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Nick Taylor,
The West Australian
May 13, 2013, 8:15 am
Western Force passports will be tucked away in the bottom drawer for the rest of the Super Rugby season as the club finally gets to play a series of matches at home.
They have four Super games at nib Stadium and the opening clash of the British and Irish Lions tour left to play as well as a bye week.
They desperately want to use the time at home to get off the bottom of the Australian conference but coaching staff and management will also turn their attention to recruitment.
On the player front they seem resigned to losing Wallabies winger Nick Cummins, who looks to have priced himself out from under the Force salary cap.
If Cummins leaves, and with fellow winger Alfie Mafi already cut for disciplinary problems, it adds to the urgency to recruit a big- name outside back.
They are also looking to secure the signature of an experienced second-rower.
Hooker Heath Tessmann, who has been a revelation after joining as cover for the injured Nathan Charles, looks to have played his way into a new contract.
The club is playing a waiting game with about half a dozen offers to be resolved.
One who is in the mix, but may also be hard to squeeze under the salary cap, is Wallabies and Waratahs centre Rob Horne.
They have also begun the search for a new forwards coach to replace Nick Stiles, who leaves for the Queensland Reds next season.
One possibility is former Force hooker Tai McIsaac, who retired in 2009 and is now coaching in Japan.
McIsaac played in every match for the Force after the club's inception in 2006 until his retirement. Like Stiles, McIsaac would be strong in scrum coaching, but would need a line-out expert around him.
The Force's immediate concern is beating the Sharks on Friday night, something they have done only once in seven attempts.
The Durban-based side have injury problems that have brought a big slump in form. They have lost their past five games.
Coach John Plumtree claims his side is "dead in the competition", but he is a master of mind games and knows his side has a mathe- matical chance of making the finals.
Force coach Michael Foley said last year's beaten finalists still had threats across the ground.
"They had a difficult start last year and came home strong," Foley said.
"They are traditionally a tough side and they have had a rough few weeks but some of their lesser- known players have stood up.
"We are aware of their threat at the set piece but they are able to play open rugby and have individuals who can turn games."
http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/spo...ons-for-force/
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One who is in the mix, but may also be hard to squeeze under the salary cap, is Wallabies and Waratahs centre Rob Horne.
Comments like this make me wonder. So the Force would have trouble fitting in someone like Horne under the salary cap but the Tahs wouldn't?
Considering the number of Wallabies the Tahs have surely they would have more trouble retaining players under the salary cap? or am I missing something?
(and yes I know there will be a lot of wise-cracks about the Tahs and ARU) but seriously I don't see how this comment can hold much water especially if we lose Cummins, you wouldn't offer Horne any more than you would offer Cummins.
Please can someone enlighten me, how the dickens can we be struggling with the salary cap.
The Players the Reds, Warratahs and Rebels have must be more far more costly than our crew.
What is going on!!!!!
Simon Cron: “People talk about winning and losing all the time and they are critical, but there’s a process to get into and it’s the ability to stay present, do your job and execute skills under pressure.”
Maybe we are paying too much for average players
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Maybe it means there are some big name signings coming our way which have yet to be announced.
“Everyone knows whether it’s rugby, politics or whatever, front-rowers should rule the world, so to have a hooker at the helm makes sense,” Nathan Charles Western Force & Wallabies Hooker.
I have no information about player salaries, but it seems likely that RugbyWA would need to pay over the odds to attract established players to Perth. They also likely need to pay overs to keep players who have developed jere.
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Or the tahs breaking the salary cap last year got covered up
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Yes, I think this is the reason and if so then we need to be compensated. Does every club have the same salary cap? I am sure in the AFL that Sydney and Brisbane had higher salary caps than the other sides because they were in non AFL dominated states and harder to attract players. We need something similar the ARU should want players like Cummins to stay with us.
A combination of Tai and Sharpie for the forwards coach position would be ideal!
Sharpie is the Players Representitive to the Board at EWF with Spanner assisting. Spanner was in that role previously on his own.
Bringing back past club and Wallaby legends has boded well for the Ponies...Fisher, Gregan, Larkahm.
80 Minutes, 15 Positions, No Protection, Wanna Ruck?
Ruck Me, Maul Me, Make Me Scrum!
Education is Important, but Rugby is Importanter!
Would love to have Tai back, great team man and great person.
Still battling to come to terms with this article. How can it say Nic is going and we will replace him with a high profile outside back, surely the price will be the same. As Nic was new to the Wallabies I doubt his top up was excessive. I can only assume the offer from overseas is very good and I wish him well. Great guy, great player, sad to see him go.
I thought all franchices were subject to the same Salary cap, but maybe its is like the GST and National Disability schemes we only get a minisicle slice of the pie as we are not the populace that matters.
Simon Cron: “People talk about winning and losing all the time and they are critical, but there’s a process to get into and it’s the ability to stay present, do your job and execute skills under pressure.”
Brisbane lost it after winning 3 straight Premierships
Sydney still have a higher amount to spend on their cap. It comes under a "cost of living" allowance
Gold Coast and GWS also have the higher Cap but the AFL has rigged the draft etc to get them to win a Premiership as quickly as possible
Unless Nick has gone completely crazy, that salary cap problem is an absolute fxxxing disgrace. The point of it was supposed to ensure that talent was more evenly spread around the Super franchises. How on earth could the Waratahs afford the combined salaries of Benn Robinson, TPN, Michael Hooper, Wycliff Palu, Berrick Barnes, Rob Horne, Israel Folau, Drew Mitchell, Adam Ashley-Cooper as well as the rest of the players in their team. Even if they are rorting the system with green fees, it still doesn't make sense.
Smoke me a kipper, I'll be back for breakfast.