George NDAIRA [
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Sat October 10, 2009
by Phil Caplan
If Lebanon coach John Elias is to achieve his avowed aim of winning the European Cup, he will have to do it without his two stellar names, after the Cedars announced their 20-man squad for the competition.
Canterbury Bulldogs star and the leading points' scorer in the history of the NRL, Hazem El Masri has decided to retire from the sport.
Elias said, "After genuinely considering joining the squad to finish his playing days off in Tripoli, the city of his birth, Hazem decided that after an exhausting NRL season, disappointing finals exit with the 'Dogs and an emotional personal farewell to Rugby League in Sydney, that he could not make himself available to the Lebanon squad for the three weeks' duration of the European Cup."
Meanwhile, hooker Robbie Farah has been selected in the Australian squad for the Four Nations and his brother, Charlie, Anthony Farah (no relation), Nathan Dib and Jarrod Saffy are all injury withdrawals.
Lebanon begin their campaign on 24th October, when the Cedars host Italy in the Tripoli Olympic Stadium, before traveling to Glasgow to face Scotland on 1st November.
Elias has retained 11 of the players who formed part of the 2008 World Cup qualification squad which narrowly missed out on entry into the finals.
Chief among them are veteran captain Chris Salem, who played in the 2000 Rugby League World Cup, when Lebanon made its debut on the international stage.
Salem has 14 caps - second behind only Charlie Nohra - and led the team brilliantly in Europe in 2007.
He will be ably supported by Newcastle Knights utility George Ndeira who debuted for Lebanon in the 2004 Mediterranean Cup and has since gone on to play for some of Australia's biggest clubs, including Sydney Roosters and South Sydney, before moving onto Newcastle.
He won two man-of-the-match awards in the 2007 World Cup qualifiers and was the architect of a notable 50-26 win over Wales, arguably Lebanon's best ever performance.
Former Balamand star Allen Soultan also retains his place after making his senior representative bow as a 17-year old in the 2004 Med Cup.
John Koborsi and Khaled Deeb will provide much of the muscle up front in a pack that will be marshaled by the Bulldogs' skilful hooker Jamie Clarke, while Adnan Saleh poses a significant attacking threat in the backs.
Of the local players, LAU Immortals prop Robin Hachache is the most experienced, having played in every match for Lebanon since 2007, while Youssef El Helou and Ghassan Dandach are experienced tourists.
The squad is rounded off with eight players making their debut for the Cedars.
LEBANON EUROPEAN CUP SQUADLiam Ayoub - Bulldogs, SG Ball
Steven Azzi - Sydney Roosters
Danny Barakat - Bankstown City, Bundaberg Red Cup
Danny Chiha - Windsor, NSW Cup
Jamie Clarke - Canterbury Bulldogs
Ghassan Dandach - Jounieh RLFC, Bank of Beirut Championship
Khaled Deeb - Newtown Jets
Youssef El Helou - Jounieh RLFC, Bank of Beirut Championship
Ahmad Ellaz - Cronulla Sharks
Robin Hachache - LAU Immortals, Bank of Beirut Championship
Wael Harb - Wolves RLFC, Bank of Beirut Championship
Jad Hashem - LAU Immortals, Bank of Beirut Championship
John Koborsi - Wentworthville, Bundaberg Red Cup
Josh Mansour - South Sydney, Toyota Cup
George Ndaira - Newcastle Knights
Reece Robinson - North Sydney Bears, NSW Cup
Adnan Saleh - Bankstown City- Bundaberg Red Cup
Chris Salem - Bankstown City- Bundaberg Red Cup
Allen Soultan - Wests Magpies
Wed September 30, 2009
Source: www.lebrl.comLebanon coach John Elias has named the Cedars 33-man train-on squad for the 2009 European Cup.
It includes some well-known names in Hazem El Masri, the top points scorer in Australia's NRL, and Robbie Farah, the New South Wales hooker, and Newcastle utility George Ndeira.
Farah, now a marquee player in the NRL, made his representative debut in the first ever international match in Lebanon, the 2002 Mediterranean Cup, in a side that also featured El Masri who, alongside Chris Salem, is one of only two survivors from the 2000 world cup squad. Salem, who captained the side in the 2008 world cup qualifiers, is joined by 14 other players who played a part in Lebanon's brave but ultimately futile qualification tilt, which ended against Samoa in the repechage play-off.
Salem and play-maker Anthony Farah are the most experienced players in the squad, both with 12 caps, followed by Ndeira, arguably Lebanon's best player throughout the world cup qualifying campaign, with nine and local front row Robin Hachache, who captained the national team in the 2008 Euro Med Challenge, with eight.
The squad will be trimmed to 20 on 5th October before the Sydney-based players join up with the locals in Lebanon on 21st October. Three days later Lebanon hosts Italy in Tripoli before heading over to the UK to complete the campaign over the subsequent two weekends.
Liam Ayoub - Bulldogs, SG Ball
Danny Barakat - Bankstown City, Bundaberg Red Cup
Danny Chiha - Windsor, NSW Cup
Jamie Clarke - Bulldogs, NRL
Ghassan Dandach - Jounieh RLFC, Bank of Beirut Championship
Khaled Deeb
Nathan Dib - Bulldogs, Toyota Cup
Ahmad Ellaz - Cronulla, Toyota Cup
Youssef El Helou - Jounieh RLFC, Bank of Beirut Championship
Hazem El Masri - Bulldogs, NRL
Mounir Finan - Jounieh RLFC, Bank of Beirut Championship
Ray Finan - LAU, Bank of Beirut Championship
Anthony Farah - Mounties, Bundaberg Red Cup
Charlie Farah - Bankstown City, Bundaberg Red Cup
Robbie Farah - Wests Tigers, NRL
Robin Hachache - LAU, Bank of Beirut Championship
Jad Hashem - LAU, Bank of Beirut Championship
Wael Harb - Wolves RLFC, Bank of Beirut Championship
Paul Jabbour - Jounieh, Bank of Beirut Championship
Allen Khoury - LAU, Bank of Beirut Championship
John Koborsi - Wentworthville, Bundaberg Red Cup
Josh Mansour - South Sydney, Toyota Cup
Tommy Mansour - Bankstown City, Bundaberg Red Cup
Ray Moujalli - Newtown Jets- NSW Cup
Karim Mourabet - Jounieh RLFC, Bank of Beirut Championship
George Ndaira - Newcastle Knights, NRL
Toufic Nicholas - Bankstown City, Bundaberg Red Cup
Reece Robinson - North Sydney Bears, NSW Cup
Jarrod Saffy - St George Illawarra, NRL
Adnan Saleh - Bankstown City, Bundaberg Red Cup
Chris Salem - Bankstown City, Bundaberg Red Cup
Daniel Sayegh - North Sydney Bears, NSW Cup
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 2010 NRL Telstra Premiership
Newcastle Knights
3 games; [View] Round 1 [13 Mar 10] W 20-16 v Bulldogs (A). [BE]
[View] Round 6 [17 Apr 10] W 36-18 v Cowboys (H). [BE]
[View] Round 11 [21 May 10] L 6-23 v Tigers (H). [BE]
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2009 NRL Telstra Premiership
Newcastle Knights
5 games; 1/1 goals, 2 points.
[View] Round 3 [29 Mar 09] L 12-22 v Rabbitohs (A). [BE]
[View] Round 8 [02 May 09] W 28-12 v Broncos (H). [BE]
[View] Round 10 [16 May 09] W 38-6 v Roosters (A). [BE]
[View] Round 11 [25 May 09] L 10-36 v Cowboys (A). [BE]
[View] Round 13 [07 Jun 09] L 18-20 v Eels (H). [DH] 2 Pts; 1/1g
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2008 NRL Telstra Premiership
South Sydney Rabbitohs
14 games; 2/3 goals, 4 points.
[View] Round 2 [21 Mar 08] L 12-25 v Bulldogs (H). [BE]
[View] Round 3 [30 Mar 08] L 22-26 v Panthers (A). [BE] 2 Pts; 1/2g
[View] Round 4 [06 Apr 08] L 2-20 v Sea Eagles (A). [DH]
[View] Round 5 [14 Apr 08] L 10-12 v Sharks (H). [DH]
[View] Round 6 [20 Apr 08] L 10-30 v Tigers (A). [DH]
[View] Round 7 [25 Apr 08] L 18-32 v Broncos (A). [DH] 2 Pts; 1/1g
[View] Round 8 [04 May 08] W 28-24 v Cowboys (H). [DH]
[View] Round 10 [19 May 08] L 10-38 v Raiders (A). [DH]
[View] Round 11 [24 May 08] L 10-15 v Storm (H). [DH]
[View] Round 12 [01 Jun 08] L 12-26 v Dragons (H). [HB]
[View] Round 13 [06 Jun 08] W 35-28 v Warriors (A). [BE]
[View] Round 15 [23 Jun 08] W 24-23 v Gold Coast (H). [BE]
[View] Round 16 [28 Jun 08] W 29-28 v Cowboys (A). [BE]
[View] Round 20 [27 Jul 08] L 12-39 v Knights (A). [DH]
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2006 VB NSWRL Premier League
St George Illawarra Dragons
7 tries, 28 points.
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2006 NRL Telstra Premiership
St George Illawarra Dragons
3 games; [View] Round 2 [19 Mar 06] L 12-13 v Panthers (H). [BE]
[View] Round 9 [07 May 06] L 12-30 v Sharks (A). [BE]
[View] Round 10 [13 May 06] W 22-16 v Warriors (H). [BE]
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Ndaira, George
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