Buderus can't wait to play in front of home crowd -  23 February 2004
Australian hooker Danny Buderus is expecting a full house at EnergyAustralia Stadium for the April 23 Test against New Zealand after Newcastle won the right to host the international today.  The stadium, which is currently in the throes of re-development, fended off bids from Illawarra, Brisbane, Townsville and Sydney to host the match.  As part of the decision, the Australian Rugby League agreed Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane would host a Test next year.
Buderus, the incumbent Test hooker, was delighted to hear his hometown would be the scene of the Anzac Test, which is back on the calendar for the first time since 2000.  "I think Newcastle deserves a few more sporting events," Buderus said.  "They'll definitely get a sell out. They love their football."
Newcastle has only hosted one Test match - in 1996 when Australia beat Fiji 84-14.
That game attracted more than 19,000 fans and officials expect the Kiwi Test to surpass that effort.  EnergyAustralia Stadium's capacity will be above the 20,000 mark once stage one of the redevelopment is completed prior to the Test match.  The stadium is expected to be completed in 2005. 
Australian Rugby League chief executive Geoff Carr said Newcastle deserved the opportunity to host an international.  "There was a strong case for Newcastle given the fact it's the heartland of the game and given the revamped stadium," Carr said.  "They wanted some recognition for that stadium.  There was also a push to take the Test back to Queensland."  However, the Brisbane public will have to wait another 12 months for their chance to watch international football following today's decision.

Mystery woman stalking Buderus - 4 April 2004
Newcastle and Australian hooker Danny Buderus is the victim of a stalker who has bombarded him with text messages and phone calls and even appeared at his house.  The woman has also concocted a string of bizarre stories about him which she has sent to media outlets and the Newcastle club.  She has made dozens of phone calls in which she claims to be a supermodel, a publicist and a representative of a rich American family whose daughter has been spurned by the football star.
Buderus, who has been harassed for more than a year, recently consulted a lawyer and has referred the matter to police. "It is a worry for me, that's why I've taken it to the police," the Knights player said yesterday. I want the whole thing to end and I don't know how it is going to stop any other way. I don't know what I have done or why she has taken an interest in me, but I want it to stop."
The continued contact from this woman played a part in derailing one of the hooker's relationships and he is worried it will affect his football. Buderus has an increased role to play with Newcastle, NSW and Australia with Andrew Johns out injured and says he does not need such a distraction. The Sun-Herald became aware of the situation when the woman contacted the newspaper by phone and then by email with a story that Buderus had fathered the child of an American heiress, who is part of the Vanderbilt family. She wrote 17 emails under the name of Taylor Gerber in which she claimed to be representing an American woman called Courtney Taylor. She claimed Buderus and Taylor had a child who was named Paris after Taylor's friend Paris Hilton. She wanted Buderus to submit to a DNA test to prove Paris was his daughter. She even claimed Paris Hilton wore a T-shirt to a fashion launch with the words "Daddy Buderus" to grab media interest. The woman, who always gives her fictitious characters the name Taylor, has fooled other media organisations several times into printing false stories about Buderus.   When the woman spoke to The Sun-Herald it was always from an overseas location. She even returned calls left on an overseas mobile phone. The Sun-Herald asked on several occasions to speak to or meet Courtney Taylor, but was always given an excuse why she was unavailable. Requests for a discussion with her legal representatives were never met.  "The whole story is complete rubbish," Buderus said. "I have met a girl who speaks with an American accent and she says her name is Courtney Taylor, but she is not a model. She told me she was friends with a model or heiress. I have never met the model or heiress. I have certainly not had a child with this person . . . I just find the whole thing strange and I don't know why I have been picked out by this person."
Buderus's lawyer Greg Tyler refused to discuss the matter, saying that he did not want to compromise the police investigation.

Not happy Dan -  10 April, 2004 
It's not easy when your season's hopes are carried off the pitch with your captain. That's how Danny Buderus felt when Andrew Johns was injured in round
three. And being on the wrong end of a 48-2 thrashing last week did nothing to improve his mood, writes Jessica Halloran.
This season Danny Buderus's heart has been heavy with disappointment. He has sat in motel rooms, his body shot from the opposition's thumping tackles, and felt
lost.  He has felt dejected as he has contemplated what the hell has been going on with his team. With Andrew - Buderus always refers to Johns simply by his first name - gone and injuries decimating the team, everything is quite dim. Buderus admits Newcastle's chances of winning the competition now are slim.
"It's our job, we work very hard physically to get where you are - it's just disappointing when you know we had a shot at it, you know, as the bookmakers
will tell you, we've blown out," Buderus says. The Knights are $31 to win the grand final. And it's just five weeks into the season.  The frustration was showing on Buderus's face last weekend and, as the Dragons gleefully piled on the tries, the hooker hit boiling point. He got cranky, he became aggressive with his teammates.
The chirp disappears from Buderus's soft voice and he gets serious, reflecting on the 48-2 flogging. The last 15 minutes were especially disappointing. "We were just getting beaten, I got frustrated at that," Buderus says. "I didn't want to get any more tries scored against us. The thing that gets you down, you've got a squad of 17 players one week, I don't think I've played with Newcastle in the last three years where the next game the same 17 players are in there. "There's always an injury. I just felt it was going to be a long year [during] that last 15 minutes. I know I was thinking too much about it. We didn't have the players there that we had in the first two rounds and it just gives you the shits. You just know you don't get many opportunities to play first grade in your career. . . We had as good a shot as anyone this year to really give it another shake and win the competition. To see [the collapse] right in front of your face . . . it's only the fourth round, you've got to push on."
Things weren't easy for Buderus last year either. Like other athletes, the 26-year-old sees a sports psychologist, which has helped him. "I struggled last year, a few things were getting me down, injuries get you down . . . and you need someone to go talk to. He's a sports psychologist, I just go and chat to him. I just talk about everything, just life, he knows you but doesn't know you that well. He can give you opinion on where your life is going, what you need to do. It's refreshing getting a new opinion."
But Buderus isn't down or cranky all the time. Off the field, he's often laughing and has a friendly nature, as any of his close mates will tell you. His nickname is "Bedsy" after he received a plane ticket that had his name as "Jonny Bedsrus". "It was Jonny Beds-R-Us," he says, smirking.  His best mate, Mark Hughes, once known as "Boozy Hughesy", shared fun and laughs for more than three years living in the "ultimate bachelor pad".  The apartment was every young man's dream home. Bar, spa bath, pool table, big screen TV and other gadgets. "All the good stuff in life," remembers Hughes. But things have changed. Hughes got a girl, got engaged to her and she is now pregnant with their first child. "I've just moved out by myself into a unit. Yeah, Boozy Hughesy, it was good, but oh, no more," Buderus says smiling. "The third wheel has gone!"
Since Johns's absence, Buderus has realised he has to take a leadership role. "I've got to take the rein up a bit there," he says. "The main thing we want as a football team [is] we want 17 players to do it. I think if you are playing first grade, you are man enough, old enough to talk to the player next to you, take that bit of extra leadership on the field."
When asked about his goals for the year, Buderus pauses and says: "I dunno, I feel a bit lost."  But he gathers his thoughts and says he believes the team will finish in the top eight.  "We've got a great bunch of blokes at Newcastle. We are committed to each other but to win the competition you need your best players on the field. And we have not got our best players available on the field. "You know Penrith, I don't think they've used 19 players this year. We've used 26 already.
"When you haven't got your best team available week in, week out . . . every year we've had major injury, especially to our key man, which is Andrew, it does
get frustrating. It will take a bit of time for our team to gel because the whole dynamic of our team will change without Andrew there."
Buderus has been living in the footballers' fishbowl of Newcastle for the past 10 years. "I think living anywhere playing football and stuff, especially what's happened
over the last few months, you know, it's not a very good, how do I put this?"
You are under more scrutiny?  "You've got to be on your best behaviour at all times," he says, adding that the community should expect certain standards from its footballers. Buderus is one of the better role models in rugby league. He has only slipped up once. Back in 2001 he was intoxicated on a trip back from a game in Townsville.  He was spoken to by the plane's captain and later "vomited a little bit". He said back then of the incident: "I wasn't drunk and out of control but I know
now that I had too much to drink . . . I am not a huge drinker anyway but I will be cutting right down."
Buderus's good luck charm is a watch he wears to each game."I think when they brought out the first tryscorers [bet] and I scored a try first, one of my mates put . . . money on me and he gave me a watch and he engraved it, 'It's try time Bedsy, give me the score'."
Bedsy hopes his charm will start working for the Knights.

Make Buderus NSW captain - Andrew Johns -  May 9, 2004 
MAKE Danny Buderus captain! That is my message to the NSW Blues hierarchy a fortnight out from the kick-off to the State of Origin series against Queensland. A lot can happen in a couple of weeks. Injury and loss of form can have a big bearing on the make-up of the side for Origin I. But if the Blues are looking for an inspirational leader who is cool under pressure and experienced at that level, Bedsy is the man they should be looking at. My choice may surprise some people, but I know Bedsy better than most.  He has a great temperament for the job, is well respected both on and off the field by everyone and, right now, is second only to Darren Lockyer as the best player in the game. In putting his name forward, I'm in no way denigrating the chances of players like Craig Gower, Ben Kennedy and Trent Barrett. The fact is Gower hasn't had much of a look-in at Origin level and doesn't need the added burden of captaincy when he should be concentrating on his own job. BK and Barrett are disadvantaged because they have not played a lot of footy and are both under injury clouds. As for the team I would choose around Bedsy, a lot of positions pick themselves.  But as is always the case, it is not too late for some players to make a compelling last-ditch bid for selection. 

Lockyer shock as Buderus eyes NSW captaincy -  16 May, 2004
As debate raged over the NSW captaincy, former NSW Origin skipper Benny Elias said Danny Buderus could handle the role with ease.  And after watching Buderus' superb match-winning performance for the Knights in Friday night's game against Brisbane, Elias believed Buderus was among the best hookers he has seen.  "Danny Buderus could easily handle the captaincy," said Elias, the Blues skipper in the early 1990s.  I would have absolutely no problems if he was given the captaincy because there wouldn't be one player in the game who doesn't look up to him. He has just been terrific for Newcastle. His defence is great and his peripheral vision is something else.  If you are playing in No 7, you have the lateral vision enabling you to see everything, but at No 9, all you are doing is looking at another player's backside. But Danny has amazing vision.  "Clearly, he is the best hooker in the world and one of the best hookers that has ever played. He has the edge over every other hooker in the game."

Buderus surprised at earning Blues captaincy -  17 May 2004
Newcastle hooker Danny Buderus today described his appointment as NSW rugby league captain as a great honour. Buderus fronted a press conference with coach Phil Gould today where he vowed to not let the captaincy affect him in the opening State of Origin game on May 26 at Telstra Stadium. "My head's a bit scrambled at the moment," Buderus said. "It's a great honour and I'm really looking forward to it." 
NSW would have been captained by Buderus's Newcastle teammate Andrew Johns, however he was ruled out of the Origin series with a knee injury.  The other major candidates for the job were fellow Knight Ben Kennedy, who will miss Origin I with a hamstring injury, and halfback rivals Craig Gower and Brett Kimmorley. Gower was eventually named as the NSW No.7 but the selectors went for Buderus to lead the Blues in this year's series. "He was an obvious choice," NSW coach Gould said. "He can handle all the things that go with being captain."

Danny's former mentor states allegiance - Newcastle Herald, 22 May 2004
Former Queensland and Australian hooker Steve Walters had nothing but praise for Danny Buderus in Legue 2004 on Thursday. Walters reckons his one time Knights teammate has set a new benchmark for dummy half play but stopped short of wishing him luck for State of Origin 1 at Telstra Stadium next Wednesday night. "Im pleased for him that he's been named NSW captain, but I hope he doesn't get the result he wants. He's a good fella and I think a lot of him, but hopefully they lost 3-0."  Matthew Johns, another of Burderus's former Newcastle teammate, described the 26 year old Blues skipper as a model footballer in every sense of the word. "The most amazing thing about Danny is he's still got his good looks even though he's playing hooker, said Johns, who played hooker for NSW in game three of the 1998 season. "That blokes name was Reg Reagan. I'm not sure if you're heard of him but he was a very very very good bush footballer."

He's a ripper skipper, says Dan clan -  23/05/2004,  Sun Herald
That other lot can relax. The new NSW captain, battle-scarred Danny Buderus, is a `darlin' thing' or so says his mum. Greg Prichard reports. 
CHRISTINE Buderus says her ``darlin' thing" is a captain courageous who has overcome a string of major injuries to get to the top and who, despite his achievements, would never get a big head. Then she adds: ``I don't sound biased, do I?" 
Well, you do, but you're allowed to. It's not every day your boy is named captain of NSW for a State of Origin game. Mrs Buderus says the younger of her two sons, Blues hooker Danny, told her well ahead of time what he was going to do with his life. ``One day, when he was eight years old, he came up to me and said: `Mum, I'm going to be a professional footballer'," she said. ``He was into all sports as a kid and he was good at most of them. He was a very good sailor and played basketball and cricket. He raced BMX bikes as well, but footy was the thing he loved the most. He was very passionate about it. Dan was usually captain of the team. He was a bit of a star . . . it probably sounds terrible, talking him up like that, but he has never been full of himself. We wouldn't let that happen, but we didn't have to worry. He's just a darlin' thing." 
Christine and her husband Gus went down the road literally of countless other parents with sons and daughters who excel at sport. From their home at Taree, on the mid-north coast, they drove him long distances to compete. Eventually, when Danny was just 16, they let him leave home to live with a host family in Newcastle so he could take up a scholarship with the Knights. ``I didn't handle that very well," Mrs Buderus said. ``Neither did Gus. Danny handled it better than we did. We drove him down and on the drive back I was crying by the time we got as far as Nabiac. ``I hated it whenever either of our boys Broc or Danny wasn't under our roof, but I think the move was good for Danny. He was a bit shy and the host family had a couple of girls aged about 16 and 18, so that helped him get used to the opposite sex." 
Buderus went on to tour England with the Australian Schoolboys side in 1995, but only after he overcame a serious injury. ``He broke the tibia and the fibula in his left leg playing against Illawarra," Christine said. ``He's had a lot of bad injuries a shoulder reconstruction, an operation on his wrist, something with his Achilles tendon and a lot of stitches under his chin. He seems to get a lot of cuts there. ``And he's had two broken noses. That beautiful face it was straight once." 
Asked about the injuries, the reply from Buderus was typical of a first grader. He did not want to make a big deal of it. ``It's just part of playing the game," Buderus said. ``Part of being a professional player. I pride myself on being tough enough to handle it, but I think everyone who plays first grade would be like that." 
Buderus came into grade as a halfback or five-eighth, but there were a couple of players by the name of Andrew Johns and Matthew Johns who were making big names for themselves in those spots. Newcastle coach Malcolm Reilly switched Buderus to hooker late in the 1998 season and new coach Warren Ryan stuck with him there in 1999. ``I'd seen `Joey' [Andrew Johns] play hooker in rep games and he looked great, so I thought it might work for me at the Knights," Buderus said. ``The position was changing. Halfbacks were switching to hooker and being successful. I might have kicked on in the game as a halfback or a hooker I don't know but I'm obviously very happy with the way things have turned out." 
Christine and Gus Buderus live at Forster now, but Gus proudly says Danny is the talk of their old home town of Taree since he became Blues captain. ``The Taree mayor rang me to ask if I could help with a photo of Danny for the council chambers," he said. ``They've got a photo of Troy Bayliss, the superbike champion from Taree, on the wall and they want to put a photo of Danny next to him. We're just so thrilled for Danny. Two years ago I was listening to the radio to see if he was in the NSW team. This time I was listening to see if he was captain." 
Christine said she and Gus mainly caught up with Danny at games during the season. They will be at Telstra Stadium on Wednesday for Origin I. ``It's lovely when Dan can get home for a break," Christine said. ``Then we can have Broc and his wife, Tianne, and their two sons, Jett and Max, and Danny all together. Danny adores his nephews. Max is old enough to recognise Danny playing on TV. He calls him `Danny Footballs'."  Asked what he would say to Danny on Wednesday, Gus replied: ``I'll just wish him all the best." Christine added: ``We just want him to enjoy it. He deserves every good thing that happens to him." 

Joey Johns head-to-head with his buddy Buderus -  23 May, 2004, The Sunday Telegraph
Andrew Johns catches up with Knights team-mate and current Blues skipper Danny Buderus for a chat in the build-up to Origin I on Wednesday night. 
ANDREW JOHNS: First up, congratulations - again. 
DANNY BUDERUS: Thanks mate . . . big shoes to fill, eh. 
AJ: Not sure about that but, just for the record, how big an influence have I been on your short captaining career? 
DB: What can I say? You getting hurt has certainly helped (laughs). No mate, you've been a huge influence with advice and help. I don't break as many water bottles behind the try-line, though. 
AJ: The thing that gets me is I pushed your captaincy barrow in this column and they still gave it to you anyway. You MUST be on side with the hierarchy. 
DB: Just goes to show how much pull in the game you really do have. 
AJ: What was your reaction when Phil Gould first approached and asked if you were interested in the job? 
DB: He just ran it by me and I said it would be a great honour and that I would love to do it if I was given the opportunity. He didn't say there and then it was mine. I'm just nervous and excited all at the same time. 
AJ: It has been a controversial week but, that aside, was the camp any different this time around to previous Origin camps? 
DB: Not really. You know what it's like. All the boys come into camp excited and it's a great time for everyone, although what happened has put a real dampener on things. For me, the added media stuff has been pretty full-on, which you would know all about. Heaps of interviews and photo shoots. 
AJ: Nothing as in-depth as this though? 
DB: Definitely not, no. 
AJ: As captain, you get a room to yourself, which you'd be used to because you live alone now. Are there any emotional scars remaining from living with Knights team-mate Mark Hughes for five or six years? 
DB: Emotionally, rejection is never easy but they say time heals all wounds. I have managed to put it behind me. There are no hard feelings between us now but I am still going to take him for 60 per cent in the divorce. 
AJ: Not that I would know myself, but given you are rooming alone, have the in-house movies had a workout? 
DB: Nah mate, there just hasn't been the time. I definitely haven't been watching the news, either. 
AJ: Let's get a bit serious here. What motivates Danny Buderus in December before off-season training starts? 
DB: Just the feeling of wanting to better myself. To be the best I can, the fittest I can. If I've had a good break, just being around the (Knights) boys again is motivation enough. That and making sure my body continues to look better than yours. 
AJ: You must really work yourself hard? 
DB: You set a tough pace. 
AJ: Speaking of bodies, yours must take a hammering because of your massive workrate and the physical nature of the way you play. How's it holding up? 
DB: Pretty good actually but it all comes down to how you manage it. There is a routine each week of rehab, massage, manipulation and rest that I follow and stick to to give myself the best possible chance of being in good shape come game day. 
AJ: There were a few surprise selections, Ben Hornby for one. 
DB: I guess so but he has been great in camp and he'll be great for us on the night. Just his communication and enthusiasm at the back has been spot on and I just think he is really going to stand up. 
AJ: What will you be saying to the boys? Do you have a speech ready to go? 
DB: I'll be taking a leaf out of your book mate and try and lead with my actions. I'll probably talk to some of the guys who haven't been there before to try and let them know what to expect. But there won't be any Churchillian speeches. 
AJ: Leave that to Gus. 
DB: Yeah. 
AJ: Okay, what about the game itself. How will the Blues knock over Queensland on Wednesday night? 
DB: We'll be looking to try and move them around a fair bit but, basically, you know what it's all about. We have to be more enthusiastic than them and hungrier.
AJ: Spoken like a true captain who is not about to give anything away. 
DB: Exactly. 

Please don't turn your backs -  25 May, 2004
NSW captain Danny Buderus says he'll be devastated if the Blues are jeered on to Telstra Stadium for Origin I tomorrow night.  Radio talkback callers throughout the weekend - along with e-mails and letters to The Daily Telegraph - suggest many fans could turn against NSW after the team's bonding night fiasco.  There are also genuine fears controversial Willie Mason could be booed when he comes into the action off the interchange bench. But Buderus yesterday pleaded with the fans to back the Blues and not give Queensland any vocal advantage.  Asked how he would feel if his side was jeered, Buderus said: "I'd be devastated. There is no better feeling than going out there [in front of] a big crowd who are supporting you. 
"We need [the fans] behind us. We have two home games this year but the first one is vital because we don't want to be going to Brisbane [for the second match on June 16] down one-nil in the series." 
A crowd of around 70,000 people is expected to attend the opening match of the series. About 65,000 tickets had been sold last night. Telstra Stadium's capacity is 83,500. "We need massive support," Buderus said. "You need every advantage in Origin football. The crowd support means everything."
Buderus admitted he had felt apprehensive coming back into the team's Coogee camp on Sunday.  "When we were coming back we were thinking, 'What the hell are we walking into?' " he said. "But we have to keep positive and upbeat. You've only got to listen to the boys to realise how much it means to them to play for the Blues. Hopefully I can lead the team OK but I'm a bit nervous. It should be a great night. The build-up is part of the spectacle."

Buderus furious at Storm's grapple-tackle -  30 May, 2004 
Knights captain Danny Buderus last night made an on-field complaint about Melbourne's controversial grapple tackle as the Storm scored their first win in Newcastle. With Queensland Origin duo Cameron Smith and Billy Slater and five-eighth Scott Hill outstanding, the Storm powered to a 24-2 halftime lead and the Knights were unable to peg them back. While no-one was suggesting the Storm weren't the better side, there was frustration in the Knights camp about Melbourne's tackling style. They accused the Storm of adopting similar tactics in Melbourne earlier this season and the controversy raged again last night. "I was only backing up my players, they were the ones concerned," Buderus said of his on-field complaint to referee Tony Archer. The ref didn't see it, but the players saw it. They are very good at the ruck. They turn you around. Your head is nearly facing your own tryline. That is how they slow you down. It is illegal at times." 
At one stage in the second half, after Buderus was penalised by Archer for a flop, he asked the referee sarcastically: "Would I have been better off going around the neck?" 
The accusations about the Storm came less than a week after NSW Blues coach Phil Gould singled out Smith as one of the chief offenders. But Knights coach Michael Hagan, highly critical of the practice after his side's clash with the Storm in Melbourne, didn't want to buy too heavily into the controversy last night. "I don't think we have many complaints, apart from the fact I thought they worked very hard on the ground and I don't think the referee, until very late in the game, decided to set some standards," Hagan said. 
Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy did not see a problem. "The penalties were 6-1 in the second half, so I am not sure what their frustration was about," he said. "I don't think we did anything too illegal. If we did, we got penalised for it." 
Controversy aside, Melbourne were devastating in the first half. Hill and Slater were dynamic, while Smith's direction around the ruck was first class. After conceding an early penalty, the Storm scored three tries in the opening 20 minutes to take a stranglehold on the game. Winger Matt Geyer scored a hat-trick, but his third - the Storm's only try of the second half - was one of the more baffling decisions of the season as he appeared to lose control of the ball over the Knights line. "I don't know they got that right," Hagan said of the video referee decision. "I thought he might have pressed the wrong button." 

Century caps off Danny's big week - Newcastle Herald
In form Knights hooker Danny Buderus hopes to complete one of the best weeks of his career when he plays his 100th first grade game against South Sydney at Energy Australia Stadium tomorrow. The NSW and Australian No. 9 made a stunning debut in the Blues 32-4 victory over Queensland at Stadium Australia last Wednesday. Buderus would have reached his 100 games against the Warriors eight days ago but was stood down because of his selection for NSW. "To play them at one club is very special, and I'm signed up for another three years so hopefully I can pass a few more milestones in that time. At the start of the year, I checked to see what game I'd be playing for my 100th and I thought it might have been last week. I'm really looking forward to it and after the Origin, hopefully we can get a win and cap off whats been a great week." buderus said. Buderus joined the Knights from Taree in 1994 and made his senior debut in 1997. He will become the 16th player to reach the 100 game milestone for the Knights and is one of six Newcastle players backing up after Origin 1. "Among the boys who played on Wednesday night, I don't think there will be any lapse in concentration at all. Your coaching staff will do what they have to do to get you up for the game but the rest is pretty much up to yourself. The boys who played on Wednesday night are pretty strong mentally so we'll definately come out ready to play on Sunday.

Knights must hit market: Buderus -  25 June, 2004
Danny Buderus last night demanded the Knights start being aggressive in the open market by declaring: "All we have been doing is letting players go."  Buderus said forward Ben Kennedy has been the club's only blue-chip purchase since the 2000 season. Yet in that same time frame, Newcastle has lost established players Matthew Johns (Wigan), David Fairleigh (St Helens), Paul Rauhihi (Bulldogs), Darren Albert (St Helens) Paul Franze (Sharks), Greg Bird (Sharks) and John Morris (Parramatta). The Knights claim to have difficulties squeezing in eight international players under the NRL's $3.25million salary cap. Buderus said: "We've got to start buying players. Our last significant signing was Ben Kennedy five years ago. We have to get the retention committee thinking about the future and maybe life after Joey and I know they are. We have a lot of young players in the club like Clint Newton and they want new players as well. The club doesn't want to be inactive in the player market. Having said that, I always think Newcastle will be among the competition's elite clubs. I think within two years we can again be a crash hot side." 
Newcastle teammate Robbie O'Davis backed Buderus's call for new signings. "It would be good to see some fresh faces," O'Davis said. "Life goes on after any player. We saw there was life after Robbie O'Davis earlier this year when David Siege came into first grade." Newcastle welcome back Kennedy and Matt Gidley for Sunday's match against Manly at EnergyAustralia Stadium. Kennedy will have the awkward feeling of playing against the club he will join next season. There were Newcastle television reports on Wednesday suggesting Kenendy had not officially signed a contract with Manly. The Sea Eagles confirmed this but pointed out that Kennedy's manager Mick Newton had signed a letter of intent.

Buderus, the universal Lego man, shapes as the key part -  - 3 July, 2004
Roy Masters looks at the man he thinks will make all the difference in the decider at Telstra Stadium.
Conditions at Telstra Stadium will be different to those at Suncorp Stadium, meaning the deciding Origin match is likely to throw up a different type of hero to Queensland's Billy Slater. Despite a weather forecast consistent with drought conditions, one Origin match a year tends to be wet and history says it is Sydney. Even if it is dry, the winter grass at Homebush Bay holds moisture, hence the surface tends to be glassy at night, producing a slippery ball and making passing more risky. The man of the match is therefore more likely to come from the forwards. Blues captain Danny Buderus is my tip. With two ball-playing, running five-eighths on either side of the ruck, and a lock in Shaun Timmins who can take the defence on and set up supports, Queensland cannot keep a permanent watch on dummy-half Buderus. The markers will be shooting out to hit Trent Barrett, Brad Fittler and Timmins, giving Buderus windows of opportunity from the ruck, particularly with the latitude given dummy-halves in today's game. 
"Sounds a good theory," Buderus said this week of the prediction of him as man of the match, before making it clear he hoped wind would dry out the field and lead to the game being open. "I do plan to do plenty of running."
Buderus is like a universal Lego part: he can plug in as first receiver when Craig Wing comes on and plays dummy-half. So, Buderus can be expected to touch the ball more than anyone else. His defence around the ruck has always been first class, too. Further, Buderus, now into his third match as captain, will have grown more confident and self-assured. He was criticised after Origin II for not challenging the referee enough and is likely to match Queensland's Darren Lockyer in appealing to a centreman who sometimes yields to pressure.

Danny boy proves an original of the species -  July 3, 2004
Danny Buderus looks calm as he peers through the Coogee hotel window at the beach. It was all so different six weeks ago. Then, as the new NSW leader, the 26-year-old had to deal with the fallout from the Blues' bonding scandal before Origin I - teammates boozing up and straying from curfews, Mark Gasnier's infamous "fire up" lewd phone call. So what was was it like for the captain? 
"Just madness," he said. "I just couldn't believe the amount of media pressure that was upon the team, coming back in on Sunday after breaking from camp."
"Coming back to the motel there were 20 cameras, we had to go through the back door to get to our rooms, stuff like that, it does get you down. It did ruin the occasion a bit. Everyone put it away, put it aside. It was a credit to the boys how we came out and won the game."
No wonder Buderus's insides were quaking as he took the long walk over the soft green turf of Telstra Stadium for Origin I. "My stomach," Buderus said. "I never get nervous - but the first game. But it was virtually a new squad and I was meant to lead these players. You feel an honour and excited, but at the same time it can turn your gut. It's a long walk out into the middle of the field . . you can feel the crowd warming up . . . I'd say it would be a lot more intense on [next] Wednesday night."
In the lead-up to Wednesday night's decider, Buderus has kept it all together with the help of Queensland coach Michael Hagan, his club coach at Newcastle, who has been in regular touch. "Mate, you don't have to do everything, especially in the media sense. Just take a step back. Keep your head up, mate, the game will roll over pretty quick," Hagan advised before game one. On top of the fallout from the stupid acts of several teammates, Brad Fittler's comeback for game two entered the mix . "Freddie, especially at training, is very boisterous. If we drop the ball - bang. Everything's got to be perfect," Buderus said. And then there was the saga of whether Newcastle teammate Andrew Johns would stay in league or switch to rugby union. It's been a very adventurous sort of camp, put it that way," Buderus said. Through all this how has Buderus's leadership been perceived by his teammates?
"I don't think he's a really good captain, I think somebody else should have been appointed that," Nathan Hindmarsh, ever the funny man, joked before training this week.  "He's just a great leader. Very inspirational. You just feed off him. Definitely the man for the job. I think Bedsy is a great leader and a great bloke to have as a captain. He's an all-round nice guy".
An all-round nice guy. You would imagine he'd be the one who would always bring an extra case of beer to the barbeque. And he'd make sure everyone had a beer before he opened his own. Buderus, who says he is a "happy sort of bloke", is very close to his family. "I call them a fair bit, freshens you up talking to your family." 
His mum Christine was his first coach and still gives advice. Buderus joked that he had imposed a "media ban" on her for the Origin series. "She treads on tenterhooks around me now. She knows I'll jump on her if she talks about footy too much to me! My parents, they are good, full of support," he said. "She'll always wants to know how I'm feeling. My body; she always thinks she can help me with her advice - sore knee or something like that. I say: 'Mum we've got people that are paid to be doctors that know a bit more than what you know, so I might take their advice.' She'll try her best to make me feel better."
After this series Buderus plans to take a few days off and rest. When he looks back in 10 years, he says the Origin series will be remembered as an adventure. "This game three is the biggest game in the last few years for Origin . . . we are one game behind in the whole thing. We've really got to win this series. It means a lot to a lot of people, it'd be great to see Freddie go out a winner."

Oh Danny boy: how Buderus lost it - 26 July, 2004
When Kurt Gidley is penalised for lashing out while in posession, leading to a game-tying penalty goal for North Queensland: "If you give a penalty there, it's a f---king joke. Why was that a penalty? Do you know why he lashed out? Because he was holding him. That's a disgrace."  When Ben Kennedy is penalised for passing the ball after referee Jason Robinson called held: "That's the worst decision of the year." When George Carmont is penalised for a high tackle on Josh Hannay in golden-point time: "It's a new rule, the new rule. You stay down, you get yourself a penalty. Play football."

We're sorry ref -  28 July, 2004
REMORSEFUL Newcastle captain Danny Buderus yesterday vowed to call Jason Robinson to apologise after admitting his behaviour towards the referee during Newcastle's loss to the Cowboys last Sunday was "over the top".  Just 24 hours after the NRL accused coaches and players of using referees as "whipping boys" to explain away losses, Buderus and Knights coach Michael Hagan publicly accepted they had crossed the line in their criticism of Robinson.  "I think my comments [after the match] with respect to the referee were out of line a little bit," Hagan said. "There is a lot at stake in these games at the moment and a lot of frustration attached to not winning the game [on Sunday] and a couple of things not going your way. But we have got to be big enough to accept we didn't play well enough on the day either." 
Hagan's refreshing honesty, following a weekend of refereeing controversy, was matched by his captain. Buderus had a running, verbal battle with Robinson for most of the game, questioning just about every decision the referee made. He heatedly vented his anger at several crucial calls, labelling one penalty against halfback Kurt Gidley while he was in possession of the ball "a disgrace" and another "the worst decision of the year" after Ben Kennedy was penalised. "Looking back, I'm not proud of what was said out there and I'm supposed to be leading by example," Buderus said. "It's hard to put it in perspective when you are out there busting a gut and I'll be ringing Jason Robinson to apologise for my actions." 
Referees boss Robert Finch said yesterday he had spoken to Hagan and appreciated his honesty. "You don't get that very often [from coaches]," Finch said. "I know Danny has tried to touch base with Jason this afternoon to apologise, so that is great as well. "We don't have a problem at all with Danny, and Jason certainly didn't complain after the game about him. 
"But you still appreciate what he has done." 
Buderus conceded the pressure surrounding the club's fight for a playoff berth, his battle with injury and a massive workload might have contributed to his behaviour. "It all just climaxes - sometimes you just break," he said. "Everyone's under pressure out there - the refs, all the players - in the heat of the moment, it's hard not to blow up but that is probably no excuse." 
Buderus, who captained NSW to an Origin series win earlier this month, is confident there will be no repercussions from last Sunday. "I'm pretty sure Jason Robinson has no problem with me or with the Knights," he said. "But we will probably get another game refereed by Jason in the near future so hopefully there won't be any problem there. I will touch base with him just to probably say that." 
Hagan promised a healthier attitude towards referees from the club for the rest of the season. "It's a little bit of honesty [on our part] in assessing the events of the weekend," he said. "Our attitude towards the ref wasn't what it should have been and we have got to accept that. "We will take each game as it comes and we'll try to be a little more accommodating in terms of our attitude on the weekend and for the rest of the season." 

Knights singing back yard blues - 4 August, 2004
NEWCASTLE captain Danny Buderus says he is embarrassed at his side's home ground record this season and claims rival teams no long fear playing at EnergyAustralia Stadium. Once considered a graveyard for visiting teams, Newcastle's premiership campaign has largely been derailed in their own back yard. The club has managed just three wins from nine games at home and their recent record goes a long way to explaining why they are walking a semi-final tightrope. In their past six matches at Energy Australia, their only victory was against wooden-spoon contenders Manly back in late June. Since that game, they have fallen to the Sharks, Brisbane and North Queensland at home. "Yeah, it's pretty embarrassing given that it has been a bit of a fortress for us in the past," Buderus said. "Teams used to hate coming here, but I don't think they are too worried about it anymore. We set goals like every other side does at the start of the season and we set ourselves a target of 10 wins from 12 games at home. We aren't going to get anywhere near that. But we owe [it to] our supporters to make sure we do everything we can to finish off the season the best way possible." 
Buderus said he could not put a finger on why the club had performed so poorly at home.  It is really hard to say but we have lost some really tight games that have hurt us," he said. "The games against Parramatta, the Broncs and the Cowboys have all gone right down to the wire and we lost all three. That has been a real problem for us - finishing off games at the back end." 
Buderus even admitted to being happy about not having to play at home against South Sydney last Sunday. It was probably good to get away from home and to get a win up - it does a lot for the confidence of all the boys," he said. The Knights have three of their remaining five games at home, starting with Canberra on Saturday night. Coach Michael Hagan yesterday showed faith in the same 17 players who kept the club's play-offs hopes alive against Souths by retaining them for the Raiders clash. But he refused to rule out the possibility injured trio Matt Parsons, Mark Hughes and Daniel Abraham could come into contention later in the week if they were medically passed fit. Buderus said the aim for the Knights now was to build some momentum. "I think all the boys are aware we have to play better than we did last weekend,"he said. "But it's all about getting on a bit of a roll over the next couple of weeks and building up confidence. The next fortnight really is vital for us leading into games against the Dragons and the Bulldogs." 

New king of Castle -  September 9, 2004
NEWCASTLE coach Michael Hagan has placed his star hooker Danny Buderus on the same lofty pedestal as superstar Andrew Johns by labelling his season with the Knights as "Joey-like".  Less than 24 hours after creating history by becoming the first hooker to win the coveted Dally M Medal, Buderus was still coming to terms with his personal triumph.  The NSW Blues captain, who believes the Bulldogs are the team to beat for the premiership on the eve of the play-offs, said the enormity of his win was only just beginning to sink in.  "I knew I was up there when the voting went behind closed doors but I didn't really give myself much of a chance," he said. "I guess I was hopeful more than anything else and it was pretty much edge of the seat stuff when they went through the countdown of the votes.
"When I jumped three clear of Finchy [Brett Finch], the head started racing a bit."
But despite his own modest reservations about his chances, Hagan claimed Buderus was a worthy winner.  "In any assessment of what he has done this season, Bedsy has been unbelievable," Hagan said. "His season for us has been very Joey-like in that he has just maintained an unbelievably high standard right through. "I just think with Andrew out injured and the other injury problems we have had, he took it upon himself to step into the breach and take on the leadership role.
"Given some of the problems he has faced himself, to play like he has, has been an inspiration for everyone."
Hagan and the club make no secret of the fact they want Buderus to follow the lead of Johns and commit himself to the Knights for the rest of his career.
He is contracted to the club until the end of next season but talks have already started to extend that further.  "Ideally, we would love for that to happen and that is something we are already working through with Bedsy and his manager," Hagan said. "It is no secret he is a big priority for this club."
Buderus said he has been "tossing around" some ideas involving his future with his manager and the Knights. "Ideally, I'd love to stay long term but we'll just have to see what happens," he said. "The more immediate challenge for us is to rebuild and lift the club back up the top over the next couple of seasons. "It's a pretty hollow feeling at this time of the year when you are not involved in the playoffs."  Buderus, who will take a short holiday to give his troublesome toe injury a chance to recover before joining the Tri-Series train-on squad, claims the momentum built up by the Bulldogs leading into the play-offs make them the team to beat for the title. "Their pack is huge and they are just playing with so much confidence," he said. "Everyone is saying they are the standouts along with the Roosters and it is hard to argue against."

Buderus Reigns on Knight of Nights -  8 October, 2004 - Newcastle Knights
Knights skipper, and newly crowned Kangaroo vice captain Danny Buderus, picked up the major awards at the club’s annual Telstra Country Wide presentation in front of over 700 guests at the majestic Civic Theatre tonight.  Buderus added the club’s player’s player of the year and player of the year award to his Dally M medal to cap off a stellar 2004. The Rising Star award was accepted by Todd Lowrie, George Carmont received the Coach’s Award and Clubman of the Year went to the Knights highest point scorer and top try scorer, Kurt Gidley. Speaking at the ceremony, Buderus said he felt humbled to have received the accolades of his team-mates and coach. “This has just been an amazing week,” he said. “To have been named vice captain of the ‘Roos and then to pick up these awards has been quite unbelievable. I couldn’t be happier. 

Buderus warns teammates -  21 October, 2004 
KANGAROO hooker Danny Buderus says the Australians will have to survive another confrontational start when they play New Zealand in Saturday's return Tri-Nations clash at London's Loftus Road Stadium. Buderus said yesterday the Australians were set back on their heels by the Kiwis' aggressive start in last Saturday's 16-all draw in Auckland. The New Zealanders established a 6-0 lead after five minutes with a converted try to five-eighth Vinnie Anderson. 
Buderus said it would be interesting to see how things panned out, with the Kiwis having to field a revamped line-up against the virtually unchanged Australian side at a neutral venue. "We're definitely going to try to be just as physical on Saturday as we were last week and I know they will be," Buderus said. "It pretty much points to the same sort of confrontations as we had in Auckland. We defended well early even though they got that try, and we're going to have to do it again." 
In the opening exchanges in Auckland, Australians Tonie Carroll and Jason Ryles were crunched by gang tackles while Shaun Berrigan was on the receiving end of a trademark Sonny Bill Williams shoulder charge before Anderson crossed. The draw was greeted by the Kiwis almost as if it was a win as the home crowd went wild with joy, but Buderus does not subscribe to the theory New Zealand will not be able to repeat the performance. 
"They were pretty happy with the result, that's for sure," he said. "They copped a bit of flak with the team they picked. But I don't think they got carried away. I think they were just repaying fans when they went for a bit of a walk around the ground. I saw [Kiwi skipper] Ruben Wiki doing a lap of honour but I think that could have been because it was maybe his last Test at home. They might have lost a few blokes because of operations [Penrith forwards Tony Puletua and Joe Galuvao and Bulldogs winger Matt Utai] but they have good options over here. They will be bolstered by really good players from the English competition and I think anyone handed a jersey will do a good job for them." 
Australian coach Wayne Bennett was full of praise for Buderus's performance at dummy-half, particularly as he had not played since early September with Newcastle failing to make the NRL finals. Buderus played the last five rounds with a stress fracture of the foot and was only cleared to resume running last week, missing the Tri-Nations warm-up match in Townsville because of the injury. "I was pretty rusty in Auckland and so were a few other blokes," he said. "We can improve heaps but we scored three good tries and there were some constructive plays. I still felt the foot at times. I had to have painkilling injections at Newcastle and then I got an infection from a needle. But [tour doctor] Hugh Hazard doesn't like giving needles." 
There will be plenty of needle on Saturday and the team that flinches first could finish up in the Tri-Nations casualty ward. 

Buderus captain in transit -  28 October, 2004 
DANNY BUDERUS only wants to be Kangaroos captain for a week.  He would much rather hand the skipper's job back if it meant Darren Lockyer was on the field again. Buderus was preparing last night for his first appearance as Test captain, following in the footsteps of former Newcastle Test skippers Wally Prigg, Clive Churchill and Andrew Johns. "It's unbelievable to get the captaincy but hopefully 'Locky' gets fit quickly and I only captain the side once," Buderus said.  "We've talked about doing things in blocks on this tour and if we win on Saturday it probably assures us of a place in the final, so we can breathe a lot easier and have a week off. "But we're expecting a real tough battle especially as a lot of the British players are the linchpins of their clubs now rather than overseas players. 
"The Poms will be hurting after last year and we probably will have the same sort of start to game one as last time. They will come out and try to be very physical and we have to match that or be better." 

Buderus eyes Brits and getting back to the Knights - 18 November, 2004
Australia's captain has more on his mind than his injuries, reports Steve Mascord in Paris. Notre Dame is some 11 kilometres away but, right now, Danny Buderus looks like its most famous tortured soul. Breaking off a training session with the Australian rugby league team at Stade Jean Moulin in suburban Suresnes, the 26-year-old hooker ambles to the deadball line and has a huge ice pack fitted to his left shoulder. Had a long-term foot problem - a tortured sole, so to speak - caused a limp, the Hunchback impression would be complete. "Are you actually playing with us any more?" prop Shane Webcke chides as Buderus takes a seat an hour later at the Warwick Hotel, just off the Champs Elysees. Yes, I'll have a run ... I'm not playing against the Frogs," he answers. Buderus says the body is "not that good. I've got a bit of a shoulder problem but I'm hopefully looking at only one game to go and I'll get back late January for training. It's just my foot, and with the soft grounds over here, my Achilles has been giving me trouble, too ... [it] just needs rest".
The acting Australia captain is a personable, effervescent character but his preferred theatre is the brief full-time interview or the it's-an-honour-to-be-selected sound-grab. In an extended interrogation, his carefully constructed sentences come with the distinct impression he is looking forward to the end of every one of them. Buderus dead-bats controversy. His experience as NSW captain during Gasnier-gate this year has only reinforced his belief that this is the way to go.
"Probably, more recently, you get made aware of it," he says when asked about an occasional tendency to sanitise things. "The pressure, the last two years ... the headlines ... you've got to pretty much shut up shop and put your head down and be careful with everything that goes on."
But Buderus does have other concerns, too. One of the game's least controversial players, he spoke out this year about the direction in which his club, the Newcastle Knights, - in particular, its recruitment policy - was headed. Ben Kennedy, Timana Tahu, Mattt Parsons, Robbie O'Davis and others have left and few have arrived for 2005. The impression from some quarters has been that while the financially-challenged Knights are cobbling together enough cash to keep star players, other parts of their operation are falling by the wayside somewhat. "What I said was, 'we need to get players to come to the club'," he says. "It's a very hard job that everyone has got there in the office."
The Knights have reassessed their training methods to reduce the number of injuries they had last year, with the likes of Andrew Johns, Steve Simpson, Tahu and O'Davis sidelined for long periods. "I think we're going to do a bit different, training-wise, this year," Buderus says. "We're going to do more rehabilitation. We've had someone look into it. I think our club doctor was worried about the injuries but it's no one's fault. We just had a curse of bad luck this year."
The man called "Bedsy" then rattles off how the new grandstand at EnergyAustralia Stadium is going to help the club's bottom line and how the SG Ball side won the competition this year. Off contract at the end of next season, Buderus could have joined Parramatta four years ago but didn't. "Every player gets the chance to go somewhere else for money but sometimes that's not the right thing to do. I'll sign one more [contract], hopefully for two or three years, and that will see me through," he says. Having captained Australia in two games, the world's best rake hopes to hand back the reins to Darren Lockyer for the Tri-Nations final, at Elland Road on November 27. But even as skipper, he has found himself on the sidelines for large periods during the tournament as replacement Craig Wing has worked his magic. There will be no room for ego in the months ahead, either. Halfback Johns's imminent return from a knee injury means Buderus will hand back the Knights captaincy, too. 
And NSW? "I don't see myself doing it next year. Obviously, if Andrew plays, he's definitely the captain. If he's fit and right, it will be a pleasure to play with him."
There is still a sliver of doubt, of course, about Johns playing representative football - and about his ability to recapture his best after two seasons devastated by injury. "The best thing about Joey - he even said it to me - is that he's had a chance to sit back andd watch football for a couple of years," Buderus said, "and work out how the game's being played and how it can be played better. I think he's going to have a lot of ideas for us next year. The way he plays is going to be a bit different. He's got a lot of things he can bring to the team next year, not just being Andrew Johns but also different plays that we can do."
Danny Buderus, sore from shoulder to toe and facing one of the most important games of his career a week-and-a-half from now, is nothing if not unstintingly positive. The Hunchback could have learnt a thing or two from him.

Newcastle will wait for weary Buderus -  28 November, 2004,  The Sun-Herald 
Newcastle coach Michael Hagan doesn't expect Danny Buderus to start training for next season until the end of January, if that's what it takes to refresh the Australian hooker.  Buderus is probably the most over-worked player in the game and he told The Sun-Herald that when he returns from the Tri-Nations campaign in England he would like to take six to eight weeks off. "I think I need it, but I don't know if I'll get that long a break at this late stage," Buderus said. 
But Hagan has assured him that he will, saying that although it means he will miss some key training sessions, it was more important that he comes back physically and mentally refreshed.  "The thing you need from the players is for them to want to be there," Hagan said. "That way, you know they're ready, and if they haven't recovered from last season it's no good for them or the club. Danny is due back on December 8. We'll assess him and see if he needs an operation or just rest and then I'll say to him, 'You come back when you feel like you want to train and play'. If he feels he needs until the end of January, then that's what it's going to be. I'll be guided by him." 
Buderus captained Newcastle and NSW last season and when Darren Lockyer was injured during the Tri-Nations tournament he took over the Australian captaincy. He handled the responsibility superbly, but on top of the body-on-the-line football he plays it has helped to wear him down. Buderus was struggling with a foot injury before the Tri-Nations final against Great Britain early today, Sydney time. "Danny averaged 79.1 minutes of playing time for the Knights last season," Hagan said. "He only got a break in a couple of games. I can only do so much at training without Danny because a lot revolves around him and I'm looking forward to seeing how we look with Joey [Andrew Johns] back, Kurt Gidley at five-eighth and Danny out there as well, but I'm prepared to wait a bit. I'm planning on Danny playing in one of our two trials in February to help get that teamwork going again before the competition starts." 

Buderus hailed the best - 12 December, 2004,  The Sun-Herald
Australia, NSW and Newcastle hooker Danny Buderus was named the inaugural RLPA players' player of the year in Sydney last night.  Newcastle Test hooker Danny Buderus's peers have voted him the best player in the NRL in 2004. Buderus received the honour at the inaugural Rugby League Professionals Association awards dinner at Randwick racecourse last night. Former Australia and Roosters captain Brad Fittler presented Buderus with the Sports Oxy-Shot players' player trophy. Fitter, who retired at the end of last season, was among 350 of the game's biggest names at the function including Brisbane captain Gorden Tallis and NRL chief executive David Gallop.  Buderus's achievement caps a stunning season for the Knights star, who skippered NSW to a 2-1 Origin series victory over Queensland and was Australia's vice-captain during the recently completed Tri-Nations series - leading the Kangaroos in a Test against Great Britain. He was also named the NRL's player of the year at the Dally M awards in September.
Buderus's win in the overall vote meant he also collected the best forward award ahead of the likes of Bulldogs prop Mark O'Meley, Parramatta second-rower Nathan Hindmarsh and Broncos veteran Shane Webcke.

NRL - Season review 2004
Have a tennis question?
Just ask Knights hooker Danny Buderus, who underwent off- season surgery on the ligaments in the big toe on his right foot. Laid up at his parents home at Forster on the NSW mid-north coast, Buderus didn't have much else to do but watch the Australian Open. "I think I watched every point," he laughs. Best match? "The Hewitt versus Nadal game, easily". As for intensely watching the matches of Russian glamour girl (and perennial grunter) Maria Sharapova, Buderus says: "In the end I couldn't stand her. She makes too much noise."