Full story in The Weekend Read in DT, proposing Dragons to have a shot at him. I think he'll work on a bid from Brisbane for the 20th licence (maybe a joint Brisbane Tigers, Ipswich Jets, Toowoomba Clydesdales bid???)
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RICHO CLEARED FOR NRL RETURN
Shane Richardson has been given the green light by the NRL to return to the game after they found he had no case to answer over his conduct at the Wests Tigers.
The NRL and Richardson confirmed to Weekend Read that the integrity unit had ended their inquiries and found no breach of the NRL rules after a whistleblower raised concerns that proved unfounded.
“If you haven’t done anything wrong, you don’t have to worry,” Richardson told Weekend Read.
“As I said from the beginning, I did everything with the unanimous approval of the board.”
There is nothing now to prevent Richardson moving onto another project in the NRL – and there are some prominent figures who believe he may be the answer for the struggling St George Illawarra Dragons.
“His record speaks for itself, doesn’t it,” former Dragons forward James Graham said on The Bye Round podcast this week.
“He was a huge part of this resurrection of the Tigers at the moment.
“He made brave decisions, like to back Benji – that is a huge call to do that. He faced so much scrutiny at the time. He never shied away from upsetting people.
“Maybe Richo is the man because I will tell you one thing – he doesn’t care about what people think.”
This masthead understands that Richardson officially severed ties with the Tigers on Thursday after he and the club finalised the terms of his departure.
Meanwhile, the Dragons are in the process of reviewing their entire operations in the wake of another disappointing start to the season.
Chair Andrew Lancaster and chief executive Tim Watsford are seen as key figures in the club’s future, but there are expected to be changes in the football department given the their disastrous results in recent years.
Richardson would provide the club’s football department with the sort of influential figurehead who could make things happen for a club that has become synonymous with losing.
He shook up the Tigers and their fans are now reaping the benefits of his decisions. The Dragons would do well to take note.
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