Bergbau » The French clinched first place in their Olympic Qualifying

Under fire ARL Commission boss John Grant admits he is surprised he does not have the personal endorsement of his friend and NSWRL chairman George Peponis after calls for his departure over a funding backflip.Then again, Grant reckons the events of the past week have left him scratching his head.Disgruntled NRL clubs have called an emergency general meeting on December 20 in a bid to oust Grant after the ARLC reneged on a 12-month-old funding agreement last Wednesday.Clubs require a minimum 14 votes from the games 26 shareholders - the 16 clubs, QRL, NSWRL and eight commissioners - to remove Grant.Grant said Peponis NSWRL had put a stake in the ground by reportedly joining 14 clubs - excluding the NRL-owned Gold Coast Titans and Newcastle Knights - and calling for his head.Much to Grants curiosity.Thats surprising. I think the state leagues are about the grass roots, and this discussion is about how we make sure we get the appropriate money to grass roots, Grant said of Peponis stance.Its disappointing NSWRL doesnt seem to think that is the agenda.Bulldogs great Peponis has already been linked to the ARLC chairman role.But Grant still kept the door open for Peponis to help resolve the funding issue without any blood letting.George and I have a good, direct relationship. Its been built over the last two and half years, Grant said.And George is a sensible man. But he has put a stake in the ground.We are saying to him you have got to come and talk.Its not just Peponis who has raised the ARLC bosss eyebrows.Grant admitted he was surprised at how quickly he had fallen out of favour with clubs after the governing body reneged on an agreement to fund clubs 130 per cent of their salary cap from 2018 at a meeting last Wednesday.He has since extended an olive branch, saying the ARLC were open for funding talks with clubs on Thursday, Saturday, Sunday or Monday.I must admit I sit there and think I dont quite understand this, he said.There are forces at work somewhere that are causing this shift in view on me.My relationships across this game on Tuesday were pretty sound - it is disappointing to see the herd shifting in opinion.Asked how he would gain the votes required to retain his spot, Grant said: Talking, encouraging the clubs to come back around the table and have a sensible conversation.We disappointed the clubs, clearly, and they have let us know in uncertain terms that we did but we have got to move on.This is hugely disruptive and I know we have contributed to that.But we need to forget about it and sort this out. Wholesale Sneakers Online . There was no hesitation from the 40th-ranked Pospisil, from Vernon, B.C., who admitted that he cut back on his training sessions over the last few days to conserve energy as the long ATP season finishes next week at the Paris Masters. Wholesale Sneakers Australia . The parade and rally were held to celebrate the Saskatchewan Roughriders 45-23 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Sunday in the CFLs championship game. http://www.cheapsneakersaustralia.com/ .2 billion agreement with Rogers Communications for the leagues broadcast and multimedia rights. Authentic Sneaker Wholesale . After Gasquet beat fifth-seeded Ivan Dodig of Croatia 7-5, 6-3, Tsonga followed up with a 6-7 (3), 6-2, 6-2 win against sixth-seeded Edouard Roger-Vasselin in an all-French match. Sneakers Online Australia .com) - Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Roger Federer were easy first-round winners Tuesday at the Australian Open. France rallied from a 12-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat New Zealand 66-59 on Thursday, moving two victories from a spot in the Olympic basketball tournament.The French clinched first place in their Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Manila, Philippines, and will play Turkey on Saturday in the semifinals. Canada will face New Zealand in the other semifinal.Mikael Gelabale scored seven of his 11 points in the fourth quarter for France. Boris Diaw, recently traded from San Antonio to Utah, finished with 10 points and six rebounds. The French, the tournament favorite, outscored New Zealand 28-11 in the fourth quarter.Corey Webster led New Zealland with 21 points.ddddddddddddIn the other game in Manila, Ali Muhammed scored 23 points as Turkey clinched its semifinal spot by beating Senegal 68-62. Semih Erden finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds.The semifinals in the other two tournaments had already been set and will be held Friday. Italy will play Mexico, while Greece takes on Croatia in Turin, Italy.In Belgrade, Serbia, Latvia meets Puerto Rico, and Serbia hosts the Czech Republic.The winners of the three tournaments will earn the final three berths in Rio. ' ' '