Auckland make offers to seasoned Australian professionals, as PETER JESSUP reports.
The Auckland Warriors have put offers to four more Australian players as they seek to bolster their ranks with established professionals who will make a serious charge for the grand final next season.
All are off-contract this season and all have been given permission by their clubs to talk to others despite the National Rugby League's extension of anti-tampering rules until the end of next month.
Warriors chief executive Trevor McKewen was in Sydney with his chequebook yesterday, meeting with each of the four, whom he would not identify, and passing on videotape of recent games, the club facilities and a spiel from the transplants Robert Mears, Jason Death and John Simon.
Those three have resurrected their careers in Auckland after being stuck behind more favoured players, but McKewen said the four approached so far were not in the same boat.
Their response to a shift of team and country had been positive, McKewen said, with the realisation that there would only be 14 teams next year and therefore 75 fewer jobs finally sinking in.
"There also seems to be an acceptance that if you want to play professional football you have to be prepared to move," he said.
There were three tiers of player the club wanted and others would be approached as they were allowed by their clubs and when the moratorium on player negotiations came off. The club had money for two or three "big fish," wanted some middle-grade players in specific positions as well as some journeymen for back-up.
McKewen said he expected to complete deals within three weeks.
All clubs are fearful of the spending power of the united Balmain-Wests, cashed up with the NRL's incentive package of $A8m.
But a meeting of all chief executive officers yesterday voted that the incentive money for mergers could be spent only on taking over existing contracts.
Still, the new Western Tigers will probably go all out to get their top two or three targets.
Manly and Norths have reopened merger talks, the Balmain-Wests deal being the sole reason. Both had declared an intention to stand alone just two weeks ago, but there is increasing tension as the NRL's July 31 deadline for mergers to qualify for the cash closes in.
Of the eight Sydney clubs, only Canterbury, Penrith, Parramatta and Sydney City now meet the NRL's financial criteria for survival and both Manly and Norths are well in debt.
At South Sydney, Kiwi Tony Iro is named on the bench for Sunday's game against the Warriors.
At 32, Iro has an option on another season with the Rabbits but like the rest of the team is in limbo until the club's future is determined.
The Warriors had a team of babies when they lost 8-12 to Souths in the early rounds. The improvement of recent weeks, the kicking game of John Simon and the running that allows Stacey Jones, the double-dummyhalf routine and the return of Matthew Ridge and Tony Tuimavave should all combine to see that reversed.
Auckland Warriors: Matthew Ridge, Odell Manuel, Peter Lewis, Nigel Vagana, Lee Oudenryn, John Simon (c), Stacey Jones, Joe Vagana, Robert Mears, Terry Hermansson, Logan Swann, Tony Tuimavave, Jason Death; interchange Shane Endacott, Tony Tatupu, Jerry Seu Seu, Ali Lauitiiti, Francis Meli (one to be omitted).
South Sydney Rabbitohs: Tim Brasher, Justin Loomans, Craig Wing, Brett Rodwell, Chris Caruana, Julian O'Neill, Darrell Trindall, Wayne Richards, James Smith, Jason Nicol, Mark Carroll, Sean Garlick (c), Matt Parsons; interchange Wes Patten, Jeremy Schloss, Lee Hookey, Ian Rubin, Tony Iro (one to be omitted).
Referee: Paul Simpkins. Kickoff: Tomorrow 4.30pm.
Rugby League: Warriors target four more
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