Rhinos come hunting for Buderus
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NEWCASTLE Knights skipper Danny Buderus is poised to sign a two-year deal with Leeds Rhinos that would mean the 2008 NRL season is his last in the blue and red.
Speculation has been rife for months that Buderus would opt out of the final season of his Knights contract to join an English Super League outfit in 2009, and Leeds and Wigan were leading the chase for the champion hooker's signature.
Buderus was unable to be contacted yesterday but his manager, Darryl Mather, confirmed last night that the 30-year-old had recently fielded an offer from a northern-hemisphere club.
Mather said he "couldn't confirm or deny" if a deal had been struck.
But Leeds chief executive Gary Hetherington flew into Sydney yesterday, apparently intent on recruiting players, and there seems little doubt that Buderus is at the top of his hit list.
Mather and Buderus have both previously been tight-lipped about a possible move to England, but Mather confirmed last night that the NSW Origin captain had received a concrete offer "literally in the last week".
"Things have moved along to the stage where Danny needs to make a decision about whether he sees himself playing out his career with the Knights, or whether he sees himself perhaps duplicating what guys like Matt Gidley have done and having a stint in England," Mather said.
"Danny's aware that there is something crystallising, and he really needs to firm that up in his own mind, what he'd like to do, going forward."
"The last few days have been about getting Kurt Gidley wrapped up, and I now need to speak to Danny and see what he's thinking.
"Danny is probably at the point where he needs to weigh up a Plan B."
Mather said the 24-Test veteran would be seeking a two-year tenure if he decided to continue his career abroad.
"If he goes, there would have to be something that overhangs the current deal he has with Newcastle, which goes to the end of 2009 if he decides to stay," Mather said.
"We'd expect the position would have to be better for him than it is at the moment, for him to look at it."
NSW and Australian selector Bob McCarthy has reassured Buderus that his future plans would have no bearing on his representative prospects this season.
McCarthy said yesterday that NSW selectors would have no hesitation in picking Buderus, who is eager to play Origin again this season and challenge incumbent Test hooker Cameron Smith for a World Cup berth.
"He's still available, and while ever he's playing in Australia, he'll be considered," McCarthy said.
"There's no way the selectors would be letting a player of his ability go wasted.
"He's still in the forefront of our minds."
McCarthy said there would be no urgency to blood Tigers dynamo Robbie Farah if Buderus announced this would be his last NRL season.
"Farah's coming along, but the way Danny plays, he picks himself," McCarthy said.
"Farah, a bit down the track when Danny's a bit long in the tooth, might get his chance then."
Leeds, who won last season's Super League title and beat Melbourne last month to claim world champion status, appear likely to have plenty of spending power with which to recruit players.
Star forward Gareth Ellis will join Wests Tigers at the end of the season and it is understood that Kiwi international Ali Lauitiiti is also coming off contract.
The Rhinos have also been linked to Melbourne enforcer Michael Crocker.
If Buderus does depart, it would free up more than $400,000 for the Knights to spend on new talent.
It is likely their main target would be a top-class outside back, rather than replacing Buderus with another high-profile hooker.
