December 15: Jack retires a second time; Eden farewelled
On this day, Garry Jack hangs up his boots for the second time, Harry Eden loses battle with melanoma and Paul Gallen injures his elbow in the boxing ring.
1994
Two women, Raelene Berndt, 28, of Brisbane and Marilyn McKenna, 38, of Wide Bay are appointed touch judges for the World Sevens tournament.
1995
St George claim they will not release new coach Rod Reddy, despite his name being linked with the Adelaide Rams.
1995
Former Balmain and Test fullback Garry Jack announces his retirement in order to coach Ryde-Eastwood in the Metropolitan Cup. Jack had originally hung up his boots at the end of 1992 but made a comeback in the 1995 season, playing 13 games for the Tigers.
1998
NSWRL delegates walk out on the ARL’s annual general meeting because of a dispute with QRL directors over the election of the ARL chairman. Incumbent chairman John McDonald refuses to step down until the outgoing board has voted on the chairman’s position.
2005
South Sydney patriarch George Piggins reveals he is backing a campaign to have club chairman Nick Pappas removed from the Rabbitohs’ board. Piggins says he will support a bid by former Souths Juniors chairman Henry Morris to assume the role.
2006
Former St George and South Sydney prop Harry Eden loses a long battle with melanoma at the age of 63.
2007
Australian coach Ricky Stuart signs a new three-year deal with Cronulla, tying him to the club until the end of 2011.
2008
South Sydney owner Russell Crowe delivers a sobering Christmas message to football club members, saying “I won’t be able to put the type of cash I’ve had to [put] into Souths so far forever”.
2010
South Sydney’s star power continues to rise when American rocker Jon Bon Jovi appears in a Rabbitohs jersey at his Sydney concert.
2012
Cronulla captain Paul Gallen aggravates an elbow injury during a charity boxing event in New Zealand and faces surgery but is expected to be fit for the start of the 2013 season.
2013
The Gold Coast Suns AFL club refuse to release Karmichael Hunt from the final year of his contract to allow him to return to the Brisbane Broncos.
2015
NRL head of game strategy and development, Shane Richardson, officially unveils his plan for the future of the game and foreshadows the introduction of a World Nines tournament and the possibility of a new attempt to crack the US market.
2016
St George Illawarra suffer a major blow to their 2017 plans when halfback Drew Hutchison breaks down with a torn ACL in a training accident.
2017
Former Broncos chairman Dennis Watt is named the new executive chairman of the Gold Coast Titans following the NRL’s sale of the club to a consortium headed by former chair Rebecca Frizelle and businessman Darryl Kelly.
This article contains information from the official records of NRL historian David Middleton.
