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Brumbies return option for Giteau
March 13, 2008 Brumbies return option for Giteau - Rugby - Fox Sports
JUST when the Brumbies were beginning to resign themselves to seeing their favourite son play out the remainder of his career with Western Force, Matt Giteau has teased hope back to life in Canberra.
As expected, Giteau confirmed yesterday that he had signed an extension to his agreement with the Australian Rugby Union that would commit him to playing in Australia until after the 2011 World Cup.
But what was not expected was the revelation that his contract includes a get-out clause that permits him to consider offers from other Super 14 clubs for the 2010 and 2011 seasons once his present deal with the Force expires at the end of next year.
For "other Super 14 teams ", read "the Brumbies". There is nothing the Waratahs or Reds can offer him that the Force can't match, but not even the well-resourced Perth club can compete with the fact that Canberra is home for Giteau, where his parents, two brothers and sister live.
It's where Giteau began his Super career, playing four seasons with the Brumbies before being lured to Perth by the biggest money deal done for a rugby player in Australia.
"It certainly interests us," said Brumbies coach Laurie Fisher when asked about Giteau's decision not to commit through to 2011 with the Force. "Matt would be the outstanding rugby player in Australia today and we've always been hopeful he'd come home one day.
"And, as you do with good friends, you keep in touch. Our interest hasn't waned at all."
Force officials conceded yesterday they were disappointed that Giteau hadn't formalised his commitment to the club, even if the player insisted he was only ensuring he didn't get too far ahead of himself.
"My mind-set is totally focused on the Force," Giteau said. "A lot of players have those options in their contract, they just don't choose to take them up ... and it's a little further down the track than I wanted to think."
Force officials had been hoping that Giteau re-signing, coming on top of Nathan Sharpe's recent decision to commit to the club, would act as a lure to a large group of Perth players coming off contract, among them Wallabies fullback Cameron Shepherd.
While Shepherd indicated yesterday that Giteau's plans would not directly have an impact on his decision, he clearly is hoping the 25-year-old five-eighth will be around for the long term.
"I guess the whole thing Mitch (coach John Mitchell) is trying to achieve is to get a core group of players together that we can build the team around," Shepherd said. "I don't know what Matt is going to do but we're definitely developing a player group we believe can be dominant in this competition."
Shepherd said the Force was "definitely frontrunners" for his own services, although he does have an English passport. "But that's the lowest of my options," he said.
It would certainly assist Shepherd if Giteau remains in Perth. The brilliant, if self-confessed inconsistent, fullback said one of the secrets of his success has been to trail Giteau on the field on the off-chance, knowing that at some stage he will be put through a gap.
That has changed a little this season and according to Shepherd it's due to the Experimental Law Variations, in particular the tendency of teams to take quick taps from free-kicks.
"I play my best footy when I can chase people like Gits but now, under the ELVs, there's so much off-the-ball work for a fullback to do that when it comes to attack, you're pretty beat," Shepherd said.
"I've reviewed all the Super 14 games and I don't think any of the fullbacks have really shone because of that."
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are winning games, and If the :Force: use him properly, they'll keep winning games, so it's really up to his own form...isn't it?
Originally Posted by BLR
