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Australian Rugby / RA

Braveheart81

Braveheart81

Will Genia (78)
Staff member
If that many Wallabies were involved in a club rugby game today, RA would probably be spending $200k+ on player payments for it to happen.

It would be ludicrous to think that a) it could be the norm again and b) it would be a good thing.
 
Ignoto

Ignoto

John Thornett (49)
The Honey Badger said:
I don't agree much with Peter Fitz but this is a good tweet.

Have a look at the team lists from 1988 and the point he is making.

Note the Randwick team with no less than 3 Wallaby coaches playing.
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I don't get the appeal. I have three avenues where I can watch Wallabies play; NRC, Super Rugby and International matches. Why do I need to see the playing at club level?

I'd much rather see the up and comers playing at club land, those vying for Super Contracts with the higher tiered acting in support roles and engaging with the fans. That's to me more worth while than a wallaby level player beating up guys who have to work for a living.
 
I like to watch

I like to watch

David Codey (61)
Ignoto said:
I don't get the appeal. I have three avenues where I can watch Wallabies play; NRC, Super Rugby and International matches. Why do I need to see the playing at club level?

I'd much rather see the up and comers playing at club land, those vying for Super Contracts with the higher tiered acting in support roles and engaging with the fans. That's to me more worth while than a wallaby level player beating up guys who have to work for a living.
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It’s just people yearning to go back to the good old days.

Alas, you can’t turn the clock back.
 
Froggy

Froggy

John Solomon (38)
It's just change, the only thing that's certain. FFS in the 80's we had three wallabies playing each Saturday for Armidale City (John Hipwell, Greg Cornelson, Warwick Watkins).
Nice to think back on, but it is what it is now, we need to work out what to do now, not what we could have done then.
 
Finsbury Girl

Finsbury Girl

Trevor Allan (34)
RugbyReg said:
RUPA (or the iteration they were at the time) were leading the negotiation. They went out of their way to keep the players informed of what was going on. They knew what the deal was.
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Well I know that a load of deals were done at an individual level. Some players took less than what the WRC were offering. I never heard of any collective bargaining at that stage that's for sure.
 
Finsbury Girl

Finsbury Girl

Trevor Allan (34)
I like to watch said:
It’s just people yearning to go back to the good old days.

Alas, you can’t turn the clock back.
Click to expand...

Well for me it was nice after playing 4th grade/sometimes reserving for 3rd (when they were desperate!), to stick around for 1st grade with a couple of beers and see the likes of Noddy, Slats, Herbie et al down @ Yoku Road that's for sure. You could mingle, have a few beers. That's what club footy is all about. We really have lost something along the way.
 
Braveheart81

Braveheart81

Will Genia (78)
Staff member
Finsbury Girl said:
Well I know that a load of deals were done at an individual level. Some players took less than what the WRC were offering. I never heard of any collective bargaining at that stage that's for sure.
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WRC was the Packer bid that never got off the ground.

Ultimately the Australian players all signed with the ARU. The issue is that initially they wanted 100% of the broadcast revenue that the ARU were to receive through the deal and ended up settling with 90% which is still massively over the top.

The first RUPA President, Tony Dempsey wrote a book that went into many of the details. Reg reviewed it a few years ago. I am pretty sure it is the one and only book review on this website. http://www.greenandgoldrugby.com/book-review-for-love-money-by-tony-dempsey/
 
Finsbury Girl

Finsbury Girl

Trevor Allan (34)
Braveheart81 said:
WRC was the Packer bid that never got off the ground.

Ultimately the Australian players all signed with the ARU. The issue is that initially they wanted 100% of the broadcast revenue that the ARU were to receive through the deal and ended up settling with 90% which is still massively over the top.

The first RUPA President, Tony Dempsey wrote a book that went into many of the details. Reg reviewed it a few years ago. I am pretty sure it is the one and only book review on this website. http://www.greenandgoldrugby.com/book-review-for-love-money-by-tony-dempsey/
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Well I know blokes that signed prior to all that.
 
wamberal

wamberal

Phil Kearns (64)
Derpus said:
All i see is an old man whining about 'how things were better back in my day'. They invariably weren't.
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I don't see it as a whine, exactly, more a bit of sentimentality. I do remember Millner being packed out for derbies against the Wicks, though.

When he played for the Woods, Fitzy was about 24 stone!!!
 
RugbyReg

RugbyReg

Rocky Elsom (76)
Staff member
Braveheart81 said:
WRC was the Packer bid that never got off the ground.

Ultimately the Australian players all signed with the ARU. The issue is that initially they wanted 100% of the broadcast revenue that the ARU were to receive through the deal and ended up settling with 90% which is still massively over the top.

The first RUPA President, Tony Dempsey wrote a book that went into many of the details. Reg reviewed it a few years ago. I am pretty sure it is the one and only book review on this website. http://www.greenandgoldrugby.com/book-review-for-love-money-by-tony-dempsey/
Click to expand...

nah, I did Andrew Johns (for some reason) too and I think Ali Williams. Freebies obviously. Gotta get some benefit from this site somehow.
 
LearningCurve

LearningCurve

Bill Watson (15)
Braveheart81 said:
Plenty of people did sign with WRC (particularly just about all the Springboks) but ultimately none of those contracts went anywhere because it never happened.
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As I recall the Wallabies negotiations were lead by Phil Kearns and the ABs by Sean Fitzpatrick (captains at the time) but when they went to hook up on a videoconference with SA the Boks didn't show because Louis Luyt, the powerbroker in SA rugby then, had got involved. Without the Boks (and a few NZ players - Jeff Wilson and Josh Kronfeld had signed with the NZRU) the WRC deal collapsed. There's a good book about it, essentially the economics of it were flaky - the idea that placing a few key players in Asian teams would somehow stimulate huge support in those countries without a rugby history was flawed.
 
waiopehu oldboy

waiopehu oldboy

Stirling Mortlock (74)
LearningCurve said:
As I recall the Wallabies negotiations were lead by Phil Kearns and the ABs by Sean Fitzpatrick (captains at the time) but when they went to hook up on a videoconference with SA the Boks didn't show because Louis Luyt, the powerbroker in SA rugby then, had got involved. Without the Boks (and a few NZ players - Jeff Wilson and Josh Kronfeld had signed with the NZRU) the WRC deal collapsed. There's a good book about it, essentially the economics of it were flaky - the idea that placing a few key players in Asian teams would somehow stimulate huge support in those countries without a rugby history was flawed.
Click to expand...

Is this is the book you're referring to?

IMG_0872.JPG


It is as you say a really good recap of what went down (subsequently backed up by accounts from e.g. Fitzpatrick & Pienaar).
 
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