December 11: Buderus crowned best player; Hasler announces comeback
On this day, Des Hasler announces comeback, Brad Mackay heads west and Danny Buderus crowned best in the NRL.
1965
Hall of Fame prop Glenn Lazarus was born in Queanbeyan. Known as "The Brick with Eyes", he made his debut with Canberra in 1987 and when he retired after the 1999 grand final, Lazarus was renowned as one of the greatest front-rowers of all time.
He was part of the Raiders' premiership wins in 1989-90 before joining Brisbane, where consecutive grand final wins over St George gave Lazarus the extraordinary statistic of playing in five consecutive grand finals during a period when he was also a major factor behind NSW's dominance at Origin level.
A broken leg prevented him from playing in Brisbane's successful 1997 campaign, and he played out the final two years of a 244-game first-grade career for Melbourne, hanging up his boots after their historic premiership win over St George Illawarra. He represented NSW 19 times and Australia in 21 Tests.
1993
St George ace Brad Mackay reveals he has signed a lucrative three-year deal with Perth’s Western Reds.
1996
A month after the resignation of John Quayle, the Australian Rugby League appoint former Balmain hooker Neil Whittaker, 40, to the position of chief executive of the NSWRL and ARL.
1996
Veteran Des Hasler announces a comeback with Western Suburbs in 1997.
1997
Olympics Minister Michael Knight announces a $20 million upgrade of Campbelltown Sports Ground. Work is due to begin at the end of 1998.
2001
Retired Test star Bradley Clyde quits his job as defensive coach of the ACT Brumbies to take up a training position with the Bulldogs Jersey Flegg side after being caught up in a battle between the Brumbies and the Canberra Raiders.
2004
Newcastle and Australian hooker Danny Buderus is named the Rugby League Professionals Association as player of the year.
Danny Buderus - Hall of Fame
2008
The NRL confirms two referees will control all premiership matches in 2009. Under the controversial plan, one referee will patrol the ruck area and the other will watch the 10-metre defensive line.
2013
A magistrate finds sacked Canberra centre Blake Ferguson guilty of indecent assault following an incident at a Cronulla bar in June.
2015
St George Illawarra sign Canterbury centre Tm Lafai to a two-year contract.
2017
The NRL announces potential breaches have been discovered in Manly’s salary cap operations of the past five seasons. The club faces possible fines of up to $1 million and the threat of having $400,000 wiped from the club’s 2018 cap while two current club officials face deregistration.
This article contains information from the official records of NRL historian David Middleton.
