sneaky_is_here
Juniors
- Messages
- 1,606
Thats ok. I found out you were a knut.
Still bit saulty this morning i see, Bennett's gone... get a tissue
Thats ok. I found out you were a knut.
LINKBroncos favourites to sign Bennett but Knights fans still to have a say
Brad Walter
March 31, 2011
KNIGHTS members will tonight decide whether Newcastle is a realistic coaching option for Wayne Bennett when they vote on Nathan Tinkler's takeover bid for the club.
After yesterday confirming that he was leaving St George Illawarra at the end of the season, Bennett refused to discuss plans for next year but insisted he had not yet agreed to return to the Broncos, the club he is favoured to rejoin.
''I made a decision based on a whole heap of issues and if I have got to do another three years in Sydney, I will do another three years,'' he told a packed press conference at the Steelers Club in Wollongong.
''I have not made a decision about where I will coach in 2012.''
With his family in Brisbane, the Broncos are the favourites for his services but the Knights also appear to be firmly in the frame if Tinkler succeeds in gaining control of the club.
The Herald has been told the Rabbitohs are running a distant third but Newcastle will no longer be an option if mining magnate Tinkler fails to gain 75 per cent support from Knights members at tonight's historic ballot. With 3000 members eligible to vote, it could take fewer than 750 privatisation opponents to block the proposal that also appears likely to deliver the club Cronulla's NSW Origin prop Kade Snowden and Queensland's Darius Boyd if Bennett decides to coach Newcastle.
It has been suggested that Tinkler is prepared to offer Bennett up to $2 million a year to coach the Knights but when asked what factors would determine where he coaches next, the seven-time premiership winning mentor said: ''If it was about money I wouldn't be leaving here. It is about the challenge.''
Having last year steered the Dragons to their first premiership since 1979, Bennett said he had achieved what he intended at the famous club, but also revealed he had first begun to consider leaving last June when chief executive Peter Doust approached him about extending his three-year tenure.
''I didn't come here as a long-term coach,'' Bennett said. ''I came here to get a job done and I believe that has been done and I think it's a good time for me to move on.''
However, the teetotal Bennett made it clear that at 61 he was not even close to considering he was at the end of his coaching career.
''I still enjoy coaching. I don't want to go home and sit around doing nothing. I've met too many guys in my age group and they had great jobs and enjoyed what they did and thought retirement would be better.
''Well, retirement's not better and I'm not a golfer, I'm not a socialiser While I enjoy coaching I'll keep doing it. You always want to achieve at the top end of what you do and that is premierships, so that is not going to diminish for me.''
Asked about the influence his family would have on where he coaches next, Bennett said: ''Family is always a factor. But if I have to be away for another three years I will be away for another three years.''
Doust said he was disappointed Bennett was leaving and conceded the club faced a battle to retain Boyd, who has repeatedly said that he intended to follow his mentor.
The Dragons have re-signed most of their top squad, with centre Matt Cooper the only other player off contract at the end of this season.
Bennett said: ''I don't intend taking players with me, that is not going to happen. They have all known that possibly I wasn't going to be here next year so they have all made their own decisions based on that and they are in great shape''.
LINKEnter the next NRL magnate
Phil Rothfield Sports Editor-at-large
ONCE upon a time, rugby league survived on chook raffles, meat trays and first-try doubles. Today, having a tycoon in your corner is more important than having a champion playmaker. Manly were once 72 hours away from folding and wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for Max Delmege and the Penn family.
The Roosters would be broke and long gone without their chairman Nick Politis, the game's first-ever sponsor who put his caryard City Ford on the front of Eastern Suburbs' jerseys in 1976.
Melbourne Storm would have folded long before last year's salary cap scandal if it wasn't for the size of Rupert Murdoch's wallet.
The same can be said for the South Sydney Rabbitohs if it hadn't have been for Peter Holmes a Court and Russell Crowe and their emotional takeover in 2006.
http://resources.news.com.au/files/2011/03/30/1226031/033898-the-godfathers.pdf
And, tonight, members of the Newcastle Knights will determine if mining magnate Nathan Tinkler becomes the next private owner - or if they go it alone with the backing of local multi-millionaire Andrew Poole, who has set up a trust to donate up to $10 million over four years.
Poole's offer is with no strings attached and allows members to retain 100 per cent ownership of an already profitable club that is set to thrive from increased funding in a new NRL television deal and extra ticket sales from the new grandstand, starting this weekend against the Dragons.
The Tinkler offer is worth twice as much cash. The difference is, he takes total ownership away from supporters.
At the Rabbitohs, members still own 25 per cent of the club and Crowe and Holmes a Court 75 per cent.
"I hope and believe Newcastle people will see through the Tinkler offer for what it really is," Poole told The Daily Telegraph yesterday.
"These are the same people who stood up to Super League all those years ago and I hope that resolve is still there."
Under the South Sydney ownership model, Crowe and Holmes a Court have two members on the board each.
Members have two and Souths Juniors one.
"Our system works well as the members and juniors have a real voice on the board," said CEO Shane Richardson.
Apart from providing cash, affluent owners deliver in other areas. They have the influence to get to politicians.
They call on mates at the big end of town to provide sponsorship and other favours like significant third-party deals.
No one is more powerful in the game than Roosters supremo Politis. He has a personal wealth of nearly $150 million from car companies here and in the US.
His best mates are James Packer and David Gyngell, which gives him a direct line to to Channel 9, the game's official broadcaster.
He's also close to financial wizard Mark Bouris, property guru John McGrath and king of the Cross, John Ibrahim.
Politis often rings NRL headquarters to make his opinions clear on big issues.
He's close to all the player managers and even offers them the keys and free accommodation at his luxury Surfers Paradise unit.
They all have an incredible passion for the game.
The Bulldogs' sponsor, Jaycar boss Gary Johnston, even spent $50,000 of his own money last year to publish full page newspaper ads calling to reinstate Melbourne Storm.
During the Queensland floods, he gave $100,000 in products (torches, batteries, radios, etc) that the players distributed to families. He also provided access to his private jet to ensure the players could travel to the most remote and trouble-affected areas.
"Gary opens doors, he wields influence in corporate Australia and above all else he is a good and decent man," said Bulldogs boss Todd Greenberg.
Not all clubs have the cashed-up players onside.
The Titans and the Raiders have no benefactors outside their major sponsors. They'd love to be in the Knights' position at tonight's meeting.
Two multi-millionaires trying to shove each other out of the way to get involved - and 3000 passionate members to decide who becomes the game's next godfather.
http://www.theherald.com.au/news/lo...jumps-on-board-tinkler-bandwagon/2119598.aspxCrow jumps on board Tinkler bandwagon
NEIL GOFFET
31 Mar, 2011 04:00 AM
CHAIRMAN Trevor Crow said the Newcastle Rugby League would adopt Nathan Tinklers charter of making the game more affordable to play and watch if fans voted for the privatisation deal tonight.
The Tinkler Sports Group promised at least $300,000 a season to the Newcastle league, double what has been in place for three years.
Newcastle league officials changed their constitution in 2008, cutting their numbers on the Knights board from four to two in return for annual funding.
The Tinkler offer to double the cash is aimed at grassroots league in the Hunter, including making the game more affordable for juniors.
Were privileged to be involved and accept the deal the Tinkler Sports Group has offered, Crow said. Not only is he buying a National Rugby League side, hes decided to embrace the next level down.
We are happy to adopt his charter of making the game more affordable.
Crow said the Newcastle league was proposing, along with the 10 district clubs, to have an age competition in 2012 instead of the open-grade competition.
It was likely to be an under20s competition so juniors had a pathway to under17s, under18s and under20s to dovetail with the under-20 National Youth Competition.
As chairman of the Newcastle league, Crow will be appointed to the Knights advisory board if the vote favours TSG.
He will be joined by a Once-A-Knight Old Boy, two current Knights directors and an independent chairman.
I think the idea of the advisory board structured the way it is looks fantastic, Crow said. Ive always advocated that rugby league people should make rugby league decisions.
http://www.theherald.com.au/news/local/news/general/knights-dday-arrives/2119592.aspxKnights D-Day arrives
BY BRETT KEEBLE
31 Mar, 2011 04:00 AM
Knights chairman Rob Tew expects Nathan Tinkler will own Newcastles NRL club by tonight.
Tew was confident the required majority of Knights members would vote to accept Tinklers privatisation proposal at the extraordinary general meeting that will determine the NRL clubs future at Newcastle Entertainment Centre tonight.
About 3000 Knights members are eligible to vote, and many have already made up their minds by lodging proxies. A majority of more than 75% is required to vote in favour of Tinklers bid to allow the billionaire mining and racing magnate to become the new owner.
Id be surprised if it didnt get up, Tew told the Newcastle Herald last night.
Tinkler Sports Group executive chairman Ken Edwards said Tinkler was unlikely to attend the meeting because he had other business commitments, but the prospective new owner of the club would be aware of the outcome of the ballot as soon as it was declared.
I can assure you that he is in regular contact with us, Edwards said.
Since March 3, when Tew and the Knights board endorsed Tinklers bid ahead of a patrons trust as the superior commercial funding model, the TSG has conducted an extensive campaign to convince members to vote in favour of the two relevant amendments to the clubs constitution.
Tinklers proposal has been backed by every significant Knights stakeholder including past and present players and coaches, life members, the Once-A-Knight Old Boys club and other key supporter groups and sponsors.
The public support for Tinklers vision has been overwhelming, and at 9 oclock last night a Herald website poll asking Should Newcastle Knights members vote in favour of Nathan Tinklers privatisation offer? had attracted 546 votes. 87.4% of respondents voted Yes against 12.6% who voted No.
Yet Edwards was not prepared to declare Tinkler over the line.
Were cautiously optimistic but satisfied that weve done everything possible to engage with and have open dialogue with as many members as possible in the time available, Edwards said last night.
Weve done just about everything we can do and we will continue to talk to any members who still have any questions right up until the ballot tomorrow night.
Edwards said neither he nor TSG chief executive Troy Palmer would address members at the meeting tonight.
This is the Knights meeting, and all our information sessions are done, so its time for members to have their say and be counted, he said.
Tew stressed that proxy votes that were not lodged at the Knights administration building by 7pm on Tuesday night, according to instructions published in the EGM notice and explanatory memorandum issued to members on March 4, will not be counted tonight.
He said the EGM would be conducted like an annual general meeting, and he would chair it.
When asked to explain the procedure of the voting and counting process tonight, Tew said: The vote will be in accordance with the constitution, and it will be a ballot.
Did I say I was excited? Just wanted to share that with you all again!
So is anyone from here actually at the meeting tonight - with computer/internet access keeping us informed of the happenings ?
.Not there, but this should help: http://twitter.com/#!/KnightsVoteYes