Backdown could save Raiders

[Walt Flanigan]

Furner seething over NSWRL backflips

BY JON TUXWORTH, RUGBY LEAGUE
22 Dec, 2010 01:00 AM

Canberra Raiders boss Don Furner has accused the New South Wales Rugby League of making the club a scapegoat after demanding it end its arrangement with Queensland Cup side Souths Logan.
An irate Furner yesterday said the Raiders would sever ties with the NSWRL in order to continue its link with Souths Logan.

The NSWRL has insisted all Canberra players not on NRL duty must play for Shellharbour, with Furner accusing it of backflipping continually on its stance.

Furner said the club had been given earlier assurances by the NSWRL there would be some flexibility in the arrangement.

NSWRL general manager Geoff Carr said on radio on Saturday that Canberra would be permitted to send four players each week to Shellharbour, and the remainder of its non-NRL players to Souths Logan.

But in a letter sent to Furner yesterday, Carr contradicted that statement by writing; ''The board of the Australian Rugby League and the board of the NSW Rugby League have made it clear there would be no dual registration between NSW and Queensland clubs for the 2011 season''.

Canberra's non-representation in the NSW Cup means it is prohibited from fielding teams in the SG Ball [under-18] and Harold Matthews Cup [under-16] competitions.

''The ridiculousness of the last four days sums up to me they [NSWRL] don't know what they're doing,'' Furner declared.

''They've changed their mind continually.

''There's no dual registration, so what we'll have to do is we'll probably have to withdraw from the NSWRL.

''We'll be in the same boat, as we've always said, as the Melbourne Storm who are sending players to Brisbane Easts and to Cronulla, same as the Titans [with Queensland Cup sides Tweed Heads, Ipswich and Burleigh], we'll be a regional club that aren't associated with the NSWRL anymore.''

Furner is adamant the NSWRL is shooting itself in the foot by preventing juniors in one of its traditional strongholds from playing representative football.

In an email to Carr on Friday, Furner wrote ''I can assure you this [preventing the club from fielding Harold Matthews and SG Ball teams] will leave many of them disenchanted about the game of rugby league, and open the way for them to enter the Brumbies junior development programs in the future.''

http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/local/sport/rugby-league/furner-seething-over-nswrl-backflips/2031924.aspx

[Raidercast]

Thanks for posting those Walt :great:

Good to see that the club isn't taking this lying down and Furner is getting POQ. He is dead on when he says that this move by the NSWRL could or already is causing young players to reconsider playing rugby league. These kids just want to play they don't want to be used as pawns in some kind of turf war.

[GB7600]

What the hell is going on here? Are they trying to kill junior league? Do they want the AFL to just take all of them instead? The NSWRL should hang their collective heads in shame, it even makes me ashamed to be a Blues supporter with this kind of stupidity going on. Why on earth does the NSWRL have the right to tell us who can play where anyway? Isn't that the NRL's job? Would love to hear what David Gallop and co have to say about all of this they have been very quiet on the issue. The sooner the independent commission is in and all this political BS is over the better it has been going on for far too long and it's only dragging the game further and further behind when it should be charging ahead.

[Orifice]

Idiots

[Raidercast]

Yes, yes they are. NSWRL needs to wake up and realize that this is damaging junior rugby league far more than it is helping it.

[Zeus]

''The ridiculousness of the last four days sums up to me they [NSWRL] don't know what they're doing,'' Furner declared.

[Chase94]

Screw the nSWRL they dont have a clue. Independent commission is coming anyway.