Wallabies 2023

[Rob42]

Rugby Australia board

Meaning it was all negotiated by the CEO without talking to the board? Given the amounts involved, and the precedent it sets, I'm not surprised the board's asking questions.

 

[PhilClinton]

TL;DW?

V’landys (the horse racing guy) must have briefed them all to start firing up.

Started off saying Suaalli did the dirty on the Roosters by not being transparent about the offer (it’s not like they could match it anyway) and then went on to just throw shit on rugby and say that he hasn’t earned the coin yet with what he’s achieved so far and his profile will deteriorate in rugby.

 

[Lightblue]

Think we always get ahead of ourselves and especially so when it comes to young 10's. 6/7 months ago everyone was pushing for Pasitoa to go straight into Wallabies camp, then Edmed and now Gordon. Tried Lolesio and I think he is still recovering from the shock. Put Donaldson on to kick for a win against Italy with minutes to spare, not doing his confidence any favours. Lets just face facts, and maybe I am just a bias Quade and Reds fan but looking a bit further than just Aus v NZ teams I think only Quade and with a slight change JOC (James O'Connor) (James O'Connor) can stand up against the likes of Johnny Sexton, Handre Pollard and Ntamack playing behind arguably the best packs in the world. Let the kids grow up and prepare them for 2027 on home soil. Stop destroying their confidence and careers before it even started.

FTLOTG… come on… don’t you know that everyone on here is an expert rugby analyst!

 

[LeCheese]

V’landys (the horse racing guy) (the horse racing guy) must have briefed them all to start firing up.

Started off saying Suaalli did the dirty on the Roosters by not being transparent about the offer (it’s not like they could match it anyway) and then went on to just throw shit on rugby and say that he hasn’t earned the coin yet with what he’s achieved so far and his profile will deteriorate in rugby.

Got it, the ‘bitter ex’ MO

 

[RugbyReg]

Meaning it was all negotiated by the CEO without talking to the board? Given the amounts involved, and the precedent it sets, I'm not surprised the board's asking questions.

Not the CEO, I hear, the Chair

 

[dru]

Not the CEO, I hear, the Chair

Really? Hell I'm no corporate commentator but that seems pretty odd. Well outside the role of the chair.

 

[Derpus]

Marinos clearly isn't running the show.

 

[Jimmy_Crouch]

Marinos clearly isn't running the show.

And you think Abdo is in NRL? It's V'landys show.

 

[Joe Blow]

Giteau and Huxley were both there and could cover 10, but yeah Larkham and Barnes were the only specialist 10s.

You only really have room for two in a RWC squad and then carry a utility like Hodge as your 3rd option. Cooper and Foley could play fullback if required but the other blokes are only really 10s at test level.
As someone has said, this Super Rugby season will sort it out. CG is looking much more polished this year with a good kicking game to match. He also looks much stronger in contact.

 

[KOB1987]

V’landys (the horse racing guy) (the horse racing guy) must have briefed them all to start firing up.

Started off saying Suaalli did the dirty on the Roosters by not being transparent about the offer (it’s not like they could match it anyway) and then went on to just throw shit on rugby and say that he hasn’t earned the coin yet with what he’s achieved so far and his profile will deteriorate in rugby.

I won't be surprised if he's in rugby in 2024 - Roosters will probably be happy to release him and invest the cap in players that are going to stick around, and Tahs/RA get him a bit cheaper for the first year.

 

[Tomthumb]

It was a father, and people can laugh all they want but they obviously don’t know anything from the inside and how this deal has made the players feel. Also the public clearly disagrees with this thread, so it will be interesting to see if we will actually get bigger crowds and viewing numbers like we were supposed to with Vunivalu.

How it made the players feel? This is a professional sport ffs

How do they think the fans feel watching NZ beat us for the Bledisloe for 2 decades?

The entitlement is baffling

 

[Jimmy_Crouch]

The Bulldogs Gus Gould's team had Tana Umuga speak to the team prior to their game this weekend. These blokes are unbelievable

 

[Adam84]

“Rugby Union is poaching our players”

 

[Jimmy_Crouch]

I don't like the poaching argument either way. Kids play all kinds of sports. They can play both league and union and enjoy them. Just because they decided to take the best professional path for them (generally league based on total number opportunities - cira 200 for rugby v 600 for league) it doesn't make them one or another.

 

[PhilClinton]

I won't be surprised if he's in rugby in 2024 - Roosters will probably be happy to release him and invest the cap in players that are going to stick around, and Tahs/Rugby Australia get him a bit cheaper for the first year.

I’d be surprised if he’s released early, unless he gets injured or something.

It’s hard enough to win premierships in the NRL, giving up a player on a trajectory like Joseph’s when the Roosters are entering a peak Premiership window would be foolish, they’ve just spent big money retaining and signing some stars. Politis knows that winning premierships builds his brand.

Also based on Sualli’s contract behaviour to date, I dare say he will end up negotiating to return to the NRL at some point in his prime, he will only be mid 20s when his first deal with rugby is over, I don’t think he’s lost to league forever.

 

[wamberal]

Also based on Sualli’s contract behaviour to date, I dare say he will end up negotiating to return to the NRL at some point in his prime, he will only be mid 20s when his first deal with rugby is over, I don’t think he’s lost to league forever.

Or he could play in Japan and still be eligible for the Wobbs?

 

[Realrugby63]

How it made the players feel? This is a professional sport ffs

How do they think the fans feel watching NZ beat us for the Bledisloe for 2 decades?

The entitlement is baffling

To quote Brandon Smith, “a 1.6 million dollar winger isn’t going to help you beat the all blacks”. I will add here that Rugby Australia is currently the laughing stock of the NRL, who we can all agree has us beat at this point.

 

[Tomthumb]

To quote Brandon Smith, “a 1.6 million dollar winger isn’t going to help you beat the all blacks”. I will add here that Rugby Australia is currently the laughing stock of the NRL, who we can all agree has us beat at this point.

Huh? Who really cares what Brandon Smith thinks about Rugby? Who really cares what Brandon Smith thinks about anything?

Have us beat how? League has this weird Napoleon complex due to the fact that outside the east coast of Australia and South Auckland, no one knows what League is. There is a reason that when Jarryd Hayne and Valentine Holmes tried the NFL they were referred to as "Rugby Players"

 

[wamberal]

Huh? Who really cares what Brandon Smith thinks about Rugby? Who really cares what Brandon Smith thinks about anything?

Have us beat how? League has this weird Napoleon complex due to the fact that outside the east coast of Australia and South Auckland, no one knows what League is. There is a reason that when Jarryd Hayne and Valentine Holmes tried the NFL they were referred to as "Rugby Players"

Don't forget PNG.

 

[PhilClinton]

I mean the NRL definitely has our number currently as a professional domestic competition. In the media Suaalli has nearly exclusively been referred to as a Wallabies signing but both RA and NRL journos.

No real chat about the benefits of the signing for the Waratahs because Super Rugby is so irrelevant in this country at the moment.