Image Damage and the effects of cross code moves

[Moffo]

Realistically,

If Andy Farrell goes to RU, it won't mean much. He is near the end of his career and there are plenty more talented individuals out there in the UK

However, the fact is that (rightly or wrongly) he was named the player of the year recently. Him going to RU is another kick in the guts to league. The current image that is being portrayed of RU being able to pick and choose players from RL is a dangerous trend and damages the credibility of our game

The fact that RU has gone in and hand picked players promotes the image that RL is a breeding ground for RU. It almost affects the credibility of our game. Imagine if 5-10 top notch cricket players started getting picked off by baseball teams.

Credibility is the problem here and the collective RL bodies need to do a lot more to stop this from happening. As i said before, its not so much who we are losing, but the image it is portraying

Cheers,
Moffo

 

[Jake the snake]

He will fail big time at Union, U need at least maybe a year to get used to the style of play at Union and what makes it worse is that the Union Forwards have entirely different game to League Forwards in Union where as the backs it is easier to to witch over.

With credibilty thing you are close to the mark there but you have to ask the question as to Why Union can't produce there own players??? The Answer is that League players are much more superior to union players. So Union looke very bad when they have to rely on and OLD hack from League to help them out.

 

[Moffo]

Fair point Jake but the media doesn't portray it that way. They report it as a coop for RU and a further sign of how RU can play RL....

It's not good for the image at all

 

[Sea_Eagles_Rock]

The best way of countering it is to attack their players in the same manner... But seriously, how many would actually succeed at league anyway. As far as I see it, let them try and buy, buy and buy. We should try aiming at bringing across their promising juniors. That will cause them far more trouble then buying a few elite players with a couple of seasons left at best.

Both sports are professional now. And it will be hard for either party to get any serious advantage out of a war against each other.

 

[griff]

Just posted this in the ESL forum, but no-one will read it there so here is is:

It's clear the ARU's strategy to grow union was to sign RL players in order to gain publicity at the expense of league and build a larger profile amongst league fans leading up to the RUWC.

For example when they signed Wendell Sailor for $600,000 or whatever it was it was on every back page in the country for weeks - that amount of positive press would cost millions and millions if they had to buy it through advertising.

It is annoying that RL doesn't understand this. For a relatively small investment you could buy an RU star and the amount of positive publicity you get would retuirn that investment hundreds of times over.

It is the same thing that Real Madrid do when they buy players like Beckham. It isn't just about their worth on the pitch, it is about the publicity it brings and about growing their brand.

From RL's point of view, an injury prone shirker like Farrell wouldn't be hugely missed on the field, but the bad publicity and lost sponsorship caused by the captain of Great Britain being signed by a rival sport would be massive. A little bit of central funding from the RFL (70-80,000 pounds a year) to keep him would be money very well spent.

 

[DIEHARD]

Very good point griff.

 

[rugged]

This from Rugby Heaven website.

Sounds like there may be another one involved.





England look to poach star league duo
Saturday, February 12, 2005


England's rugby union authorities are reportedly planning an audacious move to persuade two of the country's biggest rugby league stars to switch codes in time for the 2007 World Cup.

The Daily Express claimed the Rugby Football Union (RFU) was engaged in secret talks with Great Britain captain Andy Farrell and his fellow international Kris Radlinski.

The Wigan duo were reported to have been offered financial packages worth up to £200,000 ($484,000) a year if they agree to follow Jason Robinson, the current captain of the England XV, and switch codes.

The Express said the proposed deal would be jointly funded by the RFU and Premiership club Sale, for whom the two players would begin playing next season.

Wigan were predictably quick to pour water on a report suggesting they could be about to lose their two biggest assets.


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"We know absolutely nothing about it," a spokesman said. "In fact, the first thing we knew about it was when we picked up the papers this morning."

Sale signed Robinson from Wigan four years ago but the capture of 29-year-old Farrell, the international player of the year in 2004, would arguably represent an even bigger coup.

Radlinski, 28, rejected a big-money offer from the RFU in the northern summer of 2001 and signed a new five-year contract.

Farrell is currently sidelined by a knee injury he suffered in Great Britain's Tri-Nations final defeat by Australia in November and will miss this weekend's start of the Super League season.

 

[rugged]

Australian RL admins were stupid not to do something about Tuqiri, Rogers and Sailor going. Of course, it was only QLD's origin team it decimated.

The Reds would have gotten a huge return on the investment in Sailor. Which is why they won't drop him from the team no doubt, even though he is not good enough.

 

[griff]

And Farrell must be on more than 200,000 pounds a year at the moment at Wigan surely?

 

[rugged]

So what will happen if Farrell doesn't go to union, has stuffed everyone around and caused adverse publicity for RL? Should he be his country's captain again? Should Andrew Johns?

 

[t-ba]

So what will happen if Farrell doesn't go to union, has stuffed everyone around and caused adverse publicity for RL? Should he be his country's captain again? Should Andrew Johns?

(Just Quietly) I tend to Agree with the nospam49 when he says players of the older generation in the UK should be swept aside to make way for the young blood. Faz is injury prone, at the twilight of his career and has only a few trophies against the kiwis to show for it at the international level.

Both Wigan and Farrell should be shot for the timing of this though. Farrell should have been forced to retire from International RL, play the season out and then sign with Union.

 

[rugged]

Faz is injury prone, at the twilight of his career and has only a few trophies against the kiwis to show for it at the international level.

Also like Johns? except for the trophies

 

[t-ba]

Faz is injury prone, at the twilight of his career and has only a few trophies against the kiwis to show for it at the international level.

Also like Johns? except for the trophies

Much Like Johns...Except the Trophies :lol: .

Both are huge publicity wise though. The 'unbiased' BBC seems to finally be reporting about RL...in a negative light.

 

[xxxx!]

I don't see this emotional damage as anything serious .
You can take different spins depending which side of the fence you're on .

However there is a much more serious unseen economic effect when a codes top players leave for greener pastures .Look at the NSL . Nobody goes to the NSL because the standard isn't there . The standard isn't there because the players of the required standard get poached by overseas clubs . Now in soccer they (the clubs) do get huge transfer fees to compensate , but in reality it doesn't cover the past investment and future earnings .

At the moment it's not serious . But what happens if sufficient numbers of high profile playes are enticed to RL . The standard might not drop noticeably but the attraction to supporters does .Crowds dip and all of a sudden the years of investmest are lost to be picked up at a small premium over what they would have been paid anyway at NRL .
That small premium over the cost of a "home grown" player has saved literally millions of $$$ .

Because as we know , it's the big name players we come to see .

 

[KFC]

The only Wallaby worth poaching is Giteau IMO

 

[KFC]

The only Wallaby worth poaching is Giteau IMO

 

[ozzy_ozman]

English Rugby Union is overated. they cant win without johnny wilkinson.

 

[ali]

Radlinski wouldn't be a much of a loss other than to Wigan and GB's depth. Wellens is argueably as good and I have little doubt that Mathers and Briscoe will be better in the very near future.

As said above, the loss of Farrell is only a problem due to negative publicity. He's nearly 30 and his best days are behind him. I'd be far more converned if we lost a Danny McGuire or Richie Mathers.

 

[ozzy_ozman]

Danny Maguire wil be a huge loss for league if moves to Union. That same thing goes for if SBW did leave the dogs and ended up playing for the blues in the super 12.

 

[taipan]

Radlinski is not in the eyes of the RU authorities(admitted by them) in England,only Farrell.If Farrell was 3 or 4years younger it would be a concern,but he has had his best years in the ESL.
There is a growing crop of English league youngsters who will be making there mark,players involved in running the Roos to an almost loss with England A in London in 2003,and who will no doubt be involved in the rugby league WC of 2008.
The union world cup is 2007,another 2 years plus the possibility of further injuries,plus learning the technicalities of a forward's game.Good luck to him.
To compare his departure to A Johns is a tad laughable,Johns is a matchwinner on many occasions,Farrell on a few.
League lost Jason Robinson to union when he was peaking,league continued to grow with juniors in schools and new clubs formed throughout the country,crowds were record,new Tv and sponsorships involving increases happened.
Ditto Australia with Sailor,Rogers and Tuqiri.
All it shows that rugby union after nearly 9 years as a professional sport with huge numbers in England, ditto France, and a fair number of juniors and exclusive access of many private schools in Australia still has to resort to poaching league players.
It shows a disdain for some of their talented juniors and grassroots base and indicates union authorities couldnt develop a tan in Tahiti if they tried.
No wonder some of these youngsters dont object to signing with the Broncos,Roosters and Bulldogs.
Yet these cloistered union officials cant see past their boardroom walls or the bar fridge.
BTW if the ARU goes a little too far on the poaching ,there will be a relaxation of the NRL salary cap,an all out bidding war involving further pillaging of union juniors which serve no purpose for either code.