League Notes: NRL Announces Security Measures, Urges Fans Not To Be Scared

The National Rugby League has "urged fans not to be scared off attending ANZ Stadium" as its prepares to "bump up sec­urity for Canterbury's return to the ground on Sunday against St ­George Illawarra." NRL Head of Football Todd Greenberg on Wednesday announced a "series of measures aimed at providing greater protection for players, but the safety of supporters remains a prevalent topic in the wake of last Friday night's events during the Bulldogs' loss to South Sydney." The concern for the NRL is that supporters will "steer clear of ANZ Stadium given the events of last week" (THE AUSTRALIAN, 4/9). ... Handball Bundesliga (HBL) CEO Frank Bohmann "has called for the introduction of playoffs once again." Bohmann: "I've failed with this proposal once before. However, I continue to think it's an interesting way to increase the league's attractiveness." Bohmann's idea is "to have the top four teams after the regular season play two semifinals and a final" to determine the champion (SID, 4/8).