Rebels' talent hunt to be focused locally

STATHI PAXINOS

February 10, 2010

MELBOURNE Rebels coach Rod Macqueen yesterday said he expected to have only four foreign players in the inaugural side for next year's Super 15 despite having special concession for more than double that number.

The Rebels are entitled to 10 foreign players - as opposed to the two available to Australia's four established teams - and assistant coach Damien Hill and consultant, former Wallabies coach John Connolly, have been on a European recruitment tour to fill that quota.

However, Macqueen said the team would concentrate on cultivating local talent.

''I think it's important to say that overseas players are not our priority,'' Macqueen said. ''Our priority is to get Australian players on board. There's a number of young uncontracted players around who we are looking at. From our point of view I don't see a lot of overseas players being in our team.

''The value of the fifth team in Australia is to help the depth of Australian rugby so the best way to do that is to give Australian players the opportunity to play Super 15 and prove that they have the ability to play for the Wallabies.''

There has been a lot of speculation as to the players the Rebels have been chasing, but Macqueen said many of the European-based players would not be well known in Australia, although the team was interested in attracting former NRL star Mark Gasnier back to Australia from French rugby.

''Managers tend to throw things out to get interest in their players and, unfortunately, that's a fact of life, but we've made it very clear from day one that we're all about culture and we're being very particular about the players we'd like to come along,'' Macqueen said. ''You can read there's a lot of players being offered and being sought by the Rebels but I don't think that's generally the case. We've offered very few players an opportunity at this stage.''

Rebel with a cause: Macqueen wants domestic players on his roster

GREG GROWDEN
February 10, 2010

THE Melbourne Rebels will not turn into a haven for overpaid overseas players, with officials from the fifth Australian Super team yesterday stressing that, despite being allowed 10 foreigners, they would have only four at most next season.

Rebels officials were in Sydney in a bid to convince the NSW rugby heartland that the new Melbourne team would be a success, and immediately pushed a ''made in Australia'' policy.

Rebels chairman Harold Mitchell, Victorian Rugby Union president Gary Gray and coach Rod Macqueen spoke at the Rugby Club monthly luncheon, before an audience that included NSW Rugby Union chief executive Jim L'Estrange, chairman Ed Zemancheff and board member Sally Loane.

Although careful not to say they would be targeting Waratahs players coming off contract, Macqueen made it clear he preferred Australian product, rather than overseas stars, in his inaugural Rebels squad.

The Rebels also know that it will be considerably cheaper for the franchise to attract good local players, because they will have to pay all the salaries of high-profile overseas players. The Australian Rugby Union provides a considerable salary ''top-up'' to the provincial contracts of leading Australian players, but not for marquee overseas players.

Macqueen said that after several years out of the game he was amazed by what players were paid now. ''It has been a learning curve for me to discover what has happened in a very short period of time,'' the former Wallabies coach said.

''You have to understand that when looking at overseas players, that is a huge issue, because they are just getting paid so much. We really don't want to be paying large sums of money for overseas players because it is money going out of the country.

''We have the opportunity of having 10 overseas players, but I just can't see why we would want to do that. That's money going out rather than developing talent in Australia.''

England five-eighth Danny Cipriani is the latest overseas player to be connected to the Rebels, but it seems he has priced himself out of a spot.

Although the Rebels may sign up to 10 foreigners in 2011, Macqueen said he would have a maximum of four, ''because I would like to have as many Australian players as possible, and ones who can play for their country.''