Benji finally re-signs with Tigers!

[DIEHARD]

NRL nix Benji's Japan rugby hopes

NRL boss David Gallop has put the brakes on Wests Tigers star Benji Marshall's hopes of playing rugby union in Japan.

Gallop said the NRL will not allow Marshall to play in Japan without finalising a new deal with the Tigers and then re-signing for the club when he returned early next year.

Marshall is off contract at the end of the season and had hoped to supplement his income with a lucrative spell in Japan in the 2009 and 2010 off seasons.

"I can't see how it would be in league's best interests to allow a star player to play for one of our competitors," Gallop told News Limited.

"We're already under pressure over the amount of football played. Why would we allow a star to risk injury playing in another code?

"I haven't seen a proposal from Benji or Wests Tigers, but at the moment the answer is no."

Source: http://www.ninemsn.com.au

[DIEHARD]

Well done to the game's CEO for taking such a strong stand on this. We can never allow this sort of thing to happen, it would undermine the game and the quality of our teams and players. We'd be a sideshow with our stars cherry picked.

Play rugby league and only rugby league or not rugby league, take it or leave it.

[Ryan]

Benji Marshall may take NRL to court if rugby union spell derails league career
By Dean Ritchie
February 19, 2009
http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,...-23214,00.html




Benji Marshall has called David Gallop's bluff, threatening legal action if his proposed stint playing rugby union in Japan derails his NRL career.

Gallop warned that the Wests Tigers superstar faced deregistration if he played rugby union in the off-season, but Marshall's camp said they were pressing ahead with the rebel plan. The camp also declared that any attempt to black-ban Marshall from the NRL in future years would represent a "restraint of trade" they would pursue in court.

"David Gallop is a lawyer and would surely know that preventing Benji from playing another sport in another country would be a restraint of trade," Marshall's manager, Martin Tauber, said.

"Once his NRL contract expires and he is no longer registered to the NRL, Benji is free to do what he chooses.

"What's the difference between this (case) and that of Mat Rogers, Wendell Sailor, Brad Thorn and Andrew Walker? They all came back to league and the NRL blew their trumpet."

Tauber made his comments after Gallop reiterated his hardline stance on Marshall's future, saying that any agreement by the Tigers to let the player go to Japan and re-sign him next year would be "a sham".

"If he got a contract in Japan, we couldn't stop him going to rugby union," Gallop said.

"But if it was done in a way where he gave an ongoing commitment to Wests Tigers then it would be a sham and would cause drama.

"If he got a handshake deal with Wests Tigers and then tried to be reregistered, we may not register his new deal. He needs to make a choice."

[~lee~]

Benji can do what he likes, he's off contract. The hardline by the nrl is only going to push him into the hands of union. If he agrees a new deal with wests then its up to them whether they agree he can play in japan or not, not the nrl.

[DIEHARD]

It's up to the NRL to dictate what can and can't be part of NRL club contracts.

A contract, by definition is restrictive, it's the point of it.

The best he could do is play for them uncontracted then sign a Tigers NRL deal after.

We can't allow this sort of circus to start, I totally support Gallop! It's the best thing for the fans, the clubs and even the players, cause burn out is a big issue, truthfull I think we need to cut the NRL season to 22 rounds.

[espltd301]

It's up to the NRL to dictate what can and can't be part of NRL club contracts.

A contract, by definition is restrictive, it's the point of it.

The best he could do is play for them uncontracted then sign a Tigers NRL deal after.

We can't allow this sort of circus to start, I totally support Gallop! It's the best thing for the fans, the clubs and even the players, cause burn out is a big issue, truthfull I think we need to cut the NRL season to 22 rounds.

I agree with the idea that if players play for another code in the off season it "could" lead to injuries/ player fatigue etc... but lets face it, he hasn't played anywhere near the amount of games someone like Cam Smith or Inglis has played over the last few years. Let him go, get his kicks and coin. He'll realise that union is crap and come back firing in the real game I also reckon the season should be 20-22 rounds max

[DIEHARD]

So if we let Benji go, we let all go? No thanks. This would open a floodgate, at worst defection at best a flood of neverending speculation. We don't need that negative media taking away from positive rugby league news and giving the other rugby code a free ride.

I want all NRL players 100% committed to their clubs. Fans and clubs deserve no less.

[~lee~]

All a club has to do when offering a contract to a player is include a clause stating that the player can not play in the other code whilst under the terms of the contract. If a player doesnt like the terms he doesnt have to sign but you cant force a player to avoid union when not under contract.

[Blunt_Beno]

good to see gallop standing up and putting a stop to it. if ya ask me, once this season is over, he either goes there and stays there for the next season or he just stays in australia and continues to play in the best comp in the world. he should not be allowed to do both, i remember andrew johns doing something similar in england i think, its not right if ya ask me.

[TITAN PETE]

good to see gallop standing up and putting a stop to it. if ya ask me, once this season is over, he either goes there and stays there for the next season or he just stays in australia and continues to play in the best comp in the world. he should not be allowed to do both, i remember andrew johns doing something similar in england i think, its not right if ya ask me.

Andrew Johns went the UK & was only there for 2 or 3 games with Warrington but the main difference was Johns was still playing Rugby League not Union but i do agree either he plays the no1 game or Union but not both

There is far too much chance for injury & Benji has been earning plenty of frequent flyers points visiting many Hospitals already without the extra games he may be playing.

He may just be really keen on Sushi

[Steve]

Ah well, if Gallop has a tanty about it and refuses to register him... has Benji ever been in trouble with the law? If not he can go play league in the UK.

[Super Cronk]

talkin to a tigpie support at work today and he said "he shouldnt be allowed to go because he risks getting injured/'....i said it might be a good thing for him he cant play more than 30 mins of rugby league without doing a shoulder. so it dont matter where he goes...if he has a bung shoulder and injures easy then its going to happen no matter where he is playing or what sport.

[DIEHARD]

I think we really need to look after the fans as well. I don't think many Titans fans would appreciate our top players spending the off season overseas playing the other rugby.

We need our stars fresh, focused and injury free, the NRL these days is too cut through a competition.

[Ryan]

Lawyers backing Benji Marshall over Japan rugby stint
By Brent Read
February 27, 2009
http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,...-23214,00.html


Benji Marshall's quest to spend an off-season in Japanese rugby union gained impetus when one of the country's leading sports lawyers suggested he stood a good chance of launching successful legal action against the NRL.

Marshall and his management have raised the prospect of allowing his existing contract to lapse at the end of the season, the precursor to spending several months in Japan before returning to re-sign with Wests Tigers.

The move, which has the support of the Tigers, has been condemned by NRL chief executive David Gallop.

Gallop has previously stated Marshall would not be allowed to sign with an NRL club if he played rugby in Japan.

However, that stance could backfire on the NRL given leading lawyer John Mullins suggested Marshall had a good chance of successfully challenging any attempt to block him returning to rugby league.

"His contract is over," Mullins said. "There is no ongoing obligation to them (the Tigers and NRL).

"He is going somewhere else in the world, he's going to do something over there and he's going to get paid for it.

"Then he might or might not come back and hope to get a contract again to do something.

"It's hard to imagine how (banning Marshall) could possibly be lawful, particularly seeing his contract is over.

"What would be the basis for them to refuse to register him? That he had the temerity whilst he was off contract to work for somebody else?

"Surely that can't be lawful?"

The Tigers have been contacted by several lawyers offering to handle the case should they elect to challenge the NRL on Marshall's behalf.

The players' union has also given Marshall its backing.

"I think it would be completely different if the Tigers were releasing Marshall in the midst of his contract period," Mullins said. "That would be a different situation."

Gallop has compared the Marshall situation to an employee from Coke going to work for Pepsi for a few months. Mullins failed to see the logic in that argument.

"What's happening here in that analogy is your employee has quit his job at Coke, gone and got a job at Pepsi, and at some stage in the future he might come back to Coke wanting a job - and Coke might or might not give him a job," Mullins said.

"What Coke is saying here is we may not let you work in the soft drink business if you go and work for Pepsi."

Legal action would have far-reaching ramifications for the NRL. If Marshall were to challenge the NRL successfully, it could open the floodgates for other players to follow his lead.

Players and managers across the NRL are already exploring their options in Japanese rugby. Cronulla sacked Fraser Anderson this week after the backrower announced he had negotiated a lucrative deal with Japanese club Kobe.

Although Anderson's manager Lance Thompson denied a deal had been struck, an announcement is expected soon.

The Australian learned on Thursday that Willie Mason - via his manager Greg Keenan - had asked the Sydney Roosters in the off-season for permission to investigate the prospect of a guest stint in Japan.

The Roosters, however, refused to grant Mason permission.

Mason is among a host of players being shopped around Japan. Brisbane Broncos star Karmichael Hunt and Melbourne full-back Billy Slater have also been mentioned as potential targets.

Japanese rugby has suddenly taken over from French rugby as the biggest threat to the code. The issue will be discussed at a meeting of club chief executives in Sydney next week, with Marshall's situation likely to be a focal point of that debate.

By then, Marshall's future could be decided. His manager, Martin Tauber, will hold further talks with the Tigers on Saturday, where it is expected the club will table a revised offer for the New Zealand international.

Should Marshall agree to a new contract, any move to Japan would be off the table. However, should the Japanese offer come to fruition, and Marshall follow through on his threat to play there this year, the NRL could create itself a headache.

Club bosses are far from unified in their approach to Japanese rugby.

What they do agree on is that the threat is nowhere near as bad as some have suggested.

"I don't think there's a threat," Cronulla chairman Barry Pierce said.

"I think they're just isolated cases at this stage."

Tigers chief executive Scott Longmuir warned the NRL was getting into dangerous areas by threatening to stop Marshall playing in Japan.

He said the issue needed to be discussed next week.

"All we're saying is let's make sure we take a good look at it," Longmuir said.

[titanstattman]

Go go go go and **** off and dont come back