Waratahs and Brumbies to trim back squads in 2010
0
By Wayne Smith May 07, 2009
The economic crisis is catching up to Australia's Super 14 franchises, with the Waratahs and Brumbies voluntarily trimming their 2010 squads back to 30 or less before it becomes compulsory in 2011.
The influence of Wallabies coach Robbie Deans and ARU high-performance manager David Nucifora, the respective Crusaders and Blues coaches only a year ago, is evident in the move to trim the squads to more frugal New Zealand levels.
Whereas Kiwi franchises run bare-bones operations with 28 contracted players, 24 of them "protected" - effectively designated untouchable by their unions - and the remaining four drawn from a common pool, Australian Super 14 teams have employed squads of as many as 33 in recent years.
The Australian Rugby Union is canvassing the idea of cutbacks to be formally introduced in 2011. While economics is the main driver, the prospect of a fifth Australian franchise operating out of Melbourne in an expanded Super 15 that year made it an imperative to come up with a device to spread the talent more evenly around the states.
Waratahs coach Chris Hickey said from South Africa on Wednesday he was aiming to cull his already reduced NSW squad of 31 players back to 30 or even 29 next year.
"It's a tough time for everyone and sport is in the same position as other businesses," Hickey said. "Sponsorships become harder to get and revenue streams start to dry up. You have to be financially responsible."
The announcement by Brett Sheehan that he intends to join the Western Force next year does not spare Hickey a tough decision because the Waratahs only have one other specialist halfback on their books, Test No.9 Luke Burgess, and it would be unthinkable not to have a specialist back-up to him.
"We've got to start looking around," Hickey said.
A couple of quality halfbacks will come on the market this weekend once Brumbies coach Andy Friend decides which two of his three halfbacks - Patrick Phibbs, Josh Holmes and James Stannard - will have to be dropped.
"I don't know which two will be going," Friend admitted on Wednesday night. "I want a few more nights to ponder this. You're potentially ending a couple of players' careers at the Brumbies. There are pros and cons for all of them."
He was even unsure whether to look for skills that are complementary or identical to those of the Brumbies' new star signing, Force and former Wallabies halfback Josh Valentine.
"That's going through my mind," said Friend, weighing up whether to retain the player whose game most resembles that of Valentine or offers a significant point of difference.
Brumbies chief executive Andrew Fagan said whether or not the ARU introduced the new model in time for the 2010 season, the ACT was "comfortable" voluntarily reducing its squad next year.
Wednesday was not the day to be asking Reds coach Phil Mooney about the financial and other benefits of running a reduced squad, not with Queensland's injury crisis so severe he was forced to pluck three new players out of the Brisbane club competition.
Even so, he still saw the merits in a system that allowed the franchises to "protect" 30 players, with any excess talent likely to go into a common pool to be drawn on in times of injury crisis much like the one the Reds are now experiencing.
"I think it's not a bad way to go," Mooney said. "You should be able to protect your top 30 players in a squad of 30. And if you're got more quality players than that, you're doing real well."
But Reds high-performance manager Ben Whitaker is adamant Australian rugby does not have the player numbers to sustain five Super rugby teams.
"I reckon we're operating at maximum capacity right at the moment," Whitaker said. "I don't know where you find another 30 quality players from. I think 120 players (across the existing four franchises) is the maximum. There certainly aren't enough experienced players to go around at the moment."
Force chief executive Greg Harris saw the mooted scale-down as the first tentative steps towards introducing a draft system, whereby players not "protected" by their host union would go into a common pool and at least theoretically be available to whoever needed them most.
http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,...002381,00.html
This season the Brumbies had 31 players which included 2 Rookies, Lock Shawn MacKay and Wing/Centre Sipa Taumoepeau...
Henry Vanderglas who played in the Australian 7s came from the Brumbies academy
Reply With Quote
CHEERLEADERS ROCK!!! 
Originally Posted by JediKnight
Supporter" starring the #SeaOfBlue