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League is back but please, spare us the excuses

28th January, 2015
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Aidan Sezer - one of the hottest prospects for the Titans - is off to the Raiders. (AAP Image/Dave Hunt)
Expert
28th January, 2015
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The off-season is a necessary evil away from rugby league but I guess everyone needs time to re-charge their football batteries.

This weekend, we will be entertained by the Auckland Nines. Not really my cup of tea but the best aspect is that we should see a number of future NRL stars given an early shot in the limelight, and that is always exciting even if the event is Mickey Mouse-ish, pretty much a TV gimmick.

I say good luck to all involved. Have fun but stay safe. Hopefully the alarming number of serious injuries sustained in last year’s event was a one-off. Not worth competing in something so lightweight if it affects your entire season.

Having said all of the above, I will be watching with interest. If nothing else the Nines are a good, fun way to kick off the rugby league season.

There are many things to toss up in my first column of 2015 and the first is the extended World Club Challenge.

Souths will soon be in England to play Super League champions St Helens (February 22) while in the new, expanded format, the Broncos line up against Wigan and the St George Illawarra Dragons tackle Warrington.

All good so far, but I really don’t want to hear complaints – or excuses – about this big event affecting the competing NRL clubs’ 2015 campaigns.

All three Australian clubs are being well compensated for participating. Nobody forced them to go to England. Just bank the big bucks on offer and if they happen to drop an early NRL comp game or two, tough.

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These clubs have some serious opposition instead of a bush trial, or a romp against someone’s reserve graders. Their players should reap benefits from the time away together as well as the solid match practice.

Memo Rabbitohs, Broncs and Dragons: do not blame any early failure(s) on your ‘tough travelling schedule’ etc. That won’t wash with me for an instant. (Having said that: go you Rabbitohs! Show them what you’ve got.)

And speaking of the defending premiers, the loss of chief executive Shane Richardson is immense. He has always been a tremendous administrator who won’t be easily replaced.

Richo’s CV is pretty impressive and he looks to be the right man to head up the new position of NRL Head of Game Strategy and Development.

A large part of his brief will embrace possible expansion of the NRL.

In recent times, North Sydney has been a feeder club for Richardson’s old club Souths. Old red and black men like me can only ponder – could this, at last, be a positive thing for the Central Coast Bears?

I read a recent report linking Aidan Sezer with Manly. It suggested that if either Daly Cherry-Evans or Kieran Foran were to leave Brookvale, Sezer might prove to be a pretty handy replacement. I have to agree with that.

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And if there’s a chance, young Aidan – seize it! You have the potential to blossom into a State of Origin five-eighth. Go to Manly if it’s at all possible; you will wither on the vine at the struggling Titans.

And we have (finally) seen the re-emergence of cheating Storm CEO Brian Waldron in this week’s media.

He had the temerity to suggest he might one day make a comeback in sports administration as he is now “a lot smarter”.

Good luck Brian. Your local under-6 underwater dominos team would not consider you, not even for a nano-second. Keep well away from rugby league, you’ve done more damage than you will ever realise.

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