Southernsaint said:Yaaaaawn - everyone used to bag Frillingoose 24/7 until he died. Then they wanted to make him a deity.
Shallow as.
Southernsaint said:Yaaaaawn - everyone used to bag Frillingoose 24/7 until he died. Then they wanted to make him a deity.
Shallow as.
Balmain_Boy said:dodge said:Do you want a f***ing medal for it? I mean, seriously, you're a whinging bitch. Your opinion doesn't count because you're a bitter twisted negative fool who, 5 years on from the merge and 9 years on from the war, still can't move on and find something else better.
First of all, calm down.
Secondly, my opinion DOES count on the matter, because I can no longer support the team my family supported for 4 generations in the top grade. That is a fact.
The attitude you take says to me that you think League sucks. Therefore why are you on this board still posting about it?
You got that out of one post - a post where I had the hide to tell some ex SL teams that the effects of SL are still being felt by supporters of the azxed clubs? I still love league. It is without doubt the Greatest Game of All. Having said that, i'm still f***ing pissed my beloved BALMAIN Tigers are no longer in the premier rugby league competition.
God you f**king "my team isn't what it was in 1995" whingers really need to wake up to yourselves. If the game has dents is usually because of your disgusting attitude towards it. Frankly we're better off without supporters like you
Bulldogs, NRL, forever!
Maybe next year I won't go to 18 games like I did this year. Maybe i'll stop the application process for my ref's certificate. Who the f*** do you think you are to dismiss my contribution to the game. What do you do for it? And I never usually bring up the dog's indiscretions, but seriously the game's dents in recent times have been down to your scumbag team and it's seige mentality. Bullfrog might be dead, but his spirit lives on.
Tiger nick said:This coming from a supporter of the one club that has done more damage to the game then all others combined. How can you support such a disgusting organisation? How can you be proud of them? How can you say 'I support the Bulldogs' and not be ashamed?
I was five times as proud of my team then you were this year. If that statement isn't true then I worry about what kind of person you are
Sir Clifford GC said:come on mate thats pretty off, i got in trouble for the same thing, he may have been news limited but there was nothing wrong with the Chipster
On or shortly after 28 March 1995, News entered contracts with the coaches of the Auckland, Canberra, Canterbury-Bankstown, Cronulla- Sutherland and Western Reds clubs. Each contract was constituted by a letter, countersigned by the particular coach. The term of the engagement in each case was three years, commencing three months after notice from News but no later than 1 January 1997. Each coach received a signing-on fee on execution of the letter. Mr Ribot acknowledged in evidence that it was very important to sign up the coaches, since they were thought to be instrumental in News' success in signing up players. He also acknowledged that in most cases the approach to the coach was made with the knowledge of the chief executive of the club.
On 30 March 1995, the present proceedings were instituted by News. That evening, a number of Canterbury-Bankstown players attended a meeting at the request of their coach, Mr Anderson, who had already signed a contract with News. The first the players knew of the meeting was at training, when they were asked to attend that evening. At the meeting, Mr Ribot and Mr Lachlan Murdoch spoke to the players about Super League. Each player was then asked individually to sign a contract with a Super League company, which would require him to play full time in the new competition. The players were offered salaries of between $150,000 and $350,000 per annum, plus signing-on fees of between $50,000 and $100,000. The salaries, in general, were very much greater than the payments they were entitled to under their contracts with the Canterbury-Bankstown club. The players were not permitted to consult with their managers or families, nor were they permitted to take the contracts away with them. In the event, seven players signed contracts that night. The last contract was signed well after midnight. Each player who signed was handed a cheque for the amount of the agreed signing-on fee.
More or less the same process was repeated the following day, when a total of about twenty-six players from the Brisbane Broncos, Canberra and Cronulla-Sutherland clubs signed employment contracts with various Super League companies. In each case the coach supported the Super League approach. The salaries offered to these players ranged from $80,000 to $600,000 per annum. The signing-on fees varied from $20,000 to $100,000. Other players subsequently signed similar contracts, including thirteen Auckland Warriors players, who signed employment contracts on 2 April 1995 in New Zealand.
Mr Cowley, when challenged by Mr Arthurson as to how his actions were consistent with his promise to approach through the front door, replied:
"We thought that after we had bought your players that it would have such an effect on you that we would be better able to negotiate with you and come through the front door."
The board of the League met at 12 noon on 1 April 1995 to consider the Super League situation. Three representatives of PBL (a Packer company involved in the operations of Channel Nine) and two from Optus and Optus Vision joined the meeting. Mr Powers, on behalf of PBL and Optus Vision, stated that these organisations would provide human and financial resources to assist the League in stemming defections to Super League. Mr Powers said that Channel Nine and Optus were prepared to commit $13-20 million. He also stated that the quid pro quo would include the League making some changes to accelerate the reduction of teams and the signing of player contracts with the ARL, instead of the clubs.
The board resolved, that:
the Canterbury-Bankstown, Cronulla-Sutherland and Canberra clubs be requested to show cause why they should not be excluded from the competition;
a committee be established to identify and sign players to League agreements; and
Mr Leckie, representing PBL and Optus vision, be appointed as a director of the League.
In the course of the meeting, Mr Moore arrived. Mr Moore was a director of both the League and ARL. He was also a director and chief executive of Canterbury-Bankstown. Mr Moore had been actively involved in supporting Super League, and in securing the signature of the Canterbury-Bankstown coach (his son-in-law) to a Super League contract. Mr Moore offered his resignation from the League and ARL to Mr Arthurson outside the meeting. His offer was accepted.
Immediately after the meeting, the League issued a press release. This stated that any players or coaches who had agreed to be associated with News would not be considered for representative selection. It also warned that the ARL would vigorously pursue through the courts any player found to have breached his obligations to the ARL. The press release indicated that the League, with the support of Channel Nine and Optus, through Optus Vision, would commit substantial resources to establishing financial incentives for players to play exclusively in the ARL competition.
A further meeting of the board of the League took place on 7 April 1995. Among other things, the board discussed the actions of News in completing arrangements with the New Zealand Rugby League and the English Rugby League. This was a matter of considerable significance to the League, since test matches between Australia, Great Britain and New Zealand had been conducted through the New Zealand and English Leagues.
A document dated 11 April 1995 summarised "deal terms" between the League and ARL and Channel Nine/Optus Vision. This provided for Channel Nine/Optus Vision to fund player contract commitments up to $40 million. The League and ARL were not to change the competition, format and frequency of the competition in a materially adverse way without the consent of Channel Nine/Optus Vision.
The rights period under existing television agreements were to be extended for a further five years, with Channel Nine/Optus Vision to have a first and last right of refusal. Channel Nine/Optus Vision's funding commitment was non-recoupable, except as follows:
if the League and ARL agreed, it could be recouped over time out of fees received for television rights;
it could be recouped out of moneys received by the League and ARL for assignment of player contracts;
the commitment could be used as a set-off against the cost of exercising the right of refusal for renewal of the television rights agreement.
On 26 August 1993, Bradley Scott Fittler entered into an employment
agreement with the Penrith Club, a company limited by guarantee, as is the
League. The agreement was in he standard form of Playing Contract approved by
and uniformly used by the Leagues. On 25 July 1994 Matthew Charles Sing
entered into such an employment agreement with the Penrith Club. This also was
in the standard form in use by the Leagues.
Thus on 3 April 1995, Mr Sing, for a
payment of $50,000 from the League, agreed to what were described as
"commitments to the League Competition" contained in clause 2 thereof
Essentially the commitments required the player for up to eight years not to
enter into any "Contractual Arrangement" relating to playing in any "Match" or
"Competition" other than the Rugby League Competition which the ARL and the
League "do and will in the future conduct".
Mr Fittler on 4 April 1995 for a consideration of $300,000 and for a
further guarantee to meet any shortfall between the payment received by the
player under his contract to play in the League Competition and $500,000,
undertook equivalent obligations to those of Mr Sing.
I accept the evidence given that neither player entered into these
further Loyalty Agreements at the request of the Penrith Club or with the
knowledge of the Penrith Club at the time they were entered into, nor in a
form which mirrored any condition the Penrith club sought to attach to its
Commitment Agreement.
The next significant event is Penrith Club's entry into what I will
conveniently call the Super League arrangements. These involved a Deed of
Indemnity and Heads of Agreement both dated 3 May 1995. Under these
arrangements speaking generally, Penrith Club in conjunction with an only
partially associated entity and licensee AH PE Pty Limited, committed itself
to supporting the competing Rugby League football competition called
colloquially "Super League" set up under the control of News Limited and its
associated entities.
On 6 April 1995, News agreed to indemnify the Canberra Raiders against any action by the ARL or the League in consequence of the club contracting with News or supporting Super League.
During April, News made a concerted effort to sign up target clubs. By this stage, some had lost key personnel to Super League. Club representatives were told that if they did not join Super League, they would face rival clubs established in their area. Advertisements appeared in the media, giving publicity to the fact that prominent players had signed with Super League. News also placed advertisements advising players who had signed with the ARL that their contracts might be set aside because News had signed the English and New Zealand Rugby Leagues. Frequent meetings took place between News representatives and "rebel" clubs to obtain their support in implementing the proposed arrangements. In particular, meetings took place between News representatives and those clubs on 13 and 18 April 1995.
Clause 3(a) provided that, subject to certain conditions, News agreed to indemnify the club (inter alia):
"(i) from any liability that Club may incur to ARL and or NSWRL under the Commitment Agreement or the Loyalty Agreement or both by reason of club entering into and delivering this deed or observing or performing the provisions hereof on its part to be observed or performed".
By cl.4(a) News also agreed to indemnify, again subject to certain conditions:
"each of Club's directors and officers (each "Indemnified Party") from any liability that Indemnified Party may incur to ARL, NSWRL, Club, Club's members or any other person by reason of Club entering into and delivering this deed or observing or performing the provisions hereof on its part to be observed or performed...".
Deeds in this form were executed by Auckland, Brisbane, Canberra, Canterbury-Bankstown, Cronulla-Sutherland, North Queensland and the Western Reds. The deeds were expressed to be operative for periods of between three years (for example, Cronulla-Sutherland) and nine years (for example, Brisbane). Subsequently, on 4 May 1995, Penrith entered into a deed in similar terms, although the indemnity was wider, extending to liability under any joint venture arrangement. On 12 May 1995, the existence of the deeds to which the eight clubs were parties was publicly announced.
A total of 307 players and 10 coaches entered into Super League contracts. Of those, three players subsequently had their contract cancelled by agreement and four players had their contracts cancelled following proceedings in the New South Wales Industrial Commission. Consequently, at the date of the hearing of the appeal, 300 players were parties to the current Super League contracts. None of these had proceedings on foot seeking cancellation of the contracts. We were told that 42 of the 300 contracted players had signed on or prior to 2 April 1995. (On 1 April 1995, the League and ARL announced that it would be signing players in competition with Super League.)
Counsel representing the intervening coaches and players prepared a schedule listing the 300 players. The schedule specified, in each case, whether the player was party to an ARL club contract and, if so, the year in which the contract expired. A summary of the contractual status of the 300 players is as follows:
(i) Players who never had ARL club contracts - 28
(ii) Players who had ARL club contracts expiring in 1995 or earlier - 109
(iii) Players who had ARL contracts expiring in 1996 or later - 163
Of those in the third category, 30 had contracts expiring in 1997 and only 7 had contracts expiring later than 1997.