Raiders turn to GoulburnGOULBURN could serve as the Canberra Raiders’ ‘get out of jail free card’ in a war of words with the New South Wales Rugby League. 
Raiders officials and supporters were last month left in a frenzy after the NSWRL threatened to remove the club’s SG Ball (under 18s) and Harold Matthews Cup (under 16s) teams from their respective competitions. The row diminished this week when NSWRL chairman Geoff Carr declared the Raiders juniors could remain in their current environment provided the club enters a team in the New South Wales Cup in 2012.
With the situation far from finalised, Raiders CEO Don Furner indicated the three time premiership winning venture was exploring the option of forming a partnership with the Goulburn Workers Bulldogs.
If the partnership were to come to fruition, the Raiders would fill the bulk of a NSW Cup team playing under the banner of Goulburn. Furner hinted negotiations were on the horizon.
“We will pick up the phone again and go down and see them [Goulburn] and hopefully get some assistance from the NSWRL,” Furner said.
“It [Goulburn] is halfway in between [Sydney and Canberra].
“Sydney clubs don’t mind driving there and it’s in our catchment area.”
The Green Machine will continue its feeder- club arrangement with Queensland Cup team Souths-Logan Magpies.
Altercations in dual-registration rules after June 30 mean any players who front up in the Queensland Cup will be disqualified from playing in the NRL, posing plenty of problems for the club.
While a star-studded team in a top tier competition could be a boon for the city, the Bulldogs players themselves have little say on the situation.
They’re solely focused on fine-tuning their game ahead of the fast approaching Canberra Raiders Cup.
The Bulldogs will kick off their season in early April.
Source: Goulburn Post
Topic: Raiders turn to Goulburn
