Grey In The Centre Of Interstate Bidding War

Sydney Morning Herald

Sunday June 29, 1997

PHIL WILKINS

The State of the Union series is over and the bartering is in full swing for next year's Super 12 with NSW and Queensland duelling for the signature of 22-year-old Queensland centre Nathan Grey.

Queensland coach John Connolly said yesterday Grey was one of 26 players offered a contract by Queensland but he was also aware of the strong-tackling midfielder receiving a substantial three-year contract offer to join the Waratahs.

One forward on Connolly's shopping list is 112kg loose head Scott Webster, 22, the former Eastern Suburbs prop now with Warringah who played for Queensland this year, described by Connolly as "a player of the future, a player who will be a very good prop".

But Connolly did not visit Sydney on Saturday to watch three-time Hong Kong Sevens representative Jim Williams, a former Queensland representative centre now playing at No8 with the Green Rats, in Warringah's 44-11 defeat of Norths.

Two NSW officials present at North Sydney Oval, however, were Waratah chairman of selectors Barry Want and assistant coach Steve Lidbury, who were probably more impressed with Warringah's flankers, three-try scorer Jon Hart and open-side Cameron Pither.

No8 Williams was making his return to football after damaging a rib cartilage and coach John Briggs described Hart as "clearly the dominant player on the field".

But Briggs said if NSW adopted a high-speed, highpowered, even high-risk tactical game next season, Pither would be an ideal Waratah with his explosive pace because he was as fast as any outside centre in the AAMI Cup.

Warringah are in second position on 39 points, trailing Eastwood (40) with Randwick (33), Gordon and Manly (32 points each) completing the top five, followed by Newcastle (26), Eastern Suburbs and Sydney University (23 points).

Eastwood accounted for Southern Districts 32-20 after trailing 17-3 in the first quarter of an hour. They now meet resurgent Easts, who ended University's four-game winning streak 33-20 with Wallaby five-eighth Scott Bowen kicking cleverly across the mire.

Coach John McKee expects Easts to "muscle it up front" at Woollahra Oval next Saturday. Certainly, bruising international back-rower Michael Brial was in his element in the slush against University.

University trailed 25-6 at half-time but rallied, with half Ben Miller an influential figure, and finished strongly, only to return to their dressing room to find their valuables bag stolen, one item missing being hooker John Manenti's wedding ring.

Gordon continue "chortling along", as coach John Warr put it, running in 10 tries in thumping Canberra 64-22.

The Highlanders meet unreliable West Harbour at Waratah Park minus Under-21 backs Stirling Mortlock and Joel Wilson but regain Wallaby Alistair Murdoch and goal-kicking fullback James Godfrey.

The NSW Under-21s side to meet England Under-21s at Warringah Park from 4.45 pm next Saturday is:

Nick Lavelle; Scott Staniforth, Jason Jones-Hughes, Joel Wilson, Stirling Mortlock; Christian Warner, Sam Cordingley; Andrew James, Keith Gleeson (c), Scott Fava, Michael Abbott, Tom Bowman, Ben Darwin, Ben Hindmarsh, Luke Mann.