Larkham holds key to Brumbies' O'Connor bid
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CHRIS DUTTON
17 Apr, 2011 12:00 AM
THE ACT Brumbies still hold hope albeit faint of James O'Connor choosing Canberra over Melbourne and their secret weapon is Stephen Larkham.
O'Connor wants to become a world-class playmaker and Larkham is the kind of mentor to help him reach that level.
The Melbourne Rebels appeared to have snared one of Australian rugby's brightest stars on Friday with reports O'Connor had agreed to a deal with Super Rugby's newest franchise.
But O'Connor's manager David Shand rang Brumbies chief executive Andrew Fagan on Friday night to assure him the 20-year-old had not ruled out moving to Canberra.
The Sunday Canberra Times understands O'Connor has spoken with Larkham about a possible move to the capital and Fagan will meet the whiz-kid and his manager this week.
O'Connor and the Western Force will play the Brumbies at Canberra Stadium today.
It is believed he will end the speculation surrounding his future by the end of the week.
''From my understanding James is having some discussions with the Rebels and [the Force] and we're not sure we sit,'' Fagan said.
''I think his aspirations are at No12 and to be a world-class playmaker and I think one of the reasons for him contacting us is because Stephen Larkham is here as a coach.
''He sees Stephen as someone who can develop his game and I think that's a primary attraction for him.
''His manager called to say the reports about the Rebels were incorrect and they were keen to continue discussions.''
O'Connor will get the chance to impress Larkham today.
He started the season at No10, but was moved to fullback last weekend and struggled to have a major influence against the NSW Waratahs.
He will play at inside centre against the Brumbies, taking on his former teammate Matt Giteau.
''If you get him more involved he's going to be a lot more dangerous,'' Giteau said of the move to inside centre.
''When I was at the Force I played a lot with him at 12 and I know how dangerous he can be.''
It is understood O'Connor is ready to cut ties with the Perth club and the Brumbies hope his decision on where he will play next is based on his rugby future, not money.
The Rebels' advantage lies with the ability to generate lucrative third-party deals in Melbourne.
But the Brumbies hope the opportunity to work with Larkham one of Australia's greatest flyhalves will sway O'Connor to join the two-time Super Rugby champions.
And he could perfectly fill the hole left by departing stars Giteau and Adam Ashley-Cooper in the ACT's back line.
It's not the first time the Brumbies have been interested in O'Connor.
When he was off contract in 2009, the Brumbies were keen to lure him to Canberra.
He scored a hat-trick of tries in the Wallabies Test against Italy at Canberra Stadium before deciding the offer to stay with the Force was too lucrative to pass up.
The Force trained at Canberra Stadium yesterday ahead of their grudge match against the Brumbies.
The rivalry goes back to when the Force poached Giteau from the Brumbies in 2007 before he returned to Canberra last year.
And Force captain Nathan Sharpe insisted O'Connor's uncertain future would not be a distraction.
''There's not a lot of off-field stuff [going on], it's probably more about James O'Connor,'' Sharpe said.
''I'm sure James has got some issues going on, but he's a quality footballer and he's going to be able to deal with those. He's got to make his own decision and he'll do that.
''We'll focus on our rugby, he'll focus on playing well for us and time will be the thing that solves that.''
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news...px?storypage=0
Go figure O'Connors manager is still pushing the process... it just confirms that the Rebels deal isn't done... but it does looks like JOC is on the move
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Was the wait worth it - Ya betta baby 
Originally Posted by James
