Issue No 33 | 01 October 1999 | |
SportGreg Radley's Week That Was
Mergers have taken over the off season talk in Rugby League
The buzzword has taken centre stage in most weeks of the competition (except maybe for Grand Final week) but the debate intensified this week. North Sydney, a part of Sydney's rugby league life since 1908, faces a tough few weeks as they strive to keep their place in the greatest league comp in the world The all powerful National Rugby League have them placed below 14 rival clubs in criteria rankings and now, like Souths, are fighting for survival. Survival of which kind we do not know. Suggestions brought forward on 2KY's Big Sports Breakfast this week leave supporters in limbo. Just like the punter who sits and waits for the photo to come down in a desperate finish at the races, North's fans can only hope. David Hill, former president of the Bears and prominent spokesperson for the "Save The Bears Campaign" told 2KY the future lies with appointed administrator Max Donnelly. Hill said that if the Bears members wish to stay alive and fight for the right to part of the NRL competition in the year 2000, talks must continue with the administrators. Indeed, that is a fact. Norths Sydney president Ray Beattie and his board of directors resigned last Wednesday and placed the club in the hands of administrators whose job it is to find a way out of over $4 million debt. Donnelly has publicly stated that the he favors a merger with Manly, traditional enemies of Norths for many years. Donnelly told the press this week; "It's my view the club cannot stand alone next year in the competition on a financial basis," He went on to say that Norths had little option but to merge, with Manly or another club. The "other clubs" are Newcastle and Parramatta and while Newcastle Chairman Michael Hill met with the administrators he told the Big Sports Breakfast that the ground (Marathon stadium), colours and name of the Knights are not negotiable Parramatta Leagues boss Denis Fitzgerald has never hidden the fact that that he would support a merger, remains open to more debate The David Hill group will have no part of a merger. North's supporters want to stand-alone. Donnelly is open to that idea but only if the debt is repaid. There is no doubt he believes a merger is the best course of action. It's been a busy week but there's so much more to come. Greg Radely presents the Big Sports Breakfast with Ian Trent each weekday on 2KY
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Interview: The Boys Labor Party heavyweights Eric Roozendaal and Damian O'Connor will lock horns this weekend. They fire their first shots. Economics: Reasons to Be Cheerful Can we change the way we look at the economy to better reflect community happiness and well-being? Unions: Breaking the Wave ACTU President's submission to the Senate Inquiry into the Workplace Relations Act. International: The Wisdom of Solomon A disturbing case from the Pacific where corporate lawyers are playing a deadly game. History: Groundhog Day Ghosts of Conferences past: some strangely familiar debates and decisions from previous state ALP conferences Legal: Bad, Bad Things Some of Australia's leading industrial lawyers argue that the Workplace Relations Act breaches basic international obligations. Review: Tailing Out As the BHP steelworks close in Newcastle a special book chronicles the stories of working live that have just become history. Satire: Police Cut-Backs Lead To Drop In Organised Crime An audit of the NSW Police has revealed that they have been seriously cutting back their operating budgets to ensure that they will be able to afford the increased security costs of the Olympics. Work/Time/Life: It's Official: Aussies Work Harder Australians continue to work long hours in contrast to a world-wide trend in industrialised countries that has seen hours at work remaining steady or declining in recent years.
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