2024 Melbourne Rebels Squad Dispersal

[Kiap]

Take this with a Newscorp-sized grain of salt ...

https://archive.is/20240710083126/ht...7b1295b61691bc

Melbourne Rebellion as 11 stars snub NSW Waratahs amid Rugby Australia contract talks

The Waratahs’ hopes of landing a host of Melbourne Rebels stars are in tatters as key group opt for rival clubs, with some even choosing club rugby over pulling on the NSW colours.

Jamie Pandaram
July 10, 2024 - 6:00PM

This masthead can reveal that 11 Rebels players have nominated clubs other than NSW to join next season, after RA pulled Melbourne’s license for the 2025 Super Rugby Pacific season.

They are: Taniela Tupou, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, Rob Leota, Isaac Kailea, David Feluiai, Pone Fa’amausili, Darby Lancaster, Matt Gibbon, Lachie Anderson, Ethan Dobbins, Lukas Ripley.

Some feel so strongly about rejecting NSW’s approaches, they have vowed to RA through their agents that they will play club rugby if they are stopped from joining their nominated club.

It will be a major concern for RA, given the need for NSW to be competitive.

They have recently appointed head coach Dan McKellar - touted as a future Wallabies coach - and director of rugby Simon Raiwalui to oversee the rebuild after finishing with the wooden spoon this year.

And RA had hoped that a host of Rebels stars would opt to join NSW once the Melbourne franchise was axed.

For a variety of reasons, the majority of players have expressed a lack of interest in the Waratahs. Some players want to move to a city where they are close to family members, others believe they will develop more at rival clubs, and all are concerned by the cost of living pressures in Sydney.

RA guaranteed all players contracts when axing the Rebels.

The money they were contracted for in 2025 will be honoured. But for a player on a wage of $150,000, the living costs associated with a move to Sydney far outweigh Canberra, Perth and Brisbane.

RA is aware of the players’ disgruntlement.

“We are still working through that process with the players,” an RA spokesman said.

“The Tahs needed to conclude the recruitment process for their director of performance and head coach. They now have a truly world class team in Simon Raiwalui and Dan McKellar, and they are already heavily involved in the recruitment process with players.”

But with the Waratahs training in their eastern suburbs hub of Daceyville, rents close to the facility are pricey.

There was also the extended time RA took to appoint McKellar – confirmed last week after Darren Coleman was sacked in May – that led players to consider NSW an unstable club.

This masthead has learned one player has already taken up a lease in Brisbane, despite RA hoping he will join NSW.

There are several who are so adamant they won’t be forced to sign with the Tahs, they will play club rugby in 2025, earn their wages from RA, but miss the chance of representing the Wallabies against the British & Irish Lions.

There is a precedent. When the Western Force were axed from Super Rugby in 2017, Robbie Coleman spent the following year playing for Gordon in the Shute Shield, before signing a deal in French rugby.

RA has previously told the players they will not be forced to join any club.

But the NSW market is crucial for their bottom line. It is the biggest in terms of participation and population, and RA needs a winning Waratahs team to increase match attendances and more importantly television viewership, as they embark on broadcast rights negotiations.

RA took over the operations of the NSW Waratahs earlier this year, and this week announced a similar alignment with the Brumbies, after both clubs faced financial difficulty.

RA is quietly hoping that now the coaching and high performance appointments have been finalised, they can sell their vision for NSW Rugby and convince some of the players to change their minds.

Wallabies outside back Filipo Daugunu and rising second row star Josh Canham have already inked deals with Queensland. Daugunu is signed for 2025 while Canham has a two-year deal until the end of 2026.

Rebels playmaker Carter Gordon and hooker Jordan Uelese have already obtained early releases from RA. Gordon has signed with NRL club Gold Coast Titans while Uelese has joined French club Montpellier.

The Waratahs have two major signings on board for next year; NRL superstar Joseph Aukuso-Sua'ali'i, and Wallabies outside back Andrew Kellaway.

But they have lost multiple players to overseas clubs including Test capped Izaia Perese, Ned Hanigan and Lachie Swinton, while winger Mark Nawaqanitawase will join NRL club Sydney Roosters upon his return from the Paris Olympics rugby sevens campaign.

The development comes on the eve of the Wallabies’ first match in Melbourne since the Rebels were shut down. They face Wales at AAMI Park on Saturday night, having won the first match in Sydney last weekend.

[GIGS20]

I expect there's a grain of truth to this. Pandaram has been on the money with a bunch of non-ra-approved stories and it would explain why no signings are being processed while they try and force the best players from the rebels away from every other team.

It doesn't look good for the promised benefits of high profile alignment, does it?

[sandgroperrugby]

The Tahs are critical to the longevity of the game at the pinnacle of Aus rugby. (Excuse me while I throw up).

However forcing player to sign with them is going to end in disaster. This will then create a massive vacuum in a couple of years when those players contracts do expire and they leave.

It also rankles other clubs and supporters as it is giving the dummy to the favourite child. If this is a fair and equitable process for the good of the game there should be minimal stacking of talent in a position. The best players playing in their position every week across the county.

Rambling thoughts pre caffeine.

[Garry Owen]

The Tahs are critical to the longevity of the game at the pinnacle of Aus rugby. (Excuse me while I throw up).

However forcing player to sign with them is going to end in disaster. This will then create a massive vacuum in a couple of years when those players contracts do expire and they leave.

It also rankles other clubs and supporters as it is giving the dummy to the favourite child. If this is a fair and equitable process for the good of the game there should be minimal stacking of talent in a position. The best players playing in their position every week across the county.

Rambling thoughts pre caffeine.

It could quite simply be a negotiating tactic by the managers to get the players a big jump in pay to go to the tahs which I think would be fair enough. Also I think guys like LSL who are queenslanders should be able to go to QLD if they choose.

[Burgs]

Waugh: But... but... but...

[shasta]

If this is anywhere near true, and I suspect is, it just indicates nothing is changing. It is also just a statistical fact that the health of the game in NSW is critical. Trouble is that this idea that propping up the Waratahs will solve every issue is just so demonstrably stupid it beggars belief. How many years has that been happening and the Tahs are still for the most part a stinking pile of underachievement?
Much more likely that the Mosman Mafia is incapable of fostering a positive culture. The only one who managed a better environment was Michael Cheika. A leb from the wrong side of the tracks who refused to cop the bullshit. Strange how everywhere else he had ventured has been a raging success and he is lauded for that.

[GIGS20]

If this is anywhere near true, and I suspect is, it just indicates nothing is changing. It is also just a statistical fact that the health of the game in NSW is critical. Trouble is that this idea that propping up the Waratahs will solve every issue is just so demonstrably stupid it beggars belief. How many years has that been happening and the Tahs are still for the most part a stinking pile of underachievement?
Much more likely that the Mosman Mafia is incapable of fostering a positive culture. The only one who managed a better environment was Michael Cheika. A leb from the wrong side of the tracks who refused to cop the bullshit. Strange how everywhere else he had ventured has been a raging success and he is lauded for that.

The counter argument is that NSW has the largest community and junior rugby player pool in the country and the success of the Tahs has absolutely nothing to do with that. You can see evidence to support that argument in the number of social media posts that push club over province, especially with Shite Shield.

As a matter of fact, RA could likely ensure better engagement with Sydney Club rugby by picking more players from Shute Shield and completely ignoring players from outside their backyard.....likely regardless of results. This would however include an admission that a strong tahs isn't really as important to Aussie rugby as they've been saying all these years and that admission would be completely impossible.

[jargan83]

I love how Pandaram labels players refusing to be forced to play for a particular team as a mutiny.

[Kernow]

I love how Pandaram labels players refusing to be forced to play for a particular team as a mutiny.

I know exactly what you mean, but they are effectively RA employees now, aren't they?

I think it is healthy for RA/ Thas to see that not everything is as it appears to them through their sky-blue-tinted glasses.

Now, putting my Force-blue-tinted glasses on, it's time for Chirs Goodman to earn his keep and help land the pick of the remaining Rebels crop in Perth ready for the Oct tour. (just don't mention the Perth rental prices!)

[SNOB]

Exactly as I was going to say Gigs. Shute shield is so good employ from there.

[Burgs]

According to Stan Wanneroo v Southern Lions Pre Match, Luke Callan contracted to Japan, Club not specified.