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Money woes threaten Polish rugby league

Jonathan Fowler

06:09 AEST Wed Nov 7 2012

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MONEY WOES: Poland's only Rugby League club has hit hard times

THEY wear second-hand jerseys from Redcliffe and have lost their first three matches by a total of 338-0 but the real troubles for Poland's rugby league team are just starting.

Poland's hopes of making their international rugby league debut are in jeopardy due to a funding shortfall, the squad's founder has warned.Half-back Lukasz Lucka says a planned November 24 match away to Hungary may be called off if they fail to scrape together the money they need.

That would be a blow to Poland's efforts to play a part in expanding rugby league in continental Europe, as the game's authorities try to spread it beyond its heartlands of Australasia, northern England and the south of France.

"Our first international would be a huge step forward for us," Lucka told AFP."It would be a sign to the Rugby League European Federation that Polish rugby league is growing and making progress, And for the players themselves it would be an unforgettable experience and a real motivation to train. They are hungry to play, and could do with some matches before the long Polish winter hits,"

The Poland squad was spun out of the Magpies, a club set up in 2011 in a tough district of the central city of Lodz - a fitting bow to the sport's

working class roots.

The Magpies are still Poland's only official club.

Three are needed to form a national association, which can then join the Rugby League European Federation.

The Poland and Magpies squads - made up of players in their late teens and early 20s who had never picked up a rugby ball until last year - are essentially identical.

They are a shoestring operation, wearing donated kits and playing on a football pitch using bolt-on uprights to form rugby posts.

Underlining their limited finances, the gap they need to plug for the Hungary international is about 3500 zloty ($A1060), based on the assumption players cover some costs from their own pockets.

This July, they made history by playing Poland's first-ever rugby league matches.

They sported the national colours of white and red thanks to secondhand jerseys that a Polish-Australian contact obtained from Queensland's Redcliffe Dolphins.

They faced the Pioneers - a team of British and Irish student players - and were glad of the experience despite crushing 98-0, 82-0 and 158-0 defeats.

Now they are desperate to test their mettle at full international level.

"We're having to work on the assumption that the Hungary trip won't go ahead. We're eyeing games in Greece or Italy in February." said Lucka.

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Wales and

Lions centre Jamie Roberts will leave Cardiff Blues when his contract expires in May.

Blues boss Richard Holland said Roberts rejected an offer to make him the highest paid Blues player, and possibly the best-paid in the UK.

Shame to see another good Welsh talent going abroad. Personally I think that we need central contracts to stop everyone from going to France.

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

My mate lives next door to former France defence coach Dave Ellis, apparently he wanted to be part of the England set up but instead worked with Tonga in the recent Autumn Tests.

So ill be going to him for inside information on RU related stuff... prepare for some dodgy bets (Y)

Edited by Mj3
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  • 5 weeks later...

Any of you interested in either supercoach or a dynasty draft league we're going to try and run this year?

The dynasty league we're trying to start is like how a lot of people play in the US, where at the start of the season we'll do a draft (so unlike supercoach one player can only be on one team) and then during the season you can trade with other teams or for free agents and what not.

Let me know if anyone is keen?!

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Found a site that hosts a draft style fantasy game. It's called NRLCEO, we're going to start up a league once it opens for the 2013 season, I'll give you all the league code or whatever it is you need to get into the league once it starts. Prepare to be dominated!

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Found a site that hosts a draft style fantasy game. It's called NRLCEO, we're going to start up a league once it opens for the 2013 season, I'll give you all the league code or whatever it is you need to get into the league once it starts. Prepare to be dominated!

ronsimmons.jpg

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