really looking forward to this one moreso than last years coz STGI were preparing for the WCC trip and it just felt weird being at a Charity shield on a Sunday night
i like the look of Saints backs, im really xcited to see how Style goes in the 1 shirt but ill concede Souths might outmuscle us up front, Souths pack looks as good as any in the comp imo and hopefully they can all stay healthy this year
I dont think Merritt is going to play so the Souths backs on paper will look even worse.
Saints backline looks the goods and their backrow is solid.
I'm tipping Saints by 13+.
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IT'S the glamour of Hollywood up against the glitz of Surfers Paradise.
Russell Crowe's South Sydney is preparing for a $2.5 million battle with Gold Coast to retain Dave Taylor.
Off-contract Taylor - nicknamed The Coal Train - will sit down next week and start discussing where he will play his football next season.
Determined to re-establish themselves as a premiership threat, the Titans are poised to make a massive bid for the Queensland Origin star.
Souths may have to shed a key player to retain Taylor.
Taylor's manager, Col Davis, was not commenting yesterday on his client's future but it is known that at least five clubs have shown interest.
Friends of Taylor claim he loves Souths but may elect to return to the Sunshine State.
The Cowboys and Broncos would accommodate Taylor but Gold Coast will be the club to really throw some big bucks at the back-rower.
Souths chief executive Shane Richardson, though, was yesterday hopeful Taylor would stay.
"We have been speaking to him for a few weeks," Richardson said.
"Dave likes it at Souths and he likes 'Madge' (coach Michael Maguire).
"We are reasonably confident of keeping him but you never know until you get the signature. Hopefully we can sort something out over the next couple of weeks."
Taylor, coming off the bench in tomorrow night's Charity Shield match against St George Illawarra at ANZ Stadium, has not yet discussed the terms of a new deal but it is likely to span three, probably four, years.
He could earn about $600,000 a season.
One close friend said: "He is a Queenslander so it's a reasonable chance he will return home."
