Manu Vatuvei eyed for Melbourne S14 switch

STEVE KILGALLON
January 25, 2010

The new Melbourne Super 14 team have identified their first Kiwi target – and are ready to launch an audacious bid to tempt Warriors and Kiwis league wing Manu Vatuvei to switch codes.

The Melbourne Rebels, who join the competition next season as its 15th franchise, have permission to sign up to 10 overseas players and the Sunday Star-Times can reveal that they've already sounded out Vatuvei to see if he could be enticed to make the change.

Until now, speculation has been around which Kiwi rugby union players might cross the Tasman, but it's Vatuvei who has been of early interest to the Rebels.

Vatuvei has two years remaining on his Warriors contract, but it's not inconceivable he could walk away a year early if the Rebels can produce a big enough offer. The Warriors are well aware that he has become one of the sport's hottest properties and that it could be difficult to retain him after 2011.

The 17-test wing giant, who has scored 11 international tries and 58 times in 94 NRL appearances for the Warriors, is becoming one of league's hottest properties, having also aroused interest in Japanese and French rugby union. American NFL scouts also made a tentative approach last year. But the most serious interest has now come from the Rebels who, having made an initial approach, are understood to be now considering a formal offer to Vatuvei.

A well-placed source told the Star-Times: "It is definitely a genuine interest from Melbourne and they have money to spend. Manu would seriously consider it if the offer was right."

Warriors chief executive Wayne Scurrah said: "I expect that [Melbourne Rebels' new CEO] Brian Waldron, knowing the NRL market, will target the odd player, but I hadn't heard anything about that. Manu has another two years with us and we are not concerned at this point, not at all. He loves the club and we love him and I've had quite a bit of dialogue with his agent recently and nothing concerning has come from that.

"I am sure he will field bigger offers to do other things than we would be able to make to him, but he does really enjoy it where he is and I expect he wouldn't leave lightly – but we certainly don't take him for granted."

Vatuvei's agent, Peter Brown, declined to comment, while Waldron, who has just quit as CEO of Melbourne's NRL franchise, the Storm, said he was unable to talk about the Rebels as he was working out his notice.

Waldron's league expertise makes the Rebels – who last week named Wallabies world cup-winning coach Rod Macqueen as its new coaching director – well placed to plunge, and Waldron has already committed to not plundering the ranks of his old club. Signing such a name would make sense for a team who will want to make an early mark in a city where rugby union is a very minor player behind the dominant Australian Rules.

Another factor could be the publicity the new AFL franchise on the Gold Coast has extracted from the signing of Brisbane league star Karmichael Hunt.

Sunday Star-Times