Buderus linked with return to Newcastle
Brett Keeble
May 7, 2011
CHAMPION former Knights captain Danny Buderus has again been linked to a return to Newcastle to play a swansong season under Wayne Bennett.
The 33-year-old hooker, rated one of the greatest players produced by the Knights, signed a two-year contract extension with English Super League club Leeds last season to take him through until the end of 2012. But sources in Sydney told the Herald last night that a deal in which Buderus would return to the Knights next year, as a player, was ''95 per cent certain'', and that such a development would cast doubt over current hooker Isaac De Gois's future.
De Gois had reportedly agreed to a new three-year deal with the Knights before Nathan Tinkler took ownership of the club on March 30, but all contract negotiations were put on hold until after the dust had settled on Tinkler's takeover.
Buderus, who had to hose down similar stories early last year, was reluctant to discuss the latest speculation when contacted by the Herald late last night, saying that he was ''not in any position to comment on anything'', there was ''no story at the minute'', and to direct all further questions to his manager, George Mimis.
The Herald rang Mimis and left voicemail and text messages but these went unreturned.
Buderus played under Bennett's guidance in the Australian Test team in 2004 and 2005. Tinkler Sports Group chief executive and acting Knights chief executive Troy Palmer would not comment specifically about Buderus, but said: ''We're in the market for a number of players. We're working through our current playing list and players from outside that are available, and just working with Wayne Bennett and [current Knights coach] Rick Stone to come up with a squad for next year, but it's the early stages on all player negotiations at the moment.''
Buderus joined Leeds on a two-year deal in 2009.
leave us alone we've had years of signing the likes of Luke Davico for crying out loud!
