Lottery win boosts return of PNG duo

LONDON: Whitehaven have not broken the bank to bring in their two new Papua New Guinea Test stars – thanks in part to a whopping £35,000 lottery boost.
The club was in dire straits in late 2010 when it went in to administration, with its once-lucrative lottery then ailing.
But it has since bounced back strongly, last year linking up with the lotteries of Super League champs Leeds Rhinos, and chief executive Barry Richardson stressed that big name imports Jessie Joe Parker and Glen Nami had been brought in within budget.
He said: “Our lottery was probably losing money when the new board came in, but thanks to the people of Whitehaven getting behind it, and support from Leeds, it is now on course to make £35,000 over a 12-month period, as well as offering excellent prizes to the local community.
“The fans getting behind it has been massive for us, and we are in a really strong financial state at this time of year, ahead of our projections.
“I was at the Leeds-Manly game, speaking to Steve Williams, finance director of the RFL, who had just received our accounts for last year, and he was very pleased with what he had seen.
“Obviously, we haven’t got money to burn, but these new players definitely come within our budget, allied to the financial support we are receiving from the Vice-Presidents Club, which means an awful lot.
“I don’t think any rugby club will make money at the end of any season, but we will be financially viable this season. It’s really important for the future of the club that we are in the championship next year.
“If we don’t achieve that it could be difficult for the club to move forward. A big thank you to fans for supporting the club, and we just need the whole town to get behind Whitehaven, and we could have really positive times ahead.”
Centre Parker and Nami, a stand-off, are both versatile and capable of featuring in a string of positions, although coach Don Gailer plans to play them, initially at least, in their most recognised roles.
“Both are very talented with ball in hand, so I need to put them in a position where they are carrying the footy,” he added.
“There will still be a place for Carl Rudd, there’s no doubt about that. He’s our stand-out player at the moment and he will be somewhere in the 13. It could be at seven or loose-forward.”
Joint skipper Scott McAvoy is likely to miss the Northern Rail Cup trip to Workington Town after picking up a knee injury against Gateshead last weekend.
“It’s very unlikely Scott will play,” Gailer added. “He was still hobbling about and his knee was very swollen.”Unless there’s a remarkable turnaround I can’t see him playing on Sunday.
“Andrew Beattie’s ankle is not responding and it’s likely he will miss again. Bradd Crellin and Craig Calvert also came out with injuries that stopped them training on Monday, and Chris Smith picked up an old injury he had previously.”