Benjamin Elias (لبني الياس in Arabic) (born 15 November 1963, Tripoli, Lebanon) is an Australian former rugby league footballer of the 1980s and 90s. He played primarily as a hooker for Balmain in the New South Wales Rugby League premiership. He was one of the leading hookers from the mid 1980s until his retirement at the end of the 1994 season. Along with Wayne Pearce, Paul Sironen and Steve Roach, Elias and his Balmain teammates formed one of the best forward packs in the modern era during the late 1980s.
Benny Elias was responsible for the reinvention of the hooker's role in rugby league: helping to change it from that of a scrummager to a skilful playmaker at "dummy half" (the player who receives the play-the-ball)[citation needed]. He has sometimes been spoken of as "a player with a halfback's talents playing at hooker", yet Elias was still a superb scrummager, as shown when he won three key scrums against the feed in a 1990 play-off against Newcastle. He has now been appointed on the board of the Perth glory football club in Western Australia
Paul Sironen (born 23 May 1965 in North Sydney, New South Wales) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who was a prominent second rower for the Balmain Tigers during the late 1980s and early 1990s. He was part of the team that played in successive Grand Finals in 1988 and 1989, and included other representative players Steve "Blocker" Roach, Wayne Pearce, Benny Elias and Garry Jack. He made a number of appearances for both New South Wales in State of Origin and also for Australia, and has been named as part of the Wests Tigers Team of the Century.
In the early 1980s, the University of Hawaii offered Sironen a scholarship to move to Waikiki in Hawaii and play American football in the position of defensive tackle. Sironen decided that he "never got to touch the ball enough" and, after the first season ended, he moved back to Australia. Sironen joined the Balmain Tigers and, in his debut year, he was named as the Dally M Rookie of the Year.
In the 1988 season, Sironen played in the Grand Final in which Balmain where defeated by twenty four points to twelve by the Canterbury Bulldogs. The following year the club again made the Grand Final. Unfortunately for the club and Sironen, who scored a try in the match, the club again lost the Grand Final by nineteen points to fourteen against the Canberra Raiders. In the 1990 season, Sironen was named as the Dally M Second-rower of the Year. Also at the end of the 1990 NSWRL season, he went on the 1990 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain and France.
Brad Izzard (born 21 February 1965 in Penrith, New South Wales) was an Australian rugby league player for the Penrith Panthers in the New South Wales Rugby League competition in Australia as well as playing four games for the New South Wales State of Origin side. His position of choice was at centre and he is the brother of both Craig and Grant Izzard.
Izzard was a local junior for the Panthers making his first grade debut for the club in the 1982 season. Was called up to the New South Wales side in game one of State of Origin in his debut year playing on the wing though injury ruled him out of the remaining matches for his state and country played that year. Fitness problems went on to hamper his relationship with several of his coaches such as Tim Sheens and Ron Willey but playing under Phil Gould in 1991 his efforts on the field became instrumental in his teams success helping them to a grand final premiership victory. Following the grand final victory he travelled with the Panthers to England for the 1991 World Club Challenge which was lost to Wigan. The following season several neck injuries reduced the amount of time he was able to play eventually having to retire when it was revealed it was a chronic problem.
Jack Steven (born 28 March 1990) is an Australian rules footballer for the St Kilda Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).
Steven was recruited from the Geelong Falcons with pick 42 in the 2007 AFL Draft.
Steven kicked the final goal of the 2008 NAB Cup quarter final – a competition which St Kilda went on to win, although Stevens did not play in the final.
Steven made his AFL debut in Round 19 of the 2009 AFL season in the Saints' upset win over Hawthorn at York Park in Launceston, Tasmania when the then undefeated Saints were without seven of their best player due to injuries. It was his only AFL for the year, but he played eight more in 2010.
In January 2011, Steven, along with three teammates, was suspended for six weeks and fined after breaking team rules involving alcohol, prescription medicine and leaving the team hotel while on a team camp in New Zealand.
In Round 10, 2011 (when St Kilda played the Fremantle Dockers at Subiaco Oval), Steven was nominated for the 2011 AFL Rising Star.
Timna Brauer (born in Vienna, 1 May, 1961) is an Austrian - Israeli singer-songwriter, and the daughter of painter, writer and singer Arik Brauer. She is married to Israeli pianist Elias Meiri with whom she collaborates. Both have Yemeni roots.
She represented Austria at the Eurovision Song Contest 1986, singing Die Zeit Ist Einsam (English: Time is Lonely).
there's something strange about this bottle
calling me at 4 am
telling me that everything's ok
she's not laying down with him
there's something strange about these raindrops
they can't wash away my pain
how her memory was left behind
but didn't even leave a stain
it's kinda like...
Valdosta Rain, it's pouring down
it's coming in like a hurricane, i'm not ready for it
you only come on the days, she ain't around
don't you bring down this pain, in my temporary drought
cuz' getting over her, is driving me insane
it's kinda like, counting drops of valdosta rain
there's something strange about this picture
staring back at me
i can still hear her laughing
as we danced on new year's eve
there's something strange about her leaving
i can't explain what's going on
i thought i was over her
but i guess that i was wrong
it must be...
Valdosta Rain, it's pouring down
it's coming in like a hurricane, i'm not ready for it
you only come on the days, she ain't around
don't you bring down this pain, in my temporary drought
cuz' getting over her, is driving me insane
it's kinda like, counting drops of valdosta rain
can somebody please tell me
what the hell is going on
why one day i see the sunshine
and the next there's a storm
like...
valdosta rain, it's pouring down
it's coming in like a hurricane, i'm not ready for it
you only come on the days, she ain't around
don't you bring down this pain, in my temporary drought
cuz' getting over her, is driving me insane
there's something strange about this bottle
calling me at 4 am
telling me that everything's ok
she's not laying down with him
there's something strange about these raindrops
they can't wash away my pain
how her memory was left behind
but didn't even leave a stain
it's kinda like...
Valdosta Rain, it's pouring down
it's coming in like a hurricane, i'm not ready for it
you only come on the days, she ain't around
don't you bring down this pain, in my temporary drought
cuz' getting over her, is driving me insane
it's kinda like, counting drops of valdosta rain
there's something strange about this picture
staring back at me
i can still hear her laughing
as we danced on new year's eve
there's something strange about her leaving
i can't explain what's going on
i thought i was over her
but i guess that i was wrong
it must be...
Valdosta Rain, it's pouring down
it's coming in like a hurricane, i'm not ready for it
you only come on the days, she ain't around
don't you bring down this pain, in my temporary drought
cuz' getting over her, is driving me insane
it's kinda like, counting drops of valdosta rain
can somebody please tell me
what the hell is going on
why one day i see the sunshine
and the next there's a storm
like...
valdosta rain, it's pouring down
it's coming in like a hurricane, i'm not ready for it
you only come on the days, she ain't around
don't you bring down this pain, in my temporary drought
cuz' getting over her, is driving me insane