ARU stand firms Giteau for Force.

[travelling_gerry]

Page 135 of todays West Australian by Dave Hughes

In a move that will break Mudskippers and Joondalup_daves hearts talks between Matt Giteaus management and the ARU increase the likleyhood that MG will finish his contracted term with the in 2009.

Gits rejoins the side on Jan 12 together with Sharpie , Cross and Browndog.

Drew , Bambam and JOC resume on Jan 5 after the Christmas break.

Other news, Matt Hodgson contract negotiations well advanced and Hodgson want to play till 2011.

Wykes, Hocking and Pek Cowan are expected to sign early next month.

Players will be allowed to play in next years Shute shield after the S14 season and there is no overseas trip next year for the

[joondalup dave]

why would that break our hearts gerry?

[benny]

Sorry for my stupidity what is the "shute shield" ?

[jargan83]

one of the Sydney competitions I think
Posted via Mobile Device

[James]

Wykes, Hocking and Pek Cowan are expected to sign early next month.

Can anyone one else clarify- earlier in the year these guys signed two year with a one year option contracts- are they saying the players have signed on to make them effectively just a two year (or more) contract or is it that they've only just got around to signing the original 2 with 1 option ones. Sorry if that gives anyone else a headache. Confusing.

[The InnFORCEr]

Page 135 of todays West Australian by Dave Hughes



Gits rejoins the side on Jan 12 together with Sharpie , Cross and Browndog.

Drew , Bambam and JOC resume on Jan 5 after the Christmas break.

This info is straight from a RugbyWA media release, it is no given that Gits WILL actually be there. The actual release is worded as follows:

Monday 5 January - Wallabies players Drew Mitchell, David Pocock and James O’Connor return for first pre-season training session with EWF.

Monday 12 January - Wallabies players Nathan Sharpe, Matt Giteau, Ryan Cross and Richard Brown return for first pre-season training session with EWF.

Tuesday 13 January - Team photo

As you can see the play on words that is in today's West makes it sound like Gits has been seperated from the team so he can re join them

[Thequeerone]

Stupid question why two groups of Wallabies ?

[laura]

Sharpe, Giteau & Brown were in the squad for a longer period of time maybe...
Mitchell started off injured & Pocock & JO'C didn't join until the Spring Tour training began.

Some of the article is a bit misleading, I think, but the Force being able to join the shute shield should be great, hopefully our players don't get recruited (by the Tahs) while they're away though.

[mudskipper]

Shute Shield

Sport Rugby union
Founded 1923
No. of teams 12
Most recent champions: Sydney University

The Shute Shield is a rugby union competition in Sydney, New South Wales. It is the premier grade rugby trophy in NSW rugby. The Shute Shield is awarded in the first half of the Sydney club season. The Shield is contested by the twelve NSWRU clubs and, in previous seasons clubs from outside of the Sydney metropolitan area, such as the Illawarriors and Central Coast Waves. The competition format involves a 13 week round-robin competition which is followed by a four week play-off series that culminates in a grand final. The playoffs are contested by the top six placed teams following the round-robin. The bottom eight teams following the round-robin contest the plate during the play-offs. The trophy was donated to the New South Wales Rugby Union in 1923 by Sydney University Football Club, and was named in honour of Robert Elliott Shute who died while playing for New South Wales in 1922.

[Thequeerone]

Didn't JON can this last week - finical responsibility etc..

[travelling_gerry]

Stupid question why two groups of Wallabies ?

The first group were with the Wallabies for the inbound tests and tri nations, while the second group were an addition to the squad for the Tour.

[Thequeerone]

Thx - see the 2 groups now

just went back to post

http://twf.com.au/showthread.php?t=19609

it was the 2009 Australian Rugby Shield that was canned

[mudskipper]

http://www.thewest.com.au/default.as...ntentID=114202

Nothing new here, about Gits... Dave Hughes is just lubricating the West Australian sports columns for his new boss.

Hughes using such uncompromising expressions like “believed” and “Faith”… He's sounding more like a priest than a journo…does he write the papers Obituaries too?

Perhaps he is coming east to work at the SMH?

I guess we will all know when we see who sits down it the team photo come Tuesday 13 January...

below the eastern story for Saturday 19 december.

http://www.rugbyheaven.com.au/news/n...189805046.html

[lara93]

yiieewww

[joondalup dave]

mudskipper . the post you put up on the shute shield was right on the money , but it was the structure as of 2007 when they held the arc , they had a tooheys new cup and a shute shield. they have gone back to a 22 round shute shield sponsored by tooheys. with no tooheys new cup.

it is almost unbelievable how often they have changed the format.

i am probably being padantic i know.