Football: Merger looms large for Giants and Eagles

THE FUTURE of Sheffield and Huddersfield will be decided today, with an announcement on a merger - or, more euphemistically, a joint venture - expected.

The Eagles, Challenge Cup winners 15 months ago but losing money at a rate that threatens to close them down, have been negotiating with Super League's bottom club in a bid to strike a deal in time to claim a pounds 1.25m sweetener from the organisation.

The pay-out from Super League goes down to pounds 1m after tomorrow's deadline and the Sheffield chief executive, Ralph Rimmer, said: "We expect to make an announcement, subject to meetings that are still going on."

The idea is that the merged club would play half its games at the McAlpine Stadium and the other half in Sheffield.

Huddersfield are still not clear of the threat of relegation, if the winners of the Northern Ford Premiership, Hunslet, can satisfy Super League stadium criteria by their cut-off date of 9 October. Even if that threat is removed, the club has, like Sheffield, been making massive losses and, without dramatic changes, would presumably continue to do so.

Amalgamation would raise a whole new set of problems, such as what the new club would be called and whether Sheffield's John Kear or Huddersfield's Malcolm Reilly would coach the side.

Hull are another Super League struggler to have looked for a potential partner, but, in the absence of any merger involving them, the competition is likely to run with 13 teams next season.

The Castleford coach, Stuart Raper, has had the luxury of being able to name an unchanged team for the play-off against St Helens on Sunday, after all of them came through last week's victory over Leeds unscathed. "It's a way for me to show my confidence in the players I've got," Raper said. "We work pretty hard on keeping players on the pitch, but a bit of luck doesn't hurt either."

The oldest player in Super League, Warrington's 34-year-old winger, Mark Forster, is on the point of being offered a new deal for next season. "We are talking now and we're trying to make it happen," the club's chief executive, Peter Deakin, said. "I'm pretty sure something will come out of it. Mark has seen the calibre of player we are bringing in for next season."

Warrington are flying their new signings from Australia, Allan Langer and Andrew Gee, over for the weekend, so that they can make a start on getting to know the club's players, supporters and sponsors.

The Leeds prop Darren Fleary has joined the doubtful starters for Great Britain's Tri-Series against Australia and New Zealand next month.

Fleary broke a thumb in Leeds' defeat by Castleford on Friday and could be out for a month, which would rule him out of the tournament.