The Sydney Morning Herald from Sydney, New South Wales, Australia • Page 44

Threatened clubs eagerly eye 'breathing space' just giving clubs a bit more time to get their act together," he said. "It will just give more time for planning and implementing a smoother transition to 14 clubs. Hopefully, it will mean less comment on off-field dramas this year and more emphasis on the football being played." One club official, who declined to be named, said that while the smart business decision was to continue merger talks away from the public spotlight, it would be too hard to keep quiet "For anything to happen, too many people would have to know," he said. "Rugby league is not necessarily about business, it incorporates a lot of tradition and emotions and, of course, most of the clubs are owned by members. There's a lot of different considerations that must be weighed up.

"I would think all Sydney clubs should not still sit back and do nothing for 12 months. should be exploring then-options, but do it in as businesslike a way as we could, rather than being rushed into it" He stopped short of saying clubs would merge for next season in a bid to secure the bonus payment But they will be unable to fully explore such options until the NRL competition company is formed and the criteria for entry into the elite competition has been determined. The criteria will now be released on May 31, extending the February deadline. "I wouldn't comment on the legality of a Tiger challenge," Chalk said. "We would need to look at it But I wouldn't like to see it go back to the courts, I think it can be resolved." Chalk said his outfit, like many ARL-loyal clubs, would now set about proving it could be a viable individual entity.

and Western Suburbs were in the advanced stages of joint-venture negotiations, while Par-ramatta and Balmain also confirmed they had spoken. But with the culling delayed until 2000 when a 14-team competition is scheduled it now appears most Sydney clubs will put all merger talks on the backburner and adopt a "wait-and-see" attitude. The Tigers think they would find it hard to merge with another club as they would require a 75 per cent vote from members. "I don't know how the members would vote, but at the last annual meeting I would say 99.9 per cent of people wanted to stay as we are," Balmain chairman John Chalk said. "If the option would be to stay as the Balmain Tigers and play in a lesser competition, I'd say that's what the members would do.

But we intend to be strong, we won't be one of the weak ones." Chalk, though, believes Balmain will be able to meet any qualifying criteria imposed by the League for 2000. Even so, he said the Tigers would look at legal options in a bid to be included as sole entities in the elite competition in 2000. However, the move may hinder future rationalisation as it has given endangered clubs, who had been resigned to mergers as their only realistic means of survival, some hope that they now have time for resurrection. NRL chief executive Neil Whittaker said yesterday that the joint-venture option was still available for next season and that, if clubs merged before October 1, a $2 million reward would still be paid to each club involved. Before the announcement that guaranteed 20 teams in 1999, it is thought Canterbury Zali's coach says best is yet to The decision to extend the moratorium on mergers was met with the hope that investors in the NRL will see the viability of a 20-team competition and, when the time comes, decide against a reduction to 14 teams.

"Now that it's been given the chance to prove the 20 teams can survive and generate a profit for the people funding, they the investors may reconsider their options also," Chalk said. However, Parramatta chief executive Denis Fitzgerald said the situation would not change that dramatically. "It's the same situation, it is 1: -r Bulls summon Le Biter for Super 12 duties bronze come rJf: tip'' 'j is '4 SLn 9mfi yp'-v Jf LEAGUE PAUL KENT Sydney's threatened rugby league clubs may now ignore financial incentives for mergers and instead use the year's moratorium on reducing the number of clubs to 16 as a trigger to rekindle individual bids to survive. The National Rugby League this week decided to postpone a scheduled four-team reduction by the end of this season in order to ensure a smoother transition for the troubled code back into a united competition. WINTER OLYMPICS JACQUELIN magnay Nagano: Zali Steggall's stellar slalom effort, picking up an Olympic bronze medal on Thursday, was never in doubt, according to her coach.

And a proud Helmut Spiegl says the best is yet to come. "Australia can look forward to some great slalom performances in the future, she's here to stay," Spiegl said. Steggall produced a powerful two-run performance an agonising VA hours apart to win only Australia's second medal at a Winter Games, following the bronze in the short-track speed skating relay four years ago in Lillehammer, and our first individual and alpine skiing Olympic medal While' seven of the top 15 seeded competitors were slipping and sliding before her down the slushy and tightly set second-run course, Steggall was blithely unaware of the dramas from die top of the mountain. Spiegl said he had no fear that Steggall would not finish the run, unlike the sport's big names in Slovenian Urska Hrovat, Swiss Karin Roten and Norwegian Trine Bakke, who missed gates on the Mount Yakebitai course. "The second slope was very difficult, I couldnt tell her what bad happened because she needed lots of confidence," said Spiegl, who has refined SteggalTs technique over the past 10 months.

"It was important that she put together a fast second run, because when the others falter that is when she does really good. "She is very balanced on her skis in difficult conditions, but we had agreed I would not tell her when others go out and she went and put together a beautiful run." Earlier in the day, Steggall posted the third-fastest time 0 RUGBY GREG GR0WDEN One ear-biter has been outed for six months, but another convicted offender is back, ready to tussle with the NSW players next month. South African front-rower Johan le Roux, who was banned for 19 months after biting the ear of All Black hooker Sean Fitzpa-trick during a 1994 Test match, has been surprisingly named in the Northern Bulls team for the Super 12 tournament NSW will meet up with this notorious international rugby bad boy on March 21 in Witbank when the Waratahs play the Bulls, a composite team of players from Northern Transvaal, North West, Gau-teng Falcons and Mpumalanga. Le Roux claims he is a reformed character. But Super 12 opponents will, find that hard to believe, particularly when five days after completing his long sentence he was suspended for a further seven weeks after headbutting ACT hooker Marco Caputo during an early 1996 tournament match in Canberra.

This was expected to end his contentious international career, but the move of tight-head prop Marius Hurtur to the Western Stormers has seen le Roux back in demand. Le Roux told a South African newspaper this week that he had learnt his lessons, and wanted to show during this Super 12 tournament that he was a clean player. He wanted to win back the respect of the New Zealand players and supporters. "I want to rectify what I did wrong on the previous tour, when I lost my head," le Roux told The Sunday Times. "I would love to play against Sean Fitzpatrick again.

Of course, I will not bite his ear again, but I can out-scrum him. Playing Fitzpatrick is one of my few remaining ambitions, and also to play for the Springboks i LT mm down the steep and icy morning course, finishing just behind Germany's Hilde Gerg and early leader Deborah Compagnoni of Italy. She said she was simply relieved she had got through the first run unscathed. "The biggest concern was that I was going to choke," she said, conscious of the high expectations placed on the aerial free-stylers Kirstie Marshall and Jac-qui Cooper, who failed to qualify for the final earlier in the week. "But I was relaxed and focused in the race, and when I finished, I couldn't find jay name at first then I saw I was third and it was, 'Yes, I am in with a chance'.

"But it was a bit tough waiting everyone around me was getting stressed." The course conditions changed dramatically between runs, with the snow softening significantly under bright sunshine and the German judge setting gates which posed a tight twisting challenge. Steggall was the fourth fastest but her combined times saw the scoreboard flash an amazing Winter Olympic sight: Steggall, Zali, Aus, 1. She instantly knew she had won a medal, with only world-ranked No 3 Gerg and Compagnoni, known as the bionic woman because of her many knee injuries and artificial knee ligaments, capable of beating her time and still to ski Gerg (lmin 32.40s), the bronze medallist from the women's combined event this week, beat Compagnoni (1 32.46), a former double gold medallist, with Steggall (1 :32.67) relegated to third. "I know I was not one of the expected medallists, but I won in Park City a World Cup event in Utah when it was steep and OCq a front rower for the rVallobieS. Super charge Steggall celebrates after her last run on Mt Yakebitai on Thursday secured her a medal.

Photo by ap icy and I proved 4 that "This is just fantastic." Nearly "The race was a blur for me," Austria to prepare for the next when the course is there and the every Australian visiting said elated Australian team boss World Cup race and won't conditions good, I am one of the Nagano was celebrating with Ian Chesterman. return to Australia until mid-best technical skiers," SteggalL Steggall at a city hotel party that "This is as good as gold." March after the Cup finals in 23, said. went long into the night Steggall will now travel to Krans-Montana, Switzerland. again. I have forgiven Fitzpatrick, but I will never forgive our manager, Jannie Engelbrecht" Le Roux thought the 1994 South African tour management were too willing to crucify him for ear-biting Fitzpatrick, and failed to support him during his judiciary hearing.

He was then ordered home in disgrace. Le Roux's name bobbed up earlier this month when England prop Kevin Yates was suspended for six months after being found guilty of biting Australian Simon Fenn's ear during an English club match. At least NSW hooker Phil Kearns is not concerned with tussling with le Roux next month. "I'm not worried about playing against Kearns said last night. "You can't be done for ear-biting twice surely." It also appears le Roux will miss out on the chance of playing against Fitzpatrick, as the Auckland hooker is not likely to overcome an injured knee in time for their April 17 match in Pukekohe.

Four NSW squad mem- bers Wayne De Jonge, Christian Warner, Scott Staniforth and Stuart Pinkerton have remained in Queensland to play in the NSW A-Red Heelers game on the Gold Coast tonight The rest of the NSW squad returned to Sydney yesterday after an encouraging Southern Cross trial series, which involved a win over Canterbury and a tight loss against Auckland. The NSW selectors will watch the A match before announcing on Monday the Waratah team and captain for their first Super 12 match, against ACT at the Sydney Football Stadium on March 1. Richard Tombs will become the first Australian to captain English club Gloucester when he does so in this week's Cheltenham and Gloucester Cup clash against Richmond. Page TelecommunicationsMobile Phones, Wanted to Buy. TRAVEL AND BOATING Boatine 22 ChartersFishingHire- Holiday Kesorts- -METRO Travel MOTOR MARKET Motor Vehicles- -DIO-D35 D35 D35 D3S D3S Vintage, Veteran Classic-Motor Auctions Trucks, Commercials 4WD and Off Road Vehicles-Number Plates -D3S -D3S D35 Motor Veh Finance Caravans, Trailers Motor Cycles- D35 -D35 -D35 Motor Pans Services Furniture Removal NOTICES AND SERVICES Company Oeregistrations Company Notices 22 Government Notices-Legal Notices Lost and Found 22 -31 -22 Lottery LottoBonus Draw Medical Notices Memorial Gifts Personal and Missing Friends-Public Notices Tenders -22 22 -21 REAL ESTATE For Sale and Wanted Houses, Home Sites- -31-32 Retirement Living -32 Home Unit-, Town Houses Commercial Industrial Property Properties Wanted -33 32 harms and Acreage Lettings, Share and Wanted Board and Accommodation 32 Board and Accommodation Wanted 32 Commercial Premises, LetWtd 33 Garages Self-Storage To Let 33 Houses To Let 32-33 Industrial Premises To LetWtd Retail Premises To LetWtd.

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