Super League club makes grab for Finch

[josie andrews]

THE Melbourne Storm fire sale could soon be under way, with Brett Finch wanted immediately by an English Super League club. The Storm five-eighth, who was resigned to leaving the club even before their salary cap breach was exposed last month, will discuss the offer with his manager, Steve Gillis, in the next two days.

While other NRL clubs have maintained a respectable, non-predatory distance from Storm players as the implications of that club's penalties for its salary cap breaches continue to sink in, overseas counterparts have gone in for the kill.

Gillis would not say which Super League club had lodged the interest in Finch but did say it made it clear it wanted him straight away.

''I haven't had a chance to really discuss it with Brett,'' Gillis told the Herald. ''He's very conscious of the fact the Melbourne guys want to stick together so he's not in any rush to make any rash decisions. We'll just see what eventuates in the next few days.''

Any mid-season release would have to be approved by Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy and acting chief executive officer Frank Stanton.

But given the Storm are playing for no points, and were not in a position to keep Finch even before their penalty was handed out on April 22, there is unlikely to be much opposition by the club if he chose to leave.

Storm football manager Frank Ponissi said last night he had not heard of the Super League offer but could not imagine Melbourne standing in Finch's way if the 28-year-old thought he could further his career in England. ''This is news to us,'' Ponissi said. ''If we did get an approach we'd need to meet with the coach and the CEO and take it from there.

''Finchy is off-contract this year anyway and at the end of the day we spoke to him a long time ago and told him we weren't in a position to offer him anything for next year.

''He's been here just over 12 months but he's been phenomenal for the football club in that time. If we had room to keep him for the future we would have but it's not possible now - it wasn't even possible before the salary cap scandal.''

Forecast to be $1.3 million over the cap already next season the club will have to shed at least one, maybe two, of its star quartet of Billy Slater, Greg Inglis, Cameron Smith and Cooper Cronk, as well as others.

No cuts have yet been planned. Stanton and Ponissi are awaiting the conclusion of the NRL investigation into the cap breach and a forensic examination of the Storm's accounts by Deloitte, the accounting firm hired by club owner's News Ltd.

http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/leag ... -uy2i.html

[Panchitta Marra]

Taken from Wikipedia.

Brett Finch (born 20 August 1981 in Maitland, New South Wales) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the Melbourne Storm of the National Rugby League. A New South Wales State of Origin representative representative halfback or five-eighth, he previously played for the Canberra Raiders, Sydney Roosters and Parramatta Eels before moving to the Storm.

While attending Erindale College, Finch played for the Australian Schoolboys team in 1998.[1] At the Canberra Raiders he won the club's rookie of the year award.

Brett Finch has played three State of Origin games for New South Wales since crossing from the Canberra Raiders. His most famous moment was when he was called into the New South Wales squad on the eve of Game 1 of the 2006 series. He then turned out to be a hero by scoring a try, setting up two and by kicking the winning field goal to push New South Wales to a famous 17–16 victory at Telstra Stadium. However Finch had a disastrous Game II, and was dropped for the decider which New South Wales lost. They also lost the 2006 series for the first time since 2001.

In 2004, Brett Finch, whilst playing for the Sydney Roosters, threw a bottle back into the crowd after he was pelted by a Canterbury Bulldogs fan. The fan was banned for life from NRL Games, while Brett Finch was suspended for 3 weeks[2]
The Roosters and Finch agreed on an early termination of his contract, allowing the Parramatta Eels to sign Finch on a two year deal from the Roosters, commencing from the 2007 season. The Eels then extended his contract to the end of the 2011 season, reportedly to be worth $1 million for 3 years.

On 8 April 2009, Parramatta CEO, Denis Fitzgerald, confirmed that Finch would be released from his contract with the Eels. The contract was not due to expire until the end of the 2011 season. Finch is quoted in media sources as stating that coach Daniel Anderson told him he "may not be the right person to take the club forward in the halfback position".[3]

On 14 April 2009, Finch signed a one year contract with the Melbourne Storm. The Storm will be his fourth club in eleven NRL seasons. Storm coach Craig Bellamy commented: "He will add depth and experience to our squad and gives us further options in the halves."[4]

He got his revenge beating his old team, Paramatta, in the 2009 grand final, setting up 2 tries. [5] This victory was also third time lucky for Finch, having lost two Grand Finals with the Roosters (2003 and 2004, the latter of which was Brad Fittler's farewell match). He however has yet to have won an NRL Premiership after the Storm were stripped of their 2009 title due to salary cap breaches. Finch was believed to have been one of the players sought out by then-CEO Brian Waldron when he was released by the Eels. It was also believed that Finch should have stayed at the Eels.

Its unlikely for bottles to be thrown on the pitch in Superleague, but should Wigan be looking at players who react like this, even if the Bulldogs fans were to blame for throwing the bottle in the first place.

[josie andrews]

I think it is Catalans that are leading the chase for this player.

[GeoffN]

Not us, for a number of reasons. Catalans would make sense.

[ancientnloyal]

Have plenty of money with Moggy gone. He might do a Bird and look for a move away during the off-season r stay for 2.

Unless Warrington are interested.

[cherrywarrior]

Indeed it is the dragons!

http://www.superleague.co.uk/article.php?id=17675

[ancientnloyal]

Bosc and Finch - lucky buggers.