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Rugby Australia to target top NRL talent

T.S Quint

Coach
Messages
14,436
Household names in this article. To quote the great one, "never heard of the f***ers", unless they originally came from League, ie Vunivalu.

There was a time around 20 years ago when I could have named maybe half of the players in the Wallabies team, and I don't watch Union at all.

These days the only one I could name is Suaalii. They don't seem to have much of a presence in the media anymore.
 

ParraEelsNRL

Referee
Messages
27,713
The ARLC should gift each NRL club an extra 1 million a year to blow on any junior Springboks they can get and bring through the system. In 3-5 years we'd have a decent Test playing nation to add to the list and I'm quite sure it would piss every single Union fan off more than anything else besides merging with League and adopting League rules. Please do it Peter, even just for the shits n giggles it would cause.
 

Billythekid

First Grade
Messages
6,828
Good post. The numbers don't stack up. The NRL and AFL have billion plus dollar broadcast deals but RA with $30M coming in has Australia's highest paid football player at $2M a season. Seems incredibly unsustainable to spend just under 10% of your broadcast revenue on one player at a time when you are $50M in debt.

Also incredibly risky taking on debt based on projected revenue rather than based on hard assets. Looking forward to the already feeble house of cards falling in on itself further.
The players they’re talking about poaching are also much better and in higher demand. They would have to pay a small fortune to lure Cleary across. The truth is they’ve almost bankrupted their game competing with the NRL and wasting huge amounts of money poaching our players.

We’re about to expand aggressively, there is going to be more money in league than ever before. There is also going to be more teams looking for players than ever before. This is a losing strategy from the ARU.

Im not saying I have the answer either, they’re in a tough spot. Trying to outspend and outmuscle your rival who has FAR more resources doesn’t feel like the answer to me though.
 
Messages
11,928
How many NRL players dose the ARU want they only have 4 pro clubs Australia wide... The best will end up playing in European Rugby for bigger $$$ and the Super rugby will end up being super zhitter then it already is. Remember the Wallabhave just won one game, wait until they hit the loosing streak.
 

Wb1234

Immortal
Messages
33,591
How many NRL players dose the ARU want they only have 4 pro clubs Australia wide... The best will end up playing in European Rugby for bigger $$$ and the Super rugby will end up being super zhitter then it already is. Remember the Wallabhave just won one game, wait until they hit the loosing streak.
If they could fill the wallabies with all league players that would be their dream

Oh wait that’s the kangaroos
 

taste2taste

Juniors
Messages
2,467
Not shore if this is the right spot for this link, but I've popped it here anyway. It's starting to feel like there's big changes coming for rugby union/league internationally. The sooner the NRL secures extra funding to increase salary caps the better .
Highly doubt this will happen and if it did it will flop after 1 season. They are talking about selling out stadiums in the USA to watch union. Dream on !

They won’t be interested in NRL players that no one outside of Australia has heard of. To get someone like Cleary they’d have to offer about 3mil, anything below that and the NRL would match it To keep him here.

If this comp went ahead it would decimate domestic union comps all over the world.

If Union fans don’t want it who’s going to watch?
 

titoelcolombiano

First Grade
Messages
6,620

taste2taste

Juniors
Messages
2,467
If it has middle east money behind it, it could happen.

Will absolutely destroy International Rugby and domestic Union comps around the world.

If the 50 best players from Super Rugby left it would kill it. No broadcast money from Stan would force the sport to go amateur.

If your a leaguie and wanted to watch Union burn to the ground this is the best chance.
 

Wb1234

Immortal
Messages
33,591
If it has middle east money behind it, it could happen.

Will absolutely destroy International Rugby and domestic Union comps around the world.

If the 50 best players from Super Rugby left it would kill it. No broadcast money from Stan would force the sport to go amateur.

If your a leaguie and wanted to watch Union burn to the ground this is the best chance.
It is Middle East money

Union just said no to their proposed champions league comp so this is their response

This is liv golf mark 2
 

titoelcolombiano

First Grade
Messages
6,620
It's happening already, love it. If you are World Rugby (Union), you wouldn't be on board with this either. Rule tweaks and messing with the international calendar etc.

Love it! Go for it Union, I'm going to get the popcorn
 

taste2taste

Juniors
Messages
2,467
England, Australia, New Zealand and France all have a policy that players must play in the domestic competition to be selected for the national team.

If this new competition takes the 30 best players from these countries they'll have to field C level teams for internationals.

South Africa will still be full strength, they'll beat everyone by 50+

Might as well hand the Springbok the 2027 World Cup now.
 

taste2taste

Juniors
Messages
2,467
And what if this new comp targets NRL players? Will you all be so cock-a-hoop then?
Why would they throw millions of dollars at NRL players that no one outside of Australia has heard of ?

The idea of this competition is to have the best Union players playing in 'all star " teams. Cleary or Ponga aren't going to get people pouring through the turnstiles in Cape Town or Dublin.
 

AlwaysGreen

Post Whore
Messages
50,112
Why would they throw millions of dollars at NRL players that no one outside of Australia has heard of ?

The idea of this competition is to have the best Union players playing in 'all star " teams. Cleary or Ponga aren't going to get people pouring through the turnstiles in Cape Town or Dublin.
Because they've got billions of dollars if they're from the middle east, a few million here and there means nothing.

You boys contradict yourselves. On the one hand you tell us how superior NRL players are and how they would smash it in rugger bugger, then you turn around and say why would union be interested in these superior players?
 

taste2taste

Juniors
Messages
2,467
Because they've got billions of dollars if they're from the middle east, a few million here and there means nothing.

You boys contradict yourselves. On the one hand you tell us how superior NRL players are and how they would smash it in rugger bugger, then you turn around and say why would union be interested in these superior players?
Of course they would smash it union...but no one knows who they are outside of Australia.

They aren't trying to sign players no ones heard of, they are signing Union ' All Stars '... house hold names in the union world.

I'll be surprised if they offer NRL players 5 million, Ponga playing isn't going to sell a single ticket outside of Australia
 
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