blogging it real

This is a classic and from our esteemed Herald to boot albeit from Reuters.

Annus must give sample or lose gold

I think they need to cut the guy some slack. I mean they are asking for a urine sample for gods sakes!

Meanwhile I see I may have been a bit harsh on the NRL. I just came across this article from the Sydney Morning Herald online. I don't recall it being reported in NZ.

In it Gallop mentions that they do have a plan for the future. Just that it's a secret. Weird.

NRL partnership directors yesterday discussed offering clubs financial incentives to relocate after turning down applications from the Central Coast, Gold Coast and Wellington to join the competition in 2006...

But in a major development with wide-ranging implications for the future of the game, News Limited and the ARL mulled over the possibility of revisiting 1998, when teams were offered grants of $6 million - later increased to $8 million - to merge. Six took the bait, forming three mergers of which two survive today.

Under the proposal tossed around yesterday, similarly generous grants would be on offer to existing clubs - as long as they moved to strategically identified areas headed by yesterday's unsuccessful applicants, Central Coast, Gold Coast and Wellington.

"You have asked me whether there was some discussion about relocation incentives - I can confirm it was discussed," NRL chief executive David Gallop said last night. "There was some talk about it. Beyond that, I can't comment.".....

"There is a possibility there of financial incentives."

Gosford, Carrara, Wellington, Christchurch, Perth and Adelaide are all in line to host premiership games next season....

"What we've said always was that if a club was to come to us and say they were interested in relocation ... we're not going to force it on anybody but we've certainly got an open mind to it....

Gallop reiterated that the competition does have a strategic plan - never made public - and revealed it called for the competition to "define and achieve an appropriate geographical spread".

That spread has now been defined as "dominating the heartland" - including Gold Coast and Central Coast - and then going national on both sides of the Tasman. "It's obviously a fair way off, to be as widespread as - say - the AFL but it is something that's in the back of our minds for the future," he said.

It's worth checking out the rest to help piece all that together.

And what's with the Rabbitohs?!

Drawing 34-34 with the Broncos. Their for and against is still so much worse than the Warriors that even though have drawn level with them now they will still be in the wooden spoon position. I think if they'd beaten the Broncos it may have motivated the Warriors more though so it wouldn't have been a terrible thing. Oh well.