Results 1 to 9 of 9

Thread: Rod Macqueen says build Melbourne team with locals

  1. #1
    Immortal Contributor
    Moderator
    travelling_gerry's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    Perth, Western Australia, Australia
    Posts
    18,483
    vCash
    5062000

    Rod Macqueen says build Melbourne team with locals

    Wayne Smith | August 14, 2009

    Article from: The Australian

    WORLD Cup-winning coach Rod Macqueen, the man who in creating the Brumbies from scratch brought in only one overseas player, is adamant the anticipated Melbourne Super 15 team should be built on home-grown talent.

    Australian Rugby Union chief executive John O'Neill, when announcing on Wednesday that Melbourne was Australia's preferred location for the 15th Super rugby team in 2011, speculated the proposed new outfit would be "a bit of a Heinz variety team".

    That was a reference not to the fact the ARU wants the three rival Melbourne consortiums to come together into an unlikely marriage of convenience, but to O'Neill's belief that 30-35 per cent of the playing roster would be filled by Pacific Islanders, possibly supplemented by some Argentine and Japanese players.
    In the event of SANZAR awarding Melbourne the expansion licence, the ARU is likely to grant the new team an exemption to import as many as a dozen footballers to play in the Super 15 who are not eligible to represent Australia.

    But Macqueen, who had only one foreigner in his original 27-man Brumbies squad in 1996, Argentine prop Patricio Noriega, insisted yesterday that far from looking to build a team largely on foreigners, Melbourne should be allowed to focus on developing local players.

    Or at least overseas players -- South Africans in particular -- who would emigrate to Melbourne in the hope of one day becoming a Wallaby.

    "I think it's a great decision to settle on Melbourne," said Macqueen, who assisted the Victorian Rugby Union on developing the rugby side of its bid. "Melbourne is definitely the right choice for Australian rugby.

    "One of the things that's particularly important is that this team is able to produce home-grown Wallabies. While there is a push for getting islanders involved, the emphasis should be on producing Wallabies. The achilles heel of Australian rugby is lack of depth."

    Macqueen's original squad included 15 ACT players.

    Although it's scarcely likely Melbourne could come anywhere near that total, even if it rounded up the Victorian rugby diaspora (Rocky Elsom and Digby Ioane would be at the top of any recruitment list), he is impressed with the way the VRU has raised the standard of its rugby.

    "I don't think there's a big difference between where ACT rugby was and where Melbourne rugby is," Macqueen said. "The VRU has done some really good things and rugby is in good stead in Melbourne."
    His comments again contrast sharply with those of O'Neill, who this week labelled the VRU "a small player".

    Instead, he attributed the two other consortiums with more weight, pointing to the sporting acumen of the bid from Melbourne Victory chairman Geoff Lord's Belgravia Group and the financial clout of the Vic Super 15 group, understood to be underwritten largely by The Mac Group's Kevin Maloney.

    Lord yesterday would not be drawn on whether he intended investing any money in a Melbourne Super rugby team, insisting he wanted to hear what was said at the meeting the ARU has called on Thursday with the three consortiums.

    While still uncertain whether Football Federation of Australia intends to press on with a proposal to include a provision in A-League licences preventing an A-League club from investing in or having any share in any other franchise or any other sporting code, Lord said it might not be Melbourne Victory taking any equity in the Super 15 side but the Belgravia Group.

    "That's to be sorted out with the FFA," Lord said. "We bring no rugby expertise. We don't pretend to have any rugby expertise. We bring management and a professional approach."

    Melbourne is not the only Australian city intent on strengthening its South African links as Perth's Western Force is planning to travel to the republic in January for pre-season matches against the Stormers in Cape Town.

    The Sharks also have expressed interest in becoming involved in a three-cornered mini-tournament.


    The Force, meanwhile, has snared NSW Schoolboys captain and second-rower Luke Jones, who is set to sign a contract with the Perth-based club.




    http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au...015651,00.html

    0 Not allowed! Not allowed!

  2. #2
    Veteran beige's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    Perth
    Posts
    4,515
    vCash
    5000000
    "We bring no rugby expertise"?

    0 Not allowed! Not allowed!

  3. #3
    Legend Court Reporter
    Contributor
    James's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Location
    Bridgetown, WA
    Posts
    6,103
    vCash
    20000
    This Luke Jones guy must be sensational or why else would you recruit a 17-18 year old lock. Would be three years until he's seriously ready for the S14.

    Mind you the Force seems to have a pretty good eye for young talent. This is pushing it a bit though.

    0 Not allowed! Not allowed!
    Smoke me a kipper, I'll be back for breakfast.

  4. #4
    Legend Contributor
    Join Date
    Jul 2006
    Location
    Perth
    Posts
    5,259
    vCash
    5100000
    Quote Originally Posted by beige View Post
    "We bring no rugby expertise"?
    No, the Lord bid doesn't, but the strength of their bid was that they are the only one with experience running a professional sports club in Melbourne - not insignificant.

    I would imaging Jones caught their eye at the carnival. Given the talent running around there, he must be something.

    0 Not allowed! Not allowed!

  5. #5
    Veteran mudskipper's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    Sydney
    Posts
    4,952
    vCash
    5000000
    I think Macqueen is dead right.... this is an opportunity to grow Australian rugby and not jump board lines looking for players... Sensible limitations should apply...ARU...


    0 Not allowed! Not allowed!

  6. #6
    Veteran mudskipper's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    Sydney
    Posts
    4,952
    vCash
    5000000
    Quote Originally Posted by Trolly McTroll View Post
    Indeed muddy I agree mate, the quality of melbournes local comp should see them build a succesful s14 team of their own.
    I think this applies even more for possible internationals coming in...

    0 Not allowed! Not allowed!

  7. #7
    Legend Contributor brokendown gunfighter's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Location
    wembley
    Posts
    8,036
    vCash
    5364000
    two trolls talking together-is this called a trollop?

    0 Not allowed! Not allowed!

  8. #8
    Veteran mudskipper's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    Sydney
    Posts
    4,952
    vCash
    5000000
    Quote Originally Posted by brokendown gunfighter View Post
    two trolls talking together-is this called a trollop?
    Nup gunman.... a trollop is what has been turning you down all these years...

    0 Not allowed! Not allowed!

  9. #9
    Legend Contributor brokendown gunfighter's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Location
    wembley
    Posts
    8,036
    vCash
    5364000
    who said I was turned down?

    0 Not allowed! Not allowed!

Similar Threads

  1. Melbourne worthy of team, says Deans
    By mudskipper in forum Super Rugby
    Replies: 5
    Last Post: 13-05-09, 07:49
  2. 2009 IRB Junior World Championship: Japan
    By Burgs in forum International Rugby
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 05-04-09, 23:29
  3. Replies: 12
    Last Post: 09-03-09, 12:39
  4. Laws of Rugby - Law 21 - Penalty and Free Kicks
    By Darren in forum The Laws of Rugby
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 30-07-07, 14:37
  5. Laws of Rugby - Law 20 - Scrum
    By Darren in forum The Laws of Rugby
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 30-07-07, 14:26

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •