Rugby League players who could have/could make the switch

[terry j]

ffs please close this thread already

kinda agree, but equally it is kinda fun no? I mean it touches so many human emotions at the one time it is amazing!

Despair, disbelief, laughter, pity that some people have to go thru life without the faintest bit of common sense....

A new found 'respect' for the power and blindness of fundamentalism of any description, yet a new awareness that such blindness can lead to strife and trouble in the world! You know, thank god this is only a thread on a forum somewhere. Imagine the outcome if people like this were in power! (thankfully tho rock seems to be absent any maliciousness, just stupidity)

Then we wonder about the backstory, why so obvious a league fan (and not that there is anything wrong with that!) has to get his jollies on a union forum, so which league forum tired of his incessant, inane brayings that he had to come here? THAT is the question.

So much to be found in so little, if you are a student of human behaviour that is.

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

ffs please close this thread already

I wouldn't be too bothered. TR is relatively harmless and I'm sure we'll tire of him soon enough.

 

[Hugh Jarse]

Threads like this (and sidetracks such as the current one) serve a rather useful safety valve for the rest of the forum.

Remember it is not compulsory to read the threads, or to reply to the posts.

I don't think The Rock is necessarily trolling. I suspect that he genuinely believes what he is posting is the absolute truth. He has been fairly consistent, and plenty have tried to sway his views previously to no apparent avail. When head butting a brick wall, the best course of action is to stop doing it when it becomes obvious that the wall is not crumbling.

Best tactic is to ignore the sidetrack posts and try to keep posting back related to the title of the thread.

 

[Braveheart81]

The way The Rock describes rugby league players seems more like he's watching Monty Python do The Four Yorkshiremen than watching a game of NRL.

It seems the players have to run uphill in both directions in the snow over a field of broken glass.

 

[Train Without a Station]

His comments about the superiority of League players as athletes is laughable. He seems to believe professionalism just skipped rugby.

 

[The Rock]

His comments about the superiority of League players as athletes is laughable. He seems to believe professionalism just skipped rugby.

You can say what your like, I do love watching a fast rugby game or Kick, Kick and Kick don't get me wrong. But the product is run very bad compared to the NRL. There is No Proper Pathway for the Kids, it is run by D***Heads with Big Egos and at the end Rugby will still pick a league player over a rugby player if they want, rather than go through the Rugby Development System. Rugby needs a good clean out, starting from the Junior Clubs, Schoolboy Level and then onto the Senior stuff, too many old Dinosaurs who think they know best, those 2 Development guys of the Development Pathways at Australian Rugby Union should also get their marching orders both Arrogant to say the least and wouldn't Take any help from anyone, they should take note what the NRL Pathways do and then Rugby for Juniors in this country, will do well, until then the League have a very good set up and they will continue to grow.

 

[Braveheart81]

There is more money in rugby league in Australia than in rugby union.

That is why a lot of rugby juniors end up playing in the Holden Cup. It is the only place where there are a large numbers of professional contracts for 17-19 year olds. Only the cream of the crop from rugby union will get a Super Rugby contract straight out of high school.

Having so many professional juniors is excellent for providing the NRL with the next crop of talented young players but I don't necessarily think it is entirely in the interests of all the players. Many, many more Holden Cup players will never get an NRL contract than those that will just based on how many spots there are in the NRL. The rest will get paid 50-80k for a couple of years and then be discarded. Thankfully the NRL is pushing for all players to be doing some form of study whether it is tertiary or vocational to allow for the fact that many players will either never play in the NRL or will play for a couple of years and then need to find other ways to earn a living.

I don't see any great problem with talented juniors leaving school and having to work and study alongside playing football for free (or close to free) for a couple of years. In most situations, players take a couple of years to develop into being ready to be a professional footballer. At the end of the day, a lot of players like both sports and will choose options that work for them at the time.

 

[I like to watch]

Most of the Toyota cup players earn around $5k.
Clubs have a budget of $250k, they all seem to pay 75% of this to two or maybe three players and let the other 20 odd to share the crumbs.
I have heard Pulver expressing astonishment that kids will change their future for this sort of money.
It's hard to disagree.

 

[Braveheart81]

If the money is that low then there needs to be a far greater focus on education.

If kids are leaving high school and making decisions around earning five to ten thousand dollars then they clearly should have been educated better at high school.

 

[The Rock]

Most of the Toyota cup players earn around $5k.
Clubs have a budget of $250k, they all seem to pay 75% of this to two or maybe three players and let the other 20 odd to share the crumbs.
I have heard Pulver expressing astonishment that kids will change their future for this sort of money.
It's hard to disagree.

What future is in Rugby, If your not one of the best ? You have more chances in League, plus get the exposure, play at all the top grounds including NZ. Thats not true regarding the Toyota Cup players earning $5k, most are earning triple or more, maybe the club rugby but not Toyota Cup. I know a lot from different NRL Clubs who are on a good wicket.

 

[The Rock]

What future is in Rugby, If your not one of the best ? You have more chances in League, plus get the exposure, play at all the top grounds including NZ. Thats not true regarding the Toyota Cup players earning $5k, most are earning triple or more, maybe the club rugby but not Toyota Cup. I know a lot from different NRL Clubs who are on a good wicket.

I know of a 20s team who are driving Holden Sponsored Cars, not bad for an 18 or 20 year old driving a Holden SS model !

 

[Braveheart81]

What future is in Rugby, If your not one of the best ? You have more chances in League, plus get the exposure, play at all the top grounds including NZ. Thats not true regarding the Toyota Cup players earning $5k, most are earning triple or more, maybe the club rugby but not Toyota Cup. I know a lot from different NRL Clubs who are on a good wicket.

You can say exactly the same thing about the NRL.

Unless you're in the upper echelon of players, your annual salary is fairly low (a large amount of full time NRL players earn under $100k) and the average number of NRL games in a career is somewhere around 40.

There are far more professional rugby contracts that pay substantial salaries around the world than there are in rugby league.

Australia is the only country where there are more professional rugby league contracts available than rugby union.

 

[The Rock]

You can say exactly the same thing about the NRL.

Unless you're in the upper echelon of players, your annual salary is fairly low (a large amount of full time NRL players earn under $100k) and the average number of NRL games in a career is somewhere around 40.

There are far more professional rugby contracts that pay substantial salaries around the world than there are in rugby league.

Australia is the only country where there are more professional rugby league contracts available than rugby union.

If you want to earn the big bucks and your a talented player, you would head over to Japan or France just like my good mate Andrew Everingham from Souths did and good on him, I am not nasty about it, he has to look after his future, Japanese Rugby were after him for ages. The Wallabies will only pay the $$$$ if your a Folau.

 

[Braveheart81]

The Wallabies will only pay the $$$$ if your a Folau.

You could replace Wallabies with NRL and it remains just as true.

The bulk of the professional players in Super Rugby or the NRL get a reasonable but not amazing salary.

Unless you are in the top echelon of players in either code, your sporting career is not going to set you up for life financially unless you go and chase the best money in France and Japan.

 

[I like to watch]

What future is in Rugby, If your not one of the best ? You have more chances in League, plus get the exposure, play at all the top grounds including NZ. Thats not true regarding the Toyota Cup players earning $5k, most are earning triple or more, maybe the club rugby but not Toyota Cup. I know a lot from different NRL Clubs who are on a good wicket.

I don't want to get into a tit for tat about this,but the facts are:
Salary cap is $250k for the top 20 players.
IF it was shared equally,that's $12.5k a head.
But it's not.each club have a few players they perceive are must haves.
You know for example,the talk about one Manly jnr last year was on $85k,there was another almost as highly rated who was on in excess of $60k.
You do the maths.How much are the next 18 kids earning?

 

[The Rock]

You could replace Wallabies with NRL and it remains just as true.

The bulk of the professional players in Super Rugby or the NRL get a reasonable but not amazing salary.

Unless you are in the top echelon of players in either code, your sporting career is not going to set you up for life financially unless you go and chase the best money in France and Japan.

The NRL Players are well looked after, your top ones are on good money $800 000 plus and get cars, houses paid for. I know of under 20s players who are getting the rent paid for and quite a few Kiwi Boys have their family brought over from NZ and everything paid for. Plus the NRL have $1.02 Billion Broadcast Revue to clubs The figure represents a rise of $450,000 per club. There are so much perks given to players on the quiet at clubs and to their families from Sponsors as well, that its mind blowing.

 

[The Rock]

I don't want to get into a tit for tat about this,but the facts are:
Salary cap is $250k for the top 20 players.
IF it was shared equally,that's $12.5k a head.
But it's not.each club have a few players they perceive are must haves.
You know for example,the talk about one Manly jnr last year was on $85k,there was another almost as highly rated who was on in excess of $60k.
You do the maths.How much are the next 18 kids earning?

Its all the 'Extras' these players get, No Rent to Pay, Cars Given to Them, extra $$$$ hand outs from Sponsors. Sorry but Rugby Club Footy doesn't come close, no wonder they are struggling.

 

[The Rock]

Its all the 'Extras' these players get, No Rent to Pay, Cars Given to Them, extra $$$$ hand outs from Sponsors. Sorry but Rugby Club Footy doesn't come close, no wonder they are struggling.

Anyway , I will leave it there as its going over old ground. I mix with a lot of NRL Players and this is what goes on. In this Country the NRL offer a lot more and can set you up with your earnings, Sponsorship and business Ventures for life. If you play Rugby overseas you will be set up for life as well and in a more Financial Position than Rugby here.​

 

[wamberal]

Anyway , I will leave it there as its going over old ground. I mix with a lot of NRL Players and this is what goes on. In this Country the NRL offer a lot more and can set you up with your earnings, Sponsorship and business Ventures for life. If you play Rugby overseas you will be set up for life as well and in a more Financial Position than Rugby here.​

One point obviously worth mentioning is that rugby union has always had a bias towards academic achievement in its players, it is no coincidence that the better state schools (the academically selective ones) always played rugby union, not to mention the universities.

When an NRL player gets a degree it is a news story. It is fairly commonplace for rugby players to be studying.


I have lived and worked in several cities, here and elsewhere, and can tell you that rugby union is the sport of the business elite in most places. Rugby league is the game they play in Wigan. If a kid wants to get ahead in life, rugby union offers far, far more, in all sorts of ways.

Just as a matter of interest - how many adults play league (as amateurs) for fun? None. There is a lot of camaraderie in rugby union circles, and that is worth more than money.

 

[Braveheart81]

Rugby league is the game they play in Wigan.

This is THE BEST!