Grimmace
02-09-06, 05:08 PM
Gower's rugby deal set to fall through
Saturday, September 2, 2006 - 2:21 PM
Craig Gower's planned rugby union stint in Italy looks set to fall through before it even gets off the ground with the Penrith halfback unlikely to be given permission from the ARL to skip the end-of-season Tri-Nations.
Gower's manager Greg Willett said an opportunity had come up for his client to play club rugby for Italian side Treviso over the next two months after it was confirmed the Panthers would not be taking part in this year's NRL finals series.
Willett had sought and received permission from the Panthers to undertake what would have amounted to a seven-game stint with the Italian side.
But his proposed stint looks unlikely to go ahead with the ARL set to reject any plea from the 28-year-old to skip the upcoming Tri-Nations series involving Australia, New Zealand and Great Britain.
Willett denied the deal was a case of Gower choosing club rugby in Italy over an Australian Test jumper, saying neither he nor the Panthers playmaker thought he was much chance of making the Kangaroos squad.
"We didn't think he was going to be in (the Australian squad)," Willett said.
"Everyone was saying that (Johnathan) Thurston and (Matt) Orford were going to be the halfbacks so it had nothing to do with representative football.
"It was a deal that just came up and if Penrith didn't make the semis then we would explore it.
"Because Craig had such a rotten year and he had an Italian passport, he was just going to get out of the joint and play a few games with Treviso. End of story. Penrith said it would actually be good for him to get out of the place."
ARL chief executive Geoff Carr said he had yet to receive a request from Gower to be left out of coach Ricky Stuart's Australian squad, but it appears unlikely the ARL would grant such an exemption for Gower to play rugby union.
Newcastle hooker Danny Buderus was granted permission to skip the tournament last month but his plea was based on compassionate grounds with the NSW State of Origin skipper's partner due to give birth to the couple's first child during the tournament.
Carr said it was still too early to predict whether Gower would be in the final Test squad.
"That's ridiculous, the selectors haven't even met yet," Carr said.
"Plus who knows what injuries may occur during the finals series."
Selectors will name a train-on squad on Monday featuring players not taking part in this year's NRL finals series, with Gower, who will miss Penrith's season finale against the Bulldogs on Sunday with a knee injury, almost certain to be named in that preliminary group.
The last high profile player to have a stint of club rugby during the off-season was former Brisbane winger Wendell Sailor, who played with English rugby union side Leeds Tykes in 1999 before returning to the Broncos for the 2000 season.
Source: AAP
Saturday, September 2, 2006 - 2:21 PM
Craig Gower's planned rugby union stint in Italy looks set to fall through before it even gets off the ground with the Penrith halfback unlikely to be given permission from the ARL to skip the end-of-season Tri-Nations.
Gower's manager Greg Willett said an opportunity had come up for his client to play club rugby for Italian side Treviso over the next two months after it was confirmed the Panthers would not be taking part in this year's NRL finals series.
Willett had sought and received permission from the Panthers to undertake what would have amounted to a seven-game stint with the Italian side.
But his proposed stint looks unlikely to go ahead with the ARL set to reject any plea from the 28-year-old to skip the upcoming Tri-Nations series involving Australia, New Zealand and Great Britain.
Willett denied the deal was a case of Gower choosing club rugby in Italy over an Australian Test jumper, saying neither he nor the Panthers playmaker thought he was much chance of making the Kangaroos squad.
"We didn't think he was going to be in (the Australian squad)," Willett said.
"Everyone was saying that (Johnathan) Thurston and (Matt) Orford were going to be the halfbacks so it had nothing to do with representative football.
"It was a deal that just came up and if Penrith didn't make the semis then we would explore it.
"Because Craig had such a rotten year and he had an Italian passport, he was just going to get out of the joint and play a few games with Treviso. End of story. Penrith said it would actually be good for him to get out of the place."
ARL chief executive Geoff Carr said he had yet to receive a request from Gower to be left out of coach Ricky Stuart's Australian squad, but it appears unlikely the ARL would grant such an exemption for Gower to play rugby union.
Newcastle hooker Danny Buderus was granted permission to skip the tournament last month but his plea was based on compassionate grounds with the NSW State of Origin skipper's partner due to give birth to the couple's first child during the tournament.
Carr said it was still too early to predict whether Gower would be in the final Test squad.
"That's ridiculous, the selectors haven't even met yet," Carr said.
"Plus who knows what injuries may occur during the finals series."
Selectors will name a train-on squad on Monday featuring players not taking part in this year's NRL finals series, with Gower, who will miss Penrith's season finale against the Bulldogs on Sunday with a knee injury, almost certain to be named in that preliminary group.
The last high profile player to have a stint of club rugby during the off-season was former Brisbane winger Wendell Sailor, who played with English rugby union side Leeds Tykes in 1999 before returning to the Broncos for the 2000 season.
Source: AAP