Tell me it aint so: Waratahs aim for Benny Mac

[Buddha Handy]

Yes, it is easy to whinge about the unfair allocation of Wallabies and the salary cap etc but you have to respect that a player may want to actually move as well. It is more enjoyable playing rugby if you are playing in a successful side and McCalman has toiled away here for years with no success not even a game of finals. He has the potential to go and possibly play finals and win a championship whilst still in peak form so I don't think you can begrudge him that. If he doesnt go there he will probably go to france/Japan eventually.

The only way this issue is going to go away is when we have a squad with over 50% home grown WA players and players like Godwin, Burton, Lacey, etc are Wallabies.

[andrewg]

OK, so this is a Super XV franchise which currently has 16 Test/International-experienced players (562 caps) in its playing squad being able to induce/encourage/steal a player from a club which has 9 Test/International-experienced players (95 caps).

Now try and tell me that the $5 million salary cap for each team and the ARU Wallaby top-up system is fair/equitable/creating anything close to an "even playing field".

But then again it's probably not about the $$s as "Rival Australian teams cannot offer a Wallaby more money to leave his Super Rugby club, and can only lure him with the offer of a better rugby program". Yeah...right!

(From explanation of the overhauled, new ARU contracting process, May 2014)

Mr Pulver, sir, I respectfully suggest that the system needs another major overhaul or perhaps traded in on a new model.

[andrewg]

Despite my post above, if Ben McCalman want to leave after his years of contribution then nothing should stand in his way. He has given so much during times when often he was one of the few regularly working hard on the field.

But I would prefer that he stayed for at least another year.

[Jules]

I agree but so sad to see him go.. It is just funny that when the Waratahs want a player it is almost a given rather than just them offering him a contract. Surely wait for him to confirm before going public with it.

[GIGS20]

Or perhaps scrap the entire ARU top-up system entirely and replace it with higher match payments for Wallabies. Appease RUPA by factoring everything so that our top performing Wallabies will earn the same amount as they do now. Remove the elephant from the room and enforce the salary cap at a strict value of what it's meant to be.

Add a transfer fee system which requires a team to pay the team relinquishing the player commensurate with their value to Australian rugby (using some sort of inflexible scale like number of Super Rugby/Wallaby caps) Add the transfer fees received for player who are developed by a team into the Salary cap for that team.

In this way, we would pay a transfer fee to the Tahs for somebody like Hodgo or Benny Mac, but it'd be low, we develop them from a fringe Super Rugby player into a Wallaby and the Tahs then have to pay us a shitload to get him back. we use said shitload to buy better players to cover for the massive loss that a Ben McCalman would be to our franchise.

Kyle Godwin comes to us for free, since we signed him before he had a cap, so would Rabbit, even though he comes from Queensland.

It would encourage teams to develop talent rather than simply waiting for somebody else to do the hard work and then going cap in hand to the ARU and getting some shady back-door deal to make the numbers add up.

[beige]

Or perhaps scrap the entire ARU top-up system entirely and replace it with higher match payments for Wallabies.

My only issue with that is that higher match payments for Wallabies would be counter-productive to the salary cap. The point of the salary cap is to spread talent around but if a player is earning a heap off Wallabies match payments he could accept less cash at his Super Rugby franchise to stay put. I'd just redirect the top-ups back to the franchises (equally).

[agrugger]

Add a transfer fee system which requires a team to pay the team relinquishing the player commensurate with their value to Australian rugby (using some sort of inflexible scale like number of Super Rugby/Wallaby caps) Add the transfer fees received for player who are developed by a team into the Salary cap for that team.

I'm an ex-pat from the States (but don't call me Yank because I'm from Texas) so I have a bit of professional sports salary insight given our 4 leagues. I think the NFL has the best system of any of the professional sports in America and routinely shows the most parity in it's teams. The NFL has a similar fee system, where after a contract ends, the player is designated as either a restricted or un-restricted Free Agent depending on their tenure in the league. If another team signs a restricted Free Agent, they pay some sort of fee (usually in the form of draft picks). If a team loses a unrestricted FA, then each year the league categorizes them by their talent and provides that team with additional draft pick weighted by that players talent.

Teams like the Green Bay Packers and New England Patriots (mentioned above), have good organizations that can identify talent and develop them. Then they let some go to other teams who want to pay the big money and it's next man up; but will pay and protect the key stars (e.g. Tom Brady, Aaron Rogers). The NFL salary cap is firm and you can't go over it, so essentially all teams are equal; and it's up to the front office to find the talent and the coaches to develop and use it properly. That's why there is such a movement towards statistically analysis to try to gain advantages in identifying talent (more than just size and speed).

Baseball has a salary cap, but they allow teams to go over and pay a luxury tax; so the Yankees say no problem. And there is no floor, so some small teams spend as much on their whole team as the yankees do on 2-3 players. That's why the Oakland A's started using the statistical analysis in the late 90's to identify talent that would otherwise get overlooked; and therefore cheap.

[andrewg]

If another team signs a restricted Free Agent, they pay some sort of fee (usually in the form of draft picks). If a team loses a unrestricted FA, then each year the league categorizes them by their talent and provides that team with additional draft pick weighted by that players talent.

Unfortunately, at this stage Australian SXV Rugby doesn't have a DRAFT system.
The Oct 2013 Collective Bargaining Agreement included provision to "design a player draft for first year professional contracts which was to "operate in conjunction with new Super Rugby squads".
Doesn't appear to have been any action on this front up until now.

There was also a commitment to "improve player development pathways in Australia through a commitment to a national rugby competition".
At least we saw the NRC get going in 2014.

Nothing at this stage addresses a Ben McCalman type of situation.
Jargan83 probably hit the nail on the head commenting about Palu's ARU top-up (which I believe to be about $300k) plus the Tahs alloacation from their salary cap.

[shasta]

It could very well be a combo of these factors that get McCalman over the line for NSW.

There you go again, bringing reason to passionate debate. Told you your hat was busted. Next thing you know, you'll be doing Attilla the Hun impersonations and blaming Julia Gillard and the SMH for the state of Rugby in Australia.

[Rex Messup]

Good to see you are paying attention Shasta.

[shasta]

Christ, I wish Spanish Mackerel were as easy.

[jono]

Unfortunately, at this stage Australian SXV Rugby doesn't have a DRAFT system.
The Oct 2013 Collective Bargaining Agreement included provision to "design a player draft for first year professional contracts which was to "operate in conjunction with new Super Rugby squads".
Doesn't appear to have been any action on this front up until now.

There was also a commitment to "improve player development pathways in Australia through a commitment to a national rugby competition".
At least we saw the NRC get going in 2014.

Nothing at this stage addresses a Ben McCalman type of situation.
Jargan83 probably hit the nail on the head commenting about Palu's ARU top-up (which I believe to be about $300k) plus the Tahs alloacation from their salary cap.

The theory would be that the money being given to the number one pick for the 8 jersey would go to his successor.
Would be that we had an even system though

[Invictus]

After what I just had to sit through, if I was McCalman and the Waratahs were offering petrol money only, you wouldn't see me for dust!

[GIGS20]

After Tonight's game, I think Ben needs to leave for the good of his own rugby, you can only carry a limp, directionless untalented group of mates on your back for so long

[valzc]

Have to say that tho am pissed off at the result I thought it was quite an exciting game at the 2nd half. Once again the Hoff was absolutely atrocious, surely they should've been awarded a free kick for the Rebels FEKKIN around at the end instead of a scrum and don't know if I'm right but looked like it was the Rebels scrum that collapsed in the end scrum. I really thought they played well at the end but it was all just way too late, and they didn't help themselves with dropped balls and set pices fuckups. Agree with comment too that there needs to be more creativity in cut out passing and attack strategy and support defence has dropped off alarmingly since last season.