Rugby Australia to target top NRL talent

[mccarthyj367]

Buzz Rothfield raised a good point on Triple M today.
The R360 lot have got in the ear of the NRL player managers, offering a 10% sign-on fee for each player they get to sign up with R360, outside of the players salary (whereas they’d usually get 6% of the players salary), so the NRL agents stand to earn substantially more money by moving their players to R360.
With that in mind, I double down on my stance that any player signing with any other sport is exiles for 3 years, and I’d do the same with the e agents. Any agent that signs a player to RU, gonski from being an accredited rugby league agent.
Make them all appreciate which side of their bread is buttered.

Yes, but it is much easier for player managers in Super Rugby (bumming around on low pay in Moana Pasifika, Brumbies and Western Force squads) to get 30 players to sign for R360 than it is to get Ryan Papenhuyzen to leave Melbourne Storm after 7 years to play an alien game on $1.5m

Why is this not happening? Because the whole R360 stuff is hyperbole. The Sydney clickbait media circus is loving it because it feeds into the NRL frenzy and paranoid RL fans who gorge talking heads radio shows, podcasts and news articles. Of the 300 players needed, 200 of those need to be tubby props, lanky flankers and key play makers. Where are the reports of any of these guys in Super Rugby or Europe even coming close to signing?

 

[Chimp]

Yes, but it is much easier for player managers in Super Rugby (bumming around on low pay in Moana Pasifika, Brumbies and Western Force squads) to get 30 players to sign for R360 than it is to get Ryan Papenhuyzen to leave Melbourne Storm after 7 years to play an alien game on $1.5m

Why is this not happening? Because the whole R360 stuff is hyperbole. The Sydney clickbait media circus is loving it because it feeds into the NRL frenzy and paranoid RL fans who gorge talking heads radio shows, podcasts and news articles. Of the 300 players needed, 200 of those need to be tubby props, lanky flankers and key play makers. Where are the reports of any of these guys in Super Rugby or Europe even coming close to signing?

Yes I agree with this, and my point about the agent is, they’re the ones who feed the Sydney NRL media - they’re the ones planting all these stories.
It’s them who stand to earn the most out of this, by driving up player contact values.

 

[Wb1234]

The salary cap will be going up shortly anyway by a lot

League will keep who it wants to keep

Playing out of suitcase where you are travelling all the time won’t suit a lot of players

Most players are under contract anyway

League players already get very good money anyway it’s not like 20 years ago when the salary cap was low

 

[mccarthyj367]

Yes I agree with this, and my point about the agent is, they’re the ones who feed the Sydney NRL media - they’re the ones planting all these stories.
It’s them who stand to earn the most out of this, by driving up player contact values.

Exactly, send Buzz or Bulldog Ritchie a text saying your player has had a meeting and it will go on the SMH or Telegraph website or into a podcast. Literally, Paps met with R360 before the Melbourne Lions Test, probably another will come out this week before the Sydney Lions Test,

It is pretty much Mike Tindall and his mates touring round watching the Lions RU tour and taking a few meetings. Guess what? Everyone will #### off home now the tour is finished and the Sydney media frenzy will move onto its next scandal or clickbait strories.

 

[Wb1234]

Is R360 a threat to Australian Rugby as well or just the NRL ? Haven’t read one media report about them chasing a Union player yet …

If it’s happening it’s a threat for Union everywhere

They plan on playing during the 2027 World Cup in Australia

And one of the franchises is Aus / nz which kills off super rugby

 

[Chimp]

Exactly, send Buzz or Bulldog Ritchie a text saying your player has had a meeting and it will go on the SMH or Telegraph website or into a podcast. Literally, Paps met with R360 before the Melbourne Lions Test, probably another will come out this week before the Sydney Lions Test,

It is pretty much Mike Tindall and his mates touring round watching the Lions RU tour and taking a few meetings. Guess what? Everyone will #### off home now the tour is finished and the Sydney media frenzy will move onto its next scandal or clickbait strories.

Still, doesn’t stop it potentially driving up player values, if it is perceived as a viable option. Hence the NRL should simply stick a rule out there - if you leave out game, you’re gone for a minimum of 3 years (this also stops any dodgy 6 month stints in Japan RU for out of contract player, to circumvent the salary cap).
Put the rule in place, and it will make it very difficult for any player or agent to play the whole ‘Union have offered me $X’ card’. The NRL is the cash cow for players and agents, and very very few players would have any real interest in joining RU - making it very difficult for them to return from RU if they do make the move just completely kills RU as even a negotiation tool.

 

[mccarthyj367]

The salary cap will be going up shortly anyway by a lot

League will keep who it wants to keep

Playing out of suitcase where you are travelling all the time won’t suit a lot of players

Most players are under contract anyway

League players already get very good money anyway it’s not like 20 years ago when the salary cap was low

Exactly, one thing that would have surprised the R360 mob is exactly how much money players get paid in the NRL, and there will be a ratchet on all contracts if the cap goes to $15m+ in 2028.

 

[Dark Corner]

Nope. The GAA is under pressure and the move of All Ireland finals to mid summer was a terrible decision by the authorities. Both Championships have been getting lost in competing with the business end of the English football and also rugby seasons and then running into major football tournaments and rugby tours. It was traditionally this month of August into mid September that the GAA owned but their re orientated season has changed all that. Relative to 20 years ago there just isn’t the stars there once was. The attendances are strong for Munster hurling but overall the GAA is down on 20 years ago with confusing formats that people hate. The All Ireland finals rate but that’s about it, the GAA have been concerned about ratings for a while now.

TV ratings a matter of concern for the GAA

Croke Park will be disappointed with just three matches in the top 20 sports broadcasts

www.irishtimes.com

I would say there is only one real GAA superstar now in David Clifford. 20 years ago there were half a dozen. The GAA only stays “top” of favourite sports surveys because they club both Gaelic football and hurling into the same thing.

The growth of League of Ireland football is also a concern for them as it is attracting in far younger patrons.

I always thought be better if the GAA separate the seasons of Football and Hurling with Football been run along the Rugby season and Hurling be like Cricket season.

 

[BuffaloRules]

Eh? People would love to go to Argentina. The issue with Argentina is the same way the football World Cup is not going back there despite them being absolutely crazy for football.

A moot point , as the Lions tours to Australia aren’t going anywhere , but I would suggest many more Poms would prefer to come to Australia for a 6 week tour than Argentina

 

[titoelcolombiano]

Buzz Rothfield raised a good point on Triple M today.
The R360 lot have got in the ear of the NRL player managers, offering a 10% sign-on fee for each player they get to sign up with R360, outside of the players salary (whereas they’d usually get 6% of the players salary), so the NRL agents stand to earn substantially more money by moving their players to R360.
With that in mind, I double down on my stance that any player signing with any other sport is exiles for 3 years, and I’d do the same with the e agents. Any agent that signs a player to RU, gonski from being an accredited rugby league agent.
Make them all appreciate which side of their bread is buttered.

Completely agree mate, we need to be firmer on this stuff. Players that leave the NRL especially star players are recruited,not just for their playing skills, but their profile. If the likes of Sailor, Tuquiri, Rogers, Hunt, Folau, SBW, Burgess, Benji, RTS and Sualii want to use the profile we gave them to actively promote a rival sport them there is a price to pay for that. You don't just get to wander back in for a payday later in your career when you are past your best.

 

[glockers]

If they are targeting the NRL stars, I assume you have tiers of players on the target list.

Tier 3 Fifita Crichtons (both) Toia Martin etc
Tier 2 Cleary Tedesco Munster Dearden etc
Tier 1 (top tier) just Galvin

 

[BODISGOD]

A moot point , as the Lions tours to Australia aren’t going anywhere , but I would suggest many more Poms would prefer to come to Australia for a 6 week tour than Argentina

It’s not because the tourism numbers to South America speak for themselves. It’s irrelevant, the reasons are commercials of South America.

 

[taste2taste]

Why is this not happening? Because the whole R360 stuff is hyperbole. The Sydney clickbait media circus is loving it because it feeds into the NRL frenzy and paranoid RL fans who gorge talking heads radio shows, podcasts and news articles. Of the 300 players needed, 200 of those need to be tubby props, lanky flankers and key play makers. Where are the reports of any of these guys in Super Rugby or Europe even coming close to signing?

Id guess the reason Union players signing with R360 isnt being reported is because Union players wont get selected for thier country if it becomes public. Its in thier best interest to keep it hush hush.

In regards to signing all the low paid Super Rugby players, thats not who they want, they want the best players who will get bums on seats and people paying to watch on TV. R360 has already signed over 140 players, many of those will be All Blacks and Lions.

The British media are reporting R360 has secured the funding they need and will be ready for a 2026 kick off. There will be stories everyday about which player is going.

 

[Gobsmacked]

Id guess the reason Union players signing with R360 isnt being reported is because Union players wont get selected for thier country if it becomes public. Its in thier best interest to keep it hush hush.

In regards to signing all the low paid Super Rugby players, thats not who they want, they want the best players who will get bums on seats and people paying to watch on TV. R360 has already signed over 140 players, many of those will be All Blacks and Lions.

The British media are reporting R360 has secured the funding they need and will be ready for a 2026 kick off. There will be stories everyday about which player is going.

Premiership teams fear breakaway rugby franchise league could lead to a collapse of the English game with world's top players targeted https://share.google/RGMgJMCGJnnEQYebU

 

[Steel Saints]

Id guess the reason Union players signing with R360 isnt being reported is because Union players wont get selected for thier country if it becomes public. Its in thier best interest to keep it hush hush.

In regards to signing all the low paid Super Rugby players, thats not who they want, they want the best players who will get bums on seats and people paying to watch on TV. R360 has already signed over 140 players, many of those will be All Blacks and Lions.

The British media are reporting R360 has secured the funding they need and will be ready for a 2026 kick off. There will be stories everyday about which player is going.

R360 will cater to the European audience as far as tv is concerned. South Africa is on the same timezone, and with the matches in north and south America, they could always adjust the scheduling to suit the British/European tv. As for matches in Australia, NZ and Japan, different story altogether.

So for rugby fans here, NZ and Japan it will be a hard competition to follow.

 

[titoelcolombiano]

R360 will cater to the European audience as far as tv is concerned. South Africa is on the same timezone, and with the matches in north and south America, they could always adjust the scheduling to suit the British/European tv. As for matches in Australia, NZ and Japan, different story altogether.

So for rugby fans here, NZ and Japan it will be a hard competition to follow.

This is another thing that needs to stop with Union, it's not European in the sense that there's European wide interest in the sport. It's the UK, Ireland and France, that's it, three countries. No one else gives a f**k at any meaningful level. Rugby Union having "European" interest is as laughable as them having "global" interest.

 

[Wb1234]

Premiership teams fear breakaway rugby franchise league could lead to a collapse of the English game with world's top players targeted https://share.google/RGMgJMCGJnnEQYebU

Please please please I hope this competiton goes ahead

France would be the only domestic union left at any decent level

 

[Gobsmacked]

Please please please I hope this competiton goes ahead

France would be the only domestic union left at any decent level

Super Rugby is going to be completely worthless..NRL will have the entire pacific to itself.

 

[Wb1234]

Super Rugby is going to be completely worthless..NRL will have the entire pacific to itself.

If nrl sits on the sidelines making sure its finances are solid it can be there to pick up the pieces globally

Union will try and match their wages and ban players

If they let this comp take over at club level and leave internationals alone it will be interesting

 

[Gobsmacked]

If nrl sits on the sidelines making sure its finances are solid it can be there to pick up the pieces globally

Union will try and match their wages and ban players

If they let this comp take over at club level and leave internationals alone it will be interesting

I don't see this as anything other than a complete failure