O'Connor hints at Force return

[GAFFA]

Western Force are set to make a shock bid to bring Wallabies star James O'Connor back to the Super Rugby club.

Club representatives will talk to O'Connor after he told friends and Force associates during his time in Perth last week that he would be happy to return.

A highly-placed Force source said management had been made aware of his comments and would be talking to O'Connor to see how serious he was about a move.

Speculation about O'Connor's future at the Melbourne Rebels has intensified in the past two weeks.

He came to Perth as a 17-year-old where he has a "second family" with whom he spent time last week.

"I love Perth. I haven't made any secret. It's an awesome city," he said.

There have also been reports that the ACT Brumbies have an interest in O'Connor, who would command a multi-million-dollar deal.

He left the Force under a cloud in 2011 when five months of contract talks broke down amid claim and counter-claim about his demands, and he received a hostile reception as he led the Rebels to Saturday's 30-23 win at nib Stadium.

However, the Force now have a new coaching team, new players and different senior management.

The inability to retain big-name players in the past has often come back to bite the Force and after Saturday some of the hierarchy must be questioning the wisdom of previous coach Richard Graham's decision to send O'Connor packing.

The Force are set to announce the re-signing of outstanding forward Hugh McMeniman and the signing of Reds winger Luke Morahan.

They are still in the hunt for a second-rower and might turn their attention to South Africa after the Reds' Rob Simmons turned down an offer.

Reds hooker James Hanson has backed down on a move west.

Force coach Michael Foley has just five days to sort out the mess his side produced in the loss to the Rebels before facing the Crusaders this weekend.

He will be without McMeniman, who left the game in the second half with a shoulder injury that could rule him out for several weeks.

Fly-half Sias Ebersohn and prop Kieran Longbottom both left the game with head knocks, prop Salesi Ma'afu has knee inflammation and winger Alfie Mafi a hamstring problem.

http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/spo...-force-return/

[jono]

Is it just me, or was this article inevitable?

I'd have him back though. But it would take a while for me to trust him again

Awesome news about madness though!
&i hope he isn't out for too long
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[Muddly]

Is he good? Yes. Could he get better? Yes. Will I ever trust him that the team comes first? No. Hope the boy's at rugby HQ know what they’re doing and that this isn't some sort of desperate move to quell the growing disappointment at our performances.

[Batto]

We need that spark in the back line, even though he is a complete knob, we would be stupid not to have him back, took some serious shit from the shed on saturday ;-)

[jargan83]

This thread is going to be awesome

[GAFFA]

hahaha ^^

[GIGS20]

OK, he's a sublime footballer, there's no doubt about that. I would have him back if he came with the right motives, however, it is difficult to guarantee that.

Rugby is a team sport, and we need team players. JOC has proven not to be one of those ever since Gits left the Force, firstly playing incredibly selfishly for the Force, then dragging contracting talks out to ridiculous extents in the end having the rug pulled out from under his feet by an administration who were sick of his horseshit.

He needs to sign quickly, be open and honest in his apology for dicking the team around and work hard to improve the team not brand O'Connor.

Anything short of that and he'll be worse than a shot to the head!

[UNCLE BOOG]

This thread is going to be awesome

[shasta]

If it's just a cynical move to get the best possible offer from the Brums, it's still good riddance. If, as some of us suspected at the time, he was a young bloke who could hardly take his eye off his phone long enough to understand the bad advice the lawyer was giving, re-sign him asap. Brain Dead Dick fucked up everything around here, according to lots of posters. Why would JOC's negotiations be any different? JOC is older and hopfully wiser. If he really wants to live in Perth and wants to play his Rugby from here, it's the biggest no-brainer of the year.
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[wholetruth]

Awesome news about madness though!
Hope you mean awful!

[UNCLE BOOG]

just makes me wonder how the (typically AFL ) fans who were booing him will feel if he runs on in a force strip! haha.

[Alison]

I may be cutting off my nose to spite my face, but I don't ever want to see him Force blue again.

If they do end up signing him, it had damn well better be on RugbyWA's terms and not his.

Re Hanson - interesting that the article uses the term "backed down". That smacks of the Genia-disease so I'm glad he's not coming.

[Tazzmania]

Love him or hate him.

At the moment we lack any player with strike breaking ability, and there are not many in Australia.

We have to take him, there is no option.

If we do not we will continue to plod along.

Look wat Giteau and Mitchell did for us when they were here, we placed close to mid table and least had close on eaqual win /loss ratio.

I am happy to eat humble pie for what I may have said about him, but he is an extremely talenetd youngster and would welcome him back any time.

Out of interest he was one of the last players off the field on Saturday night signing authographs and taking pics, they had to drag him off.

I hope this is not just fanatasy and is reality

[zed]

Why would he leave a struggling club to go to another struggling club when there are potential offers from the Reds & Brumbies. Be good to have him back, but it would be an odd choice from a career prospective.

[DinkyDi]

JOC has real friends here in Perth, developed when he was just a 17 yr old talent, as opposed to the "entourage" in Melbourne. His muck up with negotiations in the past was driven by a money hungry management group that spoon fed him the garbage re "brand" whilst blowing smoke up his arse. With his Father running the show now, there is a small chance of his move, if it happens, being done for the right reasons.

I would welcome him back here happily as would most sensible people. He has grown up over the last year or two and "If" this note is real then I say bring it on.

To those that complain about his selfishness on the field..... please put it in perspective. He was playing to the very limited game plan laid out by inept coaches... give the ball to JOC and try and keep up. As one of you has said in the past, its a fifteen man game, fourteen of you get the ball to me and I will do the rest.

I think under a no nonsense coach like Foley there is a good chance that we will have a more complex plan than in the past... maybe???