Cousin to Tony Williams...how did we miss that kid's signature

Brad Walter | July 7, 2008

BULLDOGS v SOUTHS

John Kite, the latest rookie called up from the Bulldogs under-20s team for tonight's match against South Sydney, already knows what it's like to play at a higher level.

Kite, the biggest baby that nurses at Canterbury Hospital had seen when he entered the world weighing a whopping 15 pounds in January 1988, spent most of his junior career playing against older rivals.

Introduced to league as a way to keep his weight down, Kite was too big and strong for most kids his own age so he was promoted up the ranks.

"I was always bigger than the rest of the kids and a lot of parents used to complain," said Kite, whose playing weight fluctuates between 114 and 120 kilograms.

"They used to say things like, 'He's too old' or, 'Let's see his birth certificate'. I used to feel sorry for the other kids, I didn't want to hurt them."

While there has been much debate about the merits of junior competitions returning to some form of weight system because of the domination of bigger - often Polynesian - players, most of the discussion has revolved around the impact on smaller kids.

For his part, Kite - a cousin and likely Tongan World Cup teammate of hulking Parramatta winger Tony Williams - said he preferred playing against opponents more his own size.

"If you can handle it, I think it's alright," said Kite. "It just seemed normal to me. When I went back to my own age I would score heaps of tries - about four of five a game. I was just running over the top of the other kids, and it wasn't good for the rest of my team, either."

It was one of those occasions, that led to an eight-year-old Kite to becoming a lifelong fan of the club after meeting Bulldogs great Terry Lamb.

Having played against Lamb's son Matt, Kite approached the former Test five-eighth and asked for his autograph. "I thought he'd say no, but he was really good and it's something I've always remembered," Kite said.

"That's what made me want to play for the Bulldogs."

Kite demonstrated his commitment to the club when he recently paid his own way to Melbourne for the round-12 match against the Storm after playing for the Bulldogs NSW Cup side the night before. He even took his boots in case he was needed for the Toyota Cup fixture.

Given the meagre income of players in the under-20s competition outside their club's top-25, it was an selfless act that didn't go unnoticed by those at the Bulldogs.

Since being named on the bench for tonight's match, Kite has been receiving advice about his role when he comes on from Sonny Bill Williams and Reni Maitua, who was yesterday ruled out with a shoulder injury.

One of 65 grandchildren on his mother's side alone, Kite will also have a lot of family support at ANZ Stadium tonight, with about 40 relatives planning to attend.

"I never expected to play first grade this year but now that I've got the chance, I want to try and cement a spot on the bench for the rest of the season," Kite said.

Your kidding right? I hope you are kidding on that one lol. Warburton has played 3 games in first grade. Done jackshit in all 3 games and still gets picked. Add him to another of the favourites in the eyes of Folkes.

bugger!

Apparently not. Not good enough for first grade apparently - so Warburton is in the 17 LOLOLOLOL

Any official word on Barba? Is he playing today?

Very true. It's almost like your Mum (or some other bias associate) complaining that you didn't get the points.

Whilst I think Daley is a dropkick, this sort of reaction by Nassar is childish.

you are not wrong. an absolute beauty.

what we need to do is bottle rafael nadal and turn him out in blue and white. what a freak.

yes, but I think Khoder's public comments only put undue and unwarranted pressure on SBW, almost as if it's SBW who is complaining.

A player manager should be protecting his player not embroiling him in public and club controversy, ala the past month or so

LOl Great minds!

Actually I agree with what Nasser has said on this occasion and any criticism of that pompous little upstart Daley gets my support. The long nosed prick is rapidly becoming my most detested Rugby League figure easily overtaking gould, Geyer and Fulton and rapidly closing in on the loathsome scum hadley.

Funnily enough. Any criticism of Laurie Daley is warranted. I agree with Nasser on this one big time.

I had a phone call from Graeme Hughes thanking me for some stuff I sent him on the radio rights issue specifically my email to Gallop and Brady at the NRL, Hadley's letter to me and my employer saying that he had commenced legal action, my email to the Club saying that they would be involved in any legal action he may take and Noad's email back to me . I have a feeling that this email scandal/radio rights controversy is about to become the subject of a huge legal saga which will involve the people at the very top of the NRL, certain vermin at 2GB and several officers, both former and present, of our club.

Memo to SBW from True Blue: change manager asap

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Khoder Nasser slammed over Laurie Daley attack
By Dean Ritchie | July 07, 2008 12:00am

FORMER rugby league champions and current NSW selectors last night described player manager Khoder Nasser as "un-Australian" and an "absolute disgrace" for his criticism of former Test captain Laurie Daley.

Nasser yesterday questioned how his client, star player Sonny Bill Williams, was overlooked for Dally M Medal points by judge Daley in the match between the Roosters and Bulldogs last Friday week.

But Nasser was last night under fire for his comments about Daley, who won three premierships with Canberra and skippered the Blues and Australia.

"It's un-Australian what Nasser said," NSW selector and former Australian prop Geoff Gerard said.

"Fancy him questioning Laurie over football. It's an absolute disgrace.

"Laurie is respected throughout football. You have only got to look at what he's achieved through the years.

"He never says a bad word about the game. His credentials are without question."

Nasser never played top-level rugby league - his CV is restricted to sitting on the Kogarah Oval hill cheering for the Dragons.

Steve Roach, another former NSW and Kangaroos prop, was another to take aim at Nasser.

"What does Khoder Nasser know?" Roach asked. "I don't understand"

"The only thing he would know about football is what people tell him. I can't believe Laurie Daley's credentials are even in question."

Nasser said Williams deserved Dally M points even though his side was well beaten on the night by the Sydney Roosters.

"What would Khoder know?" asked Balmain great Paul Sironen.

"Laurie knows all the ins and outs about what makes a good rugby league player.

"I'd never question Laurie's take on a player's performance. He is one of the game's greats."

A member of the Team of the Century and an Immortal, Bob Fulton was also surprised to hear of Nasser's criticism of Daley.

"You couldn't find anyone else on the planet better qualified to make judgment on a player than Laurie Daley," Fulton said.

"Without doubt he is one of the best judges of football talent in the game."

Leading 2GB rugby league broadcaster Ray Hadley added: "The day when a player manager starts having a say on Dally M points is the day we should all turn it up."

Daley did not want to become emmbroiled in an ugly slanging match with Nasser and declined to comment yesterday.

It is known Daley has been hurt by criticism from Channel 9 colleague Phil Gould, who claimed last week that the NSW selectors should consider standing down.

1980 Wimbledon final Borg v Mcenroe was my favourite ever.

Should have used another word. I don't think Soccer or like Soccer like some others on this page :)

What we saw was a classic Final between a player set to dominate for years to come and a champion coming to the end of his reign.

Do me a favour matt. If you are talking about great sporting occasions such as this Wimbledon final, please dont' sully the occasion by including the word arsenal :-))

An epic Wimbledon Final I have just seen. What we saw was the end of one great era and the beginning of what could be an even greater era.

Nadal beat Federer 6-4, 6-4, 6-7, 6-7, 9-7

Federer never gave up and his level hearded fighting qualities kept him in the match. Nadal just had too much in his arsenal.

Jessica Halloran
July 7, 2008

The teenager says her terrible night began at the Pony Club bar and culminated at a five-star Auckland hotel where she was "sexually violated" by four members of the England rugby union team. It ended with her being admitted to hospital. England's Rugby Football Union says that early on June 15 one player had consensual sex with the 18-year-old at the Hilton hotel.

But what has since followed that night at the Hilton is a mountain of suspicion about the woman's intent and an insane thought from the football union's chief, Francis Baron, that this has all been a "sting". Yes, a plot by the "bitter" All Blacks to bring down English rugby.

Again a powerful football body has swung into action and, again, it is unlikely a footballer will face rape charges.

In the past 10 years, of English soccer players involved in sexual assault allegations, all charges have been dropped. For the past 28 years not one professional footballer from any major Australian football code has been convicted of sexual assault. And in the end it's "predatory women" we seem to have a problem with.

For the teenager involved in the Pony Club incident many will have asked; what was she doing there? Why did she go back to that hotel? And no doubt some will go as far to say, "she got herself into that situation; she was asking for it".

"Girls who party with rugby players till all hours of the night and then think that nothing will happen - must be crazy," a blog contributor wrote.

Another wrote: "Here we go again with another women supposedly being raped. Another party girl trying to cash into what is now getting a bit ridiculous."

All the usual lines have been used to try to sully the woman's reputation. There had been speculation she is a lap dancer (she is not), a sports groupie (hardly a crime) and that she had had her "boobs hanging out" (who cares?).

Shockingly, but not surprisingly, came the line from the insiders at the Rugby Football Union that this was a set-up.

The British paper The Independent said those insiders believed the allegations of rape after the first Test in Auckland were "designed to destabilise" England. "If there had been any substance in the case it should have been dealt with," a Twickenham official said. "The whole episode has been unsatisfactory, but you have to remember that New Zealand are still bitter with us over their exit from the World Cup."

Asked whether he believed the players had been caught in a sting, Bacon said: "I'd be lying if I said that those thoughts hadn't gone through my mind."

Seriously, what kind of football creeps would design such a violent and serious crime to bring down the opposition?

It is unlikely that the teenager at the centre of it all, the one treated in hospital following her night at the Hilton with the footballers, had a crazed desire to bring down the sporting pride of a nation.

If anything, that belief just highlights how many football codes are still polluted with sexist old twits who need to be exterminated from the game.

It has now been revealed that the judge heading the English inquiry, Jeff Blackett, was, incredibly, prepared to release his report into the incident without having tried to speak to the woman or the police investigating her complaint.

On hearing this the woman smartly sent a letter to the union through her lawyer on Friday saying she would answer the judge's questions. She is bravely fighting a mammoth battle: those English officials have already grouped her into that "predatory women" gang; the "type" of women who always cause footballers trouble.

In 2004, when the St Kilda footballers Stephen Milne and Leigh Montagna were alleged to have sexually assaulted two women - both denied the allegations and no charges were laid - their teammate Aaron Hamill warned about that certain type of woman. The ones "who do hang around, they stick around and you've got to be careful … they are out there".

As did the Essendon great and former coach Tim Watson, who pulled out several anecdotes of aggressive females in his column in The Age that year.

In 2004 the feeling was the same within the rugby league fraternity when sexual assault allegations emerged against the Canterbury Bulldogs.

So many anecdotes emerge from the football codes about players being hunted by these women that rarely do we hear footballers giving up stories about women being mistreated.

And with the Auckland case, again a rich football association is proving to be a fortress. For a week England kept a policy of silence in the face of questioning from the media. The players, on advice from their lawyers, initially refused to be questioned by Auckland police.

The solidarity and unity that is the lifeblood of sporting teams can also be a powerful thing off the field and perhaps too much for a teenager to take on.

Right now she is unlikely to take her fight to court. She is yet lodge a formal complaint. Yet there is no time limit should she change her mind, though she would not be fighting just a footballer, but many booming voices against just hers.

No doubt you are referring to your mate and fellow Greek Dr George. No doubt had Dr George been defamed as you categorically state, then such a clean skin as Peponis would currently be taking Hughes through the Courts. As it stands no legal action is pending so it just might do that you are talking nonsense.

lucky bastard!

yeh that and I basically need new clothes.

I need to put on a good show for the south american and european girls and show then aussie hospitality.

No shops cater for my body type. Especially the jeans department. They always have the crotch area too small. How small are your ***** you fully sickers!

The dysfunctional family.

Prime examples are super league war and coffs harbour scandal, guess what happened after those events.

damn straight!

Keeps the place alive.

When the bulldogs are at peace, we seem to turn against each other to belt.

Im time of scandal and battle, we all have a common enemy and we focus all our attention on them and march towards victory!

Whens the tennis going to start? Oh well at least I don't have to go to work tomorrow.

life's too boring when everything is as it should be.. mix it up i say, have a couple of scandals to keep everyone on their feet..

as nevel bartros once said "Na Na the dogs, they love it"

The Bulldogs thrive on contrevery like this.
Its the only time we win premierships.

Let the Good Times Roll I say!

Its how we do things at the bulldogs.

Did you get yourself down to The Rocks this weekend then?

Yeah.......it doesn't sound like this is going to be a good week. Why does 'crap' have to be aired in public ??

coffee.

what makes you think catholics are white only

LOL you're comparing a suburban soccer game to an Australian Rugby League competition.

No joke but it needs alot of work to hold NRL matches.

So it is OK for soccer but not NRL?

Smack, I agree with almost everything you've said today.

What did you have for breakfast ??? You're on fire !

I love that feeling where teams and opposition supporters hate to travel to our games. 25 000 Dogs supporters in a cauldron atmosphere is the way to go. After thinking about taking the big games away from there I rethink that. What better way to play your biggest rivals in a 90% home supported ground. Its not like any club needs a big ground.

Fix the seating on the grandstand. Give it a clean and be done with it. Fark the corporate supporters. We will soon find out who are in it for supporting the Dogs ad who are there to get the pretty lunches and the booze.

It is the genuine supporters the club has forgotten and going back to belmore will be sensational if it happens. Season supporters on the gradstand and the lunatics inder wog stand 1 and 2 and the hill. We could bring back the enclosed family hill too.

I hope BB is right, that empty stadium is an event stadium, not a footy ground. Only Semi/Grand finals,origins and blockbusters should be played there.

Even blockbusters i have my doubts, it would be lovely to see 25000+ screaming Canterbury fans against arch rivals like Easts and Parramatta at belmore.

Belmore oval is run down needs a lot of $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ to make it 2 NRL standard.

The very fact that anything is connectd to us is a major major story.

I have a feeling that we will eventually be brought down again by the very people that continue to tell us they love the club and have the club's best interests at heart.

I love the club but i honestly dont love what is happening inside it.

Some people just cannot let it be.

I dont believe its happy days at our club and wont be so for a long time. I am not talking about on field. i think Ennis and Kimmorley are superb signings and only then we will see close to Sonny's best. At the moment we are not even seeing a quarter of his potential,and those that beleive that are seriusly deluded.

Off the field we are still in a mess. We have to farkign let go of the past, and focus on the present and the future.

The egos have to get over there self importance. Nobody is bigger than the club. They are destroying us and people that place these guy on a pedestal are farking disgraceful. Anybody that has listened to Graeme Hughes over the course of the last 5 years and can say they call him a bulldogs supporter is kiddign themselves. In a space of weeks he used the example of getting rid of Thurston and keeping Anasta a blunder by the ceo and then lambasted for getting rid of Anasta who , during the Thurston and Anasta debate,said Anasta was no more than an average first grader. All Hughes does is drive a personal agenda. he doesnt like the Dogs but simply himself.

Maybe Goldberg's prior employment at the inner city desert has shed some light on a couple of loopholes... but once again, i still need more information before i start getting excited..

He still would'nt say, but it will definatly b his main topic of discussion 2 morrow on 2sm, which will have the phones running hot.

Don't we have a 20 year contract at the big empty space in homebush signed by Noad i recall.

Does that become void if he's not with us anymore?

BB,

Great news on belmore if it eventuates.

On GH, looks like he is trying to go down with a bang (no pun intended). No official connection of the Hughes clan after 08.

Whilst i obviously dont condone the behaviour of any death threats. Seriously the defamation on character of decent people he has carried out consistenty, it isnt completely surprising some people have resorted to something like this.

i dont see how an internal bulldogs matter although nasty could be bigger news than the salary cap unless it involves the whole NRL and background machinations to deliberately take down the club...other than that it wont be a big deal..

Now that it is out, maybe you should dial that number and find out who is involved?

i heard it straight from the horse's mouth got a call from the man himself 2 weeks ago & trust me he wasnt happy he told that i would b blown away if i knew who it was that was responsible 4 the death threats, i asked who but he wouldn't tell me..

So in other words this superstar won't be coming.

Well if its anything about GH getting a death threat then it ain't huge.

I mean seriously, getting a death threat from M.Noad and C.O'Brien (if that's whats happened) is like being threatened by Humpty Dumpty. LOL

Bigbird bigbird bigbird bigbird..... bigbird

let it be known that i will be the first one to cream his pants if Todd Goldberg announced any sort of move back to belmore.

BUT!, what about that article earlier in the week when he seemed to slam the door shut on the idea? (it also needs to be said that there is another article posted by B2B that has Goldberg saying that he is also happy to entertain any possibilities of going back)

TELL US WHAT YOU KNOW! who has done what? who is meeting with who? what governments are involved? what price tag is involved? what groups are coming to the party? who is feeding you the info and why should we have faith in it? i need more then what your giving us!

Never a dull moment =S

Bb, the English Super league doesn't take has beens anymore... They're going for the young marquee players now.

We've got buckleys chance getting rid of these guys.

We should only release any good players to ESL if the club also take another player we don't want... 2 for 1 deals, I say

anyone know how chester hill jim beam went today ?

No,the election and what happened after it was very personal and very unprofessional what happened to him.

Look there is legal action taking place, so I can't say who ,but the answer is yes .

Don't you think that the person in question would put the clubs best interest first.Is this payback for not resigning a particular player.

There will be a meeting taking place later this week and I am expecting some positive things to be announced by todd Greenberg about the possibility of a part time return ,training and playing upto 5 games next year.

BB is anyone else involved who remain at the club?

Todays story it only a nibble of what's to come.

It's unfortunate.

Hoped this one would not see the light of day.

Batten down the Hatches,they tell me it's going to be A HUGE story.

I'm going anyway. If it's free under 16's, then bonus!