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Wayne Smith | June 15, 2009
Article from: The Australian
JAMES O'Connor might be a Wallabies star remorselessly on the rise, but the third-party offer he has received to stay at Western Force could be about to move in entirely the opposite direction.
It is understood that a Force backer has pledged O'Connor a massive third-party deal if he re-signs with the club by today, but has warned him that the longer he delays his decision the more the amount offered will shrink.
The deadline is not of the Force's making, but it may inadvertently put the Brumbies back in the running for O'connor. Force officials have been at pains to take any pressure off the teenage Test fullback to decide on his future until they have secured a five-eighth to replace Matt Giteau.
Only when the new five-eight has been secured and O'Connor knows for certain who will be calling the plays next season, will the Force press him for a decision.
That day might not be far away, with Lions and former Springbok five-eighth Andre Pretorius expected to respond early this week to the Force's offer of a contract. Officials are guardedly confident they might finally have found their man in the 31-Test veteran.
But they have been disappointed before, especially by Stormers five-eighth Peter Grant who entered into extended negotiations with the club only to make a late switch to join Racing Club de Paris instead.
If the threat of diminishing third party returns is any indication, the drawn-out process of fighting off the Brumbies to retain O'Connor is starting to fray nerves.
Brumbies chief executive Andrew Fagan has publicly stated he is no longer pursuing the 18-year-old sensation, but everything could change with a phone call if O'Connor feels his hand is being forced to remain in Perth.
"We consider ourselves outsiders, but that combination with Matt Giteau is outstanding, isn't it?" Fagain said yesterday.
The Force might not now be so desperately fighting to retain the services of the Wallabies fullback had it taken its chance two years ago to grab his Italian counterpart on Saturday night, Luke McLean.
McLean represented Perth Spirit during the Australian Rugby Championship in 2007 and had hoped a Super 14 berth would open up for him in the west -- and on the evidence of his excellent game in a beaten Italian side on Saturday, it should have -- but the Force offered him no more than a training contract. The only alternative available to him was an offer from an Italian club he had never heard of, and, somewhat to his surprise, he found himself travelling in late 2007 to a place called Calvisano -- a village of about 8000 people outside Milan.
"When I did come over here the Force had some injuries and I thought maybe I should have (taken the training contract)," McLean said shortly before last year's Test in Padua. "But after a couple of months here, I settled into life."
McLean has more than settled into Italian rugby, figuring in all five Azzurri matches in this year's Six Nations. And it is not just McLean Force officials let slip through their fingers. Brock James, a former Australian under-21 five-eighth who signed as a back-up to Lachlan Mackay in the club's debut season in 2006, has also gone on to greater things in Europe, steering Clermont into the French Top 14 final where it lost 22-13 to Perpignan.
Meanwhile, Waratahs five-eighth Kurtley Beale will miss Wednesday's junior World Cup semi-final against New Zealand after tearing a hamstring in Australia's 38-5 pool victory over Wales in Fukuoka on Saturday.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au...015651,00.html