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Tuesday, 2nd December 2008

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Oh no, now it's going to court...



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Published Date: 11 September 2008
CAN open, worms everywhere.
The descent into confusion of the Rugby Football League's ruling on 'federation trained' players - limiting clubs to eight players who have learnt their rugby league in foreign climes - continues apace.
Now, the Henderson brothers - Wakefield's Kevin and Castleford's Andy - are going to challenge it in court.
The siblings were, famously, born in Torquay, but left for Australia as children and got their 13-a-side education Down Under.
So, they're English, but with fair dinkum Aussie accents and, under the letter of the law, should be classed as ' non federation' players.
I don't know whether that is fair or not, but I do know it is a case that spells big trouble for a governing body that is already getting strangled by red tape of its own creation.
Let's hope young Gareth Widdop, Halifax born and bred and a former Shay scholarship player but whose first and current professional contract is with Melbourne Storm, never wants to come home.
That would really confuse them.

I CAN see two sides to most arguments.
So when Whitehaven turned down Halifax's offer of a trip to the Shay on Friday night for their National League One play off date, I could see where they were coming from.
Having been bashed up at Leigh last weekend, Ged Stokes could be forgiven for wanting his players to have a couple of extra days off by playing on Sunday afternoon.
There were, apparently, logistical problems too, like most of Haven's squad taking the afternoon off work - or in Gregg McNally's case, nursery - in order to make it down the M6 in time for kick off.
As an excuse, it all smacks a bit of 'The dog ate my homework, sir', but, like I say, I can see their point, although whether the Rugby Football League were right to accept their pleadings is another story all together.
But by sticking so rigidly to their argument, Whitehaven have effectively signed not only their own seasonal death warrant, but probably Halifax's too.
Whoever wins this weekend is going to face a monumental task four days later, especially if Celtic - who I suspect will become Halifax's adopted team for a couple of hours later today - fail to do the business at Salford.
A challenge that already looked incredibly difficult suddenly starts to look next to impossible.
Surely, it would have been better for Whitehaven to have a reasonable five day turnaround this week, play Friday, then give themselves a fighting chance in the next game?
Unless, of course, the Cumbrians, hit by injuries and suspensions to key players, don't actually think they can go all the way to the final anyway and are simply looking for the most convenient exit point and the best pay day?
Then, suddenly, their dogged insistence on playing on what should be a day of rest starts to make sense.
Which, in turn, makes the RFL's decision to go along with them all the more baffling.
Although it has cut the odds considerably on a politically expedient Grand Final showdown between the two Super League-bound sides...

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  • Last Updated: 11 September 2008 8:42 AM
  • Source: n/a
  • Location: Halifax
 
 

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