Giteau threatens to walk if Force don't pay $1m

[travelling_gerry]

Giteau threatens to walk if Force don't pay $1m

Dave Hughes | October 30, 2008


WALLABIES star Matt Giteau has threatened to walk out on the Western Force before the next season if he is not paid more than $1 million owed him by failed sponsor Firepower.

Such action would require him to take legal action against both Rugby WA and the Australian Rugby Union, with which he has a separate contract to play for the Force until the end of next year.

Giteau, 26, joined the Force last year after securing a personal three-year deal with Firepower, worth an estimated $2m, to supplement his rugby earnings. He has only received money for 2007. The Force has facilitated a compromise arrangement in which Giteau would receive $800,000 in compensation for this year and the next, plus the same again for a further two seasons - but only if he commits to the Perth club until the 2011 World Cup. The offer expires tomorrow afternoon.

Negotiations between Giteau and the Force are at an impasse, with the five-eighth asking to be paid in full the amount due him from Firepower before he considers extending his stay.

A source close to the discussions revealed Giteau felt the Force have an obligation to make good on the promises that lured him to Perth from his hometown of Canberra and had warned possible courses of action included seeking an immediate release if his requirements were not met.

The suggestion horrified the Force, who cannot do more than they have achieved in arranging partial compensation for Giteau and other players for the deals they did with elusive Firepower founder Tim Johnston.

"I'd be surprised and disappointed if it came to that," Force chief executive Greg Harris said yesterday. "We consider him integral to our viability."

Giteau is in Hong Kong with the Wallabies and could not be contacted.


http://www.rugbyheaven.com.au/news/n...956142861.html

[Flamethrower]

Catch22 ???

[GIGS20]

This is starting to look ugly. matt's going to have problems getting the Force to do much more than they have since, to my understanding, this kind of brokership is specifically prohibited by ARU and therfore their actions are obviously at the whim of whoever in the ARU is saying what they can do.

Matt's also being a bit greedy expecting to be the only person to actually get a full payout of Firepower entitlements.

Hopefully it's just a tactic to see if the money's out there, because I'd hate him to leave in an ugly way.

[Darren]

He's just trying to get what he was promised - but I would have thought that would mostly be between him, his manager and Firepower?

If it does get ugly - I'd prefer to see him leave in an ugly way than stay in an ugly way.

Force was improving well at 10 & 12 before Gits became a member of the team and although it may hurt a bit, we'd recover if he were to leave.

[Thequeerone]

If this kind of stuff is true then we are better of without him - suspect that it isn't and Gits might be talking to lawyers about defamation - noone in Public life likes/can afford to be made out to be that much of a money grubber.

[jargan83]

its professional sport, their all money grubbers. Do you think Giteau would have come west in the first place had he not been promised all that cash in the first place?
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[RuckNMaul]

i get pissed if i dont get paid my meal money allowance, and $1,000,000.00 is a big chunck of change (approx. 108,690 meal money allowances) but its unfair and a bit ignorant for Matt to expect RugbyWA to foot the bill from Tim Johnstons Firepower debarcle i mean have a look around at the now defunct Sydney Kings for an example, they have lost everything

[Burgs]

I think Gits should be talking to his agent about terms such as "due diligence" rather than trying to milk it out of RWA who weren't part of setting up the third party arrangement.

If true then I agree, on your bike.
The team is always bigger than the man and RWA shouldn't set a precedent of being able to be blackmailed.
I would prefer to drop way down the ladder than have that happen.

[Tazzmania]

I think we need to take a deep breathe and wiegh up the facts:

1) Gits has never spoken to the media in regards outside matters to rugby previously, so why should he start now?

2) Eastern States media always drum up anti Force sentiment when they can.

3) Just before the last Bledisloe and this one, they drum up negativity while Gits is in the spotlight.

4) If his current agent is trying to increase the negociated figure, why would he play it out in the media, when the figure on the table is close to what they are looking for, he could lose it all.

5) Being a potential future captain of both the Force and Wallabies, I doubt he would act this out in the media, as he has some good leadership qualities.

Lets keep the faith and hope that Gits will be an inegral member of our team until the next world cup.

[shasta]

If true then I agree, on your bike.
The team is always bigger than the man and RWA shouldn't set a precedent of being able to be blackmailed.
I would prefer to drop way down the ladder than have that happen.

Ditto on the if

I don't think we'd drop way down the ladder just yet. I'll still be in the stands anyway. Pretty sure most of the other tragics around these parts will be too.

On Giteau's payment; if I were a sponsor I would make it clear that I would only make up his Firepower losses if he intend staying 'till 2011. That's not some kind of blackmail. Just common sense.

[LarryNJ]

5) Being a potential future captain of both the Force and Wallabies, I doubt he would act this out in the media, as he has some good leadership qualities.

Lets keep the faith and hope that Gits will be an inegral member of our team until the next world cup.

Which might make the most sense for him. It could mean millions more in endorsements over the next few years. If he's made out to be a problem many companies will steer away from him.

[Tazzmania]

Ditto on the if

I don't think we'd drop way down the ladder just yet. I'll still be in the stands anyway. Pretty sure most of the other tragics around these parts will be too.
.

I will be there too, irrespective a what happens, we are now a team that has a three history and a following of some "die hard" supporters.

Lets be positive about Gits, and lets hope that today Deans names an unprecedented SIX Force players in the Wallaby team to play NZ, and lets rather bask in that glory and the culmination of solid work by Mitch over the past three years in building the team.

[Burgs]

I'll save that for next month onwards Tazz haha

[travelling_gerry]

As an addition to this article...it appears on the back page of todays West Australian.

In a very good article by Dave Hughes he also adds that for Gits to break the contract it needs the approval of the ARU. However he says, Force supporters would be wary of any moves by ARU given that Forcer were fined $150,000 for approaching Al Kanaar while he was under contract to the Tahs while the not so subtle moves from the Brumbies to Gits has gone unpunished.

[Flamethrower]

Bloody East Coast Bias