and now the Kiwis' train-on squad.

He finished the regular season in great form and that's why he's now in the mix for the Four Nations.

(Source: Stephen Kearney, Sunday News, 27 September 2009)

Kidwell to coach Rabbitohs U20s As David Kidwell drives along one of Sydney's streets, he's pulled over by a policeman for talking on his mobile phone.

It's against the law in Australia and Kidwell fears the worst. It's his lucky day and he's let off with a warning.

Kidwell has had a good week. A couple of days earlier, he was also named South Sydney's under-20s coach, just weeks after the end of his NRL career.

He had options to follow the well-trod path of many others and head to the UK to finish his playing days but he didn't really want to uproot his young family and the offer to coach was too tempting.

"I have always wanted to coach and I know it's a long way to the top but what better way to start than to coach the young guys at Souths? When the position became available, I threw my hat in the ring," he says.

Kidwell has always known what he has wanted. He has one glaring omission - he came close to an NRL title with Melbourne in 2006 - but most of the time, he can sit back and put a big tick beside his list of goals.

Play NRL: tick. Play for the Kiwis: tick. Win a World Cup: tick. Oust as Kiwis coach: tick.

He might have just been handed his first coaching assignment but he already knows what he wants to do next.

"I'm a very goals-oriented person," he says. "If you haven't got goals in your life, you are just going through life cruising.

"I definitely want to be a head coach [in the NRL] somewhere in the near future, that's for sure. I have already set that goal. I have always come close to achieving goals in my life."

He certainly had a successful playing career. He played 209 NRL games for five clubs across 12 seasons and also appeared in 25 tests for the Kiwis. He was a member of last year's World Cup-winning squad but played little part on the field.

His NRL playing days ended ingloriously with Souths' NSW Cup side but not all careers end in a blaze of glory.

Kidwell has also been training to become a qualified personal trainer and strict regulations around under-20s and when they train mean he will be able to work with clients in the morning and his youngsters in the afternoon.

New Souths coach John Lang, who was appointed to take over from disgraced former coach Jason Taylor, has agreed to mentor him.

The Souths under-20s finished sixth this season but were eliminated in the first week of the finals, losing to Melbourne. Last year, they were 10th.

Kidwell will have a better idea of what his style will be when pre-season training starts in early November and he sees first-hand the squad he has to work with.

But he has a few former coaches he can draw on. He played under three of the game's most successful coaches of the modern era - Brian Smith, Craig Bellamy and Wayne Bennett - as well as Frank Endacott, Daniel Anderson, Brian McClennan and Stephen Kearney with the Kiwis.

"I am a bit like a sponge and soaked out all the bits I thought would be relevant for my coaching career," he says. "I knew that once my mind was made up, that I wanted to take the job.

"I realise there are a lot of ups and downs. It's a cut-throat industry and you're rated on what your team does. I don't have a lot of grey hairs and I want to keep it that way."

New Zealand isn't blessed with a raft of top-line coaches. It seems just a matter of time before Kearney is handed an NRL club - he's linked with every vacancy that crops up - but only three Kiwis have coached NRL clubs. Frank Endacott (1998), Mark Graham (1999-2000) and (2004-05) all coached the Warriors with limited success.

Kearney and potentially Kidwell and Tony Iro, who last week was promoted to Warriors assistant, are a new breed coming through.

"I don't feel like a coach," Kidwell admits. "I don't feel anything like a coach... but I'm starting to think like one." (Source: Michael Brown, Herald on Sunday, 27 September 2009)

Another blow for Kiwis LESS than a month out from their Four Nations opener, the Kiwis have been struck down by yet another injury blow with fiery enforcer Jeremy Smith now expected to be ruled out of the tour.

Back-rower Smith has been carrying an ankle injury for most of the season. It forced him out of the May 9 test before he returned for the Dragons in round 22.

But this week it's understood he told Kiwis management he would miss the Four Nations campaign, which starts in October, in order to undergo surgery on the ankle.

"Jeremy Smith won't be involved for the Four Nations so that's a bit of bad news we've got this week," Kiwis coach Stephen Kearney confirmed last night.

"He requires an operation which needs a pin inserted and there's no doubt he is going to be a big loss, like all the other guys who have been ruled out with injury.

"It's just one of those things we have to deal with."

The loss of Smith is just one of many blows the Kiwis have experienced in the build-up to this year's international campaign.

Already, former skipper , Storm forward Sika Manu, Newcastle up-and-comer Zeb Taia, Taniela Tuiaki Dally M winger of the year and Warriors stars Simon Mannering, , and have been ruled out of touring.

When contacted by Sunday News yesterday, Smith was coy about missing the tour.

"Nothing's been decided yet," he said. "I'm booked in to see the specialist next week and we'll go from there."

(Source: Aaron Lawton, Sunday News, 27 September 2009)

Underdog status no problem for Waikato rugby league team The Waikato rugby league team are content to claim underdog status heading into this afternoon's national championship semifinal against Auckland at Mt Smart Stadium.

The visitors have their work cut out for them, with defending champions Auckland improving throughout the competition and welcoming back their Fox Memorial players in recent weeks.

Waikato will be looking to experienced halfback Hayden Karena to lead the way in the sudden-death encounter and steer the team around the park, something he has been doing well during the season.

"We all know it's going to be a big weekend, they'll have their full-strength side, I'm just looking forward to it," Karena, 27, said.

When the two sides met in round two, Auckland came out on top 30-22, after Waikato put in a spirited second- half fightback.

This time around, Karena is keen to see his side start with more purpose.

"In that first game they probably started the game a lot better than us, we sort of waited too long to see what their cards were before we started to play.

"A lot of the expectations will be on them to win.

"We're expecting a hard game, but we're not going to hold anything back, it could be our last game."

Waikato are coming off a 32-4 loss to top-of-the-table Canterbury, while Auckland destroyed Taranaki 74-16.

Karena said it was imperative his side held on to the ball and sharpened up their defence around the ruck if they were going to have any chance of causing an upset. "I know they'll be big and their big guys like to range out wide and get offloads away, but if we can stop their go forward I know those guys tend to get a bit frustrated and start trying to throw the 50-50 ball and stuff like that."

After stints in Australia in recent seasons with the Central Comets in the Cup and Erina Eagles in the Jim Beam Cup, Karena feels the experience has stood him in good stead and made him a better player.

"I've probably matured a lot. When I was a bit younger I used to be a bit more erratic," he said.

"You've always got to plan ahead and I've learnt that over the last few years, you've got to plan ahead and try and be at least two steps ahead."

Meanwhile, Waikato's two Warriors Under-20 players hooker Jarome Kutia and lock Ryan Laurenson have been forced out of today's match with a wrist and concussion injury respectively.

Waikato: Vaughn Calcinai, Emmanuel Toka, John Taituha, Namu Puru, David Gideon, Darren Kingi, Hayden Karena, Barry Tawera, Dominic Paul, Brendon Irvine, Simon Beale (c), Zane Milliken, Ryan Laurenson. Interchange: Malcolm Noda, Taku Simon, Aaron Botherway, Marrin Haggie.

Auckland: James Blackwell, Sione Taka, Guenther Schaumkel, Henry Heta, Rick Mccamish, William Heta, Cody Walker, Dylan Davis, Kelvin Wright, Fred Turuwhenua, Suiaia Matagi, Sala Fa'alogo, Sailii Tufeao. Interchange: Darin Kingi, Chris Taumoepeau, Sione Tongia, George Taunga.

Kick-off: 3.30pm, Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland.

(Source: Aaron Goile - Waikato Times, 26 September 2009)

Lure of home final adds incentive for Canterbury Canterbury have an added incentive to beat Wellington in their national league semifinal in Christchurch tomorrow.

Victory will give Canterbury the rare experience of playing a final at home. This follows Sky Television's agreement to a New Zealand Rugby League (NZRL) approach to provide live coverage of the final in Christchurch should Canterbury win.

"It's a real breakthrough for us that Sky has shown it's prepared to take the final out of Auckland," said NZRL chief executive Jim Doyle.

"Having qualified for the semifinals as the top side, the Bulls have earned the right to have the final on their home ground if they win on Sunday but it wouldn't have been possible without Sky's backing."

Almost every previous final in various forms of national competitions has been played in Auckland.

That was the case with the grand finals from 1994-1996 while the same happened with the finals from 2000- 2007, two of which were won by Canterbury in Auckland, and again last year.

An exception was the 1997 season when the final was played in Christchurch where Waikato upset Canterbury 34-18. Four years earlier, Canterbury were at home for the national first division championship final when they beat Auckland 36-12.

Canterbury coach Brent Stuart was one of the heroes in the Frank Endacott-coached side that day.

Stuart has guided Canterbury to a five-from-five record in the round robin phase of the Bartercard premiership this season and yesterday he was named as head coach of the Bartercard Selection to face Samoan Residents in Auckland on October 10.

With wins over Auckland (32-30), Wellington (32-0), Taranaki (48-10), Bay of Plenty (66-16) and Waikato (32-4), the Bulls are heavily favoured to beat fourth-ranked Wellington on Sunday.

The other semifinal is between Auckland and Waikato in Auckland today. (Source: NZ Herald, 26 September 2009)

Goodwin keeping excellence in the family Bryson Goodwin enjoys reading the papers.

The Bulldogs winger with the famous dad has been lapping up the hype and hyperbole surrounding tonight's Battle of Sydney against the Eels.

With the sort of season he's been having - 19 tries in 22 games for a Bulldogs side that has gone from wooden spooners to contenders - it's no wonder the 23-year-old enjoys his trips to the newsagent.

Certainly it's hard to imagine many negative things being written about a player who was shown the door by Cronulla last season after making just seven appearances in two years.

His partnership with centre Josh Morris (21 tries) is the most potent attacking flank combination in the competition.

This week a Sydney newspaper ran a nice light-hearted piece about Goodwin's sister Rearne, who dates Eel centre . The NRL rivals enjoy bowling together and, apparently, lying about who is best.

Things aren't quite so touchy-feely, however, in the murky world of internet message board sites. Goodwin's decision to declare himself available for New Zealand may have been a coup for Stephen Kearney's Kiwis, but the news was greeted with less than universal acclaim.

Goodwin's comment at the time that he would "love to play for Australia, but I doubt they'd pick me" went down like a cup of cold sick with hardline Kiwis fans.

"Just the sort of passion for the jersey we need - piss off Goodwin," one poster wrote.

Others echoed those sentiments, but it's a judgment that appears extremely harsh. After all, Goodwin's only crime was being honest.

A second-generation Australian, his father is a Kangaroos and St George legend. An electrifying fullback during the 70s, "Lord" played 147 first-grade games, including 116 for the Dragons, with whom he won a grand final in 1977.

Goodwin senior scored 57 tries - including a spectacular effort when he knocked himself out while scoring during the 9-9 grand final draw with in 1977.

The Dragons won the replay 22-0, with Goodwin kicking six goals and a field goal.

The son, however, is on track to eclipse many of his father's deeds. The old man's single season try mark of 13 has already been blitzed.

Goodwin's form is such that he was being rated as an outside chance to make the Kangaroos Four Nations squad. But such talk was stopped cold in August when he declared for the Kiwis.

Goodwin's grandmother is Maori, and it is that ancestry he points to when explaining his decision.

"I played for the Maori last year and a few years ago, so I'm not worried about anything," he said.

"It was a big decision. I grew up in Australia. But, I don't know, I didn't mind making the decision to play for the Kiwis - if I get selected.

"I'm proud to play for New Zealand. I can't wait to just get out there and play."

He should get his chance, although wing is an area where the Kiwis are blessed with plenty of talent. Shaun Kenny-Dowall, Sam Perrit, and Kevin Locke are all contenders. But with injured hulks Manu Vatuvei and Taniela Tuaki out of the picture, Goodwin likes his chances.

He also has the advantage of still being in the shop window, with tonight's match, expected to be played in front of a record crowd, another chance to prove himself on the big stage. Having been forced to watch from the stands as Cronulla exited at the same stage last season with a 0-28 flogging at the hands of Melbourne, Goodwin is thrilled just to be lacing his boots up.

"I couldn't ask for more really," he said. "This game has been really built up a lot because of the rivalry the two clubs have with each other going back to the 80s. It should be awesome. I can't wait to get out there."

The Bulldogs' traditional in-your-face defence would be the key to halting the runaway train that is the Eels, he said.

" and have been going great for them. If we can stop them we should be all right.

"A lot of teams have been standing off [Hayne], but if we just defend how we always do we'll be all right."

The Bulldogs also have their own ace up their sleeve - returning halfback .

"He is huge for us," Goodwin said. "He settles us down in attack and his enthusiasm in defence and his attitude brings a lot of confidence to the team.

"We are confident we can win it."

BRYSON GOODWIN Age: 23 Height: 1.86m Weight: 95kg Position: Wing, fullback Clubs: Sharks 07-08, 8 games, 2 tries Bulldogs: 09 - 23 games, 19 tries Family: His father, Ted, played for Australia and his brothers, Bronx and Luke, have played at NRL level. His sister, Rearne, dates Eels back Joel Reddy. Goodwin qualifies for New Zealand by virtue of his Maori grandmother and has declared himself available for the Kiwis.

(Source: Steve Deane, NZ Herald, 25 September 2009)

Tigers chase shadows The Wests Tigers have been left to play guessing games over the fitness of star St George Illawarra centre Chase Stanley in tonight's National Youth Cup preliminary final.

Dragons under 20 coach Steve Price yesterday ruled Stanley out of the game, citing an ankle problem.

The former New Zealand international was not named in the team for the grand final qualifier, but the Mercury understands Stanley may still be a last-minute inclusion.

Stanley has only played two games in the NYC competition this year, wearing jersey 21 after coming into the team for the 48-20 victory over the Warriors at WIN .

The win earned the Dragons a week off, however, Price said the rest has failed to ensure Stanley is fit for tonight's showdown.

Stanley has played 38 NRL games in his career, as well as representing New Zealand, the All Golds and NZ Maori.

Having played eight games for the NRL team this season, Stanley still qualifies for the NYC finals series because he has played more games for the Dragons feeder club Shellharbour, which count towards under-20 eligibility.

Price called on the Dragons to maintain the consistency that took them to second place on the NYC ladder this season.

"The most pleasing thing throughout the whole year is we've been consistent," Price said.

"But we've still got unfinished business.

"We've got an 80-minute performance tomorrow night and that's our main focus point." With or without Stanley, the Dragons are raging favourites to win tonight's preliminary final, listed at $1.22 head- to-head, with the Tigers at $4.

They are also $1.90 front-runners to take out the NYC premiership next week.

While there is a question mark over whether Stanley will play, his younger brother Kyle will line up at five-eighth tonight.

Kyle yesterday said following Chase through the junior grades has been a huge inspiration and motivation for him.

"It drives me more to become a professional footy player having a brother like him," Kyle said.

But as a five-eighth and Chase in a ball-running position as a second-rower or centre, Kyle said the roles have been reversed from their junior days.

"The last time we played together was in under 10s in Hurstville when I played up two years (age divisions)," Kyle said.

"I yell at him where to go now instead of the other way."

(Source: Tim Barrow, Illawarra Mercury, 25 September 2009

Blair answered Storm call GIVEN the way the stars appear to have aligned for Melbourne over the past fortnight, it is easy to forget the predicament coach Craig Bellamy faced just a month ago.

In round 24 the Storm was dismantled in front of its home crowd by premier Manly. It was Melbourne's third loss in four matches and with injury and suspension ravaging his squad, Bellamy warned his men they would be watching the finals from the sidelines for the first time since his arrival in 2003 if no one was prepared to lead the side out of its mire.

That it was Adam Blair who answered the call should come as a surprise to no one.

While the quietly-spoken and humble New Zealander insists he is "not much of a leader", the reality is Blair's story is one of a man who responds when others need him the most.

Having farewelled hard-headed veterans , and Antonio Kaufusi in the off-season, injuries to , Matt Cross, Sika Manu and Scott Anderson late in the season had stretched the Storm's playing resources to the limit. And Blair was forced to move into an uncustomary backrow role.

He has responded with a stellar month of football, further enhancing his growing reputation as one of the game's most effective forwards -- a reputation former Melbourne captain and Test prop Robbie Kearns says was built on his uncompromising performances for New Zealand in last year's World Cup.

"I think he really came of age last year in the World Cup," Kearns said.

"Talking to (Melbourne assistant and New Zealand coach) Stephen Kearney, he really took on a leadership role there with the Kiwis. He's not a self-promoter but Steve said he really came out of his shell at last year's World Cup.

"I just reckon over the last couple of years he has really started to believe in himself a bit.

"Prior to that he was playing second fiddle to some of our other forwards."

Blair revealed a typically frank discussion with Bellamy during pre-season had opened his eyes to the fact that, like it or not, he needed to become the sort of player his less accomplished teammates could rely on in their hour of need.

However, while not comfortable with the notion of directing or motivating others with anything but his own actions, Blair has a wealth of more genuine life experience when it comes to accepting the most daunting of challenges ... because he needed to, not because he was ready. The eldest of eight children, Blair had not yet reached his teenage years when his father Willie died after a year- long battle with cancer.

Blair dutifully stepped into the role of provider, taking charge of the family's dairy farm until his mother Jane relocated the entire clan to Wellington shortly after Willie's passing.

Having secured his place in Melbourne's top squad, Blair paid for his family to move to Melbourne almost two years ago. His determination to look after the future of his siblings provided a limitless fuel for his career ambitions.

"It is great having them here now, starting a new life together as a family," Blair said. "I have my football to thank for helping make that happen. My family always comes first, but family and football help each other.

"I am much happier and more settled with them living here and I know that if I can keep improving my game, I can help out whenever any of them need me."

As it is with all families, the relationship is anything but a one-way street.

While Blair might be able to lend a hand for the occasional bill, in tomorrow night's preliminary final against Brisbane the assistance will come his way from a small but vocal and fiercely loyal cheer squad at Etihad Stadium.

"I love having them at my games and this is a huge game, so it will be nice to have some support there," Blair said.

"Brisbane's forwards showed early against the Dragons what they can do, so we have to be ready for that sort of a start.

"We have been guilty of starting slowly quite a few times this year and coming off a week off, we have to be careful we don't let it happen again.

"We need to get out there and put it on them right from the kick-off."

No prizes for guessing who will be leading the charge.

(Source: Dan Koch, The Australian, 25 September 2009)

Former Kiwi Stuart Named Head Coach Of Bartercard Premiership Selection Successful Canterbury coach Brent Stuart was today named head coach of the Bartercard Premiership Selection to face the Samoan Residents at Mount Smart Stadium on October 10.

Stuart, who played 14 Tests for the Kiwis from 1992-95, earned the appointment after the Canterbury Bulls clinched top ranking for the Bartercard Premiership play-offs starting this weekend.

The southerners, who also hold the , put together a perfect record in the round-robin phase of the provincial competition with wins over Auckland (32-30), Wellington (32-0), Taranaki (48-10), Bay of Plenty (66-16) and Waikato (32-4). They are favoured to beat fourth-ranked Wellington in the Bartercard Premiership semi-finals on Sunday to make the October 4 grand final.

Stuart, previously the Bulls' assistant coach in the old Bartercard Cup from 2002-06, has been head coach of Canterbury's representative side since 2007.

The New Zealand Rugby League's high performance manager Tony Kemp said Stuart's commitment to coaching and the results he had achieved made him an obvious choice for his first national representative coaching honour.

"Brent's one of our most promising young coaches and has been consistent in his involvement at representative level for several years now," he said.

"It's our intention to have a national representative match of this type annually to give our provincial coaches, other football staff and locally-based players an opportunity to represent at a higher level. "With Brent and the other football staff named today, we are showing there is a pathway for them in this country that will help develop them in their areas of expertise."

All coaches and staff involved in the six Bartercard Premiership teams were considered when making the football appointments for the selection side.

As well as Stuart, Wellington coach David Lomax, also a former Kiwi, has been named the Bartercard Premiership Selection's assistant coach. He coached the to victory over the in Wellington in 2007.

Canterbury's Duane Fyfe is the team's manager, Jason McCarthy (Auckland) the trainer and Doug King (Wellington) will hold the position of trainer-medic.

After the grand final, the NZRL will announce the Bartercard Premiership Selection line-up, chosen from all players involved in the competition.

(Source: www.voxy.co.nz 24 September, 2009)

PI v NZ Residents An annual New Zealand Residents 13 versus a Pacific Islands team is the newest fixture on the New Zealand rugby league calendar.

The first game will be between a Bartercard premiership selection and a Samoan residents team at Mt Smart stadium on October 10.

The Bartercard selection will be named after the national provincial championship final on October 5.

The coach, manager and other staff will be named this weekend.

Rusty Matua, coach of the Papakura women’s team, Auckland and the , is in the running for the coaching job.

(Source: Manukau Courier 24 September 2009)

Home final prospect for Canty Bulls Christchurch could host its first national rugby league grand final in 16 years if the Canterbury Bulls beat Wellington in Sunday's semifinal in the city.

New Zealand Rugby League competitions commissioner Kevin Bailey said the national body has asked Sky Sport if it would be prepared to screen the October 4 National Provincial Premiership grand final from Christchurch.

"Sky replied that they will have a look at this weekend's results and consider it," Bailey said yesterday. "There is every possibility it could go to Christchurch if [the Bulls] beat Wellington on Sunday."

Sky is screening Sunday's semifinal at Rugby League Park and the other playoff between Auckland and Waikato in Auckland on Saturday.

A grand final has not been held in Christchurch since 1993, when 10,000 fans watched Frank Endacott's Canterbury team thrash Auckland 36-12. The Canterbury Bulls won two Bartercard national league titles in Auckland in 2000 and 2003.

Bailey said it was only right that the Bulls, who finished unbeaten in the round-robin with five wins from five matches, should have home advantage. But he said the final call would be made by Sky.

"We are quite happy for it to go there."

The NZRL stance is at odds with its position last year when the Bulls qualified for the grand final after also topping the round-robin. NZRL general manager Peter Cordtz said then that Auckland was chosen as the venue for "logistical reasons", including Maori Television's requirements. His comment came just days after Maori TV had televised the Canterbury-Auckland round-robin decider in Christchurch.

Cordtz also claimed that Auckland had traditionally been New Zealand rugby league's grand final venue, just as Sydney hosted NRL finals.

But the decision to hold last year's final in Auckland backfired. Canterbury League (CRFL) general manager Graeme Sole counted 100 people at Mt Smart Stadium's No2 ground, where the surface was substandard. Sole said he "should have brought my grandchildren along and they could have built sandcastles on it".

Sole said yesterday he was "rapt at the change in attitude" from the NZRL. "It looks as though the venue for the final will be down to us, which should be an extra incentive for the Bulls."

(Source: Tony Smith, The Press, 23 September 2009)

Brown added to Kiwis squad Warriors second rower Lewis Brown has been added to the Kiwis' train-on squad for the Four Nations rugby league tournament.

Kiwi coach Stephen Kearney told TVNZ Brown had been brought in to provide cover for the squad's back row options.

"We've lost some of our second row contenders like Simon Mannering, Sika Manu and Zeb Taia so we've called Lewis in to give us some more depth there," he said.

Brown's inclusion brings the train-on squad to 39, with eight in the group already ruled out with injuries.

They include Roy Asotasi (knee), Taniela Tuiaki (ankle), Mannering (knee), Sam Rapira (chest), Jerome Ropati (shoulder), Manu Vatuvei (knee), Manu (ankle) and Taia (shoulder).

Despite the injuries, Kearney remained positive.

"My focus is always on the players we will have, not on those we won't have," he said last week.

"While it's obviously disappointing when players are unavailable, it's also a reality when you're dealing with a competition that's as tough as the National Rugby League is."

A 23-strong New Zealand tour party for the Four Nations will be named on October 5.

The Kiwis will play a one-off test against in Rotorua on October 14 before flying out for Britain three days later.

The opening Four Nations match is against Australia in London on October 24. The New Zealanders face in Toulouse and England in Huddersfield on successive weekends after that.

The tournament final is in Leeds on November 14.

Amended train-on squad is: (Warrington), Adam Blair (Melbourne), Luke Covell (Cronulla), (Bulldogs), David Fa'alogo (South Sydney), (St George Illawarra), (Manly), (Brisbane), Bryson Goodwin (Bulldogs), (Wests Tigers), (), (Warriors), (Parramatta), Shaun Kenny-Dowall (), (Wigan), Jeff Lima (Melbourne), Kevin Locke (Warriors), (South Sydney), (Wests Tigers), (Manly), (Warriors), Fuifui Moimoi (Parramatta), (St George Illawarra), Frank-Paul Nuuausala (Sydney Roosters), (Warriors), (Sydney Roosters), Eddy Pettybourne (South Sydney), (Penrith), Ben Roberts (Bulldogs), Setaimata Sa (Sydney Roosters), Junior Sau (Newcastle), Jeremy Smith (St George Illawarra), (Sydney Roosters), Chase Stanley (St George Illawarra), Fetuli Talanoa (South Sydney), Jared Waerea- Hargreaves (Manly), (Leeds), (Brisbane), Lewis Brown (Warriors). (Source: NZ Herald, 22 September 2009)

Cantabs too classy for Waikato league side A semifinal awaits them, but the Waikato rugby league team will need to lift their game if they are to be genuine title contenders in this season's national championship.

In yesterday's final round-robin match against top-placed Canterbury in Huntly, Waikato showed good touches but fell apart defensively to lose 32-4 and confirm a trip to Mt Smart Stadium No2 to take on defending champions Auckland in next Saturday's Bartercard Premiership playoff.

Coach John Devonshire conceded that although Waikato began the match well, they weren't able to match Canterbury's intensity in the second stanza.

"They got momentum and go forward and it was pretty tough," Devonshire said. "We've got to tighten up around the play the ball.

"It's just a mental thing, at this level you've got to maintain it for 80, you can't go for 40 and we did, we went real good for 40."

Canterbury began yesterday's match well with a try after 12 minutes, but Waikato began to exert pressure and forced the visitors into a number of errors.

The home side then capitalised on their good defensive work near halftime when centre Namu Puru scored, following a bomb from halfback Hayden Karena.

But early in the second half a harsh forward pass call ended an attacking opportunity and from there Canterbury piled on six unanswered tries, including a double to prop Vince Whare, who proved far too strong close to the line.

Puru was Waikato's standout player but felt the intensity in yesterday's game was a few notches higher than in previous weeks and the team struggled to adapt.

"You know they're (Canterbury) number one for a reason. They showed out there today," Devonshire said.

"I suppose fitness is the key and just communication. We were falling off a few tackles there. There were a few big units in that Canterbury side and they were just making yards and we were all getting caught in the middle and then it just left it easy for their wingers and centres to finish off.

"I think it just comes down to fitness. When you're tired you can't talk, we were blowing a few big ones out there. Canterbury, I just take my hat off to them, they were just a class outfit."

Devonshire said his side would go into the semifinal as underdogs, but said they would definitely be up for the occasion. "We've just got to go out there and play with plenty of pride and try and be as positive as we can."

(Source: Aaron Goile - Waikato Times, 21 September 2009)