'Breakaway' claim adds further intrigue to council meeting
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The tension and uncertainty surrounding the meeting of the Council tomorrow has been cranked up another notch by claims from Sydney that British First and Second Division clubs have spoken to the Australian about a possible breakaway.
Smaller clubs are furious about suggestions that the meeting at Headingley will vote to give them less money from the News Corporation hand-out in order to give Super League clubs more.
John Quayle, the chief executive of the ARL, which is competing with Super League for control of the game in Australia, said: "England's really a Super League organisation now and they feel they are being left out."
A Sydney newspaper quoted an unnamed "chief executive of one of England's most traditional clubs," who is alleged to have made the approach to the ARL. "The game is in disastrous trouble, and now the Super League clubs have formed their own limited company," he said. "This isn't a breakaway, but what we have may well be the first stage of a breakaway."
Clubs concerned about Super League's domination did meet last month, but those at that meeting have denied anyone was authorised to approach the ARL.
An ARL bail-out would also involve giving clubs - including a handful from Super League itself claimed to be interested - a better deal than they are currently getting from News Corp, and that would be formidably expensive.
The meeting will also have to decide the shape of its divisions for next season, but the question of who has said what to the ARL is potentially time-consuming.
The Great Britain coach, Phil Larder, has called up two more replacements for the tour to Papua New Guinea, Fiji and New Zealand. Karle Hammond, the St Helens loose-forward or stand-off, and the Keighley winger, Jason Critchley, played in the Premiership finals at Old Trafford on Sunday to underline their claims.
"Jason has played very well for Wales and Karle has forced his way into the squad from nowhere," said Larder, who is delaying a decision on whether to replace the St Helens pair, Paul Newlove and Chris Joynt, until he receives an update on their condition.
Joynt has had an exploratory operation on his knee, but Saints' coach, Shaun McRae, said Newlove is out for at least six weeks with a hamstring tear and that he will miss the tour.
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