It could be hooroo for Eric Grothe
* From: The Daily Telegraph
* September 24, 2009 4:24PM
ERIC Grothe Jr could farewell rugby league on the grand stage at ANZ Stadium tonight if Parramatta bow out to the Bulldogs.
The Guru has been sniffing out opportunities in Japanese rugby for two months, and stepped up his cross-code crusade a fortnight ago by posting a highlights CD to the Land of the Rising Sun.
According to UK sources, Grothe even knocked back a deal from Super League outfit Hull to pursue the big money. His new manager Andrew Purcell has previously denied any Japanese negotiations, but a raft of well-placed people at Parramatta have been telling us otherwise for the past six weeks.
Eels officials certainly won't stand in Grothe's way if he secures a rich deal - and not because they want him out for salary-cap purposes.
Parramatta can afford to accommodate the 29-year-old's final year, but he's well-liked by those above and neither the new Parramatta board nor CEO Paul Osborne will begrudge him a handsome superannuation.
WHILE on Japanese rugby, that's where dual international Lote Tuqiri will be headed if Wests Tigers can't come up with a satisfactory third-party deal to claw him back to the NRL. Dealings with French club Bayonne have taken a back seat to the money on offer in Japan, which is now rugby league's No.1 threat for Tuqiri.
THE Parramatta bandwagon has gained such momentum that it's now stealing supporters from rival clubs. The latest is boxing world champ Vic Darchinyan, who publicly declared himself a Wests Tigers fan years ago.
Darchinyan has been ushered into the Eels' inner sanctum along with fellow pugilist Danny Green.
The pair dined with the entire team after their victory over St George Illawarra two weeks ago.
MANLY might be out of business, but there have been some intriguing dealings on the Northern Beaches over skipper Matt Orford's future.
It was widely expected Orford would ink a three-year extension to see out his days at Brookvale.
But the latest mail indicates Sea Eagles officials are now poised to offer the 2008 Dally M medallist a two-year deal.
It remains to be seen how Camp Orford will respond to the offer. Perhaps the answer lies with his manager George Mimis's whereabouts this week - overseas.
