Interest in Tuqiri excites Souths

[Burgs]

Interest in Tuqiri excites Souths

By Brent Read and Wayne Smith
March 03, 2007

SOUTH Sydney continues to make the running for Lote Tuqiri, with Rabbitohs co-owner Peter Holmes a Court revealing he has been contacted by a third prospective private sponsor willing to help fund a bid for the dual international.

News of the expanding interest in Tuqiri came as Australian Rugby Union officials foreshadowed increasing the length of their offer to the wing so as to avoid another highly public auction in the lead-up to the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

Holmes a Court said he received an email yesterday from a company inquiring about endorsing Tuqiri, taking the tally of interested parties to three and ensuring the Rabbitohs remain firm favourite to secure Tuqiri should he return to rugby league.

Souths have already had two companies contact the club regarding Tuqiri, who is off contract with the ARU after the Rugby World Cup in France in September, and who has expressed interest in returning to the NRL, where he made his name with Brisbane.

Holmes a Court has referred all parties to Tuqiri's business manager, Les Ross, who is conducting negotiations on the player's behalf.

Souths are putting together a long-term deal for Tuqiri, which it hopes will convince him to join the Rabbitohs rather than link with the Cronulla-based Sharks or re-sign with the ARU.

Holmes a Court also defended his club's role in linking Tuqiri with sponsors following comments from NRL chief executive David Gallop, who said he would scrutinise Souths' actions.

"We got calls from people who want to sponsor Lote," Holmes a Court said.

"I have had three calls now - two yesterday and one today.

"Let's make this perfectly clear. A number of people called us to try to get to Lote. It's a very easy thing for me to do to say, 'hey, talk to Lote's manager'.

"If sponsors are more excited because Lote might come back to rugby league in its 100th year, that's a bonus for Lote and a bonus for the game."

Reports have suggested that Tuqiri could be offered a five-year deal by Souths, which hopes to use outside sponsorship to make the deal more lucrative than that the ARU is expected to table in a revised bid.

It is understood that Tuqiri would take sponsors with him to league, but NRL clubs would still need to source third parties to match the offer from the ARU.

Tuqiri rejected a three-year, $2.4 million offer from the ARU before Christmas.

But the ARU is expected to make a longer-term deal that could secure the New South Wales wing until the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand.

The ARU has no qualms offering Tuqiri an extended term given his injury-free history; he has enjoyed a saloon passage in terms of injuries in both codes.

"He is an elite athlete and his injury record is virtually blemish-free," ARU negotiator Pat Wilson said.

"So he's a sound investment leading to the next World Cup cycle."

While the ARU has carte blanche when it comes to deciding on the value of contracts offers, rugby league clubs are bound by NRL rules.

Gallop has stressed that those rules will not be bent for any player.

Holmes a Court was indignant at suggestions that his club could attempt to breach cap rules.

"I heard (Gallop) say there wouldn't be any special regulations for the Rabbitohs," Holmes a Court said.

"I understand that. I will always argue for special dispensation for the Rabbitohs, but I won't necessarily expect it."

[shasta]

God this is fuggin tiresome. TAKE THE OFFER OFF THE BLOODY TABLE flowers!!

While the ARU has carte blanche when it comes to deciding on the value of contracts offers, rugby league clubs are bound by NRL rules.

Gallop has stressed that those rules will not be bent for any player.

Except if they are Joey Johns, Mark Gasnier, Lote Tuquiri..............

[Burgs]

Is Tuqiri worth all the fuss?

By Stuart Honeysett
March 03, 2007

LOTE Tuqiri's price tag of $600,000 a season to return to rugby league has seen three players drop out from the table.

Brisbane, Sydney Roosters and Gold Coast have decided Tuqiri is not worth the money. South Sydney and the Sharks are still deciding.

There is no doubt Tuqiri is one of the most marketable faces in Australian sport.

Throw in his natural ability on the field and it is easy to understand why he is in the middle of a cross-code bidding war.

For the Australian Rugby Union, money is not the object.

It has already offered Tuqiri $2.4 million over three years, with New South Wales and Queensland sounding out corporate sponsors to sweeten the pot on top of that.

It is not quite so easy for NRL clubs, with Tuqiri's earning capacity limited by the $4 million salary cap. A club that matched the ARU's offer would barely be able to scrape together a playing roster with the remaining funds.

Tuqiri is understood to earn about $880,000 a season, and he has told NRL clubs he can take $280,000 of that with him in personal sponsorships if he returns to the NRL.

That leaves clubs with the challenge of coming up with $600,000 to lure him back to rugby league; that is one-sixth of the $4 million salary cap that must stretch across 25 players.

That would have meant the Broncos paying Tuqiri more than captain and five-eighth Darren Lockyer. Given that Lockyer is the driving force behind the Broncos, and Tuqiri, at best, would be a damaging centre, it hardly seems justifiable.

"The way the salary cap is now I think $600,000 is too high for any individual," Brisbane chief executive Bruno Cullen said yesterday.

"If you're going to spend $600,000 on one guy, somewhere along the line you're going to be deficient and not have the money to have a good team around him.

"And I certainly believe in parity. Corey Parker will play for us for 80 minutes, gets beat up the whole time and kicks goals.

"Hypothetically what would he think of a winger getting paid $600,000?"

As a rule of thumb, most clubs are prepared to spend anywhere up to $500,000 on a good halfback or a five-eighth.

A good fullback or hooker can also earn big dollars, as can a talented forward (Bulldogs back rower Sonny Bill Williams has been offered $425,000 under the cap).

Most of the clubs who had shown interest in Tuqiri acknowledged that, if he returned to the NRL, it wouldn't be in his old position on the wing. Instead they would try him in the centres.

The reason for that is simple.

Wings are among the lowest-paid players of any squad.

Even Bulldogs wing Hazem El Masri, whose try-scoring and goal-kicking feats amassed 274 points last season, is only on about $200,000.

Centres have the potential to earn a great deal more, with St George-Illawarra's Mark Gasnier last year signing a five-year contract worth up to $750,000 a season.

Around $450,000 of that came under the cap with the rest made up of third-party arrangements.

Third-party arrangements, or sponsorships, have Souths and the Sharks still in the hunt for Tuqiri.

All clubs are allowed to have two players that can earn an additional $50,000 from existing club sponsors but there is nothing to stop anyone in the squad from earning as much as they like from a sponsor not connected with the club.

There is a catch: the player can trade on his name only and cannot make reference to the club's logo or colours.

"They're (suitable sponsors) very difficult to find," Roosters chief executive Brian Canavan said.

"Mind you, for a player like Lote, he has a very high profile, he's very recognisable and he's got a great image. So if there are third-party agreements to be found, then Lote is the type of player to attract those.

"But they are very difficult."

Gold Coast chief executive Michael Searle agreed.

The Titans have secured an abundance of corporate backing for their inaugural season, but they surprisingly withdrew from the race for Tuqiri this week.

"I would pay a reasonable amount of money for a marquee player, who would probably generate that three times over in sponsorship revenue and hospitality," Searle said.

"But a lot of our marketing deals are now locked down for the next three to five years so, realistically, we weren't going to see a surge in our sponsorship revenue by signing him because we're full up anyway.

"And it definitely would place pressure on our recruitment of not only our top 25 but of our emerging kids as well.

"It would have locked us down for a couple of years."

Additional money streams outside club sponsors are not impossible.

Last year, there was a television campaign that had Brisbane prop Shane Webcke playing a piano in a tuxedo and singing the praises of Hammer Reef rum.

The Rabbitohs and the Sharks will be banking on such commercial opportunities to help them compete with the ARU.

Time is certainly running out for both clubs, with Tuqiri keen to make a decision on his future sooner rather than later.

Souths seem to have the inside running at the moment, with latest reports that the club has a five-year offer in the making as well as sponsors queuing up for Tuqiri.

Rabbitohs co-owner and millionaire businessman Peter Holmes a Court has no shortage of contacts to call on.

The Sharks is counting on Ricky Stuart to produce the goods, with the Sharks coach sounding out his own potential backers to hopefully put an offer to Tuqiri in two weeks.

Either way, both clubs probably share the same sentiment as Souths prop Roy Asotasi who said yesterday it would simply be great to see Tuqiri back in the NRL, particularly wearing cardinal and myrtle.

"He would bring that experience and being at a winning team like the Broncos when he was back in league," Asotasi said.

"He wouldn't need much time to adjust to the game and he would be a great leader."

[Burgs]

Sounds like we might be finally getting to the pointy end!
They don't say for which club though, just that the ARU will do the offering?

Tuqiri given three days to sign

By Phillip Heads and Peter Jenkins, The Sunday Telegraph
March 04, 2007

THE Australian Rugby Union will offer winger Lote Tuqiri a non-negotiable contract this week, with an ultimatum to sign within three days or have it withdrawn.

It is understood that the ARU is losing patience with being played off against NRL clubs for Tuqiri.

"He'll have in the order of three days to sign or the deal is off," a high-ranking ARU official told The Sunday Telegraph yesterday.

"The deal will not be negotiable and will be open for a very short time."

Tuqiri had a very public meeting with Souths owner Peter Holmes a Court recently and last week was spotted at Woolloomooloo wharf, dining with Queensland Reds coach Eddie Jones.

The ARU want to settle the Tuqiri contract issue and get the winger's mind back on rugby in the lead-up to the World Cup.

Tuqiri's frustrations boiled over after Friday night's draw against Western Force at Aussie Stadium when he ran 30m to shove Waratahs team-mate Sam Norton-Knight and verbally abuse him.

Australia legends slammed Tuqiri's actions.

Nick Farr-Jones and Simon Poidevin last night claimed they have never seen a top-level player react with such open aggression towards a team-mate.

Tuqiri raced across field to shove and blast Norton-Knight after the replacement full back took a quick tap from a last-minute penalty within kicking range. NSW coach Ewen McKenzie yesterday described the incident as "a dead issue" and said no internal action would be taken against Tuqiri.

But McKenzie agreed with several former Wallabies, who suggested the winger overstepped the mark.

"It was a dumb thing for Norton-Knight to do, and I can understand Lote's frustration, but you don't do that to your team-mates," Poidevin said.

"It was pretty ordinary. In all the time I've played the game, I don't recall seeing someone push a team-mate like that. Lote should be down on himself for doing it."

Farr-Jones agreed. "I left with 15 minutes to go but don't think I missed much apart from the push in the back," he said.

"I'm surprised Lote's frustration manifested the way it did. I can understand why he was feeling like he was. The way the guys played, it was just dreadful.

"But you don't take out frustration on your team-mates, especially in view of the public. I remember times when the forwards would get stuck into each other at training and that used to fill me with confidence for the weekend game.

"But on the field? Never.

"I heard one or two verbal sprays out there, but that's about the extent of it."

Farr-Jones and Poidevin suggested constant media attention on Tuqiri's form and future, with an endless round of contract negotiations might have contributed to his moment of madness.

"I would agree with that 100 per cent," Poidevin said.

"You'd have to be crazy to think his manager is doing the right thing the way things have been going on the last three weeks."

But former dual international Ray Price fully exonerated Tuqiri for his actions, branding Norton-Knight as the sole villain. (Birds of a feather...)

"I would have done exactly what Lote did," Price declared. "What was that guy thinking of taking the tap?

"If I was the coach, I'll tell you now, that bloke wouldn't be playing next week.

"At least they could have salvaged a win, one they probably didn't deserve, by taking a shot at penalty."

Price was another to spot frustration in Tuqiri.

"You could see it, and not just at the end of the game.

"Every time he tried to get into the game he was heavily marked or they couldn't get the ball to him quick enough.

"At Parramatta we used to have a bloke called Eric Grothe and we did our darndest to get the ball to him as often as we could."

[Shaun]

Go back to league please....

[jazza93]

he is a rip off and isnt worth that much money. based on his recent form he is worth $250 000 a year and i dont think souths can even afford that. haha

i doubt he will go to souths i dont see why he would waste his carreer there. i no souths are looking better this year but they are still no were near a premiership.

stay at union lote help us win the world cup.

[Shaun]

Stay in Union Lote? You can't be serious...

I would put Shepherd in ahead of Lote any day!

[Thequeerone]

Do you get the impression that he knows that none of the Leagues clubs can afford him and maybe that's why he had words with Sam Norton Knight - like he's in catch 22

[MysticBalls]

Yeah over-priced , over-done and in about 5 mins time , over and out ! You really have to wonder what sports managers are saying to players to put them and everyone else through such tortuous hoops, all for extra money when they may even be FIT enough to see the contract out till its end ! Before injury !

Whats Lote's head gonna be like going to the World up after all this ? He's been MIA this season in S14.

[Terri]

Any player that'll shove his own team member in the back, intentionally, ain't worth zilch!

[Sagerian]

He's re-signed guys.

[Darren]

Go The Tahs!!

[The InnFORCEr]

Wow I'm so relieved.....they should have dropped their offer once the others pulled just to teach not to mess around in the future, anyway that is probably the last time anyone will be waiting for him to make decision.

[chook]

Go The Tahs!!

Dot Com!!!

[Sagerian]

Not an AU!!!!!