Thoughts on Folau to rugby

[fatprop]

Izzy worth it?
Don't think rugby union is going the hard sell to keep Israel Folau in the code. They are keeping a respectable distance and letting the game sell itself. Izzy is very happy at the Waratahs and loves their culture and the way they are approaching their rugby this year. He also loves the international nature of the game, with his eyes to be opened further when he is selected to play for the Wallabies against the British Lions. There is also the long term prospect of playing Sevens at the 2016 Olympics. While the smart money still has him returning to rugby league next year, it will come at a cost. Izzy is asking prospective suitors for a minimum $1m a season.
http://www.sportal.com.au/league-news-display/the-repeat-setround-9-233690

 

[JSRF10]

Don't think money is an issue as the above have eluded to, the ARU/Tahs can easily match anything that league can give him. Rugby can also offer him much more travel wise, and provide better retirement options in France or Japan. Given that we'll see the dollar slide a fair bit soon the overseas options will only get more attractive!

Really hope to see him stay, if he does he'll be a superstar at the 2015 World Cup and will be one of the faces used to sell Rugby to the world at the Olympics!

 

[Torn Hammy]

Surely rugby is in the better position seeing as an NRL club is only allowed to pay his salary where as we can give him a salary via the ARU and his club. If he's getting 400k from the ARU and 250k from the Tahs, then you add in Wallabies match payments he could go close to 800k. I'm sure the Tahs might be able to up his offer to close to a million with recent departures. Can an NRL club afford that?

And pay him 25% more than Pocock, Genia and Cooper?

No NRL team would ever pay that much for an outside back. Inglis excepted.

 

[fatprop]

And pay him 25% more than Pocock, Genia and Cooper?

No NRL team would ever pay that much for an outside back. Inglis excepted.

yeah those wages are Johnathan Thurston level, that said, I think his third party options may be considerable

 

[Hugh Jarse]

Matthew Johns claimed this morning that Folau is more likely to stay in rugby at this stage. But, it appears that Johns is fairly out of the loop when it comes to Folau.

Hope a decision is made soon. Hopefully Folau will stay.

And we all know how "on the money" a Matthew Johns story is, dont we? Ask John Singleton and Gai Waterhouse.

 

[wamberal]

It might come down to the value that he (or rather, his manager) is willing to put on potential Test match payments.

 

[Ash]

And we all know how "on the money" a Matthew Johns story is, dont we? Ask John Singleton and Gai Waterhouse.

You're confusing him with his brother there, I think.

 

[Ash]

And pay him 25% more than Pocock, Genia and Cooper?

No NRL team would ever pay that much for an outside back. Inglis excepted.

Yeah. You would expect the highest paid outside backs to be Inglis, then guys like Slater (although I hear the Storm pays less than other clubs would pay, like the Broncos of old), Hayne and Stewart. I'd be shocked if an NRL club would pay Folau on the same level as those guys.

And as said, $1 million is top playmaker territory only, like a Thurston.

 

[Hugh Jarse]

You're confusing him with his brother there, I think.

I think you are right. Shows how in tune I am with gambling, former Rugby Lite players and horse racing tiffs.

Matthew is on Triple M breakfast show isn't he. Never really liked them after the demise of Club Veg with Mel and Vic.

Does he have a finger on the Mungo pulse?

 

[TOCC]

The NRL salary cap is growing quite a bit over the next few years, the salary disparity between the top players in either code will close and the top rugby league players will likely be earning more in a couple of years..

 

[Ash]

I think you are right. Shows how in tune I am with gambling, former Rugby Lite players and horse racing tiffs.

Matthew is on Triple M breakfast show isn't he. Never really liked them after the demise of Club Veg with Mel and Vic.

Does he have a finger on the Mungo pulse?

Yeah, him and Mark Geyer do with some things (they host the MMM breakfast show with Gus Warland). They have heaps of rumours and news on League. Some rumour they wing a bit, others they have inside info.

Personally, I dislike all three of them, but I like the music MMM plays (formative years in the 90s meaning alt rock and grunge), and ABC News Radio gets repetitive.

 

[Richo]

And pay him 25% more than Pocock, Genia and Cooper?

No NRL team would ever pay that much for an outside back. Inglis excepted.

Digby makes $800,000 all up from the Reds and ARU, doesn't he? I think that was the number reported in the stories about his departure. I would expect Folau to receive something similar. Whether that is "fair" or not is pretty irrelevant. Part of his salary will be thought of as marketing.

 

[Torn Hammy]

Digby makes $800,000 all up from the Reds and ARU, doesn't he? I think that was the number reported in the stories about his departure. I would expect Folau to receive something similar. Whether that is "fair" or not is pretty irrelevant. Part of his salary will be thought of as marketing.

I think $800K is about right.

On the radio this morning Ben Ikin suggested that Folau was going to decide about choosing between league and union after a stint in Japanese rugby. This will present a problem for the ARU, given they vetoed the same stints in Japanese rugby for Cooper and Genia.

 

[wamberal]

Precedents are made to be broken. I would happy to see Folau go to have a short, lucrative, break in Japanese rugby if it means he stays in our code.

 

[Richo]

I think $800K is about right.

On the radio this morning Ben Ikin suggested that Folau was going to decide about choosing between league and union after a stint in Japanese rugby. This will present a problem for the ARU, given they vetoed the same stints in Japanese rugby for Cooper and Genia.

Seems like every man and his dog has a theory, doesn't it? I hope he stays. I hope it's not more of a circus than it has to be, whatever happens.

 

[I like to watch]

I just don't get what the fuss is about.
He is one player, it would be great if he stayed in the game.
However the game survived before his arrival,and will survive long after he leaves.
There should be no special dispensations for players, unless they have served the game for many years(eg George Smith).
We definitely should not be changing precedents for uncapped players!

 

[en_force_er]

If he stays I could see him having a weak 2014 but then a strong 2015.

For whatever reason that seems to be how these things go.

 

[p.Tah]

From our friend Gus Gould

The outstanding form of Israel Folau for the Waratahs should be an embarrassment to those in the NRL responsible for blocking his pathway back to rugby league based on ridiculous salary cap restrictions. For years, Folau's image had been shopped around western Sydney by the AFL as the poster boy of their recruitment drive into league's heartland. When Izzy announced he was leaving the AFL, it should have been a free kick to the NRL to launch a campaign of their own in the same area, trumpeting his return to the game he truly loves. ''No, no, no, no, no,'' said the NRL. Now he is the poster boy of the ARU. Talk about opportunity lost. What a disgrace. Those responsible should be looking for new jobs.

http://m.smh.com.au/rugby-league/le...ree-kick-into-an-own-goal-20130507-2j5tf.html

 

[Athilnaur]

I understand the 'no one is bigger than the game' argument, but some players in sport are gold dust and their salary doesn't even come close to the value the player returns. In Aussie rugby O'Connor, Beale, Cooper particularly, and now Folau achieve that. Many rugby aficionados might say what about Genia? But in marketing terms these four kick ass. O'Connor, Beale and Cooper smack of Cullen, and Folau of Lomu. Even Pocock, a sponsor's dream values wise, struggles to compete with them.

When Cooper screwed up last year I imagine Carmichael wanted to wring his neck, but the facts are the Reds desperately needed him or 2013 would almost certainly have been a financial disaster.

In NZ I think Cooper and Beale would have been cut loose, but the brutal truth is we don't have that luxury. I am hoping Cooper and Beale have learnt their lesson, but I won't be holding my breath.

 

[Tangawizi]

Izzy is a point of difference player. The Wallabies need point of difference players.

He's a bloke who can make the big plays that make the difference between winning a Bledisloe Cup, or it staying in NZ for another decade. See the try 2& 1/2 minutes into this clip - this is what Gus is upset about and there's no reason why he can't be doing that in Gold later in the year.

Sign him up ARU! Sign him up!