April 8: Souths board bloodletting ends; Anasta gets first ban
On this day South Sydney ended the bloodshed at board level, while Braith Anasta fell foul of the judiciary for the first time and two Australian Kangaroos celebrate a birthday.
1944
Innisfail winger Lionel Williamson was born. He played for Queensland and NSW Firsts along with 11 Tests in the late 1960s and '70s. Williamson started something of a trend... Kerry Boustead (6 Origins, 25 Tests) and Billy Slater (31 Origins, 30 Tests) both hailed from Innisfail and played wing for the Maroons before gaining their Kangaroos jerseys.
1982
Brett White was born. The front-rower racked up 196 NRL games with the Storm and the Raiders, alongside his games for NSW Country, NSW Origin and six Test appearances - three with Australia and three with Ireland.
2003
The battle for control of South Sydney's board finally ends, when George Piggins engineers a compromise with the Nick Pappas-run rebel ticket. Piggins agrees to stand down as football club chairman but remains as Leagues Club chairman. The new board is headed by Pappas (chairman), and has Nick Greiner and Ray Martin among its directors.
2004
The ARL follow the lead of the Australian Cricket Board in awarding a number to every player who has represented Australia. New Test coach Wayne Bennett presents No.661 to Test captain Darren Lockyer.
2006
Newcastle captain Andrew Johns orchestrates one of the most impressive performances in the club’s history – a 54-6 shellacking of St George Illawarra at WIN Stadium. Johns contributes 22 points to move past Daryl Halligan and into second place on the all-time premiership pointscorers list.
2009
Parramatta halfback Brett Finch drops a bombshell by seeking - and gaining - an immediate release from the club after he reveals he does not fit into coach Daniel Anderson’s long-term plans. He links with Storm and meets the Eels in the grand final that year.
2014
Wests Tigers five-eighth Braith Anasta is suspended for the first time in his 15-year career after he accepts a one-match ban for a shoulder charge on Manly winger David Williams.
2015
The Warriors achieve a major recruitment coup by announcing the signing of Sydney Roosters fullback Roger Tuivasa-Sheck to a three-year deal believed to be worth around $2.5 million. The club released Englishman Sam Tomkins, a former Man of Steel winner, from the final year of his contract.
2020
The NRL is confident that players will not be forced into 14 days quarantine before being permitted to resume the competition and the prospect of locating in one secure "bubble" location is all but ruled out, according to a report in the Daily Telegraph. Meanwhile, The Sydney Morning Herald reports that the Warriors are expected to be granted exemptions from New Zealand and Australian governments to travel across the Tasman.
This article contains information from the official records of NRL historian David Middleton.
