Rugby Australia to target top NRL talent

[SpaceMonkey]

This is becoming more frequent. It seems like Union guys always feared admitting that they preferred league but that's changed in the last couple of years and more like a tidal wave here in NZ.

Been like that in NZ for a long time. Piri Weepu, Ma’a Nonu, Tana Umaga and Jerry Collins openly followed league and likely would’ve switched for the right opportunities. Worth noting that they’re Wellington boys too, so it’s not just an Auckland thing

 

[Wb1234]

Been like that in NZ for a long time. Piri Weepu, Ma’a Nonu, Tana Umaga and Jerry Collins openly followed league and likely would’ve switched for the right opportunities. Worth noting that they’re Wellington boys too, so it’s not just an Auckland thing

umaga was with the Newcastle knights I think them got homesick ?

 

[Captain Apollo]

.....

Furners been pushing for junior concessions for 15 years and where has it got him?

When some clubs have junior systems the size of half a state, whereas others have one the size of a few dozen square kilometres, his proposal has always been nuts as it would not be equitable at all, and everyone knows it.

Additionally, as they are talking to him about signing for the 2025 season, when guys like JWH and Tupou alone will have retired, tell me how this is "rorting the salary cap"? You know what the Roosters pay everyone to the $ do you, including what their cap will be for season 2025 eh? You are so full of bile its not even funny any more. Grow up.

 

[titoelcolombiano]

Furner is spot on

reward development clubs via salary cap relief that’s way more important than signing union players

there’s going to be a lot of unhappy wallabies when one guy is getting 1.8 million and someone like jorguussan whose a better union player is on 300k

Yes, we've got RU on the run. Let's not make the same mistakes they did. We already attract the best Rugby talent in Australia as kids, let's just focus on that.

Also, how funny is the new rhetoric coming out of the ARU after they realised that the NRL is planning a revenge mission. They are absolutely shitting themselves and trying to de escalate the situation real quick

 

[The Great Dane]

When some clubs have junior systems the size of half a state, whereas others have one the size of a few dozen square kilometres, his proposal has always been nuts as it would not be equitable at all, and everyone knows it.

Nothing is stopping the Roosters or any other club from expanding their juniors operations, and suggesting juniors concessions would be inequitable is just nonsense, especially when considering the inequity in corporate sponsorship and third parties deals which most clubs have very little power to change.

Frankly the whole cap is archaic and broken, and has desperately needed a significant update for a long time now.

 

[The Great Dane]

Yes, we've got RU on the run. Let's not make the same mistakes they did. We already attract the best Rugby talent in Australia as kids, let's just focus on that.

Also, how funny is the new rhetoric coming out of the ARU after they realised that the NRL is planning a revenge mission. They are absolutely shitting themselves and trying to de escalate the situation real quick

The only people that have Union on the run are Union themselves. Other sports impact on their decline is almost nothing compared to the damage they've done to themselves.

 

[gerg]

When some clubs have junior systems the size of half a state, whereas others have one the size of a few dozen square kilometres, his proposal has always been nuts as it would not be equitable at all, and everyone knows it.

Additionally, as they are talking to him about signing for the 2025 season, when guys like JWH and Tupou alone will have retired, tell me how this is "rorting the salary cap"? You know what the Roosters pay everyone to the $ do you, including what their cap will be for season 2025 eh? You are so full of bile its not even funny any more. Grow up.

Since when has the NRL been concerned about equity? If that was truly important we'd have an even split of FTA coverage. Instead certain teams are favoured which gives those few clubs a clear advantage both on the park and with TPAs. (Edit - as just one example).

When the Roosters signed Leniu, Young and Smith (the year before), resigned Manu for more dollars and upgraded a whole bunch of players, the Roosters fans on here justified it by saying JWH and Tupou were retiring so they could afford it. But then the two of them signed up for another season.

Not sure why you're getting so riled up about it. A lot of Roosters fans just accept the clear advantages they have and play along with the sombrero and golf memes.

 

[gerg]

LOL!

Yeah there's more crossover between the RU and RL support bases in Canberra than most other places, but the vast core of RU's support in Canberra is no more likely to be caught dead supporting the Raiders now than they were 20 years ago or than most fanatical RL supporters are of dropping their NRL side to follow RU.

RU's fanbase in Canberra is still there, it's just largely gone dormant because of the ARU's chronic mismanagement over the last 20 years, which BTW, is what makes the Brumbies current struggles so fascinating, as they are largely the results of other people's mistakes and not their own.

I think it's happening slowly in Canberra and NZ. NRL crowds and viewers seem to be increasing over the past few years and Union heading in the other direction. It's hard to break it down further but the NRL seems to have got their shit together - with back office and on the field product - while again Union seems to be tracking the other way, particularly in Australia.

I agree that it's not great for ACT sport if Brumbies fold or were removed from the Super (whatever its called) comp. But Barr isn't budging. We have NRL, NRLW, Brumbies and a W-League side and talk of an A-League side and he still refuses to go with a city stadium. Because he knows how successful that would be. The bitter merkin is so up to his neck in the AFL that he's putting his own preferences ahead of the community he is supposed to represent.

If Brumbies folded I think Vikings would try to step up their presence. Very powerful club. Rugby in ACT was fairly strong before the Brumbies and would survive, but it most definitely would be hurt. Rugby Australia would be absolute morons of the highest order to cut the Brumbies.

 

[SpaceMonkey]

umaga was with the Newcastle knights I think them got homesick ?

Yep. So it was quite possibly only through circumstance that he ended up kicking in in union rather than league.

 

[Wb1234]

Yep. So it was quite possibly only through circumstance that he ended up kicking in in union rather than league.

He made the right choice imo

he had a super career as an all black

 

[SpaceMonkey]

He made the right choice imo

he had a super career as an all black

I reckon he’d have a been a gun in either code tbh.

 

[bazza]

Apparently Nawaqanitawase is only on 500k, do we even need salary cap exception to blow Unions offer out of the water ?

As others have said, a bit of competition to get the ARU to spend money they don't have would be a good thing, let's see if we can help push his contract up to 1.2m per season bwhahaha

I am guessing he would need that much or more to move to the NRL. Question is what quality RL winger would you be able to get for that money?

 

[Perth Red]

I am guessing he would need that much or more to move to the NRL. Question is what quality RL winger would you be able to get for that money?

You could get the best wingers in NRL for $700k, why would you spend that much on an untested union winger? Unless he was martin offiah maybe.
I suppose if it isnt on the cap and a club is happy to risk pssing away $700k plus in the hope then maybe?

 

[Chief_Chujo]

When some clubs have junior systems the size of half a state, whereas others have one the size of a few dozen square kilometres, his proposal has always been nuts as it would not be equitable at all, and everyone knows it.

You have massive advantages in other areas like corporate sponsorship, a huge reason why your club is so successful despite having a small catchment. If you want to be truly "equitable" the game needs to knee cap those advantages just as it does to development clubs.

 

[Perth Red]

Maybe with the clubs now getting $5mill over cap the NRL should be dictating how much they spend on jnr pathways? Maybe every club has to spend $2mill a year on U17's, U20's and reserve grade feeder club arrangements? That way clubs can stop whinging about 'poaching' in the knowledge they are all investing the same.

 

[Wb1234]

 

[Wb1234]

Now that is sweet

 

[Wb1234]

You could get the best wingers in NRL for $700k, why would you spend that much on an untested union winger? Unless he was martin offiah maybe.
I suppose if it isnt on the cap and a club is happy to risk pssing away $700k plus in the hope then maybe?

Addo carr is 500k and that’s the highest I think

only union is stupid enough to pay a million to a player that might never touch the ball in a game

 

[Wb1234]

Did you hear the one about Hamish and PVL in business class ...

Beyond the punchline, there’s a serious side to the poaching wars between the rival rugby codes.

amp.smh.com.au

fitzstupid wants both codes to get along now they were broke and the nrl is about to raid them

 

[Perth Red]

Vlandys flys business class? Do you remember the media furore when Smith got a chartered car in Sydney instead of a taxi? lol