Clogiron

He's also a fairly good goalkicker which would be useful to Saint's as their first choice kicker is leaving, but I still find it hard to believe he won't stay in the NRL somewhere.

Buzz Rothfield saying that the Rooster's Siosiua Taukeiaho likely to be released early to move to SL. I would be astonished if that came about, ok he's had a poor season this year but the last couple of years he's been about the best prop in the NRL including a standout performance captaining Tonga to a win over the Aussies, I would have thought there would be plenty of clubs lining up to sign him over there and I wouldn't think he would come in the price range of our impoverished clubs as at 29 he will be looking for a good, long payday. If he did come he would improve any team immesureably .

David Sampson former Trinity & Bramley player, Castleford coach and father of Dean.

Is that Dapto Rabbitohs and Maitland Titans?

It's in the realms of Adrian Morley playing out a season with the Bulls when his Roosters commitments had ended or James Graham last season. I don't get your Asprilla reference, if you had said Aprilla he could be on his bike! Getting out of Walters Bronco's fiasco seems to be his prime aim and who could blame him.

True, but I never imagined he would become a trendsetter.

If he's a replacement for Kevin Niquama he's a poor choice, I know they have been crying wolf over keeping player's but that's taking the p iss. Trying to do it on the cheap won't sit well with their fans who remember the likes of Meninga, Gidley, Lyon as centers signed from overseas or why not look to someone like Wardle who could do for them what Newlove did, they have plenty of players that the Giants would like who could be makeweights in a deal I should think.

His first task should be to get rid of the clown they have as head coach except they were both part of the Fox sports glee club, it's like the Mason's except it does less good work!

Fox sports reporting dressing room unrest with Walters man management and coaching abilities at the Bronco's, suprise, suprise. The real suprise is it's taken them this long to find out.

I think it's a terrible move for him personally, the Shark's want to play him in the halves and the Storm wouldn't match the money being offered more fool them. There's a awful lot of ageing dead wood at Cronulla that needs replacing for them to be a challenger so I hope he's been given some assurances that's going to happen.

Age is against him but he would be a shoe-in for Catalans.

Leeds Rhinos? They will have a marquee place or two free next season and have previous going back beyond SL (yes, the game did exist before then)

Cotric must rue the day he took the money and went to the dog's, and despite his desire to return to Sydney will Addo-Carr really finish up there?

Ignoring that side of his game he's a really talented player capable of the extraordinary, but like so many of that ilk the rubbish comes with it. The Storm will never reign that in as it's part of their DNA and the media in Oz won't criticise him as he's a fabled Origin player. In the pre RL lite days it would have been sorted out on the field but now a few punches are regarded as a bad look for the game, putting families off etc but is running in and standing over someone abusing them or patting heads and pushing someone a better look that parents want to encourage in their children's behaviour?

I thought this was tied to the Bears story when I saw it! North Sydney Broncos has a good ring to it, as a foundation club they should get naming rights, Brisbane Bears nnah

He must be over here, I seem to keep getting behind him at the checkout at Asda!

From what we have seen recently from Fifita he would be hard pressed to get a run with his brother at Wakey.

Walters,as you say, only got the job because he's one of the favoured old boy's his coaching record at Catalan's should have shown that he's not up to scratch, but when do the Aussies take any notice of events outside their own backyard. Coaching QLD is no yardstick, you have the best players at the top of their game to work with, point them at the field with a basic game plan and your jobs done, you don't have to work with players to correct errors in their game, develop young players, install discipline, defensive awareness, combinations, attitude, all the things that are wrong at the Bronco's and were rife at the Dragons under his tenure. Siebold failed as a outsider but lacked the experience to deal with pressures from the 'Old Boys' sniping in the background, other than kidnapping Trent Robinson I don't know where they get the answer, maybe Paul Green if they let him get on with the job in his way.

If it's a bit cold to the rear on that step for all it's occupant's the ru might be able to help them with a carpet!

I watched the programme about Penguin's on BBC 1 last night, although it was complied from other wildlife documentaries it was still by far the best thing on this Christmas I have seen. I could watch them for hours Fascinating that they now track them by satellite because of the size of the herds on the ice their c rap leaves a brown stain that is visible from space as they move onto fresh ice. I wonder if Parliament is likewise visible

In the Pennines another dull, dreary day has been enlivened by the arrival of the Magpie on the garage roof for his/her daily inspection of the bird table contents. It beats anything thats been on TV for entertainment this Christmas

One of my favourite player's, a guy who can play prop or stand-off with good hands and a decent kicking game, with a little intensive coaching he would be a superb old style loose forward. Sadly I don't think he will get that under Walter's at the Bronco's, and this prolongs the time before he will finish up over here where he would really blossom.

Currently reading: Rugby League Grounds Gone But Not Forgotten by Henry Skrzypecki, it's a fascinating book, one of the best RL books I have read. If you are a long standing RL geek who has a interest in the grounds you may have visited over the years it's the ultimate read full of details about those grounds that have gone and those that survive in some shape or form still. Any collection of RL books would be incomplete without this excellent book.

Zenon Plech who was the great Polish hope to become their first World Speedway Champion at Katowice in 1973, unfortunately his unfancied countryman Jerzy Szczakiel (who passed away on the 1st September) rode out of his skin to beat Ivan Mauger in a run off to take the title much to the dismay of the Polish authorities and most of the 130,000 crowd, I was amongst them, it was a bl**dy long train trip both there and back. Plech never lived upto his promise after that and Szczakiel had a couple of ignominious appearences in the west after which the Poles kept him out of sight.

I was reading one of Tom Mather's books about the Lion's tour's, 1936 I think, the other day and after losing the first test GB changed hookers and chose Tommy Armitt because he was taller than the other choice. GB won the Test and the scrums and the Aussie rake complained Armitt wrapped his legs around his to prevent him striking for the ball as the props disputed the put in! The dark art's of the scrummage, not a couple of backs taking the place of forwards as a winger puts the ball in.