Local Lad Ryan Hodson on the Bench fot the Rebels

[shasta]

poor bastard. he must have forgotten it's full of QLD'ers

Really getting on with your adopted neighbours there jono? Wait 'till SoO time and try walking down Caxton St in a sky blue shirt.

NB. only the Tahds shirts are poofy powder blue.

[Rex Messup]

Mind you, on the subject, one might also reasonably ask a) how exactly he is in our academy if he is training and playing in NSW, and b) if he is already over there and good enough for the Rebels, how was it that he could have been mysteriously overlooked for the ARUs national academy...

wrong school probably

Australian rugby stinks of old school tie politics

[DinkyDi]

Mind you, on the subject, one might also reasonably ask a) how exactly he is in our academy if he is training and playing in NSW, and b) if he is already over there and good enough for the Rebels, how was it that he could have been mysteriously overlooked for the ARUs national academy...

A) he spent the pre season with the Force and captained Force A but then decided to head to Sydney for this season to test himself out - looks like it worked.
B) No idea why he is not officially in the national academy but the whole business of having to go to the national talent pool for replacements does not apply to the Rebels as they are a private franchise and can tell the ARU to stuff it - Private money, we hire whom we like.

Good on the lad though

[PerthChicka]

wrong school probably

Australian rugby stinks of old school tie politics

Sounds just like English rugby

[PerthChicka]

the whole business of having to go to the national talent pool for replacements does not apply to the Rebels as they are a private franchise and can tell the ARU to stuff it - Private money, we hire whom we like.

They are a private franchise?? How does that work? Does that mean the salary cap doesn't apply to them either?? Seems very unfair if that's the case

[TOCC]

B) No idea why he is not officially in the national academy but the whole business of having to go to the national talent pool for replacements does not apply to the Rebels as they are a private franchise and can tell the ARU to stuff it - Private money, we hire whom we like.

Incorrect, the teams all have equal access to draw on players outside the national academy system. The Academy system is more or less designed for U20's and to develop them in that way, at times many of the players aren't suitable as replacements at super rugby level due to their physical development, however rather them cuttin them loose for NRL clubs to poach or train outside of a professional environment, they are placed in the Academy.

Clubs need to apply to get a player from the academy, which is a pretty simple process, or they can get players from the club scene as well... The QRU has done both in 2012, Sam Lane was a national academy player, Rapana was a club player andnDallan Murphy was a EPS player.

[GIGS20]

They are a private franchise?? How does that work? Does that mean the salary cap doesn't apply to them either?? Seems very unfair if that's the case

No the fact that they are a private franchise has nothin to do with the salary cap not applying to them. The salary cap doesn't apply to them because their 10 internationals aren't counted within it....essentially giving them 4.1 million to spend on 20 players, where everybody else has 4.1 million to spend on 30!