our centre is out of equilibrium

[sittingbison]

We have had a bit of chatter over several threads with player roster, potential signings, new signings, and every other bit of salacious gossip and juicy scandal possible seeing as we are starved of actual rugby.

One very interesting aspect of all this poses for me a very interesting question: How is it that the Reds for example can field all these players under the salary cap, but more importantly keep them all happy?
9 Genia/Frisbee wallaby and U20
10 Cooper/Lucas both wallabies
11 Diggers wallaby
12 A Faingaa/Harris both wallabies
13 Tapuai/F'Sautia wallaby and U20
14 Shipperley/Davies both wallabies
15 Morahan wallaby

Frisbee won't see one minute, neither will Lucas unless Cooper goes down. Harris F'Sautia and Davies will only see game time off the bench if an injury occurs to both starting centers and a wing. Lucas, Harris, Davies are all wobblies, but will not play without injuries to other players. But being wobblies they must cost more to keep that journeymen like we have hot, especially as they have all signed in the past month. And Genia/Cooper are costing in the order of a million dollars.

Same situation at Brumbies where for all his plaudits, ZHolmes is 3rd or even 4th choice 10. With CL fit is Toomua and Holmes going to get a game? How is it we are unable to entice these kind of player, who would be a walk up start and considerably more money in offer? Surely they want to be starting every week? Although injuries occur it really is extremely rare for the current situation to occur at both club and country level. Playing is the only way they can showcase their wares and get higher honours.

And what do the Force do? Sign a saffa, an unknown sevens player, and a has been Tah cast off three years out of S15. Now they all might turn out great, and I am looking forward to seeing them in action, but it still begs the question just what are our recruiting guys up to?

[jargan83]

How is it that the Reds for example can field all these players under the salary cap

Brian Waldron is keeping the books for Qld

[shasta]

just what are our recruiting guys up to?

From where I'm looking it seems they have been busting their balls trying to sign players only to see them stay where they are for significantly less. From the Reds anyway. There's a number of possibilities why. But I believe that one big stumbling block that could be overcome is the secretive long winded ARU contracting system. The people holding all the votes over East will say that is necessary to keep Wallabies in Australia. I'd say that it is a bandaid solution that will fail in the long run. Each franchise should be given a set salary cap and allowed to do with that as they please. Make all Test Match players rewarded by match payments with incentives. We may lose some players to Europe in the short term but it will encourage fringe players to take a chance with expansion teams and try to get some of that money. As it is now, it allows some non-performers a security net and may even encourage the likes of Tim Fairbrother to give it a miss. The players association may kick up a ruckus; let 'em.

[GIGS20]

So are you saying that the ARU recruiting process is pushing blokes to sign for Queensland 'for the good of Australian rugby'

[Tazzmania]

So are you saying that the ARU recruiting process is pushing blokes to sign for Queensland 'for the good of Australian rugby'

The nail on the head, and we get stuffed in taking it for the team, the team being the ARU, even though you would not think we are part of the team from the way we get treated!!!!!!

[shasta]

So are you saying that the ARU recruiting process is pushing blokes to sign for Queensland 'for the good of Australian rugby'

Look, I've no axe to grind with Queensland. It's just their turn. The system has worked equally well for the Tahs and Brumbies in the past.
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[GIGS20]

Maybe there might be a bit of goes around comes around Shasta

[TOCC]

I think the reason many players are remaining in Queensland is plain and simple..
The Reds have a good professional set up which has proven itself at turning out Wallabies in recent years, they have a proven coach and long term succession planning in place, they have the youngest squad in Australia who have played together for years and appear to be harmonious and mutually supportive of each other.

Its easy to forget that QLD put in a lot of hard years before this eventuated, having a large junior pool to select players from doesn't naturally provide success. QLD were laughed at when blokes like QC were starting back in 2008... In 2011 the Reds had the lowest player wage bill of all the provinces, in 2012 when they won the Super Rugby trophy the wage bill was lower again.

You only need to look at clubs like Collingwood and the Broncos and question how they have remained successful, from the outside it would look as though the Reds are trying to build a similar culture.

However, i don't believe all is lost for the Force, look at clubs like the Melbourne Storm, excusing their blatant salary cap cheating they have proven that a foreign code can prosper in new territory, a large part of their success is talent identification and development. They spend significantly more in this department then other clubs and it pays off. Players like Cam Smith, Cooper Cronk and Billy Slater may all be from QLD, but they sign for less to stay at the Storm due to loyalty to the club that brought them through.

[shasta]

For what it's worth, I agree with just about everything you say. Bring.in a similar system where all clubs are given a salary cap to spend.as they please and maybe even a draught if you like and we'll be OK

P.S. While we're drawing parrallels, it would also be handy if the ARU adopted the AFL model.for expansion teams for BOTH ours][/size]

[zimeric]

another reason the storm and other RL teams do well outside the traditional heartlands is because they all have a 2nd tier team and comp (toyota cup) ..WE need the same thing for our code or it will continue to struggle outside the heartlands

[shasta]

another reason the storm and other RL teams do well outside the traditional heartlands is because they all have a 2nd tier team and comp (toyota cup)

Erm...actually the Storm are the.only Mungo team to have survived. The Rams were liquidated and the Reds were packed up and sent to Melbourne and rebranded as Storm. They survived through years of massive losses, as did TOCCS other shining example, the Bronx, through massive bankrolling from


Rupert Murdoch.
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[shasta]

another reason the storm and other RL teams do well outside the traditional heartlands is because they all have a 2nd tier team and comp (toyota cup)

Erm...actually the Storm are the.only Mungo team to have survived. The Rams were liquidated and the Reds were packed up and sent to Melbourne and rebranded as Storm. They survived through years of massive losses, as did TOCCS other shining example, the Bronx, through massive bankrolling from
Rupert Murdoch.
A second tier is a must though. I'm staggered the ARU can't see the value of keeping acadamy players training with senior squads and playing curtain raisers to.conference fixtures.
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[TOCC]

Erm...actually the Storm are the.only Mungo team to have survived. The Rams were liquidated and the Reds were packed up and sent to Melbourne and rebranded as Storm. They survived through years of massive losses, as did TOCCS other shining example, the Bronx, through massive bankrolling from


Rupert Murdoch.
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News Corp bankrolling the Broncos? They are actually profitable...
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[shasta]

News Corp bankrolling the Broncos? They are actually profitable

Yep, going gangbusters. It was not always so and they are in RL heartland. In fact, if you look at history they are an example of exactly what The Force are asking. With enough support an expansion team can be very successful in the long term. Thanks for the help.

[TOCC]

Yep, going gangbusters. It was not always so and they are in RL heartland. In fact, if you look at history they are an example of exactly what The Force are asking. With enough support an expansion team can be very successful in the long term. Thanks for the help.

Not sure what you are referring to, I dont think the Broncos and Force really share anything in common, Broncos have consistently been one of the top clubs financially and on the field pretty much since their inception.

Broncos weren't exactly given a helping hand either, no concessions or allowances. If anything they helped themselves and set the standard for player development and recruitment, other clubs are still trying to catch up.
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