Bell sought by overseas league clubs

Press, 15 August 1984, Page 68

Bell sought by overseas league clubs

By JOHN COFFEY The outstanding form displayed by the young New Zealand wing, Dean Bell, in last month’s rugby league tests against Great Britain has attracted the attention of professional clubs in Australia and England. Bell has now qualified for a full overseas clearance, having appeared in six tests, and Eastern Suburbs (Sydney) and Leeds are leading an international race for his services. The New Zealand coach, Graham Lowe, has already advised Bell against accepting another off-season term in England because of the very full programme to be faced by the Kiwis in 1985. There will be a home series against Australia in June and a full tour to Britain and France four months

later. But Mr Lowe is resigned r to losing Bell from domestic i football in the future. > “I would expect him to be i the No. 1 New Zealand i target for any Australian clubs and have no doubt that he would be an in- • stant success,” said Mr ( ' Lowe. “If Dean did accept an ! offer it would be a disap- > pointment for rugby league J ,in New Zealand, but we have to face the fact that ( his future lies overseas. He ’ is destined to be one of New Zealand’s great outside i backs. . “Dean is a player of > quality. He has strength, speed, skill and the right • temperament. If he was in . Australia at this stage of his i career he would already be [ regarded as a superstar. It

is just our low-key approach that he hasn’t yet reached that status world-wide,” he said. Aged 22, Bell is also an

accomplished centre as he proved with Carlisle in England in 1982-83, when scoring three tries for the Kiwis against Papua New Guinea 10 months ago, and for the New Zealand Maoris and Leeds in the last British season.

Mr Lowe would much prefer Bell — and other Kiwis — to link up with Australian, rather than British, clubs so they would be assured of summer rest periods. Bell, for example, has already had four successive seasons of football.

That heavy schedule certainly did not prevent the young Aucklander from proving his ability in both wet and firm conditions against the British tourists, and'he had much the better of his duel with his vaunted

opponent, Des Drummond. Mr Lowe said that the other non-contracted Kiwis, Hugh McGahan, Owen Wright and Clayton Friend, had also been approached by British clubs. Only McGahan has reached the six-test milestone which would allow him a full overseas clearance; Wright and Friend are each one short of that figure. But Mr Lowe has replied to any requests for advice by saying that a player’s value would be markedly increased if the Kiwis continued on their winning way against Australia, Britain and France next year.

The New Zealand Rugby League board of directors has also moved to limit the attraction a season in Britain might have fcr Kiwi candidates.

No clearances will be approved until after the national Tusk Cup inter-club knock-out tournament ends in October, and players will be required to return to this country in January, well before the completion of the British season. Ironically, the relaxing of the international transfer ban has caused considerable worry to Australian officials. As many as 50 leading Sydney and Brisbane players have indicated they wish to spend terms in Britain and most will be missing from their domestic premierships until next May. “The problem facing Australian clubs is one that New Zealand has had to put up with for the last three or four years,” said Mr Lowe.