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Aussie Player Exodus

USARugger

John Thornett (49)
Adding more fuel tot he fire is the ARU's inability to sign off a number of contracts. Granted if I was being offered less I'd look at my options, but then again players may find there are less options overseas than first thought.



http://www.theaustralian.com.au/spo...clear-on-future/story-e6frg7o6-1226898837554#


He absolutely hit the nail on the head with that last line there. God, I love reading Wayne's stuff.

The number of precociously talented boys at Churchie who I had the pleasure of meeting over the past summer whom were already under lock by the Broncos or in talks with other clubs was a big reality check for me.
 

Melbourne Terrace

Darby Loudon (17)
Honestly don't see players going overseas as a bad thing tbh. What it means is that the ARU don't have to pay their salaries anymore when they are struggling to even match world market rate. The ARU only care about the National team doing well anyway so if they were still available all is good.

Let them go to France and England, let the clubs there pay them the big cash and use the ton money we save to invest in community rugby and development. There's always more youth to come through the system to fill spots and there are very talented players from the islands currently that are talented and could be signed for dirt cheap if the ARU didn't have the foreign restrictions. I'd rather see the Rebels adopt a strategy of promoting young Victorian players through their youth system anyway instead of wasting money on journeymen and interstate big name players.
 

Braveheart81

Will Genia (78)
Staff member
Honestly don't see players going overseas as a bad thing tbh. What it means is that the ARU don't have to pay their salaries anymore when they are struggling to even match world market rate. The ARU only care about the National team doing well anyway so if they were still available all is good.

Let them go to France and England, let the clubs there pay them the big cash and use the ton money we save to invest in community rugby and development. There's always more youth to come through the system to fill spots and there are very talented players from the islands currently that are talented and could be signed for dirt cheap if the ARU didn't have the foreign restrictions. I'd rather see the Rebels adopt a strategy of promoting young Victorian players through their youth system anyway instead of wasting money on journeymen and interstate big name players.

Do players going overseas really save the ARU money? It just means that players move up the pecking order and other players earn more money than they did previously because they're now in greater demand.

Your comment about signing talented players from 'the islands' dirt cheap is getting very close to the thin end of the wedge in my opinion. It sounds like what would eventuate if Donald Sterling owned a Super Rugby team.
 

Melbourne Terrace

Darby Loudon (17)
Do players going overseas really save the ARU money? It just means that players move up the pecking order and other players earn more money than they did previously because they're now in greater demand.

Your comment about signing talented players from 'the islands' dirt cheap is getting very close to the thin end of the wedge in my opinion. It sounds like what would eventuate if Donald Sterling owned a Super Rugby team.


No allowing players to go overseas means the ARU have greater flexibility in how much money they offer to who. If a player demands more than the ARU deems is appropriate for a player of his quality, then they can just say to him "If you want that money, then pack your life up and move to France", and go replace him with another youngster or new talented foreign players. No more contract battles with Quade types when you can just say au revoir mate, bring him back for the internationals and use the money that was going to go into his contract to bring several Queensland youngsters into Rugby and away from the Broncos hands.

I don't see the big deal about the "dirt cheap" comment, it's nothing to do with race and all to do with market forces. There are some very talented players who from the Pacific islands, Japan or the Americas who would snatch up a chance to play Super Rugby because it's high quality and closer to home meaning they could have a career as Pro players without having to live all the way over in Europe. You wouldn't have to offer big cash to say a young talented Samoan or Argentine player looking to test themselves here because they have no pro league of their own to fall back on outside Europe if they don't get a contract.
 

something

Jim Clark (26)
excuse the ignorance but can somebody please explain to me why only soup players can play for wobs? i think it would make sense if they could get aussie players from all over the world? would be beneficial for the players and for the aus team.
 

GaffaCHinO

Peter Sullivan (51)
excuse the ignorance but can somebody please explain to me why only soup players can play for wobs? i think it would make sense if they could get aussie players from all over the world? would be beneficial for the players and for the aus team.

but not for the super rugby comp which the tv rights money pays the bills.
 

something

Jim Clark (26)
i just figure if i was a wob-standard player, especially if i were someone like folau or cooper who are going to be draw cards no matter where they play, i would like to be able to earn the big bucks playing for a northern hemisphere team (+ life experience) and still be able to represent my country. there is a short life span in professional rugby.
 

GaffaCHinO

Peter Sullivan (51)
i just figure if i was a wob-standard player, especially if i were someone like folau or cooper who are going to be draw cards no matter where they play, i would like to be able to earn the big bucks playing for a northern hemisphere team (+ life experience) and still be able to represent my country. there is a short life span in professional rugby.

absolutely you would want to make as much as you could but if all the top player head overseas than no one will watch super rugby and we wont have any money to run the wallabies.
 

Dave Beat

Paul McLean (56)
I've mentioned this before, it will require a change of rules from the ARU. But what is wrong with developing a stronger relationship with Japan?
I'll use George Smith last year; I recall at the start of the year he was in Jpn winning a comp, then played Super Rugby, then for Australia, and I recall he had to be back in Jpn for the end of the year.

Allot of rugby, is there a break, but could it work?
Could they inject big YEN and a team into the ARU / NRC?
Could this structure be better than loosing players to Béziers, Narbonne, Munster etc.

Winter isn't 12mth here in Aust, IMO can the ARU be proactive in managing the players, rather than off sure teams taking them. AB's have managed to do this with 2 of their top line - Carter and McCaw.
 

Braveheart81

Will Genia (78)
Staff member
I've mentioned this before, it will require a change of rules from the ARU. But what is wrong with developing a stronger relationship with Japan?
I'll use George Smith last year; I recall at the start of the year he was in Jpn winning a comp, then played Super Rugby, then for Australia, and I recall he had to be back in Jpn for the end of the year.

Allot of rugby, is there a break, but could it work?
Could they inject big YEN and a team into the ARU / NRC?
Could this structure be better than loosing players to Béziers, Narbonne, Munster etc.

Winter isn't 12mth here in Aust, IMO can the ARU be proactive in managing the players, rather than off sure teams taking them. AB's have managed to do this with 2 of their top line - Carter and McCaw.

I think that it isn't sustainable from a player welfare perspective. Someone might be able to play year round rugby for a couple of years but after that, it will really take it's toll.

Look how quickly George Smith ruled out playing for the Brumbies again. He's obviously in the twilight of his career but is still very fit and healthy. I'm guessing that two Japanese seasons with a Super Rugby season in between was more than enough and he needed a break.

If you look at the two most recent players to announce they're heading overseas, Andrew Smith and Phoenix Battye, neither of them can get a regular starting gig in Super Rugby anymore. Battye couldn't even get in the matchday side.

I agree that it would be great to keep all these players in Australia, but I accept that isn't really possible.

Relaxing the rules on players being able to go to Japan etc. in the off season would be pretty likely to see many of our best players play excessive amounts of rugby in their prime years and diminish their impact for the Wallabies (at least in my opinion).
 

Dave Beat

Paul McLean (56)
I think that it isn't sustainable from a player welfare perspective. Someone might be able to play year round rugby for a couple of years but after that, it will really take it's toll.

Look how quickly George Smith ruled out playing for the Brumbies again. He's obviously in the twilight of his career but is still very fit and healthy. I'm guessing that two Japanese seasons with a Super Rugby season in between was more than enough and he needed a break.

If you look at the two most recent players to announce they're heading overseas, Andrew Smith and Phoenix Battye, neither of them can get a regular starting gig in Super Rugby anymore. Battye couldn't even get in the matchday side.

I agree that it would be great to keep all these players in Australia, but I accept that isn't really possible.

Relaxing the rules on players being able to go to Japan etc. in the off season would be pretty likely to see many of our best players play excessive amounts of rugby in their prime years and diminish their impact for the Wallabies (at least in my opinion).


I agree with everything you say - it's simply an idea that would require work. Year round rugby - that is why i said up to the ARU how to manage that. However, the NRC is a long way off from competing with the Top14 financially however with the Super Players being involved I'm sure most of the teams would more than compete on the paddock.

So instead of playing year round rugby, could this work in the years ahead;
Japanese side be included as the 10th team in the NRC.
With that, could it bring increased exposure, YEN, Broadcast rights.
Thus possibly raising / improving the financial side of things.
Upon ARU approval similar to Carter & McCaw a sabatical maybe granted to players.
With the 2019 RWC being held in Jpn timing could be right to look further into this sort of model.

Again simply throwing an idea out there that's all.
 

Hawko

Tony Shaw (54)
Speaking of exodus, Nucifora is going to Ireland. Sorry Irish fans.


My deepest sympathies to all Irish fans, especially those that support the team he goes to. Everywhere he goes he gets promoted to somewhere else despite the fact that he's poisonous to the team he was with.
 

swingpass

Peter Sullivan (51)
and with the intention of Argentina to only select those players who are playing super 18 with the BA team from 2016, a lot of spot are going to open up in France and Italy.
stand clear of the doors
 
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