Manly make a play for Souths star Williams
By Brad Walter and Steve Mascord
July 3, 2004
Boom South Sydney halfback Joe Williams is tipped to accept an attractive offer from Manly and the cashed-up Sea Eagles will learn next week whether they have landed Timana Tahu or Joel Monaghan as well.
Manly, flush with funds after recently agreeing to a partial privatisation of the football club and able to use the $850,000 unspent on their 2004 salary cap to pay sign-on fees, have already snared NSW Origin forwards Ben Kennedy and Brent Kite and are trying to lure quality backs.
Sea Eagles executive director Paul Cummings yesterday tabled an offer to Williams and he and other club officials also met with Tahu, his partner Kasey and agent Darryl Mather.
Cummings said the club would meet with Monaghan on Monday but could only afford to sign either the Canberra centre or Newcastle's Tahu - not both.
"We haven't made an offer to Timana yet but we will be doing so in the next few days," he said.
"He has set a deadline of Tuesday next week to make a decision so we will be entering into negotiations quickly."
Cummings would not reveal the identity of another player to whom the Sea Eagles had already made an offer, but Williams's agent, Wayne Beavis, confirmed the former Australia schoolboys halfback was considering a deal to join Manly.
"Souths have, of course, made him an offer and there is also another club," Beavis said.
Meanwhile, the Rabbitohs yesterday confirmed the signing of former Test centre Shannon Hegarty from the Sydney Roosters for three years.
"Shannon is a very talented footballer and is a group leader which is the type of player we want to attract to Souths," Rabbitohs chief executive Shane Richardson said. "He is a quality human being and will be taking a leadership role both on and off the field for South Sydney."
Souths have also called a press conference to announce the appointment of Hull's Shaun McRae as coach for next season, while the club has been linked with Bulldogs five-eighth Johnathan Thurston.
North Queensland second-rower Kevin Campion is believed to be heading to Hull and there is speculation his former Warriors teammate Ivan Cleary, now on the coaching staff at the Roosters, may replace McRae.
The Warriors have released centre Vince Mellars to Cronulla immediately but yesterday missed out on signing Roosters forward Chad Robinson, who will return to Parramatta for the next two seasons.
No announcement is expected on the future of Bulldogs captain Steve Price, who is considering a massive offer from the Warriors, until after he finishes his commitments with Queensland in Wednesday night's Origin decider.
In other news, Origin III is all but sold out with fewer than 100 single seats left. With 120,822 fans having watched the first two matches, this series is certain to break last year's attendance record of 183,682 spectators.
Queensland's centres have expressed surprise at the axing of Tahu and Matt Gidley from the NSW side. "I rate Gidley as one of the best centres running around," Bulldog Willie Tonga said. "It was a surprise."
Gidley and Tahu are understood to have received mixed reviews from selectors over their defence in the Blues' Origin II defeat but Tonga said: "I didn't see that there was any problem.
"There was some luck that went our way."
Brisbane's Brent Tate said he had a lot of respect for the new NSW pairing of Mark Gasnier and Matt Cooper, but added: "I'm not sure what's happened with Gids and Timana. I heard they're hurt or whatever. The guys they've picked in their places have been going well."
Rugby league's anxiousness to expand its international program is creating logistical problems, according to ARL chief executive Geoff Carr.
Carr revealed the current tour by the British Amateur Rugby League Association was not sanctioned by the ARL. "We are still trying to find out what their insurance situation is, for instance," he said. "There's a lot more to a tour than getting on a plane and organising a few games."
