noddy might stay or go due to fans forum
Noddy to discuss new Sharks deal
- <LI class=byline>Margie McDonald and Brent Read
- April 04, 2007
BRETT KIMMORLEY will soon find out whether he has a future at Cronulla, with coach Ricky Stuart ready to sit down with the Sharks captain and talk about his contract beyond this season.
Stuart, Cronulla chief executive Greg Pierce, Kimmorley and marketing manager Paul Donaghy addressed a fans forum on Monday night. The question of Kimmorley's contract, which expires at the end of the year, was raised. The former Origin halfback has said he would like another two years at Cronulla.
Stuart acknowledged any protracted discussions could be detrimental to performances.
"I agreed with you that we need to sit down with Noddy (Kimmorley) to nut out his future and figure out what is best for him and for the team," Stuart said on the Sharks website yesterday.
The form of another former Origin player, Ben Ross, was also raised. He played just seven games for the club last year after wrecking his knee in a match against Penrith, his former club.
Ross was demoted to the bench yesterday for Monday's derby with St George Illawarra.
"Recovering from a knee reconstruction sometimes takes as long as 18 months to be 100 per cent right, but he is working extremely hard to get to where he wants to be," Stuart said.
He also took on board fans' concerns that a speedy backline was imperative.
"We have possibly one of the best backrows in the competition, extremely skilled and experienced players in the halves, and to complement that we are working on combinations in the backline in a bid to find that little extra bit of strike power that you have identified as being missing from our game," he wrote on the forum.
Kimmorley's manager George Mimis said he had received keen interest for the 30-year-old from England but the preferred option was to stay in the NRL and with the Sharks.
Meanwhile, Stuart has given former Bronco Brett Seymour a start at five-eighth in the absence of the injured Adam Dykes.
For the Dragons, twins Brett and John Morris, the sons of former Dragons star Steve Morris, have been named, making them just the third set of twins to play first grade together.
Chris Anderson has named an eight-man bench as the Roosters try to break their 2007 duck against the Broncos at Aussie Stadium on Friday.
"We've just got a couple of injuries and, with the short turnaround, some blokes didn't have a run today so we're just giving them more time to prove themselves," Anderson said.
Manly will be without halfback and captain Matt Orford (ankle injury), and internationals Steve Menzies (groin) and Steve Matai (ankle) for a third week when it faces the Warriors at Brookvale on Sunday.
For Wests Tigers, also winless, Daniel Fitzhenry has been moved to the wing to make way for Paul Whatuira against North Queensland in Townsville on Saturday. The Cowboys welcome back Jason Smith from injury.
Former Test hooker Danny Buderus is back from his dangerous-throw suspension from late 2006 to pull on the No.9 jersey as the Knights take on the in-form Melbourne Storm.
