Sironen fears for Leichhardt Oval

Spiritual home ... Tigers fans love their rugby league at Leichhardt Oval. Source: News Limited

Leichhardt mayor Darcy Byrne says the current proposal to rebuild Balmain Leagues Club would have no impact on keeping Wests Tigers at Leichhardt Oval.

Balmain great Paul Sironen on Monday handed nearly 5,000 submissions to the NSW Department of Planning and Infrastructure in support of bringing the leagues club back to its Rozelle base.

Sironen said the development was crucial to saving rugby league in the inner west, and would shore up the future of Leichhardt Oval - which could stop hosting games after next year, Wests Tigers chief executive Stephen Humphreys told a Sunday newspaper.

But Byrne said it was misinformation to suggest approving the 24-storey proposal at the Rozelle site would increase the likelihood of the Tigers retaining a base at their spiritual home, where they currently play three games a year.

"There's not a cent for the club in the redevelopment," Byrne told AAP.

"There's no cash payment to the club if this redevelopment is approved.

"The only benefit for the club is a 15-year lease at commercial rates.

"We had a representative of the club suggest in the paper on Sunday that this would be the last year the Tigers would play at Leichhardt Oval.

"Some people might interpret it as hypocrisy to suggest that we have to have skyscrapers in Rozelle to bring the Tigers home, whilst in the same breath agreeing to the government and the NRL's proposal to end rugby league at Leichhardt Oval."

Sironen admitted the future of the Tigers was in doubt if the latest proposal was blocked.

"It's dire alright. It could spell the end of (the fight to save the leagues club)," he said.

"That's how bad it is. We need support from the leagues club to help fund Tigers football.

"This has dragged on for a long time now. For the sake of Tigers football in the Balmain area we need some positive news."

While Sironen was pleased to have Byrne's support for keeping Leichhardt Oval operational, he urged the mayor to listen to the fans who want a rebuilt leagues club.

"It sounds like the mayor is fully supportive of keeping the football ground there and NRL games there, but I wish it was the same with the leagues club side at Rozelle," Sironen said.

"As the mayor said, listen to the fans. The fans want us to go back to Rozelle as well."

To which Byrne responded: "(The form letter) asks people to show their support for the Tigers return to Rozelle - you'll find no one who supports that more strongly than me.

"But to interpret people signing onto that statement as them supporting 24-storey skyscrapers in low-rise Rozelle is stretching the truth quite a bit."

Byrne said it was unlikely the latest proposal would be approved, saying independent assessors had given it the thumbs down.

"The independent advice that we've got from planning experts and the people who are most respected in their field is that the revised proposal will still have a disastrous impact on local traffic, local businesses and will draw Victoria Road to a standstill," he said.

"As desperate as I am to see the Tigers return to Rozelle through a sensible redevelopment, I'm not in a position to ignore the independent planning advice of experts.

"The proposal as it stands doesn't comply with a single one of the state government's own planning controls."

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Campbell diplomatic on boycott

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Preston Campbell ... understands boycott threats for the All Stars game. Source: Dave Hunt / AAP

The man who conceived the NRL's All Stars idea - Preston Campbell - said he would understand if players boycotted the rugby league showpiece over a salary dispute.

But Campbell hoped NRL players would consider the impact the game had on the community programs it helped fund before striking.

Campbell was in Brisbane on Monday to help launch the final stage of public voting for the 2013 All Stars clash on February 9 to be held at Suncorp Stadium for the first time.

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However, Campbell admitted he was concerned the headline event may be a fizzer if big name players opted to stay away.

The Rugby League Players Association held their latest round of talks with the Australian Rugby League Commission last week in a bid to increase the NRL salary cap from $5 million to $6.5 million next season.

Players have refused to rule out an All Stars strike over the dispute.

Campbell said players deserved a pay increase but hoped they did not earn it by ditching the All Stars clash.

"I understand the boys want to get what they can," he told AAP.

"If the boys get a bit more then they deserve it. It's a tough environment playing rugby league.

"But at the same time players have to realise that without the support of the community, without people buying merchandise or going to games, switching the TV on to watch a match, the game wouldn't be as great - we need to remember that."

The All Stars concept has helped raise almost $5 million for NRL community programs in its first three years, with the ARLC hoping to increase the initiatives it supports next year.

The All Stars game was one of the projects that helped the ARLC take out Governing Body of the Year at this year's Beyond Sport Federation Awards in London.

"It would be disappointing if the game wasn't played," Campbell said.

"We would have to work a bit harder in trying to get the message out there.

"This is a great vehicle to get to a wider audience.

"It is making a big difference in so many people's lives."

Broncos star Justin Hodges said a strike would damage the good work the game did on and off the field.

"It would hurt everything,'' he said.

"As players we want to get paid like everybody else.

"We deserve it. We put our bodies through a lot of torture.

"But I will leave it to the players association.

"Hopefully we can get out there and play ... especially a game that means so much to our people."

Public voting on the Indigenous side and a 64-man NRL All Stars shortlist will end on January 14.

Laurie Daley will return as Indigenous All Stars coach while Wayne Bennett will again take up the NRL team's reins.

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Private racetrack a real gem

Leadfoot ... Dean Wills built a private track on his property in Kulnura. Source: Liam Driver / News Limited

It's not Monaco, the Nurburgring or even Oran Park - this racetrack is NSW's best-kept secret.

The privately owned road in Kulnura, on the Central Coast, is a 5.1km Formula One-style track with 22 turns, described by one motorsport champion as the second-best track in the world.

The track, which is said to have cost $10 million, was built by car enthusiast and former Coca-Cola Amatil boss Dean Wills after he lost his licence for speeding on the old Pacific Highway in 1996.

Mr Wills wanted to enjoy his growing fleet of exotic cars - which included the only McLaren racing car ever sold privately - without having to worry about oncoming traffic.

Kulnara ... a windy part of the tack. Source: News Limited

His son Mark said the track was motivated by a lack of opportunity for "spirited" driving in a safe environment.

"In the early days it was possible to wake up early on Sunday morning and go driving," he said.

"It was becoming increasingly less safe so we really needed somewhere we could go where we wouldn't get into life-threatening situations.

"Safety was the most important thing, to be able to enjoy driving in the way manufacturers designed the cars to be driven without on-coming cars or cyclists.

"We don't do lap times, the only way we measure it is how long the smile lasts."

While from the air it looks every bit a hair-raising speedway, Mr Wills said it was deliberately built as a country road, without a race track's ripple strips, barriers or gravel run-off areas.

Guests have to adhere to strict road rules including "no racing" and it even features standard road signs with recommended corner speeds.

"It never really entered our minds to create a race track, we just wanted a country road to drive on."

Mr Wills would not reveal how much the family had ploughed into the road but a conservative estimate of about $60sq m for the bitumen alone puts the 40,000sq m of circuit at $2.4 million.

Getting to race on the track is akin to joining the mafia - someone has to vouch for you.

"It's all friends of friends," he said. "We know the people who are inviting (other people) here and we trust their judgment."

Those who have done a few laps include motorcycle champion Casey Stoner, the "Flying Scot" Sir Jackie Stewart and Formula One great Jack Brabham.

Mr Wills said Wayne Gardner described the road as his second favourite circuit in the world behind Suzuka in Japan.

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Hughes primed for third Test coming

Right call ... Hughes's move to Adelaide paid immediate dividends. Source: News Limited

A confident Phil Hughes hopes he can translate his sizzling domestic form into the Test arena when Australia's three-match series against Sri Lanka begins in Hobart on Friday.

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Hughes cracked a match-winning 74 off 48 balls to help guide Adelaide Strikers to a six-wicket victory over Perth Scorchers at the WACA Ground on Sunday.

Chasing 163 for victory, the Strikers reached 4-164 with four balls to spare.

Hughes has been in sparkling touch this summer, averaging 51.8 in the Sheffield Shield ranks and 80.75 in one-dayers for his adopted state, South Australia.

The 24-year-old played the last of his 17 Tests a year ago.

But after making a minor technical tweak to his batting during the off-season and piling on a mountain of runs, Hughes is confident he can make the most of his third Test coming.

"The confidence is quite high at the moment," Hughes said.

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"It's nice getting runs behind you. Hopefully I can start off well in the first Test against Sri Lanka.

"I'm really excited about it.

"I can't wait to get in camp with the boys.

"Having that (previous Test) experience behind me, I'm a bit more relaxed about going into camp because I've been in that environment before."

Meanwhile, Scorchers opener Shaun Marsh has been ruled out of Wednesday night's home clash with Melbourne Stars due to a hamstring injury.

Marsh returned to form with 57 runs off 45 balls against the Strikers, but suffered a minor strain to his right hamstring late in the innings.

Scans have cleared him of any serious damage, and the Scorchers are hopeful the talented left-hander will be fit for Sunday's away match against Sydney Sixers.

Although the injury is a blow to Marsh, Scorchers coach Justin Langer said he was pleased to see the 29-year-old regain his sparkling touch with the bat.

"I knew it was just a matter of time for him," Langer said of Marsh, who was briefly dropped from Western Australia's Shield and Ryobi Cup sides earlier this season.

"He's been preparing well. He played well in the practice matches during the week. It was nice to see him make some runs."

Former Scorchers skipper Marcus North is set to replace Marsh against the Stars, while the Scorchers will also need a replacement for Test-bound veteran Mike Hussey.

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Cousins to make playing return

Training run ... Cousins has agreed to play two games for Mullewa Saints in 2013.

Former West Coast and Richmond star Ben Cousins will make a brief playing return next year when he fronts up for the Mullewa Saints in Western Australia's Great Northern Football League.

Cousins has agreed to play two games for the Saints, but club president Brett Del Nero hopes the 2005 Brownlow Medallist will end up playing more.

The 34-year-old notched 238 games for West Coast and a further 32 for Richmond during a decorated but controversial AFL career.

Cousins was sacked by West Coast at the end of 2007 after his methamphetamine addiction spiralled out of control.

The West Australian made a successful AFL return in 2009 with Richmond, before retiring in 2010.

Del Nero said it wasn't hard to convince Cousins to play for Mullewa, which is located 450km North of Perth.

"But we also had to take into consideration the commitments he's got," Del Nero told ABC radio.

"He's got a young family and other commitments to different groups.

"He's very approachable and very well respected within our community."

As well as turning out for a couple of games, Cousins will also conduct training sessions with fellow ex-Eagles player Travis Gaspar.

The pair, who have joined forces previously to conduct clinics at schools in the area, will also provide life coaching to the players.

And in an added bonus to Mullewa, Del Nero said Cousins has offered to redirect his match payments to the club's academy.

Del Nero said the news of Cousins's arrival next year had already inspired the club's players to improve.

"I even had some players talk about doing a pre-season this year, which is unusual," Del Nero joked.

"That's Ben Cousins, and that's what he brings to football. I think it's great."

Life after AFL hasn't been smooth for Cousins, who earlier this year was committed to a mental health hospital as a result of prolonged psychosis related to his battle with drugs.

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